Y13 [EN]: Chapter 197

2011-2012 Regular Season

=========================================================================

The players and coaching staff left the arena with grim faces, a stark contrast to their usual demeanor. The players quickly showered, the hot water offering little comfort as they skipped their usual banter and jokes. They changed into their street clothes and gathered in the locker room at Nowitzki’s request.

“Yoon, how’s the injury?”

Youngjae, who had been briefly examined outside the locker room, nodded silently in response to Nowitzki, Kidd, Terry, and Marion.

“It’s okay. It hurts a little, but it looks like it just needs stitches. There’s some bleeding, but I’ve managed to stop it for now.”

Nowitzki looked relieved, and the other three players mirrored his expression. Skin lacerations were considered minor injuries in basketball. Ligament or bone problems were far more concerning.

“Yoon, the four of us need to have a serious talk in the locker room. We’ll start by acknowledging our own shortcomings and commit to preventing losses like this in the future. But… we understand. Yoon, you don’t need to sit through that. And with your injury, no one would blame you for leaving early.”

Captain Nowitzki’s words were filled with consideration. Youngjae’s tenacious defense and his fearless play against Wade had been the driving force that prevented the game from becoming a complete blowout until halftime. The four veterans knew better than anyone else how much hustle he had shown, wrapping a bandage around his torn forehead and throwing his body around without hesitation.

“Yeah, don’t push yourself and head in. You’ve already done more than enough, and the rest of us, including ourselves, didn’t play well,” Terry, usually the most acerbic of the four, spoke to Youngjae gently, a testament to the team’s recognition of Youngjae’s dedication.

“Ah, I really appreciate you caring so much and thinking so highly of me. But… even if I seemed to play well, we still lost the game.”

Youngjae smiled awkwardly and lowered his head slightly.

“I know we can’t win every game. But I didn’t want to lose like this. Losing like this means that even if I played well, there’s still a problem with me as a member of a team that showed poor performance. And I don’t think it’s right to leave in the middle with such a minor injury. I’d rather stay and hear what you have to say.”

…

“You rascal, trying to be a hero?”

Marion lightly patted Youngjae on the back, appreciating his responsible attitude. Kidd, Terry, and Nowitzki, moved by his mature words, couldn’t bring themselves to tell Youngjae to leave.

“Okay. Then we won’t say anything more.”

The four players, looking at Youngjae with admiration, let him go inside and discussed how to address the team. Brewer and Chandler, seeing Youngjae enter the locker room with a bandage on his head, casually asked if he was okay. Youngjae nodded, assuring them he was fine.

On Christmas night, the festive cheer had been extinguished, and the Dallas team was in no mood to celebrate. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and Shawn Marion addressed the players with stern faces.

“Today’s game…”

…

“What do you think?”

Terry, the most hot-tempered, spoke first, and the players simply lowered their heads in silence.

“If we had fought with more spirit until the end, we could have caught up. Of course, we played with fighting spirit. But at the last moment, we couldn’t close the gap. With about 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter, we narrowed the score to a single-digit difference for the first time in the entire game. Just 3 points.”

…

“But at that crucial moment, we gave up three possessions in an instant with turnovers and bad shots. Why did that happen?”

The players, including Youngjae, couldn’t respond to Terry’s scolding. Regardless of individual performances, collective responsibility was expected after a loss. Youngjae accepted the criticism that no one could avoid.

“It’s a shortened season. There are fewer rest days and only 66 games. It’s not like the usual 82-game season with [more] leeway. The importance of each game is much greater than in previous years. Besides, what kind of game was today’s game? It was the opening game on Christmas. It was an embarrassing performance considering the fans who filled the stadium to watch us.”

Nowitzki, who spoke next, let out a faint sigh and bowed his head to the players.

“It’s my fault. I should have taken the lead in getting my body in shape. But even if my physical condition isn’t good, I want you to play hard until the end. I showed a poor performance in the second half, dragging my feet, but I still played until the end.”

The players’ expressions were complex and subtle as they listened to Nowitzki. Some, who had experienced the championship the previous year and had become complacent, had an opportunity to refocus. Others, looking at Nowitzki and Marion and their physical condition, harbored dissatisfaction, thinking, ‘Why do I have to listen to this?’ But the overall reaction was a positive one, a willingness to try again.

“Let’s try harder. Huh? If your shooting isn’t working, trust your teammates and move even one step further. It’s inevitable that you’ll be affected by your condition, but it’s possible to move even one step more, right?”

Tyson Chandler, usually talkative and cheerful in the locker room, stood up, clapped his hands, and addressed the players. The players nodded and clapped in response.

December 30, 2011.

Youngjae removed the bandage from his forehead, applied a band-aid, and strolled leisurely through downtown Dallas with Emily.

“Ah~ this is nice.”

Youngjae was happy about the close victory, a seesaw battle until the end of the fourth quarter. He was especially pleased to be driving around the outskirts of Dallas with Emily after the game. Since it was an afternoon game, they had plenty of time for a date.

“I was nervous throughout the game… I was worried about you hitting your forehead again.”

Youngjae brushed off Emily’s concern with a joke, saying he was fine since he didn’t get seriously hurt. From his perspective, it was a minor injury. But he didn’t want to dismiss her worries. Bruises were common for athletes, but what woman wouldn’t be concerned about seeing that?

Youngjae got into the car, grabbed the steering wheel, and secretly sighed in relief as he looked outside. Dallas had been on a three-game losing streak since the opening game, but he felt much better after their big win against the Toronto Raptors at home. It was their first league win in 4 games. Winning before the end of the year put the players in a good mood for the holidays.

‘It was Leandro Barbosa.’

