"Is This Really the National Team’s Discipline?" Why Coach Mazurs Was Furious Despite a 16-Point Victory [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] South Korea men's national basketball team, seeking to reclaim the Asian Games title for the first time in 12 years, opened the tournament with a decisive victory but could not hide its disappointment. The team’s chronic weakness—failing to finish strongly in the fourth quarter—and its lack of discipline were plainly exposed.
Led by head coach Nikolajs Mazurs, South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 82-66 in the first Group A game of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 10th.
The result was a 16-point victory, but Mazurs looked somber when he entered the postgame press conference. He was unhappy with the team’s listless performance in the fourth quarter, when the outcome was already largely decided. South Korea controlled the game with a 74-47 lead—27 points—through three quarters. However, the team collapsed rapidly at the start of the fourth, scoring only eight points while allowing 19.
South Korea endured a particularly severe offensive drought, failing to score a single point for roughly four minutes after the fourth quarter began. Lee Hyun-jung finally scored the team’s first points of the period with 5:53 remaining. After that, South Korea’s only additional points came on a basket in the paint by Lee Seung-hyun and Lee Hyun-jung’s fast break just before the final buzzer.


Mazurs identified mental focus, rather than physical fatigue, as the reason for the fourth-quarter slump. He strongly criticized the team, saying, "Once the lead grew, we lost our concentration and failed to control the game. That was a lack of discipline and team standards." He added, "We gave up easy points because of loose play during defensive transitions, and we also failed to execute the plays we had agreed upon on offense. It is extremely disappointing that we were unable to finish the game decisively."
The team also suffered an injury setback. Jun Seok Yeo, who had scored nine points and played well, complained of foot pain during the third quarter and left the bench early. Mazurs expressed concern, saying, "He has not yet received an accurate diagnosis, so we will have to wait for the results of the medical examination."
There was also the practical disadvantage of insufficient training. Because of the torrential rain that hit Nagoya, the team was unable to conduct any on-court training after arriving in Japan before playing its opening game. Mazurs lamented, "Because we are a team built around shooting, it is essential to develop our shooting touch on the court, so it was very disappointing that we could not do that." He nevertheless vowed, "Our shooting touch will return quickly as we play games. We will thoroughly analyze the games involving the Indonesia men's national basketball team and the Japan men's national basketball team and prepare for our next game."


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