Y13 [EN]: Chapter 157

Y13-157 Final 2010-2011

“…”

After a long time, Youngjae received the ball at the top of the key. He exchanged glances with Tyson Chandler, who was slowly coming out from under the basket. Then, he executed a crossover dribble against Dwyane Wade, who was guarding him. He extended his right foot slightly to the side, and his ankle seemed to twist at an awkward angle. But this unusual movement allowed Youngjae to explode forward with tremendous speed, like a spring uncoiling. Even the great Flash, Dwyane Wade, found it difficult to react quickly enough to the unexpected crossover.

“Ugh!!”

[Did you see that?! Did you just see that?! An amazing play by Youngjae Yoon and Tyson Chandler! Youngjae Yoon anticipated Tyson Chandler’s screen perfectly, executed a crossover, drawing Dwyane Wade right into Chandler’s pick!]

[He’s screened! For Dwyane Wade to have seen Tyson Chandler’s screen, placed in a blind spot, he would’ve needed eyes in the back of his head! It’s a truly amazing play!]

Youngjae penetrated from the high post towards the basket. Simultaneously, Chandler, having set the screen, shook off Wade and quickly rolled towards the hoop. The other Dallas players made subtle, threatening movements to occupy their defenders, preventing any easy help defense. All of this happened in a split second, leaving the Miami players scrambling and unsure of where to rotate.

“Tch!”

Eventually, Wade recovered from behind, LeBron rotated over to block Youngjae while giving space to Shawn Marion, who wasn’t known for his outside shooting, and finally Joel Anthony, the Heat’s center, positioned himself to guard the rim. These three players began to converge on Youngjae, pressuring him like a closing triangle.

[Youngjae Yoon! He’s instantly caught in a triple team!!! Ah!! Even so, even so!!]

But Youngjae jumped without any hesitation, as if daring them to block him. The three defenders, who hadn’t expected him to leap in this situation, were surprised and leaped after him.

The most threatening opponent was Joel Anthony, who was guarding the rim. He was almost the only traditional center in Miami. He wasn’t an elite rim protector, but he was still intimidating considering Youngjae’s relatively smaller stature.

[Is it a floater?! Youngjae Yoon shifts the ball from his right hand to his left, changing his release point as if cushioning the ball for a soft touch!!!]

Whoosh-

It was then. Chandler, who was positioned behind Joel Anthony, jumped with perfect, off-beat timing. At that moment, tens of thousands of fans in the American Airlines Arena, ESPN’s Craig Sager, commentators Jeff Van Gundy and Reggie Miller, Emily and Steve, Lauren, and Meli, who were watching the game from behind the bench… and David’s family, who were watching the game from further back, all held their breath.

The millions of viewers watching on television also couldn’t help but open their mouths wide and cheer at the top of their lungs.

Whoosh-

[Not a floater, but an alley-oop pass!!!!!!]

[An amazing alley-oop pass, a gentle lob over the defense!!! Tyson Chandler catches it cleanly and slams it home!!!]

KWAANG!!!

“Wooaaah!!!”

Chandler, fueled by the adrenaline and excitement, grabbed the rim with both hands and shook it wildly. His roar was loud, but it was quickly drowned out by the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators at the American Airlines Arena. Chandler landed lightly, turned to Youngjae, and met him for a thunderous high-five.

“Ughaa!!”

“Ooh!!”

Wooaaah!!!!

Y13! Y13!

[Elegant, beautiful, powerful… the best play that defies description has just been executed by these two players!! After drawing as many as three defenders, such a cool and amazing alley-oop pass!!]

[Youngjae Yoon records his first assist of the game! He’d been scoring at will, and then suddenly switches gears. This play must have been premeditated. Usually, you’d be flustered when faced with a triple team, but this player made a play as if he had foreseen it! He is truly a player to watch in the games and seasons to come!]

Whether or not he directly heard Reggie Miller’s praise, Youngjae continued to perform impressively in all aspects of the game.

[Shawn Marion attempts a post-up after LeBron James blocks his drive to the basket! He’s trying to power through LeBron James with his backside!]

[Marion’s post-up skills aren’t his forte, and LeBron James’s strength is arguably unmatched among small forwards. It seems like he’s forcing the issue!]

Marion, living up to his nickname as “The Matrix,” attempted a powerful post move, but it proved ineffective against the stronger LeBron James. Just then, Youngjae sprinted from the wing towards the top of the key. Marion, looking to pass the ball out, spotted Youngjae and fired a kick-out pass to him.

[Youngjae Yoon! Creates space again with incredible movement! But this time, Dwyane Wade is hounding him relentlessly!]

Youngjae glared at Wade, who was sticking to him like glue. He dribbled once and took two steps forward. As he did so, he scanned the court as broadly as possible, but the basket was a congested box-out battle with four players unable to move freely, Nowitzki was battling Bosh, and Kidd was being stubbornly guarded by Mario Chalmers on the right side.

“Hmph!!”

Ultimately, Youngjae decided that his best option was to shoot. So he decided to take the shot himself, rather than trying to create space by passing the ball around, as he usually did. Originally, he avoided dribbling into three-point shots, but he felt that now was the time to break that habit.

“!?!”

Wade, who was guarding Youngjae, knew that Youngjae rarely, if ever, took pull-up 3-pointers. So he couldn’t hide his surprise at Youngjae’s unexpected jump. Even though his body was leaning slightly to the left, Youngjae’s gaze remained fixed on the very center of the rim until the last possible moment.

The super-focused state resembled that of Ray Allen, who once defended Youngjae in the air and felt goosebumps. Unconsciously, Youngjae also entered such a super-focused state, concentrating solely on the shot, unfazed by any external factors, including his body’s slight imbalance or the tremor in his hands.

Thud- Thud-

[Youngjae Yoon’s pull-up 3-pointer! It hits the front of the rim and bounces high, teasing the shooter as if mocking him!]

But as he landed, Youngjae, who was staring intently at the rim, clenched his right fist tightly.

Swish-

It went in.

[YES!!!!]

[THAT’S IT! THAT’S IT!!!]

[To sink a contested pull-up jumper, especially a 3-pointer, in that situation is like driving a stake directly into the heart of Miami! It’s a fatal blow! Y13!!!]

Youngjae initially thought of raising his clenched fist in celebration, but realizing that it wasn’t the time to get carried away, he suppressed his excitement and joy, lightly high-fiving his teammates.

[The score is now 22 to 17! Only 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter!]

[Youngjae Yoon, shouldn’t we be giving him a doping test today?! Haha! 11 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists in just 10 minutes! This rookie is responsible for more than half of the team’s points! It’s gotten to the point where Dwyane Wade being his opponent is irrelevant!]

Coach Erik Spoelstra eventually couldn’t bear it any longer and called a timeout. Coach Rick Carlisle was also considering calling a timeout for substitutions, but since Coach Erik Spoelstra called one first, he saved a timeout for later.