The Final Shot
The national team had closed a 17-point deficit all the way down to five.
By this point, both squads were completely gassed. The physical toll on Seo-jun in particular had been beyond imagination.
“Haa… haa…”
Seo-jun sat with a towel draped over his head, chest heaving. He hadn’t just played all thirty minutes—he had also locked down Iran’s main attacker, Bahrami, on defense while launching a staggering twenty-nine field goal attempts on offense. Even Coach Lee Jae-hak figured Seo-jun had to be at his limit.
“Seo-jun, you okay? If you’re tired, you can sit out the first two minutes of the fourth.”
But when their eyes met, Coach Lee flinched at the fire burning in Seo-jun’s gaze.
“I’m fine. Actually, I feel perfect right now.”
His eyes blazed as if the real show was only beginning. Coach Lee found himself nodding before he even realized it.
“R-right… All right, everyone, let’s do this! This is the real test! For the start of the quarter, focus more on defense than offense! Good defense creates good offense! Got it!?”
“Yes, Coach!”
Coach Lee Jae-hak clapped loudly, sending the players back onto the court with fresh energy. Iran was doing the same. They refused to let a 17-point lead slip away and were roaring their fighting spirit. And so the fourth quarter became a back-and-forth war.
Iran fought desperately to protect their lead. Korea fought just as hard to close the gap.
The seesaw battle continued until three minutes remained in the game. The score stood at 62–66. A four-point game.
Beep! Coach Lee Jae-hak, unable to hold back any longer, called one of their two remaining timeouts. He wasn’t even angry anymore. He was practically begging.
“Please! Please, just one! Just make one! How can you shoot eighteen threes and only make four!? Come on!”
……
“Hey, Shin Su-bin! Are you even listening to me!?”
Su-bin, who was 0-for-6 from three in this game, hung his head. Considering four of those misses had been wide-open looks, it was fair to say Su-bin was the one who had let this game get away from them.
“I’m sorry…”
“You don’t need to apologize to me…! Damn it. Seriously.”
Coach Lee wanted nothing more than to pull Su-bin, but he couldn’t afford to right now. Even though Su-bin was struggling on offense, he was still holding his own on defense. In this tactical stalemate, Coach Lee didn’t want to mess with the defensive balance.
Beeeep! The warning buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the timeout.
Coach Lee quickly turned to Heo Seung-won instead of Su-bin.
“Let’s cut it to a one-possession game first! Seung-won, you set up the offense! Run Pattern P-6 to create a mismatch and get Seo-jun the ball.”
“Yes, Coach!”
“Then…”
The players prepared to return to the court. Su-bin couldn’t hide his frustration. He wanted to make up for his mistakes, but only 2 minutes and 49 seconds remained. He doubted he would get a clean offensive possession.
The thought made him both angry and sad. Because for Su-bin, this game wasn’t just about military service benefits.
.
.
.
2 minutes and 49 seconds left.
A dizzying clutch time.
I drained an entire bottle of water, wiped away the sweat, and stood up.
“Hoo… hoo!”
The tension made even my breathing tremble. As I savored that thrilling pressure, Su-bin’s voice reached me from the side.
“I’m sorry, hyung.”
“Hm…?”
He bit his lip hard, looking ashamed.
“If I had played just a little better, we would’ve had the lead by now…”
“That’s how it goes for everyone. You don’t have anything to apologize for. And I always tell you, right? If you gave it your best, don’t apologize to anyone else. That kind of habit weakens your mentality, and that’s the worst. If you have time to feel sorry, use it to whip yourself into better shape instead. That’s the healthiest approach.”
“Yeah… I did give it my all. It’s our last game together, so I really wanted to play well…”
Maybe his motivation had been too much. I couldn’t help but smile.
“What? You were thinking something that thoughtful?”
“…”
“You’re usually so stoic, but you always overthink things like this.”
I draped an arm around his shoulders and spoke the same words I had once said to Jokic.
“Su-bin, today won’t be the last time we play together.”
“I know. There will be more national team games later.”
“Not that.”
“…?”
I paused for a moment.
“I believe you can make it to the stage where I am… to the NBA.”
“…!!”
