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U.S. Dream Team Dazzles Against Korea

Posted August. 16, 2006 03:02,   

한국어

The gym was filled with feverish excitement. The air conditioner was of no use in front of the enthusiastic cheering of 12,477 fans. The fans, bathed in perspiration, cheered the players vigorously from beginning to the end, watching the entire performance and fanning themselves with their hand and fans.

The result seemed meaningless; the basketball game which was held on Korean National Liberation Day only left a strong image of a gorgeous game with star players.

The final game of the World Basketball Challenge (WBC) was held in Jamsil Stadium on August 15 between Korea and the U.S.A.

The Korean team, which replaced many of its members with young players, struggled vigorously against the American “Dream Team,” which consisted of NBA stars, but was unable to overcome the great gap.

The margin grew as time went by, and the American team overpowered the Korean team throughout the game. LeBron James, the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft, successfully threw down a slam dunk thanks to an alley-oop pass from Dwyane Wade, the MVP of NBA Finals last season, in the middle of the third quarter and got a round of applause from the fans. The final score was 63-116, a complete annihilation of Korea.

The first quarter ended at 13-22, owing to Kim Ju-seong who scored eight points in the beginning of the game. But the Korean team lagged behind from the second quarter; it was stuffed with an all-court pressing defense by the American team and could only rely on three-point shooting, finishing the first half down 32-65.

The American team tried various kinds of tactics such as a zone defense at the end of the game, and they showed off their solid teamwork which displayed to the utmost each individual’s talent, strict defense, and marvelous spirit to not even give up one loose ball.

The MVP of the game was James, who received most of the spotlight. He only played 19 minutes, but was outstanding and scored 23 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had four steals, including five powerful dunks.

The Korean team, led by Bang Sung-yoon who played in NBA D-league and scored 21 points, lost all four games in the WBC against Italy, Turkey, and Lithuania, as well as U.S.A., but found potential in young players such as Kim Min-su, Kim Jin-su and Ha Seung-Jin.

The American team will visit Camp Casey, a military camp in Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province on August 16, and leave Korea on August 17 to participate in World Basketball Challenge, which will be held in Japan, on August 19.



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