Believe it or not, a 37-year-old point guard from Coney Island, New York who played 13 years in the NBA is putting the city of Beijing on his back.

With one CBA championship on his resume — and a statue outside MasterCard Center — Stephon Marbury already is a Chinese basketball living legend. So what happens if he wins another, all while averaging 28 points per game this postseason on a bum knee?

We’re three Beijing Ducks victories away from finding out. On Wednesday night, the Ducks dominated on the road in Game 1 of the CBA finals, beating the Xinjiang Flying Tigers — who were 4.5-point favorites — 95-75.

This comes on the heels of the Ducks’ upset of the Guangdong Southern Tigers, dubbed the “Miami Heat of China.” Marbury, whose official nickname is “Political Commissar Ma,” took over that series, including scoring 43 points in a Game 3 win.

Beijing fans have taken notice. Today marked the official ticket launch for Games 3 (March 23) and 4 (March 25) in Beijing. It’s been reported that a total of 225,000 fans attempted to buy the 16,000 available tickets, crashing the online system.

The Ducks, along with their marketing affiliates iRENA World, are hosting a Game 2 viewing event on Friday at Gala (located between gates 21 and 22 of Workers Stadium at Gongti). Doors open at 6:30 pm for the 7:30 pm tipoff. It’s free, and probably your best place to root on the hometown team.

Nick Bedard of Basketball Buddha is courtside on press row at MasterCard Center, aka Wukesong, for tonight’s Game 4 clash between the Beijing Ducks (23-11 regular season, No. 4 in standings) and Guangdong Southern Tigers (30-4, No. 1). Thanks to an epic performance from Stephen Marbury on Saturday in an overtime win, Beijing currently has a 2 games to 1 lead in this best three-out-of-five series. We now join our regularly scheduled Bedard in progress. (Newest updates appear at the bottom.)

4:45 pm: I’m told by Ducks ticketing staff that tickets are completely sold out. Scalpers, who are at every corner from Wukesong subway station to MasterCard Center, have a limited quantity and are selling tickets for triple the price of face value. If you’re going to go the game without a ticket, don’t think that the first scalper you see is the best deal, shop around a bit.

5 pm: I’ve been informed by various sources that Guangdong Southern Tigers head coach Jonas Kazlauskas is missing in action. As a matter of fact, he is NOT EVEN IN BEIJING!

5:30 pm: They’ve opened the gates for general admission. Every single person is going through airport-type security.

6 pm: Nothing really happening. Fans are slowly but surely getting past intense security and into their seats. Randolph Morris is first out on the court, working on his smooth jump shot:

I’m going to get an iced tea from the KFC that sells no chicken.

One more note: Beijing sets up “shabi police” in every section of he arena to prevent the word shabi, which literally means “stupid cunt” but probably can be translated better as “asshole,” from being said. Here are some shabi police getting ready:

7:30 pm: Security is trying to kick everyone out of the media section and knocking everyone’s laptop/camera over. These guys run a tight ship. (They want to show their boss that they are actually doing something other than standing around and watching the game, which is what they do anyway.)

On the floor (trying to look over the shoulder of all of these security guard), both teams are warming up.

Still no sign of Guangdong’s head coach, Jonas Kazlauskas. The official word is that he’s out with an “ankle injury” and did NOT travel with the team. Is it a cover-up? He is under-performing in this series. Life in the world of Jonas is not going so great right now.

An assistant coach wearing a purple suit that would make Ron Burgundy jealous will be leading the Guangdong squad tonight. He has so been keeping that suit in his closet for this very moment.

7:35 pm: AND WE ARE OFF!

Ed’s note: The game is scheduled to be on CCTV-5, but that channel is currently showing the final minutes of an AFC Champions League match between Shandong Luneng and Cerezo Osaka. Chinese media is stupid.

7:40 pm: It is packed in here from bottom to top. This place is electric.

What it might mean to have a first-time coach on the sideline in the biggest game of the season: the refs may lean more toward the experienced coach who knows how to work the officials, which in this case is Beijing’s Min Lulei.

Jonas Kazlauskas’s absence has a sense of him quitting on your team.

7:53 pm: Officially a sell out. I cannot spot one empty seat.

