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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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Basketball is Team Sports. Ace can't win if he's good alone. Five players on the court must move organically to win.
The curtain has risen on the semifinal playoff (PO, best out of five) between SK in Seoul and KT in Suwon '2024-2025 KCC Professional Basketball'. In the first game held at Jamsil Student Gymnasium on the 23rd, SK won 65-61. With this victory, SK has a 77.8% chance. Of the 54 teams that won the first round of the all-time semifinal PO, 42 reached the championship.
SK confirmed the top spot in the regular league early on. The break was long. On the other hand, KT advanced to the semifinals after playing Game 5 in the semi-final PO against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation. It was widely expected that SK would be advantageous.
I opened the lid. Breaking expectations, KT took the lead. Heo Hoon flew so fast from the first quarter. He was responsible for 11 points including three 3-pointers. On the other hand, SK's shot repeatedly turned away from the rim. He went scoreless for about 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
It was the 'bench score' that changed the face of the game. SK's replacements were active. In the first quarter, Isaiah Hicks showed his fighting spirit under the goal and energized him. Kim Tae-hoon, who was substituted in the second quarter, scored two 3-pointers to pull the reins of the chase. In the third quarter, Choi Won-hyuk tied a thrilling block shot to a come-from-behind 3-point shot to boost the atmosphere. After the game, SK manager Jeon Hee-chul "Hicks was very good." If I had put it in the second half, I would have done my part. Kim Tae-hoon was determined to stick with Oh Jae-hyun and Choi Won-hyuk to Heo Hoon. "Overall, it was a point to keep up with the fact that Hibs (8 points) and Kim Tae-hoon (6 points) were behind by 15 points."
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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On the same day, SK won by combining the performance of Jamil Warney (23 points), who woke up late due to the fighting spirit of the bench players. SK's bench score on the day was a whopping 21 points. On the other hand, KT's Huh Hoon scored 24 points, the most in both teams, but lacked help around him. KT's bench score on the day was only two points. KT manager Song Young-jin said, `I think the score derived from Heo Hoon should come out.'
The two teams will play the second game on the 25th. Jeon once again emphasized 'one team spirit' to the squad. He didn't want to talk about this publicly to the players at the PO. However, I don't think you play the game with this mindset in the first round. As the head of the team, I am the same, but the players should reflect on themselves"I didn't do my best as a professional player and my attitude toward the game. He came out with his performance. I'm talking about the whole team. I hope you feel it. I think it's separate from winning. Winning is important, but process and action are also important. No matter how good you are, you can't play basketball without your teammates. I'm confused about something." Warnie also "Not only me, but everyone will know it well. Individuals cannot achieve the championship we aim for. We have to unite as one," he stressed. On this day, SK had a lot of unreasonable attacks. He showed strong defense, but there was discord in the attack.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
