Our winners, KT Rolster!
Q: How do you feel after 5 consecutive wins in the playoffs?
A: Completing 5 consecutive wins made me feel really agitated. The people close to me all asked me if I took drugs to have played so well and told me that if I indeed took drugs, I should take them during the regular season too (laughs). I wasn't sent out much during the middle of the season, so I saved it all in order on this display and shine brightly during the playoffs. I'm proud of myself.
Q: What's your motivation to practice?
A: Coming into the playoffs, the amount of practice became relatively big. Perhaps this is the reason behind our players winning so often. We've also accumulated a lot of experience from last season's playoffs.
Q: You won both your ZvZs against Samsung Khan
A: Khan's protosses are very strong, so I practiced my vP more. However, I was matched up against zergs, which was really regrettable. My luck was very good during the matches, be it my openings or scouting patterns. Moreover, the coaches also helped me out greatly in analyzing my opponents' strategies.
Q: There's a high likelihood of facing the other races against SKT
A: Even if I am matched up against the other races, I'd have sufficient practice. Everyone thinks that I'm not good at non-mirror matches, but given my great momentum now, I think I can win (laughs). I want to show everyone that I can beat the other races too in the match against SKT.
Q: Hoejja is the mood maker
A: I like to joke around with the younger players and the head coach treats me very well. Although I like to make mischief, I'm not 4th dimension [T/N: This question/answer also reads awkwardly in chinese. 4th dimension is a colloquial referring to eccentricism akin to being from another dimension, I believe. Horang2 was once called the 4th dimension toss for his odd image in the past.]
Q: A complete 2:0 victory against KHAN
A: We had an immense resolve to win our series 2:0, but against CJ we actually had to play all 3 days, which was too tiring. We wanted to end things quickly this time because we want to take a break, so everyone worked very hard (laughs).
Q: Who do hope to face in the Grand Finals?
A: I wish to face Best. His PvZ skill has increased by leaps and bounds recently, I really wish to play against him. I also want to play against Bisu, it's been years since we faced each other. I want to face both of these protosses.
Q: How are you preparing for the Grand Finals?
A: The team will be taking a break first before our preparations. The team's momentum has increased dramatically, so we want to win regardless of who is sent for a map.
Q: Any words you'd like to say?
A: P7GAB lost all of his games during the playoffs. Although he doesn't show it outwardly, he must be feeling very hurt deep down. I hope he doesn't see this as failure, but instead see it as an experience. I also want to thank Barracks, Perfectman and Mind for helping me with practice. Also, Coach Kim Sang Hoon (S.E.S) has been supporting me from the sidelines and giving me guidance, I'd like to thank him, as well as manager Lee Gil Man.
![[image loading]](http://www.plu.cn/d/file/sc/note/2012-03-25/04a262ce7e53aa4f32daf64df9717bae.jpg)
Coach Lee Ji Hoon
Q: 3 consecutive Grand Finals, how do you feel?
A: We were first in the regular season until the very late stages, which put us in a difficult position. However, the players performed very well during the playoffs. I felt that the journey to the Grand Finals was easier than I'd imagined. [T/N: 2EZPZ4KT]
Q: Was winning by Day 2 within your expectations?
A: If we'd lost today, we'd have been on the back foot for Day 3 because the maps are favorable for them. The condition of the players' hands aren't very good either. Also, because of influenza, a lot of them have been drained physically. If we did not win by day 2 we would've felt very uneasy. Hence, the players had a strong resolve to win. We can take a break after today's win, which was everyone's motivation to win.
Q: The KT Zergs combined for 3 wins today.
A: The credit has to go to the assistant coach for doing his job well. The players have great potential and fundamentals. They didn't have the opportunity to shine during the regular season, but they gained valuable experience from playing. If they fell behind strategically, they would be able to make the best decisions based on the situation for game management. They would also listen to the coaches' advice while preparing for the games, which caused us to have a good focus for the playoffs.
Q: However, P7GAB's performance during the playoffs was really regrettable
A: He lost all 4 of his games during the playoffs, but I think this can instead be beneficial for him. I feel that it's possible for P7GAB who has lost all his matches to suddenly start winning, just as it is possible for Hoejja who has 5 wins to suddenly start losing. P7GAB's development is not yet at the level of that of Stats, so I want to let him accumulate more experience and thus I sent him. In the long term, he is a player with immense potential so I'm not too worried. If he is able to find confidence in his matches, I believe he will grow very quickly as a player.
Q: Samsung Khan's lineup seems as though they wanted to fight head on
A: I thought that was the case for Day 1, but I was wrong. However, I did not think that they'd dodge today, and thus I instead used that to our advantage. I thought that if we had 3 wins right off the bat we'd have a definite advantage and be able to win before the ace match.
Q: Facing SKT again in the Grand Finals
A: I feel that we've become the enemies of all E-sports fans (laughs). Stork also said that the telecommunications derby has to be stopped, which the fans also agreed with. Firstly, SKT already got seeded into the Grand Finals, and many people think that if we'd continued to fight our way to the Grand Finals we'd be physically drained. We also feel very frustrated to meet SKT again (laughs). However, they're already in the Grand Finals, so there's no choice because we also want to be there too. We can only give our best effort to show the fans a performance they can be satisfied with in order to repay them. This is our third consecutive grand finals, if there are more fans watching, we will definitely put in an exciting performance.
Q: Predict the score for the Grand Finals.
A: It's the best for us to win 4:2. Maps 1 and 7 are SKT's choice of maps. We start off on the back foot immediately, so we don't want to play the ace match. We will prepare our best in order to end it 4:2.
Q: What's critical to winning in the Grand Finals?
A: It's the fight between the Protosses and the Zergs. Bisu and Best are both great, and during the regular season our zergs lost many times to SKT protosses. We will place a lot of focus on this fight and make a lot of preparations. In this fight, whichever team that can win at least twice may be the final victor. Our zergs need to ride on our playoffs momentum and play very well. We will prepare confidently for the playoffs.
Q: 3-peat
A: Firstly, the players' salaries have increased. The environment of the coaches have also improved. Everyone knows the sweetness of the "carrot" (rewards/bonuses), and thus we have increased motivation. The experience we've accumulated from before is also very important. If KTF had won a championship during their era, consecutive wins may have been possible for them too. The first championship makes a great difference.
Q: How are you using the remaining time to prepare?
A: We'll be taking a good rest first (laughs). The players are waiting for a vacation, but it seems that it'll be difficult considering the OSL preliminaries. The results from the OSL preliminaries will definitely affect the morale for the Grand Finals, so I feel that it is very important. We must pay attention not to lose our fighting spirit during our break.
Q: Last words?
A: There are heroes behind every match. The heroes this time are Barracks, Mind, Perfectman and Reach. Even though they were not sent out, they helped others with practice as though they were the ones that were going to be sent. We are very grateful. The assistant coaches have also worked hard. The management has also given us a lot of support in many areas, and thus we were able to focus. The fans have been coming to support us every weekend, which is no mean feat. While supporting, their throats became hoarse from all the screaming, we hope to receive the same support in the Grand Finals. We will prepare flawlessly.