3:07 left in first quarter: Beijing’s coach just popped a vein on his forehead after Guangdong’s Yi Jianlian grabs an offensive rebound and draws a foul. Makes two free throws to push Guangdong up 16 -12.

Ed’s note: 7:56 pm, 2:25 left in Q1: CCTV-5 has finally cut to Wukesong. Guangdong up 19-13.

:57 left in 1st: Stephon Marbury, driving to the bucket, is kicked in the shins and falls to the ground. The crowd erupts in “shabi” chants, and not even the shabi police can stop them. A flagrant foul is called on Wang Shipeng.

Marbury sinks two free throws, gets the ball back, and drills a three-pointer.

P.S. That was a very, very dirty play.

At the end of the first quarter it’s 25-20 Guangdong. Stay tuned for the second quarter, when Randolph Morris takes his turn on the court.

A g-chat conversation about Beijing forward Li Gen:

Anthony: how fat does li gen look in person
that dude’s bad at basketball, right?
Nick: He’s a bulldog
I once witnessed him doing pushups an hour and a half after a game.
The guy does arm curls on the bench
…
Li Gen hits a three
and blows a kiss to the fans. A girl beside says “he’s so cute!”

5:20 left in 2nd: Li Gen whistled for offensive foul.

Guangdong’s Wang Shipeng is being mercilessly booed every time he touches the ball. You don’t mess with Beijing’s local hero (Marbury).

4:35 left in 2nd: Guangdong’s Dong Hanlin just picked up his fourth foul. Guangdong has two other players with three fouls each.

A picture to share: Marbury is protecting his head with a simple bandage on the back:

And here’s Guangdong’s coach:

8:30 pm: At halftime I walked over to see our friend Karan Madhok, aka @Hoopistani, who said, “I noticed during the playoffs that the cheerleaders step their game up. They are on another level tonight. Wow!”

That was his answer to my question, “What did you think of the first half?”

(We know where his head’s at.)

From my point of view, all cheerleading aside, the game was up and down. Guangdong is choosing to live and die from the three-point line. They are not going to Yi Jianlian inside, but are instead working the ball around the perimeter.

As for Beijing, the Ducks scrapped their way through that half quarter. It wasn’t pretty, but it was efficient.

Each team can play their foreigners for a combined six quarters. Beijing chooses to play Marbury during the 1st quarter, Morris during 2nd quarter, and then both, together, for the entire second half. This bodes well for Beijing, which has been down at halftime in every game this series but still has a 2-1 series lead.

Beijing 46 (Marbury 8 pts) – Guangdong 48 (Yi 10 pts).

Guangdong opens the second half on an 8-0 run. The Ducks are unable to grab a defensive rebound to save their lives. One of their players just — instead of easily grabbing the basketball — tried to bat it to his teammate, and of course Guangdong ended up with it. A bucket followed to make it 73-55.

While the language police are hard at work, the fans continue to yell “shabi” at Wang Shipeng and the referees.

With 3:46 remaining in the 3rd quarter and Beijing down 18, coach Min calls a timeout and the in arena the DJ plays “I want to know if you will be my girl” by DJ Otiz to try and lighten the mood. Great attempt but poor results.

2:38 left in 3rd. Randolph Morris has 25 points. Marbury has 12. We wonder about his knee.

Morris looked extremely tired during those last few possessions of the third quarter, and it hurt Beijing on rebounds. Guangdong has about 20 offensive rebounds.

Guangdong is only up 11 heading into the fourth. Its biggest lead was 18.

Every basketball fan should watch the CBA someday to understand how fucked up it is. Marbury is an NBA player on court with high schoolers.

— Anthony Tao (@anthonytao) March 11, 2014

Ed’s note: Li Gen continues to be a waste of space. A fat amount of space. He’s kind of fat.

6 min left in 4th: A Marbury bandage update: he has removed it. Guangdong up 9.

Ed’s note: my updates:

5:01 left: Guangdong officially has 19 offensive rebounds.

3 min left: The turnover battle is close enough, Beijing with 11, Guangdong with 13.

2:54: Marbury spins around his defender, Royal Ivey, and converts an and-1 to bring Beijing back to five. I don’t want to overemphasize this, but Marbury is Beijing’s basketball team. Randolph Morris hits some shots, but it’s Marbury who is the leader in every way.

