On May 12, Beijing time, the CBA playoffs featured a heated Beijing-Guangdong series. Guangdong suffered a 73-88 road loss to Beijing, falling 1-2 in the best-of-three series and failing to advance to the semifinals.
With that defeat, the 2025–26 season officially came to a close for the Guangdong Southern Tigers.
After the game, Guangdong head coach Du Feng addressed the media during the post-match press conference.
“We were too simplistic on offense in the fourth quarter. We had nine turnovers in the first half alone, which allowed them to find their rhythm. That’s just how the playoffs work—it’s about who makes fewer mistakes. The season is over now. It’s been a tough year, starting with an incomplete roster and later dealing with injuries. We struggled through it all. I want to thank the fans for their continued support.”
Du Feng also commented on the idea of regret.
“Every year only one team wins the title. If every team felt regret for not winning, they’d all be living in disappointment. We’ve won 11 championships. Many teams have never even won one—should they be stuck in regret forever? Winning brings joy, and losing gives us things to figure out. We’ll identify our shortcomings, learn from them, and keep improving. That’s the beauty of competitive sports.”
Du Feng’s playoff record over the past eight seasons:
– 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21: Three consecutive championships.
– 2021–22: Lost 0-3 to Liaoning in the semifinals.
– 2022–23: Eliminated by Guangsha in the quarterfinals, ending a streak of 20 consecutive semifinal appearances.
– 2023–24: Lost 1-3 to Liaoning in the semifinals.
– 2024–25: Swept 0-3 by Shanxi in the quarterfinals.
– 2025–26: Lost 1-2 to Beijing in the quarterfinals.
