Terrific 12: Seoul Samsung Thunders down ex-teammate Markeith Cummings and Nagoya Dolphins to finish third in Macau
K League team beat Japanese rivals 105-93 in Studio City Event Centre preseason tournament third-place play-off
Familiarity was an advantage for the Seoul Samsung Thunders in their third-place play-off encounter with the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins in Macau on Sunday evening, according to head coach Lee Sang-min.
“We’ve played Nagoya a lot,” he said after their 105-93 win, “as we have training camps in Japan nearly every year.”
“Maybe that took the pressure off,” he added, ahead of their K League opener in three weeks.
The Thunders also knew what it would take to stop former teammate Markeith Cummings, a player that captain Kim Tae-sul described as a “good penetrator” but they were aware of what was needed. Even still, he admitted that the “local players had a hard time stopping him”.
Cummings posted 29 points for the Dolphins despite the attention but Kim was pleased with the Thunders third spot for an injury-hit team who were missing players in Macau to the point where he “wasn’t worried about the outcome” at the tournament.