‘I rested well. Let’s wait for the second half.’
‘2022~2023 SKT A-Dot Professional Basketball’ finished the All-Star Game break and resumed operation in the second half. During the one-week break, the first half was already forgotten. Each team and players are committed to a new challenge in the second half of the year and a fierce battle for records and rankings. Around the break of the All-Star Game, a new competitive structure of star players was created, and some teams are aiming for a great leap forward in the second half through a power reshuffle. The top-ranking teams who wanted to take on a new challenge against Anyang KGC’s solo system, which had not been broken throughout the first half, also began sharpening their ‘knives’. Along with this, the competition for personal records is expected to heat up with the emergence of a new best player in the All-Star Game 3-point shot and dunk shot contest. The Korean Basketball League (KBL) league, which started anew in the second half of the year, has a variety of ingredients to stimulate the appetite of basketball fans.
▶ ‘Popular man’ vs ‘Fire man’ 온라인바카라
An interesting competitive landscape has formed. This season’s most ‘popular man’ Heo Ung (30, KCC) and ‘fireman’ Jeon Seong-hyeon (32, Carrot). Before the All-Star Game, Heo Woong boasted high popularity by ranking first in fan voting for two consecutive seasons. Jeon Seong-hyun showed off the firepower of an all-time 3-point shooter and emerged as the best ‘hot player’. The joys and sorrows of the two were mixed in the MVP selection in the third round right before the break. Backed by Heo Ung’s outstanding performance, KCC’s third round record was 6-3, and Jeon Seong-hyun’s Carrot, who had a record-breaking 3-point shot, was 3-6. Considering the weight of the team’s performance, Heo Ung seemed to have an advantage, but Jeon Seong-hyun’s ‘firepower impact’ was strong, so the MVP went to Jeon Seong-hyun. At the All-Star Game, the joys and sorrows were divided again. In the three-point shooting contest, Heo Ung and Jeon Seong-hyun faced off in the semifinals. Jeon Seong-Hyun’s advantage was expected, but Heo Woong easily beat Jeon Seong-Hyeon and even won the championship in the finals. Of course, the 3-point shot during the game and the 3-point shot at the contest are different, but the possibility that attention will be focused on the firepower competition between the two in the second half has increased. As of the 18th, Jeon Seong-hyun took first place with an average of 4.1 three-point shots, and Heo Ung tied for third with an average of 2.5 and was in the pursuit range. Here, Jeon Seong-hyun, who is writing a record of 72 consecutive 3-point shots and 16 consecutive 3-point shots for the first time ever, plans to continue the record-breaking march. Heo Woong has an average of 4.7 (5th) in assists as well as 3-point shots, chasing first place Kim Seon-hyung (6.1, SK). The main attraction in the second half of the year is Lens Abando (KGC)’s block shot competition, which showed NBA-level dunk shooting skills with the elasticity of ‘dehumanization’ despite being the shortest (1m88) among the participating players in the All-Star Game Dunk Contest. Currently, Abando has an average of 1.1 block shots, tied for first place with 2m foreign players Jamil Warney (SK) and Didric Lawson (Carrot). It is a phenomenal ‘incident’ that a player in his 1m80s is aiming for the No. 1 block shot.
▶ Win-win effect + KGC solo play?
The team that made the biggest change before and after the break period was Seoul Samsung, which was at the bottom. They replaced two foreign players at once and brought Choi Seung-wook instead of sending Lim Dong-seop through a trade with Changwon LG. In addition, Kim Moo-seong, who had no opportunity to participate in Carrot, was recruited for free. The effect of simultaneous replacement of foreign players has already been proven by Suwon KT. After performing simultaneous replacements in the 3rd round, KT once won 6 consecutive wins and jumped up to the competition in the 6th round. Despite having ‘A-class’ guards such as Kim Shi-rae and Lee Jung-hyun, Samsung, which did not see the mercenary effect, eventually gave up the game and is dreaming of a ‘rebellion at the bottom’ in the second half of the year through reorganization during the break. Goyang Carrot also turned off the fire in a hurry. Instead of expelling Demetrius Treadwell, who had insufficient content, he caught Jonathan Alledge, who was playing for Samsung. For Carrot, who has eased the burden of Lawson’s ‘struggling’, it is an opportunity to double the ‘Jeon Seong-hyun effect’. A new Filipino player also joined. KT transfused Ildefonso, and Jeonju KCC transfused Epistola. In particular, KCC, which suffered from the worries of the leading guard and the physical burden of the main members, is ready to jump into the competition for the semifinals beyond the semifinals as it has completed recharging through the recruitment of the Philippine guard and a break. The competition to catch KGC is also heating up. While KGC led the way throughout the first half, LG chased after by 3.5 games, winning 7 consecutive away matches against DB in Wonju on the 17th. Here, LG, Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, and Seoul SK, which are 1.5 game cars, are aiming for an opportunity to explore. Although tied for 5th place, the challenge of Carrot and KCC, which started the winning streak mode again, is forming a game that cannot be ignored.