Choi Jun-yong of Carrey is crazy! Korean basketball achieves a miraculous 81-79 comeback victory against 'arch-rival' Japan... securing a spot in the second round of the World Cup [Goyang On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Korean basketball achieved a miraculous comeback victory against 'arch-rival' Japan.

On the 6th, Korea defeated Japan 81-79 in the final sixth match of Group B in the first round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers held at Sonok Arena in Goyang. Although they faced a crisis of defeat as the score gap widened in the third quarter, they turned it around and secured a meaningful victory. With this result, Korea recorded three wins and three losses (9 points), finishing second in the group to advance to the second round.

In the first round of qualifiers, Korea was placed in Group B along with Japan, China, and Taiwan. Japan finished first in Group B with four wins and two losses (10 points), while Korea took second place. China also recorded three wins and three losses (9 points) but finished third based on the head-to-head rule. However, China also secured a ticket to the second round. Taiwan finished last in the group with two wins and four losses (8 points) and was eliminated in the first round.

Korea had no choice but to defeat Japan. This was because China had defeated Taiwan in a previous match. Korea had won both head-to-head matches against China, but lost all two games against Taiwan. If China had lost to Taiwan, Korea would have advanced to the second round regardless of the result against Japan under the head-to-head rule. However, the desired outcome did not occur in the China-Taiwan match. Although there was only one option left, Korea managed to overcome it.

In this first round of Asian qualifiers, the top three teams from each group advance to the second round. If they pass through the second round as well, they will qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup finals to be held in Qatar next year. A total of seven tickets for the finals are allocated to the Asia-Oceania region, excluding host nation Qatar.

Having advanced to the second round, Korea continues its challenge for the World Cup. Korea has participated in the basketball World Cup finals in 2014 and 2019. In 2023, the national team did not participate in the qualifiers due to a surge of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) among players.

Head coach Nicholas Mazulis (Latvia) finally secured his first victory since taking charge of the national team. Korea had won consecutive games against China in the first two matches played under an interim coaching system. However, after Coach Mazulis took over, the team lost all three initial matches. In particular, on the 3rd, Korea led by as much as 19 points against Taiwan at their Goyang home but was caught up and eventually lost in overtime.

After the loss to Taiwan, Coach Mazulis confidently stated, "There is still a possibility of advancing to the second round." This time, by defeating Japan, he kept that promise.

On this day, Korea faced misfortunes even before the match. Not only was there news of victory against China, but national team ace Lee Jung-hyun (Goyang Sonok) also could not play in the Japan match due to an ankle injury. Korea had already lost another key player, Lee Hyun-joong (26), who participated in the NBA Summer League to pursue a challenge in the NBA, resulting in a significant loss of strength. On top of that, Lee Jung-hyun was unable to play.

However, this did not become a problem for Korea. Although Japan dominated the game in the first half, Korea pressured the opponent with an intense defense. In an 11-17 situation, Choi Jun-yong (Busan KCC) knocked away the opponent's ball and roared. Although a foul was called against him, the Korean fans erupted in cheers, and the national team raised their fists in celebration.

Korea induced an opponent error, allowing Lee Yu-sang (Changwon LG) to hit a three-point shot, followed by drawing another offensive foul from Japan. It was also impressive when Eddie Daniel (Seoul SK) drew a foul from the opponent with just 0.2 seconds remaining on the shot clock. Daniel calmly made all three free throws. Korea then took the lead 21-19.

Additionally, Yeo Jun-seok (University of Seattle) blocked a dunk attempt by Japanese center Kawamata Koya. Yeo Jun-seok and Lee Seung-hyun (Ulsan Hyundai Mobis) roared in celebration.

Both teams continued a tight contest even in the second quarter. It was regrettable that three-point shots did not fall, but Lee Woo-seok (Army Basketball Team) scored 8 points, and especially '2004-born special guard' Kang Sung-wook (Suwon KT), famous as the son of former coach Kang Dong-hee, contributed 7 points.

Towards the end of the second quarter, Lee Woo-seok seemed to have made a buzzer-beater after cutting off Japan's offense. However, he narrowly failed to get the basket counted.

Korea started the second half trailing 35-37. Suddenly, their concentration collapsed. As they failed to score, they easily gave up space under the basket to Japan and allowed points. Moreover, Josh Hawkins and Nishida Yudai of Japan hit consecutive three-point shots, troubling Korea. By mid-third quarter, Korea fell behind 40-51.

The one who saved Korea from the brink was Choi Jun-yong (Busan KCC). He hit a chasing three-pointer to shift the momentum and recorded points with jump shots, fast breaks, and free throws. With one minute left in the third quarter, Korea narrowed the gap from 40-51 to 51-54, taking responsibility for nine of those 11 points.

Additionally, after a defensive stop, Daniel scored with a two-handed dunk to make it 53-54. Then Choi Jun-yong scored the go-ahead basket, ending the third quarter with Korea leading 55-54.

The fourth quarter saw intense back-and-forth play. Amidst the fierce competition between both teams, Korea smiled. Gaining strength from Jang Jae-seok (Busan KCC)'s post play early on, Kang Sung-wook exploded with crucial three-pointers, pulling ahead 65-60. Thereafter, Korea consistently maintained the score gap despite Japan's pursuit.

Choi Jun-yong played a key role until the very end. He calmly made free throws to break Japan's will to chase and immediately secured a defensive rebound. There were moments where they sweated with anxiety due to Japan's late-game surge. However, Korea held on to their lead until the end, defeating Japan in the match and advancing to the second round. With the score at 80-79, Lee Woo-seok made an important free throw.

On this day, Choi Jun-yong scored 16 points. Most importantly, he played a decisive role leading Korea's comeback rally as the 'crazy car' of the third quarter. Lee Woo-seok also scored the most for Korea with 19 points.

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*This content was translated by AI.