With Shanghai's 23 consecutive wins, Sichuan's 42 consecutive losses, and Guangdong's upset, the CBA playoff matchups are all set.

On April 25 Beijing time, the 42nd round of the CBA regular season concluded last night. In several closely watched matchups, rapidly improving Ningbo narrowly defeated Beijing Control 94-87, Guangzhou lost to Shenzhen 86-99 in a derby clash, Fujian upset Guangdong 93-91, Shandong was comprehensively suppressed and narrowly lost 88-94 to the leading Shanghai who fielded substitutes, and the super underdog Sichuan collapsed miserably losing 81-104 to Zhejiang. Thus, the final CBA standings are determined: Shanghai ranks first with 23 consecutive wins, Guangsha second, Shenzhen third, Beijing fourth—these four pairs advance directly to the quarter-finals. Guangdong is fifth, Zhejiang sixth, Guangzhou secured the playoff spot at the last moment, and Sichuan, having swallowed 42 consecutive losses without a single win, finishes at the bottom!

Guangzhou and Beijing Control competed for the final playoff ticket. Since both teams lost this round, Guangzhou edged out Beijing Control to grab the last playoff spot, truly securing it at the last moment. Guangdong started strong but faltered later; facing Fujian, they struggled to score in the latter stages, leading to Fujian continuously widening the gap. Hu Mingxu's ill-advised three-point shooting sealed Guangdong's fate, and ultimately Fujian upset Guangdong, defeating the higher-ranked team!

Shandong faced Shanghai. Against the leading Shanghai, even though several of Shanghai's key players were absent, Shandong's offense still couldn't match Shanghai. They were suppressed on the court, and Shanghai steadily widened the lead. In the final quarter, they held off the counterattack to secure the victory. It must be said that Shanghai is truly formidable, with both substitutes and main players performing fiercely. They ended the season with 23 consecutive wins, achieving the top ranking and launching their charge towards the championship!

Sichuan faced Zhejiang. Sichuan, a former CBA champion, has now completely become an underdog. Already numb from continuous losses, they remained at the bottom without a single win. In this round's matchup against Zhejiang, hopes of a win were still slim. Zhejiang started fiercely in the first quarter, unleashing full firepower to score 30-9. Although Sichuan's condition improved later and they could trade blows with Zhejiang, the first-quarter gap remained impossible to erase. Ultimately, the game was blown open, and Zhejiang defeated Sichuan by a large margin, leaving Sichuan without a single win for the season and swallowing the embarrassing 42 consecutive losses!

Thus, all 12 teams for the CBA playoffs are determined. The specific matchups are as follows: In the 12-to-8 round, Guangdong and Guangzhou will battle in a derby; the winner will face Beijing, the fourth-place team in the regular season, in the quarter-finals. Zhejiang and Ningbo will compete for a quarter-final spot; the winner will face Shenzhen, the third-place team in the regular season. Qingdao and Shandong will clash in a derby for a quarter-final spot; the winner will challenge the defending champion Guangsha. And Shandong and Liaoning will compete for a quarter-final spot; the winner will challenge Shanghai, the regular-season first-place team with 23 consecutive wins!

By Sports Fiction