2. GAP(9)
SECOND HALF 0 : 43
WSU 38 : 40 TEAM GREAT
Within 1 minute of the beginning of the second half, it's been a one possession game. With one defense and one offensive, it seemed like we were going to catch up if not jump ahead on the scoreboard.
As I made a fast-paced 3-point shot, Lillard was able to strip the ball from Parker and scored another 3-pointer in an open court situation.
As we made 2 three-pointers in a row, the crowd started to come back to life.
"(It's a screen! Switch! Switch!)"
Team Great's offensive strategy seemed to have changed a bit again.
Artemis switched from guarding me nonstop to screening in the elbow position in order to help Parker move with the ball easier. That's because Lillard turned it up a notch with his defensive playstyle.
"(Nope. That's not gonna go in.)"
*TING*
"Shit!!"
Once again, Parker's mid-range jump shot hit the rim and bounced back.
Artemis and Josh Giles created a double screen, leaving the offensive plays in Parker's hands. Through creating a double screen in this mismatch situation, Davion Berry and I were able to call this play.
The advice to always keep my ears and eyes wide open whenever I was on the court came to mind and proved to be helpful. There were people who would interpret this in a different way though.
"(Huh?)"
So, I decided to try something different.
I was always in the wing position trying to widen out the court, but this time, I screened for Berry, ran behind to Artemis and put my hands up.
'Pass!'
I tried to give Lillard a signal with my eyes. I don't know if it's because the signal worked, but he saw me and passed the ball.
As I firmly grasped the ball with both my hands, I changed my stance to a pivot position.
"(No way, really? Can you pull that off?)"
"…"
As I said, there are some people who open their eyes and ears on the court in a different way. Artemis, for example, was trying to talk my ears off.
Artemis may be the most difficult person I've had to guard so far, but I had to realize that in the future, I would be defending against even better players.
It's important at this point to take it head on instead of shriveling away.
"(Huh?)"
The elbow position is a big part of the modern-day NBA.
Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love. These players used the elbow position more than anyone else. Because I've seen these players play hundreds, if not thousands of times, I started to utilize the elbow position as well.
At first, my high school coach never wanted to use this strategy but, realizing how efficient it was to make use of it, he changed his mind.
I do acknowledge the fact that America plays on a different level, but I have been playing basketball for quite a long time.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Artemis was so focused on stealing the ball and defending me, that he made the mistake of not being aware of his surroundings.
Kyle screened for Lillard from the top, allowing him to run to the bottom of the hoop. I matched this timing and bounce pass it to him, creating a cut-in play. Before Lillard easily tossed the ball into the hoop, the crowd was going wild.
40 : 40. The game was tied once again.
"(This is too easy. Don't you think so?)"
I was happy that I was able to say the same thing back to Artemis.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SECOND HALF 6 : 06
WSU 40 VS 48 TEAM GREAT
.
.
.
WSU 49 VS 48 TEAM GREAT
"(Timeout.)"
*FWEEEEEE* "(Timeout!)"
As the score was tied, the game's pace was getting faster.
The look in the eyes of the once cocky Team Great had changed, deciding to approach the game with a full-court press. However, Lillard was able to break through all their defensive plays, showing that they were losing stamina.
But I was also starting to get tired. When was the last time I ran like this? Because I've been focusing on my studies, I haven't been able to do any physical activities.
I noticed it was getting harder for me to defend Artemis in the last 2 plays.
"(Hey friend, you alright?)"
"Yep…"
How do I say in English that I could hold it out? As I asked David, he told Leon himself instead of telling me.
Unlike Team Great, who was able to switch out players, we've played with all 5 members for the whole 30 minutes. Although it isn't common to run the full 30 minutes, however, running nonstop was quite rare.
Leon, along with Lillard and Davion were all in the same situation as I was.
"(The remaining 9 minutes are going to be tough.)"
"…"
Stanley was pointing out the reality of our current situation.
"(So, we'll have to slow down our pace a little bit.)"
I also agreed with this idea. As you raise the pace of the game, timing your offensive plays is a popular trend in current basketball tactics.
However, in a situation like today, where all 5 players were running the whole game, can make it difficult to control that. So, it's wise to slow down the pace, utilizing and saving energy for the offensive plays.
Since basketball is a fair and even sport, slowing our offensive plays doesn't necessarily mean they'll have more chances to score.
"(Minhyuk, you're playing well into the second half of the game. In the wing, elbow and corners. You're doing good in all these areas. Thanks to you, they also have to pay attention to your plays now. So, we can go back to our original plan and use Leon as much as we can. Do you all understand?)"
It was unusual for me to see Stanley directly telling us what we were going to do. He wanted us to make the left side of the court the strong side, giving Leon a comfortable 1:1 situation on his side.
You can call it a simple isolation, but the cooperation of the remaining 4 members was crucial.
"(Leon is going to possess the ball here.)"
As Stanley was directing us, he told us the last few minutes we have left was the most important part of this game. The players started to focus on what he was saying more, asking a few questions here and there.
You could tell the players fully trusted Stanley's decisions, considering how focused everyone was.
I really liked this fact.
"(Try to focus more on each individual play. I know you boys are tired. But I also know you guys can focus and play it through. Everyone. Gather around. Wild cats on 3.)"
"(Wild cat?)"
Noticing my surprised look, Leon came over to me and explained with a smile.
"(That's WSU's nickname. Wow! You didn't even know that?)"
"(After you're officially enrolled, you're gonna have to pay for that big time!)"
"(You're a special student and didn't even look into that?)"
Immediately after, a few other guys criticized me. But I was more amazed by the fact that the WSU players already considered me a comrade.
"(Okay. So, it's one, two, three, wild cats?)"
