Defense Dominates but Offense Falters: A Recap of Chiba Jets’ B League Final Match against Ryukyu Golden Kings

Contributed in defense but not in offense

The Chiba Jets lost the second match of the B League Final against the Ryukyu Golden Kings 73-88, missing their goal of winning the Emperor’s Cup.

Chiba J received a 3-point shot offensive that should be their specialty, and they were behind in double digits in the early stages. After that, he played an incandescent battle following the first round, such as evenly competing in offensive rebounds and inside battles, gradually regaining his rhythm, and temporarily reversing in the third quarter. . However, as head coach John Patrick said, “The bench scored 45 points yesterday and today. I was thrown out.

Shuta Hara also said, “The players who came out, the players who came out were playing high-quality basketball. There were about 10 people who played basketball with extremely high quality all the time. I think that was the reason why we won the championship,” he said, honestly praising Ryukyu’s second unit. In particular, he sent a cheer to Naoki Tashiro of Ryukyu, who is also from Chiba Prefecture and has been working hard since his school days, saying, “He also had a difficult season for two years, so I want to congratulate him as a friend.”

In this match, Hara showed strong physical defense as a cornerstone of Chiba J’s defense. However, on the offensive side, he missed all five field goals and ended up scoreless.

In the first round, Hara almost shut out Ryukyu’s ace Keita Imamura, but at the time of the switch, he matched up with an opponent who was stronger than himself in physique and power, such as Allen Durham, and did not give him an advantage. However, the playing time extended to 44 minutes and 22 seconds, partly because it was tangled up to double overtime. Hara said, “I think it’s the same for Ryukyu, so it’s okay,” and it’s clear that the damage accumulated in the first game was greater than anyone else, but he cited physical fatigue as the reason why he didn’t make a shot. I didn’t.

“I regret that I should have played to break down.”

Normally, Hara doesn’t show his emotions much whether he wins or loses, and he responds flatly in a good way. Even so, when I asked him for his honest impressions immediately after the defeat, partly due to his poor performance, he only said, “I’m sorry,” with a stern look on his face. And he emphasized that the season was over, and he looked back on the game like this. “I don’t have any issues because I don’t have the same team members, but to be honest, I think I was able to do my job in defense. I regret that I wish I had.”

I said the word “regret”, but it was a word that came out because I was looking for a reason for the defeat. Despite failing to win the championship, Chiba J has had a great season this season, winning the Emperor’s Cup and breaking the record for the highest winning percentage in the regular season. This fact never fades, and Hara is proud of it. “I don’t know if there will be a team that can surpass that record, but it’s amazing that they only lost 7 games in 60 games. I am proud to be a member of that team.”

“Well, it’s over,” Hara repeated, refusing to look back from beginning to end. It was the inside out of his frustration, and at the same time, it seemed like his determination to only face forward. He then said, “In the next season, I want to become a player who can lead the team to victory by being able to defeat him in important games,” and left the Yokohama Arena with a strong pace.