Y13 [EN]: Chapter 146

Y13-146 Final 2010-2011 (Final)

[Here comes Chris Bosh, once again delivering a quick pass to LeBron James!]

The ball is relentlessly funneled to LeBron James. It was true that LeBron enjoyed leading the offense and having a high usage rate. However, if such blatant ball-hogging continued, the Dallas coaching staff and players would naturally apply pressure defense to LeBron James if they had any sense.

Thud!

[LeBron James! He fumbles the ball under pressure from Shawn Marion and Yoon Young-jae while crossing the half-court line! In an instant, three players dive for the ball!]

A predictable fumble. At that moment, the three players lunged for the ball with incredible reaction speed, as if they were superhuman. Despite being in a 2-on-1 situation, LeBron James withstood the physical battle with Marion and Young-jae, extending his arms and hugging the ball to his chest.

“Damn it!!”

Marion and Young-jae tried desperately to steal the ball, but with LeBron shaking his shoulders and gripping the ball tightly with both arms, there was no way to take it away.

[LeBron James retains possession! Despite Marion and Yoon’s persistent steal attempts, he keeps the ball, shaking his upper body! LeBron James spots Dwyane Wade streaking past the three players and passes the ball to Wade!]

Young-jae realized the danger. Nowitzki and Chandler were near the basket, but Chandler was exclusively guarding Bosh, so Nowitzki had to defend any player penetrating the paint. In that situation, with two players on LeBron James and Wade left unguarded?

“Defend! Even if you’re late, chase after him!”

LeBron James had already gotten up and was sprinting towards the rim at an incredible speed. Young-jae realized that this was no time to lament his fall and quickly got up, doggedly chasing after LeBron.

[Dwyane Wade drives towards the rim from the left wing!]

Nowitzki took a step forward to block Wade’s drive. Guarding Wade too closely wasn’t a good idea. Wade’s dribble penetration speed was too fast for Nowitzki to keep up with his lateral movement, and since Wade wasn’t a great shooter, it was better to focus on stopping his drive rather than contesting his shot. Moreover, LeBron James was also rushing towards the rim from the top of the key!

Whoosh!

[The moment Nowitzki steps out, a brilliant no-look pass to LeBron! LeBron catches the ball and leaps!]

“Uwaaaah!!!”

LeBron jumped, and although slightly late, Nowitzki jumped as well, blocking LeBron’s path with his upper body. Young-jae, yelling, jumped with all his might from behind, extending his hand into the shooting trajectory, hoping to touch the ball.

Thump!!

In mid-air, LeBron James collided with Nowitzki, and Young-jae’s hand brushed against LeBron James’s hand, forcing the referee to blow his whistle.

Beeeep!!

[A foul is called! LeBron James loses his balance in the air! But he still shoots!]

Young-jae quickly pulled back his hand, but the whistle had already been blown. The only remaining hope was that LeBron’s shot wouldn’t go in, resulting in just two free throws.

“?!”

However, seeing LeBron James’s expression in the air, Young-jae couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine. It was the same expression he had seen during the match against Ray Allen, a look of complete focus on the ball. Not caring about anything else, focusing solely on the rim, and releasing the ball with all his might, even considering how his body would be thrown backward.

Swish-

In that instant, the American Airlines Center was filled with silence.

[LeBron James’s fantastic rim attack results in a three-point play against the Dallas Mavericks! Truly, a play worthy of the Finals!]

[There’s no answer when that goes in! Despite Dirk Nowitzki and Young-jae Yoon doing their ‘best’ defense, LeBron James gets the and-one [a play where a player is fouled while scoring, resulting in a free throw]! There’s no way to explain it other than saying, ‘He’s LeBron James!’]

In the hushed arena, LeBron pounded his chest, showing everyone that he was the King, just as Young-jae had done. Naturally, he easily made the additional free throw, and the game began to turn into a truly desperate seesaw battle.

[Dirk Nowitzki slowly advances towards the rim with Chris Bosh backing down!]

Originally, his strength was facing up, but Dirk Nowitzki, who had started using post-ups a few years ago, advanced. Bosh gritted his teeth, trying not to be pushed back by Nowitzki, but he could only stop him for a moment.