"(Yup. Not at the same time as three, but after.)"
"(I was always curious about that too. So, 4 is wildcats? Then why do we say at 3?)"
"(Ugh, are we stuck on this issue again? Really?)"
Lillard jokingly shoved Davion Berry's shoulder and shook his head, lightening up the mood for everyone.
It was amazing to me that everyone was able to be so laid back, I felt it was because everyone believed in Damian Lillard. Each and every word he said contained a strange energy that gave all the players a boost.
If Lillard put his mind to it, it seemed like he could lead his team to victory.
"(Okay, then. One. Two. Three!)"
"(Wild cats!)"
As people clapped or bounced their balls, it increases my focus and energy.
The attack began at the out of bounds line, subbing in LG and Big Lazer in place of Parker and Ron. I've started to get used to their strange names.
"(You're always standing here. Don't you get tired of it?)"
I was also slowly getting used to Artemis' trash talk.
"(There's really nothing you do. You're gonna have to train pretty hard if you join WSU. Right? And I'm warning you, that's extremely difficult. You're gonna cry and beg to go back.)"
The fact that I couldn't understand half the things he was hurting my ears with was one reason I felt I could win this game today.
Keep running your mouth, I'm just going to play basketball.
How do I express this feeling?
As Lillard started to dribble, he glanced over at the shot-clock. It wasn't an official shot-clock. Instead, it was a huge digital clock with a timer on it.
I was positioned on the left-side corner with Davion Berry 45 degrees away from me. In between us, at the half-line, was Kyle. Lillard slowly made his way to the opposite end to posts up at a 60-degree angle and passed the ball to Leon.
Come to think of it, none of Lillard's passes today were intercepted.
He always had the perfect timing and the perfect place to pass. His penetration timing as well, along with his use of a screen. His decisions to shoot and at what angle was near perfect.
It may be possible that the Lillard's presence made me feel like I was playing at a higher level.
In reality, I found myself playing a bit more comfortably than I normally do.
"(He's on the move!)"
As I was thinking, Stanley yelled out toward us. That meant it was time for us to get moving.
Leon was in a 1:1 post up, which was a difficult situation for the opponents since he was also an above average player. When Lillard will graduate, Leon was going to be the main offensive player for WSU.
Even now when Leon started to dribble the ball, 2 of Team Great's players would defend him.
As LG ran toward Leon, who was guarding Lillard, the remaining Team Great players adjusted accordingly, focusing on where the ball was going to be passed.
"(Huh? Jaguar? Really?)"
Even as Artemis has seemed to figure us out, Kyle and I continued to move around busily.
From a 45-degree angle, Kyle screened for me as I evaded Artemis. In return, I screened once again for Davion Berry so he could break through his defense.
While Berry was on the move, Artemis began to scream out orders to his team.
"(Big L! Stick with Kyle! Devon! You're with Lillard!)"
The strategy known as Jaguar was when you use the 2:1 and try to great an opportunity for Berry, who was in the corner.
It was not always the same, but the first place we looked at was the corner. If that failed, it was up to Lillard to decide the next play.
Through this pattern, it opened up the area inside the 2-point line.
"(Huh? What's this?)"
But Stanley was a really clever guy.
Stanley was aware that Artemis was in the other team, and since Artemis knew of WSU's "jaguar" strategy, Stanley knew he'd be targeting me.
Usually, my role in this strategy would be me screening but, instead, I faked a screen and fell back to the outer area.
The ball that went to Davion's hands through Leon's pass which was connected to me, without any guard in front of me.
"(Take the shot!)"
"Shit!"
When it comes to the strengths of the best NBA team of the 2000's, the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan was asked a question.
["How are the Spurs able to stay strong for so long? This is what I'm trying to say. George Hill, DeJuan Blair. If they weren't on the Spurs, nobody would've known about them. So, tell me, Timmy. What is the secret?]"
At this question, one of the most honored NBA players of all time replied like this.
["It's simple, Wayne. It's because we have Gregg Popovich]"
An excellent coach had the ability to bring out the best of the players, even when they think they are just an average player. The day I agreed to go to L.A. to work out, my biggest appeal would've been my shooting.
But after the few bad experiences, learning that my shooting release was too slow, I felt as if I was stripped from my ability to play basketball at all.
However, if I was given a perfect chance like the one in front of me now.
*SWOOSH*
"Nice! That's how you do it! Great job, Minhyuk!!"
Just as David was reacting now, it's possible to excite people who are watching.
I always worry about a lot of things. Amongst so many talented people, I felt as if I have nothing to really offer to the table.
But, at this moment, I felt as if it was a huge blessing to be a part of WSU. If it's Stanley, I think it would be possible for me to grow and improve even more.
I know I have to put in just as much effort, but for the first time in my life, I met a coach that is deserving of my highest respect. Through this one play and the help the WSU team members, improvement seemed likely.
I came here with ambitions to become an NBA player.
What the goal is, and what I had to do to accomplish this.
The fact that I was able to realize this in itself was enough for me to show gratitude. And the fact that I put a crappy look on Freddy's face made me even happier.
Although there was still 6 minutes and 30 seconds left with only a 4-point difference, I felt like all this positivity and motivation running through me could be used as an energy boost to help me run.
*SWOOSH*
"(Huh?)"
"(Come on!)"
I pounded the ground with both of my hands, hyping up the crowd. Although I let Artemis take a jump shot over me, my teammates seemed to like the way I reacted.
How do I know this?
"(You've got a lot of nerve! I like it a lot!)"
As Lillard caught a pass from the out of bounds, he winked at us and showed us a smile.
"(So, should we close this one out?)"
And, for the last 6 minutes, he really took over the game.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
END OF GAME
WSU 66 : 58 TEAM GREAT
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone