Y13 [EN]: Chapter 122

Y13-122 Semi-Conference Final (2010-2011)

Youngjae’s shoulders were stiff from the intense schedule he hadn’t experienced in a long time. However, having won the fierce battle against Portland and advanced to the Semi-Conference Finals, he knew he had to endure some pain. Especially with Dallas, most of the key players were veterans, so he knew he had to play more and contribute more.

Occasionally, there was rookie hazing, a common practice in American sports, where pranks were played on new rookies. However, over time, excessive rookie hazing was decreasing. This was because excessive hazing often led to incidents or ruined the team atmosphere, prompting intervention from various clubs.

The Dallas Mavericks had many veterans, and the players were more disciplined and orderly than free-spirited. Therefore, Youngjae didn’t experience severe rookie hazing.

“Here you go.”

Youngjae was already recognized as a key player within Dallas, so the team and veterans respected him. Nevertheless, Youngjae was well aware that he was a rookie and understood their unspoken rules. So, he was able to get closer to his teammates by doing various chores and quickly ease any initial reservations they had.

“Thank you. But I told you to rest. Why don’t you listen? Give it here!”

Chandler took half of the players’ luggage that Youngjae brought and tossed it to the other players. Youngjae poked Chandler’s side and gave him a light smile.

“Don’t overdo it. I’m still a vibrant twenty-year-old, so I’m fine, but Chandler is getting to the age where he needs to take care of himself… Ouch!”

“Are you going to keep saying annoying things like that? Huh?”

Youngjae teased Chandler about his age, earning a playful punch. He yelped, quickly handed over the remaining luggage, and ran away. Chandler watched Youngjae, who was one of the fastest on the team, chase after him before simply plopping down. Then, he glanced at Youngjae, who had slyly returned and sat down.

“Geez. Why did you hit so hard?”

Sitting down, Youngjae finally sighed in relief and rubbed the spot where he had been hit, feigning pain.

“You’re exaggerating. How much could it hurt?”

“Brewer. You would never say that if you had been hit by Chandler’s nuke punch.”

Youngjae frowned and immediately retorted to Brewer, who dismissed it casually. Nevertheless, Brewer seemed to lose interest and rapidly tapped his thumbs on his smartphone. As Carlisle and the coaches entered the locker room, Brewer quickly pressed the send button and put his smartphone in his pocket.

“My sweet heart. Sorry. Now, meeting begins~ Oh, Brewer. I didn’t know you would use the words ‘My sweet heart’? That’s more romantic than I thought.”

“Cough, cough. When did you see that? Why are your eyes so good?”

Brewer glared at Youngjae, startled, but Youngjae simply raised the corners of his lips slightly and began to stare ahead without any particular reaction. Brewer thought about retaliating against Youngjae’s mischievous prank, but it was time for the briefing, so Brewer began to focus on Carlisle’s words.

“Everyone worked hard until yesterday’s game. And congratulations on advancing to the Semi-Conference Finals. It’s a short three-day break, but I hope you all do your best to adjust your condition and maintain your physical state.”

The players simply agreed to Carlisle’s considerate but firm words.

“The next opponent in the Semi-Conference Finals is the LA Lakers, who have won back-to-back championships and are aiming for a three-peat [winning three consecutive championships] this season. They are a traditional powerhouse that has won five championships in the last 15 years.”

The PPT [PowerPoint presentation] projected on the screen concisely listed the LA Lakers’ players and their movements.

“Basketball is a 5-on-5 battle. Even if a player has a great reputation or a super ace is running wild, that doesn’t guarantee four wins in a short series. It’s true that a super ace is needed in a short series, but that ace can’t do anything alone. His teammates must lighten the ace’s burden and adapt to the team’s tactics to ultimately win.”

“The Lakers’ basic tactic is the Triangle Offense system, which everyone knows. Phil Jackson planted this tactic in the Lakers after his time with the Chicago Bulls. It’s a tactic we’ve suffered from a lot, but the level can vary depending on the players executing it and the coach and staff creating the detailed plans.”

