Y13 [EN]: Chapter 190

00190 2011-2012 Pre-Season =========================================================================

[The energy around Y13 is even more palpable than last season! It was essentially a spot-up shot, but you could argue it was a difficult one given his body was leaning! To cleanly sink a shot like that, Y13 is proving he’s a true sharpshooter for the Dallas Mavericks!]

Youngjae casually sank the 3-pointer, high-fived Kidd, and quickly retreated to the backcourt. From the first preseason game, his performance was solid.

Even though they had been working out, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden weren’t in peak condition either. They were better prepared than the Dallas Mavericks players, but naturally, they weren’t in the same shape as Youngjae, who had been consistently building his body in anticipation of the season’s start.

Players usually don’t reach their top form during the preseason. They typically start building up then, but this season, the preseason was unusually short, only about 3-4 days, with the regular season starting immediately. Youngjae had already geared up, expecting the season to start in December.

[Russell Westbrook is matched up against Jason Kidd!]

[Russell Westbrook, known for his stamina and explosiveness, confidently attempts a 1-on-1 against Kidd, but Kidd’s physical condition looks surprisingly good.]

Westbrook considered blowing past Kidd, who was guarding him more closely than expected, but he hesitated. No matter how much his body had improved, it seemed absurd to think Kidd could stop Westbrook 1-on-1. As the oldest player on the Dallas Mavericks, Kidd’s speed had declined significantly, and his lateral quickness was no match for Westbrook. However, he used his still-powerful strength and years of experience to pressure Westbrook’s movements, compensating for those disadvantages.

And that driving lane was funneled towards positions where Marion or Youngjae could provide help defense, with Chandler waiting in the paint. Westbrook remembered struggling against this well-organized defensive system last year, recalling the numerous turnovers he committed by forcing drives.

‘Tch.’

Eventually, Westbrook stopped his drive and stepped back, letting out a shallow sigh.

[Russell Westbrook backs out!]

[A moment where Jason Kidd’s veteran defense shines. A defense that effectively controls the drive is truly impressive.]

At that moment, Serge Ibaka ran to Kidd’s side to set a screen. Unfortunately, Ibaka didn’t notice Kidd’s intention and set the screen to Kidd’s left.

‘If I go over Ibaka’s screen…’

The situation forced him to go around the screen, reaching near the right wing. And Youngjae and Sefolosha were firmly guarding that right wing. What if there’s a threat of a steal? Westbrook couldn’t help but fall into deep thought…

Thwack!!!

[STEAL!!! Y13 WITH THE STEAL!!!]

A moment’s hesitation meant a loss of possession in the NBA. Even though players’ physical condition and performance aren’t usually at their peak during the preseason, Youngjae was an exception. Had Westbrook hesitated for about 1-2 seconds? Although there was a gap of about 15 feet (5 meters), that distance could be easily closed with just 1-2 seconds of hesitation. Youngjae’s physical condition was already almost ready for the regular season.

“Run! Run!”

Kidd shouted with all his might, and Youngjae gritted his teeth and started running like a mad horse towards the empty basket. Westbrook, feeling he had to make up for the steal, chased after Youngjae with incredible speed.

[Russell Westbrook catches up to Youngjae Yoon, who has penetrated to the high post!! He tries to block Youngjae Yoon’s breakthrough as much as possible with his back to the rim!!!]

[Incredible speed! Russell Westbrook!!]

Westbrook, smiling at the thought of catching up, tried to stop Youngjae by pressing his body close and blocking Youngjae’s shoulder with his upper body. He was confident he could stop him because he remembered the scouting reports that Youngjae, up until last season, aimed for stable plays, so he wouldn’t take forced tough shots or make unreasonable dribble drives if he was stuck like this.

“?!”

Screech-!!

But the current Youngjae was a completely different player. He didn’t slow down; instead, he drove his left shoulder into Westbrook, stubbornly penetrating. Then, he suddenly kicked his right foot back and started spinning clockwise around his left foot, getting past Westbrook.

[Oh, OH!!! Y13 WITH A WONDERFUL SPIN MOVE!!!]

