 |
| Seoul SK is just one win away from having a "Beeracle" of its own. KBL (file photo) |
MANILA--Are the Seoul SK Knights about to do a San Miguel Beermen-like finals comeback?
Seoul SK, once down 0-3 in the best-of-seven KBL Finals, sent the championship series to a Game 7 after stunning Changwon, 54-51, in Game 6 on Thursday night at the Changwon Gymnasium.
The Knights needed a late comeback to steal the game from the Sakers, who looked poised to finally close out the series after pulling off a huge second-half rally.
Held to only 17 points in the first half, Changwon finally got its outside game going, and a three-pointer from Yu Ki-Sang gave the team a 50-47 lead right at the last two-minute mark.
However, Jameel Warney scored a tough three-pointer to tie the game up at 50-all, and An Young-Jun completed the fastbreak off a Kim Sun-Hyung steal to give Seoul SK a 52-50 lead with 1:07 left.
Assem Marei had a chance to tie the game after he was fouled by Warney, but he missed his second free throw and An got the ball back.
Marei appeared to have bounced back by heavily contesting Warney's three-point attempt, but Kim Tae-Hoon grabbed the offensive rebound, and Warney finished with a layup with 22 seconds left.
With no timeout left, Carl Tamayo tried to tie the game, but the Filipino forward, who was struggling from long range all game long, missed his three-pointer, letting the Knights escape.
Warney made 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and three blocks, all against Tamayo, to lead Seoul SK.
An added 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Yu led Changwon with 18 points on four threes, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks, while Tamayo added 13 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and three steals, although he was 0-for-5 from 22 feet.
The rubber match of an already historic KBL Finals showdown is on Saturday at the Jamsil Students' Gymnasium in Seoul with the Knights getting a chance to become only the second team in all of professional basketball to complete a reverse sweep from 0-3 down nine years after the Beermen's historic "Beeracle" at home.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
.jpg)
