Y13 [EN]: Chapter 117

Y13-117 Playoff Round 1, 2010-2011

“Huff, huff…”

“Youngjae! Are you okay?”

Youngjae was carrying his weight and then some, even with Nowitzki having an off night. Nowitzki and Kidd were both in double figures, but Nowitzki was shooting around 30%, relying on free throws, and high scores from Kidd were rare outside of open threes. Still, Youngjae’s relentless off-ball movement, clever passes, dribble penetration, and kick-out passes were causing major problems for Portland’s defense, creating space and helping Dallas maintain their lead.

That’s why Coach Carlisle couldn’t afford to keep Youngjae on the bench for long. With Nowitzki and Terry struggling, Youngjae played over 37 minutes until the mid-fourth quarter, racking up 15 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers. His plus-minus [a statistic that measures a player’s impact on the score while they are on the court] was also the highest on the team at +15. Kidd had always had tough matchups against Portland, so Youngjae was handling a large portion of the offensive playmaking.

“I’m fine.”

Youngjae caught his breath and insisted he was okay, but he’d only been carefully managed to play over 30 minutes in a handful of regular-season games. It was his rookie season, so his conditioning wasn’t top-tier, and the team’s roster situation hadn’t allowed for extended minutes. Naturally, this amount of playing time was taking a toll on Youngjae.

Coach Carlisle glanced at the clock and the score, then nodded, seemingly having made a decision.

“That’s enough for today. You’ve done more than we expected.”

No sooner had Coach Carlisle spoken than Nowitzki jumped up, asked for Carlisle’s understanding, and Carlisle nodded in agreement.

“Alright! Our rookie’s been working his tail off! Seriously, you all got at least one sweet pass from him, right?! There are only 6 minutes left! The score is 80 to 72. We’ve got an 8-point lead! The rest is up to us! Let’s not let our youngest down! Let’s close this out!”

Encouraged by Nowitzki’s words, the players got even more fired up, clapping, shouting, and heading back onto the court. As they took the floor, each of the five players gave Youngjae, who had given it his all, a high-five.

The point gap, once established, proved difficult for Portland to close. Portland had been pushing their starters to the limit, while the Dallas players had relatively more energy in reserve, and the difference became apparent in the second half. Eventually, Portland conceded the first game and shifted to conserving their starters’ energy.

[The game is over. The Dallas Mavericks win the first game of the playoffs at the American Airlines Center with a score of 92 to 80.]

[Winning the first game in a best-of-seven series is significant. The Dallas Mavericks’ season is almost an underdog story. From the start, they were written off as an old team, a soft team, and were predicted to be early playoff exits. Even though it was a home game, the perception was that the higher-seeded team was still heavily favored. The upset potential was talked about, but that didn’t mean Dallas was without a chance.]

[Today’s MVP is undoubtedly Jason Kidd, right? With 6/10 three-pointers, a total of 9/14 field goal percentage, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover, he was the catalyst behind Dallas’s ability to pull away when Portland threatened to catch up!]

Youngjae was more exhausted than ever, but as Jason Kidd confidently gave his MVP interview and the team members smiled, the tension that had been thick throughout the game began to dissipate, and Youngjae finally felt a sense of relief.

“That was really tough. Good job, everyone.”

The players, spurred on by Nowitzki, trudged into the locker room looking drained. The intensity of a playoff game was something else. This is why they experienced such highs and lows after each game, and why momentum was so crucial.

“Today, we had the fans behind us, but Games 3 and 4 are on the road. We need to protect our home court and win these first two games.”

Terry, who used the locker room next door, patted Youngjae’s tired back and encouraged him, saying, ‘Let’s keep grinding.’ Youngjae nodded and complimented Terry on his performance. And with that, Youngjae’s first playoff game in a Dallas Mavericks uniform came to an end.

Time flies. The seemingly long first round of the playoffs was already nearing its conclusion. Terry’s advice after the first game proved accurate, and Youngjae was slightly unnerved by how insightful the veteran was. They had fought hard to win at home, but they had suffered close defeats in the away games, losing Game 3 by 3 points and Game 4 by a single point. The unwavering support of the Portland crowd, the taunts, the boos – it was a different atmosphere in enemy territory. Unlike the regular season, the pressure from the hostile fans contributed to Dallas running out of gas in the final minutes.

“Ugh! I must have slept wrong. My neck is so stiff.”