[Once he gets to his desired spot, he executes a turnaround fadeaway!]

Bosh clenched his teeth and jumped with all his might, but he couldn’t get close enough because Nowitzki’s right knee was blocking his chest and abdomen. Nowitzki gracefully, and with his own rhythm, jumped and threw the ball.

Swish-

[BANG!!!]

[Amazing! That’s Dirk Nowitzki’s specialty! When he was younger, he mixed face-ups and post-ups unpredictably, enjoying driving to the basket with his 7-foot frame, but after realizing the limits of his play a few years ago and entering the veteran ranks, his driving ability from his younger days may have dulled, but he’s shown that he can attack primarily with post-ups by equipping himself with that one-legged fadeaway!]

[He’s worthy of being called the living legend of Dallas! The blue heart of Dallas! He’s the epitome of the German soldier of Dallas!]

As Nowitzki easily scored 2 points, LeBron James responded for Miami. He would lead the offense, pass the ball to Wade, and then slowly move to the high post area. Wade would receive a screen from Bosh or Joel Anthony and disrupt Dallas’s defense with his signature explosive dribble penetration.

“Keuk!”

That should have been the normal scenario, but the reason why Dwyane Wade was struggling unexpectedly was because of Young-jae’s presence. In Wade’s eyes, Young-jae was just another ordinary Asian guard with excellent speed but lacking strength and height. Yet, for some reason, Young-jae was a player who made Wade want to choose another option if there was one other than directly breaking through him. He was not only adept at drawing offensive fouls with his quickness and lateral movement but also at preventing Wade from penetrating to a good position.

[A battle between Young-jae Yoon and Dwyane Wade! He effectively blocks Dwyane Wade’s acceleration with his body!]

[Despite Bosh’s screen, he flexibly gets over it and blocks Wade’s path! That intelligent defense is Young-jae Yoon’s strength!]

Wade was annoyed by Young-jae, who always seemed to cut in right before he could unleash his explosive acceleration. However, as the Flash, Wade wasn’t one to force his way through with his shoulder. Instead, he switched to a post-up position. Young-jae wasn’t strong and didn’t have a long wingspan, so he was relatively weaker in post-up situations than in face-up situations.

‘A pivot!’

A move to deceive the opponent by using one foot as a pivot without lifting it, making it seem like he would drive in with the other foot. Young-jae lowered his center of gravity to avoid being tricked and spread his arms wide to the side, ready to stop Wade no matter which direction he turned, even if it meant fouling.

[It’s a showdown between the Flash [Dwyane Wade’s nickname] and Y13 [Young-jae’s nickname]! In such 1-on-1 battles, other players can intervene to help, but they don’t move rashly around them!]

[Of course. Unless help is needed or someone is getting beaten, rashly helping would only give the opponent more spacing! From Dallas’s perspective, as long as Chandler is near the basket, they can trust Yoon’s defensive ability.]

Wade seemed determined, taking one last pivot with his right foot and then exploding off the ground. No, it was like a spring had sprung, with tremendous elasticity. Spinning counterclockwise, using his left foot as a pivot, as if he would pass by before anyone could stop him. That was Dwyane Wade’s choice.

“?!”

But Young-jae was no pushover either. Instead of sticking close or recklessly following with side steps, he took a step back to fully assess Wade’s path and then intelligently blocked Wade again with his upper body!

“Hat!”

Wade, no longer intending to be blocked by Young-jae, began to relentlessly push through Young-jae with his shoulder. It was a seemingly reckless and obvious drive, but Young-jae seemed barely able to keep up.

[Young-jae Yoon! He’s struggling against a simple drive!]

[That’s right. Dwyane Wade’s drive may seem simple at times. But, jokingly called a short center, Dwyane Wade’s power, speed, and explosiveness are truly top-notch among NBA swingmen! Despite his lack of three-point ability, the reason he’s called one of the best shooting guards in the league is because of his overwhelming driving ability. For Young-jae Yoon, who isn’t particularly athletic but is known for his high basketball IQ and intelligent play, he’s facing perhaps the worst possible matchup! In such situations, even if players think of dozens of ways to counter, it ultimately comes down to a physical battle!]

