[루키=울산, 이동환 기자] Could the miracle of April happen?
The DB started to stretch again. Wonju DB Promy won 86-82 in the match against Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Pivot in the 5th round of the 2020-2021 Hyundai Mobis Professional Basketball Regular League held at the Ulsan Dongcheon Gymnasium on the 6th.
On the 4th, Hyundai Mobis made a 15-point reverse game against KCC on the 4th. Against this kind of Hyundai Mobis, DB once took a 19-point lead and won the game. In the fourth quarter, he struggled to defend Hyundai Mobis and allowed a reversal, but after that, he showed his backside and turned the game over and was able to win the first game of the 5th round.
DB is showing a marked rise in the fourth round. With the return of veterans Tae-Sul Kim and Ho-Young Yoon, the operation of the game began to stabilize, and the competitiveness of the foreign athletes made up of Yante Mayton and Justin Knox rose noticeably. During the All-Star break, Du Gyeong-min, who suffered from back injuries and gastroenteritis, is also making a big success again as his physical condition improves. Kim Jong-gyu is also getting through the pain of the heel injury that has plagued him throughout the season.
With a victory against Hyundai Mobis on the 6th, DB achieved their third straight win this season and recorded 6-4 in their recent 10 games. After the game, coach Sang-beom Lee laughed, saying, “Compared to last year, it’s not a big deal… I won a streak after a long time.”
Still, the DB season is not over. The current DB season performance is 13 wins and 24 losses. The win rate is still only 35.1%. However, the gap with the six strongholds is gradually narrowing. Ride against 6th place KT (18-18) is currently 5.5 games.
The DB players and manager Lee Sang-beom have not let go of hope. He is committed to sprinting for the rest of the season.
Director Sang-beom Lee left the saying, “We are no longer behind.”
“From now on, I have to think about one match and one match as the final. If it was the original, I would have thoroughly managed the time for the players to play. But not now. It’s a back-to-back schedule for today and tomorrow. Today’s starters would have managed to play for about 20 minutes, but the situation is different now. Today and tomorrow, we are trying to put our best efforts on it. Now we have to put everything we have and play one game, one game. “
The’mind that does not give up’ is acting as a big driver for the DB team.
When asked by the reporters whether they still have hope for advancement to the semifinals, Kim Jong-gyu asked with a sincere expression, “Wouldn’t we be able to go up if we win all the remaining games?”
“No one of our players thinks the season is over. If we thought that way, the match like today (Hyundai Mobis) would have been unconditionally lost.”
“I know it’s numerically difficult. But it’s not over yet. The players are returning one by one, and everyone’s getting in shape. I think there’s a clear possibility. We and the manager want a playoff too. “It’s not about the next few games, but just one match in front of me, one match in front of me is really important. We have to play with that thought.”
The key will be how to overcome the upcoming’Kim Jong-gyu hiatus’.
Kim Jong-gyu will be selected soon for the Asian Cup qualifying schedule. Starting on February 13, Kim Jong-gyu is expected to be away for about a month. Other teams also suffered significant losses from the Asian Cup qualifying rounds, but the selection of Kim Jong-gyu is definitely a blow from the standpoint of a DB that does not have many reliable resources available to Big Man’s. Kim Jong-gyu also said, “While I’m on the national team, it’s the key. Actually, I’m a little worried.”
In the end, it is a DB that has to hold on to the gums and win 1 and 1 wins. Kim Jong-gyu’s vacancy must be filled somehow by using Ho-young Yoon, Kang-ryul Bae, and Hyun-seok Seo. Fortunately, Doo Gyeong-min and Heo-woong are getting better and better, and the foreign team is very stable unlike the first half, so the odds are clear. Kim Hyun-ho, who left the team due to Achilles tendon surgery, is also preparing to return from the end of February.
There are still 17 matches left in the DB. In April, when the regular season is over, can DB create a miracle?
Photo = courtesy of KBL