Normally, the schedule would have been manageable, but the added pressure of the playoffs made it significantly harder. The mental fatigue compounded the physical strain, so even when he rested, he didn’t feel fully recovered, and even eating felt like a chore. On top of that, he was playing almost 5 minutes more than he had in the regular season, making the physical demands even greater.

“Chandler, why don’t you get some sleep? Why are you wandering around instead of sleeping?”

Terry, who had slept in the room next to Chandler, seemed to have slept well, as he was eating with a refreshed look on his face.

“And someone who received an award has no reason to be losing sleep. Right?”

Nowitzki, who had been listening quietly, subtly brought it up, and Chandler looked embarrassed and tried to brush it off with an ‘Eh-‘.

“Why? Good news is good news. Defensive Player of the Year, 3rd place! Tyson Chandler!!!”

“Hey! Hey! Why are you putting me on the spot!”

“Howard’s stats were too good, so it was a tough ask, but I think Chandler is a better defender.”

“Hey, hey. Still, if you look at Howard’s rebounds and blocks, it’s pretty clear. There’s a reason why he’s won Defensive Player of the Year three times in a row. I’m happy with this. It’s a little disappointing that I wasn’t that far behind Garnett, who was in 2nd place.”

Chandler was embarrassed but couldn’t hide his smile. Chandler, who had been grinning, suddenly snapped out of it and tried to change the subject, turning his attention to Terry, who was quietly eating.

“Then Terry has something to celebrate too! Right? Sixth Man of the Year, 2nd place~”

“Well, it’s the obvious result. It’d be weird if it was any other way, wouldn’t it? Where else is there a sixth man like me? Maybe Odom got more votes because he’s on the Lakers.”

“Um, um, well, you’ll definitely get it next year. At least the team is doing well this season, right?”

Youngjae, who was sitting next to him, felt a little guilty. In a way, Terry was sacrificing some stats because of him. If he hadn’t been there, Terry would have played more minutes and likely scored closer to 20 points per game. However, as Youngjae’s playing time and role increased, Terry’s importance and playing time inevitably decreased. Of course, the player who lost the most playing time because of him was Barea. As the team’s primary slasher, Barea had even been jokingly called Coach Carlisle’s son, so with the addition of Youngjae, his role naturally diminished.

The players continued to discuss the double recognition that Dallas had received during the first round of the playoffs, boosting the morale of the two veterans. Tyson Chandler finished third in Defensive Player of the Year, also known as Defensive POY or DPOY, behind Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett. Chandler, who had played in fewer than 60 games in the past two years, played in 74 games after being traded to Dallas, solidifying Dallas’s interior defense. As a result, Chandler, who played an average of 27 minutes, averaged 10.1 points and 9.4 rebounds, nearly averaging a double-double. In addition, he helped reduce the Dallas Mavericks’ points allowed by nearly 5 points compared to the previous year, and Dallas had their best defensive season since the start of the 21st century.

Jason Terry also finished second in Sixth Man of the Year. Lamar Odom, who finished first, had a strong season as a key player off the bench, but Terry also had an excellent year as a sixth man.

Despite being a sixth man, he played an average of 29 minutes, with a field goal percentage of 47%, a 3-point percentage of 38%, and a free throw percentage of 85%. He narrowly missed joining the 50-40-90 club [a mark of shooting excellence], but he showcased his potential as a sharpshooter. Averaging 14.3 points and 3.7 assists, Terry was a valuable sixth man.

Rival Lamar Odom averaged 32 minutes, recording 14.4 points and 8.9 rebounds, and was the LA Lakers’ key power forward. Terry’s stats decreased in most categories compared to the previous year, so the point difference with Thaddeus Young, who was in 3rd place, wasn’t that significant.

For Terry, it was a somewhat disappointing 2nd place finish, but he didn’t dwell on it because it was largely determined by media votes. His disappointment at the decrease in his stats was lessened by the team’s improved performance.

“Now, the results will gradually be announced, starting with Coach of the Year, then Regular Season MVP, and Rookie of the Year.”

“How about it, do you think you have a shot at Rookie of the Year?”

Youngjae, who was eating, almost choked when the conversation suddenly turned to him, but he managed to swallow properly and shrugged.

