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Finally, "War of Thing" will unfold. SK will compete in the final round for the 1 million dollar (or around 1.3 billion won) prize money.

Seoul SK, led by coach Jeon Hee-chul, will play the 2023-2024 EASL (East Asian Super League) Final 4 against the Chiba Jets at the Lafu-Lafu City Hoops Dome in Cebu, Philippines, on the 10th. It opens at 8 p.m. Korean time, and before 5 p.m., Anyang Cheonggwan and New Taipei Kings will play the third and fourth place match.

Coach Jeon Hee-chul said of Chiba, "It is a very well-balanced team in all aspects, including offense and defense, both inside and outside, as I thought. Objectively speaking, objective power is one level higher than ours. Of course, that doesn't mean we lose. It's a short-term game, not a few games like the playoffs. The results can vary depending on how well each other's prepared tactics work."

The rationale for the team's admission of inferiority was not simple construction. There is also a noticeable difference in the number of available players. The same applies to the fact that two foreign players can be used at the same time, but Chiba's naturalized player, Ira Brown, is also allowed to play with two foreign players.

In fact, in the semifinals when Chiba faced off New Taipei, Brown, a 206 cm giant, John Mooney, and Xavier Cooks started side by side. Based on this, Chiba now has a 45-31 advantage in rebounding. SK also had a 44-25 lead in rebounding against Chung, but a completely different matter is the game in which three foreign players are playing simultaneously. To make matters worse, Choi Boo-kyung is out with an ankle injury.

"We are inferior in terms of performance because our opponent team had naturalized players," coach Jeon Hee-chul also said. "Experience, we had a hard time in that area last season as well. We have no choice but to fall behind in height and power struggle. That's why I picked them as the main players. Defense, rebound, height and strength will be the most important game."

Ahn Young-joon also said, "This team is strong in defense. Foreign players also played hard in hedging and tall players also played well. Still, if we pay attention to rebounding, we can continue to play equally, and I think we should decide the final round based on that."

Most teams that have faced Chiba in the EASL are picking Yuki Dogashi as their top priority. Chiba's 167 centimeter tall physique, but also capable of dribbling, shooting, and passing skills are his core strength. He is relatively weak in penetration to the left, but he has strong basic skills and is an unstoppable weapon even if Chiba knows about it. Coach Jeon Hee-chul also said, "Team with good attack power derived from the city of Dogashi, including 2 to 2."

Still, I have faith in coach Jeon Hee-chul. Oh Jae-hyun is showing rapid growth this season. Coach Jeon Hee-chul calculates that if Oh Jae-hyun minimizes Togashi's firepower, his chances of winning will also increase.

(Oh)Jaehyun has grown, but he can't completely replace Sun-hyung. In Asia, not many teams defend against Sun-kyung. "That's why Sun-yeon stood out," coach Jeon Hee-chul said. "But Jae-hyun has an advantage in defense. He is a player who can defend Do-shi. I'm sure you feel the gap in his performance, but it will be filled with Jae-hyun's growth. I hope Jae-hyun sets the score for Do-shi below his own. Not only that, but there is also (Choi) Won-hyuk. Both of them are strong and quick-footed, so I think they will block them better than Taiwanese players. I believe in them."

Oh Jae-hyun also said, "I think I understand why coach (Choi) Won-hyuk likes it. I'm grateful to my brother for relieving me of difficult times and difficult defense. There are times when you can't do something wrong while in charge of the operation, and they tell you to focus on the operation without worrying about those things," expecting complementary measures.

Weakness in our power can be redeemed through strategy. Jeon Hee-chul predicted that the team would have a good chance of winning, thanks to the rebound of Ahn Young-joon and Heo Il-young, and the support of defensive specialists Oh Jae-hyun and Choi Won-hyuk. Can SK manage the game as Jeon Hee-chul planned and become the final winner?