In the professional basketball championship match, the war between the ‘brothers’ begins again. Seoul SK Kim Seon-hyeong (35) and Anyang KGC Ginseng Corporation Byun Jun-hyung (27), who competed for the MVP in the regular league, will face off again.
SK and KGC will compete for the championship starting with the first leg of the championship match held at Anyang Gymnasium on the 25th, with 4 wins out of 7. In last season’s championship match, SK defeated KGC 4-1 and won the combined championship, and this is a return match between the two teams.
SK, who placed 3rd in the regular league this season, has won three consecutive victories over Jeonju KCC in the round of 6 playoffs (PO) and against Changwon LG in the round of 4 PO. In particular, SK is on a 15-game winning streak since the regular league. Among them, 8 games were overturned in the 4th quarter. SK, the “master of reversals,” is poised to overturn the playoff game.
Kim Seon-hyung, who posted 15.2 points and 7.5 assists in 6 PO games, is the leader. At the end of the 3rd round of the semifinal PO, he led the victory with a floater shot that lifts the ball high. Kim Seon-hyung intercepts the ball at the crucial moment and digs into the bottom of the goal, leading SK to the top of the fastball (5.9 per game). He is SK’s one-two punch with foreign player Jamil Warney. Seonhyung Kim, who is called ‘Flash Sun’ because it is as fast as a flash of light, performs a ‘Lightning Ceremony’ by making a lightning shape with both fingers. He is in his mid-30s, and as he gets older, his field of view broadens and he is evaluated to be able to control the strength and weakness.
KGC, who won the ‘Wire to Wire’, which did not miss the first place in the regular league from the start to the end, aims for an integrated championship. KGC calmed the blast of Goyang Carrot with 3 wins and 1 loss in the quarterfinals PO. It is a determination to repay the pain of the defeat suffered by SK in the championship match last season.
KGC guard Byun Jun-hyung takes the lead. Byun Jun-hyeong recorded 15.3 points and 4.5 assists in the semifinal PO. In particular, in the first game, he led the victory with the largest score difference (56 points) in professional basketball history. Although he is an offensive guard, he is focusing on helping his teammates play as a point guard this season.
Byun Jun-hyung, who is called the “Korean Doncic” in comparison to NBA’s Luka Doncic (Dallas), is known for his stepback 3-point shot and splendid zigzag euro step. He is leading the KGC ‘Motion Offense’, which emphasizes organic movement and passing.
In the regular league MVP competition, Kim Seon-hyung beat Byun Jun-hyung. In the final of the East Asian Super League held in Japan last month, Byun Jun-hyung led the championship and defeated Kim Seon-hyung by decision. Byun Jun-hyung is scheduled to enlist in the military team next month. Byun Jun-hyung said, “(Kim) Sun-hyung’s speed is overwhelming,” and Kim Sun-hyung praised Byun Jun-hyung as a “good pass” during the game.
SK Warney and KGC Spellman will compete for the best foreign players. With Choi Jun-yong out for the season due to a heel injury, SK needs Choi Bu-kyung to stop KGC Oh Se-geun. SK’s 38-year-old veteran shooter, Heo Il-young,안전놀이터 shoots an accurate outer cannon. KGC Yang Hee-jong (39), who is retiring at the end of this season, will play a ‘last defense’. The match between the two coaches, senior and junior at Korea University, is also a point to watch. KGC coach Kim Sang-shik is aiming for an integrated championship in his first year in office. SK coach Jeon Hee-cheol, who is a junior, challenges to win the championship for two consecutive years. The two teams faced each other closely with 3 wins and 3 losses in the regular league.