Y13 [EN]: Chapter 101

Y13-101 (101/296)

00101 2010-11 Regular Season ====================================================

Whoosh!

Bobbitt saw Youngjae’s movement and passed the ball back. Suddenly, Amar’e Stoudemire was tangled with Chandler, and Shawn Williams, having missed Youngjae, had no choice but to switch and cover Bobbitt. Tony Douglas and Jared Jeffries were caught in Brian Cardinal’s screen, leaving Landry Fields alone in front of Youngjae, completely disrupting the Knicks’ defensive system.

[Youngjae Yoon drives! The Knicks don’t have time to recover!]

[Landry Fields is trying to stop him, but it’s not enough! He’s not much of a defender to begin with.]

Youngjae momentarily feigned a post-up, using Fields’ back to create space, then immediately switched to a face-up position, utilizing a spin move. Landry Fields was helplessly pushed back.

[Knicks in trouble! Shawn Williams is closing in again as soon as Fields is beaten!]

Youngjae leaped towards the rim. At the same time, Shawn Williams also jumped to block Youngjae, sticking close to him.

“?!!”

But the ball wasn’t in Youngjae’s hands. It was calmly heading towards a player no one was paying attention to.

[Youngjae Yoon’s fantastic no-look pass!! A pass sprayed to the right side while looking at the basket!]

[He judged that the opponent’s paint [area near the basket] was momentarily empty and attempted a drive. He even mixed in a fake shot, delivering a perfect no-look pass!]

The player who received the ball on the right side was Jason Terry, who showed smart positioning, as befitting a veteran.

[Jason Terry, for three!]

[BANG!!! PERFECT JET!!!]

As soon as Terry cleanly made the three-pointer, he backpedaled while stretching out both arms like airplane wings. Youngjae ran over to Terry, who was backpedaling like a dignified jet returning to its hangar, and lightly gave him a high-five.

Mike D’Antoni could only shake his head at the difference in teamwork. The New York Knicks had seen half their team replaced, with over 10 players coming and going, and it hadn’t even been a month yet. Moreover, with the injury of Chauncey Billups, who was brought in as the starting point guard, it was as if there was no leader on the court. Most of the players were confused about defensive rotations and were defending haphazardly.

Basketball, in the long run, is a 48-minute marathon, but within it, it’s also a possession battle divided into countless 24-second segments. How you use each possession is what defines team tactics and teamwork.

[Brian Cardinal! He’s working well with Youngjae Yoon after returning from a minor knee injury, showing truly perfect teamwork!]

[Dallas coach Carlisle seems to be showing how to best utilize Brian Cardinal by allocating him a specific role within a limited time frame!]

Brian Cardinal continued to move, creating space and finding open areas. He knew his strength was the three-pointer, and he also knew he wasn’t great at setting screens. Coach Carlisle used Chandler, who was excellent at setting screens, as the primary screener, and had Cardinal actively move around the perimeter, finding open spaces. As Cardinal moved to the outside, the pick-and-roll with Chandler allowed for more open movement in the paint.

As a result, when Bobbitt held the ball at the top of the key and when Bobbitt passed the ball to Youngjae, Chandler would always set a skillful screen. After the screen, Chandler would quickly dive into the paint, looking for rebounds.

[Here we go! Brian Cardinal’s movement is great today! Only Chandler and Amar’e are in the paint!]

Tyson Chandler, who set the screen at the top, blocked Landry Fields, who was closely guarding Youngjae, with his entire body. Amar’e Stoudemire, who was guarding Chandler, had no choice but to cover Youngjae, but Stoudemire’s defensive ability and speed couldn’t keep up with Youngjae’s incredible drive.

Then Chandler would also rush towards the rim, timing his run. The paint would inevitably be empty, or a player guarding the perimeter would have to move into the paint. That would automatically leave a player open on the outside. Tyson Chandler’s pick-and-roll and alley-oop receiving skills were among the best in the league.

[Smart move! Brian Cardinal!]

[Indeed, that’s Brian Cardinal. There’s a reason why he continues to survive on the world’s biggest stage, the NBA! He uses his long shooting range to draw Shawn Williams out to the perimeter, making it easier for Yoon to drive. Furthermore, if Shawn Williams abandons him, Yoon will pass to Cardinal.]

[Cardinal has significant defensive liabilities, but on the offensive end, he has what it takes to be a coveted stretch four [a power forward who can shoot three-pointers]. Especially this season, Cardinal’s three-point percentage is over 45%, so you can’t easily leave him open. Dallas really has a high field goal percentage, even among their backup players.]

Watching Brian Cardinal, Youngjae saw a reflection of his past self struggling to survive. It’s clear that teams need players who are dedicated to the team. In particular, all teams covet hustle players and blue-collar [hard-working, unglamorous] style players, especially as backups. Their salaries aren’t high, but the star players can shine because of them.

That’s why Brian Cardinal is managing to stay in the league. On the court, he doesn’t hesitate to do the dirty work, diving with his whole body when defending. On the bench, he’s called a cheerleader and a comedian, but he smiles as if it’s nothing and encourages the players. Even for a short time, he thoroughly fulfills his role. That was the best that backup players receiving a minimum salary could do, and Brian Cardinal was one example of that.

‘Let’s see you get this.’

Youngjae pushed off with his left foot and faced Amar’e Stoudemire, who was rushing in from the side, head-on in an aerial contest. Nevertheless, Cardinal continued to move, looking for the safest and most comfortable open space among the passes that Youngjae might make.

[Youngjae Yoon’s floater! Amar’e Stoudemire roughly challenges Youngjae Yoon!]

