Y13 [EN]: Chapter 205

Y13-205 2011-2012 Regular Season

After the pre-game shooting practice, the players changed from their suits into their familiar uniforms, feeling energized and finding their shooting touch even more precise.

[Welcome. This is FOX SPORTS broadcasting live the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings. I’m here with commentator Derek Harper. I’m your caster, Mark Followill.]

The dynamic NBA duo from FOX SPORTS, Mark Followill and Derek Harper, seamlessly began their commentary, their well-honed chemistry ensuring no overlapping or tangled discussions.

[This is a game between the struggling Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks, who are on a four-game winning streak. The Sacramento Kings are off to a rough start with a 2-5 record, and they’ve fired coach Paul Westphal due to conflicts with key players like Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. It’s safe to say the early atmosphere couldn’t be any worse. Sacramento hastily appointed Keith Smart as their coach, but they haven’t rebounded, with a 2-3 record.]

Mark Followill nodded, responding appropriately to Derek Harper’s commentary, posing questions that viewers might be curious about, naturally guiding the conversation forward.

[Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins look happier, but that hasn’t translated into improved performance. The problem is that Keith Smart isn’t a particularly great troubleshooter. He only has three seasons of experience, and even then, his winning percentage doesn’t even reach 40%. It’s hard to be optimistic, even considering he’s managed lower-ranked teams.]

[Before the season, there was a lot of talk about how the roster was composed of too many on-ball players, indicating inadequate preparation. This isn’t a problem that can be solved by changing the coach. Now that the players have gotten the coach they wanted through internal strife, they need to sacrifice and redistribute roles, or a trade to change the roster is absolutely necessary. If they want to build the team around Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, they need to get rid of Marcus Thornton and John Salmons. These two also thrive when they have the ball in their hands.]

[This is entirely the front office’s fault. General Manager Geoff Petrie was a great GM back in the era of the Millennium Kings, but he seems to be tarnishing his reputation since then. Player composition and coach selection are the GM’s responsibility, and he’s already failed in that regard.]

This sentiment wasn’t just Derek Harper’s. Ironically, Peja Stojakovic, who received his ring before today’s game, wasn’t in a good mood either, as he watched the slow decline of the Millennium Kings, where he spent his prime.

Normally, he would support the Kings, but his first and only championship experience was with the Dallas Mavericks. It was a short period, less than a year, but it was so intense, and the Dallas Mavericks were so attractive and powerful that he wished he could play one more season. Now, they were facing the Sacramento Kings, who were in decline.

Peja couldn’t help but sigh deeply, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

[Even so, benching Marcus Thornton and John Salmons would mean relying on promising on-ball players like Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas. If they were going to use those two, they should have drafted a different type of player than Isaiah Thomas. The Kings need to trade Thornton and Salmons, who have high salaries, and fill those spots with players who are good at defense and shooting.]

[The Kings have been rebuilding since the breakup of the Millennium Kings in the early 2000s, but they haven’t seen any results. Fans are just burning with frustration, wondering when this team’s rebuilding will ever end!]

What Mark Followill just said was exactly what Peja was feeling. If they had reorganized and aimed for another championship after his generation, even if he hadn’t won a title himself, he wouldn’t have such mixed feelings. But the Kings were stuck in a rut too deep to recover.

Whether they knew Peja’s feelings or not, the Kings players, especially Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, sat on the bench with very relaxed expressions, while the Dallas Mavericks players warmed up with shooting and running until just before the game, not wanting their bodies to cool down.

[On the other hand, Dallas is recovering after a poor start to the first six games. Moreover, Dallas has won 25 of their last 30 games against Sacramento. They’ve shown that much dominance. I don’t think this game will be much different. Nowitzki still has inconsistent shooting, but Marion is showing signs of improvement. Jason Kidd’s return from injury is also good news for Dallas, but Dallas has been on a winning streak for the four games Kidd has been out with a back injury. Will putting Kidd back in the starting lineup be a benefit or a detriment?]

