It took me a while to figure out what the Memphis commentators were saying after Jonas Valanciunas’s numerous dunks in this game. Sounded like “yaga” to me, that wasn’t the hard part. I figured they weren’t just saying nonsense syllables, so my first guess was that they were saying something in Lithuanian. I tried a whole bunch of spellings in Google’s translate tool (shoutout to the Googs for allowing me to pander to Euros even harder), and eventually I figured it out:
“jėga”
Which means “strength” or “power” or “force” or a whole bunch of other manly and intimidating words. Like “thrust”. That’s definitely what Valanciunas was doing tonight. Thrusting. Anyway, it’s a useful and versatile term, and it perfectly describes Valanciunas’ game. Hence why they say it.
I hope Lithuanians are appreciating how hard they’re being pandered to right now. First the Grizzlies commentators bother to learn Valanciunas language, and now I’m making these highlights despite there being a bunch of other “better” performances that should probably come first. You’re welcome.