(Asiad) Final-bound hoops coach praises defensive effort: 'We deserved to win today'

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NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- After South Korea outlasted Iran in a low-scoring affair to reach the men's basketball final at the Asian Games on Friday, head coach Nikolajs Mazurs praised his team's defensive work.

South Korea prevailed 77-51 in the semifinals at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, central Japan, after holding Iran to just 25 percent shooting. Iran made only two out of 23 attempts from behind the arc. South Korea will now go for its first gold since 2014.

South Korea head coach Nikolajs Mazurs reacts to a play during the men's basketball semifinal game against Iran at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

"Our main goal was to rebound the ball, and after that, we could find our situations," Mazurs said. "I think we did great teamwork defensively and we deserved to win today."

The teams threw one brick after another in the opening moments. South Korea won the first quarter 12-8, scoring all of its points on four three-point shots.

South Korea found its groove in the middle quarters, outscoring Iran 49-29 to take a commanding 61-37 lead into the final frame.

Forward Lee Hyun-jung led the way with 26 points. He connected on seven out of 13 attempts from downtown.

"The Korean team is a shooters team, so they shoot a lot and they make a lot. That's what we want," he said. "We want our shooters to shoot the ball. At the beginning, we needed to find the rhythm, we needed to do the work and screen better. We tried to find some situations from the mismatch. If they hedged on the ball, we tried to move the ball quickly to our guys around and make them play against the closeouts.

Lee Seoung-hyun (L) and Lee Woo-suk of South Korea celebrate a play against Iran during the teams' semifinal game of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

"I think we did a good job to have 22 assists," the coach continued. "Hyun-jung made a couple of difficult shots, but that's his game. I think most of the shots were pretty open today."

Captain Lee Seoung-hyun, who is playing in his third Asian Games at age 34, thanked his teammates for following his lead.

"This has been such a tight group from the beginning, and our chemistry is only getting better," Lee said. "Young guys have been doing an incredible job on defense. There is nothing more I can say about their effort today."

South Korea will face either China or Japan in Sunday's final, and Lee said it did not matter who comes out of that side of the bracket.

"Right now, it is really not important whom we play. It is all about us," Lee said. "As long as we stay together as a team, we are not afraid of anyone."

Forward Lee Woo-suk, who contributed 19 points with a trio of three-pointers, said defense and rebounding have become the defining features of the national team.

"The coach always wants us to be aggressive and not back down against anyone," he said. "We have been working on our tactics since June, and I think we have a more natural flow to the way we play. We all know where everyone is supposed to be."

South Korean players celebrate after beating Iran 77-51 in the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

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(Asiad) Final-bound hoops coach praises defensive effort: 'We deserved to win today'

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

日本名古屋，9月18日（韩联社）——周五，韩国队在亚运会男篮决赛中以微弱优势战胜伊朗队，晋级决赛。赛后，主教练尼古拉斯·马祖尔斯称赞了球队的防守表现。

在位于日本中部名古屋的爱知国际体育馆举行的半决赛中，韩国队以77比51战胜伊朗队，将伊朗队的投篮命中率限制在25%。伊朗队三分球23投仅2中。韩国队将向自2014年以来的首枚金牌发起冲击。

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男篮半决赛中，韩国队主教练尼古拉斯·马祖尔斯在对阵伊朗的比赛中做出反应。（韩联社）

“我们的主要目标是抢到篮板，之后我们就能找到自己的进攻机会，”马祖尔斯说。“我认为我们在防守端的团队配合非常出色，我们今天配得上这场胜利。”

比赛伊始，双方进攻都频频失误。韩国队以12比8拿下首节，其所有得分均来自四记三分球。

韩国队在中段比赛中找到了节奏，以 49-29 的比分击败伊朗队，带着 61-37 的巨大优势进入最后一局。

前锋李贤廷得到全队最高的26分，其中三分球13投7中。

“韩国队是一支以射手为主的球队，所以他们出手很多，也投进了很多球。这正是我们想要的，”他说。“我们希望我们的射手多出手。一开始，我们需要找到节奏，需要做好跑位，需要更好地掩护。我们尝试利用错位来创造机会。如果他们包夹持球，我们就尝试快速将球转移到我们自己的球员手中，让他们面对对方的包夹。”

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男篮半决赛中，韩国球员李承铉（左）和李宇硕在对阵伊朗的比赛中庆祝得分。（韩联社）

“我认为我们今天拿到22次助攻很不错，”教练继续说道。“铉正投进了几个难度很高的球，但这正是他的风格。我觉得今天大部分投篮机会都比较空位。”

34岁高龄第三次参加亚运会的队长李承铉感谢队友们跟随他的脚步。

“从一开始，我们就是一个非常团结的团队，而且我们的默契还在不断提升，”李说道。“年轻球员们在防守端表现得非常出色。对于他们今天的表现，我没有什么可说的了。”

韩国将在周日的决赛中对阵中国或日本，李表示，从该半区中选出哪支球队并不重要。

“现在，我们跟谁比赛真的不重要。重要的是我们自己，”李说。“只要我们团结一致，我们就无所畏惧。”

前锋李宇硕投中三记三分球，得到 19 分。他表示，防守和篮板已经成为国家队的标志性特征。

“教练总是要求我们保持积极主动，不向任何对手低头，”他说。“我们从六月份就开始研究战术，我觉得现在我们的比赛节奏更加流畅自然了。我们每个人都清楚自己应该站在哪里。”

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男篮半决赛中，韩国队以77比51战胜伊朗队后，队员们庆祝胜利。（韩联社）

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