In response to Followill’s question, Derek Harper pondered for a moment before sharing his opinion without reservation.

[J.J. Barea has been in relatively good condition and has partnered with Youngjae Yoon as a starter for the past four games. The disappointing aspects from before have largely disappeared, and they’re showing great chemistry. Yoon is properly compensating for the weaknesses in defense and playmaking that Barea showed when playing with Terry. Unlike when he plays with Kidd, Yoon is focusing more on playmaking and off-ball movement when he plays with Barea. He’s adapting well to Barea, who needs to have the ball in his hands to perform well.]

Barea’s improvement was a noticeable achievement compared to last year. But Harper continued, saying, “Nevertheless, Kidd is Kidd.”

[The four games that J.J. Barea started ended with good results, but the Dallas Mavericks need Jason Kidd. With Barea starting, there’s no bench point guard, which increases the burden on Terry to run the offense. And Yoon, who is a combo guard, has had to change his role, focusing on scoring and creating offensive opportunities. Considering these points, Kidd’s presence will be a synergy.]

Finally, all the players came onto the court, and the jump ball began with the referee’s whistle.

Tap!

[Tyson Chandler wins the jump ball!]

[DeMarcus Cousins is at a disadvantage in height as a center, and he didn’t read the timing well!]

The ball was passed to Kidd, and as they began to play a set offense in the early stages, Mark Followill took a moment to introduce something, changing the subject briefly.

[By the way, through the previous game, coach Rick Carlisle had a record of 450 wins and 300 losses, exactly a 60% winning percentage. Isn’t that amazing?]

[That’s why the Dallas Mavericks are so formidable. He’s been an NBA coach for 10 seasons, and he’s had a winning record in every season. He gradually built the team after coming to Dallas, and eventually, he won the championship. For a team like Dallas, winning a championship is what’s expected.]

Mark Followill nodded at Derek Harper’s words and began to focus on the game again.

[Jason Kidd slowly comes to the top and glances around?]

[The Sacramento Kings’ defense isn’t tight at all. Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, who have established themselves as the core of the team, have poor defensive positioning, and Marcus Thornton, John Salmons, and J.J. Hickson are just filling spots like extras for the two players.]

Kidd was also taken aback. Even if the team was in disarray, he couldn’t believe they would play defense with such a lack of effort and tactics. It made him suspicious, wondering if they were setting up a trap, but that wasn’t the case either.

Whoosh!

Kidd floated the ball to Nowitzki, who was facing away from Cousins. Even though it was a predictable pass, Tyreke Evans, who was blocking him, only made a clumsy attempt to reach for the ball.

Thud-thud.

Nowitzki, backing down Cousins, could tell that Cousins was reacting annoyingly. He could once again feel Cousins’ mental state regarding body checking, as Carlisle had mentioned. Nowitzki chuckled and pushed Cousins a bit roughly, provoking him.

Thwack!

Nowitzki anticipated that Cousins might retaliate with a more forceful shove, but he felt it wasn’t necessary yet, so he safely passed the ball to the perimeter.

[Wow! Organic passing is the Dallas Mavericks’ specialty! When they pass the ball like that, the defenders have no choice but to chase, and that creates openings!]

And that opening was created for Youngjae, who suddenly made a straight-line drive after passing the ball around. He was quite confident in driving straight at Marcus Thornton, his opponent.

If Thornton had defended with more effort, Youngjae might have passed the ball again, but knowing that wasn’t the case, he thought it wouldn’t be bad to drive in more aggressively and break their momentum.

Thud-thud!

[Youngjae Yoon! He starts to find his rhythm, dribbling the ball from side to side!]

[V-dribble followed by a hesitation step! And then a sudden burst forward with incredible control of pace! Marcus Thornton! He’s blown right by!]