Youngjae felt a strange emotion as he competed against Amar’e Stoudemire, who was his coach during the Rookie Challenge, as opponents. But the NBA, and the professional world in general, is a place where yesterday’s teammate becomes today’s enemy, so Youngjae had to endure Amar’e Stoudemire’s physical play.

Whoosh-

[In the posture of shooting a floater, he takes the strength out of his wrist and flicks the ball backward! Y13 has confused the opponent’s defense with such precarious fakes before!]

The ball resting on his right hand was gently thrown backward, and the ball miraculously went into Brian Cardinal’s hands.

[Brian Cardinal! Shawn Williams comes to block him again, but he shoots first!]

[BANG!!]

Brian Cardinal’s three-pointer went in cleanly, and Cardinal roared, turning his back to the audience and pointing to his back number as if to engrave it in their minds.

“Nice assist!”

“You still know how to catch it when I throw it!”

And Brian Cardinal and Youngjae, who showed fantastic teamwork, were enjoying the lead they had built up against the Knicks, giving each other a strong high-five.

Dallas (51 wins, 16 losses) 132 : 103 New York Knicks (34 wins, 30 losses)

Dirk Nowitzki: 23 points, 9 rebounds

Youngjae Yoon: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists

Shawn Marion: 22 points, 8 rebounds

Jason Terry: 21 points, 3 assists

Amar’e Stoudemire: 36 points, 7 rebounds

Carmelo Anthony: 18 points, 10 rebounds

[Y13’s Resurrection]

This is the story of Youngjae Yoon, who had been showing disappointing performances since the Philadelphia game. In the home game against the New York Knicks on March 10, Dallas achieved a huge victory with a score of 132 to 103, a difference of 29 points. If you were to pick the MVP [Most Valuable Player] in this game, it would undoubtedly be Youngjae Yoon.

It was truly a flap of the wings of resurrection. It could be seen as having completely washed away the slump of the previous four games. It wasn’t a complete resurrection, but it was a game that showed signs of a comeback. Youngjae Yoon’s true value was demonstrated from the first quarter. Youngjae Yoon, who had a light body and unique energy from the first half, began to fearlessly challenge even aerial contests with big men, unlike before. Although the success rate was lower than before, Dallas can see it as a positive sign just by seeing him regain and attempt the confident plays he showed against the New York Knicks previously.

As Youngjae Yoon regained his form, Dallas succeeded in showing explosive offensive power once again. Of course, it should not be forgotten that the New York Knicks under coach D’Antoni’s run-and-gun [fast-paced, high-scoring] system have a defensive record of allowing 105.9 points per game (29th in the league). The New York Knicks are a team that wins with scoring, not with defense.

(Omitted)

Youngjae Yoon, who bombarded everything from 2-on-2 pick-and-rolls to 1-on-1 isolations, step-backs, and pull-up jumpers, also alternated guarding the New York Knicks’ guards Landry Fields and Tony Douglas with daring plays on defense. Youngjae Yoon played 33 minutes and recorded a phenomenal stat line of 25 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 2 turnovers, shooting 9/13 from the field, 3/5 from three-point range, and 4/4 from free throws. New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni praised Youngjae Yoon’s play, saying, “Y13 has been resurrected and returned. He was like a demon from hell today. The Knicks had no choice but to give up the victory helplessly to his play.”

Re: Where did they go? The guys who were saying he was a bust?

Re: Seriously, admit it. Don’t wear tinted glasses. There are no success stories of East Asian guards? Would such a player be competing for Rookie of the Year and putting up such monstrous stats?

Re: Then they’ll say it again. That the New York Knicks aren’t a strong team. That it’s just a beatdown. New York is still a team with over 50% wins. They’re a playoff team in the East.

Re: Honestly, wasn’t it hard to call it a slump? I think it’s natural for rookie players to have ups and downs, but Y13 is famous for not having them?

Re: That’s why his explosiveness is falling, you idiot. That’s why Y13 is a bust. He has no explosiveness. He has no ace instinct [the ability to perform well under pressure]. Besides, the opponent is Mike D’Antoni’s Knicks, who make the opposing team’s guards have the game of their lives, lol [laughing out loud].

Re: Isn’t it harder to consistently play as a 2nd or 3rd option without ups and downs, even without an ace instinct? Even if D’Antoni is a coach without defensive tactics, let’s admit it a little.

Re: Besides, Dallas is a team with Nowitzki and Terry, how can he score 30 points like Kobe or Durant there? Besides, Carlisle’s style doesn’t like one player putting in all the points, is it right for a rookie to ignore that?

In the forest, the filming location for The Walking Dead Season 2, Emily was taking a break and looking at articles about Youngjae on her smartphone, wearing a pleasant smile.

She wanted to watch Youngjae’s game, but since returning to filming, she had been working so hard that it was difficult to even occasionally read articles like this, so she couldn’t actually watch Youngjae’s game. However, Emily could imagine Youngjae’s play even without seeing it.

“Emily! They’re starting filming! Come quickly!”

At Cohen’s shout, Emily hurriedly closed her smartphone and stuffed it into her bag. Cohen and Steve teased her for not hearing them because she was so engrossed in what she was looking at, but Emily hurriedly replied that it wasn’t like that and went to film.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

★Thank you for your advance reading, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

＠Thank you to all the readers who congratulated me on the 100th chapter~~~

huhcafe/// I guess that’s the difference between published works and serialized works. I’ll try to narrow that gap, haha.

Yabes/// You could see him as the god of basketball at that point. The combination of all-time physicals and techniques is ㄷㄷ