As the 2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular season drew to a close on Monday, playoffs-bound teams seek to progress further, while those already eliminated can set sights on their preparations for next season.

The race for the top four and automatic qualification berths for the quarterfinals epitomizes the huge suspense throughout the regular season. Four teams finished level on points in their fight for the last two direct qualifications, with the Beijing Ducks and the Liaoning Flying Leopards securing their quarterfinal spots, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and the Shandong Heroes, placing fifth and sixth respectively, have to play one more series.

Beijing earned wide attention during the offseason after signing big man Zhou Qi and guard Chen Ying-chun. Zhou continued to dominate the paint, with an average of 14.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 27 minutes of action per game, while playmaker Chen averaged 12.7 points and 5.6 assists and Beijing's lackluster performances during his injury absence showed how vital he is.

Kenneth Lofton Jr. (C) of Shanghai Sharks competes during the 41st round match between Zhejiang Lions and Shanghai Sharks at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

But Zhou's eye injury in the penultimate round game against the Zhejiang Golden Bulls would cast a shadow over Beijing's playoff prospects.

As the three-time defending champion, Liaoning is another force to be reckoned with. Despite the departure of star guard Guo Ailun, Liaoning still displayed resilience through cornerstones Zhao Jiwei and Han Dejun, and the overseas duo of Kyle Fogg and Dezmine Wells have positioned themselves as attacking threats to any opponent.

As local hopefuls Elfurat Muhtar and Xirzat Samat continued to develop, Xinjiang showcased its bench depth as the competition progressed. Already boasting established figures like Zhao Rui, Qi Lin and Abdusalam Abdurexit, Xinjiang can once again dream big after having been swept aside by Liaoning in the finals last season.

Since falling short of a playoff berth last season, Shandong has looked to rebuild. Apart from the arrival of new head coach Qiu Biao - last year's Coach of the Year winner when at the helm of Xinjiang - Shandong extensively revamped its roster, reportedly signing 12 new players during the offseason, and only retaining a few key players like Tao Hanlin, Gao Shiyan and Chen Peidong.

The huge investment paid off for Shandong, which was acclaimed for its tough defense, conceding the fourth-lowest 99.0 points on average per game, thanks in part to its suffocating fourth-quarter defense that conceded the fewest average points in the league. Gao managed a third-best average of 2.2 steals, while the arrival of defense-oriented Yu Dehao made it even tougher to beat Shandong.

With a second-place finish, the Shanxi Loongs emerged as the biggest surprise, much attributed to their scintillating offense with a league-leading 114.8 points per game. Playing his fifth season, small forward Zhang Ning has cemented his status within the team, and Yuan Shuai continued to showcase his 3-point shooting prowess by going 44.2% behind the arc. Standing 2.25m tall, center Liu Chuanxing proved to be an excellent rim protector for Shanxi.

As regular season winners, the Zhejiang Lions appear to be the most consistent team, with Sun Minghui and Hu Jinqiu leading the way, while Barry Brown proved a lethal weapon with an average of 28.0 points.

In a fiercely contested season, new records have been set and breakthroughs made, leaving indelible marks in the history of Chinese basketball.

Lin Wei and Guo Haowen both played career-best seasons as the Nanjing Monkey Kings made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Third-year Beijing small forward Zeng Fanbo would stand out among the rising stars with an average of 14.7 points, including a career-high 33 against Shandong, and he was also named CBA Player of the Week for the first time. The 22-year-old is expected to inject much-awaited vitality into China's beleaguered national team.

With 11 assists against the Shanghai Sharks on March 23, Liaoning guard Zhao saw his total assists reach 2,647, surpassing his former teammate Guo (2,640) to move second in the CBA all-time assists standings.

Shanghai might have gone through the most unpredictable campaign. Once struggling with a 1-10 record in the season's opening stages, Shanghai bounced back strongly with a 16-game winning streak, and its 22-point turnaround victory over Beijing would serve as another example of how much energy this team can deliver, while exposing its inconsistency.

Shanghai center Wang Zhelin reached his own milestone, surpassing legend Wang Zhizhi into sixth place in the all-time leading scoring list.

As the dust settles on the regular season, the high-stakes playoffs to kick off on Friday promise to deliver more thrilling competition in determining the season's eventual winner.