Bayi Rockets
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Bayi Shuanglu Rockets (八一双鹿电池火箭) or Bayi Rockets or Bayi Army Rockets or Bayi Shuanglu are a professional basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Ningbo, Zhejiang. Bayi ("eight one") means "August First", so the English name of the team could be translated as August First Rockets, but this name is very rarely seen in English-language Chinese media. They are occasionally called Bayi Deers because of their corporate sponsorship by the Pairdeer brand of batteries, whose logo is a pair of deer (双鹿, or shuanglu).
Its founding team members served in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The "Bayi" in their name represents the anniversary of the founding of the PLA. There are also other army teams with the Bayi name in other sports leagues, such as Bayi China Telecom in the WCBA, the men's soccer team Bayi Zhengbang, and the women's soccer team Bayi Xiangtan.
The Bayi Rockets have a long history that predates the currently-existing CBA. When they entered the CBA in its inaugural season in 1995–1996, they had already won 34 national titles. The Bayi Rockets dominated the CBA in its earlier years, winning no less than seven championships in the first eight years of the CBA, including the first six CBA championships in a row, and the first five of those without losing a single playoff match. They also had a home-game unbeaten streak of 65 games that ended in 2002. In recent years, however, other CBA teams have become more competitive, and Bayi has won only one championship in the last four seasons (as of the end of the 2004–2005 season).
In the 2004–2005 season, the Bayi Rockets finished in third place in the South Division and defeated the Beijing Ducks in the quarter-finals, but lost in the semi-finals to the Guangdong Southern Tigers, the defending champions. This was the first time since the founding of the CBA in 1995 that the Bayi Rockets did not make the finals.
In the 2005–2006 season, the Bayi Rockets made the finals but lost to the Guangdong Southern Tigers.
In 2011 they were involved in a brawl with the Georgetown Hoyas while the Hoyas were on their China Tour. The second game of the tour versus the Bayi Rockets, was very physical. At the time of the brawl, the Rockets had shot 57 free throws to Georgetown's 15, which seemed to have fueled the fire. During the brawl, players from both teams engaged in a full fight throwing punches, kicks, and even chairs. As the Hoyas attempted to leave the court, they were bombarded with garbage and debris from fans, even forcing a Georgetown staff member to fall to the floor after being hit in the head.[1] The Rockets were strongly condemned by microbloggers in China, who posted quotes such as: “Aren’t Bayi players soldiers? Why would they beat up a bunch of college students?”, “What a loss of face for the people’s army!”, “The Bayi team sure is lousy at basketball and should try some other sport — like boxing.” [2]
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined by FIBA. Players may hold more than one nationality.
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Notable former players
Honours
- Playoffs Champions (8): 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2006/07
- Playoffs Runners-up (3): 2001/02, 2003/04, 2005/06
- Regular Season Champions (6): 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2006/07
- Regular Season Runners-up (5): 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2005/06 (South Division), 2006/07
- Regular Season 3rd Places (2): 2003/04, 2004/05 (South Division)
References
- ↑ O'Neil, Dana (19 August 2011). "Georgetown Hoyas, Chinese professional team game ends in brawl". ESPN. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ↑ Jacobs, Andrew (19 August 2011). "China Irked With Its Pugnacious Basketball Team". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
External links
- http://sports.sina.com.cn/cba/team/bayi/index.shtml (in Chinese)
- http://www.bsgb.com/cbaclub/cbaby.php (in Chinese)
- Zhongyin (Ningbo) Battery Co., Ltd. website
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