"26.3 points, 14.8 rebounds" against DB in the semifinals are very active...the first championship challenge in five years
Busan KCC, which has gained momentum in the Professional Basketball Playoff PO, is even overcoming the history of becoming the first champion of the fifth-ranked team with Ra Gun-ah, who has regained her top-notch skills.
KCC and Wonju DB's semifinal PO in the 2023-2024 season, which was held until the 21st, was a stage that revived Ra Gun-ah's presence.
In four semifinal PO games, he played an average of 33 minutes and 25 seconds, scoring 26.3 points and 14.8 rebounds, becoming the top contributor to KCC's 3-1 victory over the DB, the No. 1 team in the regular league, and advancing to the championship game in three years.
Ra Gun-ah took the lead with 34 points and 19 rebounds in the first game on the 15th, and struggled with 27 points and 13 rebounds in the second game when KCC lost.
He literally dominated the court in Game 4 held at Sajik Gymnasium on the 21st, with 27 points and 10 rebounds in Game 3 on the 19th, when KCC had a 2-1 advantage.
The score was down from the previous games with 17 points, but it dominated the bottom of the goal with 17 rebounds and six block shots, leading KCC to an 80-63 victory.
In particular, at the end of the first quarter, he hit three block shots and beat DB's spirit, which was the decisive driving force for the victory.
Ra Gun-ah, who is considered one of the best foreign players in the KBL history, has recently been evaluated as on the decline. 안전놀이터
This season's regular league time averaged 21 minutes and 16 seconds, down from last season 28 minutes and 8 seconds, and the record of scoring 15.6 points or rebounding 8.4 was also the worst in the last three years.
However, he led KCC to its third consecutive win with an average of 19.3 points and 11 rebounds in three semi-final PO games against Seoul SK, showing signs of revival, and became stronger in the semifinals.
With Ra Gun-ah's revival added to the even performance of Korean national players such as Choi Jun-yong, Heo Woong, Song Kyo-chang, and Lee Seung-hyun, KCC defeated teams with higher regular league rankings in PO one after another and advanced to the championship match.
KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin said, "Everything is going well because Ra Gun-ah is in the center."
It is also thanks to Ra Gun-ah of "rejuvenation mode" that coach Jeon affirms that he is confident no matter who comes up between Changwon LG and Suwon kt against the championship game, which will be held from the 27th.
He explained, "It was difficult against Asem Maray when we played against LG and Paris Bath when we played against KT, but we won all four to six rounds at KT, and I think it's worth trying with LG if it's Ra Gun-ah's current condition."
Ra Gun-ah, who ranks first in the history of foreign players 11,343 points in professional basketball and is second to Seo Jang-hoon 13,231 points, also holds the record for the most wins by foreign players in history.
From the 2012-2013 season, he helped win three consecutive games at Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, and in the 2018-2019 season, he also rose to the top at Hyundai Mobis and experienced four wins.
Since moving to KCC in the 2019-2020 season, he has yet to win a championship, but this time he had a great opportunity to add a trophy. The victory of the fifth-ranked team in the regular league and the fifth victory of foreign players will all be "new history."
Jeon said, "We had two meetings with Ra Gun-ah during this season, and they were determined to be the last ones. If we fail to win, both I and Ra Gun-ah said they would stop."
Ra Gun-ah, who said she gathered her mind by mainly talking about "sacrifice" at the meeting, said, "I want to enjoy this moment, but I have to forget and move forward as it is in the past," and now she is only looking at the championship.