Y13 [EN]: Chapter 129

The players finished their final warm-ups and began to gather at the bench. Mike Tirico started his commentary as soon as the starting lineups appeared on the screen.

“Here is the starting lineup for the LA Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum.”

“No changes. It’s a tough decision to make any changes in a series like this. Besides, the Lakers don’t have a lineup with as much power as this one. It’s a standard lineup. The only player on the bench who could be a starter is Lamar Odom.”

“Next, the starting lineup for the Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd, Youngjae Yoon, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler!”

Hubie Brown made a hmm sound and then nodded.

“The Dallas Mavericks also have no changes. It’s difficult to make changes during the playoffs because starting and coming off the bench require different mindsets, pacing, and tactics. Unless a starter is in really bad condition or injured, you generally stick with what works. This season, Shawn Marion went back and forth between starting and the bench four or five times, complaining to Coach Carlisle that it was hard to adjust.”

“Dallas has seen changes in the small forward starting lineup this season due to injuries and short-term contracts, with Butler-Marion/Sasha-Marion/Peja-Marion combinations. That’s likely why Marion was unhappy. He accepted the bench role after being persuaded by the coach, but the constant changes were disruptive. Starting and the bench are like long relief and setup-closer in baseball; you prepare your body and tactics differently. That’s the context.”

The two commentators continued their discussion, and the players began to step onto the court. As expected, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, the captains of each team, exchanged high-fives and light hugs, wishing each other fair play. The sight of the two legends, at the peak of their careers, created an undeniable aura.

Then, just before the game started, Kobe stood firmly in front of Youngjae with a determined expression. Youngjae, preparing for the game, silently met Kobe’s gaze, and Kobe raised his right hand.

Slap-

“It’s been a good battle so far. I hope today’s game will also be a battle without regrets. Today’s game won’t be the last.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Because I’m going to end this series today. I’ll give you a break this season.”

At Youngjae’s words, Kobe smiled deeply, as if that was the answer he wanted, and strode onto the court. To hear such words from a legend, to be able to say something so provocative to a legend, Youngjae felt a thrill. All the excessive anxiety he felt during practice before the game faded away, and he focused solely on the desire to play and win. Youngjae watched Chandler and Bynum’s jump ball.

However, unlike the conversation between Kobe Bryant and Youngjae, the game wasn’t initially very exciting. It was thrilling, but it wasn’t a close, hard-fought contest. Instead, it was a boring stalemate caused by missed shots.

“Both teams are struggling to shoot in the early stages of the game. They have only made one field goal each, maintaining a 3-3 tie for over two minutes. Could it be a physical problem?”

“Well, it’s still early, but they’re missing open shots. Nowitzki receives a pass from Kidd at the top. And to Youngjae Yoon on the right wing!”

Youngjae received the pass, and Nowitzki set a screen to the right. Kobe blocked Nowitzki’s path, leaving only Gasol, who was guarding both Youngjae and Nowitzki. Seeing the open space, Youngjae quickly drove to the basket before Kobe and Gasol could react.

“Youngjae Yoon drives to the basket with explosive speed! I don’t know why Kobe played such defense. Gasol isn’t even reacting properly. Kobe follows belatedly! Yoon attempts a pull-up jumper!”

As Youngjae jumped while driving, Kobe had no choice but to jump as well, and Pau Gasol and Ron Artest moved towards Youngjae to contest his shot. Youngjae’s high shooting percentage in the previous three games was enough to draw all three players towards him.

“Hmph!”

Whoosh!

However, Youngjae adjusted his pull-up shooting posture and passed the ball hard towards the low post.

“Kobe, Gasol, and Artest all crowded around Yoon, and Yoon made a jump pass to Chandler in the paint through the gap!”

As soon as Chandler caught the ball, he aggressively posted up against Bynum, who grimaced at the force, stretching out his hand to prevent Chandler from rising.

Beeeep!!

“Tyson Chandler goes up strong and draws a foul from Bynum! The basket is good, and it’s a basket count! Dallas takes a 5-3 lead.”

“Wow!!!”

“Nice! Chandler!!”

