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For the second straight season, no Filipino team is left standing to compete in the EASL Final Four which reels off in Macau tomorrow. Meralco came within a win to qualify but lost a double OT thriller to the New Taipei Kings on the road last Feb. 12. A win would’ve created a triple tie for second with a victory over the Kings rewarding the Bolts a playoff slot. The other PBA contender San Miguel Beer was winless in its bracket, dropping six in a row.
San Miguel’s final outing against Suwon was a disappointment as the Beermen were without an import and June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez joined Gilas in a pocket tournament in Doha. The Beermen and Meralco earned the EASL tickets by virtue of capturing the PBA’s two conference titles last season. In EASL’s inaugural home-and-away campaign in 2023-24, TNT and Meralco represented the PBA. They both missed the Final Four.
In tomorrow’s fixtures, Group A No. 1 Hiroshima takes on Group B No. 2 New Taipei and Group B No. 1 Ryukyu faces Group A No. 2 Taoyuan. Two Korean teams, Suwon and Busan, joined San Miguel and Meralco at the sidelines.
Among the semifinalists, New Taipei ranks first in offense (99 points), two-point field goal percentage (.604), assists (21.5), steals (9.7) and least turnovers (11). Five Kings are averaging in double figure points with Asian heritage import Sani Sakakini of Palestine leading the way at 20 points a game. The others are nine-year NBA vet Jeremy Lin (19.4), Kenny Manigault (19.3), six-year NBA vet Austin Daye (18.5) and Lin’s younger brother Joseph (12.2). New Taipei coach Ryan Marchand was a former Minnesota and Orlando video coordinator with his NBA experience a boost to his credentials.
Defending B-League champion Hiroshima is the top defensive team, giving up 75 points a contest. The Dragonflies are hitting .393 from three with Ryo Terashima, Nick Mayo, Kerry Blackshear and Japanese-American Kaine Roberts each shooting over .400. Coach Tomoaki Ikegaya’s naturalized player is South African 6-10 center Nephaweis Tshilidzi, now renamed Kawata. Golden Kings coach Dai Oketani will choose among former Orlando Magic Vic Law, former Utah Jazz Jack Cooley and Keye Aluma as his two imports with the luxury of adding naturalized former Cleveland Cav Alex Kirk in Ryukyu’s rotation.
Taoyuan’s Spanish coach Iurgi Caminos will lean on four-year NBA vet Treveon Graham, Phoenix 2014 second round draft pick Alec Brown and 6-10 Senegalese Amdy Dieng, classified a local for attending National Chengchi University. Lu Chun Hsiang, Pai Yao Cheng and Li Chia Kang are averaging a combined 34.4 points, making the trio the deadliest locals in the Final Four. At stake is a $1 million first prize so expect every team to go all out for the trophy.
