P. LEAGUE+ & T1 LEAGUE/DEA crush GhostHawks to win T1 LEAGUE title; Lin Wei-han named MVP

Taipei, May 22 (CNA) The New Taipei CTBC DEA hoisted the T1 LEAGUE championship trophy on Sunday in Tainan after routing the Tainan TSG GhostHawks 120-93, completing a four-game sweep of the best-of-seven series.

The win culminated a nearly perfect season for the DEA, which dominated the league's regular season with a 25-5 record and then won seven straight playoff games to capture their first league title.

Sunday's playoff finale was still close at halftime, with the GhostHawks trailing the DEA by only two, 60-58.

But the DEA had never lost to the GhostHawks in 15 previous regular season and playoff games over two seasons, and that streak was not about to be broken in game 16.

The hosts had a disastrous third quarter, committing 11 turnovers and going 1-6 from behind the 3-point arc, and the DEA took full advantage, racing to an insurmountable 96-73 lead heading into the game's final 12 minutes.

They then coasted to victory and were showered with yellow streamers when the final buzzer blared.

DEA point guard Lin Wei-han (林韋翰), who averaged 14 points and 10.5 assists per game in the series, was emotional after being named MVP of the final series.

"I want to share this award with my family," Lin said, adding that he was most grateful to his wife for being with him and attending to their two kids.

Describing himself as "being healthy for one third of the season," Lin, who played 18 of 30 regular season games, said he appreciated his teammates' support in carrying him through his struggles.

GhostHawks General Manager Chien Wei-cheng (錢韋成) congratulated the DEA for its victory but also highlighted the progress his team had made, given that it finished last in the T1 LEAGUE last season with a 6-24 record.

The GhostHawks improved to 19-11 this season, second in the six-team league, a 13-game turnaround, and it also knocked out the T1 LEAGUE's defending champions, the Kaohsiung Aquas, 3-2 in the semifinal round of the playoffs.

For DEA General Manager Liu Chih-wei (劉志威) and head coach Lee Yi-hua (李逸驊), the title was vindication of the club's strategy put in place late last season to focus on teamwork and team-building rather than on individual players.

"I doubted it [would work] at the beginning because the imported players tend to focus on their individual stats and do not play defense," said Lee, the T1 LEAGUE's coach of the year, crediting Liu for finding the pieces it took to create the team they envisioned.

Liu, the league's general manager of the year, said the DEA's roster was put together with the idea of building a Taiwanese team that could compete in international tournaments while improving Taiwan's basketball environment.

"The builds of Taiwanese players pale in comparison to those of players in other regions, so we signed [point guard Lin] Wei-han and Ting [Tseng Wen-ting] (曾文鼎), two of the most experienced, skilled, and intelligent players in Taiwan," Liu said.

The DEA also signed European players Edgaras Zelionis and Kristijan Krajina, "who have the skills we really wanted to have on our team," Liu said.

Zelionis, a center from Lithuania who had a team-high 35 points on Sunday, said he was tired after a long season but "very happy to do this job over the year as a team."

In addition to thanking Liu for the trust, Zelionis also thanked his teammates for listening to him and trusting him when he shared with them his knowledge of European basketball.

Tseng, the DEA's veteran center, said the DEA was the youngest team he had ever played on and he was most gratified over the past season by seeing the young players growing week after week.

Ten of the DEA's 14 local players were under 30, according to the DEA's website.

"But this is just the beginning, not the end," the 38-year-old big man stressed, reminding his teammates to keep working hard.

"We became the enemy of the other five teams as soon as the final buzzer sounded. We have to stay humble, listen to the advice of others, and keep making progress to create a new self next season. That's the most important thing," he said.

New Taipei Kings one win away from P.LEAGUE+ finals

Meanwhile, the New Taipei Kings handed the Formosa Taishin Dreamers their second loss on Sunday in the best-of-five semifinal series of the P.LEAGUE+, the other six-team professional basketball league in Taiwan.

The Kings, led by Kenny Manigault's 35 points and 11 rebounds, beat the Dreamers 102-83 at Xinzhuang Gymnasium.

They can close out the series when it resumes Thursday night on the Dreamers' home court in the Taichung Intercontinental Basketball Stadium.

The other semifinal matchup between the two-time defending champions, the Taipei Fubon Braves, and the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots continues Monday night in Taipei, with the Braves holding a 1-0 lead in the series.

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