The Championship Is In Our Hands

“Leave it to us.”

In the 2004-2005 Anycall Pro-basketball Championship Finals (best-of-seven), the TG Xers currently have a 3-2 lead over the KCC Egis.

The Xers’ Kim Ju-sung (26) and Egis’ Cho Sung-won (34) are the key players of their respective teams that will meet in Game Six at Wonju on April 17. They resemble each other in that both are the key to their team`s success. TG wins when Kim Ju-sung has an exemplary performance, while the same goes for KCC should Cho Sung-won display brilliance on the court.

Suffering from a bloated right ankle and accompanying pain due to a previous injury, Kim Ju-sung said on April 15, "I`m just putting in my best efforts for the competition. I still feel pain, but I don`t feel it when I start playing." Cho Sung-won, who transferred from Jeonju to Wonju, responded, "TG hopes to finish the series in Game Six. But we`ve been planning to make it to the seventh game since the beginning."

As displayed up till the Game Five, it is a certain fact that the outcome of the game will depend on those two players.

Possessing a height of 205 centimeters, Kim Ju-sung represents height. The 180-centimeter-tall Cho is shorter, but his outside shot is faster and more precise. The two characteristics of the players were highlighted in this 2004-2005 championship match up.

The Xers won games one and two. Kim Ju-sung grabbed more than 10 rebounds in both, but the Xers lost the next two games when he only made five and two rebounds. On the other hand, Cho Sung-won, who only scored 13 and 12 points in games one and two, scored 27 and 18 points in games three and four. In short, the victory of each game was directly determined by the performance of these two players.

Looking forward to Game Six, Kim Ju-sung said, “There will be more chances for my team and myself if I move in and out a lot,” indicating the next game will be determined by physical strength. On the other hand Cho Sung-won said, “I am playing in the third and forth quarters as a shooter in critical points. I am focusing on improving my concentration in order to increase the success rate of my shots.”

Kim Ju-sung won the Rookie of the Year award in the 2002-2003 season, and he won the regular season MVP award in 2003-2004. Cho Sung-won has played in 35 Championship Final games, the leader in that category. Victory in Game Six is up to them.

Won-Hong Lee bluesky@donga.com