The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, defending champions of Taiwan’s P.League+, on Friday secured their second straight berth in the East Asia Super League (EASL) championship game by trouncing Alvark Tokyo 102-76 at Studio City Event Center in Macau.
William Artino recorded a double-double, including a game-high 26 points, as the Pilots posted another lopsided win in the EASL playoffs after upending the Seoul SK Knights 89-69 in their quarter-final at Tap Seac Multi-Sports Pavilion on Wednesday.
“We’re right where we want to be,” Artino said of the team advancing to the championship game.
Photo: CNA
“It means a lot,” said Artino, who joined the Pilots in the off-season last year. “I joined this team and I want to help them get back to their goal.”
Pilots head coach Iurgi Caminos echoed the sentiment.
“We didn’t take a flight to Macau to play a final. We took a flight [here] to win the final, and on Sunday [today] we have another chance,” he said after Friday’s game, referring to the team’s 72-68 loss to the Hiroshima Dragonflies in last season’s EASL final.
Alvark Tokyo led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, helped by 13 three-pointers and a 56.5 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc in the first half.
Yet, despite making just one three-pointer in the first half, the Pilots clawed their way back to trail by only 54-50 at halftime.
After the break, Taoyuan stepped up their defense, limiting Tokyo to just 11 points in each of the third and fourth quarters and only two-of-17 shooting from long range, while outscoring the Japanese side 52-22.
The Pilots were dominant throughout the game close to the basket, outscoring Tokyo 70-18 inside the paint and outrebounding their opponent 62-33.
Through two games in the EASL playoffs, the Pilots have leaned on their dominance inside to overcome their struggles from beyond the arc.
The Pilots today face the reigning champions of Japan’s B.League, Utsunomiya Brex.
The winners are to receive a US$1.5 million prize, while the losers are to receive US$750,000.
Utsunomiya Brex beat the New Taipei Kings 85-64 in their quarter-final on Wednesday and downed the Ryukyu Golden Kings of Japan 103-96 in their semi yesterday.
The EASL, which is in its third season, is an international 12-team competition independent of domestic leagues that operates similarly to a UEFA Champions League for East Asian basketball teams.
It features the best club teams from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Macau, Hong Kong and Mongolia.
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