27일부터 7전 5선승제 챔피언전…숱한 인연 얽힌 ‘화제의 더비’ KT, 배스·허훈·하윤기 앞세워 국대급 멤버 갖춘 KCC 봉쇄 ‘특명’
Suwon KT Sonic Boom, a professional basketball team, will play a best-of-seven championship match against Busan KCC to become the first champion since its founding. Provided by KBL
Suwon KT Sonic Boom, the ‘unrelated’ professional basketball champion, will challenge for its first win against the Busan KCC Aegis, who have won a total of five times.
KT finished 3rd in the regular league, went through the 6th playoff (PO), defeated 2nd place Changwon LG with 3 wins and 2 losses in the semifinals, and advanced to the championship game for the first time in 17 years, while KCC won 3 times over 1st place Wonju DB in the semifinals PO. They beat the team with one loss and made new history by becoming the first team ranked 5th in the regular league to advance to the championship game in KBL league history.
The two teams will play a best-of-seven championship match starting with the first game at Suwon KT Arena at 2 p.m. on the 27th. KT, which advanced to the championship game for the first time in 17 years, is attempting to win its first ever championship, while KCC is aiming for its 6th championship in 13 years since the 2010-11 season.
This championship is attracting attention as a match between former and current teams from Busan, KT, which moved to Suwon in 2021, and KCC, which moved to Suwon ahead of this season. Also, the first championship clash between the league’s top stars, brothers Heo Woong (KCC) and Heo Hoon (KT), and the ‘priest match’ between KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin, former KT head coach, and KT coach Song Young-jin, who played as a player at the time, are also interesting.
The objective situation is somewhat favorable to KCC. KCC is called a ‘super team’ with a national team lineup including Heo Woong, Lee Seung-hyun, Song Kyo-chang, Choi Jun-yong, and La Gun-ah. As shown in the previous PO, he has a variety of explosive power that does not depend on a specific player. In particular, naturalized player La Gun-ah is showing off his fierce power, so he is a target of caution.
Against this, KT is determined to achieve its dream of becoming the team’s first champion, with top scorer Paris Bass, Heo Hoon, Ha Yoon-ki, Moon Seong-gon, Moon Jeong-hyun, and Han Hee-won. Although the lineup is somewhat less weighty than KC, the strategy is to block the opponent’s brilliant offensive power with defense and then use Bass and Heo Hoon to open an offensive path.
However, for KT, it is a burden to play in the championship game after resting for two days when their stamina is exhausted due to playing the 5th game in the PO of the semifinals. On the other hand, KCC has sufficient rest after the game on the 21st to prepare for the championship game, so they are physically well-off. The team that wins the first round of the championship has a 69.2% chance of winning (18 out of 26).
KT coach Song Young-jin said, “KCC is a troublesome team that explodes here and there in the playoffs to the point where the main character changes in every game. “The key is to defend Heo Woong and La Geon-ah,” he said. “The players are a bit tired physically, but since they made it to the championship match, we will do our best to become our first champion.”
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