Of course, it sounded like empty talk. Especially coming from someone who hadn’t even played a single NBA game yet. It was nothing more than nonsense, a delusion, pretty words.
But so what?
Weren’t wild, impossible dreams the very essence and romance of being an athlete?
If everyone simply accepted reality and chased only immediate gains, the Chinese league or the Saudi league would have become the best in the world. But that wasn’t the case. Countless players chose their dreams over money. They knew deep down they might never reach their goals, yet they charged forward recklessly and stubbornly.
“So don’t say today is the last time. It makes me look pathetic for believing I’ll see you in the NBA someday.”
“…Okay. Sorry.”
“I told you not to apologize.”
Beeeeep! The buzzer sounded, ending the timeout.
I patted Su-bin on the back and stepped onto the court.
“Let’s stay calm and finish this!”
The game resumed with our possession. Heo Seung-won began setting up the play exactly as the coach had instructed. Center Choi Ju-seong first stepped out to observe Hadadi’s movement.
As expected.
Hadadi once again chose drop-back defense, staying inside the paint. After confirming it, Seung-won passed me the ball. I came off Choi Ju-seong’s screen and evaluated my options—three-pointer or drive.
Screech! But my defender, Bahrami, executed the planned defense perfectly. Ignoring Choi Ju-seong’s screen entirely, he dropped back into the mid-range area to prevent any drive.
He’s sagging off me? Basically daring me to shoot the three?
Even though I was only 2-for-5 from three today, this was still incredibly bold. Forty percent was a perfectly respectable number. I rose up confidently.
But maybe it was because I had used too much energy. The shot didn’t feel right. Clang! The ball rattled off the inside of the rim and bounced out. Hadadi grabbed the rebound, and the ball returned to Iran.
“Tsk…! Defense!”
2 minutes and 43 seconds remained. From this point on, Iran began feeding the ball almost exclusively to Hadadi. They skipped complicated sets and simply threw entry passes to Hadadi in the left short corner, forcing him into one-on-one post-up battles against Choi Ju-seong. It was quite troublesome.
If we sent help defense, the only player who could do it was me—currently guarding Bahrami from the left elbow.
Thud! Thud! Choi Ju-seong was being pushed back by Hadadi’s power. After watching for an opening, I finally had to rotate over when Hadadi began his spin move. At that exact moment, Hadadi whipped the ball out to Bahrami at the 45-degree angle.
I scrambled over and reached out, but the ball had already left Bahrami’s hand.
Swish!
[………….]
Bahrami’s three-pointer silenced the entire arena like a library.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaa——!!”
Bahrami’s roar and the cheers from the Iranian bench shook the stadium. The score was now 62–69. A seven-point lead with 2 minutes and 25 seconds left. Korea had one timeout remaining. Iran had two.
“Haaaat…!”
Choi Ju-seong let out a breath mixed with fear.
“Ju-seong hyung.”
“…!”
His eyes wavered at my call.
“Can you make a mid-range jumper? If I draw the attention, you’ll get a wide-open look.”
“W-well…”
Choi Ju-seong couldn’t answer immediately. I nodded.
“Forget what I just said. …Seung-won hyung!”
I called Heo Seung-won and told him we didn’t need a screen. Since the opponent was ignoring screens anyway, it was better for Choi Ju-seong to stay near the basket and hunt offensive rebounds rather than setting screens.
“I’ll isolate and draw the defense. You take the mid-range jumper.”
“Okay.”
Heo Seung-won clenched his jaw and nodded. At least this guy had the biggest heart on the team. Above all, with military service on the line, he was playing like his life depended on it. In the ensuing counterattack, I used Bully Ball to shove Bahrami backward while intentionally drifting toward the top where Seung-won was waiting.
As expected, Masayeki—who was guarding Seung-won—immediately tried to double-team me. Seung-won seized the moment and cut to the right elbow. Thud! He caught my bounce pass and immediately launched an open mid-range jumper. If this had missed, things would have gotten ugly, but thump, swish! The ball caromed off the rim and dropped through.
“Let’s gooooo!”
