Mobis and KTF to Battle It Out for the Championships

The first day of May will spell the climax of a string of hard-fought victories and losses.

The final, Game Seven of the Championships, to be held at 6 p.m. in Ulsan, featuring Mobis and KTF, will end the three-three tie.

Mobis lost two straight matches after gaining a three-one advantage in the series. Coach Yoo Jae-hak of Mobis tried to brighten the atmosphere by holding a late supper with the players to offer them encouragement after the Game Six loss.

Mobis will have to look to the Yang Dong-geun – Williams duo to win the game. Yang Dong-geun scored only one point between the second and fourth quarter due to low stamina and hyped up defense, and Williams hurt the team by not cooperating with his teammates. Mobis’ three-point success rate was only 23 percent during Games Five and Six, with shooters falling short again and again due to exhaustion.

Mobis, which is now being chased by KTF, will have to focus on defense to combat KTF’s strength under the basket and look for new offensive opportunities by emphasizing speed.

Meanwhile, KTF, which came a long way to get to the championships, is in high spirits.

“I want to dedicate our victory to Cho Sung-min’s parents, who died in a traffic accident during our training period last year,” said Shin Ki-sung of KTF after his team’s Game Six victory. “My wife is the eldest of four daughters. She lost her mother at a young age, so I know what Sung-min must be going through. I hope all of our players unite for this reason.”

Coach Chu Il-seung of KTF constantly encourages his players and is known to challenge the referee’s calls from time to time. The normally hot-tempered McGee and Ricci have calmed down and are now dominant under the basket.

Game Seven will be the decider. Who will get the last laugh?

kjs0123@donga.com