“Isn’t it supposed to film ‘Carrot’ rather than the movie ‘Rebound’? I think this is more fun.”
In the locker room ahead of the first sortie of the semi-final playoffs between Goyang Carrot and Anyang KGC of professional basketball, Carrot coach Kim Seung-gi trembled like this. His words are not an exaggeration. This season, Carrot wrote drama in every game after advancing to PO after twists and turns.
Carrot put an end to the long spring basketball campaign with KGC and Game 4 on the 19th. Since the beginning of this month, he has played 9 games without a break, and the physical burden on the players has already increased. The match was lost, but the fans gave a standing ovation to the players who did their best until the end.
Unlucky ace Jeon Seong-hyeon was the first to grab the microphone after the game. He was active until the middle of the regular season and was even mentioned as a candidate for MVP, but he could hardly play PO games due to sudden hearing loss. Jeon Seong-hyun said, “I received so much love this season,” and after thanking the fans, “This year is not the end. We ask for your support and interest in the future.”
But Carrot’s future is still unclear. Carrot, who was newly launched by taking over Goyang Orion last year, suffered from ‘money problems’ throughout the season. As Day One Sports, the operating entity, announced the suspension of club operations at the end of the regular season, the situation reached a tipping point. I was in a crisis of not being able to advance to the PO even if I ranked in the ranks because I couldn’t pay the KBL subscription fee on time. It was difficult to raise funds and raised the PO, but financial difficulties continued. Players’ salaries were delayed, as well as food expenses. Carrot said, “Since the end of last year, we have been negotiating a sale with a company based in Pohang.”
Even in difficult situations, the players showed their fighting spirit. In the 6th round PO, they had a come-from-behind upset against Ulsan Hyundai Mobis. Carrot, who was driven to the edge of a cliff after losing the first and third games in the 6th round, won the 4th game and returned the game to the starting point. In the 5th game that followed, they overcame extreme odds and won the right to advance to the semifinals with 3 wins and 2 losses. It was a miraculous victory considering that the probability of a team that lost the first round of the previous POs reaching the semifinals is only 5.9%.
Carrot did not die easily in the semifinals against KGC, who was likely to win the championship this season. In the first game, after being humiliated with the “highest margin of defeat ever”, he immediately took revenge in the second game. Lee Jung-hyun, who emerged as the team’s ace after advancing to the PO, counterattacked by bombing a whopping 32 points. 메이저놀이터
Fans also supported Carrot with amazing unity. Regarding the unfortunate news that food expenses had been cut off, fans voluntarily collected donations to pay tribute to the players, such as eel rice bowl and Outback. It filled the spectators’ seats and created orange waves, the symbol color of Carrot. Even though three of the PO home games were held on weekdays, the average attendance was 2,801. Officials also said, “It is hard to believe that the firepower gathered after 7 months of establishment” was unanimous.