Episode 25 Basketball Playoff previews
Copy intro from previous episodes.
Introduction
Good morning, sports fans! We’ve got a special episode today, which is our coverage of the KBL playoffs. Who made it in? What happened to last year’s champions? Hint, they became chumpions. The last games of the season were on Tuesday so we’ve got our playoff roster set. Let’s talk about them and how I think they can win.
Basketball sound
First up are the SK Knights. They had the most wins this season and took the regular season title in March. They will play again in the semifinals against the winner of the 3rd rank team versus the 6th rank team. Last season they lost in the first round to eventual champion KCC Egis. They last secured the title in 2022 in the first year of Coach Jeon’s reign. Winning a title is a pretty good start to a coaching career. Ask Coach Kerr about that. Since that year they’ve been to the playoffs but haven’t won the title. This is a good year to get another trophy for the coach. Led by center JAMEEL MARCUS WARNEY who’s a beast on both ends of the floor, they are the 2nd highest scoring team, 3rd highest scoring percentage, and 1st in steals. They are not a great 3pt shooting team, average 26 attempts per game and they are in the middle of the pack when it comes to free throws made. Stopping this team requires getting out to a quick lead, forcing them to take lots of 3s, and then challenging them on the line when the game is close late in the 4th. Also, somehow locking up Warney. Otherwise this will be a short playoff for the rest of the league.
Next up is the LG Sakers. They’ve had a good season, but not as good as SK. Led by Egyptian center ASSEM MAREI, they’ve got the best rebounder in the league along with the best stealer, as well as the best 3pt shooter in guard YU KI SANG, even though he makes only 2.4 3s a game. Yeah I know, making 2 threes a game would get you benched in the NBA, but this is a different league entirely. LG was 2nd place last season but that didn’t help much when they got eliminated by KT SonicBoom. After watching some highlights of the team, I see some weaknesses in perimeter defense and in ball-handling. I think they can make it to the finals but I’m suspecting they’ll be upset beforehand. They’ll also get a first round bye so we’ll have to wait for their opponent.
And we need to talk about 3rd place Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus whoooo that’s a mouthful. I’m a call them Ulsan just to save my tongue. Anyway, they’ve got center GAIGE PRIM a great paint presence with winning experience and returning forward Shawn Long who’s also a top free throw shooter and rebounder. Ulsan has been fairly good against good teams but not against SK so if they meet in the finals, it’s not gonna go well for them. I’m not even sure they get out of the semifinals to be honest. They get the 6th seed which I don’t think will give them too much trouble but they’re kinda kicking themselves for letting the 2nd seed get away from them.
Next up is the Suwon KT Sonicboom. They’ve had a very good season but this decade has been a roller-coaster between great and awful. But they haven’t won a championship, yet they got to the championship round last season. With guard HEO HOON leading the league in assists and top 5 in 3pt shooting and forward Rayshaun Hammonds a top 5 in points per game, they certainly have a good offensive background. But the team is at the bottom in points scored and not great at getting rebounds. They can be a problem in the playoffs if they can get control of the glass but against the better teams they may not have the muscle. I don’t believe they’ll make it to the finals again, not with their head-to-head record against the other good teams. They got the 4th seed which I feel is appropriate but I feel like they got what it takes to move forward.
Next up is Daegu KOGAS. They’re the 5th seed because the 6th seed competition was lacking and they weren’t good enough to get into the competition for the above seeds. They’re the middle child of the league. *joke sting* Despite being the middle child they are well-stocked with 3 top foreign players. First up is forward ANDREW NICHOLSON the league’s top 3pt scorer and 2nd in ppg, center Youssopha Ndoye the league’s top 5 in blocks, and guard SAMJOSEF BELANGEL a leader in steals and assists. With these 3 players, why wouldn’t they go far in the playoffs? Well, they are terrible against the top teams. It’s not a confidence builder if you can’t win against good teams. However the playoffs are often a different beast. Look at KCC- they won it all from the 6th seed so anything can happen.
Basketball brick sound.
And finally we have the Anyang Red Boosters in 6th place. Yeah 6th place, which they held on for dear life against DB and had to win a last game thriller to get into the playoffs. They’ve been decent since Burton got traded there. They also got a decent assist and 3 point shooting guard Park Ji Hun. But can they make noise in the playoffs? Can they rely on Burton and O’Bryant to carry them to victory? Sometimes people look for miracles and KCC’s run last season might have given some false hope.
