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.
Saitama – The Kawasaki Brave Thunders captured their first Emperor’s Cup in seven years on Saturday.
But it’s the way in which they did so that will hopefully serve as a confidence builder toward their ultimate goal winning the B. League.
When thinking of the Brave Thunders, stars such as Nick Fazekas, Ryusei Shinoyama and Naoto Tsuji, who together have anchored the team for much of the last decade, quickly come to mind.
But the team didn’t have to lean on those players in order to win the Emperor’s Cup.
“It was huge for us to know that what we’ve done all year hasn’t been wrong,” point guard and captain Shinoyama said after Kawasaki’s 76-60 win over the Utsunomiya Brex in Saturday’s final. “And we feel like we are going to get even better from here then on. The Emperor’s Cup title will make us believe we can achieve what we want.
Mar 13, 2021
Saitama – The Kawasaki Brave Thunders captured their first Emperor’s Cup title in seven years on Saturday, taking the crown with a 76-60 win over the Utsunomiya Brex in the All-Japan Championship men’s final in front of a crowd of 4,738 at Saitama Super Arena.
The Kanagawa Prefecture club, which lost against the Sunrockers Shibuya in the gold medal game last year, won the annual single-elimination tournament for the fourth time.
“We’re extremely happy that we were able to play against a great team in front of this crowd while we’re going through a tough situation,” Kawasaki head coach Kenji Sato said after the game, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feb 4, 2021
Midway through the second quarter of a home contest against the Chiba Jets Funabashi, Nick Fazekas, the Kawasaki Brave Thunders center, nailed a free throw to record the 6,000th point of his career in Japan.
Following the game, a 77-67 loss, Fazekas said the B. League Eastern Conference club had “been good to me” and “guys that have been with me are a big reason why I’ve got the 6,000.”
“It’s been a fun ride and something one day I’ll look back on,” said Fazekas, who was the MVP of the league’s inaugural season in 2016-17.
Jan 14, 2021
The Kawasaki Brave Thunders came through late capitalizing on a strong offensive effort from Naoto Tsuji to pull away for a 72-62 win over the Chiba Jets Funabashi in the quarterfinals of the prestigious Emperor’s Cup tournament on Wednesday night.
Kawasaki booked a spot in the semifinals alongside the Alvark Tokyo, Utsunomiya Brex and SeaHorses Mikawa. The Brave Thunders will take on Mikawa while Utsunomiya and Tokyo will square off.
The semifinals will be held March 12 and the winners will clash in the final the next day. Saitama Super Arena will host the final two rounds.
Tsuji hit two 3-pointers with just under two minutes remaining in the final quarter and later sealed the deal with a layup.