On May 12, Beijing Ducks defeated the Guangdong Southern Tigers 88-73 at home in Game 3 of the CBA quarterfinals, clinching the series 2-1 and securing a semifinal matchup against the Shanghai Sharks.
This will be the seventh time Beijing and Shanghai meet in the CBA playoffs. The previous six encounters have been evenly contested, with each team winning three times. Their most recent postseason battle came in the 2023-2024 season, when Shanghai edged Beijing 2-1 in the first round.
The two teams now face off in the semifinals for the first time in 25 years. In their only prior semifinal meeting (1999-2000 season), Shanghai swept Beijing 3-0 to advance.