Y13 [EN]: Chapter 115

Y13-115 2010-2011 Playoffs Round 1

As befitting the playoffs, the first game was a fierce, back-and-forth battle, a seesaw affair with constant lead changes. If Dallas scored, Portland answered; if Dallas was stifled, so was Portland. For the moment, it wasn’t turning into the high-scoring game Portland wanted.

[Portland’s on offense. Andre Miller receives the ball from the referee at the baseline. With only 4 seconds left on the shot clock, they need to attack quickly. Rudy Fernandez is on the left wing! He uses Aldridge’s screen and cuts to the left corner!]

Andre Miller, Portland’s experienced veteran point guard, had played over 950 games, missing only 6, boasting a 99.6% attendance rate—an iron man. His shooting was a weakness, but he more than made up for it with his court vision and passing, a true pure point guard. Checking the time with only 4 seconds left, Miller carefully observed his teammates’ movements, then threaded an incredibly sharp, laser-like pass to Rudy Fernandez, who was cutting off the screen, making it a difficult catch.

“?!”

But the moment the ball left Miller’s hand, Youngjae darted into the passing lane towards Fernandez. Miller couldn’t hide his surprise.

[Oh! Youngjae Yoon! Anticipating Fernandez’s move, he quickly slips behind Chandler to intercept the pass! But he seems to have lost his balance. Is Yoon going to lose the ball? Ah, he grabs the ball before it crosses the line, falling as he throws it powerfully towards the opponent’s court!]

Youngjae quickly cut off the ball, but he couldn’t get a clean grip on it because he was moving too fast. Plus, the sideline seemed too close to stop with the ball, so he quickly looked towards the opposite court. He saw Marion ahead of Wallace. He figured if he threw his body into it, he could save the ball and get it to Marion.

Whoosh!!!

[Oh, a powerful pass! Shawn Marion was already at the half-court line! He was looking at Yoon with his hand raised, and Yoon seems to have seen Marion in that brief moment. Shawn Marion! He drives straight to the basket!]

Shawn Marion, known as the Matrix, had incredible power and speed, but his opponent happened to be Gerald Wallace, known as G-Force. With beast-like toughness and amazing athleticism, he was a defensive specialist who could shut down any player.

“Uaaaaa!!!”

With a tremendous roar, the Matrix and G-Force collided in the air. Marion tried to overpower Wallace’s tenacious defense and dunk with one hand.

[Shawn Marion!! He’s trying to show the Matrix’s prowess, challenging Gerald Wallace with a one-handed dunk!!]

Thud!!!!

[Ah, Gerald Wallace! He lives up to his G-Force nickname! He contests Marion’s shot with his body. Shooting foul! Unfortunately, he doesn’t completely stop the fast break.]

Marion’s one-handed dunk was powerful enough to make the backboard shake, but it didn’t break through Wallace’s defense and bounced high off the rim.

Marion and Wallace fell tangled together, and Chandler, who was nearby, helped Marion up.

Youngjae, who had thrown the incredible outlet pass from behind, fell into the Portland bench, and Kidd rushed over to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the barrier.

“Oof…”

“Hey, you okay? Great steal and pass. How did you predict that and see it in that split second?”

Youngjae shrugged and jokingly said, “I learned from you, Kidd,” giving him a sly smile. Shawn Marion only made one of his free throws, but Dallas felt like they had escaped further damage by extending their 2-point lead to 3.

Midway through the first quarter, the score was 21 to 18, and the game continued to be a nail-biting affair, going back and forth within a single possession.

[Jason Kidd! He waves his hand towards Tyson Chandler in front of Andre Miller. Chandler quickly sets a screen to the left. But without a clear opening, he passes to the left.]

Chandler set a good screen, but without a clear space, it was hard for Kidd to penetrate Portland’s tight defense with his speed. Last year, they would have just passed the ball around the perimeter, hoping for a jump shot, but this year’s Dallas team was different.

[Youngjae Yoon receives the pass and penetrates! Wesley Matthews is on the right, and Andre Miller is blocking the front! He tries to break through, glances to the right, then catches the ball and dishes it out!]

The emergence of Youngjae, a shooting guard with both dribbling penetration and shooting ability, felt like a godsend to Kidd. Even when Wesley Matthews, known as Iron Man for his hustle, great defense, and three-point shooting, double-teams with Andre Miller, he doesn’t panic at all. Instead, he quickly assesses the players’ positions and figures out the best opportunity.

Swish-

[Ah! Andre Miller moves to double-team, leaving Kidd wide open at the top of the three-point line. Jason Kidd catches the ball and shoots without hesitation!]

Kevin McHale was more excited than ever. Even though Youngjae’s play wasn’t the epitome of flashiness, McHale, as a former coach, saw him as a perfect complementary piece.

[KABOOM!! WHAT A WONDERFUL THREE POINTS!!!]

