The“Terrific 12”Basketball Tournament, jointly organized by the Sports Bureau and the Asian League and officially recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), was held from the 18th to 23rd of September at the Event Center of Macao Studio City. Eventually, the Japanese team Ryukyu Golden Kings Okinawa won with the score of 85:76 against Guangzhou Long-Lions and thus became the champion.
Ryukyu Golden Kings, which entered the Grand Final as a popular team, encountered Guangzhou Long-Lions. In the first quarter, Ryukyu Golden Kings won 9 points successfully and led by 21:13. In the second quarter, Guangzhou Long-Lions made effort and narrowed down the margin with 36:41. The two teams competed intensely in the third quarter and Guangzhou Long-Lions, with their high morale, caught up with their opponent by 46:44. After that, both teams had an edge and scored over the other alternately. Ryukyu Golden Kings, were more persistent, entered the last quarter by a narrow margin of 2 points with the score of 60:58.
During the last quarter, Ryukyu Golden Kings performed vigorously and made a series of offenses, widening the score margin to a two-digit number. Guangzhou Long-Lions then caught up and tied at 70:70. When the match was about to end in 1 minute and 14 seconds, the team leader of Ryukyu Golden Kings, Kishimoto Takashi, shot a three pointer and created a 6-point margin. Finally, Ryukyu Golden Kings defeated Guangzhou Long-Lions and won the champion with 85:76.
In the match for the third place, the Korean team Seoul Samsung Thunders won 105:92 against the Nagoya team Diamond Dolphins, becoming the third place.
