In the third match of B. League Finals, basketball fans watched two interesting stories at once. One was whether the Ryukyu Golden Kings would be able to successfully defend their championship title as no team in B. League has achieved back to back championships twice except for the Alvark Tokyo in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 season.

Or would the Hiroshima Dragonflies win their first B. League championship and prove all the critics wrong? The Dragonflies had 36 wins and 24 losses before entering the playoffs, although they were 15 games fewer than the Utsunomiya Brex, which headed the league. Their trip had already shown they were very determined people.

Recently on Tuesday, May 28, as the last second of the fourth quarter ticked away, both the Dragonflies and their celebratory fans enjoyed the moment. They had beaten the Golden Kings 65-50 in a highly charged game in which their courage and assertiveness was seen especially in the defensive style of the team. The amazing defense of the Dragonflies always effectively avoided the Golden Kings and took their status in the B. League to the next level.

The Dragonflies demonstrated their skills as well as their tenacity in the emotionally intensive game. They grew with every steal, block and a dubious shot which put them closer and closer to an improbable but gratifying win. The spectators erupted in joy when the buzzer signaled the end of the game and the Dragonflies’ amazing journey from being on the sidelines to being crowned as the champions. It cemented their name in the books of B. League history and was a testament to sheer hard work, coordination, and belief in the system.

At Yokohama Arena, this time, Hiroshima’s defense was a brick wall as Ryukyu only scored 21 points in the second half. Even more shocking to the senses was the shooting prowess of the Golden Kings that converted only 8 of their 27 attempts in the third and fourth quarters.

Ryukyu was not vigorous enough and lacked the force to come back on the court as they trailed 35-29 at the half-time.

"Our strength all year long has been our defense," said Milling, who took over as Hiroshima coach after the team went 9-46 in 2020-21. By the end of that next season, the seeds had been planted for the Dragonflies' new identity. Hiroshima went 29-28 in Milling's first season in charge.

"I want to say thank you to the players for believing in what we do," Milling added, citing the players' embrace of the coaching staff's plans. "Defense wins games and defense wins championships."

The Golden Kings could only make 4 three-point baskets out of 24 attempts on Tuesday as the Dragonflies closed down their shooters to force them into surrendering the title.

In Game 1 on Saturday May 26 the Dragonflies lost 74-62 but in the second set they gave the fans something to cheer about. They lost the second match 17-15 the following day but were able to bounce back and beat their rivals 72-63 in a decisive final match.

The title was finally clinched in the last game of the series when the Ryukyu team, spearheaded by veteran forward Dwayne Evans, who appeared for the team during the period 2020-2022 before joining Hiroshima, scored the winning 13 points. Takuto Nakamura also had on the bench on 12 points and is a young 23 year old point guard who is still rising through the ranks. The first one is Nick Mayo who scored seven points, second Ryo Yamazaki – eight, and the last one is Kerry Blackshear Jr. who scored nine points.

While the game statistics might not have been very flattering, the efforts of Hiroshima’s star players were able to shed light on what Milling said about the team, admitting that they are deep and have a lot of resilience.

"Our biggest strength is our team spirit [along with] our team chemistry," Milling said.

Nakamura commended his teammates for sticking together, saying they "carry confidence in each other."

With enthusiastic clapping from Hiroshima supporters, Nakamura added, "Thank you, fans, for lots of support here."

Nakamura was chosen as the MVP of the Finals because he displayed a consistency in his performance during the games, particularly scoring 10. At 0 points per game in average and an astonishing 13 in Game 2.

Conversely, Yamazaki was the Dragonflies’ biggest weapon with a spectacular 3-pointers shooting display all through the match. However, in any case, you could see his essential contribution even if he was not the one to score the most points in any particular game. And of the sixteenth, Yamazaki also scored nineteen of his 3-point shot in the final best-of-three series, earning him the title of MVP of the playoffs for the three rounds. Significantly, the probability of Hiroshima clinching the championship continued to be kept alive by his 4-for-5 surge in Game 2.

In the series, Yamazaki had averaged 10. 6 points overall. During the Game 3 which proved really crucial, he scored 10points and made 3-pointers out of 6 attempted.

"It's been a long season, and there were many games where I disappointed the fans at the beginning. But in the end, I was able to see the best scenery with the fans, and I'm really glad that I kept playing." Yamazaki said,  "I can only say one word: 'Great.' I am a shooter and I catch and shoot most of the time, so I can only thank my teammates who pass and screen [for] me.

Yamazaki had raised his scoring average to an astounding 13. Average points scored in eight postseason games nine a considerable increase from seven obtained per regular-season game. They scored nine goals in as many games or 51 over 51 games.

Yamazaki has been a part of a few teams since the inception of B. League in 2016; he played for Toyama Grouses, Tochigi/Utsunomiya Brex, and Gunma Crane Thunders. Before the arrival of the 2023–24 season he moved to Hiroshima where he took a loads of experience into that team and also carry into his new team big-game mentality.

Stick with https://k8airdrop.com/ for more Sports, esport, games, news, guides, and more!

Discover the thrill of cutting-edge online slot games! Visit  http://k8.io/ now for an unparalleled gaming experience with the latest and greatest slot games.