Chapter 17: 2. GAP(7)
BEFORE TIP-OFF
WSU 0 VS 0 TEAM GREAT
Since it wasn't official basketball, there was not an electronic scoreboard. Instead, there was a large portable scoreboard on one side of the court with the names of the two teams that were playing today.
Of course, the team name that captured my attention was WSU.
"(There's no need to be nervous, bro.)"
"…"
Nothing to be nervous about, you say? When it clearly says WSU on the board?
"(Hey, Kim.)"
"Hmmm?"
To my surprise, it was Damian Lillard striking a conversation to me.
"(We don't know anything about you. What can you do for the team?)"
"(Team?)"
"(Yeah. Screen, swing, switch, defense, hustle. Rebound. Okay?)"
I knew easily what Lillard was saying to me. In today's game, I won't be playing as the tactical player or play an organized game.
One of the most important skills in basketball is call-play, which requires extreme training to acquire. However, the only information I had on the team was what I learned from the game against Ohio.
That's why Lillard was asking me about my team play qualities.
"(I think I can do it.)"
"(Good. Leon may have told you, but there's nothing to be nervous about. We don't really like Freddy and we have no intentions of going easy.)"
"…"
Since he was speaking fast, I couldn't understand what he was saying.
But as I saw how confident Lillard was, I started to feel a bit more relaxed. David had told me in the past that Lillard was a player full of leadership.
Conference. Possibly even in the entire United States, people would acknowledge him as a clutch player.
"Are you ready?"
As the referee asked that question, we all take positions near the half-line. The person who was in front of me was Team Great's #77, and since it was a street team, it seemed like a random number.
To make it worse, their team's jump ball player's number was 666.
As the ball lifted away from the referee's hand, Leon swiftly got the ball first. Then out of the silence came applauds from the spectators and audience.
"(Whoooo! Show them what you got!)"
"!#%$!@#%$^^$!"
It felt a little strange, but my short experience with the L.A. street players helped me focus a bit more in this game today. Even when the ball was briefly passed to me, thanks to the confidence and relaxed atmosphere coming from my team, I was able to play freely and comfortably.
Following Stanley's direction, I positioned myself near the corner areas right in front of the sidelines.
As Team Great's #52 guard Lillard, who just got the ball, the crowd immediately came to a silence. Without any exaggeration, Lillard was able to capture the attention of the entire audience.
As WSU's pride, possibly the pride of the entire state, this was the moment everyone anticipated.
"Ooooooh!"
"@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@"
As Lillard lowered his posture, he nearly touched the ground as he dribbled the ball. Out of nowhere he quickly extended his body, slightly jumping and shooting the ball.
Team Great's #52 walked back while screaming and cursing.
*Swoosh*
"Ohhhhhhh!"
Multiple different people whistled and cheered.
Along with their exaggerated shouting, the crowds began to clap and applaud.
As Lillard confidently walked backward, he looked toward #52 and taunted him with a hand gesture. As I run back to my defensive position, I got a glance at his name.
What? "Little General"?
I was in so much disbelief that I almost tripped over myself.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Little General, I'll refer to him as LG for short. It does bring to mind home appliances, but oh well.
Instead of giving in to Lillard's taunts, LG quickly scored 2 points for Team Great. The first person to score on Team Great was the guy who was matched up against Leon, who was a forehead taller than Leon (Leon was 6'11").
Big Lazer, what's up with all these names?
Anyway, Big Lazer was able to make a hook shot while posting up. Even just from a glance, you can tell he's not your average player.
"Go!"
"What the…"
I noticed that 45 degrees was open in front of me from the wing position, so I started to move. And, after a moment of waiting, I screened Davion Berry's opponent.
"Sexual Chocolate", as I was flustered at the moment, Davion broke through the weakside and shot the ball that was passed to him by Lillard.
"Yes!"
As David threw his fist in the air, he threw me a thumbs up.
"(That was a good screen!)"
Berry ran back to his defense position as he put his fist out for a bump.
I turned my head over to see Freddy's facial expression, however, he was still full of confidence. But he did have a fierce look in his eyes. His mouth was still smiling, but his friendly wrinkles on his eyes were no longer there.
As Team Great exchanged conversations, they took their offensive positions. As Lillard and Berry tightly defended against Team Great, it seemed like that's what they were hoping for us to do.
I was matched up against "Devil Blade"…
Freddy? If you're the one responsible for naming these guys, you have the worst taste possible.
"(Damian! Screen!)"
"(Nice call!)"
Before Devil Blade was able to screen for LG to protect him, I called out to Lillard that he was going to screen. I was able to give him enough time to prepare for it and, at the same time, I extended my hand out to create a hedge.
While Davion Berry was closing up his location and creating a help-side defense, Lillard switched positions with Berry with ease.
In the end, Team Great wasn't able to accomplish anything through the screen play.
They were once again forced to go outside the 3-point line and had to resort to a post-up scenario. The ball was once again in Big Lazer's hands.
"Oh, shit!"
Once again, curse words came pouring out from Team Great's territory.
In just a moment's notice, the ball was in Lillard's hands again. He was able to snatch the ball from Big Lazer in a post-up play. Freddy tried to call it a foul, but the referee did not budge.
I wondered how long it took to run with the ball from one goalpost to the other, considering how fast they were?
It couldn't have been more than 4 seconds.
"(Uh oh.)"
*BANG*
As the net made of tiny chains bang against each other, it sounded like a loud rip.
Right after Lillard stole the ball and broke through the opponents, he threw a layup pass to Leon, who was already at the other side of the court.
