(Asiad) Bus mix-up before Asiad final turns into source of motivation for S. Korean basketball team

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NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- Hours before the men's basketball final at the Asian Games on Sunday, the South Korean team had to cancel its pre-match shootaround after its scheduled shuttle bus failed to show up.

The entire team had been waiting for a bus to take them to a practice gym for a shootaround around 10 a.m. from their hotel, ahead of the gold-medal match against host country Japan at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya at 7:40 p.m.

"It was an incident that upset our players," said Lee Seoung-hyun, the captain of South Korea's basketball team, on Sunday. "It is unacceptable ahead of the final match that lots of people are watching."

South Korea's basketball players pose for a photo with their gold medals after winning the men's basketball final against Japan at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on Sept. 21, 2026. (Yonhap)

The bus mix-up came after similar transportation and operational problems involving South Korean athletes at the Asian Games.

The South Korean men's football team experienced several transportation-related issues, while the Korean national anthem was not played during a hockey competition.

However, Lee said the unexpected setback ultimately served as a catalyst that brought the team closer together.

"When the morning practice was canceled, everyone's nerves were on edge. We approached the game with a 'win or die' determination," he said. "In the end, I think it actually had a positive effect."

Instead of warming up by shooting on the court, the basketball team took a walk together and drank coffee to relax. The players turned the unexpected downtime into a chance to build team chemistry and relieve tension ahead of the big match.

"Spending time leisurely without forcing ourselves to relax actually worked out well in the end," Lee added. The veteran center played his 102nd match for the national team Sunday.

Ace player Lee Hyun-jung, who recorded a game-high 27 points and 18 rebounds, also maintained a calm exterior while keeping his fighting spirit alive.

"The bus no-show was a variable beyond our control. If our performance drops just because morning practice was canceled, we're not real players," he said.

"The coach also urged us to stay cool-headed but keep the spark of fighting spirit alive in our hearts, not to react emotionally."

South Korea's basketball players celebrate their victory after winning the men's basketball final against Japan at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on Sept. 21, 2026. (Yonhap)

Head coach Nikolajs Mazurs also tried to focus on the positive side of the situation.

"The bus didn't come, and we went for a walk and enjoyed the good weather. The team walked around the city, seeing the nice views. That's it. And we went to prepare for the game," he said during an official press conference. "So stay positive, not for bad things."

In Sunday's final, South Korea beat Japan 67-57 to win the men's basketball gold medal for the first time in 12 years at the Asian Games.

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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21日（韩联社）——周日亚运会男篮决赛开始前几个小时，韩国队因预定的接驳巴士未能出现，不得不取消赛前投篮练习。

整个球队早上10点左右都在酒店等大巴去训练馆进行投篮练习，备战晚上7点40分在名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的与东道主日本队的金牌争夺战。

韩国男篮队长李承铉周日表示：“这件事让我们的队员们很沮丧。在决赛前夕发生这样的事情是不可接受的，因为很多人都在关注这场比赛。”

2026年9月21日，在名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的爱知-名古屋亚运会男篮决赛中，韩国男篮战胜日本队夺得金牌后，队员们与金牌合影留念。（韩联社）

这次巴士混乱事件发生之前，韩国运动员在亚运会上也曾遭遇过类似的交通和运营问题。

韩国男子足球队遭遇了多起与交通相关的问题，而韩国国歌在冰球比赛中没有奏响。

然而，李表示，这次意想不到的挫折最终成为了让团队更加团结的催化剂。

“早上训练取消后，大家都非常紧张。我们抱着‘要么赢，要么死’的决心投入到比赛中，”他说。“最终，我认为这反而产生了积极的影响。”

篮球队员们没有像往常一样在球场上进行投篮热身，而是结伴散步，喝咖啡放松身心。队员们利用这段意料之外的空闲时间，增进了团队默契，并在大赛前缓解了紧张情绪。

李补充道：“悠闲地度过时光，而不是强迫自己放松，最终效果反而很好。”这位经验丰富的中锋周日代表国家队出战了第102场比赛。

王牌球员李贤正拿下全场最高的 27 分和 18 个篮板，在保持冷静的同时，也始终斗志昂扬。

“大巴没来是​​我们无法控制的因素。如果仅仅因为早上的训练取消了，我们的表现就下降了，那我们就不是真正的球员，”他说。

“教练还敦促我们保持冷静，但心中要保持战斗精神，不要情绪化地做出反应。”

2026年9月21日，在名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的爱知-名古屋亚运会男篮决赛中，韩国男篮队员战胜日本队后庆祝胜利。（韩联社）

主教练尼古拉斯·马祖尔斯也试图关注形势的积极方面。

“大巴没来，我们就出去散步，享受一下好天气。球队在城里四处走走，欣赏美景。就是这样。然后我们就去准备比赛了。”他在一次官方新闻发布会上说道。“所以要保持积极的心态，不要被坏事困扰。”

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