“I don’t know why I don’t feel good even though we won…” Jeon Hee-chul laughs bitterly after nearly overturning a 28-point deficit.
Professional basketball’s Seoul SK dropped a hard-fought game to the Goyang Sono. After jumping out to a 28-point lead in the second quarter, the team’s performance collapsed in the second half and they were down by four points in the fourth quarter. “I don’t know why I don’t feel good even though I won,” said Jeon, who managed to hold on for the win.
Speaking at a press conference after the team’s 80-70 victory over Sono in the 2023-24 Korean Basketball Association away game at Goyang Indoor Gymnasium on Nov. 21, Jeon said, “The performance was too polarizing. It wasn’t just a matter of shots going in or not going in. (After the third quarter), our defense and rebounding participation dropped. 텍사스홀덤 There were some small things that the players missed.”
On the day, SK jumped out to a 29-11 lead in the first quarter and widened the gap in the second to finish the first half up 50-26. However, the team’s performance dropped dramatically in the second half, as they conceded the first 12 points of the third quarter, and the gap narrowed to four points in the fourth quarter. They managed to hold on for dear life, but they almost fell victim to a 28-point comeback.
“In the last two games, we got complacent in the second quarter and it caught up with us. Today, we played hard in the second quarter and looked like we were going to win comfortably, but we missed some guys that we should have checked,” said Jeon. “When (Jamil) Warney got shut down, we got frustrated. In the third quarter, for example, we got off to a bad start and other guys couldn’t get shots off. And then it’s up to Warney, and when he gets clogged up, you’re stuck with 24 seconds, and it’s frustrating.” On the night, Warney was outplayed by Chinanu Onuaku and finished with just 12 points and seven rebounds.
“To say the least, in the beginning of the first round, when I was being chased, I felt like I lost strength, but now I feel like I have the strength to make up for it and kick out. I think I found that part.” “Last year, there were many matches where I was losing and then came back, but if you look at the recent pace, there are matches where you play well in the first half and then collapse when you get caught. Still, I think it’s encouraging to see that I was able to maintain the score from the middle of the second round. I need to build on it. It’s about the ups and downs of 40 minutes,” he explained.
“In crunch time, I think it’s (Kim) Sun-hyung who really changes the mood. Even today, when Warney was blocked, Sun Hyeong-i was able to release him.” “In the end, it has to be Kim Sun-hyung. When he comes in, the offense feels different. Right now, we play at our normal speed for about five minutes per quarter. We want to increase this to about seven minutes. If Warney gets stuck, like today, he needs to shake things up. Kim Sun-hyung’s role is important.”
With the win, SK continued its recent four-game winning streak and moved into a tie for third place with Suwon KT. SK will next travel to Changwon to face second-place Changwon LG on Nov. 23.