The Triangle Offense was a tactic where players were positioned on the side, wing, and low post, regardless of left or right, to form a triangular formation and attack. However, the scary thing about this Triangle Offense wasn’t just that three players formed a triangular formation. The remaining two players were positioned at the top and the opposite baseline, ready to cut in, shoot a 3-pointer, or shoot a mid-range shot at any time. Therefore, if the triangular formation drew just one more defender, they could pass the ball to the open space. That’s why if two players with excellent outside shooting moved around to find their spots without being tied to the triangular formation, the destructive power of the Triangle Offense would increase several times.

The triangular formation allows for various derivative attacks such as post-up plays, mid-range spot-ups, and isolations because players are positioned in the outer, mid-range, and low post areas. However, very few teams actually implement it.

To perfectly implement this, you need a center who is good at posting up and passing, a forward who is also excellent at mid-range and passing, and a swingman [a versatile player who can play multiple positions] who can both penetrate and pass. This is both its strength and weakness.

I’m looking forward to the second round of the playoffs.

Author: DallasFight Views: 2038 April 30, 2011

Experts are picking the Western Conference king, the Lakers, to win. Well, our team has to do well in the playoffs to prove them wrong. Our neighbors, San Antonio, have gone to the playoffs for 14 years and won 4 times, but we’ve only been runners-up once.

It’s been 23 years since we met in the playoffs, which is amazing. We’ve been to the playoffs quite often since Nowitzki arrived, but we’ve never played the Lakers. Honestly, as a fan, I hope we win, but if I take a step back, we seem a bit inferior to the Lakers. First of all, the starting lineup is too strong. Let’s compare them by position.

Point Guard: Kidd, Barea VS Fisher, Blake

Well, this is the only area where we can confidently say we’re ahead. I think both the starter and the backup are better on our team. Fisher is a player who should be exploited by us, and Blake isn’t the same as before this season. Neither his 3-point shooting nor his scoring ability is that great.

Shooting Guard: Yoon, Terry VS Kobe, Shannon Brown

Yoon has grown rapidly this year, but he’s no match for Kobe. Terry is much better than Shannon Brown, so if we combine them, it’s roughly the same. Honestly, the series will come down to who scores more between Kobe and Nowitzki. Of course, Yoon’s performance this season is quite good. If we pick the top 5 shooting guards this season, Yoon would definitely be picked. But the problem is that his opponent is Kobe. Fortunately, we have a guard on our team who is big enough to guard Kobe. Yoon has matched up well against Wade, Manu, and Monta this season, so if Yoon can hold Kobe to under 25 points, our team has a chance to win.

Small Forward: Marion, Brewer VS Artest, Matt Barnes

Honestly, it’s similar here, but I think we’re a bit behind. Marion is better than last year, but he’s still a step below Artest. Brewer is also behind Barnes, both in terms of 3-point shooting and defense. We should have grabbed Barnes last offseason… Well, this position is more about 3-point shooting and defense than offense for both teams.

Power Forward: Nowitzki, Peja VS Gasol, Odom

Well, I don’t know where to put Odom, but he goes back and forth between the 3 and 5 [small forward and center positions], so I’ll put him here. Gasol was good in the regular season, but he’s not doing well in the playoffs. Even if he’s in good condition, I think he’s a step below Nowitzki. But it’s embarrassing to compare Odom and Peja, so I’ll pass. In fact, if you combine the two players here, we’re behind.

Center: Chandler, Haywood VS Bynum, Odom

I think we have the best center lineup in Dallas history, but they’re even stronger. When we lose, we get crushed by Bynum in the beginning, and then we lose because of reckless plays. That’s the formula. Personally, I think we have a chance to win if we can hold Bynum to under 15 points and 8 rebounds. Chandler and Haywood aren’t bad defenders, but Bynum is too good this year. He just blows past everyone and puts it up, and no one can stop him. It’s also a shame that Chandler doesn’t have many blocks.

