The Shinshu Brave Warriors aren¡¯t at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. And the Nagano Prefecture-based club isn¡¯t the metaphorical king of the hill.

But they¡¯ve made giant steps in the right direction. And over the past several weeks, Shinshu coach Koju Munakata¡¯s squad has become one of the league¡¯s most-dangerous, most-improved teams.

The Brave Warriors continued with that theme over the weekend, completing a series sweep over the East-leading Sendai 89ers, escaping with an 83-82 road triumph on Sunday at Xebio Arena.