Championships are won with well-orchestrated teamwork. The Alvark Tokyo did just that and played a polished, patient but aggressive game on Saturday. They showcased flashy plays but mostly stuck with their bread-and-butter offense, moving the ball and taking shots in players' comfort zones. Smart plan. Conversely, the Chiba Jets Funabashi had no sustained answers for the Alvark's methodical offense, and Tokyo controlled large stretches of their showdown. It all added up to a comprehensive 85-60 victory in the B. League Final at Yokohama Arena before an announced crowd of 12,005. The Alvark completed their championship run with nine straight wins, and an East Division club won the title for the second time in as many B. League seasons. (The Tochigi Brex accomplished the feat last May.) After exchanging hugs and high-fives with players and team staff, first-year Alvark bench boss Luka Pavicevic (agency: BeoBasket ) summarized the team's goal moving forward, speaking about games and seasons: 'This team will fight for every one of them that exists.' It was the blueprint of their title-winning campaign, too. Alvark captain Takeki Shonaka was handed the championship trophy after the game ended and joyfully celebrated with his teammates on the court. Former University of New Mexico center Alex Kirk (211-C-91, college: N.Mexico, agency: Pensack Sports) paced Tokyo (50-16 overall) with a game-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting. B. League Champion MVP Daiki Tanaka (191-F-91) poured in 15 points and dished out five assists, Yudai Baba (193-SF-95) had 14 points and three steals and ex-NBA forward Jawad Williams added 10 points. 'First of all, I would like to congratulate my team,' Pavicevic told reporters. 'They came in and they had their heads and bodies ready to fight in the championship game in Japan. It's a long season. And it's not an easy thing to do, and it's my congratulations and appreciation (for their effort).' Tanaka called it a 'defensive victory.' He cited the fast break as instrumental in the win, too. Looking back at the game, Pavicevic said, 'OK, so, the game plan against Chiba is to not let them run and that means not give them an easy game going, because they are very talented and fast-moving players. Second is to not let them rebound . . . second-chance offense helps them win many games.' But in the close first quarter, Pavicevic mentioned that three or four turnovers gave the Jets chances to run, and a few rebounds gave the extra scoring opportunities as well. 'In the second quarter, we just tightened the screws on something that doesn't look extraordinary . . . but don't let Chiba score easy on fast breaks and don't let them bring the potency in rebounding,' Pavicevic stated. In Game 2 of the Mikawa series in the playoff semifinals, Pavicevic cited a close-out, one-on-one defensive situation against SeaHorses star Makoto Hiejima (190-G/F-90) last Sunday, in which Tanaka hurt his hamstring, slipping on a wet spot on the floor in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture. Tanaka didn't practice this week and was questionable for the final. 'Daiki has stepped up mentally and physically. He didn't want to let his team down,' Pavicevic said of Tanaka's performance. '. . . He's obviously our offensive option No. 1.' 'He didn't back down from his defensive (assignment),' the coach added. The Alvark held the Jets to 34.6 percent shooting through three quarters, including 3 of 18 on 3-pointers, while making 55.3 percent. Chiba coach Atsushi Ono insisted his team's 17 turnovers were too many in his opening remarks to reporters in the post-game news conference. He commended Tokyo for its impressive pick-and-roll plays, a big part of its title-winning offense. Pavicevic, who hails from Montenegro, effectively made player substitutions time after time and they capitalized on their energy and tenacious defense. Rookie Baba wowed the crowd with a flashy reverse layup from the baseline to give the Alvark a 68-51 lead. Chiba called a timeout with 6:48 left in the game. The timeout didn't quell Tokyo's momentum. Kirk stuffed a putback attempt to make it 70-53. Baba put the game on ice with a crowd-pleasing jam off a steal for an 82-58 Tokyo lead with 1:10 remaining. 'Yudai's role on this team is very important,' Pavicevic said of the 22-year-old small forward. 'He brings energy, he brings courage, he brings initiative and he brings speed and intensity on both ends of the floor. 'Overall, Yudai was of tremendous importance in this game.' 'They won it fair and square,' Jets forward Michael Parker (202-F-81, college: Evergreen St.) said. Jets big man Gavin Edwards (206-F/C-88, college: Connecticut) said the biggest factor in the match was the Alvark's impressive offense. 'They're like a machine,' he said. On the other end, Edwards said, the Tokyo defense 'forced us into taking some bad shots.' Edwards led Chiba with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Parker and Leo Lyons finished with 12 points apiece and Ono scored eight. Yuki Togashi contributed seven points and five assists, while Parker had five steals. The East Division champion Jets (52-16) took the first lead on a Parker layup on their first possession of the game. The Alvark, making their second trip down the court on offense, knotted it at 2-2 on Tanaka's drive to the hoop. Then Togashi made it 4-2 on a nifty inside move. Chiba's Aki Chambers (190-G-90, college: Cal Merced) picked up his second foul at the 5:22 mark of the first quarter and went to the bench. Tanaka sank a stop-and-pop 3 from the left wing to put the Alvark ahead 11-8 before Edwards made two free throws to trim the lead to 11-10. The big men had the center stage in the early going. For instance, as the quarter neared its finish Kirk caught a lob from Genki Kojima and scored on a forceful dunk, and on the next sequence Edwards knocked down a straightaway 3, tying it at 13-13. The Alvark scored the last two points of