May 24, 2021
Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture – The Utsunomiya Brex made sure to remind everyone that they are the best team in the league this season with a sweep of the Kawasaki Brave Thunders in the B. League playoff semifinals this past weekend.
Even though the Brex posted the B1’s top winning percentage (.817) after going 49-11, they entered the best-of-three home series as the challengers in a sense. The Brex were just 1-3 versus the Brave Thunders during the regular season and also lost their matchup in the Emperor’s Cup final in March.
In the postseason, however, the Brex responded better than many thought they would against Kawasaki, which had been viewed as a title contender since late in the season.
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The Kawasaki Brave Thunders are determined to accomplish big things with their signature “Big Lineup.”
With the 2020-21 playoffs around the corner, the Brave Thunders are currently seen by many as one of the league’s legitimate title contenders.
Kawasaki extended its record since Feb. 6 to 22-3 following Saturday’s dominant 108-88 win over the Sunrockers Shibuya. That result extended the team’s winning streak to seven games, including a pair of two-game series sweeps against powerhouses Chiba Jets and Utsunomiya Brex.
One of the major components that have made the late-season run possible for the Kanagawa Prefecture club, which finished runner-up in the league’s inaugural 2016-17 campaign, is that their Big Lineup is working so effectively.