‘Integrated championship’ KGC, the last game where both winners and losers shined

It was a great match that will remain in the history of Korean professional basketball. Both winners and losers were applauded. After the bloody battle of the first ‘7th game – overtime’ since the launch of professional basketball, Anyang KGC Ginseng Corporation finally beat Seoul SK and became the champion.

In the 7th final round of the 2023 KBL Champs held at Anyang Gymnasium on May 7, KGC, the 1st place team in the regular league, defeated 3rd place SK 100-97 and recorded a series record of 4 wins and 3 losses, winning the overall championship trophy following the regular league. . The 7th game of the championship was held for the 6th time in professional basketball history and the first time in 14 years since the match between KCC and Seoul Samsung in the 2008-2009 season. It was also the first time in history that Game 7 went to overtime.

For KGC, it is the 4th championship win in their career. Following the 2011-2012 season, the 2016-2017 season, and the 2020-2021 season, KGC, which has risen to the top once again, ranked third in the history of the most wins, following Ulsan Hyundai Mobis (7 times) and Jeonju KCC (5 times). In particular, this year, following the regular league and championship combined championship (second following the 2016-2017 season), the first regular league ‘Wire-to-Wire Championship’ in the club’s history, and the East Asian Super League (EASL) championship, treble in all competitions it has participated in this season (three crowns) and had the best year since its foundation. It is worth saying that they have become a new ‘dynasty’ of KBL in name and reality.

The best year since its founding… KGC, the new dynasty of KBL

It was a special moment for Oh Se-geun and Yang Hee-jong, two great ‘one-club men’ who have been with KGC’s representative franchise throughout the club’s history of all championships.

Oh Se-geun played an average of 35 minutes and 36 seconds in seven games of this year’s championship match, recording an average of 19.1 points and 10 rebounds and a double-double with a field goal rate of 60.4%, far exceeding the regular league (13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds). The final final free throw, which virtually puts a wedge in the game, also belonged to Oh Se-geun.

Oh Se-geun, who swept 71 out of 94 votes by reporters, won the third championship MVP in his career following the 2011-2012 season, which was his rookie season, and the 2016-2017 season, when he won his first combined championship. It is a tie record with Yang Dong-geun (retired from Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, 6 championships – 3 MVPs), who is called the professional basketball’GOAT (the best player ever), and the most championship MVP awards.

Starting from this season, Oh Se-geun has risen to the ranks of the best players ever in the KBL as a native big man. There is no player who is ahead of Oh Se-geun in ‘champion winning + MVP award career’. Seo Jang-hoon (2 championships in total, 1 championship MVP), Ha Seung-jin (2 championships, 1 MVP), and Lee Seung-hyun (1 championship, 1 MVP) who represent the genealogy of KBL native big men all beat Kim Joo-seong (3 championships), who were tied on the same score. Championship, MVP twice). Above all, if all of these players achieved records in their prime in their 20s, this year’s Oh Se-geun shines even more in that he still showed a monstrous performance as a basketball player at the age of ’36 years old’, close to his 60th birthday.

Yang Hee-jong, who has been active only in Anyang since 2007, won the final retirement season and reaped the beauty of the end. In honor of Yang Hee-jong’s contribution, KGC confirmed the permanent number. Among the golden generation of the 2007 draftees, such as Kim Tae-sul, Jung Young-sam, Lee Dong-jun, Kim Young-hwan, and Ham Ji-hoon, who dominated the same era, Yang Hee-jong is the only player who decorated the perfect finale of winning the retirement season following a one-club man and permanent absence. Yang Hee-jong was rarely used in the playoffs due to a shoulder injury, but KGC coach Kim Sang-sik honored the last moment of the legend by putting Yang on the court just before the end of overtime, when the victory was almost confirmed.

In fact, KGC was dominated by the evaluation that its strength was weakened by the transfer of coach Kim Seung-gi, who led the club’s heyday this season, and signboard shooter Jeon Seong-hyun (goyang Day One Jumpers). KGC filled the vacant position by appointing coach Kim Sang-sik, who served as the national team coach, as the new command tower. Coach Kim graduated from Korea University and retired in 2003 after playing for Unemployed Small and Medium Business Bank, Pro Nasan, and SBS, the predecessor of KGC.

Coach Kim Sang-sik was a national shooter who was nicknamed ‘mobile missile’ during his active career, but he did not stand out as a leader. He started his leadership career as an SBS coach in 2005, served as Anyang KT&G acting coach in 2006, Daegu Orions coach in 2008, Seoul Samsung acting coach in 2014, and national team coach (2019-2021), but all of them had poor team results. Before taking over KGC, the KBL manager’s career record was only 39 wins and 68 losses, and he had no spring basketball experience at all. Because of this, there were voices of concern even when he was appointed as the director of Anyang KGC.

