Y13 [EN]: Chapter 105

Y13-105 Regular Season 2010-11

[The first quarter is winding down with about three minutes left, and it’s a low-scoring affair. The score is a tight 17-16, a one-point game!]

[It’s a tough spot for Dallas. They’re at home against Minnesota, but without Love [Kevin Love, a key player for Minnesota]. They’re facing unexpectedly strong performances from Anthony Randolph, a blue-collar big man, and steady play from veteran point guard Luke Ridnour. Plus, the Dallas players are in a shooting slump. Dallas needs to break 100 points somehow! Their win rate is over 95% when they do.]

Swish!

[Peja Stojakovic nails a three-pointer!]

[Peja’s stepping up today! His shooting’s been inconsistent, but he’s on fire right now!]

Just then, Minnesota’s Anthony Randolph, capitalizing on Dallas’s confusion, fired a pass to Beasley streaking down the court. Kidd, seeing this, yelled at his teammates. Even as he shouted, he sprinted to catch up with Beasley, reaching out to steal the ball or commit a foul to stop the play.

Thwack!

“Ugh!!”

Foul on Kidd. Beasley, rather than trying to shoot, opted to draw the foul and retain possession. The Dallas players, ignoring Beasley, rushed to Kidd, who was clutching his hand in pain.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle immediately called a timeout to check on Kidd. Kidd was holding his left hand, his fourth finger bent at an unnatural angle. The players quickly helped him to the bench, where the trainer examined his finger.

“Kidd, you alright?”

Carlisle’s tone was neutral, but his concern was clear. Kidd nodded slightly. The pain hadn’t completely gone away, but after moving his finger, he felt he could play with a little rest.

“I’m fine, Carlisle. Everyone, stop worrying about me and focus! How many passes have we dropped today?”

Kidd, instead, began to harshly criticize his teammates for their missed passes.

“You think you can play carelessly just because it’s a team like Minnesota? Do you know what people are saying about us? And you’re still playing like this?”

The players were silent, absorbing Kidd’s harsh words.

“The plays we’ve been practicing aren’t working at all! What is wrong with you?! Our fast transitions and fast breaks, which we’ve been executing well, aren’t happening! Did you grease your hands or something? Are you only going to catch the ball if I throw it gently? It’s making our offense predictable! Watch the ball and concentrate!”

Coach Carlisle watched Kidd, who was raising his voice and scolding the players during the timeout, and considered the upcoming rotations. The primary reason for the timeout was to check on Kidd’s condition. Even though the injury was minor, Kidd addressing the players’ performance directly might be more effective than Carlisle scolding them himself.

“You all can do better! Cut down on the turnovers! And always be aware of your position and the ball’s position! If you fumble again after this rest, that guy will be paying for everyone’s dinner after the game, got it?!”

“Yes!!”

“Good! Now get out there and crush them!”

With Kidd’s final words, Carlisle gave brief instructions to the players returning to the court and sat down. Dallas sent in Barea, Youngjae, Peja Stojakovic, Brian Cardinal, and Brendan Haywood.

[Jason Kidd just gave the players a serious dressing-down, didn’t he?]

[That’s right. Dallas’s first-quarter performance was unacceptable. Kidd’s emphasizing the importance of eliminating turnovers! Even if Dallas’s physical limitations become more apparent in the second half, committing basic turnovers shows they’re underestimating their opponents, which is inexcusable! They need to be more careful!]

Whether it was because of Kidd’s scolding, Barea began to dribble the ball with composure. Normally, Barea would force a shot after driving to the basket, but inspired by Youngjae’s play, he was gradually changing his style.

Thump, thump!

Barea tried to drive past Jonny Flynn, but Flynn’s speed was surprisingly good. Even though his defense was sometimes clumsy, he managed to keep up with Barea. Unable to get past Flynn, Barea didn’t force the issue and passed the ball back to Youngjae at the top of the key.

“Hmph!”

As soon as the ball went to Youngjae, Peja and Cardinal began to move actively. As professional three-point shooters, they moved to create open space, drawing the defense and trying to get open for a pass from Youngjae.

As soon as Brian Cardinal saw the ball go to Youngjae, he ran in front of Youngjae and set a screen. Peja Stojakovic ran back to the space Youngjae had vacated, creating an opening on the perimeter.

[Youngjae Yoon and Brendan Haywood’s 2-2 pick and roll!]

[Actually, Haywood is the only player on the Dallas court who can reliably set a screen. Power forward Brian Cardinal is more of a three-point specialist. There aren’t many offensive options after the pick and roll.]

Youngjae lightly shook off Wayne Ellington, who was guarding him, and drove toward the basket. Brian Cardinal was watching both him and the ball on the opposite side. Barea and Peja were waiting on the outside.

Whoosh!

You shouldn’t let personal feelings affect your game. Youngjae always kept this in mind. That’s why he had to pass the ball to the player in the best position to receive it, the one with the hottest hand lately.

[Youngjae Yoon! He drives in, turns his back to the opponent, and kicks the ball out to the perimeter!]

[A perfect pass to Peja Stojakovic!]

Peja smiled slightly, adjusted the ball to his preferred shooting position, and jumped. The explosive athleticism of Peja Stojakovic from the Sacramento Kings era [referring to his time with the Sacramento Kings, a period known for his high-scoring performances] might have faded, but his sharpshooting ability was still intact.

