A 3-2 zone defense like the ‘drop zone’ that Seoul SK brought out. Perhaps this could be the point that will decide the fate of this championship match.
SK won 100-91 in Game 4 of the 2022-23 SKT A-Dot Professional Basketball Championship against Anyang KGC held at Jamsil Student Gymnasium on the 1st. This tactic, which balanced the series with 2 wins and 2 losses, became a bigger task for KGC than defeat.
Prior to coach Jeon Hee-cheol, coach Moon Kyung-eun, SK’s ‘drop zone’ was like their symbol. In particular, this defensive tactic that flows like a transition ㅋㅋㅋ벳 game was also a soul partner that helped SK reign as a strong player in the KBL for a long time.
In fact, SK couldn’t use the ‘drop zone’ as much as before this season. After Aaron Haynes, Choi Jun-yong, the owner of the top, the core of the ‘Drop Zone’, was away due to an injury for a long time. Also, there was no Ahn Young-joon who made mismatches throughout the 40 minutes and ran faster than anyone else on the wing. This is the reason why this defensive tactic, which can be poisonous if used carelessly, has not been seen much in the playoffs as well as this season.
However, coach Jeon used the zone defense as a reversal card in the 4th game, which was in crisis with 1 win and 2 losses. It looked like a ‘drop zone’ that put Heo Il-young on top, but the former coach said ‘no’. He explained that it was a 3-2 zone defense with a similar yet different feeling.
When KGC was completely blocked by SK defense at the end of the first quarter, Daryl Monroe was put in early. Monroe, who has a better BQ than Omari Spellman, was entrusted with the zone defense strategy. There was an effect. Monroe and Oh Se-geun passed the ball to the shooters located in the left and right corners and started attacking the zone defense with a 3-point shot. He was in good shooting condition, and even though he lost, he scored 91 points. He also recorded 14 3-pointers.
However, I gave 100 points to SK. KGC is a team that boasts the best balance between offense and defense in KBL. He is good at games where he puts in more and gives less than his opponent. However, in the 4th game, even though they put in a lot, they were eaten a lot and lost. balance is broken. He missed the defense while focusing on attacking the zone defense.
You are in a dilemma. When he favors Monroe over Spellman, he ends up giving the net to Jamil Werney. Monroe, who blocked Warney relatively well in Game 3, allowed multiple goals in Game 4. Even so, adding a spellman makes it difficult to deal with zone defense. In order to use Spellman more than Monroe, Byun Jun-Hyung and Park Ji-Hoon should be able to attack the zone defense, but they couldn’t show that at all in the 4th game.
In addition, if players with good shooting conditions are put in the left and right corners, the playing time of Moon Seong-gon, who is weak in shooting, will naturally decrease. The moment that happens, it becomes difficult for him to control Kim Seon-hyung. It is also a problem exposed in the 4th game.
Here, Oh Se-geun’s physical fitness problem also exists. To break the zone defense, the mid-range jumper is as important as the 3-point shot. Oh Se-geun has the best jumper in KGC right now. He looked very tired in the 4th game. He missed several easy scoring opportunities, revealing problems with both his stamina and concentration.
Oh Se-geun, who recorded an average of 20 minutes of playing time in the regular league and semi-final playoffs, is playing more than 30 minutes in all championship matches. In the third and fourth games, he stood on the court for 37 and 38 minutes, which was practically full-time. He has no player to replace him and it is difficult to replace him easily as he knows the importance of the championship match. However, at the current pace, it is not strange that Oh Se-geun is tired.
Currently, it is unknown how KGC will be able to attack SK’s zone defense. However, KGC and coach Kim Sang-shik have always identified and attacked SK’s winning card throughout this series in the next game. It is expected that the 5th game will not be easily backed down as the situation continues to deal with it after allowing the preemptive strike.
In the end, it seems that the fate of this championship game will be determined by whether they can attack the zone defense or push it to the end. That’s an interesting point. Who will be able to finish the final Jamsil match in the championship match with a smile?