Y13 [EN]: Chapter 113

Y13-113. 2010-2011 Playoff Round 1

“You had a good season this year, but Yoon might face some difficulties starting next year. Do you have any idea what to expect?”

“The most common thing would be the sophomore slump [a decline in performance during a player’s second year]. Rookies who struggle in their second year as their style gets analyzed. I’m anticipating it. After this season ends, I need to keep training and studying other players during the offseason to overcome it. It’s the same even in these playoffs.”

“You’re not getting caught up in the immediate success like many rookies. That’s a good attitude. There are many players who do well in their first season and then that’s their peak. It’s the result of overconfidence in their abilities. They don’t realize that in the best league in the world, you can fall behind in an instant if you let your guard down. It’s the result of not accepting advice from the coaching staff or senior players.”

“In that regard, I might be fortunate. There are many veterans on the team who can give me a lot of experience and advice, and the coach and coaching staff are excellent, so I’m getting a lot of help. Duffy and the club are also taking care of various things so that I can focus on basketball.”

Even though Youngjae had the experiences of his past life, he always listened to every word from the coaching staff and teammates. The advice he heard in his past life was as a bench member, and many of the things he hears now are necessary for the current him. Head Coach Carlisle, Casey, Stotts, as well as seniors like Nowitzki, Kidd, and Chandler, all cared about Youngjae and didn’t hold back on advice.

To avoid those bad precedents, he consistently dedicated himself to individual training, analyzed himself, and didn’t forget to analyze other players. Even this season, there was a lot of defensive focus on him from the second half, but it would be even worse next year. The only answer to overcome that was his own effort. Even if others help, digesting it is solely up to his own effort.

“That’s a relief then. Besides that, there’s one more thing you need to be aware of. Endure the subtle racial discrimination in officiating, trash talk, dirty plays, and so on. Your teammates might not be like that, but the sports world is quite conservative and closed off.”

Youngjae nodded with a serious expression at Yao Ming’s words. During Yao Ming’s prime, there was a joke among fans that ‘Yao Ming gets called for a foul just for breathing on the court.’ In reality, Yao Ming was called for many questionable fouls, and there were plenty of suspicious situations.

“At the time, I was really angry and felt wronged, but looking back, that all became good nourishment for me. Did they call a foul? Then I have to show them a perfect play that they can’t call a foul on. That’s how I pushed myself. Haha!”

Despite such NBA biases, Yao Ming brought the team more victories than Shaquille O’Neal, with a record of 7 wins and 6 losses in 13 career head-to-head matchups against Shaquille O’Neal, who is invariably mentioned as one of the best centers of this era. Of course, when delving into the specifics, Yao Ming’s individual records fall short compared to Shaquille O’Neal’s, but assuming they competed head-to-head from 2003 to 2009, Yao Ming was the center who recorded a double-double [scoring 10 or more points and 10 or more rebounds in a single game] with 10 points and 10 rebounds or more against Shaquille O’Neal during his prime.

“That’s why I’m avoiding actions to get free throws unnecessarily. I’m also being as careful as possible with traveling [illegally moving with the ball]. I’m well aware that American superstars tend to benefit quite a bit from foul calls and are less likely to be called for traveling. This is something I have to overcome. Until the referees acknowledge me.”

“Yes, to be honest, I’ve watched your games a few times this season, and I don’t think the officiating is favorable. Fortunately, your play tends to avoid contact, and Kidd and Chandler often protest the calls. If veteran stars do that, you can reduce the unfavorable calls. Most referees might not be like that, but some referees might ignore rookies and Asians, but if they strongly protest, it’s difficult for them to change their standards.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m still under the umbrella of those players. To grow, I need to be able to do it without their protection. The club and my teammates will be hoping for that as well.”

“I think Yoon is smart and experienced, so I don’t think you’ll be shaken by such things in the future. But if such things happen and you’re having a hard time, it’s a good idea to have someone you can rely on by your side. I think I was able to have a successful NBA life thanks to my wife. Haha!”

Although it seemed like he was bragging about his wife, Yao Ming didn’t hide his love for her. Youngjae suddenly thought of Emily and smiled faintly, but quickly hid his smile and nodded at Yao Ming’s advice, expressing his gratitude.

“Now that I think about it, I am curious.”

Yao Ming smiled slyly while eating bulgogi [Korean marinated beef] and casually threw a question at Youngjae.

