The New Taipei Kings on Thursday captured the 2023-2024 P.League+ title after defeating the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots 103-97 in overtime.
The win gave the Kings a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven series and their first championship in the league that began in the 2020-2021 season.
The Kings made the P.League+ Finals last year, but lost 4-2 to the Taipei Fubon Braves, who won the league’s first three championship series.
Photo: CNA
Facing an elimination game at home, the Pilots went for broke, including Treveon Graham in the starting five along with the league’s regular-season Most Valuable Player Lu Chun-hsiang and Import Player of the Year Jason Washburn.
Conversely, due to an injury that took him out of Game 4 on Monday, former NBA star Jeremy Lin did not start for the Kings, but was healthy enough to come off the bench in the first quarter with his team trailing 16-10.
Lin helped the Kings get back on track to tie the score at the end of the first quarter 22-22, but it was his brother, Joseph Lin, who took over the second quarter with 12 points, including back-to-back three-pointers that opened up a 10-point lead for the Kings.
The Kings led 52-41 at halftime and carried an 80-67 lead into the final quarter, when the Pilots mounted a furious rally.
Lu, who had been quiet up to that point after being hit with four fouls, decided to pick up the pace, and his three-pointer and one by guard Li Chia-kang gave the Pilots an 83-82 lead with 2 minutes, 35 seconds to go.
Lu extended the lead to 85-82 with a short jumper with just under two minutes to go, but the Kings’ Lee Kai-yan hit a huge three-pointer with 18 seconds left to tie the game at 85-85.
Graham and Kings forward Austin Daye both had decent looks at potentially game-winning three-point shots in the final 10 seconds, but neither went in.
In overtime, the Lin brothers both fouled out, leaving Lee and Wendell Lewis to lead the team, but that did not stop the Kings from quickly taking control in the five-minute period and building a 10-point lead, 98-88, with 1:40 left.
The Pilots whittled that down to a 100-97 deficit with 21 seconds left, but could not complete the comeback, and the Kings’ Su Shih-hsuan clutched the ball in the final four seconds to seal the win.
The championship put an exclamation point on the season for the Lin brothers, who were playing together professionally this season for the first time in their careers.
Joseph Lin described it as an “unforgettable experience,” while Jeremy Lin, who won his second title after being part of 2018-2019 NBA champions the Toronto Raptors, said he was at a loss for words, but echoed his brother’s sentiment that it was memorable.
However, Jeremy Lin did elaborate on the injury that hobbled him in the final two games of the series, saying he tore his meniscus and was unable to walk two days before the clincher.
He said the Kings’ physicians and trainers helped him get back on his feet to play on Thursday, but added that he would need to nurse the injury for now and is uncertain of what he plans to do next.
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