BASKETBALL / Braves rout GhostHawks in Lin Chih-chieh's season debut

Taipei, Jan. 3 (CNA) The Taipei Fubon Braves trounced the Tainan TSG GhostHawks 124-86 at home Saturday, as veteran Lin Chih-chieh (林志傑) played the first game of his final season.

The victory marked a significant bounce-back for the Braves following a 36-point loss on Nov. 8, 2025, the last time the GhostHawks visited the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium. That previous defeat was the second-largest margin of loss in the franchise history of the three-time P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) champions.

Three Braves players scored over 20 points on Saturday, led by Troy Gillenwater's 24. The Braves took the lead just 13 seconds into the match and remained ahead throughout the game. The lead reached its largest margin when Jeff Wu (吳永盛) sank a three-pointer with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter to make the score 121-81.

However, the night belonged to Lin, who is widely regarded as the greatest player in Taiwan's basketball history.

Starting at point guard in his first game in over seven months, Lin, nicknamed "The Beast," drained a three-pointer from the left wing behind a screen for the first bucket of the game. He soon nailed another from the right corner, fueling a 17-2 opening run that forced the visitors to call an early timeout.

Despite being 43 years old, Lin appeared to have plenty of gas left in the tank. He went 5-for-7 to finish with 13 points in approximately 20 minutes, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. His performance prompted the crowd to chant his name long after the final buzzer, with some fans even moved to tears.

"It's been a while since my last game, and I was actually a little nervous before the start, but I put those worries aside and focused on executing our strategies from the tip-off," Lin said.

The game was Lin's first appearance since May 21, 2025, when he broke his left wrist during Game 7 of the PLG Finals. That injury could have ended his illustrious two-decade career, especially given his earlier plans to retire. However, he later decided to return for "one more year," officially making the 2025-26 season his "Last Dance."

Saturday's win was also highlighted by the return of Michael Singletary, Lin's teammate during the Braves' three consecutive PLG titles. Singletary suffered a season-ending foot injury in January 2024 and departed the team before his return was announced last December. He contributed 12 points in 24 minutes.

Reflecting on their history together, Lin said, "Being able to play with him in our first game back makes this a very meaningful day in my basketball career."

With the win, the Braves improved to 2-3, moving to within 0.5 games of the 3-3 GhostHawks in the four-team league. The Braves will look to secure their first back-to-back wins of the season against the 0-4 Yankey Ark Professional Basketball Team at the same venue on Sunday.