[But Westbrook is not easy to shake! He moves one step to the right with a clever side step… !!!]

What happened next was even more incredible. Youngjae pretended to spin around 180 degrees at an incredible speed, then stopped the spin with his right foot and twisted his body counterclockwise, applying a reverse spin. Westbrook let out a groan and lowered his center of gravity even further, stepping his left foot to the side at an incredible speed, but at that moment, Westbrook couldn’t help but feel a cold sweat running down his back at Youngjae’s eerie smile.

Thud!

Returning to his original position, Westbrook leaned his upper body to the left to block Youngjae, but Youngjae shook his upper body slightly to the right with an irregular dribble and then burst out to the left.

[Crossover!!!! Westbrook!! Loses his balance and staggers!!!]

[Ankle breaker! This is a real ankle breaker! Westbrook suffers a humiliating ankle breaker in his home stadium!!]

Westbrook, determined to hinder Youngjae to the end even if he fell awkwardly, staggered and nudged Youngjae’s lower body! Youngjae, who was about to put up an easy layup, had his body leaning to the left, making it difficult to complete the shot.

“Euhah!!”

Kwaaaang!!!

With the rim positioned just past his face on his right shoulder, all he had to do was extend his right hand holding the ball as far as possible and grab the rim directly. Youngjae slammed a light one-handed dunk and could feel his body staggering in the opposite direction.

[Y, Y, YEEEES!!!!!!]

[OH MY GOODNESS!! Y13 WITH A ONE-HAND SLAM!!!]

Youngjae let go of the rim, using his staggering body as momentum, and jumped forward. In front of the tens of thousands of spectators at the already chilled Chesapeake Energy Arena, Youngjae simply spread his arms and turned around, showing his back to the audience.

That I am Y13.

In the preseason, most teams use their starters for about 20-25 minutes to improve their performance for the upcoming season, but they don’t push them too hard. This is because an unexpected injury in the preseason can ruin the team’s entire year. That’s why coach Rick Carlisle started rotating a lot of players and trying out different combinations.

‘I don’t expect much from the game results. But I have to figure out the best combinations I can use in the regular season. Especially since this season, there are only two preseason games to figure out tactics and rotations. No matter what the outcome, I have no choice but to experiment as much as possible.’

The starters are pretty much set. Starting with Jason Kidd, who can’t play for more than 30 minutes, Youngjae, whose second season is even more anticipated, Shawn Marion, who is more useful as a sixth man but is the only starting-caliber small forward on the Mavericks, the immovable ace Dirk Nowitzki, and finally Tyson Chandler, a tough defensive center who was brought in at great expense as the core of the defense.

So, the question is, what lineups should be used for the starters and bench players, and at what times should they be deployed? That experiment was still ongoing.

[Dallas Mavericks! As expected of Rick Carlisle, he’s giving all the players a chance in the preseason games! Nevertheless, they’re showing a pretty close game?!]

[Considering it’s an away game, it’s an unexpected result! Even considering that Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion aren’t in great shape, it’s 59 to 55 with about four minutes left in the third quarter! A two-possession difference!]

“Yoon, Terry, Parsons, Wright, Chandler. Get ready to go in.”

Rick Carlisle, who called a timeout, decided to experiment once again with the best combination he had found through the preseason. Youngjae at point guard, Terry and Parsons for spacing, and Wright and Chandler for the high-flying combination. A lineup that can utilize double screens and various cut-in tactics.

‘Parsons’ dribble drive is a bit rough, but his fundamentals are solid for a rookie. Plus, his shooting is decent, and most of all, his activity level is comparable to Yoon’s. Among the small forwards, he has the potential to be a scorer using his superior physical size. And Wright also has excellent athleticism. His shot contest and shooting range are short, but he has strengths in cut-ins and blocks. Anyway, rim protection is Chandler’s job. Wright just needs to assist Chandler and provide shadow blocks.’

“Okay, Yoon will play point guard. Use Parsons’ active movement to create space, and Wright should try to cut in as much as possible. Yoon and Chandler will combine on the right, and Terry and Wright will combine on the left.”

