Korean basketball team suffered a crushing 20-point defeat to Japan on Liberation Day, marking a humiliating loss. The Korean men's basketball team, led by coach Ahn Jung-geun, lost 84-64 to Japan in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on August 15. Korea, which had been undefeated in the qualifiers, was considered the favorite to win, but was thoroughly outplayed by Japan, ranked 56th in the world, on the day. The 20-point loss was a shock to Korean basketball fans, especially on a day like Liberation Day, which commemorates Korea's independence from Japan. The Korean team struggled with poor shooting, making only 29 percent of their field goal attempts, while Japan shot 58 percent from the field. Japan's point guard Yuki Togashi was unstoppable, scoring 24 points, including 5 three-pointers, and dishing out 8 assists. Korea's best player, Lee Jae-yong, scored 17 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Japan's strong team effort. The loss was a rare defeat for Korea against a lower-ranked team, and it raised concerns about the team's preparation for the upcoming 2022 FIBA Asia Cup. Korea will need to regroup and reassess their strategy before their next game against Japan on August 22. The Korean team's poor performance on Liberation Day was a disappointment to fans, who had been expecting a win against their arch-rivals.

On Victory Day, South Korea's men's basketball team suffered a 20-point defeat against Japan (ranked 22nd in the world) in a friendly exhibition game, with a score of 68-88. This marked the largest point difference in the team's history, surpassing the previous record of 17 points set during the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games. The team's performance was anticipated given the absence of key players such as 이현중, who was on NBA minicamps with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Boston Celtics, and 최준용 and 송교창, who were either unavailable for injury or participation.

Meanwhile, Japan fielded several NBA stars including ハチミツルイ from Los Angeles Clippers and 가와무라 유키 from Chicago Bulls, alongside a former Korean player 조시 호킨슨. Despite this, South Korea struggled to keep pace, losing 0-11 in the first game and 0-13 in the second, showing a lack of cohesion in their play, poor shooting performance (29.2% from three-point range), and a lack of strategic plays.

Coach 이승현 admitted that their main challenge was the absence of a clear strategy, with players continually resorting to three-point shots when their usual play patterns failed to work. In response, 감독 니콜라이스 마줄스 has six games under his belt, resulting in a 1-5 record. While foreign coaches often bring new offensive strategies, 마줄스 does not appear to have a clear direction, particularly in utilizing young talents.

Even with 이현중, the captain, trapped in a "마줄스 system," the team's overall performance remained disjointed. The coach's former colleague 여준석 noted that the team's disjointed appearance during the second game required further analysis of the team's strengths and weaknesses to ensure a coherent performance in upcoming competitions such as the Asian Games.