SEOUL - The Korean PBA league for teams has started the playoffs for the final victory in the 2024/2025 season for the next 10 days. The main contenders for final wins are Direct Rent-a-Car's teams including Eddy Leppens, Dong-Koong Kang and Orie Hida and Hana Pay's team with Murat Naci Coklu, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, Ga-young Kim and Ayako Sakai. These two teams also dominated the previous season in the team league. Then, Hana Pay won the match with Direct on the final day in a thriller. The current season was played over five rounds with nine teams, which led to the playoffs. All teams played eight matches in each round, from which the final rankings were drawn. Numbers 1 to 5 were eligible to participate in the play-offs.
This regular season's championship trophy already went to Direct with a total of 74 points ahead of Hana Pay with 72, Woori Won Woobies (Juan David Zapata, Can Capak) with 63, Phoenix (Huon Min Seo, Ye-eun Kim) with 60 and Green Force (Minh Cam Ma, Jae-ho Cho, Antonio Montes) with 58 points. For Phoenix's team, Semih Sayginer and Filippos Kasidokostas cancelled for the playoffs due to illness.
On the first day of the playoffs, Phoenix and Green Force met each other today, Wednesday 19 February, for a wildcard into the semi-finals. Phoenix, thus without Sayginer and Kasidokostas, won that match 4-2 and will face Woorie Woobies, the number 3 in the final standings, in the next phase. For Phoenix, young Young-won Kim among others won his match against Jae-ho Cho, Ye-eun Kim defeated Min-a Kim. For Green Force, Jae-ho Cho and Hyun-woo Kim won the double against Young-won Kim and Phuong Linh Nguyen.
The regular team season started in the first round with wins for Direct ahead of Hana Pay and Green Force. The second round went to Phoenix ahead of Direct, the third round to Green Force leading before Winners, the fourth round to Hana Pay ahead of Woorie Woobies and the fifth round to Direct ahead of Hana Pay.
The final standings after the regular eight rounds (total 40 games, match points, games won/lost):
- Direct 74-26-14
- Hana Pay 72-25-15
- Woori Won Woobies 63-20-20
- Phoenix 60-19-21
- Green Force 58-20-20
- Legend 55-18-22
- Winners 55-18-22
- Laon 55-18-22
- Builders 48-16-24
The most notable games in the final rounds of the regular competition:
David Martinez-Juan David Zapata 15-10
Sruong Pheavy-Min Joo Baek 9-1
Young-won Kim-Lütfi Cenet 15-2
Burak Hashas-Phuong Linh Nguyen 11-5
Robinson Morales-Jae-ho Cho 15-14
Eddy Leppens-Duc Anh Chien Nguyen 11-8
Minh Cam Ma-Murat Naci Coklu 15-2
Jung-ju Shin-Jae-ho Cho 11-4
Dani Sánchez-David Martinez 15-10
Jae-ho Cho-Burak Hashas 11-3
Lütfi Cenet-Minh Cam Ma 15-4
Mi-rae Lee-Min-a Kim 9-6
Ga-young Kim-Bo-mi Kim 9-2
Javier Palazon-David Martinez 15-11
Eddy Leppens-Antonio Montes 11-5.
Dong Koong Kang and Orie Hida from the leader's team
Young Vietnamese Phuong Nguyen shows his joy
Murat Naci Coklu playing for team Hana Pay which reached the play-offs