2:07: Another Marbury and-1 after getting by Ivey. He quietly has 30 points. Beijing only down 97-93.

9:45 pm: And it’s over: Guangdong 109, Beijing 101. For the first time ever, Guangdong won in Wukesong. I think the Ducks came into this game with too much confidence. It seems like they forgot who they are playing.

Guangdong is the best team in China — the defending CBA champions — for a reason. I noticed the Ducks took a few possessions off and lacked discipline. Stephon Marbury played a good game; there is no denying his will to win, but he is going to need other guys to step up. Morris led all scorers with 34 points and Marbury added 31; no other player on Beijing’s squad had more than 9 (Ji Zhe and Di Xiaochuan). Guangdong outrebounded Beijing 54-41 and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc (12 for 24) compared to Beijing’s 33 percent (8 for 24).

Guangdong is going to have a lot of in-house problems with the sudden disappearance of its head coach, but Beijing coach Min Lulei will have to work some magic if he wants a road victory.

The deciding Game 5 is Thursday at 7:35 pm in Guangdong.

After sitting out more than two months with an injury and missing 22 games, Beijing Ducks superstar point guard Stephon Marbury returned to the court last night against the Shandong Flaming Bulls in his team’s first game of the new lunar year.

It was an eventful night, to say the very least.

With 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Marbury uses his patented NYC crossover to beat Sui Ran (#1) to the bucket, but as he goes up for a layup, his shoulder appears to slam into Ran’s face. (Watch: 1:30 mark in the video above, 1:45 mark below.)

Ran’s teammate, Wu Ke (#15), then delivers an elbow at Marbury, and all hell proceeds to break loose inside Beijing’s Shougang Arena.

Marbury whirls around and shoves Wu while unleashing a half-punch that kind of lands around Wu Ke’s chest (there’s a massive height difference, with Marbury at 185 centimeters and Wu Ke at 210).

As officials sort things out, Wu receives a rousing chant of “shabi! shabi!” from the crowd (literally, “stupid cunt,” though a better translation within this context would be “asshole”), along with a few plastic bottles hurled his direction. I was right there under the basket, and it was madness. From my vantage point, it threatened at times to get out of control.

Fans become all the more aggravated when officials announce that Marbury has been ejected from the game. He was assessed a technical foul on the initial drive to the hoop (a confusing, terrible call), then another technical for throwing a punch.

There’s more to this story: while officials were sorting out free throws, Shandong forward Donnell Harvey engaged Marbury’s trainer in a bit of trash talk, with the two apparently agreeing to meet after the game to throw down.

The Ducks won 99-95.

Afterwards, players and personnel from both teams began shoving while heading down to their respective dressing rooms. I saw a Chinese player from Shandong punch Marbury’s interpreter in the face during the post-game scuffle.

Fans blocked Shandong’s bus afterwards, because that’s just what happens. Marbury and many of his teammates have seen it firsthand.

Nick Bedard writes the blog Basketball Buddha. Follow him on Twitter @bedardnick. (Pictures via Sina [here and here.])

To help us make sense of it all, here’s Nick Bedard of Basketball Buddha. The following breakdown of quarterfinals matchups is republished with permission.

Iran (6-0) vs. Jordan (3-3), 3 pm

Hamed Haddadi is my round robin MVP. The 7-2 big man with a fair NBA resume has been nothing short of dominant during the tournament, averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds in less than 20 minutes of action per game.

Iran, which is undefeated, faces a 3-3 Jordan team that edged Japan on Wednesday to clinch a berth in the quarterfinals. Two years ago, Jordan shocked the Asian basketball world by knocking Iran out in the quarterfinals. Can they do it again?

Buddha’s prediction: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The only way Iran loses this game is if they beat themselves. Iran + 20

China (4-2) vs. Chinese Taipei (5-1), 5:45 pm

Basketball is a team game, but oftentimes one individual can carry the weight of the 14 others. For China, that individual is Yi Jianlian, who has only played two of his team’s six games. But the good news is he was on the court in China’s last contest against Bahrain, and should play his regular minutes today.

Chinese Taipei has been the Cinderella story of the tournament. Its three top scorers — Qincy Davis, Lin Chih-Chieh and Tien Lei — all average double figures in points. Taipei’s 5-1 record makes it the higher seed against China, but the team has taken the easier road here, having not faced either Iran or South Korea, the two teams that handed China its losses.

