Y13 [EN]: Chapter 196

2011-2012 Regular Season

Third quarter, 5 minutes. Youngjae finally returned to the court. Seeing James Jones, instead of Wade, guarding him, Youngjae moved deliberately slowly, his expression firm. Jones was a versatile player who could cover both small forward and power forward, but given the team’s situation, he was even backing up the shooting guard.

‘Scoring.’

Barea’s quick drive lightly brushed past Norris Cole, and Brandon Wright set a screen on LeBron James, who was trying to help.

[J.J. Barea! His dribble penetration is still effective!]

[The sensational performance he showed during last year’s playoffs was a true Barea rediscovery. His defensive limitations are unavoidable, but if he becomes a more consistent shooter, Barea’s leadership could solidify him as an excellent bench point guard!]

Barea considered driving deep into the low post, but even if he got past Wright’s screen, Udonis Haslem was firmly positioned in the paint. Considering his current form, he decided it would be better to utilize his teammates rather than attempt a floater after driving.

‘Nice!’

Using his characteristic low dribble, Barea stirred up the defense, faking a drive to the low post. When Haslem was drawn out, he saw Brandon Wright cutting into the gap.

‘Alley-oop? No…’

Even though Udonis Haslem was only 6-9 (203cm), he was already too close. In that case, threading a bounce pass through the gap he saw now…

‘?!’

Barea felt a sudden chill. A bounce pass would be a mistake. He quickly turned his body outward.

‘Nice! Barea!’

Youngjae, watching from afar, wanted to give Barea a thumbs up. It was a shame he didn’t throw an alley-oop over Haslem, but a bounce pass through that gap would have been stolen by LeBron James, who was trailing the play. Moreover, Brandon Wright’s jumping ability and decision-making, which he had shown in training, were considerable. However, this was his first real game, and they had only played together for a few weeks. There was no guarantee he would properly receive Barea’s bounce pass. A bounce pass through such a narrow gap could easily be intercepted, and Wright might not anticipate it correctly.

Swish!

[Barea! That’s a great decision! Brandon Wright had an offensive opportunity, but he recognized the fleeting moment and LeBron James’s presence behind him, and he kicks the ball out!]

[The ball goes to Youngjae Yoon! He’s matched up with James Jones!]

James Jones was a player he had faced in the 3-point shootout contest during the All-Star break last year. In a real game, he was primarily a three-point specialist.

[Youngjae Yoon! Despite his forehead injury, he’s playing even more aggressively. He’s signaling to Chandler!]

Tyson Chandler, positioned on the opposite side of Brandon Wright’s drive, subtly moved to the high post and set a screen to James Jones’s right. Youngjae smoothly and quickly navigated around Chandler’s screen.

“Ugh!!”

[Ah!! James Jones! That’s awkward defense! James Jones gets caught on Tyson Chandler’s screen!]

[Now! Yoon to Tyson Chandler was one of the most successful offensive tactics for Dallas last year! Tyson Chandler, who set the screen, goes straight to the basket as soon as James Jones gets caught! Textbook 2-2 pick and roll!!!]

Bosh gritted his teeth, watching Youngjae, who seemed faster and bolder than before. Determined to avoid a repeat of last year’s Finals loss, Bosh had trained harder than ever and improved his ability to read the game.

‘Where should I defend…’

Bosh couldn’t help but worry. If he rushed out to Youngjae, Chandler would be left open. But if he blocked Chandler’s drive, there would be no one to stop Youngjae.

‘In the end, I have to stop Yoon!’

[Chris Bosh, that’s a good choice! There are only 5 seconds left on the shot clock! Bosh seems to have decided that the attack originates with Youngjae Yoon!]

Reggie Miller nodded vigorously at Craig Sager’s comment, adding,

[Of course! Tyson Chandler and Brandon Wright are also threats, but when Youngjae Yoon has the ball, you have to stop Youngjae Yoon! Considering the position and defensive ability, Bosh’s judgment is accurate!]

“Hah!!!”

As soon as he saw Bosh rushing out, Youngjae took another step forward and jumped with all his might. Bosh was momentarily surprised, perhaps not expecting him to jump with him in front, but he quickly anticipated Youngjae’s intentions.

‘He can’t pass the ball outside again, so he’s going to force his way through!’

Bosh jumped after Youngjae, determined to prevent him from doing so. No matter how good Youngjae’s height was for a shooting guard, he was facing Chris Bosh. He couldn’t win on height alone. Bosh skillfully raised his hand slightly, blocking Youngjae’s likely shooting path.

‘There are no players following behind, and if Tyson Chandler does this… ?!’

But Youngjae pushed Bosh’s chest with his shoulder in the air and slightly lowered his left hand holding the ball.

‘Tyson Chandler!’

At the same time, Tyson Chandler rushed in and prepared to jump. Bosh hurriedly stretched out his right hand to block Youngjae’s left hand, which inevitably caused Bosh’s body to wobble in the air.

“Too bad.”

Youngjae muttered in a voice only Bosh could hear, retracted his left hand, and switched the ball to his right hand.

Swish-

……

Woahhhhhh!!!!!
Y13! Y13!!

[WOW, WOW!!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!!!]

[That’s an incredible play!!! He fools Chris Bosh by using Tyson Chandler’s movement as a feint and hits a double-clutch layup!! Amazing! Youngjae Yoon!!!]

The American Airlines Center erupted. The cheer of “Y13!” along with a huge roar and stomping feet was perfectly synchronized, even with tens of thousands of fans participating.

