Y13 [EN]: Chapter 139

Fueled by incredible plays, Dallas seized the early momentum, scoring on all three of their initial possessions to take a 6-0 lead. Ibaka’s layup rimmed out, and Russell Westbrook’s forced drive to the basket yielded nothing, showcasing Dallas’s offensive prowess.

[Kevin Durant! An open midrange jumper hits the rim and bounces out!]

[He needs to make those open shots! Dallas has scored 6 points, while Oklahoma City only has 2 from Westbrook’s aggressive drive!]

[Shawn Marion with the rebound!]

Marion, living up to his nickname ‘The Matrix,’ easily secured the defensive rebound and quickly advanced past the half-court line. Perhaps because Dallas lacked inside offensive options and favored perimeter attacks, Oklahoma City focused their defense on the outside. Seeing this, Marion cleverly passed the ball inside.

[Tyson Chandler! 1-on-1 against Kendrick Perkins!]

Tyson Chandler backed down Perkins under the rim, pushing hard. Perkins gritted his teeth, enduring Chandler’s post-up. Chandler wasn’t typically a post-up player, but with the ball so close to the basket, he felt confident.

“Ha!”

Chandler jumped, thinking he could easily score, but Perkins jumped with him, trying to disrupt his balance, even if he couldn’t block the shot.

[Tyson Chandler! A tough shot!]

[Wow! It’s been a while since we’ve seen these two teams’ big men battle like this! It’s rare to see Chandler trying to create his own shot instead of just catching and finishing!]

A hook-like shot left Chandler’s hand, and the ball bounced off both sides of the rim before finally falling in.

[If Chandler’s wild shots are going in, Oklahoma City is in trouble! The score is widening to 8-2!]

Perkins defended Chandler as best he could, but if the ball was destined to go in, not even Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, could stop it. Chandler casually exchanged high-fives as he retreated, and the Dallas fans cheered wildly.

After that, Oklahoma City utilized their energy to disrupt Dallas’s defense, scoring sporadically and drawing fouls. However, they couldn’t contain Dallas’s efficient offense, especially their midrange shooting, leading to a cycle of offensive struggles and easy points for Dallas.

[Jason Kidd! Driving in after Chandler’s screen!]

[Westbrook cuts him off, but he makes an amazing kick-out pass to Youngjae Yoon on the opposite side?!]

Swish-

[BANG!!!]

[Leaving Y13 [Youngjae Yoon’s nickname, referencing his jersey number] that open is practically giving them 3 points! With Sefolosha struggling on defense, Oklahoma’s frontcourt defense is collapsing! Sefolosha is a good defender, but Dallas’s well-organized movements are too much!]

[Timeout! Oklahoma City!]

During the timeout, ESPN entertained viewers with off-court interviews and videos. Doris Burke began to introduce a key contributor to Dirk Nowitzki’s shooting.

[Dirk Nowitzki’s incredible shooting accuracy is due to his hard work, but also to Holger Geschwindner, his shooting coach, who developed Dirk’s unique shooting form.]

Holger Geschwindner was an older man with snow-white hair. Balding on top, and dressed a bit plainly, he nonetheless exuded the aura of a master.

– Holger is a great person. He is Dirk’s mentor and the one who elevated Dallas’s shooting. He may seem like just Dirk’s shooting coach, but he is also a mentor who inspires other coaches in Dallas. It’s no exaggeration to call him a genius. It’s rare to see big men with such a soft shooting touch in the NBA, which shows how unique Dirk is, and Holger is also unique. –

Rick Carlisle also gave an interview, expressing his respect and admiration for Holger Geschwindner. It was no exaggeration to say that Holger Geschwindner had created the current Dirk Nowitzki and had been a strong mental support for Nowitzki, who could have struggled after moving from Germany to a foreign land.

“Holger Geschwindner has contributed a lot to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks as Dirk Nowitzki’s shooting coach for 16 years. He has been attending Nowitzki’s playoff games without missing one. His presence, silently watching from the stands today, is truly amazing.”

Beeeep-

Doris Burke finished her segment as the timeout ended, and the players returned to the court.