Buddha’s prediction: Yi Jianlian will be too much for Taipei. He’ll take over the game in the fourth quarter to seal the win. China +15

Philippines (5-1) vs. Kazakhstan (3-3), 8:30 pm

“I am really thinking that it could be Kazakhstan or South Korea for the Philippines in the quarters and I pray it would be South Korea,” said former Philippines national team coach Rajko Toroman before the tournament began.

Toroman’s wish did not come true.

“Kazakhstan is very scary,” Toroman added about the team that went toe-to-toe with China for 39.5 out of 40 minutes. “If I have a choice, I will pick Korea. The Kazakhs are working doubly good. They have a European coach, nine of his national players are playing in the same team [back home].”

This has all the makings to be the best match of the quarterfinals.

It’s safe to say most of the Philippines will be tuned in for this. Kazakhstan’s coach has already stated that he’s looking forward to playing in front of a sell-out crowd.

The Philippines will have to stop Kazakhstan’s lethal point guard, Jerry Johnson, while the Kazakhs will look to slow down Gilas Pilipinas’ uptempo style.

Buddha’s prediction: A few big dunks from the Philippine squad might cause a slight earthquake in Manila, but I think the weight of a nation causes the Gilas to crumble own the stretch. Shocker alert: Kazakhstan +5

South Korea (5-1) vs. Qatar (4-1), 10:30 pm

If Haddadi is the tournament’s top player, then Jae-Hak Yoo is the top coach. What Yoo has done with his Korean squad has been nothing short of impressive. Orchestrating set plays with a blitz of off-ball screens has allowed his players to get easy looks at the basket.

Yoo deserves credit for having four players shooting above 50 percent from the floor.

Qatar is no pushover, especially not with Jarvis Hayes, a seven-year NBA veteran, on its roster. Hayes will have to take over the game offensively if Qatar is to have any chance of keeping up with the speedy and streaky Koreans.

Buddha’s prediction: Qatar will need a Manila miracle to pull out a victory over the red-hot Koreans. Korea +12.

Nick Bedard writes the blog Basketball Buddha. Follow him on Twitter @bedardnick

Six months ago, seven-time NBA all-star Tracy McGrady shocked the basketball world when he signed a one-year contract with the Qingdao Double Star Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

With Stephon Marbury already setting the standard as the ultimate CBA success story, McGrady was expected to further raise the profile of the top league in the world’s largest basketball market. He was already a fan favorite: during Yao Ming’s tenure with the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Chinese basketball fans embraced T-Mac, then a perennial All-Star.

But the season didn’t turn out as planned. The Double Star Eagles stumbled out of the gates and limped their way to a CBA-worst 8-32 record, with McGrady encountering hardship on and off the court and making international headlines on a monthly basis.

He played his final game this week, a 17-point loss to the CBA’s best team, the Guangdong Southern Tigers. On this occasion, we look back at the major happenings during his first — and hopefully not last — stint in China.

Oct. 2, 2012 – The Rumor: 361 Sport reports that two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady and his representatives are in discussions with the Qingdao Double Star Eagles. Sources indicate the 33-year-old was also working out with two NBA teams, the Knicks and Spurs, and wasn’t ready to retire from basketball.

Oct. 9, 2012 – The Deal: McGrady announces on his website, “Goodbye NBA, Hello China.”

He writes: “As I enter this next chapter, I am excited to play for Qingdao Eagles in China. I have been to China several times in the last few years and I love the people and the country. It will be an honor to play for them.”

The contract is reportedly a one-year, $1 million deal.

Oct. 24, 2012 – Now Landing, Flight T.M.A.C.: After a long flight, McGrady lands in Qingdao airport to a welcoming 2,000-plus fans. Video of T-Mac wearing a blue hoodie with tinted sunglasses being escorted through the airport goes viral across the basketball world.

His arrival to China is life-changing for some. China Daily reports:

His appearance drew hundreds of flashing cameras and loud shouts of his nickname, “T-Mac”, from the fans.

“I started to admire him as early as 2001. When I heard he would play in China I told myself that no matter which city he played in, I would move there,” said Xu Guobin, 30, a salesman who works in Qingdao, while holding a poster of McGrady newspaper reports.