Heo Seung-won roared. The score was now 64–69 with 2 minutes and 9 seconds left. On the next possession, Hadadi attempted another post-up. This time Choi Ju-seong fouled him, and Hadadi went to the line for two free throws, making only one. 64–70. Iran reached the 70-point mark first.
“Seo-jun, set me up again. I’ll take the shot.”
Heo Seung-won showed his fighting spirit. I nodded and ran the same set. I used Bully Ball to pressure Bahrami and draw out Masayeki, who was guarding Seung-won. But this time the opponent refused to be fooled twice and didn’t bite.
That’s what I was waiting for.
Swoosh, thud! I used a hesitation move as if I were passing, then exploded past Bahrami’s right side. Because I had intentionally drifted toward the center to pull Masayeki over, the middle of the floor was now completely open the moment I drove.
The reason I had struggled to drive today wasn’t just Hadadi’s presence—it was also the quick help defense from the players stationed in both short corners. But when attacking straight up the middle like this, the help from the sides was delayed, and neither Karami nor Apak could close out in time.
Of course, Iran defended with great focus. Apak quickly stepped up to cut off the passing lane to Choi Ju-seong, while Hadadi planted himself directly in front of me. But…
So what?
I maintained my speed and leaped. Hadadi’s defensive position was inside the no-charge zone, so an offensive foul wouldn’t be called. To stop me, he would have to jump too.
If you’re confident, try and block it…!
At that moment, Hadadi made his choice. He opted for a safe vertical contest. I subtly shifted past him and laid the ball up.
Thump! Swish! 66–70. Back to a four-point game. 1 minute and 37 seconds remained.
Sweat poured down my body. I had secretly been hoping for an and-one. That would have cut the lead to three points—a one-possession game. But…
They must be at peak concentration too.
Instead of risking the and-one, they chose to preserve the two-possession gap. It was an instantaneous, correct decision.
“D—efense! D—efense!”
“Stop them no matter what!!”
“Lock him down!!”
But then—beep! Hadadi drew another foul from Choi Ju-seong and earned two more free throws. Now with four fouls, Choi Ju-seong grimaced. Hadadi stepped to the line for two shots.
“Boooooo——!!”
Boos rained down. In the midst of it, clang! The first free throw missed. Given Hadadi’s career free-throw percentage in the 60s, it was entirely possible he would miss both. But swish! He made the second, making the score 66–71. A five-point game. 1 minute and 22 seconds remained.
Coach Lee Jae-hak hesitated to use their final timeout. As I headed to the other court while thinking about the next offensive set, a determined voice stopped me.
“Seo-jun hyung.”
“…!”
Our eyes met, and countless emotions crossed between us. With just that glance, I understood exactly what he wanted to say. I nodded and asked Heo Seung-won for the ball. It was the same pattern again—use Bully Ball to draw Masayeki out, then kick it to Seung-won for an open mid-range jumper. Or drive up the middle.
Once again, Masayeki refused to be pulled out. However, their subsequent rotations were much sharper. Bahrami stuck to me like glue on the drive, Hadadi quickly stepped forward past the no-charge zone to form an iron wall, and Apak completely sealed the passing lane to Choi Ju-seong.
“Hup!”
“Stay focused!”
“Don’t foul!”
Three players surrounded me. But there was one gap. It had been the same on the previous possession. Su-bin had even mentioned it himself.
I’m open.
“Hup…!”
I jumped and fired a kick-out pass to that spot.
Su-bin caught the ball, stared straight at the rim, and launched a three-pointer. For a moment, the entire arena seemed to hold its breath. Swish! Only after the ball passed through the net did the explosive cheers erupt.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa!!”
“Shin—Su-bin! Shin—Su-bin!”
Su-bin’s first three-pointer of the game. He let out a sigh of relief and ran back on defense. The score was now 69–71. A two-point game—the closest it had been since the first quarter.
1 minute and 4 seconds left.
Iran used one of their two remaining timeouts.
Combined rating across three networks: 56.2 percent.
The attention on this game was enormous. It was only natural after they had erased a 17-point deficit and brought it down to two. Thud! The Iranian coach slammed the clipboard in rage, berating his players.
“You can’t even guard one player!? What kind of embarrassment is this!? We had so many chances to pull away! How did it come to this—one possession again!?”