“Understood.”

Youngjae’s performance, with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover in about 12 minutes, was encouraging. In addition, his matchup, Sefolosha, was tied to Youngjae, scoring only 4 points, with a field goal percentage of 1/5 and only 2 successful free throws. And Westbrook, who suffered a humiliating ankle breaker, had only 6 points and 3 turnovers.

Even so, the reason they hadn’t taken the lead was that Dirk Nowitzki’s poor field goal percentage (1/6, 2 points) and Shawn Marion’s slump were acting in a chain reaction, failing to properly contain Durant. In addition, Brandon Haywood showed the worst performance, with 0 points, 0 rebounds, 2 fouls, and 2 turnovers, even though he was given 5 minutes of opportunity.

“Seize the opportunity.”

Rick Carlisle said seriously, looking at Parsons and Wright. The two players simply nodded firmly, looking at Rick Carlisle.

“Don’t worry that the opponent is only ahead by 4 points. Westbrook, Durant, Harden. Their field goal percentages are all less than 40% today. That means they’re not ready either, just like us. The game will be decided in the fourth quarter. Don’t let them widen the score until the fourth quarter, and keep chasing them to the end.”

The Dallas Mavericks’ offense started again, and Youngjae slowly dribbled the ball and quickly rushed to the top.

[Youngjae Yoon! Collides with Reggie Jackson at tremendous speed!]

There was no way a point guard like Reggie Jackson could stop the bulked-up Youngjae with strength on defense. Youngjae pushed Reggie Jackson with his shoulder, and Reggie Jackson let out a groan and had no choice but to step back a couple of steps.

‘?!’

At that moment, a white forward ran in from the left side along the baseline. The player with a lanky 6-10 height and long, wavy hair running in the wind, though his frame was thin, met eyes with Youngjae.

‘Good!’

With an expression that said, ‘Show me what you’ve got!’ Youngjae pretended to move forward a couple of steps, inducing center Cole Aldrich to rush at him.

[Oh! Oh!! Could it be, could it be!!]

Youngjae took his last third step to the left, and Lazar Hayward, who was guarding Chandler Parsons, had no choice but to be completely fooled and follow Youngjae. Without even looking back, Youngjae couldn’t help but smile, seeing Hayward rushing at him.

Whoosh-

An alley-oop pass that passed leisurely over Aldrich and Hayward. And Chandler Parsons, who soared high as if to devour the ball, running in from outside the baseline.

Kwaaaaaang!!!!

[OHHHH!! CHANDLER PARSONS!!!]

[He leisurely penetrates the empty baseline and receives Youngjae Yoon’s amazing alley-oop pass and slams it down!!! Two-hander!!! The score is 59 to 57!!! It’s truly neck and neck! Youngjae Yoon, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists in just 13 minutes today!! And Chandler Parsons! Just 4 points and 2 rebounds in just 5 minutes! Despite being a rookie, he shows a good performance in a limited time!]

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

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

★Thank you to 혼돈의주시자, 크악!, 켈데, Han512, I헤리아I, and limitsou for the sponsored coupons!! I will work hard to repay your support in the future^^.

@The chemistry between Youngjae and Parsons is evident from the first game.

@Two more alley-oop options have been added (Parsons, Wright). Youngjae says, I’m not jealous of Paul!!

은신설야/// Haha. Thank you for always commenting quickly.

피의전야제, 개구리파워, 사라질영혼, 이동석동, -DarkANGEL-, Han512, 오마리온/// Thank you for your comments!! Have a good Friday~

goimosp, 울트라10/// Youngjae is in full condition, anticipating the season opener!!

ㅎ0ㅎ/// It’s hard in the beginning, haha. Veterans are always like that in any sport, lol.

의설, 비켜봐/// Cheer up, Super Power~~~

옆집누나몸매/// Ahaha… I’m sorry. I momentarily misunderstood. I wrote the subtitle as Pre;;

켈데/// You will be able to see Youngjae developing more than last year~