Odom will fill in here too. The Lakers have a 9-man rotation. We have a lot of veterans and mediocre players, so we rotate 1-2 more players. In addition to the 10 players listed here, Cardinal, Deshawn, and Bobo may also come out.

Our team doesn’t have any players who are significantly ahead in each position, so if we play uptempo offense, it will be difficult to compete with the Lakers in scoring, and if we go to a defensive game, it will be difficult because we don’t have a good inside option. Kobe can be guarded by any of Dallas’s backcourt players, Odom guards Nowitzki well, and Gasol-Bynum are taller and more flexible than Chandler-Haywood.

It’s too bleak if I write only this, but if I analyze the 7 games from last year and this year, we haven’t lost badly except for the most recent game. Our team can have a chance to win if we don’t fall behind in rebounding. And we can win if we maintain our concentration in the 4th quarter.

The game flow I analyzed was: crushed by Bynum in the beginning + ridiculous mistakes by the guards -> crushed by Odom in the paint in the second half -> close game until the 3rd quarter -> losing the strength to follow due to lack of concentration/stamina in the 4th quarter, and jump shots not going in.

The characteristics of the winning games are that we reduced turnovers and didn’t fall behind in rebounding, that is, we took the lead against the Lakers in the first half. And another thing to look forward to is Coach Carlisle, who always uses a small backcourt, but this season our team’s guard lineup has a starting guard named Youngjae Yoon who is big… and he can also reduce the scoring burden on Terry and Kidd. So let’s pray for victory and cheer.

Whatever the final result, this series is expected to be a great game.

The friendship between Kobe and Nowitzki, who recognize each other as MVPs [Most Valuable Players], will also be confirmed throughout the series.

(Kobe, who smells like soap, and Nowitzki praising each other… will it continue this time?)

Re: Honestly, the biggest enemy in this playoffs is the Lakers. It would be okay if we could avoid the Lakers.

Re: Are you ignoring Memphis? Dallas lost all games against Memphis this season.

Re: Memphis upset San Antonio, but Oklahoma City will take care of them first. If Memphis comes up, it could be a replay of the 2007 playoffs.

Re: Don’t say things I don’t want to imagine. Let’s just think about the second round.

Re: I thought this season was a good time to win the championship, but why are we meeting so many enemies…

Re: But I think it’s not bad in terms of compatibility. Honestly, I’m glad we didn’t meet Memphis or New Orleans.

Re: Okay, everyone, stop and let’s cheer hard for our team to win.

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

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

Orkasha/// lol I burst out laughing!!

magara/// I feel the same way every time I look at other novels ㅠ.ㅠ

GaYeonEul/// Um….

H0H, Latona, Kundara, -DarkANGEL-, 사라질영혼, 악동이77, misscherry, 1234567890123, CountOfDark/// Thank you for your comments as always!!

ShootingStart///Thank you. I was referring to the game and unconsciously wrote the commentary according to the rankings that appeared on the screen after the game ㅡ.ㅡ;; Correction completed.

DonOh/// This season will inevitably be similar to reality…

SeongCheon/// Dallas has good medical staff, and the coach is good at reviving players, but… I just hope he doesn’t become the second Rondo. If he does better than Harris or Barea, he’ll be worth 5M.

Makellele/// In the NBA, a first-rounder actually plays for the debut team for at least 5 years (if you’re willing to take a salary loss), usually 7-8 years (in normal cases). It’s like how Major League Baseball hardly trades players until their 5th or 6th year. It’s very different from European football;;; Of course, you can move teams if you don’t do well, but if you do as well as Youngjae…

zigichacha/// Yeah, that mentality is something;; It’s not easy to get paid if you do that. For now, they’ve sent him to the second team with a firm stance.

Yabes/// Actually, it was Phil Jackson’s only playoff sweep loss in history…ㄷㄷ

CupInCup/// lololol Why are you doing this? Was it too short?

LapirAndJint/// Gasol wasn’t in good condition, but he couldn’t stop Ibaka or Bosh either ㄷㄷ. Sagićki, whose free throws were gradually rising to the finals….