Liaoning Flying Leopards were a win away from booking their place into the CBA Finals. The team from the Northeast were hosting the Qingdao Eagles, and held a two-nothing lead in their semi-final series and a victory would see them make it to the championship round for the fifth time in their history.
The visitors got off to a hot start Yang Genlin dialling long distance. And he hit another to give the Eagles a 7-point lead.
But Liaoning would start to find their game later in the Q. The Leopards would take control of the paint as Li Xiaoxu gets the putback.
And then Han Dejun cleans up his own miss to cut the deficit to four.
He Tianju then nails the long triple to cut the gap to one, and the hosts had the momentum.
Lester Hudson would then help the home side go in front, as he hits from the land beyond.
Then the Leopards would start to take charge as Deon Thompson finishes in transition to open up an 8-point lead for Liaoning.
Then Hudson forces a turnover, and he goes the other way for the deuce and he extends the lead to double-digits in the third quarter. The reigning foreign MVP would have 29 on the night.
And his three ball in the fourth would see the lead get stretched to 15, and Liaoning are on the verge of a series sweep.
The Leopards go on to win it 129-110, and return to the Finals after a seven year absence.