the opening stanza on a pair of Baba free throws. That gave them a 19-18 advantage. In the second quarter, Ono converted a smooth post-up jumper in the lane to put the Jets in front 20-19 with about 9 minutes before halftime. The Alvark used a 9-0 spurt to build some breathing room between them and their East Division rival, pulling ahead 40-31. Baba and Seiya Ando capped the run with a pair of layups, the last of which came after a Jets turnover. The lead changed 11 times in a tight, back-and-forth opening half. Lyons ended the run with a layup, but Williams had the final highlight of the half, dribbling from midcourt and pulling up a few steps later for a long 3-pointer. Alvark teammates congratulated a fired-up Williams immediately, and they strolled off the court with a 43-33 lead. That emotion carried over to the second half for the champs. "In the second half, I think we were very focused on both ends of the floor,' Pavicevic stated. 'After Jawad's 3-pointer, I think the players understood that we needed to stay calm,' was the way he prefaced the team's effort in the latter half. Dealing with strong on-ball defense from Tokyo, Chiba shot 38.2 percent, including 2 of 10 on 3s, from the floor in the first half, while the Alvark made 56.3 percent of their shots. Kirk had 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting by halftime and Lyons had 11 off the bench for the Jets. The third quarter began with Tanaka burying a fadeaway jumper, and the Alvark extending their lead to 47-33 on a Kirk layup. The Jets responded, pulling within 47-39 when Ono drained a 3 from the top of the arc with about 6:30 remaining in the third. Then, after a Tokyo timeout, Zack Baranski (193-G/F-92) made a left-baseline 3 for a 50-39 Tokyo lead. The Jets, who never led in the third, trailed 61-49 entering the fourth. They were held to 11 fourth-quarter points as Tokyo's defense sealed the title. 'They are so competitive and proud athletes,' Paviecevic said of his team. 'It would be a waste if we don't (make a) run for championship even if it's the first year. Commenting on the team's 2017-18 goal, he added this: 'I told my players they are good now, but let's go for it now, and let's work on getting better later. We still need to get better.' Courtesy of: japantimes.co.jp
Asia-Basket.com All-Japanese B League 1st Team 2019
Togashi
Endo
Tanaka
Kanamaru
Gardner
Finals MVP: Yudai Baba (193-SF-95) of Toyota Alvark Player of the Year: Yuki Togashi (170-PG-93) of Chiba Jets Guard of the Year: Yuki Togashi (170-PG-93) of Chiba Jets Forward of the Year: Kosuke Kanamaru (193-F/G-89) of SeaHorses Center of the Year: Davante Gardner (203-F/C-91) of Niigata Albirex Domestic Player of the Year: Yuki Togashi (170-PG-93) of Chiba Jets Import Player of the Year: Davante Gardner (203-F/C-91) of Niigata Albirex 6th Man of the Year: Yudai Baba (193-SF-95) of Toyota Alvark Newcomer of the Year: Yuta Okada (189-G-98) of SeaHorses Defensive Player of the Year: Yusuke Endo (185-G-89) of Tochigi Brex Coach of the Year: Luka Pavicevic of Toyota Alvark
Toyota Alvark beat Chiba Jets to defend B League title - 11 days ago
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Chiba Jets - Toyota Alvark 67-71
Toyota Alvark repeated as B League champions. They knocked down Chiba Jets to ensure back-to-back titles. Chiba Jets trailed by 19 points after 3 quarters before a 22-7 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 67-71 at the end of the game. They outrebounded Chiba Jets 45-30 including 33 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of international Yudai Baba (193-95) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 12 po... [read more]
Toyota Alvark repeated as B League champions. They knocked down Chiba Jets to ensure back-to-back titles. Chiba Jets trailed by 19 points after 3 quarters before a 22-7 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 67-71 at the end of the game. They outrebounded Chiba Jets 45-30 including 33 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of international Yudai Baba (193-95) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 12 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. American center Alex Kirk (211-91, college: N.Mexico, agency: Pensack Sports) contributed with 15 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. American power forward Gavin Edwards (206-88, college: Connecticut) answered with 20 points and 8 rebounds and the former international point guard Yuki Togashi (170-93) added 19 points and 6 assists in the effort for Chiba Jets. Top scorers: Chiba Jets: G.Edwards 20+8reb+1ast, Y.Togashi 19+3reb+6ast, S.Taguchi 14+1reb+3ast, S.Hara 6, M.Parker 6+10reb+2ast, J.Duncan 2+6reb+2ast Toyota Alvark: D.Tanaka 16+1reb+4ast, A.Kirk 15+9reb, Y.Baba 12+12reb+6ast, S.Ando 9+2reb+3ast, J.Takeuchi 6+6reb+2ast, Z.Baranski 6+4reb+1ast
Sendai 89ers (B2 League) agreed terms with 33-year old guard Masaharu Kataoka (190-85). It is actually his comeback to Sendai as he has played here before. Kataoka already started the season at Kyoto Hannaryz in the B League. In 55 games he had 6.2ppg, 1.9rpg and 1.4apg last season. B2 League will be definitely a better match and he can see more playing time. Kataoka's team was regular season runner-up in Japanese B League West Division in 2018. He has played previously professionally in... [read more]
Sendai 89ers (B2 League) agreed terms with 33-year old guard Masaharu Kataoka (190-85). It is actually his comeback to Sendai as he has played here before. Kataoka already started the season at Kyoto Hannaryz in the B League. In 55 games he had 6.2ppg, 1.9rpg and 1.4apg last season. B2 League will be definitely a better match and he can see more playing time. Kataoka's team was regular season runner-up in Japanese B League West Division in 2018. He has played previously professionally in Japan (Levanga Hokkaido Sapporo and Tochigi Brex) and IBL (Nippon T.).
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