“I’m not really thinking about it. I’m trying to clear my head. I’m hoping to make the All-Rookie first team. From the beginning, my name recognition and raw stats aren’t that impressive, so I’d be happy if I could prevent someone else from winning unanimously. It would be tough for me to win even if my stats were better.”

Youngjae’s stats were solid. Averaging 28.5 minutes, Youngjae achieved the rare 50-40-90 club in his rookie season with an impressive 50.7% field goal percentage, 41.3% 3-point percentage, and 91.3% free throw percentage. He recorded 17.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists (21st in the league), and 1.9 steals (4th in the league), along with 1.9 turnovers, demonstrating remarkable consistency. This was a better record than John Wall, who played over 37 minutes, but it paled in comparison to Blake Griffin, a returning rookie.

Playing a whopping 38 minutes, Griffin recorded 22.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 turnovers. It was hard to ignore Blake Griffin, whose average stats were at the elite big man level of 20-10, capturing the attention of the media.

“Still, if you look at efficiency, Youngjae isn’t that far behind, right? Griffin’s stats are naturally going to be higher. Looking at the Clippers, he practically has to score, pass, and rebound all by himself.”

“But the Rookie of the Year usually comes from a team with a losing record. It’s easier to focus on stats that way. Besides, most Rookie of the Year winners are players who are drafted with high picks, so they’re likely to be on teams that struggled the previous year.”

“That’s true. It’s not that common for a rookie picked high in the draft to make the playoffs in their first year.”

At Kidd’s words, Youngjae just smiled and continued eating.

“Whether I win Rookie of the Year or not, if we make it to the Finals and win, it doesn’t matter if I don’t get Rookie of the Year, or if I don’t win MVP or DPOY [Defensive Player of the Year]. Aren’t we the ultimate winners? If we just crush everyone in our path, that’s all that matters.”

At Youngjae’s words, the other players nodded, impressed by his mature perspective. Individual awards were nice, but getting past Portland was the immediate priority.

“We’re up 3-2, and today is an away game, but let’s ride the momentum from the last game and finish it in Game 6. We need to figure out our road struggles.”

With Nowitzki’s final words, the players took some time to prepare for the game. A game that could be the last. The players had high expectations, but also felt a lot of pressure.

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

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

★Thank you to Altingi Jjang for the sponsored coupon!!

@As far as I know, there are no examples of non-American players receiving the Rookie of the Year award. Even European or South American players are at a disadvantage in individual awards, let alone Asian players. The conservatism of the American sports world is beyond imagination. The same is true for baseball and basketball. Globalization has taken place, but that’s only up to white people.

magara/// The first commenter has changed again today!! Thank you~

Yabes/// Cleveland seems to have no rivals in the East. Maybe in the West, but the East… Atlanta has strengthened its height with Splitter this time, but Carroll is gone, so there is no swingman stopper to stop LeBron. Washington has Pierce’s vacancy and Nene and Gortat are failing. The Bulls have no additional power increase, so Rose and Noah have to rebound, and I don’t know what impact the change of coach will have.

Cup in a cup/// The guards are better, but Anderson is the backup for the SF, and Bonner is the backup for the center. Bonner has not yet completed his re-signing.

Block Artisan Sidewalk/// Um… Are you talking about the game? Are you talking about the entire story of the novel? If it’s the whole novel… this novel was originally planned as a long story. Of course, the ups and downs and tension should be well created, but we are still a little inexperienced because this is our first work. ㅠ.ㅠ We will try harder.

H0h, Kundara, Vanishing Soul, misscherry, CountOfDark, Finencia, Cababam, Cheon, Omarion, 1234567890123, Senbyun///Thank you for your comments today!! It’s the rainy season from today, so be careful on the rainy roads~~~

Shooting Start/// Thank you for the coupon!!

Omen/// He’s a local star. He’s still a long way from being a national star. Americans like underdogs, but that’s often when they’re Americans. Usually, the media or the NBA headquarters have to push it, but there’s not much reason to push it. The team is not a big market like New York, and the headquarters and the media don’t like the owner Cuban. Korea is not as big as the Chinese market, so they made Yao Ming an All-Star… He is quite popular in the Dallas area and everyone recognizes him. Nationally, people who watch basketball hard know his name. Lin Sanity has different backgrounds.

Of course, because it is our subjectivity, if such a player actually appears, he may be a national style, or he may be less popular. However, based on our years of watching American sports and researching data, this is what we think it will be like.