But the amazing part was what came next. As soon as Thornton was beaten, Hickson, who was guarding the rim, rushed out hastily, and Youngjae used Hickson’s simplicity to his advantage, soaring over Hickson with incredible speed!

[Spin move!!! Hickson is completely outplayed!!]

Swish.

He could have safely made an easy layup, but since even Hickson had come forward, the Sacramento paint was ironically only occupied by Youngjae and Tyson Chandler. Youngjae lightly lobbed an alley-oop pass, and Tyson Chandler caught it with a fantastic two-handed dunk.

Slam!!!

[Youngjae Yoon TO Tyson Chandler!!!]

[Fantastic alley-oop pass! Honestly, it’s no exaggeration to say that Youngjae Yoon created this score, but it seems he wanted a more impactful finish!]

Tyson Chandler thanked Youngjae, ruffling his hair wildly, and Youngjae casually fixed his messy hair before sharing a high-five with Chandler.

Mark Followill and Derek Harper kept pondering how to describe this game, but only one word came to mind.

All-time.

The score on the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter was 10 to 30. The Sacramento Kings players looked like they had already lost their will, as their shots weren’t falling at all. Although the Kings players had defended poorly, the Dallas players’ shots were on fire. On the other hand, the Dallas defense wasn’t that tight, but the Kings’ shots repeatedly missed the rim. They missed more than three or four open three-pointers.

They hoped it would get better in the second quarter, but even with a perfect bench lineup of Rodrigo Beaubois, Corey Brewer, Chandler Parsons, Brandan Wright, and Ian Mahinmi, the point difference only widened.

[The bench players are also dominating! Sacramento is using their bench players to replace their struggling starters, but it doesn’t seem to be working very well. The whole team seems to have problems.]

[These kinds of games make fans turn their backs. At least they should show some enthusiasm, but this is just meaningless movement. They’re not even on the court to create highlight reels.]

Peja Stojakovic looked like he couldn’t bear to watch any longer, but he stayed in his seat, feeling a sense of duty to see it through as a key member of the Millennium Kings. Coach Carlisle couldn’t help but click his tongue at the opponent’s performance, but the game was still in its early stages, and anything could happen if they regained their strength, so he put the starters back in.

[Coach Carlisle isn’t complacent, even though the opponent is weak. But for some reason, Coach Carlisle seems a bit cruel today.]

[That’s true, but Dallas has problems with the starters’ condition, so it seems like he’s using this opportunity to help them regain their game sense while also managing their stamina.]

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

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＠ Peja Stojakovic’s feelings… What does it feel like when your former team plays against each other… Happy yet bittersweet, sad… It must be a strange feeling.

＠ The Kings were a real mess at this time. Their defensive organization was a mess, and they relied on individual tactics without any offensive strategy. It felt like the Orlando Magic of last year. The coach didn’t properly organize the players’ roles or team tactics;;; If you look at the players’ name value, they should have been able to compete in the playoffs. The player composition wasn’t good. It was like the Washington Wizards when Nick Young, Blatche, and McGee were playing together. That’s why the GM is important in American sports. Minnesota and Sacramento, who have been rebuilding for 10 years, are good examples. David Kahn and Geoff Petrie… They were initially praised as great GMs, but towards the end, they were called brainless. The two GMs.

h0h님/// Thank you for the quick first commentㅋㅋ

이동석동님, 키라루피님, 은신설야님, -DarkANGEL-님, 사라질영혼님, 오마리온님/// Thank you for always commenting^^ Have a good day tomorrow~~

울트라10님/// There was no other way ㅎㅎ. So the players who transferred receive it separately when they play an away game against the championship team.

Riocel님/// Even just three would make them a legend ㅋㅋ. Russell had more than ten fingers, but I think his era is different from now. In reality, just following Jordan’s 6 championships and Kobe’s 5 championships would be amazing.

rtg98님/// 엌ㅋㅋㅋ Stamp?!!