Y13 [EN]: Chapter 195

Y13-195 2011-2012 Regular Season

Even in the first quarter, the Dallas Mavericks put up a competitive fight against the Miami Heat, defying the experts’ predictions. However, they were merely keeping pace, always playing catch-up. Everyone in the arena could see that Miami was gradually increasing their lead, which only deepened Coach Rick Carlisle’s frown. A hallmark of Dallas was their ability to chase and reverse the game, but the gap was only widening.

[Joel Anthony! He muscles past Brendan Haywood and snags the rebound!]

[Brendan Haywood is hardly living up to his reputation as a starting-caliber backup! Is this really the same center who averaged 8 points and 8 rebounds two years ago? Joel Anthony immediately passes to LeBron James!]

Joel Anthony reliably secured the defensive rebound against a surprisingly ineffective Brendan Haywood and passed the ball to LeBron James. Shawn Marion needed to provide tight defense in this situation, but after playing only 12 minutes combined in the first and second quarters, Shawn Marion’s stamina was already failing him, making it difficult to keep up with LeBron James.

[Ah! He can’t stay with him! LeBron James has a completely clear lane due to Shawn Marion’s weak defense! He easily blows past Marion and fires a powerful pass downcourt!]

Watching that play develop, Dwyane Wade and Youngjae gritted their teeth and exchanged a look. Wade was already sprinting at full speed before Marion was beaten, and Youngjae, noticing Marion’s physical struggles, was fully prepared for Dwyane Wade’s fast break.

‘Steal?’

No. That would be a mistake. A risky defensive play might swing the momentum, but against LeBron James’s pass and Dwyane Wade’s fast break, it was better to buy time for teammates to fall back and force a difficult shot rather than gamble on a steal.

Thwack!!

“Kuh!”

Dwyane Wade slammed his shoulder into Youngjae, sending a jolt of pain through Youngjae’s chest. Youngjae gritted his teeth, fighting to maintain his balance by planting his right foot. It was similar to John Wall’s reaction [referring to a defensive technique], but Youngjae knew that wouldn’t be enough to stop Wade.

[Here we go again! Another showdown between Dwyane Wade and Youngjae Yoon!]

[These two players have been battling each other intensely since last year’s Finals! They’re facing off again before their rivalry can even cool down! Looking at today’s game alone, it seems both players are neutralizing each other! Dwyane Wade has 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers, while Youngjae Yoon has 9 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 1 turnover! And both players’ field goal percentages are below 50%, at 3/7 and 4/9 respectively!]

[Wade is single-handedly defending Youngjae Yoon effectively, and Youngjae Yoon is also cleverly using his defense and his teammates’ help defense to contain Wade. There are few players who can trouble Wade this much, even with help from teammates!]

It was a truly fierce battle. Dwyane Wade, genuinely frustrated but now forced to respect Youngjae, powerfully pushed him again. Youngjae, determined not to be pushed back by the leaner Wade, remembered his offseason of bulking up and refused to yield, his upper body swaying backward.

[Dwyane Wade goes up for the shot! Youngjae Yoon leaps up at the same time with perfect timing!]

The two men, locked in the air, focused intently, each striving to achieve their opposing goals. Wade tried to loft the ball safely over the rim, unfazed by Youngjae’s solid presence, but he couldn’t find the right moment. His left hand was clearly reaching upward, but his right hand was only raised to shoulder height, ready for a follow-up move, and Youngjae was watching the ball in Wade’s hand.

[Is it a floater!?]

Wade lifted the ball as if supporting it with his right hand. Youngjae swung his right hand like a scythe to snatch Wade’s ball with his raised left hand, but at the same time, Wade abruptly abandoned his floater attempt, quickly folded his right arm to bring the ball to his chest, and then lifted the ball again with his left hand.

[Double clutch!!! Dwyane Wade switches the ball to his left hand! But Youngjae Yoon seems to have anticipated that move, blocking Wade’s path with his right hand!!]

Wade and Youngjae both knew it was time for a direct confrontation. At the peak of their hang time, and in the final moment where fakes were useless, Wade aggressively wedged his left arm between Youngjae’s right hand and head to get as close to the rim as possible. Youngjae, caught off guard, quickly pulled his right hand, which had been blocking the path, into the gap Wade was trying to exploit.

