(Asiad) Basketball captain says criticism brought team closer

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- As losses piled up for the men's national basketball team in the weeks leading up to the Asian Games, so did criticism of the squad. Fans and pundits alike wondered if South Korea, coached by the Latvian Nikolajs Mazurs, had what it takes to reach the podium at the Asian Games in Japan this month.

With each passing game here, though, South Korea has been authoring a new narrative. Mazurs' team ran the table in the group phase, highlighted by a convincing, 100-83 win over Japan in the finale, and then hammered Jordan 114-80 in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Following the latest victory at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, South Korean captain Lee Seoung-hyun said the team under Mazurs is just rounding into form.

"I think it took us a while to get on the same page and start playing the brand of basketball the coach wanted," Lee said. "Along the way, the coach always respected us so much and allowed us to do our things. And we are finally executing his game plans. Our confidence is running high."

South Korea was in need of some confidence ahead of the Asian Games. It lost the first three games with Mazurs in charge and absorbed some humiliating losses to Japan in back-to-back exhibitions in August -- 88-68 and then 95-66.

Japan had a couple of National Basketball Association (NBA) players then, while South Korea was without its top shooter, Lee Hyun-jung, who was participating in NBA minicamps. Despite these extenuating circumstances, skeptics were hard on the national team.

Lee Seoung-hyun said he and his teammates did well to use that as fuel.

"Inside, we became even closer. We knew we would eventually start playing the kind of basketball we wanted, and our ultimate goal for this year was to win the Asian Games gold medal," he said. "We stayed patient and kept grinding. I feel like things are finally clicking for us. We have been doing an incredible job defensively, and I barely need to say anything. Offensively, I think the guys are learning how to adjust when our three-pointers are not dropping."

As for early questions surrounding Mazurs, Lee said: "He is constantly watching video and breaking down games to help us get ready. We never once had doubt about his game plans. I think we are fully ready for our next games."

Mazurs praised his players for adjusting to the unusual 10 a.m. tipoff and for coming out with defensive intensity.

"It is a very unusual time to play at 10 in the morning, and so we needed to prepare properly for this game, especially at the beginning to set the tone," Mazurs said. "And the guys understood the importance of this quarterfinal game. We found a good rhythm from defensive effort and energy."

Mazurs welcomed back two important players to the mix. Forward Yeo Jun-seok returned after missing the past two games with a foot injury, while another forward, Choi Jun-yong, joined the team in the early hours of Wednesday after trying to land a contract in the NBA G League.

Mazurs claimed that he has built a system where anyone can step in to fill in for an injured player and not miss a beat.

"All summer long, we had problems with the roster. We had a lot of guys with injuries," he said. "But I think the most important thing is that our system was working. If someone is injured or he is not on the team, we can keep playing at our pace. Any other player can replace the injured player, and we can still produce the good result. The team basketball that we have played in this tournament looks solid."