[Both teams have made substitutions. The Dallas Mavericks’ lineup consists of J.J. Barea, Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, Shawn Marion, and Brendan Haywood.]

[In contrast, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a small lineup consisting of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Nick Collison, and Serge Ibaka. Oklahoma City’s urgency is evident in their player management, isn’t it?]

Jeff Van Gundy nodded at Mark Jackson’s words and began to speak.

[If we were to pick the two players who have played the most minutes in the Conference Finals, it would be Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. It’s an unavoidable situation for Oklahoma City. If someone could replace those two, even briefly, they wouldn’t be so strained… but that’s impossible. It shows that Dallas is not an easy team to beat. Also, because Perkins doesn’t have a reliable backup, they have to use a lineup without a true center, featuring Ibaka and Collison, for more than 10 minutes each game. The difference is stark when you consider that Dallas has a 7-foot center, Haywood, as a backup.]

However, Dallas wasn’t unbeatable, and they certainly had weaknesses. Dallas’s success depended on a high shooting percentage. Long-range shots were inherently inconsistent.

[Jason Terry! Dribbling the ball on the right wing?]

[No matter how weak James Harden’s defense is, Terry, as a veteran, can’t easily break through. He’s waiting for Shawn Marion’s screen.]

As Jeff Van Gundy mentioned, when Marion screened for Terry, Terry smoothly used the screen. Marion also began to cut towards the basket at the same speed as Terry.

Whoosh-

[Jason Terry! Passes to Shawn Marion without hesitation as soon as Harden recovers!]

However, Nick Collison, who was guarding Marion, stuck to him tightly, causing Marion to almost fumble the pass. Marion struggled to secure the ball, bouncing it erratically.

[Is it a fumble? If Marion loses the ball here, it’s a fast break!]

To make matters worse, even Durant, who was guarding Peja Stojakovic at the top of the key, came to double-team Marion.

“Ha!”

At that moment, Marion cleverly bounced the ball once and then passed it to Peja, who was open at the top of the key.

“?!”

Durant and Collison looked bewildered, but the ball was already in Peja’s hands.

[Peja Stojakovic! FOR THREE!!]

Clang!

[Ah! He misses! Peja Stojakovic throws away a perfect open look!]

[Something’s not right with Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki has 7 points and 2 rebounds on 2/2 shooting and 3/3 free throws, and Youngjae Yoon has 4 points and 2 assists on 1/1 shooting and 2/2 free throws, but Peja Stojakovic and J.J. Barea, who should be contributing from the outside, aren’t hitting their shots. Kidd still doesn’t have a field goal, and Terry has only made one midrange jumper after missing a three-pointer?]

The three-pointers weren’t falling. This was a bad sign for Dallas. Dallas’s strength was that all players except for the centers Chandler, Haywood, and Mahinmi could shoot three-pointers, led by Nowitzki and the guard line of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Youngjae, J.J. Barea, and Peja Stojakovic, plus Shawn Marion, whose percentage had declined, and Brian Cardinal, who played briefly but had a high three-point percentage. If even half of these players were hitting their shots, Dallas would be in good shape.

[They need to regain their outside shooting touch quickly. Come on, Dallas Mavericks!]

Perhaps that’s why Dallas couldn’t build a significant lead despite their physical advantage and home-court advantage. The game remained close, with the lead changing hands frequently.

[Defensive rebound, Shawn Marion!]

[Even though his shooting has declined, there’s a reason why he’s called the Matrix, right? His defensive contributions and athleticism are still essential to the Dallas Mavericks! He’s the only post-up option besides Nowitzki and the team’s best wing defender. He’s the only player who can guard Durant of Oklahoma City and LeBron of Miami, who is likely to be their Finals opponent.]

As soon as Marion secured the ball, he passed it to Peja Stojakovic, who was running up the court, and Peja passed it to Terry, who was ahead of him, with a single dribble.

[As expected, Dallas’s fast break! Incredibly fast transition offense! Eric Maynor is closely guarding Jason Terry!]