Worst Persons
It’s that time again! The worst persons in the sports world. I wanted 1 quiet week, but they just couldn’t behave themselves. OYe…
Nap award goes to: KCC for their 8 and 19 home record, especially after all the money Busan spent on renovating the home stadium. They pledged to win their last home game and even had a 19 point lead in the first half, but that evaporated like it always does. Worst yet, they lost to the Samsung Thunder. You couldn’t even beat a basement team! Hell, take yo asses to the basement! Worst persons in sports! And by the way, Busan’s women’s team the BNK won the title, so at least Busan has 1 great team this year. Maybe Coach Park should take over?
Radon award goes to: North Korea for their bizarre insistence that playing basketball makes you taller. In an article released last year, NK News wrote about the history of the North Korean propaganda department’s effort to teach the populace that playing basketball makes people taller. Yeah they never met Mugsy Boges. Anyway I suggest you read the article but I wanted to draw attention to the line here. Quote According to journalist Anna Fifield, Kim Jong Un’s mother, Ko Yong Hui, encouraged his interest in basketball due to his relatively short stature. In other words, the government’s continued insistence on an untruth came back to affect the very family that had created the lie in the first place. Unquote. Of course the Norks would push this kinda nonsense! Why pay for more food when you can just make kids play ball? It builds teamwork and height without additional food! The pseudo-socialist way!
And finally, the Plutonium award: NC Dinos stadium for the collapse and death of the fan. If you’ve seen any KBO footage this week, you might have noticed all the players wearing a black ribbon. That’s because during the March 29th game in Changwon, a piece of the overhang fell off and collided with a food stall or something like that and the debris hit 3 fans, killing a young woman. So now the team can’t play in Changwon for the foreseeable future. It wasn’t even that windy in Changwon. Look, any time a fan dies it’s a tragedy, but this one stings a lot because it has a tinge of preventability. Why wasn’t the stadium checked better? This is a new stadium as well. Things shouldn’t be falling off the sides like this. Hopefully the inspection team will find answers, but I get the sense the fans aren’t going to like them. NC Dinos stadium, today’s worst person in the sports world.
Game of the week!
Of course we’re going to include the basketball playoffs! What would be the point of the episode? My pick is KT vs Kogas at Suwon on Saturday at 2pm. The other game’s probably not going to be competitive so we’ll see what happens here. I’m giving the edge to KT but only if they’re able to keep the ball away from center Ndoye. My other pick for game of the week is a matchup between Doosan and LG in Jamsil. Can LG continue their winning ways or can Doosan stop the fire? If you’re a soccer fan, I also recommend Daejeon vs FC Seoul. Daejeon’s playing really well this early in the season but Lingard and the Seoul team have a chance to knock them down a peg.
Ending
Thanks for tuning in today! We hoped you learned something new about Korean sports like I certainly did! Please share this podcast with your friends & family, anyone you think would be interested in irreverent takes on Korean Sports. Especially give this to rookies. They need alllll the help they can get. Don’t forget to rate our podcast 5 stars of course. But don’t do it if you don’t like us. You can email the show at hwatingsportspodcast at gmail.com or leave a comment on our various podcast sites. Hate mail will be read aloud on special episodes and ruthlessly mocked. Fan mail will be mocked but in a more wholesome way. Our next episode will be on the 24th of April and we’re talking about Korea’s hosting of events and whether the community is tired of it or not! But maybe we can get a crashed ice tournament? *Joke sting* Music notes like the opening song thanks to DumiAFava. Cover art thanks to our live-in cycling expert James! A shoutout to our listeners in Bloemfontein South Africa! Home of the biggest private rugby museum in the world, so you know it has like 5 jerseys and two helmets! Until next time, wonderful listeners! Guests of the Hwa-ting sports podcast dine at L’ Pieds Puants the hottest Michelin 6 star restaurant to open in the Itaewon area. Built on the spot of the horetel that burnt down 15 years ago, L’ Pieds Puants promises the best cuisine from France’s well-regarded Eure region. With delectable dishes like unseasoned andouille and salty tet de veau, you’ll barely have room for the world famous galette Des rois for dessert. You can’t go wrong at L’ Pieds Puants where even the appetizers start at 150k and the meal ends with your entire pay check!
Notes:
https://english.khan.co.kr/khan_art_view.html?artid=202504021757297
https://www.jumpball.co.kr/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065615339789058