“It seems like you two have a special relationship… but there’s no concrete evidence. Haha! Well, since Yoon is so secretive that he’s even nicknamed ‘Goat’ [Greatest of All Time], no one will know the truth until you admit it yourself.”

When Emily’s story came up, Youngjae, who was eating, made a choking sound without realizing it and hurriedly drank water. Yao Ming smiled kindly, saying he didn’t have to tell him, and Youngjae also smiled awkwardly and brushed the story off.

“It’s obvious, but… this will be your first time experiencing the playoffs, how do you feel? Aren’t you nervous?”

At Yao Ming’s question, Youngjae was definitely feeling a different kind of pressure than he did during the regular season. Even when he played in the playoffs and finals as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in his past life, Youngjae didn’t feel that much pressure because he wasn’t a key rotation member. Opposing players didn’t defend him so tightly, and his teammates didn’t expect much from him.

But now, he was a key member of the team and considered a key player, so it was naturally different from then. The opposing team would do their best to block him, and the team would want him to perform as well as Terry or better.

“I’m very nervous. So I’m trying not to watch the news or the internet as much as possible, but I can’t avoid it completely. I’ve seen a lot of articles about me. They’re picking me as an important player, saying our team has the highest chance of being upset, etc… The pressure is considerable.”

“Such trivial things can make people even more nervous. But don’t worry. I think you’ll overcome it well. I guarantee that that will be your weapon. Of course, there are people who collapse because they can’t withstand such changes, but Yoon, how should I put it… seems to know how to overcome it like a veteran. You quickly shook off your recent slump, and your performance is consistent.”

Bill Duffy chuckled and recalled the past at Yao Ming’s words.

“Even though he’s in a position where he could easily become arrogant, Yoon isn’t like that at all. And he always has a confident expression with a hidden coolness inside. Seeing that aspect, I believed in Yoon’s potential for success and signed him. Yoon, am I right?”

Youngjae gave a sheepish smile at Duffy’s praise, saying he was just grateful for the kind words, and continued to eat his remaining food. Youngjae was able to learn a lot from his conversation with Yao Ming until he finished his meal. And after saying it was nice to meet him and exchanging contact information, he parted ways and started practicing again.

“Now we have to kill them all! There are a lot of zombies in here, are you saying we should just leave them alone?!”

Shane shouted and started handing out guns to the group. Andrea, T-Dog, Daryl, and even Glenn. The people who received the guns glanced at Rick and then turned their heads away. It was the moment when everything Rick had done with Hershel, the discussions, the mediation, all collapsed.

“No!!!”

Maggie and Beth could only sob beside Hershel, who was watching his stepson, wife, and townspeople die in vain.

Bang bang!!

The gunshots continued to ring out. All the zombies fell to the ground like that.

“Ggrrr… Hrr…”

At that moment, Rick’s group raised their guns with tense expressions at one last zombie walking out.

“Oh, oh… No, no!!! Sophia!!!”

Carol, who had picked up a gun, collapsed and wept. The people who had been shooting also had no choice but to drop their guns as they watched the girl walking out with a sorrowful expression.

“Sophia…”

Rick slowly walked out. Stepping into that place where no one could step forward, Rick took out his 6-shot pistol.

“I’m sorry.”

Bang!

“Okay, cut!”

“Good work, everyone!!”

As the filming of Sophia’s death, which could be said to be an important turning point in The Walking Dead Season 2, ended, the actors applauded and encouraged each other. Emily couldn’t stop smiling with pride and satisfaction that she was playing a part in this drama.

“Sniff, good work, everyone…”

And Madison Lintz, the girl who played Sophia, whose filming ended today, shed tears of regret and said her final goodbyes to the actors.

“Don’t cry, it’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”

“Still… sniff.”

Madison still couldn’t stop crying, as if she was still feeling regretful. At that moment, Steven Yeun glanced at the scene and chuckled, then spoke loudly to Norman Reedus and everyone else so they could hear.

“Alright! Let’s go have a wrap party for Madison, huh? Norman, let’s go quickly.”

“What about Madison?”

“She’s too busy crying. Let’s eat her share for her.”

“Well, you can’t eat properly when you’re crying. Alright! Let’s all go!”

Madison hiccuped to stop crying and said she would go too, turning the set into a sea of laughter. The actors, who had neatly washed up and changed their clothes, moved to the wrap party location. But the actors were taken aback by the neat and lavish food and champagne that were laid out.

