5 rivalries in Asian leagues you do not want to miss

ASIA - Any sport is just as fun as the rivalries that come along with. In Asia, there are plenty of fun, competitive, and historic rivalries going on not only among the national teams but at club competitions as well. Here are some of the most intense clashes going on all over Asia!

Manila Clasico (Philippines Basketball Association)

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs Magnolia Hotshots

Due to the popularity and success of both two franchises and their players, any matchup between Barangay Ginebra and the Magnolia Hotshots in the PBA becomes a must-watch game for any basketball fan.

 The rivalry has been played for 190 times with Barangay Ginebra claiming the latest victory in an overtime game, 97-93. However, the Magnolia Hotshots still hold a slight edge in the all-time series with 100 wins to Ginebra’s 90 victories. As the stakes get higher in the playoffs and deeper into the Finals, the two teams get even more evenly matched. Having met 10 times in Playoffs series and 2 times in the Finals, they are split right down the middle with 6 series wins each.

The back and forth between the teams can be traced back to the 80s. The Ginebra vs Hotshots rivalry began with Robert Jaworski vs Ramon Fernandez, continued on with Mark Caguioa vs James Yap, and has firmly been placed in the good hands of Scottie Thompson vs Jio Jalalon.

 

In their most recent matchup, Thompson (Ginebra) recorded 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists including a curcial three-pointer in the clutch to get his team a victory. Jalalon (Hotshots) himself hit the clutch three to force overtime and had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals before fouling out in the final minutes of the game.

 

After nearly three decades, the “Manila Clasico” is still as competitive and intense as ever.

Derby Beirut (Lebanese Basketball League)

Al-Riyadi vs Sagesse Club

After just two seasons since the reform of the Lebanese Basketball League in 1992 to fully become a professional league, Al-Riyadi and Sagesse traded runs at the league title and a rivalry was born. Ever since 1994, the two proud clubs have locked in for one of the most intense rivalries in sports. The immense success of the clubs was one of the major factors that built up towards the rivalry.

 

Sagesse dominated the series early on with 7 straight championships starting from 1997, including two straight Finals wins over rivals Al-Riyadi in 2003 and 2004. However, the tables have turned since in the favor of Al-Riyadi. In 2005, Riyadi snapped Sagesse’s string of consecutive titles and went on a run of their own by winning the championship in each year from 2005 to 2011.

Riyadi has taken control of the head-to-head series every since and holds a 14-8 lead in terms of titles claimed. However, that has not taken away the intensity of this rivalry whenever these two teams play. Even in this season in the LBL with Al-Riyadi (12-3) among the top of standings and Sagesse stuck at the bottom (1-14), the games they have played against each other have been jam-packed with fans from both sides.

 

With rising stars Wael Arakji (Riyadi) and Aziz Abdel Massih (Sagesse) going up against each other when the two teams match up, the rivalry is safely in good hands heading into the future.

Zhejiang Derby Match (Chinese Basketball Association)

Zhejiang Guangsha Lions vs Zhejiang Golden Bulls

Some rivalries take time to grow.

Unlike the other two listed above, the derby between the two teams of Zhejiang in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) hasn’t fully bloomed to its full potential just yet. It might not be long before we get there with the growing success of both teams. The fact that the teams play in the vicinity of each other should also help brew up the rivalry as well.

The Lions have been the more successful side compared to the Golden Bulls, recently finishing the 2017-2018 season with the best regular season record and going all the way to the Finals. Moreover, the Lions have also dominated the head-to-head match up by sweeping the Golden Bulls 4 times in regular season series over the past 9 years.

It’s been a bit closer this season with the two teams splitting the season series before meeting in the playoffs for the first time ever. The Lions claim the victory advanced on to the next round, but the Golden Bulls were able to keep the score close and dragged the series to 3 games.

Neither squad has been a consistent contender in the CBA, but the future is looking bright. Guangsha has a star in the making in 21-year-old Hu Jinqiu who is averaging nearly a double-double, along with rising guard Zhao Yanhao. The Golden Bulls are led by all-star and national team regular Wu Qian as well as promising guard Cheng Shuai Peng.

This crosstown rivalry might not be as storied or intense as the others listed above, but there’s plenty of potential for the Lions and the Golden Bulls in the upcoming years.

Too New to have a Name (B.League)

SeaHorses Mikawa vs Link Tochigi Brex

The B.League is in only it’s 3^rd season, but a big time rivalry might already be in the works between SeaHorses Mikawa and Link Tochigi Brex.

The two teams finished with identical 46-14 records in 2017 and even split the regular season series. They met each other once again in the playoffs and it was Tochigi Brex who edged the SeaHorses ever so slightly before going all the way to win the title.

 

The SeaHorses got their revenge the following 2017-2018 season by sweeping Tochigi Brex in the regular season, finishing with the best record in the in B.League (48-12), and even knocking out Tochigi Brex in the quarterfinals. However, they failed to tie the title count in this head-to-head match up after falling in the Semifinals to eventual champions Alvark Tokyo.

 

The 2018-2019 season only added more fuel to the fire when reigning MVP and SeaHorses star, Makoto Hiejima, moved to join none other than Link Tochigi Brex during the offseason. After a brief detour to play in the NBL Australia with the Brisbane Bullets, Hiejima returned to play for the Brex just in time for their back-to-back games against his former club. Hiejima ended up scoring 11 points in both games which ended in two wins for the Brex.

 

The main intrigue aside from the Hiejima transfer is how both teams have taken each other out in the playoffs, and there’s a possibility that they can play each other again this year. Tochigi Brex have locked up their playoff spot, currently with a 38-9 record at 2^nd place in the standings. SeaHorses Mikawa are at 24-23 and are on the fringe for the 8^th and final seed. Brex can still move up to the top spot and if Mikawa can lock up their post-season bid, fans will be getting a juicy Round 3 of this budding rivalry.

Wild, Wild, West Asia (FIBA Asia Champions Cup)

Iran vs Lebanon

Who says rivalries are limited to only domestic leagues? As a tournament that pits the best clubs in Asia against each other, the FIBA Asia Champions Cup has seen one of the fiercest rivalries take place. What makes it even more special is that the intensity is not restricted to between only two specific clubs, but instead is ignited in match ups between teams from Iran and Lebanon.

 The rivalry starts in a regional level at the WABA Champions Cup. Prior to this year, Iran and Lebanon as a nation were tied with WABA Champions Cup titles at 8 per side. They even traded championships in the past two years when Al-Riyadi beat Petrochimi in 2017 before Petrochimi returned the favor in 2018. Iran were able to get an edge this year when Chemidor claimed the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2019 WABA Qualifiers title.

The bad blood trickles over to the FIBA Asia Championship, where again each team have experienced much and nearly equal success. Petrochimi’s title run last year at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 gave Iran their 6^th championship at the tournament, but more importantly edged out Lebanon who they were previously tied up with.

 

Fans can pretty much expect an epic clash any time representatives from the two nations play. Though they have only played once in the title game back in 2011, Iran and Lebanon have faced each other at the Semifinals in 2017 and three straight seasons from 2008-2010.

 

It’s not a given which clubs from these proud basketball nations will play at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, but you can be sure that sparks will fly if they face each other.

FIBA