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However, while the young guns delivered cause for optimism, the match-fixing scandal involving two prestigious clubs undoubtedly damaged the league's reputation.

After a thorough investigation into the first-round playoff series between the Shanghai Sharks and Jiangsu Dragons, the CBA dished out the heftiest punishment in league history on April 17, condemning both teams for their "lack of competitive effort" and "game-throwing" violations.

Both clubs were disqualified from the remainder of the season and each was fined 5 million yuan ($714,600). Sharks head coach Li Chunjiang, a former coach of 11-time champion Guangdong, and his Jiangsu counterpart, Li Nan, a former Chinese national team coach, were banned from registering as basketball coaches for five and three years respectively.

In addition, Shi Linjie and Jiang Yusheng, general managers of Jiangsu and Shanghai, were suspended from involvement in any basketball-related jobs for five and three years respectively.

Both teams were found to "have intentionally thrown games" in favor of their opponents, the CBA investigation found.

After winning the first game 119-95, Shanghai rested most of its starters and foreign players in Game 2 on April 11, losing 97-90. In Game 3, Jiangsu players aroused suspicions when they turned the ball over five times — apparently on purpose — during the final 96 seconds to allow Shanghai to come back and secure the series with a 108-104 win.

Earlier in the year, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers' withdrawal from the league in protest at a CBA punishment generated more negative headlines for the league.

Xinjiang was later reinstated but the contract dispute with center Zhou Qi, which triggered the CBA punishment, remains unsettled.