Shanghai Sharks

From Hoopedia

The Shanghai Sharks (Chinese: 上海大鲨鱼; pinyin: Shànghǎi dàshāyú), are a Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team in the South Division, based in Shanghai, China. As a form of corporate sponsorship, there is often an additional name used: for many years they were also known as the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks (上海东方), but now are known as Shanghai Xiyang Sharks (上海西洋). They play their home games in Luwan Stadium.

In earlier seasons, they did better: they made the CBA finals three years in a row (in 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02), facing the Bayi Rockets each time. They were runners-up the first two years, but won the CBA championship for the first time on their third try, snapping a string of six Bayi Rockets championships in a row. Yao Ming was a key player on the team in those years.

The team has fared less well more recently. In the 2004–05 season, the Sharks finished in fifth place in the South Division, out of the playoffs. In 2005–06, they tied for fifth, just one win away from making the playoffs. They raised their record to above .500 in 2006-07, finishing the regular season at 17-13, but lost three straight games in the opening round of the playoffs. The Sharks slipped the following season, dropping to an 8-22 record and failing to qualify for the playoffs.

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