[Peja Stojakovic shoots the three!]

Swish-

[He’s good! Peja Stojakovic! His second three-pointer of the game!]

Peja reached out his hand to Youngjae, who had made the assist, and Youngjae lightly tapped Peja’s hand as he backpedaled.

“Oh, my body hurts~”

Brian Cardinal whined next to Youngjae, who couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Your position was a little off, Cardinal.”

“No, what, who said anything? I’m just saying it hurts. Ouch, ouch~”

“Okay, okay. I know Cardinal’s trying hard. You know? Cardinal and I have pretty good chemistry, right?”

Youngjae chuckled and patted Cardinal on the back, and Cardinal nodded and tapped Youngjae’s back.

[The score is now 23 to 16, a 7-point lead. Minnesota has called a timeout.]

[It will be interesting to see what tactics Minnesota uses against Dallas! Today’s Dallas vs. Minnesota game is sponsored by Truck Monster’s FORD F_ISO, GAICO, and OT kitchens. Today is a special day; it’s Alan McDaniel’s 10th anniversary as the director of music at the American Airlines Center.]

The camera focused on Alan McDaniel as Flowill spoke. McDaniel was a middle-aged man with blond hair tied back, wearing a blue Mavericks t-shirt. McDaniel was responsible for all the sound at the American Airlines Center, creating and editing it to fit the game’s atmosphere. He was also a huge Mavericks fan.

Alan McDaniel smiled and made a gesture of playing the guitar, looking slightly embarrassed.

[Alan McDaniel has compiled all the sound effects he’s created and edited at the American Airlines Center into ‘MAVS SHUFFLE’ and uploaded it to his website, ALANMCDANIELMUSIC.COM. Check it out if you’re interested.]

[Personally, I love the sound effect that shouts ‘LET’S GO MAVS!’]

At Derek Harper’s words, Alan McDaniel smiled and played one of the sound effects.

– LET’S GO MAVS!! –

As Alan McDaniel’s sound effect ended, Minnesota’s timeout concluded. Minnesota shifted its strategy from the early, slow-paced game. They focused on inside attacks, utilizing Anthony Randolph and Nikola Pekovic, who was known for his physical presence, and encouraged players to shoot if they had open looks.

[Michael Beasley shoots!]

Swish-

[He makes it!]

[Michael Beasley’s mid-range shot is surprisingly accurate! You can’t give him an open look!]

Jonny Flynn was also shooting well today. Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington rotated between the bench and the starting lineup, taking turns guarding Youngjae, making it difficult for Youngjae to help defend Jonny Flynn or Luke Ridnour’s open shots. Kidd would be able to defend them well enough when he returned, but Coach Rick Carlisle focused on treating Kidd’s hand throughout the first half and didn’t want to risk further injury by playing him. If they could increase their lead, there was no need to put Kidd back in.

[Jose Barea and Rodrigo Beaubois’s poor defense is holding them back! They’re struggling in a game where they should be pulling away!]

[Jonny Flynn, wide open!]

Swish-

[He’s good! Johnny Flynn! He stops at the top of the key and drills a three!]

[Dallas, immediately after Johnny Flynn’s shot, they take Beaubois out and put in Jason Terry! And Shawn Marion replaces Brian Cardinal! Cardinal can’t play extended minutes anymore.]

[Terry is brought in to defend the Minnesota guards, with Yoon at point guard and Terry at shooting guard. Minnesota’s guards are shooting well, so they’re putting in Terry, who is a better defender than Barea. It looks like Youngjae Yoon will be playing point guard!]

Youngjae felt a strange sensation playing point guard for the first time in a while. He had always been a shooting guard because he had always played alongside Barea or Beaubois, even when Kidd was on the bench. In modern basketball, the roles of point guard and shooting guard are often blurred. When the shooting guard has good passing and playmaking skills, like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, or Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the roles are often reversed.

In that respect, Youngjae was unique in the league. LeBron James and Andre Iguodala were the only non-point guards in the league with more assists than Youngjae. However, those two were primarily playmakers rather than traditional point guards. Youngjae, on the other hand, was averaging more than five assists per game despite playing with a floor general like Kidd.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

★Thank you to those who gave advance subscriptions, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

@Youngjae’s stats are almost identical to Manu Ginobili’s this season. Ginobili was selected for the ALL-NBA 3rd team this season. In fact, he was San Antonio’s ace this season.

@Dallas is basically a team that defends well when their offense is clicking. Because they have one of the worst offensive rebounding rates in the league, they struggle if their shots aren’t falling. Also, because they rely heavily on outside shots, they are vulnerable to fast breaks if they miss a lot of shots.

Thank you for your comments, abcd가나다라, 캐바밤, -DarkANGEL-, 지존천하, 파이넨시아, 쿤다라, misscherry, CountOfDark, 오마리온, huhcafe!!!

ds4/// I’m glad you enjoyed itㅋㅋ

ㅎ0ㅎ/// ㅋㅋ Age is king in sports. If the skills are the same, they will unconditionally choose a young player.

야베스/// I wish it was in a good way ㅋㅋ

1234567890123/// Oh! Did you read it all in one go?