KT director Song Young-jin said, “I can come up with a new tactic in Game 3.” KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin said, “The players I trusted didn’t play at all.”
” I can come up with a new tactic in Game 3.” (KT director Song Young-jin)
” “The players I trusted didn’t play at all.” (Coach Jeon Chang-jin)
Suwon KT won 101-97 over Busan KCC in the second round of the 2023-2024 Cheonggwan Professional Basketball Championship Game held at Suwon KT Arena on the 29th, and the series began in earnest.
Paris Base (200 cm, F) exploded with 36 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block shot. It was quiet in the first half, but he scored 36 points in the 20 minutes of the third quarter. Heo Hoon (180 cm, G) also completed the double-double with 22 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals. Ha Yoon-gi (204 cm, C) also played his part with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals.
KT manager Song Young-jin said after the game, “The mood was not good. We had a valuable win in a difficult game. I feel really good. (Huh) Hoon played 40 minutes, and it must have been really hard. (Paris) Bas also felt responsible in the second half and did a good job. Other players also worked hard in defense and rebound, so the game was definitely better than the first round.”
He continued, “I didn’t plan on letting Hoon run all 40 minutes. I tried to use him as long as I could. I put all my energy into the second leg. I tried to use players who were in good shape for a long time. Bath also tried to stand on par with the domestic players. I’m working hard in the first half, but in the second half, I rested in the second quarter, which was the driving force of my explosion.”
What did coach Song Young-jin think about the first game? “I was too forward in the first game. I thought about it later. After the first game, I blamed myself a lot. I will consider every game as the last game. Players also show strong will. Replacement will be done only when a direct signal is given. I asked (Paris coach) to do my best on the court and allow Korean players in good condition to play for a long time,” he said.
Ha Yoon-gi, who showed ups and downs throughout the playoffs, performed well in this game. Manager Song Young-jin also said, “Ha Yoon-gi will fully recover. Choi Jun-yong was assigned an assignment in the game. He did a good job as a team, too. Although he is not scoring many points, he is the best in the team in terms of effort and sacrifice. Those aspects should be highly appreciated. I should.”
Finally, he concluded the press conference by saying, “We may come up with new tactics in the third game. We are thinking about many aspects. We will also review the regional defense that we have shown. We will consider the plays that we are good at first, but we will leave open the possibilities.”
On the other hand, KCC failed to maintain the upper hand in the first half. After winning one game and losing one game in an away game, they will play their third and fourth games in Busan.
Alize DeShaun Johnson (201 cm, F) performed very well in the second quarter, breaking the record for most points (24 points) in a single quarter of a championship game with 29 points, four rebounds, and one assist. Laguna (199 cm, C) also struggled with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist. Heo Woong (185 cm, G) also led the chase with 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
KCC manager Jeon Chang-jin said after the match, “The championship game got more interesting. I knew this would happen. The game went as I expected. It was a close game until the end, but it was actually a complete defeat.”
Afterwards, he added, “Heo Hoon was amazing. He showed his great mentality in the championship game. We were too complacent. Our complacent attack led to our defense. That is why we handed over the victory to KT. We have to start over.”
Finally, he concluded the press conference by saying, “I am even more disappointed to lose the game. The players we trusted did not play at all. We need to rethink why the players cannot play.”