Thwack!!

“Agh!!!”

In an instant, the two players collided, and simultaneous screams escaped from their mouths. The ball had already left Wade’s hand, and Youngjae and Wade tumbled to the court, entangled.

Beeeep!!

[Ah! The call is a defensive foul on Youngjae Yoon!]

[Wow! That was incredible. The mental chess match that took place between those two players in just 2-3 seconds was truly worthy of being called the best in the NBA!]

Reggie Miller was genuinely impressed and couldn’t contain his excitement, but unlike Reggie Miller’s enthusiasm, the atmosphere on the court was gradually turning somber.

Dwyane Wade was the first to get up, but his expression was troubled. He was clutching his left wrist and wincing, clearly in some pain. However, Youngjae was still lying on the court, dazed and unable to get up properly.

“Hey, Yoon! Yoon!”

Kidd and Nowitzki, realizing that something was wrong, rushed to Youngjae and helped him to his feet. Youngjae nodded, indicating he was okay, but blood was trickling from his forehead and down to his eyes.

“Yoon!!”

Seeing Youngjae getting up while bleeding, Emily couldn’t help but stand up from her seat in the stands and shout in anxiety and concern. She desperately wanted to run onto the court and check on him, but the fact that she was helpless to do anything right now frustrated her.

It wasn’t an injury that would necessarily affect his game, but in the final moment of the double clutch, when Wade extended his left hand between Youngjae’s right hand and head, something – his hand, arm, or the basketball – had, in that fleeting moment, torn his forehead. It wasn’t a deep cut, and there wasn’t a lot of blood, but it was right above his eye, which was distracting.

The game was temporarily halted, and the Dallas medical staff quickly sat Youngjae on the bench and began to stop the bleeding. Coach Carlisle substituted Brewer for Youngjae and focused on the game, while Casey Smith, the team’s trainer, and the medical staff stayed by Youngjae’s side, wiping away the blood and checking for any further complications.

“Mr. Smith, I’m okay. I can play now.”

Youngjae, who had the wound quickly closed with an emergency stapler, disinfected, and bandaged, smiled reassuringly as the team doctor wrapped his forehead tightly.

“Are you experiencing any headaches, nausea, or dizziness?”

Soon, with his forehead thickly bandaged and completely covered, Youngjae couldn’t help but resemble a patient who had suffered a head injury.

“No. I felt a little disoriented when it happened, but the bleeding has stopped, and I can handle the game just fine.”

…

“Mr. Smith, it was just a scratch. It’s not a serious injury.”

Trainer Smith knew that Youngjae’s injury was indeed just a scratch. Fortunately, if his eyelid had been torn, he wouldn’t have been able to play in today’s game, but because the area near his forehead was torn, there was no real problem with him participating. Still, the head was a sensitive area for injury, so Trainer Smith hesitated for a moment. His primary responsibility was to protect the players’ health and prevent injuries, so he had to be cautious.

“Mr. Smith, the score is 49 to 58. They’re already ahead by 9 points. If my performance suffers, I won’t insist on playing, but I feel fine. I can’t allow myself to rest like this when I’m perfectly capable of playing.”

Click-

“Yes, I know your competitive spirit and tenacity well. Is your head really okay?”

When the second quarter ended and halftime arrived, Coach Carlisle, Nowitzki, and Kidd were concerned about Youngjae and immediately came to the recovery room to inquire about his condition.

“Yes, I’ve had enough rest.”

“… Okay. I see.”

Coach Carlisle felt a pang of sympathy for Youngjae, who had a bandage wrapped around his head, but the situation was dire. The score was 45 to 49 when Youngjae was guarding Wade like a shadow. It was a manageable deficit, and he had planned to substitute Brewer for Marion, who was tiring, to tightly guard LeBron again, and he was going to take Youngjae out when Wade was substituted.

However, after Youngjae was unexpectedly injured by Wade, Coach Erik Spoelstra took a firm stance by keeping Wade in the game, and Coach Carlisle had no choice but to put Brewer and Parsons in at the same time. The initial plan was for Brewer to guard Wade and Parsons to guard LeBron, but it was nearly impossible for Chandler Parsons, who was a rookie drafted this season and had limited training compared to other seasons, to stop LeBron James. Brewer’s primary position was small forward, but he was too slender and lacked the strength to contain LeBron.

