May 17, 2025
While my knees trembled, the 23-year-old shooting guard showed great composure. What a clutch moment, I thought, as I clasped my “night, night” poster nervously in my hands.
Under suffocating pressure, Yu Kisang sank two sets of free throws with 18 and 8 seconds remaining, respectively, giving the Changwon LG Sakers a four-point lead over the SK Knights in game 7 of the KBL Championship.
But the 8.5 seconds left in the shot clock was still a lot of time for SK to tie and even win the match.
Why did I think that? Two words: Reggie Miller.
I vividly remember Miller scoring 8 points in 9 seconds in a 1995 NBA playoff game that led to a stunning victory for the Indiana Pacers over the New York Knicks.
This memory constantly serves as a reminder that no lead is ever safe. Especially when the other team boasts three KBL Best Five players.
Jameel Warney hitting a triple and drawing a foul to tie the game, and then Kim Sun-Hyung stealing an inbound pass to sink the game-winning shot was a scenario that crossed my mind.
Isn’t it more stressful and nerve-wracking when your team is in the lead?
Luckily, Warney missed the three-point shot. The clock ran out, buzzer sounded, whistle blown. Game over.
For the first time in its 27-year history, and the last KBL club to do so, the LG Sakers became the 2024-2025 Korean Basketball League Champions.
Changwon LG Sakers, welcome to the show!
From the End of the Bench 
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