Matt Devins couldn’t hide his excitement and cheered for Kidd’s shot, almost screaming. Even as national broadcast commentators, they couldn’t help but be impressed by this play.

[Indeed, Youngjae Yoon and Jason Kidd! Both are good three-point shooters with high basketball IQ (BQ) and great off-ball movement. It’s almost hard to believe that guards can pull off such a 2-2 play. It’s possible because of the combination of accurate shooting and passing, and excellent positioning.]

As the mid-to-late first quarter progressed, the players who had been responsible for the game were replaced by players who had been warming up on the bench to conserve stamina. Because the playoffs are usually run with only 7-9 players, unlike the regular season, the coach’s ability to manage substitution timings, playing time, and matchups is more important than in the regular season. As befitting the playoffs, the bench battle was more than fierce, with tremendous energy clashing and keeping the game tight.

[Already, there are 15 seconds left in the first quarter. Jose Barea dribbles the ball past the half-court line. He passes the ball to Jason Terry. Terry receives the ball and steps back, stalling for time.]

With 15 seconds left, JET Terry was given the responsibility for the last possession of the first quarter.

[Usually, in such cases, the player stalling with the ball takes the last shot. On the court for Dallas right now are Barea, Terry, Stojakovic, Marion, and Haywood. In fact, Barea is the only one who can create his own offense, but Coach Carlisle seems to have decided to entrust the final attack to Terry, who has been in charge of the clutch with Nowitzki for years.]

[It’s a natural choice in some ways. Barea’s performance has improved rapidly in the second half [of the season], but he’s a key sixth man, and in these clutch situations, giving Terry the last shot of the quarter is perfectly reasonable. He already has a reputation for shooting. Moreover, Barea’s physical limitations make his offensive options simpler in these clutch situations.]

[If Youngjae Yoon were there, he would have been given the attack. Last year, Rodrigo Beaubois became the first player in NBA history to achieve 50-40-80 [shooting percentages] in his rookie season, and Youngjae Yoon broke that in just one season with 50-40-90. He’s showing his skills today as well. That’s not to say Terry is worse than Yoon. Dallas has relied on Terry to solve these opportunities when Nowitzki isn’t available, and he’s actually had good results.]

[Well, there are 6 seconds left. He goes into isolation against his matchup, Rudy Fernandez, without a screen! But it’s not working! He fails to penetrate and steps back again!]

[Fernandez is defending Terry well. Ah! But in front of the three-point line, Jason Terry takes a fake step as if to penetrate, then steps back and jumps! Fernandez frantically reaches out, but can’t reach! Terry’s three-point shot draws a high arc.]

-Beeeeeep

[It shakes the net as the buzzer sounds! Clean! With this, the first quarter ends!!]

[26 to 21. It’s a really fierce game. The amazing thing is that the first quarter has just ended! Haha! It feels like we’ve watched a whole game! It was a really thrilling quarter.]

As the first quarter ended with a score of 26 to 21, the Dallas players were happy to have widened the gap from one possession to two. In particular, Terry pounded his chest and roared in front of the home crowd, performing his signature JET celebration for a long time before heading to the bench. The players also cheered for Terry’s fantastic buzzer-beater, reveling in the exhilarating feeling.

“Not yet.”

But Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd asked the players to be more alert.

“The first home game is more important than anything else. Momentum can shift in an instant. So let’s not let our guard down.”

The players sensed that it was not an atmosphere to joke around in, given Nowitzki’s serious tone. Even Tyson Chandler, who wasn’t the captain but was friendly with everyone and a vocal leader full of fighting spirit, clapped his hands hard and seriously encouraged the players, saying, “Let’s do it!!”

As the early second quarter passed, Coach Carlisle brought in the starting players whose stamina had recovered to some extent. Given the nature of the game, where the harmony between the starters and the bench determines success or failure, Coach Carlisle had to be more careful in using the players and analyzing the game.

[Youngjae Yoon crosses the half-court line and passes the ball to Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki looks left and right, then passes back to Yoon on the right. The other three players are positioned on the weak side. Are they trying to widen the space for a 2-2 play?]

[Nowitzki sets a screen. Nicolas Batum seems to be blocking Youngjae Yoon’s penetration route, placing one foot in the direction of Nowitzki’s screen in advance. Good defense.]

When Youngjae saw Batum blocking Nowitzki’s screen direction, he leaned his body towards that side. As expected, Batum fell for Youngjae’s feint. Youngjae didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly sprang out like a spring, dashing quickly into the empty right side.

[Youngjae Yoon! He quickly breaks through. Because the Dallas players are gathered on the weak side, the Portland players are also paying attention to that side. An empty basket! A cool drive-in followed by a layup!]