The players ran to Chandler and high-fived him for his play. Chandler roared, making his presence known in the quiet Staples Center.

“Ah, the Lakers’ defense was really poor this time. From giving Yoon a clear driving lane, to having three defenders on Yoon, and Bynum fouling Chandler by jumping too early.”

Swish-

Chandler made the free throw, thumping his chest, showing the audience that he was Dallas’s Chandler.

Building on that momentum, the game flowed to the middle of the second quarter. Coach Carlisle was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the first game and implemented a thorough rotation, not allowing the Lakers any openings. Coach Phil Jackson was using the starting members, led by Kobe Bryant, to the limit, barely maintaining the score difference, but the situation was reaching a point where he could no longer hope for a comeback.

“After Nowitzki’s missed shot, Gasol rebounds and Kobe receives a pass to start the attack. Kobe and Yoon are matched up on the right side! Kobe dribbles with his left hand and drives! Stops in the free throw area and shoots!”

Youngjae noticed that Kobe Bryant’s drive wasn’t as strong as usual, and his jump didn’t seem to reach its peak. It was partly because Kobe Bryant wasn’t in perfect condition, but Youngjae didn’t want to compete with Kobe Bryant in this way. Still, the game is the game. Youngjae, who strictly separated personal feelings from professional duty, showed no carelessness or courtesy in his play.

“Ah, it’s off. Yoon’s shot contest was too good. This player’s lateral defense is really great. Kobe isn’t in good condition, and he’s preventing Kobe from driving throughout the series. All drive attempts are blocked today.”

“Kobe has only scored 36 points in the first game, 23 points in the second game, and 17 points in the third game due to his ankle injury. Besides, there was only one layup in the third game. Because Yoon’s lateral defense, which blocks the opponent’s drive, is so outstanding, he was forced to shoot jumpers with his injured ankle. From Dallas’s point of view, Yoon has effectively shut down the opponent’s scoring ace, and Marion and Chandler’s perimeter defense have limited Kobe’s scoring opportunities.”

“Kobe also added an unpleasant record. He didn’t have a single assist in the first game of this series. It was the first time Kobe had a 0-assist game since he entered the playoffs in 1998. 36 points were great, but 0 assists are a shame.”

As soon as Kobe’s shot missed, Chandler grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Kidd. Kidd felt the need to slow down the game tempo and leisurely crossed the half-court line, assessing the court. Kidd, at the top of the key, exchanged glances with Chandler and nodded slightly.

“Dallas’s attack. They quickly transition after a successful defense. Kidd receives Chandler’s screen and drives to the left. Loose defense! Kidd drives to the low post! Fortunately, Bynum fills the lane, so Kidd can’t shoot and comes out to the right along the baseline.”

Kidd couldn’t get a layup, but as he came out, he glanced at Youngjae, who was positioned on the right wing, and threw the ball to Youngjae with a sharp bounce pass in that chaotic situation.

“Ah, he quickly sees Yoon, who has an open chance on the right wing! The pass goes to Yoon, passing Fisher’s fingertips. As Fisher quickly comes to defend, Yoon fakes a shot, but keeps his eyes forward and passes to the right!”

Youngjae, perhaps because he was used to playing with Kidd, accurately judged where Kidd would be at the moment Fisher was running towards him, and threw the ball. As expected, Kidd caught the ball right where Youngjae anticipated.

“Kidd has already moved to the outside. Kobe follows and reaches out his hand, but Kidd shoots without hesitation!”

“A Three Point shot! It’s in! Dallas extends the score to 39 to 28! The Lakers’ perimeter defense isn’t very good today. In particular, they are not properly tracking the movements of players without the ball! They look more helpless than in the previous three games. It’s not good to show such a lethargic performance at home, especially for the fans who filled the Staples Center.”

The score difference gradually widened. However, perhaps because of the lead, Dallas began to be complacent, and that was reflected in their play.

“Dallas players continue to pass the ball around the perimeter. Yoon passes to Marion on the right side. Chandler’s perfect screen quickly creates a driving lane for Marion as Marion catches the ball! Marion drives!”