“Yoon…”

Emily, who witnessed everything, felt a thrill run through her. She had been worried about him getting injured again due to reckless aerial plays, and had been clenching her fist so tightly that her hand was numb. But as soon as Youngjae completed the fantastic double-clutch, she slumped back in her chair, feeling an electric shock through her body.

[Youngjae Yoon scores his 11th point! He maintains a 50% shooting percentage with 5/10 field goals!]

Youngjae made the layup, landed, spread his arms in front of the cheering fans, pointed to his jersey number, and immediately raised both hands high to encourage the crowd.

“…”

Bosh, silently watching Youngjae’s back, and Wade, who had been observing the battle of wits between Youngjae and Bosh from the bench, couldn’t help but chuckle.

[Dallas Mavericks Suffer a Narrow 7-Point Loss in the Opening Game]

The opening game between the Dallas Mavericks, the 2010-2011 NBA Finals champions, and the Miami Heat ended with Miami winning by 7 points, 104 to 97.

Due to the CBA’s [Collective Bargaining Agreement, the agreement between the NBA and the players’ union] dramatic resolution, the Dallas Mavericks’ veterans felt their bodies were heavy due to the shortened 2011-2012 NBA season. In comparison, the Miami Heat seemed to be in good condition overall.

The media’s reaction was predictable. Considering the preseason games and the players’ offseason situations, the Miami Heat’s dominance was already apparent. In reality, the difference in performance between the two teams was greater than the final score indicated. Dallas was thoroughly outplayed in the starting lineup battle, and only narrowed the score when Miami put in their reserve players.

Up to the first quarter, the game was somewhat evenly matched, but the difference in performance between the two teams became increasingly clear, and Youngjae Yoon’s injury absence exacerbated the problem. The absence of their ace, who was in the best condition, was quickly felt on both offense and defense. While Youngjae Yoon was out, Wade dominated, and the Dallas attack was limited to simple plays.

(Omitted)

Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki / 19 points 5 rebounds 3 assists (7/17 FG)

Jason Kidd / 12 points 0 rebounds 5 assists (2/5 FG)

Shawn Marion / 12 points 6 rebounds 3 assists (6/11 FG)

Yoon Youngjae / 17 points 4 rebounds 7 assists (6/13 FG)

Miami Heat

LeBron James / 39 points 9 rebounds 5 assists (13/20 FG)

Dwyane Wade / 21 points 6 rebounds 4 assists (8/21 FG)

Chris Bosh / 9 points 7 rebounds 1 assist (4/9 FG)

Udonis Haslem / 7 points 10 rebounds 1 assist (2/6 FG)

From the bench, Jason Terry (13 points), J.J. Barea (3 points 5 assists), and Corey Brewer (7 points 2 rebounds) contributed for the Dallas Mavericks. Newly acquired Chandler Parsons (6 points 2 assists) and Brandon Wright (3 points 5 rebounds) also showed promise, considering it was their first game, and chased the Miami Heat until the end. However, they were completely defeated in the starting lineup battle and lost to Miami for the first time in 7 years. The bench players were in better condition than the starters, but Miami’s relatively comfortable win was also due to the fact that they used their reserves in the second half of the fourth quarter.

Rick Carlisle, the coach of the Dallas Mavericks, said, “It was a disappointing game, but we performed better than I feared. We will get our bodies up to speed as soon as possible,” promising improvement in the next game.

Dirk Nowitzki, the team’s captain, added, “I apologize for disappointing you with our complacent performance. We will do our best to ensure that we don’t ruin this season by being complacent after last year’s championship. We will try to give joy to the fans who come to see our games again,” addressing concerns about the team’s potential complacency.

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Miami Heat in the regular season for the first time in 7 years since March 6, 2004, ending their 12-game regular season winning streak against Miami.

Re: Ah, should I say they did better than I expected? Even if Nowitzki and Marion’s bodies weren’t up to par, it would have been a disaster if they weren’t there.

Re: If Nowitzki is saying that, doesn’t that mean that some people are already playing lazily?

Re: It’s not been a day or two since last year’s championship teams have been mentally dazed… I just hope they overcome it well.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

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

★Thank you to cwl, 비려탕, 치매드래곤로드, and 친구를찾자 for the sponsorship coupons!! Take care of your health during this seasonal change!^^

＠Dallas was sliced by LeBron. The long-awaited match between the Big 3 [LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh] and the stretched-out Dallas.

＠By the way, I was deeply worried that I had written something wrong because there were so few comments, but there was a problem with the comment window… This damn Joara.

goimosp/// In modern basketball, you can only be a role player if you are good at only one thing. Star players can handle about two positions and need to be versatile.

ㅎ0ㅎ/// Positions and tactics continue to change with the times. Just as soccer repeats pressure-depressurization-pressure, so does basketball.

사라질영혼/// Thank you for your comment!!

야베스/// Signature moves are a bit difficult. LeBron, Howard, Durant, Westbrook, and Harden all don’t have signature moves. Curry’s 3-pointer is quick to release, but it’s hard to call it a signature move. So we’re worried about it too.

울트라10/// Thank you for letting me know. We were worried that we had done something wrong ㅎㅎ. Youngjae is already in the top 5. He is next to Wade, Kobe, and Ginobili in terms of record. Pierce was already a small forward at this time, and Allen and Carter’s records had fallen a lot. Of course, Youngjae’s defensive ability is definitely not at Kobe’s level. It is the result of the team’s defense and Youngjae’s BQ [Basketball Quotient, a measure of basketball intelligence] being well combined.

죠와/// It was described a bit awkwardly. I have naturally corrected it.