The Guangdong Southern Tigers, which only lost three games this season (including one in the playoffs), are meeting the Liaoning Flying Leopards, which started a 14-1 trip after changing their head coach,  in Game 1 of the CBA Finals on Tuesday.

In fact, the two teams as the champions of last season and the season before last met in the opener game of this season. Guangdong beat Liaoning 107-98 at home. And now they met again.

Guangdong remained unstoppable in most time of the season. They claimed 31 wins in a row until the Beijing Ducks put an end to that record in Game 2 of the playoff semifinals last week. Despite a little bit setback in the previous series, Yi Jianlian's return showed the league that Guangdong are still the best team.

When Liaoning were 1-3 in the first four games since season restart, they were universally condemned and came close falling apart. Then coach Guo Shiqiang resigned, and somehow, everyone was back onto the right track. The other champion candidate, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, did not put up much decent resistance in the semifinals.

Liaoning have one of the best giants in the CBA, Han Dejun. The 33-year-old veteran averaged 22.3 points, 12.8 rebounds during the restart. His performance against other star centers was even more impressive. In the game against the Fujian Sturgeons, Han scored 30 points, 20 rebounds facing last year's MVP Wang Zhelin. In the playoff game against the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, Han had 30+15. Then in Game 2 against Xinjiang, Han put down 35 points, 20 rebounds in front of Defensive Player of the Year Zhou Qi.

However, Guangdong seemed to know well about how to steal Han's magic. In the two games against Guangdong, Han only got 6.5 points and 8.5 rebounds on average. In fact, he only took nine attempts in total. Han's age and old-school playstyle meant he did not rely much on his slipping athleticism. He's tough, patient, and always able to choose the right move in the offense.

The problem is, Yi Jianlian can make Han uncomfortable in every way. Yi is tougher than Zhou Qi and never fears body contact. He is also smarter and more patient than Wang Zhelin to keep Han from dominating the paint. Moreover, Yi's shooting range, which can reach the 3-point line and his consistency, will force Han to make a hard choice between watching Yi enjoy free shots and leaving the rim unprotected.

Liaoning have one of the best back-court combinations of today's CBA – Guo Ailun, Zhao Jiwei, and Gao Shiyan. Their speed and assault towards the basket were the keys to knocking out Xinjiang in the semifinals.

Nonetheless, again, Guangdong could match that against Liaoning. Guangdong's guards, Zhao Rui, Hu Mingxuan and Xu Jie, may not share their Liaoning counterpart's offensive talents, their defense is probably the best in the league – ask Jeremy Lin who spent two games tussling with the three. Meanwhile, Liaoning tore Xinjiang apart at their fast pace, but Guangdong have the league's best early offense this season.

O.J. Mayo has been an ace card of Liaoning in the offense. He's smart, efficient and plays the right role for the team. In the 15 games since season restart, Mayo averaged 28.4 points and maintained field goal and 3-point rates of 57.0 and 43.5 percent, respectively.

Guangdong have the countermeasure even in this area, and his name is Sonny Weems. Guangdong chose him over Michael Beasley because of Weems' combination of scoring and orchestrating ability – he could deliver 6.2 assists per game. With better physical condition and athleticism, Weems can be a true headache for Mayo.

Generally speaking, Guangdong has every countermeasure they need to match Liaoning in both offense and defense while Liaoning have to rack their brains to figure out how to defend Yi and Weems. The only advantages Liaoning may have are the fact that they rest two more days than Guangdong, and Yi's injury may impact his performance on the court.

The last time the two teams met in the Finals, Guangdong walked over Liaoning 4-1. This time, will Liaoning get their vengeance by stopping Guangdong from winning their 10th title? Let's find out on Tuesday (Game 1), Thursday (Game 2), and (maybe) Saturday (Game 3).