“Bynum blocks the front. Marion floats the ball slightly! Uh? What is this ambiguous play that is neither a floater nor an alley-oop? It’s too far to be a shot, and too far from Chandler to be a pass?”

“Marion’s intention seems to be an alley-oop… It seems that he and Chandler weren’t in sync. If Chandler had been only two or three steps ahead, an alley-oop would have been possible. It seems that Chandler was blocked by Artest’s defense and couldn’t enter the paint. Bynum catches this ball that no one could catch. It’s a turnover for Dallas. They are leading 45:33, but I think it was too careless a pass.”

In the end, Coach Carlisle had no choice but to call a timeout. Even though they were leading, recognizing the flow of the game and calling a timeout was a sign of a good coach. It was necessary to take out the players who were not performing well and had lost their rhythm, and to change the atmosphere by substituting players. It was necessary to maintain at least a double-digit lead in the first half.

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

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@At that time, one of Dallas’s biggest weaknesses was giving up momentum due to their own careless turnovers. It was true that there were few players who could create offense, so the offense was a bit tight, and I think that was the result.

In particular, the actual starting lineup was like 8-9 defenders and 1-2 attackers in soccer. Other than Nowitzki, the other 4 were at a level where it was difficult to create points without Nowitzki. Instead, the defense was very good. It’s no exaggeration to say that they relied on defense to push forward, leaving the attack to Nowitzki. It would have been difficult without Carlisle and Stotts’ well-organized offensive tactics.

@I have uploaded Youngjae’s physical chart in the work settings and garden. He is not a typical athlete with good athletic ability. If you look at it at the time of the draft, it is a downgrade of Evan Turner. An all-around college player. A player whose performance in college is questionable whether it will continue in the NBA? That’s the feeling. Originally, the speed was at a considerable level. And I increased the wingspan in the previous episode by 1 inch.

RadiantLegacy/// First comment!! Thank you for your comment!!

CupInCup/// Haha, you missed it unfortunately;;

GoddessYuriPraise, VanishingSoul, Kundara, Financia, misscherry, 1234567890123, huhcafe/// Thank you for your comments as always. It’s Monday, so cheer up and have a good week!!

Euiseol/// LOL Griffin is just a monster LOL

zigichacha, -DarkANGEL-/// As you said, you have to be really overpowered to beat Griffin LOL. The big men who recorded 20-10 [20 points and 10 rebounds per game] in the 2010-2011 season are Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, Zach Randolph, and Blake Griffin. Love won the Most Improved Player (MIP) in this season, and Howard was 2nd in MVP, so wow. Griffin also has the most assists among these four this season. I think he was in the top 5 among power forwards this season. Griffin was also 2nd in MVP last year, so he’s really a great friend. Youngjae also has stats at a level where he could win Rookie of the Year in a normal season.

H0h/// Haha, we aim for growth rather than being overpowered. Of course, it’s a bit overpowered now… Japanese summers are really amazing. I went to Kyushu a few years ago in August, and I was sweating just walking.

ShootingStart/// Yes, he is definitely an elite big man. Only 4 people could do it this season. This season, there are 3 people: Cousins, Aldridge, and Anthony Davis. But Aldridge and Davis are big men who don’t seem like big men LOL LOL You didn’t like Dallas very much. This team is ambiguous in popularity, so there are few fans and few haters in Korea LOL

Yabes/// Ah LOL You’re talking about the Nowitzki flu humiliation incident

anwkdk/// Yes. It’s not easy to get a lot of attention with the main character’s style. I’m thinking about various methods.

MilkBoy/// Just as the Major League reduced unfair treatment as Japanese and Koreans advanced one after another, the NBA can also improve if there are more Asians and their position widens. It will be difficult for the time being.

RainySky/// That’s right. In fact, Nowitzki missed the 180 club [shooting 50% or better from the field, 40% or better from three-point range, and 90% or better from the free throw line] this season due to 0.7% in 3-pointers and 0.8% in free throws. I made him achieve the 180 club with novel correction due to Youngjae. I forgot to write that part in the postscript. Dallas has changed little by little in team performance and individual performance due to Youngjae. Other teams have not changed much.