The Tokyo Apache begin their fourth season with the same goal that was within their reach at the end of last season: a bj-league title.
Coming off a runnerup finish to the Osaka Evessa in May's title game, Apache coach Joe Bryant has prepared his squad for another playoff run. Tokyo faces Eastern Conference rival Niigata Albirex BB in the teams' season-opening series, which begins on Friday in Niigata. (See the Apache's complete schedule in Friday's Scoreboard on page 15.)
"Last year, we played well at the right time," Bryant said during a recent telephone interview. "The important thing is to make the playoffs and to be playing well going into the playoffs."