Jinxes plague basketball teams

They say sport is like drama without a script, filled with triumph and despair. Nobody is certain how things will turn out in the end; down to the last second.
Some of the men’s basketball teams registered in the Korean Basketball League feel that they are jinxed at certain courts by specific teams ― anything is possible in sports.
TG Xers, currently ranked No. 1 in the league, always seem to play poorly in Anyang, Gyeonggi province, home of the SBS Stars. Even though the SBS Stars are struggling at the bottom of the league, the TG Xers have yet to win there this season. The TG Xers have beaten the SBS Stars three times this term, all on their home court. The three games in Anyang, including the 81-79 loss on Wednesday, have all resulted in losses for the TG Xers.
Tough luck? TG Xers’ secretary general, Kim Ji-woo, says the players just hate to play in Anyang. Reason? Unlike Wonju, home of the TG Xers, there’s not much of a crowd and the players have a hard time concentrating.
SBS Stars’ coach Jung Duk-hwa has a different view on his team’s winning record at home. “A few years ago, we encountered a physical fight on the court with the TG Xers, and ever since then my players have shown combative play against them,” says the coach.
On the other hand, the SK Knights, ranked eighth in the league and usually an easy target for most teams, show unusually strong play against seventh- ranked KTF Magic Wings. The SK Knights have tallied 16 wins and 32 losses this season. But against the KTF Magic Wings, they have won four games and lost only two.
Asked about SK Knight’s odd run of victories against the KTF Magic Wings, Park Hyung-do, the general secretary, replied that the team is extra motivated to win against KTF no matter what; the team’s mother companies, KTF and SK compete against each other in the communication industry.
Mr. Park said the fact that their coach, Lee Sang-yoon, once headed the KTF Magic Wings gives them an advantage.
Mobis Automons are scraping the bottom of the barrel after losing six games to the Samsung Thunders this season and five games each to TG Xers and ETland Blackslammers.
The Mobis Automons have never won against these three teams.
But even for the notorious Mobis Automons, there is a team that they can still beat with their hands tied behind their backs and their eyes closed. That team is no other than the SK Knights. Mobis Automons have amazingly won four games against the Knights and lost only one.
Orions coach Kim Jin, whose team has dropped all six matches to the TG Xers said, “The TG Xers are excellent outside shooters and even better with jumpers. No wonder we feel pressure.”^

by Choi Joon-ho