All set for EASL Final Four
The fixtures for the knockout semifinals are set as the East Asia Super League (EASL) unveils its first-ever, home-and-away season Final Four on March 8 and 10 at the 7,200-seat Hoops Dome, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu with a $1 million prize waiting for the champion.
Undefeated Group A topnotcher Chiba Jets of Japan faces Group B second placer New Taipei Kings of Taiwan while Group B No. 1 Seoul SK Knights of Korea battle Group A No. 2 Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters, also of Korea, in the semifinal pairings. Seoul and New Taipei finished the elims with identical 4-2 records but the Knights had a +14 advantage in the tiebreak to clinch pole position. Chiba posted a 6-0 mark and Anyang, 4-2. PBA teams TNT and Meralco failed to advance to the playoffs. The Tropa wound up third in Group A with a +2 edge over the Taipei Fubon Braves, both ending at 1-5. The Bolts were last in Group B at 1-5.
“Cebu is an incredible venue for the first EASL Final Four,” said EASL CEO Henry Kerins. “We’re excited to showcase Cebu, including the magical resort island of Mactan and the beautiful culture of the Philippines to our fans across the region.” The semifinal games will be played on March 8 and the playoff for third and championship match on March 10.
During a recent visit to Cebu, Kerins, EASL COO Dominic Tang, EASL chief commercial officer Mark Fischer, EASL Philippine country head Banjo Albano and EASL director of events and game operations Peeya de los Reyes met with Cebu City 2nd District Cong. Edu Rama and wife Jaja, Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan and Councilor/ PBA legend Dondon Hontiveros to discuss plans for the hoop festival.
Expected to attend the festivities are Australian national coach Brian Goorjian, FIBA Asia executive director Hagop Khajirian and 14year NBA veteran Baron Davis. In 2011-12, Davis was injured and New York coach Mike D’Antoni tapped Jeremy Lin to take over as point guard, creating the platform for Linsanity. Davis will be at courtside when Lin plays for New Taipei in Cebu.
“EASL’s home-and-away concept has opened the doors for fans from across the region to witness the exploits of legends like Jeremy, Yuki Togashi and Jayson Castro,” said Kerins. “The league is clearly succeeding in its mission to grow the game exponentially in East Asia. The New Taipei-Meralco game (last Jan. 3) brought in over 2.5 million viewers in the Philippines alone, not including our other markets, and as the Final Four nears, the expectation is viewership will skyrocket.”