Promy steal Samsung’s thunder
Dongbu Promy’s Kang Dae-hyup, left, and Samsung Thunders’ Kang Hyuk chase a loose ball during their Korean Basketball League Finals match yesterday in Seoul. The Promy won 90-77 to take a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven showdown. They can win the championships with a victory tomorrow. [NEWSIS]
Led by their usual stars and a surprising performance from a rookie, the Promy defeated the Samsung Thunders 90-77 on the road in Seoul to take the 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven finals. The Promy can clinch the title with a victory tomorrow in Seoul. The tipoff is at 5:50 p.m.
The Promy led 75-62 entering the fourth quarter and increased their lead to 17 on a three-pointer by Carlos Dixon midway through the quarter. With 3:05 left, Dixon drained another three as the shot clock expired to give the Promy 88-70 cushion.
After Terrence Leather scored a basket with 5:26 left in the game, Samsung went nearly four minutes without a field goal until Leather scored on a dunk with 1:40 remaining. But it only made 90-72 for the Promy.
Dongbu’s forward Kim Joo-sung led the team with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds. Rookie guard Lee Gwang-jae had his playoff career-high 16 points along with four steals. Reggie Okosa played the entire game and chipped in with 19 points.
For Samsung, Leather scored the game-high 30 points and grabbed 14 boards. But Victor Thomas was held to seven points, none after the first quarter, and Lee Kyu-sup, mired in a shooting slump in the finals, had eight.
Kim Joo-sung said his team was more determined after losing the third game Monday.
“We badly wanted to win this one today,” Kim said in a televised interview with SBS. “We studied the tape from the loss and knew what went wrong. We want to finish the series in Game 5.”
The Promy took a 56-38 lead into the third quarter. Up 32-30 early in the second, the Promy staged a 10-0 run to pull ahead and Lee Gwang-jae scored on a drive near the end of the second quarter for the 18-point first-half cushion.
The Thunders managed only 15 points in the second, with Leather getting 12. They also committed 11 turnovers in the first half and made 20 turnovers for the game, compared to Dongbu’s nine.
Dongbu jumped out to a 62-38 lead to start the third, scoring six straight points thanks to Samsung’s two early turnovers. But the Thunders ate into the deficit and closed the quarter down by 13.
The Thunders, however, failed to narrow the gap in the final quarter. And Dongbu’s head coach Jeon Chang-jin complimented the improved team defense.
“Our defense was much better today than Monday,” Jeon told SBS. “I told the players to try to put the game away in the second and third quarters, and it worked out perfectly.
“I am a little worried about how we got careless with our big lead,” Jeon added, referring to Dongbu’s 24-point third-quarter lead that was whittled down to 13. “It’s just a matter of staying focused for all four quarters.”
Jeon and Co. have history on their side. No KBL team has ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the championship.
By Yoo Jee-ho Staff Reporter [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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