'Defeat in Home Opener → Pledge for Revenge' Son Chang-hwan, Goyang Sono Coach: "Felt the Gap in Level... But We Will Push Forward Unconditionally" [Goyang On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Chang-hwan, Goyang Sono coach, who lost the first game at home, vowed to counterattack.

Sono and Busan KCC will face each other in the second game of the 2025–2026 LG Electronics Professional Basketball Championship Finals (best-of-seven series) at Goyang Sono Arena at 7 p.m. on the 7th.

Sono, which secured a playoff berth by finishing fifth in the regular season, swept Seoul SK in the quarterfinals and Changwon LG in the semifinals to advance to the championship finals.

In the first game, Sono lost to KCC in a home match, putting them in a disadvantaged position.

Coach Son Chang-hwan told reporters before the game, "We definitely felt a gap in level when playing against KCC," but added, "However, learning through challenges and developing to reverse the result is what basketball is about," reaffirming his determination to fight back.

The biggest challenge is restoring scoring power, which managed only a 35% field goal percentage in the first game, and especially reviving Kevin Kambeo, who struggled until the third quarter. Coach Son explained, "Kambeo was blocked by Song Kyu-chang's defense and made minor adjustments on the screen. After reviewing video meetings, we saw many clear opportunities but failed to score. In the second game, we will field players who can score and attack aggressively."

He further added, "Opponents' athletic abilities were strong, making transition plays difficult, but if the situation arises, we will push forward unconditionally."

They also failed to properly control Sean Long, who dominated the paint with 22 points and 19 rebounds in the first game. Coach Son stated, "We tried various tactics against Sean Long, but his physical advantage made tricks ineffective. We adjusted our two-man defense and prepared tactics slightly differently. Changing our lineup to match opponents' height would backfire. Reviewing the first game, if we had made open shots and reduced errors even while giving points to Sean Long, we could have been evenly matched."

Although the first-game defeat handed KCC a 71.4% championship probability, Coach Son remains resolute not to back down. Regarding the back-to-back schedule for Games 3 and 4, he said, "Playing every other day prevents all teams from moving freely. While this isn't favorable for Sono, we are focusing solely on today's game for now."

Coach Son also emphasized, "Playoffs require major changes that only confuse players. Kang Ji-hoon was nervous and couldn't execute spacing basketball, so we will deploy Im Dong-seop to create space. We will mentally fortify ourselves and engage in direct confrontation."

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*This content was translated by AI.