B.League Finals: Nagasaki and Ryukyu to Clash for the Title

The Nagasaki Velca and the Ryukyu Golden Kings will resume their rivalry in the B.League Finals, a best-of-three series that gets underway on Saturday, May 23. Tipoff is at 2:30 PM at Yokohama Arena.

Nagasaki advanced to the B.League Finals with a pair of playoff sweeps, eliminating the Alvark Tokyo and the Chiba Jets in succession. The Velca exhibited their scoring prowess against the Alvark, winning the two games by a combined 55 points.

Ryukyu secured a spot in the championship round for the fifth consecutive year by beating the SeaHorses Mikawa in the playoff quarterfinals and the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins in the semifinals. In three of the four games, the Golden Kings won by 14 or more points.

Velca head coach Mody Maor's team had a B.League-best 47-13 regular-season record and won the Western Conference title. The American-Israeli bench boss is in his second season at the helm. In the 2024-25 campaign, Nagasaki had a 26-34 record.

Ryukyu sideline supervisor Dai Oketani, who was hired to coach the Japan men's national team in February 2026, has the Okinawan powerhouse squad in a familiar position: in the hunt for a title.

The Golden Kings were the championship runners-up in 2022 (against the Utsunomiya Brex), 2024 (against the Hiroshima Dragonflies) and '25 (against the Brex). In 2023, they outplayed the Jets to capture their first B.League title).

During the regular season, Ryukyu and Nagasaki split their only two-game series on March 14 and 15 in Okinawa City. The hosts won the opener 95-81, and the Velca bounced back with a 68-58 win the next day.

A Classic Matchup of Contrasting Styles

Nagasaki led the B.League in scoring (91.2 points per game) this season, and Ryukyu had the 26-team circuit's second-best defense (holding foes to 75.0 ppg).

The Velca were No 1 in assists (23.2 per game) and steals (9.5), and also had the highest 3-point shooting percentage (37.3%) and second-best field-goal shooting percentage (47.9). Fueled by quickness at both ends of the floor, Nagasaki plays at a rapid pace.

The Golden Kings, who averaged 82.2 ppg, were No 2 in rebounds (41.6), a statistic that highlights the impact of their twin towers at center ― former NBA players Jack Cooley (9.6 boards-per-game average) and Alex Kirk (6.5) ―and do-it-all forward Vic Law (6.9).

Week after week, the Golden Kings demonstrated they're one of the league's smartest teams, averaging 10.9 turnovers per contest (the second-lowest figure).

Perspectives from Both Teams

Ryukyu point guard Ryuichi Kishimoto, a fixture in the team's backcourt since 2013 during the bj-league era, spoke to reporters after the team's two-game sweep of the Diamond Dolphins.

"First of all, I'm glad we were able to win two straight games at home and advance to the Finals," Kishimoto said on May 16. "This isn't the finish line yet, so we need to stay focused and prepare for what's next.

"In the Finals, I hope to showcase everything we've built up this season."

Law, who had team-high totals in points (29), rebounds (10) and assists (five) in the Golden Kings' win over the Velca in mid-March, expressed pride in his team's success to date.

"While we faced our share of challenges during the regular season, we've made it this far by learning from each game and making adjustments as a team," Law said at Okinawa Suntory Arena on May 16. "I'm proud that we were able to bounce back time and again during difficult stretches and secure our spot in the Finals.

"We'll come together as a team in the Finals to give back to our fans and everyone associated with the Kings."

How did Maor react to his club's two-game sweep of the Jets?

“First and foremost, I want to say that the Chiba Jets are a truly outstanding team," the Nagasaki coach said after the 102-93 series-clinching victory on May 16. "They have a wealth of talent, and head coach Trevor Gleeson's coaching was excellent.

"While this overlaps with our [series] against the Alvark Tokyo, we were able to gain valuable insights that will help us move forward from here."

Scoring Leaders for the Velca

In building the league's premier offense for the 2025-26 season, Nagasaki got the bulk of its scoring from a dynamic quartet: forward Stanley Johnson (22.8 ppg, No 2 in the league), Korean swingman Hyunjung Lee (17.4, 10th-best average), forward Jarrell Brantley (16.0 ppg, 4.8 assists) and swingman Yudai Baba (12.3).

Johnson and Brantley are former NBA players. Lee, Baba and center Akil Mitchell are ex-NBA G League players.

Maor's Coaching Philosophy

In a February interview with the Japanese-language website J.Basket, Maor outlined the pillars of his coaching vision for the Velca.

"Our strength this season is that we've built a system where whoever plays can carry out their role," Maor told the website.

He added, "Our rotations change depending on the opponent, but the players are starting to understand ‘what they need to do' when those changes occur.

"Next, it's not just about 'what to do,' but 'how to execute it' that becomes crucial. This team is still young, and there's a lot for them to learn."

And what else did Maor emphasize to his players in the second half of the regular season?

"As the games continue, it's not easy to adapt to the opponent's defense on the fly," Maor told J.Basket. "We need to expand our arsenal while improving our precision, and I feel we're growing in that regard as well."

Balanced Scoring for the Golden Kings

Law had Ryukyu's highest scoring average (16.7 ppg) in the regular season.

The Golden Kings also featured four more double-digit scorers: Cooley (13.2), newcomer Damyean Dotson (12.4), Kishimoto (11.2) and Kirk (10.8).

Oketani's Perspective on Team's Sustained Success

In reviewing the Golden Kings' 90-74 win over the Diamond Dolphins on May 16, which propelled them to B.League Finals again, Oketani highlighted the team's fundamentally sound performance.

"While Game 2 was all about how we would respond to our opponent's adjustments, we stayed focused on what we needed to do," Oketani told reporters.

On reaching the championship round again, he summed it up this way: "I believe that our ability to reach the Finals for the fifth consecutive tournament is a testament to the collective strength of everyone involved with the Kings — not just any one individual."

One of the core components of Oketani's coaching style is using the regular season as a building block for the postseason. Team building is a constant focus for the Golden Kings.

"Various challenges arise during the season, and we work to overcome them," Oketani said, according to the website BasketCount. "Then, when the same challenge arises in the chaos of a game, I believe basketball is about playing with the mindset of, 'We can handle this.' I think we've developed the ability to respond, even in situations where we couldn't win or had a tough time."

Oketani also preaches the importance of learning from mistakes and losses.

"I don't think a team can truly become strong unless the players go through trial and error and use that to grow," he was quoted as saying by BasketCount.

Did You Know?

Nagasaki played its inaugural season in the B.League third division in 2021-22. The Velca won the B3 title, first going 45-3 before the playoffs.

After their amazing first season, they had just one season in B2, posting a 43-17 record in 2022-23 and earning promotion to B1.

As a second-year franchise in 2008-09, Ryukyu won its first bj-league title, then claimed its second championship in the 2011-12 campaign. In his first stint as Golden Kings coach, Oketani led the club from 2008-12.

The B.League will be rebranded as B.Premier (for the top division), starting with the 2026-27 season, ending 10 seasons with the current name.