Park Ji-hoon, head of Anyang's articles of association.

Anyang Jeonggwan, the defending champion of the East Asian Super League (EASL), failed to win the title for the second consecutive year, but succeeded in winning $250,000 in prize money for the second consecutive year by maintaining the third place.

Chung won 78-76 against the New Taipei Kings in the final round of the 2023-24 EASL Final 4 at Cebu-Sdom in the Philippines on Sunday. Chung, who confirmed the third place with the victory, will receive 250,000 dollars in prize money and return home in a good mood.

Chung was the winner of the first event held last year. Starting with Omari Spellman, who received MVP award at the time, Chung beat other East Asian teams including Seoul SK to win the title. Since then, Chung has reigned as the best team in professional basketball in the year, winning wire-to-wire and championship game in the regular season.

This year's performance was not the same as before. Due to the transfer of Oh Se-geun and Moon Sung-gon to free agents and Byun Jun-hyung to Sangmu, a large number of key players left the team. His regular league performance fell to ninth place. He advanced to the semi-finals after many twists and turns, but failed to achieve his dream of winning the title for the second consecutive time, losing in a rematch with his rival SK.

However, the third-place finisher had to be won without fail. A third-place finisher could have received 250,000 U.S. dollars, the same as last year's championship, but a fourth-place finisher could not receive any compensation. The 250,000 dollars is larger than the 200 million won prize money that the Korean professional basketball players receive when they win an integrated championship. The difference in results between the third and fourth places was an important issue for him as he endured overseas expeditions during the regular season. Worse yet, he has been waiting for them for two consecutive days since the latest event.

He won a game that he had to win. "Jimmy Time," Park Ji-hoon, who grew from a six-man last season to an ace this season, played the leading role. Park recorded 29 points, eight rebounds, and three steals, including three three-point shots. He spearheaded the team both inside and outside in attack, and in defense, he blocked matchups with opposing ace Joseph Lin to lead his team to victory.

In addition to Park Ji-hoon, Robert Carter Jr. scored 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Jamil Wilson also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jeong Hyo-geun also contributed by winning the battle under the basket with 11 points.

It was not an easy game to play in. Chung took the lead several times on the day, but each time, the Kings chased after him fast. Park Ji-hoon led the mood in the early part of the game. Starting with a mid-range jumper, he scored goals one after another under the basket. He alone scored all of his team's first eight points. However, the high-rise Kings continued to chase after them after halfway through the game. Chung finished the first half 44-33, keeping a 12-point gap until midway through the third quarter, but failed to block the Kings from immediately chasing after them. After finishing the third quarter 64-57, Chung was shaken by allowing even a one-point gap in the fourth quarter.

A narrow margin of victory. Eventually, the gap between concentration and error determined the outcome. Chung also made a mistake due to New Taipei's cooperative defense, and was on the verge of turning the tables. However, right before the end of the game, Lynn's critical error caused the Kings to lose their last chance to attack, culminating in the scramble for the third place.    토토사이트 순위