'One single loss' leads to runner-up status... "Torture me a bit, I want to work harder" Coach Son Chang-hwan's 'bold motivation' [Busan]

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite securing a comeback with just two seconds remaining, Son Chang-hwan, head coach of Goyang Sono, who was pushed to the brink after failing to hold on for the final second, has set up a last-ditch defense.

Sono will face Busan KCC in the fourth game of the 2025-2026 LG Electronics Professional Basketball Championship Finals (best-of-seven series) at 4:30 p.m. on the 10th at Busan Sajik Indoor Gymnasium.

There is no turning back now. Having lost all three previous games, Sono has been pushed to the brink. A loss in the fourth game would hand the Championship Finals trophy to KCC.

The third-game defeat was painful. Son lost the game again after allowing a heartbreaking free throw by Sean Long following Lee Jung-hyun's game-tying shot with two seconds left the previous day. Coach Son Chang-hwan stated, "It wasn't Sono's fault. We knew Sean Long would attempt a shot near the basket and adjusted during the timeout. I told Nathan Knight not to give up the backdoor pass unconditionally, but the pass came through perfectly. Kevin Kambeo tried to block the passing lane by jumping, but it was unavoidable."

Regarding Knight, who failed to block the lob pass intended for Sean Long, Son said, "Knight looked self-reproaching after the game, so I told him not to do that. I told him, 'This mistake isn't your single loss, but our collective single loss.' I urged them to start fresh in the fourth game."

In particular, Coach Son Chang-hwan warned against KCC's formidable lineup. He said, "Their top four players (Heo Hoon, Heo Woong, Choi Jun-yong Song-gyo, Chang) are players who could form a full national team right now. It's not that their concentration was high; they simply possess that ability from the start. Sono should have fought more toughly against such momentum, but there were parts where he fell short, which is regrettable."

To the players facing the pressure of the Championship Finals, Coach Son Chang-hwan said, "The Championship Finals is a stage with no second chances, so the burden must be great. However, I never thought we would lose. After the game, we will move by bus, and I told the players, 'I want to go up while working, please torture me a bit.'"

Regarding the counterattack card prepared during the back-to-back schedule, he replied, "KCC's weakness is clear. Lim Dong-seop, Jung Hee-jae, and Kang Ji-hoon must take turns hitting two or three three-pointers. Since the opponent is an extremely high-level team, rather than setting a fixed concept, we will operate flexibly based on the game situation."

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*This content was translated by AI.