The Ryukyu Golden Kings built a big enough cushion — 19 points to be precise — to sustain a spirited Osaka Evessa comeback. And that's exactly what they did.
The Evessa cut it to five in the final minute, but suffered an 82-76 defeat to their archrival in the bj-league's Western Conference final on Saturday night at Ariake Colosseum. Ryukyu, the 2008-09 champion, advanced to the title game against the Eastern Conference final champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix. Sunday's title match tips off at 5:05 p.m.
David Palmer paced the Golden Kings, the regular-season conference champ, with 24 points and Anthony McHenry poured in 23, including a pair of big dunks that he said "gave the team a spark."