As expected, the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix and Ryukyu Golden Kings, regular-season winners of the Eastern and Western Conference titles, respectively, will return to the bj-league's Final Four again this coming weekend with a shot at meeting in the title game for the second consecutive year.
The two-time defending champion Phoenix eliminated the Niigata Albirex BB to move one step closer to their goal of a three-peat, a feat only accomplished by one other team in bj-league history, the Osaka Evessa from 2005-08. The Golden Kings, meanwhile, took care of business against the Shiga Lakestars.
On May 19, Hamamatsu will face the Yokohama B-Corsairs in the East final at 2:10 p.m. at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum, followed by the West final — Ryukyu vs. the Kyoto Hannaryz — at 6:10 p.m. All games will be televised by BS-Fuji. The winners will meet in the title game a day later at 5:10 p.m., preceded by the third-place game.