A relentless physical battle. Young-jae desperately clung on, knowing that if he was broken through here, they would immediately give up 2 points. He even recalled the method of drawing out all the energy from his body that he had learned from Derek Armstrong in the Summer League, but it was only a temporary stop.

Whoosh!

“?!”

A tremendous arc. If Dwyane Wade was just a player with strengths in power, explosiveness, and physicality, he would never have been called the Flash. The scoring ability he creates based on that physicality. Wade’s overwhelming scoring, having scored over 30 points before.

Swish-

[It goes in!! Dwyane Wade!]

[The Flash wins! Dwyane Wade breaks the curse of Y13! After pushing Young-jae Yoon back with all his might in the post-up, he uses that distance to float the ball in! Truly amazing!]

[Young-jae Yoon’s defensive ability to jump up and contest the shot even while being pushed back to the very end is also commendable, but it seems that even that doesn’t work against the Flash’s physicality!]

Young-jae was reminded of Derrick Rose, who had felt helpless for the first time this season. Although Dwyane Wade had a completely different style, the helplessness he felt now was the same.

“Ugh!”

Beeeep!!

[Young-jae Yoon aggressively drives in and attempts to finish at the basket! He does draw a foul, but so far, he hasn’t successfully finished a shot except for his initial three-point attempt!]

Young-jae had only played for about 9 minutes in the first quarter, but his body felt as heavy as cotton soaked in water, as if he had been playing in the middle of the third quarter. During those 9 minutes, Young-jae felt like he had been playing rugby instead of basketball, with the time he spent dribbling the ball with his hands on the court being similar to the time he spent being thrown onto the court.

“Huk, huk…”

He had prepared to some extent, having faced Dwyane Wade twice in the regular season, and he thought he had diligently completed his personal training, but Wade now was much more upgraded than the Wade he had faced back then, even though their playing style was the same. Moreover, Team Miami also had proper organization and rotation, unlike back then.

Even now, he was trying to lay the ball up into the rim with a quick dribble penetration, getting over Chandler’s perfect screen. Then, he felt a tremendous impact from behind, and Young-jae, feeling a chilling sensation that he might even lose the ball in his hand, forcibly changed his layup posture to a floater, shooting it at a high angle.

Of course, the ball didn’t go in. So far, he had drawn a total of 2 fouls, seemingly accumulating points steadily, but in 9 minutes, including being properly blocked from behind by Dwyane Wade, his field goal percentage was a total of 1/4. The one successful shot wouldn’t have gone in if it hadn’t been for the surprise pumping fake at the very beginning.

Swish-

Young-jae, like a 180 club player [a player who shoots 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 90% from the free-throw line], had made all 4 of his free throws so far, tenaciously keeping up with Miami’s lead, but Young-jae was feeling it all too clearly.

[Young-jae Yoon scores 7 points today by making both free throws! The score is now tied again at 17 to 17!]

[But his play based on his unique stability isn’t working properly, is it? He seems to be a bit heavy on his feet. It’s true that it’s difficult for any guard to play properly against Dwyane Wade, but it’s still surprising. It seems that Miami has prepared quite a bit against Yoon. They’re not only man-marking Wade but also checking Yoon with their team defensive rotation.]

[No matter how intelligent you are, sports ultimately require physical ability. Young-jae Yoon has 7 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, and 1 turnover. At first glance, the stats may seem similar to his usual performance, but he already feels tired, and there was also the scene where he was blocked by Dwyane Wade, and there were many scenes where he fell dangerously, right? He also has to be careful about injuries!]

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

@My brother and I are not biological brothers!!! LOL. I, the younger brother, have a younger sister! LOL. And my brother is an only son! Eek LOL. How did this misunderstanding happen… Hmm. Well, I guess I didn’t explain it properly. My brother and I are in the same department at the same university. We became friends because our hobbies matched, and my brother, who was interested in writing, and I, the younger brother who had been writing stories, decided to create Team Signature and write together.