However, coach Kim Sang-sik led KGC stably with his unique soft leadership and reasonable self-directed basketball. There is also an evaluation that it is because he inherited the supply power after a well-established championship, but when it is said that making good use of his power is also the manager’s ability, there is no reason for coach Kim’s achievements to be disparaged.

Coach Kim Sang-sik struggled with the opponent’s successive irregular tactics and lineup throughout the semifinals against Carrot and the final against SK in spring basketball, which was his first time as a leader, but the ‘straight attack method’ focused on the team’s best play without hesitation. ‘, and finally enjoyed the joy of winning the first championship as a manager. It is KGC’s third and 21st year since Daejeon Hyundai (currently KCC) in 1998 and Dongyang Daegu (currently Day One) in 2002 to overturn the series and win the reverse even after recording inferiority until the 5th game of the series in the previous championship game. It was only

SK’s fighting

spirit, which impressed us, was a pity, but SK’s fighting spirit, which impressed us as well, cannot help but applaud. SK, who won the combined championship in the 2021-2022 season, tried to win the first two consecutive wins in the history of the club this season, but in the championship match following the East Asian Super League final, they were all defeated by KGC.

Unlike last season, which was overwhelming, SK had a lot of bad news. Ahn Young-jun enlisted in Sangmu, and the previous year’s MVP Choi Jun-yong was unable to play in the playoffs as he was away for a long time due to injury. At the beginning of the season, losses outnumbered victories, and even advancing to the semifinals seemed uncertain.

Nevertheless, the league’s strongest ‘one-two 카지노사이트punch’ Kim Seon-hyung and Jameel Warney were the main players to reorganize their organizational power. The two players side by side beat Byun Jun-hyung and Omari Spellman of the leading team, KGC, and swept the domestic player-foreign MVP. In addition, Seongwon Choi, Wonhyuk Choi, and Jaehyeon Oh formed the ‘three captains of defense’, and veterans Bookyung Choi and Ilyoung Heo, who were said to have passed their prime, resurrected and helped in the playoffs. After winning the last 6 rounds of the regular season, in the playoffs that came in 3rd place, SK created a sensation by demonstrating its potential to sweep the 6th round (6th place, Jeonju KCC) and the 4th round (2nd place Changwon LG) in succession.

Director Jeon Hee-chul’s resourcefulness also shined. Although it is two years apart as a commanding tower, the former coach, who boasts rich experience enough to win the championship as a player, coach, and manager, has various tactics such as a 3-2 drop zone and pressure defense in the Warney-Kim Sun-hyeong two-man game in this spring basketball. By maximizing power for change and use of the right player at the right time, he proved that the achievements so far were not just ‘player’.

SK’s ace Kim Seon-hyeong showed the best performance, worthy of deja vu called ‘The Second Coming of Heo Jae in 1998’. 35-year-old Kim Seon-hyung averaged 18.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.3 3-pointers in seven games during the championship game, leaving a monstrous record. It was the best performance of the runner-up Ace since the 1997-1998 season, when Heo Jae (age 33, averaging 23 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 3.6 steals, and 3.6 3-pointers in 7 games) in the 1997-1998 season, the only runner-up MVP in professional basketball history.

In particular, in the 7th game, he recorded a one-man show of 37 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals, including 5 3-point shots, leading the game that could have ended in KGC’s complete victory to an extended game. Among them, Kim Seon-hyeong scored 19 points in the third quarter, which was a new record for the most points scored in a quarter in a championship game by a domestic player. While missing the championship, he handed over the championship MVP to his rival Oh Se-geun, but Kim Seon-hyung played an ace that was not ashamed of.

Also, the part where Kim Sun-hyung shone even more was the beautiful manner he showed right after the fierce match ended. Instead of showing disappointment or frustration at missing the championship despite a bloody battle, Kim warmly applauded, encouraged, and comforted his teammates who suffered first. He also approached the KGC players, sincerely congratulated them on their victory and shared hugs. When it was said that fighting fiercely without regrets and accepting the results cleanly is the attitude of a professional, Kim Sun-hyeong showed what true ‘dignity’ of sports is.

The real charm of sports is that the achievements of the winner can shine even more because there is a great opponent. KGC was brilliant, but because SK competed together, this championship match could be remembered as a legend that will be talked about by basketball fans for a long time to come.

As a result, the management of the game in the 6th game, which failed to keep a lead by 15 points and suffered a massive defeat in the 4th quarter, became a pitiful situation, but the fundamental problem was the lack of physical strength of the team rather than the former manager’s tactical mistake. After the game, coach Jeon shed tears, blaming himself for the unfortunate defeat, but there was no need to do so. It would have been impossible for SK to come this far without the leadership and resourcefulness of coach Jeon in the first place.