“Please pay attention for a moment.”

The executive producer briefly called the actors and staff, and people turned their heads, wondering what he was going to say.

“Actually, when I was trying to use some of the production budget, it wasn’t going to be this quality. But I got a call a few days ago? They said they wanted to sponsor the wrap party.”

“Oh? Who’s the angel?”

At the question from Andrew Lincoln, who played Rick, the main character of The Walking Dead, the executive producer clapped and told the story of the sponsor.

“It’s Youngjae Yoon.”

……

“Wow!!!”

“That basketball player Youngjae Yoon?!”

People went wild, and Emily, who heard the story in the midst of it, couldn’t hide her flustered expression. Of course, she talks to Youngjae every day and shares various stories, but she never dreamed that he would remember her casually mentioning that they were having a wrap party and provide sponsorship money to The Walking Dead production company.

Of course, Youngjae makes a lot of money, but it was nowhere near as much as a superstar. But Youngjae, who doesn’t spend much money except on cooking or games, decided to do a proper act of support this time. Of course, it cost a considerable amount of money, but it was something to be thought of as a gift for Emily.

“He said to enjoy the party as a gift to everyone, so let’s eat and drink until we burst today!”

The gathered actors went wild, and Lauren Cohan and Steven Yeun chuckled as they watched Emily, who was trying to hide her embarrassed and happy expression.

“Oh my, you’re living the high life because of someone!”

“I know, right? Thanks to whose boyfriend~ The support is amazing, isn’t it?”

Emily was startled by the word ‘boyfriend’ and denied, ‘W-we’re not like that!’ but Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan gave her a sly look.

“Who said anything? I just meant a male friend. Isn’t that right?”

“Oh, of course! I’d want to grab him if I were you. It wouldn’t be strange if someone snatched Yoon away, would it?”

Even while being teased like that, Emily couldn’t hide the smile of pride.

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

★Thank you to those who gave me a pre-emptive pick, recommendation, comment, and coupon!!

＠The Aldridge (Aldridge transfer) is interesting. Following San Antonio, Phoenix is emerging as a dark horse. Originally, Lakers, Knicks, Dallas, etc. also poked around at the beginning. In between, there were also articles saying Houston was ahead…ㅋㅋ It’s really fun to watch things like that during the offseason.

※Sophomore Jinx: A jinx that shows that many rookies’ performances decline compared to their first season. It often occurs when they are analyzed in various ways and their growth rate cannot keep up with it.

Thank you for your comments today!! Have a nice weekend ㅎㅎ

ㅎ0ㅎ님/// I also don’t like the app very much, so I’m only using the mobile web or PC…

뿔테안경곰님/// lol I’m the same… I watch almost every ball sport, so my grades are… sigh

슈팅스타트님/// Fortunately, it seems like DeAndre Jordan will come as well as Matthews signed. DeAndre Jordan, Matthews, and Parsons spent their vacation together, and it seems like there is some rapport between DeAndre Jordan and Matthews. The problem is whether Matthews will recover well from his Achilles tendon injury. So far, there have been almost no cases where they have recovered their original skills after an Achilles tendon injury.

-DarkANGEL-님/// It used to be much lower compared to NFL and MLB, but recently MLB is getting older and NBA has succeeded in globalization, so NBA’s operating profit has surpassed MLB. In addition, there is quite a difference in TV broadcasting rights contracts.

사라질영혼님/// ㄷㄷ I’m sorry. I changed it a little from the actual one, but we made a mistake. I have corrected episode 110. 2 wins and 2 losses are correct.

라피르and진트님/// That’s right. It was an underdog victory at the level of a drama without a script. It was a team that had always been weak in the playoffs, and it was so bad in the second half that it was widely expected that it would be difficult in the playoffs. Nowitzki was literally crazy, and the bench members did their part properly. The progress was so dramatic that we are worried that our novel will look more realistic ㅋㅋ

야베스님/// It’s not that I haven’t thought about it, but since this is our first work, I was worried about whether we could lead a long season well, and in a genre novel that aims for vicarious satisfaction, the story of a lower-ranked team is not easy to sympathize with unless it is written really well.

까만둥하얀콩님/// Hmm, since it’s a comment, I used internet terms as they are. As written in the comment above, it is an abbreviation of those who do not know basketball.

얏홍이다님/// Yao Ming was really a different level of skill than the current Linsanity ㄷㄷ

1234567890123님/// lol I have delivered it.