Jeremy Lin on Monday night erupted for 33 points to lead the New Taipei Kings to the P.League+ (PLG) Finals for a second consecutive season, as they beat the Formosa Dreamers 97-88 at home to win the playoff series 4-2.
Lin, who had averaged only 16.8 points in the series’ previous five games, grabbed 10 rebounds and had six assists in nearly 42 minutes, all personal highs for the series.
His longest outing in the playoffs before Monday was 40 minutes, 4 seconds in Game 2.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
“If fatigue is here, I’m now more than exhausted,” the 35-year-old veteran said in a post-game interview, raising his right hand a little above his head to show how tired he felt.
The former NBA combo guard credited teammate Lee Kai-yen for the win.
“He set the tone for the team with his aggressive defense right from the tip-off. He wasn’t just the MVP [Most Valuable Player] of the game, but the team’s most powerful engine,” Lin said, adding that he was impressed by Lee’s selflessness from the day he joined the Kings.
Known for his tenacious defense, Lee played nearly 33 minutes on Monday, focusing primarily on containing Dreamers point guard Lin Chun-chi.
Lin Chun-chi played all 40 regular season games for the Dreamers, and averaged 15.5 points and 6.2 assists per game while contending for regular season MVP honors.
In Game 6, he had five points and five assists along with four turnovers.
The Kings are to face the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots in the Finals. The two teams would also play in the East Asia Super League in the upcoming season.
The Pilots secured their berth on Sunday following a 98-94 win that knocked out the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers 4-2.
Taoyuan, which topped the six-team PLG during the regular season, would have home court advantage in the Finals. The best-of-seven series starts on Sunday and if it goes a full seven games, would last until June 24.
Asked about the Kings’ plans for the Pilots, Lee seemed more interested in just savoring Monday night’s series-clinching win and not looking too far ahead.
“I just want to take a few days off and see what defensive mission the coaching staff gives me. All I need to do is do my best,” he said.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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