……
“We cannot lose like this! Gather up, quickly!”
The Iranian coach held up the clipboard and called out pattern plays. Coach Lee Jae-hak watched him with a sharp gaze. He, too, was burning with competitive fire.
I need to do my job as a coach too.
Ever since Seo-jun had joined, he had focused mainly on managing the team. But now it was time to show why he was the head coach. He gathered the players and gave them two specific instructions.
“Understood?”
“Yes, Coach!”
The game resumed. Iran attempted their predetermined pattern play to stretch the lead back to two possessions. This time Hadadi came out to set a screen instead of staying in the post. Iran moved the ball quickly, trying to create an opening, but the moment the ball reached Hadadi—thud! The nearest defender immediately committed a foul.
“…!”
The Iranian coach’s eyes widened. Hadadi looked troubled. Even the commentators shouted.
[It's a foul! Our national team is currently in the team foul bonus, so… Hadadi will be awarded two free throws! Mr. Seo, was this a mistake?]
[It's a strategy. Looking at Iran's previous possession, it seems Coach Lee Jae-hak judged that Hadadi's free throws are quite shaky right now.]
[He's been missing one after another!]
[Yes. Coach Lee seems to believe the probability of Hadadi missing at least one of two is higher than him making both. He could miss both, of course. In any case, if he only makes one, the score difference becomes three points—a one-possession game.]
[Ah! So it's a deliberate foul strategy to keep it at one possession!]
[It's also meant to disrupt the pattern play Iran was trying to run. Still, it's a gamble. If he makes both, it becomes meaningless. And even if he makes one, we're still giving up a point. In my opinion, the best option would have been to defend cleanly and force a miss.]
Hadadi stood at the free-throw line as murderous boos poured down on him. Swish! He made the first one.
[Aha… it goes in. 69–72. Three-point lead.]
[We need to get ready for the rebound.]
[Yes. Before the second shot, Heo Seung-won is coming out and small forward Ahn Sung-hak is checking in.]
[…?]
Seo Jung-hoon immediately caught on. Instead of keeping Seo-jun in for rebounding, they had pulled Seung-won to insert a fresh rebounding specialist.
[This means they're going to push the tempo no matter whether this goes in or not, right?]
[What!?]
[By putting Hadadi on the free-throw line, they're not only running the foul strategy but also making it difficult for him to get back on defense for a fast break.]
[Then… ah! Second shot!]
Swish! The ball left his hand. But clang! It hit the inside of the rim and bounced up. This time Hadadi didn’t immediately retreat. Instead, he unconsciously drifted toward the basket, hoping a teammate would secure the rebound. They didn’t miss the opportunity.
Thud! Im Ju-chan grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Su-bin, who was already spacing out to the side.
“Hyung!”
Su-bin fired a beautiful cross-court pass to Seo-jun, who was sprinting down the opposite wing.
“Stop him!”
“Krr…!”
Bahrami gritted his teeth and chased after Seo-jun. He used the fact that he had inside position. Since Seo-jun was running along the right sideline, even if Bahrami was slightly behind, he would still meet him near the basket.
Tap! Tap! Bahrami reached the rim first and leaped. Seo-jun charged straight at him.
Got him!
Bahrami had successfully cut off the front of Seo-jun’s driving path. At this rate, Seo-jun would have to worry about the block and wouldn’t be able to shoot properly. Bahrami raised his arms high to contest the shot path, careful not to foul. But Seo-jun didn’t release the ball immediately.
Having driven from the right 45-degree angle, Seo-jun used his momentum. He gave the ball a quick extra dribble, sliced past Bahrami’s side, and under the basket, released the ball as his body began to fall.
[Lee Seo-jun's knuckle clutch——!!]
Thump, thump! Swish! The ball rattled off both sides of the rim and fell through.
[It goes iiiiiin——!! 71–72! One-point game! 42 seconds left!]
[Iran is pushing straight ahead! Everyone stay focused!]
Iran tried to counter in transition. But our players quickly got back and set their defense, forcing Iran to waste ten meaningless seconds before they were forced to use their final timeout.