But there was a reason why Jason Terry was called JET. He had an offensive firepower like a jet plane. A key sixth man who could score over 20 points. That was Jason Terry. Terry ignored Eric Maynor’s tenacious defense and rose up in his rhythm.

[Jason Terry, is he going for a pull-up jumper just like that!]

Swish-

Eric Maynor couldn’t help but feel a chill when he saw Terry’s confident face as he jumped. Maynor could only reach out his hand uselessly at Terry’s composure, who was unfazed by the defense and focused solely on the basket.

[HE SINKS IT!!!]

[Jason Terry! He’s an amazing sharpshooter after all! He hits a jumper without hesitation in this close game?!]

Mark Jackson and Mike Breen were already shouting with slightly hoarse voices, and even Jeff Van Gundy, who usually remained calm, praised Jason Terry’s incredible shot with excitement.

[With this, the score is 21 to 16! The Dallas Mavericks are extending their lead to 5 points again!]

However, the seesaw battle continued. Immediately on the next possession, Westbrook and Durant worked together to penetrate Dallas’s defense, passing the ball to Collison, who was struggling in the paint, for an easy 2 points.

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

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

@Holger Coach is Nowitzki’s personal coach, but he also coaches Dallas players. When Nowitzki was struggling last year, Holger Coach came back and Nowitzki revived.

@It will be difficult to post tomorrow at midnight. If it doesn’t come up by 12:30, you can assume it will be up in the morning.

magara///lol Is it a treasure?

Yabesu///Me, I’m a… eunuch!!!

Eunsin Seolya///We also wish we had a day when the ball scratches well ㅠ.ㅠ

Reporter Gwanggi///Rookies usually have physical development in the first few years, and technical and mental development is the main focus. Please keep an eye on it ㅎㅎ. And even though it’s the first year, excluding the college part, it will still end in a little over 100 episodes including the finals. Ah, excluding the offseason;;

Shooting Start///I remember Chandler being picked as a high school 2nd pick as a project type… He kept not exploding, but he opened his eyes to offense while playing with Paul in New Orleans, and his defense also improved.

H0h///lol Meeting between families…. Family relations will be later^^ My body feels uncomfortable again today.

zigichacha/// Did you enjoy basketball ㅎㅎ. We don’t have the skills ㅠ.ㅠ The actual finals opponent was LeBron, Wade, and Bosh’s Big 3 Miami Heat.

Cup in a Cup///Hehe We are also planning how to roll it. It’s not easy to roll in the setting;;; His mentality is not weak either.

Disappearing Soul, Omarion, Financia, huhcafe, Goddess Yuri Praise/// Thank you for your comments!! Everyone, cheer up during the tropical nights.

Clevas/// If I had Jeon Tae-poong’s level of skill as a Korean, I would go to the KBL [Korean Basketball League] right away. If it’s not the immediate ability but the potential, I would be a little worried, but I would still practice and go. Jeon Tae-poong is subject to mixed blood, so he can’t sign a contract with one team for more than 3 years, and there are many restrictions;;; Of course, I think I would go even if I were mixed race

goimosp///The play style is a complete character, but the trap is that there is no S grade ㅋㅋ. Most are A~B grade… I still can’t do pull-up 3 points, and the defense is well utilizing the teamwork with Kidd, Marion, and Chandler and the team defense and receiving their assistance. It needs to grow more overall ㅎㅎ. If the starting center becomes Haywood like in real history, the defense will drop sharply… Roughly, I think Youngjae’s record is below the top 6 shooting guards in the 10-11 season.

Below Kobe, Wade, Ginobili, Monta Ellis, Kevin Martin, Ray Allen, and around Eric Gordon or Iguodala? This is my personal opinion. There are still many parts to grow. The 180 club is definitely a great part, but he is not yet a player who can guarantee an average of 20 points. The parts that are good are emphasized in the novel, so it seems like a better player ㄷㄷ. In actual records.ㅠ.ㅠ

And my standard for cheating characters is high ㅋㅋ.

Ultra10/// Long time no see^^ I hope you have a good time while reading ㅎㅎ