The Taipei Fubon Braves, the back-to-back P.League+ defending champions, are today to play South Korea’s Anyang KGC in the opening game of the East Asia Super League (EASL) Champions Week in Japan.
The Japanese B.League reigning champions Utsunomiya Brex are hosting the first six games of the 10-game series in Utsunomiya, while Okinawa’s Ryukyu Golden Kings host the final four games in the clash of eight teams who led their leagues last year.
The tournament is to feature the champions and runners-up from the B.League and the Korean Basketball League, the two teams who competed in the Philippine Cup, the P.League+ champions and the Hong Kong-based, EASL-owned Bay Area Dragons.
Photo: CNA
The Braves yesterday released a photo of the team waiting for their flight to Japan at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
“Wishing the Braves a smooth journey and a safe return,” the team wrote on Facebook.
After playing Anyang, who won the Korean Basketball League’s 2020-2021 finals with a league record 10 consecutive playoff wins, the Braves are to play the Golden Kings in Okinawa on Saturday. Ryukyu were runners-up to Utsunomiya in the B.League championship finals last year.
The Braves’ group also includes the Philippine Basketball Association’s San Miguel Beermen, who won the Philippine Cup last year. Under the shortened format, each team would only be able to play two teams from their group.
The other group consists of Brex, Korean Basketball League champions the Seoul SK Knights, the Dragons and the Philippine Basketball Association’s TNT Tropang Giga.
On Sunday, the group winners are to vie for the US$250,000 top prize and the title of EASL champions, while the runners-up would receive US$100,000. The group runners-up would play for a chance at the US$50,000 third place prize the same day.
In October, the EASL is to return to a home-and-away format to play the champions tournament over several months. It adopted the truncated Champions Week format after COVID-19 restrictions across Asia prevented the league from holding a longer tournament last year.
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