At first, we debated a lot between basketball/soccer/baseball. In fact, we thought soccer would require the least amount of research time because both my brother and I were barely at the level of being fans of European soccer, while my brother was knowledgeable about basketball and baseball, and I was a blank slate. In fact, my brother knows much more about baseball than basketball, so I wanted to write more about basketball.

Actually, I have a perverted side that’s drawn to the unusual. Hehe (smack)

There are many novels related to baseball and soccer, but not basketball. This one thing drew my heart and brought me here. Thank you so much. But the first season isn’t over yet?!!! I didn’t expect this either LOL

@I, the younger brother, am working a part-time job 6 days a week during vacation to earn some money. I live separately from my family, but after working for about a year and a half since being discharged from the military, I’ve come to think that I have to keep working. Ha, is this the process of becoming an old man? Responsibility in good words, inevitably in bad words. So I often write in the store, and I’m still at the store now. There are… 4 and a half hours left until I get off work LOL

!!{The younger brother replies after several dozen chapters!!}!! -> Long time no see, right? (Sorry, Mr. Baek…)

Yabesu-nim / Kong!!! 22222222222222!!!

CountOfDark-nim / The biggest difference is that Slam Dunk is already a living legend-level manga… and my brother and I are writing this as our debut work. It’s a great honor just to be compared to it. But to add a little twist, Slam Dunk is also a drawing and has the concept of Japanese high school basketball, so most of it ends within a 5-7 person roster, so I personally think that each character is alive and breathing. But this article is based on actual games, watching audiovisual materials directly. Therefore, I write this article by watching all the previous games, even highlights from the start of the NBA regular season after the NCAA, even 10-minute videos, and checking each box score and various indicators from Basketball Reference. In the case of Yoon Young-jae, I often write about his performance by referring to the plays of players such as J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson, Jason Terry, and Rodrigo Beaubois from the Dallas Mavericks at the time. Because they are the same shooting guards. But along with that, I sometimes refer to Jason Kidd. Because he clearly has the aspect of a combo guard. But in the 10-11 season, the Dallas Mavericks’ first option is Dirk Nowitzki, no matter what anyone says. In fact, I think this part is inevitable, because it’s really difficult for a rookie to push out the team’s first option from the beginning unless it’s a lottery pick, especially a rebuilding or tanking team without an ace. That’s why there are cases where Young-jae’s performance is lacking. In the previous episode, the description of each situation was a bit long, but this is also a play that actually happened, and it was written with the judgment that it could play an important role in the early flow. The biggest problem is that my writing skills as the younger brother who creates the draft are not yet ripe. In my case, I’ve been writing since middle school for about 9-10 years, and I’ve been serializing on Joara since 2008. But I’ve always been told that my writing style is stiff and the details are too detailed, although there’s been no criticism of my descriptions. Moreover, I’m someone who has only written games and fantasy, so I still haven’t established a firm standard for how to describe sports. So, in order to avoid misunderstandings, I tend to write with thorough descriptions, even if it’s a bit long, so there are often a lot of unnecessary details in such fumble situations and unusual situations. This is something that I have to keep fixing.

Lapierre and Jint-nim / I don’t think my brother is a powerless character… I think that’s impossible LOL

-DarkANGEL-nim / Actually, we’re not biological brothers LOL. We’re in the same department at the same university and have the same hobbies.

Financia-nim, Brilliant Legacy-nim / Thank you!

Ultra10-nim / A ring is a couple ring if you have a girlfriend, a wedding ring if you get married, and a championship ring if you win… Ha. Why don’t I have any of the three?

goimosp-nim / There were a lot of rumors about leaving the Miami Heat during this contract as well. Personally, I don’t really like the saying that business is business (of course, this is just my personal opinion), so I hope that Dwyane Wade, who single-handedly endured a lot of pay cuts during the Big 3 era, will be respected. So I see this contract as Miami’s reward for his hard work. I honestly don’t know about next year. He’s a player who gets injured a lot.

Don’t get in the way-nim / Yes. We’re brothers, but not biological brothers, and we’re in the same department at the same university.

ㅎ0ㅎ-nim / I, the younger brother, just lay down and tore it apart and pulled it out @@

JoeHart-nim / 2 Ricoda

Shooting Start-nim / First Ricoda!