[I really have no idea how this game is going to end! Only 32 seconds left! Mr. Seo, should they use the foul strategy again?]
[Getting hit with a three here would make the situation extremely difficult, so it's worth considering… but no, I think normal defense is the right move this time.]
[The tension is incredible. I hope our players can pull through…!]
The game resumed. With 14 seconds left on the shot clock, Iran once again gave the ball to Hadadi. At that moment, Coach Lee Jae-hak made his decision.
“Go!”
At his signal, Seo-jun immediately double-teamed Hadadi. Hadadi quickly passed to Bahrami at the left 45. But the national team had already anticipated this and rotated their defense. The players shifted one spot over, taking away the open look.
Iran responded calmly. Bahrami swung the ball to Masayeki at the top, who passed to Apak, who then fed Karami in the right corner after shaking off Su-bin. It should have been an open three, but Seo-jun had already recovered.
“Kk…!?”
Startled, Karami couldn’t get the three off immediately. The shot clock had dropped to 2.6 seconds. Karami forced a shot at the last moment, but thwack! Seo-jun’s finger tipped it, sending the ball high into the air as a loose ball. By the time it came down, beeeeeep! the buzzer sounded, and a shot-clock violation was called.
[Turnover! Turnoveeeer! Iran's offense fails! Timeout—South Korea's ball!]
[Well done! Really well done!]
The score remained 71–72. 18 seconds left. Coach Lee Jae-hak called timeout with trembling fingers. This was one of the biggest clutch moments of his entire coaching career.
“Th… there’s still time! Stay calm and build the play! Seung-won will handle the ball first… then Seo-jun will create space…!”
Coach Lee called the play. But Iran was also filled with venom. The moment Heo Seung-won passed to Seo-jun, Masayeki clamped down and double-teamed him.
“Kk…!”
Seo-jun immediately returned the ball to Seung-won. An open look appeared for Seung-won, but he couldn’t pull the trigger. There were still 11 seconds left, and he didn’t have the nerve to shoot. In the end, he drew Masayeki toward him and passed back to Seo-jun. Seven seconds remained.
No choice.
Seo-jun chose to drive. Drawing a foul here would be fine. Two free throws—if he made both, the game was over. Even one would tie it. It was the same situation as the clutch moment against KK Partizan. The opponent knew that too, so they couldn’t contest recklessly.
Thud! The moment Seo-jun caught the ball—before the double could arrive—he forced his way past Bahrami and charged toward the rim. Suddenly the paint was completely packed. With only a one-point lead, Iran was desperate to protect the restricted area. But…
Precisely because of that, there was one completely open spot.
Haha…
Seo-jun felt like this was fate. Just like how he had caught Su-bin’s pass at the end of the third quarter and buried a beautiful three…
Swish! A pass whipped out to the right.
“Finish it, Su-bin!”
Su-bin, who caught the ball, seemed to be thinking the exact same thing. Even in this trembling moment, the corner of his mouth curled up into a smile. 3.4 seconds left.
“Hup!”
Swish! A three-point attempt in a one-point game.
Just promise me one thing! Threes and defense! You’re going to master those two, got it? Nothing but threes and defense! Then it doesn’t matter if you go to Serbia with me.
Got it. I’ll do it so perfectly that you won’t have anything to complain about, hyung.
This shot symbolized the one year and four months Su-bin and Seo-jun had spent together. After releasing the ball, Su-bin clenched both fists tightly.
Swish!
“Uwaaaaaaaaa——!!”
[It gooooooes in!]
[Reversal! Reeeversal!]
An earthquake of cheers erupted, but the game wasn’t over yet. 1.4 seconds remained. Iran had no timeouts left.
“Get back!”
All the players sprinted down the court. Hadadi snatched the inbound and tried to throw a long pass, but Seo-jun—who had stayed focused after the offensive rebound battle—flailed his arm and deflected the outlet pass. Hadadi, now under the five-second rule, looked for someone to pass to. He eventually forced a long throw, but thwack! Seo-jun’s fingertip once again grazed the underside of the ball. At the same time, the 1.4 seconds vanished.
As the ball was still in the air, beeeeeeeeeep! the final buzzer sounded.