Youngjae couldn’t help but feel a shiver as he recalled Barbosa’s impressive dribbling skills. Is this what Barea felt like during the playoffs? Youngjae was satisfied with his performance in containing Barbosa’s explosive play.

Rasual Butler was now a veteran and didn’t get more than 10 minutes of playing time, so Youngjae didn’t have much interaction with him. However, he had a tough time with Barbosa, who came off the bench and used amazing drives to the basket, pick-and-rolls, and fast breaks.

“Today was a tough game.”

“Yeah, Barbosa played really well. Still, you did better, Yoon, didn’t you?”

Barbosa played 32 minutes and recorded 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists, but he also had 4 turnovers, hindering his overall performance. Two of those turnovers were a result of Youngjae’s steals, so his overall stats might seem 괜찮은 [okay], but it wasn’t a stellar performance.

On the other hand, Youngjae played only 27 minutes and boasted an impressive stat line of 19 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and only 1 turnover, leading the team to a 105-84 victory with a 21-point difference.

In addition to that, Shawn Marion’s improved condition, Tyson Chandler’s consistent play, Corey Brewer’s ability to change the game as a defensive stopper, and the new players’ gradual adaptation led Youngjae to believe that the team’s situation was improving.

‘If we just keep working hard like this…’

Surely we can regain last year’s momentum. Youngjae was determined and nodded. Even though he was lost in thought, Emily smiled patiently, waiting for him to finish. Youngjae felt a pang of guilt and playfully responded to her question.

“I’m pretty good.”

Emily playfully scolded Youngjae for his cute arrogance, saying, “If only you couldn’t talk~,” but her face was full of smiles. The Youngjae seen in the arena was a great player that anyone would admire and fall in love with. The fact that such a player was devoted to her brought Emily immense happiness.

“Yoon, let’s go home now. I want to disinfect your wound, and I don’t want to force you to go on a date after playing in today’s game.”

At Emily’s words, Youngjae made a slightly troubled expression and took her hand with the one that wasn’t on the steering wheel.

“I can’t be with you on January 1st because of the away game. So I want to spend time with you today. It just so happens that the team won today, so everyone told us to have a good time.”

Youngjae had to travel to Minnesota on January 1st for an away game. He was disappointed that he couldn’t celebrate the New Year with Emily. But Emily reassured him, wrapped his hand in hers, and stroked it gently.

“Then, can’t we celebrate December 31st together at home? I don’t want Yoon… no. I don’t want Youngjae to be tired and overworked because of me.”

Thanks to Emily, who pronounced ‘Youngjae’ clearly in Korean, Youngjae’s eyes widened like a rabbit. Emily smiled and said playfully, ‘Is that how you say it, right?’

“That’s new? It sounds like that. Okay, let’s go home then.”

When they arrived home, they wondered what to do, but Emily suggested, ‘Why do we have to do something?’ They decided to relax and enjoy each other’s company. While older couples might seek new experiences to spice up their relationship, for these two, simply being together was comforting and enjoyable.

Ring!

The two, who had a simple dinner, drank coffee, and chatted while leaning against each other, looked at each other and smiled shyly when the alarm rang, signaling that it was past midnight and December 31st.

“Happy New Year.”

“Yeah. Happy New Year, Yoon.”

“I’m sorry for saying it a day early like this.”

Emily dismissed his apology and encouraged him, saying that winning the game on January 1st would be the best New Year’s gift.

“…”

“…”

The two stared at each other silently. Emily gently closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Youngjae’s waist. Youngjae, grateful for their deep relationship, now in its second year, ran his fingers through her hair as if combing it, then lightly, but with increasing passion, pressed his lips against hers.

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

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

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupons, DevilCross, MangoJjoa, 天聖帝 [Heavenly Holy Emperor], and Manlevel!! I will continue to work hard in the future^^.

＠Can’t spend the New Year together, so 꿩 대신 닭 [using a pheasant instead of a chicken – settling for second best].

Gangcheol’s Hon/// Thank you for the quick comment ㅎㅎ

Ultra10, goimosp/// As you said, BQ [Basketball Quotient – basketball intelligence] is very important these days. Since BQ is close to being innate, there is no way for the club to do anything about it. As tactics become more diverse and movements become more complex, the demand for players with good BQ is widening. These days, even big men must have good BQ to properly utilize their defense and screen abilities.

Omariyon, 사라질영혼 [Vanishing Soul], Lee Dongseokdong, 파이넨시아 [Financia]/// Thank you for your comments~~ Have a nice weekend!!

Yabes/// That’s right. On days when LeBron is in good condition, and the opponent is struggling, free throws will inevitably increase. In the actual opening game, he recorded 16/19 free throws.

Wooyudongja/// Superstar-level players are not necessarily all-rounders, but versatility is essential. These days, if you look at the top strikers in soccer, most of them have various good skills in addition to goal scoring ability, such as ball control ability, passing ability, and pressing ability. These days, NBA aces also have many good players in various aspects such as rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in addition to scoring.

The reason why the value of specialists is increasing is probably because specialists are perfect for assisting versatile players. In the case of basketball, if you have many shooting specialists, you can maximize the versatility of versatile players. In soccer, if there is a scoring specialist who can capitalize on the chance-making of a versatile striker, it is a perfect combination. I think the efficiency of a versatile S-class + a specialist A-class is better than the combination of a versatile S-class + a versatile A-class.

And NBA big men with short shooting ranges are worse than even domestic players in free throws. Even centers with good shooting skills such as Marc Gasol, Al Horford, and Duncan cannot exceed 80%. Power forwards have Nowitzki, Aldridge, and Bosh, but they can be considered shooters. Most of the players who cannot exceed 60% in free throws are big men.

Yongryang Breaker/// Thank you for the manuscript fee coupon!! I will continue to work hard in the future~