Nevertheless, Parsons displayed the determination to get up even when he was knocked down and to grit his teeth and chase after him even when he was beaten, so in a way, he might have been able to keep the deficit to 9 points by the end of the second quarter.

“Yoon, you’ll rest until the beginning of the third quarter. Instead, I’ll put you back in after 5 minutes have passed in the third quarter. Spoelstra will also rest Dwyane Wade and LeBron James at some point during the third quarter, and he’ll probably rest Dwyane Wade briefly at the start of the third quarter. Yoon, you’ll enter the game the moment Wade comes back out. Even if Dwyane Wade doesn’t play, you’ll play after 5 minutes.”

“Understood.”

“…”

Dwyane Wade wore an uncomfortable expression on the bench. Although he didn’t particularly like the Eastern guard, he wanted to beat him with his skills, not through an accidental injury. Feeling like he had somehow become the villain, Wade could only rotate his wrist.

‘Come back. It can’t end like this.’

Wade was surprised to find himself thinking these thoughts, but he couldn’t help but smile when he recalled what Chris Bosh had said after losing last year’s Finals game.

‘Maybe we were too arrogant. Yes, we were talented enough to be champions. But we were too arrogant and unprofessional last season. We were desperate, but not desperate enough. I think I learned a lot from watching Nowitzki. What about you, Wade?’

“A lot.”

Bosh was like an honorable warrior. That’s why Wade sometimes considered him a boring friend, and Wade’s personal relationship was honestly a little closer with LeBron. That’s why Wade lightly dismissed Bosh’s words at the time, saying, ‘Hey, what are you talking about?’ but now Wade felt like he was beginning to understand what Bosh meant. He felt like he could understand if he clashed with Youngjae a little more, but that ‘little’ was missing.

“Yeah. Let’s go a little longer. Show me a little more.”

As more and more talented prospects transitioned to point guards, the number of elite players at the shooting guard position continued to dwindle. Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Manu Ginobili remained the top 3 shooting guards last season. Brandon Roy was in danger of having his career cut short due to injuries. Ray Allen, Vince Carter, and Paul Pierce had already begun to decline with age. Players in their 30s continued to dominate the top spots, and no new young players emerged.

Among the young players at the shooting guard position, Youngjae was a unique talent. That’s why Wade wanted to face off against Youngjae a little more. It was now about 5 minutes into the third quarter. Wade stared at Coach Spoelstra, who didn’t seem to have any intention of putting him back in, and kept silently urging him to send him back into the game.

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

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

★Thank you to chaikopusuki, 신들의만찬, 아기파랑, 호원, dmdman, and 크헬헬푸헬헬 for the support coupons!! I will work hard to write more interesting novels in the future.

@Even though LeBron was the ace of Miami’s Big 3, Wade was the emotional center. This is because LeBron was not personally as close to Bosh. I understand that it was because their personalities were different. However, that doesn’t mean that LeBron and Bosh didn’t have good chemistry in the game.

@After the so-called 6-star shooting guard era (Kobe, Iverson, T-Mac, Allen, Pierce, and Carter’s top 6 shooting guards of the 2000s), there were no young superstar shooting guards until the emergence of James Harden. Monta Ellis was the limit. Looking at the top 10 shooting guards last season alone, most of them were players close to 3&D [three-point shooting and defense specialists], such as Klay Thompson, Wesley Matthews, and Kyle Korver. Only DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler were the primary scorers and slashers of their teams. Harden was the undisputed shooting guard NO.1.

은신설야, 여신유리찬양, 이동석동, 오마리온/// Thank you for your comments!! It’s the beginning of October. I hope you have a rewarding month^^

사라질영혼/// You’re talking about Hangul Day [Korean Alphabet Day]. We’re looking forward to it too ㅎㅎ

goimosp/// Thank you. I hope you have a good week too, goimosp~~

울트라10, ㅎ0ㅎ/// I’ll be rolling around a lot more than last seasonㅋㅋ

류미너스/// Thank you for pointing that out. I made a mistake;;

죠와/// Thank you for pointing out the typo. I’ve corrected it.

비오는날엔우울해/// Haha, that’s the team.