EASL final four a sure bet for basketball fans in Macau

New Taipei Kings forward Wang Po-Chih, front, in action during an East Asia Super League game against the Hiroshima Dragonflies at the Studio City Event Center in Macau on March 7. [EASL]

 
MACAU — Basketball players from Japan and Chinese Taipei stole the show on Friday night in the money-flooded but not-so-sporty city of Macau.
 

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The East Asia Super League (EASL), in which 10 teams from across Asia compete, visited the Las Vegas of Asia this year for the league’s semifinals and final.
 
In a city with an abundance of casinos, the Hiroshima Dragonflies of Japan and the New Taipei Kings of Chinese Taipei showcased their skills in a head-to-head semifinal on Friday in front of a medium-sized crowd that opted to watch the players in action instead of gamble.
 
The semifinal, ending with a resounding 81-65 victory for the Dragonflies, offered the crowd a different form of excitement not so common in a city where people predominantly find joy elsewhere.
 
But the setting of Friday's games was, to say the least, typical of Macau. Both semifinal games took place at the Studio City Event Center inside the colossal Studio City hotel that also boasts — what else — but a casino as one of its attractions.
 
The casino was literally right across from the entrance to the Studio City Event Center, which is used as a multipurpose room but transformed into a basketball arena for the EASL final four schedule.  
 

Studio City Event Center [PAIK JI-HWAN]

 
The two entrances facing each other seemed as if they were giving people a choice between classic Macanese entertainment or the kind of international sporting event the city has rarely hosted.
 
Fans headed to the entrance of the improvised arena in a maze-like Studio City that includes numerous other entertainment options across its 37 floors, such as a shopping center and swimming pools.
 
As if the EASL wanted to prove that spectators made the right call by choosing the league’s game, the whole contest kept the spectators entertained through both its games with other events on the sidelines.
 
The arena exhibited a lively atmosphere even before the first semifinal tipped off, with fast-paced music in the background. Players warmed up in front of the crowd, demonstrating the talent they were to show off later in the game.
 
Cheerleaders further elevated the atmosphere in a pregame event, while artists wearing animal costumes and carrying a dragon balloon came onto the court to declare the start to the first semifinal of the day between the Dragonflies and the Kings.
 

Cheerleaders perform ahead of an East Asia Super League semifinal between the New Taipei Kings and Hiroshima Dragonflies at the Studio City Event Center in Macau on March 7. [EASL]

 
The announcers introduced players at the start of the game, drawing an ovation from fans that grew more boisterous when they saw NBA star-turned-New Taipei Kings point guard Jeremy Lin coming onto the court.
 
Lin is one of the few Asian American players to have played in the NBA and the first to win an NBA championship — a feat he achieved with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
 
Plenty of action on both ends of the court drew big applause from the fans. As the game took place in a neutral area, it seemingly had an equal amount of fans from both sides, with some cheering continuously for their team while wearing jerseys to show their true passion.
 

Fans watch an East Asia Super League semifinal between the New Taipei Kings and Hiroshima Dragonflies at the Studio City Event Center in Macau on March 7. [EASL]

 
The game ended around 9 p.m., but more action unfolded with the following semifinal between the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots of Chinese Taipei and the Ryukyu Golden Kings of Japan.
 
The vibe from the first semifinal carried over to the second game, with cheerful spectators staying tuned all the way through to the end of a contest that ended with a 71-64 win for the Pilots at around 11 p.m.
 

Ryukyu Golden Kings point guard Ryuichi Kishimoto, center, shoots during an East Asia Super League semifinal against the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots at the Studio City Event Center in Macau on March 7. [EASL]

 
The EASL night concluded with joy for basketball fans, but Macau remained sleepless with hotel lights shining throughout the city all night.
 
This year is the first time the EASL has visited Macau for its final four schedule since the league’s inception in 2023. This season’s league also saw the Macau Black Bears competing as the city’s sole representative for the first time, although the team's run ended in the group stage.
 
With the 2024-25 EASL's schedule concluding with the final game on Sunday night, an expanded edition of the league that will include one additional team from Mongolia awaits Asian basketball fans next season, during which the league could visit Korea for the final four schedule.
 
EASL CEO Henry Kerins told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Friday that the league has an ongoing discussion about holding the final four in Korea next season.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]