With 5 minutes to 24 runs left, a rainy day defeat that stalls in the final stages
Kawasaki Brave Thunders couldn’t keep the lead of up to 19 points in the 4th quarter in the 2nd round against Akita Northern Happinets, and took a half-court shot of Takuya Nakayama and suffered a big turnaround defeat of 86-87.
Head coach Kenji Sato looked back on the match, saying, “It was a very disappointing defeat.” “I was expecting the opponent to come hard, but I put up with it in the first half, and in the second half I was able to adjust firmly to the opponent’s defense and had good game control. I think the reason for the defeat was that I gave the score. I had seven 3-point shots, so I would like to try again so that I can do what I should do for 40 minutes. “
Kawasaki, who finished the first half with a tie, took the initiative with the third quarter set at 25-13. With that momentum, he expanded his lead to 19 points in the first minute and a half of the final quarter. However, as head coach Sato said, the team stalled over time. Also, at the end of the official time-out with a 14-point lead, head coach Sato said, “I was instructed to use it well while I knew that I was coming to the trap, but there was more pressure than that. All the points of the ball were denaired. “As he said, he was caught in Akita’s trap and was hit by Steele for two consecutive times.
Even so, Kawasaki managed to survive Akita’s counterattack, and Yuma Fujii, who had shown a career high performance, scored an eight-point lead with 53 seconds remaining. Kawasaki, a matchmaker, seemed to win as it was, but he allowed points in a row, and with 15 seconds remaining, he was hit by Alex Davis’s three-pointer and was forced to make a one-point difference. It may be correct to let Davis, who has the lowest success rate on the court, hit with a 3-point shot success rate of less than 20% this season. Head coach Sato also said, “It is unavoidable that Nick (Fazekas) could not come out when Davis was killed.” That’s why he continued, “It was a communication mistake or a three-point shot from the transition, which was something that should never be done,” he said, pointing out that the scene that triggered the counterattack was the cause of the defeat, not the performance at the end of the game.
“I think we were able to do that in a situation where we didn’t have to decide the outcome of those 6 points.”
It might not have been the same result if Jordan Heath had missed the two free throws he got with 32 seconds left and Fujii had decided the first free throw he got with 4 seconds left. Furthermore, the probability that Nakayama’s half-court shot will be decided is overwhelmingly low, and there is no end to it. That’s why Ryusei Shinoyama said, “I think there was more point difference other than the last three-point shot,” and expressed the same view as the commander.
“I got 34 points in the 4th quarter. I think there was no help for Davis and Nakayama’s 3-point shot, but Taguchi (Naruhiro), Furukawa (Takatoshi), (Jordan) in the 4th quarter. Glynn’s 3-point shot was superfluous and I think it was too easy. I think there was a time when he was loose, and the 6 points (3 point shots by Nakayama and Davis) do not have to decide the victory or defeat. I think we could do it ourselves, so we have to pack it up. “
In addition, Sasayama asks himself, “I think there was a different call as a point guard.” “It would be even better if the opponents who came to crush all the picks and rolls with blitz were conscious of the connection of the three players other than the handler and the screener, and if we could make the interlocking part of that area thicker. I think I was able to capture it neatly. Maybe I had to stick to it, or maybe I had the option to change my eyes. “
There is no doubt that it was a painful loss. However, Sasayama said, “We had to be careful about how the game ended. We were able to concentrate for 30 minutes, but I think it was our looseness that we couldn’t do it for 40 minutes. As a result, “he takes this defeat head-on. For the glorious team beyond the championship, the day will come when this defeat seems worth the high tuition.