“When I heard he was going to play in Qingdao I was overjoyed. There are so many fans here. I just saw his waving hand, but that was enough for me to be in tears now.”

Oct. 25, 2012 – It’s Gotta Be The Shoes: During McGrady’s first practice in China, he wears a pair of shoes with a thick layer of white tape over the logo. The shoes appear to be a gift from the club. McGrady was hiding the logo to prevent conflicts with his sponsors.

After his first practice, CCTV reports, “The 33-year-old was obviously not in his best physical condition yet, as a missed dunk and awkward smile suggested.”

Nov. 22, 2012 – Preseason: McGrady’s first real sight of basketball with Chinese characteristics comes when his team takes on an international all-star team in a preseason game in Shandong province. After playing the first two minutes, McGrady takes a seat and doesn’t return to the court. Fans are outraged, and at the end they begin launching bottles, cups and lighters onto the floor in protest.

McGrady would take matter into his own hands. He grabs a microphone, walks to mid-court, apologizes to the fans and thanks them for their support.

Nov. 25, 2012 – McGrady’s Debut: The stars were aligning in McGrady’s season debut. With the shot clock turned off and the game tied at 92, McGrady has the ball in his hand with a defender guarding him at arm’s length. He dribbles once to his right, then goes to switch hands. But to his surprise, the quick defender strips him of the ball and calls timeout.

On the ensuing play, former Utah Jazz guard Sundiata Gaines banks home a three-pointer to win the game. Those final seconds would overshadow McGrady’s near-triple-double: 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

Nov. 29, 2012 – You’re Fired: After losing their first two games of the season, the Double Star Eagles part ways with head coach Kang Jung-Soo. The season before, Kang led the team to a franchise-best 16-16 record. He also served as an assistant coach on the Korean national team.

Qingdao would soon after release McGrady’s foreign teammate and two-time NBA champion DJ Mbenga.

Mbenga struggled in his role as the key pick-and-roll man in the McGrady offense. He averaged 11 points and five rebounds at the time of Kang’s firing. He is replaced with undrafted center Chris Daniels, who has some NBA D-League experience.

Dec. 7, 2012 – Diarrhea: It’s safe to say this might have been McGrady’s most physically uncomfortable CBA game. Hosting Liaoning, a circuit malfunction cut off all heat in the Qingdao arena prior to tip-off. A basketball arena can get pretty cold in mid-December. On top of that, with 2:37 left in the first quarter, McGrady sprints off the court to the dressing room, leaving fans dumbstruck. A Double Eagles officials says after the game, “His stomach wasn’t feeling very well, no biggie.”

Qingdao loses by 30.

Jan. 9, 2013 – Three Blind Mice: “The CBA has to do a better job with these officials. My team plays hard every night and the 3 blind mice take it away from us!” That from an angry McGrady on his Sina Weibo account, venting his frustration after a loss to Bayi.

“This bad officiating has to change. No way I’m coming back if the officiating continues to be this errant,” he writes.

The CBA responds by handing McGrady a one-game suspension and fining him $1,600.

Jan. 15, 2013 – The $5,000 Interview: McGrady and company ride a four-game winning streak after T-Mac’s excellent individual performance vs. Jilin. But it’s revealed via a Jilin newspaper that he requires an upfront payment of $5,000 for one-on-one interviews.

Feb. 2, 2013 – McGrady the All-Star: CBA All-Star starters are decided by fans in online voting. McGrady leads everyone with 2,218,388 votes, more than 600,000 better than the second-highest vote-getter, Yi Jianlian. The CBA holds its all-star game between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.

Feb. 17, 2013 – Farewell, China: In McGrady’s final regular season game of the year, he pours in 30 points, grabs nine rebounds and dishes out five assists. The Double Star Eagles still lose, and remain two games worse than the second-to-last-place team.

And then, on Sina Weibo, McGrady announces that he will not be participating in the All-Star game because he needs to return home to be with his ailing grandmother.

His final words: “I loved playing for this great country and the amazing people of China. You are gracious, loving, passionate and supportive fans. You have all made me feel at home here and for that I am forever grateful. From my heart, I thank you for all your love and hope to see you all again soon.”

We hope so too, T-Mac. We hope so too.

Nick blogs at The Basketball Buddha.