A spirited rivalry is developing between coaches of different generations.
Osaka Evessa coach Ryan Blackwell, a rookie mentor, guided the Western Conference All-Star squad to a last-second win over Tokyo Apache coach Bob Hill's Eastern Conference club on Jan. 23.
A riveting chapter was added to the teams' rich competition on Tuesday. This time, Tokyo guard Byron Eaton supplied the last-second heroics, burying a buzzer-beating 3-pointer a few steps past the halfcourt line to lead the Apache to an improbable 85-84 win. The Apache overcame a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit en route, after their offense was "stagnant" and their defense was "a step behind for most of the first half and third quarter" to arguably their biggest win of first-year coach Hill's tenure.