At a glance: The Terrific 12 – advance look at the games that will get the party started 

Co-organized by Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government and Asia League, ”East Asia Super League - THE TERRIFIC 12” basketball tournament will be held from 17-22 September, 2019 at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion in Macao.   The FIBA-recognized premier preseason tournament event in East Asia has released initial matchup breakdowns as well as key match-up for each group stage matchday.

Group Stage Day 1 – September 17

Day one’s games start off with a bang as champion contenders from East Asia’s most elite leagues go head-to-head. The two-time KBL Champion, Seoul SK Knights, make their debut against PBA team Blackwater Elite at 3:00 p.m.. Next up, the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions take on Jeonju KCC Egis at 5:00 p.m.. Both teams made deep playoff runs and this will mark their first time ever facing off.

Later that day, the Shenzhen Aviators clash against The San Miguel Beermen at 7:00 p.m.. The Aviators have multiple, massive seven foot big men, and former NBA star imports in Pierre Jackson and Shabazz Muhammad. However, the Beermen have eight-time PBA champion, June Mar Fajardo. Not to mention, a guard so smooth, he’s known as ”The Golden Boy”, Terrence Romeo will look to lead the Beermen to the championship.

Matchup of the day: The matchup of the day features Guo Ailun and the Liaoning Flying Leopards against TNT KaTropa led by Jayson ”The Blur” Castro at 9:00 p.m. Liaoning is the most feared team in the CBA. Their dominant domestic roster is the V8 engine to the team’s Mustang. All-Stars, Guo Ailun and Zhao Jiwei, are the strongest backcourt in the CBA. ”Chinese Shaq” or Han Dejun is one of the top big men and legendary coach, Guo Shiqiang, now has former NBA star, Lance Stephenson at his disposal.  

TNT KaTropa is no stranger to challenging matchups. The club has racked up seven PBA titles in their illustrious history and is hungry for more. Jayson Castro has won everything during his career, and will not stop at anything to add to his accolade list. Former player and newly minted head coach, Ferdinand ”The Raven” Ravena, looks to take home his first championship as the main engineer of the team.

Group Stage Day 2 – September 18

Day two picks up right where the action left off beginning with two EASL newcomers. Five-time KBL Champion, Jeonju KCC Egis, takes on Yuta Tabuse known as ”The Japanese Michael Jordan” and Utsunomiya Brex at 3:00 p.m.. The Super 8 champions from 2017, the Chiba Jets, led by captain Ryumo Ono will then face off against Blackwater Elite and PBA All-Star, Rey Mark Belo at 5:00 p.m..

The 7:00 p.m. matchup features the Liaoning Flying Leopards and Niigata Albirex Basketball. Liaoning will have back-to-back matchups against top club teams from the Philippines and Japan respectively. Niigata is coming off a deep playoff run led by B.LEAGUE’s ”Most Impressive Player” 39 year old, Kei Igarashi.

Matchup of the day: The matchup of the day features the reigning champions, the Ryukyu Golden Kings, defending their title for the first time in 2019 against the Shenzhen Aviators at 9:00 p.m.. The Terrific 12 Final’s MVP Ryuichi Kishimoto will have his hands full against a stacked Shenzhen team full of All-Stars and national team players.

Shenzhen can light up the scoreboard like a pin-ball machine with CBA All-Star big men, Shen Zijie and Li Muhao. Bai Haotian and He Xining can also rain down three pointers in bunches. However, Ryukyu is no stranger to tough CBA matchups after they took down the Guangzhou Long-Lions in The Terrific 12 championship last year.

Group Stage Day 3 – September 19

The third and final day of group phase will undoubtedly be electric as teams will do battle for the remaining Semi-Final spots. Niigata Albirex Basketball and TNT KaTropa kick things off at 3:00 p.m. Kei Igarashi will look to co-star guard and former college teammate, Shinsuke Kashiwagi, as Niigata plays back-to-back championship caliber teams. The 5:00 p.m. game features the Chiba Jets facing off against a rested Seoul SK Knights.

The later evening games get started at 7:00.pm. when the San Miguel Beermen confront the reigning champions, the Ryukyu Golden Kings, head on. The Beermen are out to spoil the Golden Kings’ second appearance in The Terrific 12, but not if Norio Sassa, the Golden Kings head coach, has anything to say about it. The 35 year old coach emphasizes defense and has turned the Golden Kings into a championship contender.

Matchup of the day: To conclude the Group Phase, the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions led by young national team stars, Sun Minghui and Hu Jinqiu, take on Makoto Hiejima and Utsunomiya Brex at 9:00 p.m.. Makoto Hiejima makes his debut with the team after returning from the NBA Summer League playing with the New Orleans Pelicans. Zhejiang Guangsha has not been taking the off-season lightly either, as they return from intensive overseas training in Australia.

The Lions added six-time Australian NBL coach of the year, Brian Goorjian, to their staff to help develop their young stars. After multiple deep runs in EASL events, the Lions have one goal in mind – the title. The Brex are making their EASL debut, but do not let that fool you. This team does not shy away from the big stage with a core of All-Stars and scorers; they are not in the business of packing up and going home early.

Semi-Finals and the Finals – September 21-22

There is no room for error as only one team from each group advances to the Semi-Finals (September 21) played at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.. The third place game and The Terrific 12 championship will be held on September 22 at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. respectively.

What is better than seats right next to the action? Ticket prices for the group stage are set at MOP 50 for standard ticket and MOP 100 for courtside seat ticket. Semi-Finals and Finals tickets are MOP 200 for standard ticket and MOP 400 for courtside seat ticket.  Full five-day tournament packages are also available at MOP 400 (standard ticket). 

Tickets are available for purchase:

1. Online purchasing via following online ticketing platforms:

• Macau Ticketing  – (http://bit.ly/2Osn1Ox)
• DaMai Tickets  – (https://detail.damai.cn/item.htm?id=599881986815)
• Qupiaowang – (https://www.qupiaowang.com/Ticket/Index/7492)
• 228.com.cn – (https://www.228.com.cn/ticket-593637908.html)

2. Retail outlets of Macau Ticketing

3. On-site ticketing counter of Macau Ticketing at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion

(available on 17, 18, 19, 21 & 22 September)

For more in-depth, exclusive and behind-the-scenes information about East Asia Super League and THE TERRIFIC 12, please follow the below official website and social media pages:

• Official website: www.eastasiasuperleague.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/eastasiasuperleague/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/eastasiasuperleague/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/EASLofficial
• Sina Weibo: www.weibo.com/u/6274381383
• Douyin: Search for ID “159972806”
• WeChat: Search for public account “East Asia Super League”
• Jinri Toutiao: “East Asia Super League”