Batum, who hadn’t yet shed his youthful image, hurriedly chased after him, but there was a risk of an unnecessary foul, and besides, Corey Brewer, who had come in at some point, was blocking Batum’s path as he chased Youngjae. With the penetration already made and Brewer’s screen set, excessive defense was a mistake. Batum seemed to know that and showed a passive attitude, and eventually Marcus Camby, who was guarding the rim, jumped out in front of Youngjae.

[Ah, Marcus Camby still reaches out towards Youngjae Yoon’s right hand. It looks like it’s going to be blocked!]

Youngjae glanced at Nowitzki, who was waiting in the mid-range. Camby then inadvertently diverted his attention to Nowitzki. They knew very well that Youngjae was a player with as many assists as points.

Youngjae, who had properly targeted that, jumped up in front of Camby, whose attention was diverted. Camby, realizing he had been tricked, belatedly jumped up and reached out, but Youngjae seemed to have anticipated even that, and gave a slight smile.

Swish!

[Oh my god!!! It’s a game that feasts my eyes!! He moves the ball from his right hand to his left hand in the air and lightly floats it in. Did Camby think he could stop him? It’s such a natural pose!]

[Portland has met a formidable opponent. The score is gradually widening to 40 to 34, and if it widens by just one more point, it will be a three-possession difference! It’s necessary to reduce that score difference as much as possible within the remaining 6 minutes of the second quarter.]

With McHale’s commentary, Youngjae landed lightly and subtly showed the Portland players the number 13 engraved on his back, pointing to it with his index finger. It was a short performance, but the fans chanted Y13 and stomped their feet.

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

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

＠In any sport, in short-term games, you have no choice but to overuse reliable players. The same goes for basketball. The playing time of bench players is greatly reduced, and they run with only the starters and 2-3 key bench members ㅋㅋ Everyone plays 5-10 minutes more than in the regular season. In addition, the rest days are almost twice as long as in the regular season.

That’s why Cleveland also used a 6-man rotation in this final. Of course, they eventually showed the limits of their stamina. GSW [Golden State Warriors] also only used about an 8-man rotation. GSW had good performances from their bench members in the regular season, with almost 12 players being put in for more than 5 minutes, but it’s difficult in short-term games.

＠Andre Miller is the most durable player among active players. He was like that at that time, and even now, he has only missed 7 games, excluding the 24 games he missed in one season due to injury. He has played in 1265 career games. He’s a great person to receive an attendance award, but unfortunately, his personal awards are limited to one assist title. He’s never been to an All-Star game either.

※Possession difference: One possession is usually assumed to be 3 points. So 4 points is a two-possession difference, and 7 points or more is a three-possession difference.

캐바밤님/// Oh, today the first comment has changed! Thank you ㅎㅎ

ㅎ0ㅎ님/// That’s why I buy world beers at Homeplus or Emart. They cost 10,000 won for 5, so I buy them in bulk ㅋㅋ. I don’t like domestic beer either;;;

슈팅스타트님/// Yep. It’s finally Round 1. The Southwest is really becoming a hellish Southwest.

zigichacha님/// Al-Drama ended earlier than expected. It’s probably because he needed to give his future team time to reinforce their roster. Still, there are more unexpected transfers than expected, and it’s a fun transfer market. Of course, it’s still a moratorium period, so the official announcement will be made on July 9, but it’s unlikely to fall through.

파이넨시아님, 찬란한유산님, 달의물방울º天님, -DarkANGEL-님, 쿤다라님/// Thank you for your comments as always!! It’s Monday now. Everyone, cheer up and have a good week~~

키마리에님/// Thank you for the coupon ㅋㅋ I will repay you with good writing in the future.

야베스님/// Jordan’s viewership ratings only temporarily surpassed them. National preference was still higher for baseball even at that time. MLB [Major League Baseball] still leads in sales due to the difference in the number of games. However, the average annual broadcasting rights fees and operating profits seem to have surpassed MLB in the 2010s. There was also such a conspiracy theory. Frankly, I think it’s possible. In addition, the NBA’s lockout in 2000 resulted in a shortened season, which blew away the popularity of the Jordan era at once.

라피르and진트님/// The Southwest is always the Southwest… It’s peaceful. It seems like 5 out of the 8 playoff teams could be from the Southwest next season. For now, Portland seems to be falling down, and the Clippers, Dallas, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Utah will be competing for 6th to 8th place. GSW, OKC [Oklahoma City Thunder], San Antonio, Memphis, and Houston seem safe for the playoffs.

1234567890123님/// Thank you~~ I’ll keep it fun for you in the future ㅋㅋ

misscherry님, CountOfDark님, 사라질영혼님, 오마리온님, 여신유리찬양님, huhcafe님/// Thank you for your comments as always!! It’s Monday now. Everyone, cheer up and have a good week~~

권우현™님/// It’s a dynamic sport, so it’s difficult, but I’m doing my best. I’m happy that you’re finding it exciting^^