User talk:"It's hard, but it's okay," says Kim Dan-bi on 'triple-double' even when not in top form
"Last Assist, Game-Winner, Means a Lot" in Woori Bank's Opening Day Victory
Kim Dan-bi (center) celebrates
Kim Dan-bi (33, Woori Bank), who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of both the regular season and championship game of the Women's Professional Basketball League last season, heralded her time in the new season with a dominant performance in the first game of the new season.
Kim poured in a game-high 32 points to go along with 17 rebounds and 10 assists for her first triple-double of the season in the official opening home game of the 2023-2024 regular season against BNK at the Asan Yi Sunshin Gymnasium on Friday.
Playing an integral role in helping Woori Bank tie the game at 64-64 with 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, when the game was starting to slip away from them, Kim continued her performance in overtime, although she was unable to make the final shot to tie the game.
In particular, her final assist with a 70-68 lead in the closing seconds, when she deftly dished the ball to Goara for a three-pointer, not only completed her triple-double, but completely changed the outcome of the game.
With her three blocked shots on the night, Kim also surpassed the 500 blocked shot milestone for her career. The 500th blocked shot is the second-most in WNBA history, behind only the all-time leader Lee Jong-ae (retired-862).
"It's always tough to go to overtime on the opening night, so I'm glad we were able to start the season with a win," Kim said. "We'll have to look at today's game and prepare for what didn't go well and work on it for the next game."
Kim, who traveled to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games prior to this season, has made a name for himself with his physical play, even though he's still not back to full strength.
"When I was practicing, I couldn't make the plays I wanted to make, and I couldn't get my passing accuracy or shot balance right, so it was hard. I couldn't recover, so I couldn't wake up," he said, adding, "I'm still not 100 percent because of the aftermath of the national team, but I'm doing it because I have to."
"It's very hard, but it's okay," she said cheerfully, emphasizing that "in the end, training is the answer." "I think I need to practice the plays that I can do a little more leisurely and concisely through practice," she said.
"I knew about the triple-double during the postgame interview," he said, "but the last assist was the game-winner, so it was even more meaningful." 19가이드03