As he dunked the ball with both hands, he let out a loud roar.
"(Ahhhhhhhhh!)"
"(Oh, shit. Timeout!)"
*FWEEEEEEEEEEE* "(Timeout!)"
At the same time, Freddy used his hands to make a "T" sign.
It had only been 2 minutes since the game started, but it seemed like his pride was dropped to the ground. The score was 7:2 and it seemed like we were able to successfully suppress the opponents.
"(Nice job, bro!)"
As we all headed back to the bench, Lillard looked to me with a much friendlier face compared to before the game started. Not only that, but Davion Berry and Kyle Tresnak also complimented my plays.
To tell the truth, the only things I did so far was one screen and one call-play. But when it comes to basketball, it took more than 5 players who are good at shooting the ball.
NBA analysts would always say that creating a 15-man roster is like fitting puzzle pieces. If the star player is a big piece, it is just as important to find small pieces that fit around the big piece to complete the puzzle.
That was the only way to complete the picture, and that was how the team would come to life.
It was completely different than what I was used to, but I decided to do whatever I needed in order to survive in America. Especially more so in games like today's.
It was crucial that I put away any egotistical thoughts in my head, at least for today.
"(This is exactly what I've wanted. Keep making the calls. Don't stop moving around. Always be one step ahead, keep playing at higher gears. When they're thrown off, push forward and widen the gap in the score. Leon and Kyle, you guys focus more on rebounds.)"
"…"
Ah, this is nice.
Stanley's voice during the timeout was calm but cold at the same time. His tactical direction, or direction of patterns. There was not a single moment where he criticized our mistakes.
Instead, he said this. The things that we needed to work on. The things that we really needed to focus on. Trusting in the player's personal skills and abilities, he only focused on things that could be forgotten during a game.
I was once again touched by his coaching method and got goosebumps. I came to the realization that he's a highly respected coach by his own players for a reason.
"(But don't let your guard down. Their real players haven't even played yet.)"
"He said it's not their real members. I guess it's not their starters?"
"Yeah?"
As David simultaneously translated everything that was being said, I looked up toward the bench of Team Great.
These really tall players took off their training outfits and got ready to play.
I saw the names of two players that had their backs turned to me.
MacRae and Banks.
What's this? Aren't these normal names?
"(We don't have to play to their tempo. Just focus on our own plays. Got it?)"
"(Yes, sir.)"
As I was startled by their normal names, Stanley continued to give us points to increase the level and speed of our play.
As the whistle was blown, we went back to our positions on the court.
"Hmm?"
"(Hey.)"
"H-hey."
As Team Great went out of bounds, I noticed the strongest players have been switched out.
The person I ended up guarding was WSU's graduate Artemis MacRae.
"(I noticed you're playing the way Stanley likes?)"
"…"
"(But you see, my friend.)"
MacRae received the ball at a 45-degree angle from the sideline.
He took the ball with both hands and put it between his knees, lowering his stance. I thought he would go for jab-steps a few times, but instead, he jumped immediately and shot the ball.
With the possibility of him breaking through my defenses, the screener who came to me served as a distraction. I put my hand up just in case, but McRae's shot easily fell through the net.
*Swoosh*
"(When 5 people were together on the court, the goal is to create the best possible synergy. Am I right?)"
McRae turned to me and spat words while looking extremely confident in himself.
It was hard to put the blame on me this time. It's impossible to block every single shot in basketball and the fact that you're able to contest alone is a good play.
I'm not saying my defense was good, but I didn't make any misplays.
"(It's okay, Minhyuk. Just stay focused.)"
Seeing Stanley clap for me was very reassuring and encouraging.
Back to the offensive. Lillard slowly crosses the half-line.
This time, instead of facing Little General, he was up against the guy named Parker. It was hard to tell the age of a foreigner, but from one look you can tell he was a bit older.
That would also mean he had more experience.
"(Kim! Switch!)"
"(Hey, Ron! It's a switch!)"
"(I got him!!)"
As Team Great's players switched, so did the call plays.
The moment Leon pointed over his shoulders for a screen, Team Great moved simultaneously, switched and changes their marked men. The player in front of me was much bigger than I was, which meant Leon put us in a mismatched position.
Davion Berry connected his rough pass to Leon, who posted up as he got the ball.
"…"
They seemed to be communicating something with each other, but I couldn't hear their voices or what they were saying. Since they're running on the same team, it's logical that they have a lot to say to one another.
Leon slowly dribbled the ball and positioned himself below the hoop. The moment Leon turned his body to the left, McRae slid his hand behind his back and touched the ball.
"Damn!"
Lillard, who was stomping the opponents earlier tried to run to the backcourt, but Team Great quickly took the ball and tied up the score.
The game was now tied 7:7, with only a minute passing by since the timeout.
"Timeout."
*FWEEEE* "Timeout!"
Stanley paused the game.
As I made my way back to the bench from the half-line, McRae winked at me and said something.
"(Welcome to U.S.A. Hahahaha!)"
"…"
Without any end, they continued to ridicule me.
Up until this point, whether I played flawlessly or made mistakes, didn't seem to really matter. This was all about racism. It could be the arrogance of Americans.
Or it could be both.
"(Don't get too flustered. We were expecting this from them. Now then.)"
These meaningless taunts didn't faze me at all. I just want to play a little better and prove them wrong. One day I want to change their taunts and banter into good sportsmanship.
Just as Jeremy Lin was able to do.
It may be that I have matured just a little.
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HALF-TIME 3 : 12
WSU 7 VS 7 TEAM GREAT
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone