Sichuan have more than foreign players: coach

CHENGDU - Chinese players were as important as foreign recruits as Sichuan won their first ever CBA title, Sichuan head coach said on Sunday.

"We were underdogs in the beginning of the season and people only talked about the three foreign players," said Yang Xuezeng. "But today, after winning the finals, I can say that we won it as a team."

Sichuan beat Liaoning 94-91 in Game 5 and won the series 4-1 to take their first championship in their only third CBA season.

"(Hamed) Haddadi, (Mike) Harris and (Justin) Dentmon helped the team a lot during the season. But they are all team players. Chinese players contributed, too, like Meng Da, Zhang Chunjun and Wang Ruheng."

The three foreign players combined for 58 points in Sichuan's 94, while Wang helped with 18 and Zhang added 12.

"Zhang did a great job in both attack and defence. As you can see, he could protect our rebounds and also score," said Yang. " Veteran Meng Da helped the team with experience. And Wang is becoming more mature.

CBA hails the new king as Sichuan beats Liaoning in final