Seoul SK’s foreign center Leon Williams was on the bench for 39 minutes and 47 seconds in the second leg of the 2022-2023 SKT Adot Pro Basketball Quarterfinal Playoff held in Changwon on the afternoon of the 16th. With 13 seconds left in the game, Jameel Warney was sent off for five fouls메이저놀이터, finally stepping on the court.
Changwon LG succeeded in a 91-90 comeback with Kim Jun-il’s free throw. SK’s assault leader Kim Seon-hyeong launched the final attack. There was a hassle during the screen process, and Kim Seon-hyung threw a difficult shot, but the ball missed the rim.
At this time, Leon Williams appeared. In a situation where SK’s defeat was imminent due to Kim Sun-hyeong’s shot failure, he got an offensive rebound and immediately scored under the goal. With 0.6 seconds remaining, SK overturned the score to 92-91. At that moment, LG coach Cho Sang-hyeon sat down on the floor as if his legs were loosening.
Coach Cho Sang-hyun said after the game, “I want the players to know the value of one rebound. The players did their best, but I hope they learn a lesson from this game. It’s very unfortunate.”
Leon Williams attended the Distinguished Player press conference after only running 13 seconds. His record was 2 points and 1 rebound. However, his record saved SK and led to a valuable result of two consecutive victories in Changwon.
Under the system of having two foreign players and participating in one, Leon Williams’ role in the team is not large. Leading scorer Warney gets most of the playing time.
But Leon Williams understands the team situation. And always ready. At the end of the regular season in the 2021-2022 season when Warney was injured, he performed brilliantly as if he was waiting for an opportunity, and also boasted outstanding skills in the East Asian Super League (EASL) in March, when two foreign players were allowed to participate.
Leon Williams said, “I always stay mentally immersed in the game. Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate on the game just sitting on the bench. In those cases, I keep my concentration while encouraging my teammates. Even if I go in at the last minute, I can do something enough. I think it is. If you think too much that you can’t play, it can be adversely affected when you enter the game.”
There was another hero in the second game of SK. While Jameel Warney played the role of an ace with 40 points, veteran shooter Heo Il-young scored 24 points and gave SK a lot of strength. SK d
Jeon Hee-cheol, SK coach, said, “LG has prepared a lot.” The defense that checks Kim Seon-hyeong’s breakthrough line has become stronger, and the timing to assist Warney in defense has become bolder. Because of this, SK did not have enough space to attack. That’s why we struggled in the first half.
So, director Jeon Hee-chul brought out a trump card. He brought in shooter Heo Il-yeong at the start of the third quarter. With Heo Il-yeong in, one side of LG’s defense becomes burdened with helping defense under the goal. It was too dangerous to leave the space in front of Heo Il-yeong empty.
Coach Jeon Hee-chul said, “When the opponent plays the 3-guard, we respond with the 3-guard, but Il-young Heo is a bit slow. Instead, when Il-young Heo starts to explode, the opponent gets into trouble. I told them to follow Yoon Won-sang, who doesn’t do much.”
We minimized the risk in defense and instead tried to maximize Heo Il-young’s strengths. Heo Il-young understood the plan of his bench and carried it out perfectly. He drove in 8 points in the 4th quarter, which became a decisive force for SK to overturn a 10-point deficit at the beginning of the 4th quarter.
Heo Il-young said, “I didn’t shoot many shots in the first game. There were also times when I didn’t get a chance. My shooting sense was still good. When a chance came, I thought to throw it confidently. no,” he said. It’s like a veteran who knows how to play a big game.
anced as Heo Il-young exploded, just as he did in the second game of the playoffs against Jeonju KCC.