The 2023-2024 Jeonggwanjang Professional Basketball 'Spring Basketball' playoffs will kick off with a best-of-six series between Seoul SK and Busan KCC.
SK, which finished fourth in the regular season, and KCC, which finished fifth, will meet in the first round of the best-of-six playoffs at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Jamsil Student Gymnasium.
It's a showdown between two teams that were considered favorites before the season. The two teams were separated by only one game in the regular season, and KCC, the lower-ranked team, had a 4-2 head-to-head advantage.
However, with key players coming and going due to injuries, it is fair to say that the so-called 'complete team' has never faced each other at full strength.
That's why the playoffs are so interesting. It's also known as the Choi Jun-yong match. KCC's Choi Jun-yong, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2021-2022 regular season, was a member of SK until last season.
He was the centerpiece of SK and one of the league's best players, but he left the team as a free agent last summer. His new home is KCC.
Joining Choi Jun-yong is Lee Seung-hyun and Heo Woong, who were recruited ahead of the 2022-2023 season, as well as former power Ragan-ah, and Song Kyo-chang, who returned from the military last November. It was a national team lineup.
However, injuries continued to plague the team, revealing weaknesses in organization. The team did not live up to its nickname as a 'super team' and performed below expectations.
At the end of the season, the 'early offense' (quick offensive development), which Heo Woong reportedly suggested to coach Jeon Chang-jin, took hold and the team showed off its fierce offense.
Choi Jun-yong and Song Kyo-chang, who were absent at the end of the regular season, are expected to be at their best as they are adjusting their physical condition ahead of the playoffs.
Choi Jun-yong, in particular, joined KCC last year and even taunted his hometown team SK, which has many veterans, by calling them "old men. This refers to the age of key players such as Kim Sun-hyung and Oh Se-geun.
In the absence of Choi Jun-yong, SK acquired Oh Se-geun from Anyang Jungkwanjang last summer.
Oh is a veteran big man who has reached the championship game in three consecutive seasons with the club.
He won the championship in 2020-2021, was runner-up in 2021-2022, and won the title last season. Last season, he was named the MVP of the Finals.
Coincidentally, both of his last two championship opponents were his current team, SK.
It's his first playoffs since joining his former team. However, it remains to be seen if he can bounce back in the short term after a somewhat lackluster regular season.
SK will be facing a lineup that includes Oh Se-geun, foreign player Jamil Warney as the No. 1 option, Kim Sun-hyung returning from injury, Oh Jae-hyun in his prime, Ahn Young-joon, and shooter Heo Il-young. To counter KCC's fast basketball, the team will rely heavily on their big man Kim Hyung-bin.
KCC is the better offense and SK is the better defense. KCC averages 88.6 points per game, which ranks second among the 10 clubs, but its defense is ninth with 87.5 points allowed.
SK is eighth with an average of 80.1 points and the second-strongest defense with 77.8 points allowed.
'Spear' KCC and 'Shield' SK are likely to go the way of the spear. The winner will face regular season champion Wonju DB in the championship game.
The matchup between third-ranked Suwon KT and sixth-ranked Ulsan Hyundai Mobis will begin on May 5. In the regular season, KT has the edge with 4 wins and 2 losses.
KT's combination of top scorer and Best 5 player Paris Bass and top guard Heo Hoon is considered to be a dominant force.
If Hyundai Mobis manages to pull off an "underdog" miracle (a team or player who is favored to win) and overtake KT, the best-of-four playoffs will feature a "twin coaches' showdown.
Hyundai Mobis head coach Cho Dong-hyun and Changwon LG head coach Cho Sang-hyun, who also reached the quarterfinals, are twins. Cho is the older brother.