Busan KCC to beat Seoul SK in the semifinal playoff
Professional basketball's Busan KCC reached the semifinal playoff with three consecutive wins.
KCC beat Seoul SK 97-77 in the third round of the 2023-2024 professional basketball semifinal playoff (three wins out of five) held at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan on the 8th.
It is the first time in three years that KCC has reached the semifinal playoff since the 2020-2021 season. KCC, which won the third game by a large margin following 81-63 in the first game and 99-72 in the second game, will compete with Wonju DB, the No. 1 player in the regular league, for the championship game from the 15th.
The game that was decided early on... Busan is "Up and Down."
KCC, which returned from two consecutive wins in 'enemy' Seoul, overwhelmed SK with unilateral support from Busan home fans.
KCC, which announced the start of the game with Huh Woong's bold three-point shot, took a 21-16 lead with Ra Gun-ah's free throw and Song Kyo-chang's outburst after facing SK, which Jamil Warney led the attack, until the middle of the first quarter.
When the second quarter opened, KCC, which had Choi Jun-yong's block, constantly beat SK with a three-point shot and a fastball. On the other hand, SK's defense was limited when Warney committed three fouls, and KCC Ra Gun-ah didn't miss it and shook the paint zone to his heart's content.
KCC, which finished the first half with a 61-34 lead of 27 points, seemed to be somewhat less focused in the third quarter, but the gap was so wide that SK's diligent scoring did not change the flow of the game.
KCC put Ra Gun-ah, who was resting on the bench, back in the fourth quarter and ran away again when Heo Woong and Jung Chang-young connected the intercepted ball to goal. On the other hand, SK, which virtually gave up the game, only let go of time.
In the end, with about 30 seconds left at the end of the fourth quarter, the players of both teams greeted each other on the court and finished the game early.
Spring Basketball 'Super Team' KCC advances to the championship game?
What determined the outcome of the match was the "mad second quarter." KCC crushed SK by scoring 40 points including eight three-point shots. This is the highest score in a playoff quarter in history, surpassing SK's 39 points recorded against Changwon LG in the 2000-2021 season.
Almost all players, including Choi Jun-yong, Alize DeShawn Johnson, Jeffrey Calvin Epistola, Lee Geun-hwi, and Jung Chang-young, played one-sidedly with three-point shots.
SK tried to change the atmosphere by breaking the flow during operation time, and coaches Jeon Hee-chul and Kim Ki-man strongly protested, saying that Epistola's steal was not a foul, but it was too late to break KCC's upward trend.
Choi Jun-yong scored 24 points, the most in the team, including three 3-pointers, and Ra Gun-ah also took the lead in the victory with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
KCC has recruited "big-class" players such as Heo Woong, Lee Seung-hyun, and Choi Jun-yong from the free agent (FA) market over the past two years, and even Song Kyo-chang returned after serving in the military this season, creating a "super team" comparable to the national team.
In the regular league, the players were left alternately due to injuries and their organizational power collapsed, finishing fifth below expectations, but when the playoffs began, they showed performance worthy of their name and emerged as strong favorites. 카지노사이트
Attention is focusing on whether KCC's sensation of reaching the semifinal playoff by winning all three games against DB will continue. On the other hand, SK left without strength due to three consecutive losses, promising next season.