Y13 [EN]: Chapter 210

00210 2011-2012 Regular Season

The Sacramento Kings game had boosted Dallas’s confidence, setting the stage for a potentially historic season. But today’s game felt historic for all the wrong reasons. Eight minutes into the first quarter, the score was a meager 13-11, with Dallas clinging to a 2-point lead, and their play was, frankly, awful.

Tunk!

[MISS!!! Neither team can seem to find their shooting touch!]

[Eyeballing it, it doesn’t look like either team is shooting above 40%. Especially the Dallas Mavericks – Youngjae Yoon and Dirk Nowitzki are a combined 1-for-8! They’re both struggling!]

[Luckily for them, the LA Lakers are equally cold! Tyson Chandler grabs the defensive rebound and passes to Jason Kidd, who kicks it back out to Youngjae Yoon! They’re trying to confuse the Lakers with a fast break!]

Even with his shot off, Youngjae’s dribbling was still sharp. He sliced through the defense with his signature blend of speed and precision, easily shaking off Matt Barnes with a crossover. Now, only Andrew Bynum stood between him and the basket. Youngjae could have forced a drive, but he saw a better option. Bynum, wearing a menacing expression, seemed to dare him to come, but he was visibly surprised when the ball suddenly vanished from Youngjae’s hands.

Whoosh!

[Great decision! Youngjae Yoon! Instead of a risky drive, he makes a no-look pass to Dirk Nowitzki trailing behind!]

[That’s Dirk’s sweet spot! He rises up, completely unguarded!!!]

Swoosh-

However, the unease started right here.

[MISS!! And not just a miss, an airball!!!]

[The condensed schedule is taking its toll on Dirk Nowitzki. Still, this is pretty bad.]

Nowitzki’s airball on a wide-open shot was a rare sight. Youngjae, Kidd on the opposite side, Shawn Marion, and even Tyson Chandler, who was crossing the half-court line, all stared at Nowitzki in disbelief.

“Hey, it’s okay.”

Kidd, who was 0-for-3 from three-point range himself, also felt the tension. Nowitzki shook his head, a bitter expression on his face. He knew he couldn’t take that shot back, so he gritted his teeth and gave Kidd a light high-five.

[I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nowitzki airball a midrange shot like that in my entire broadcasting career. What is going on today?]

[Me neither. It wasn’t even a contested shot. Even with the shortened season and his conditioning not quite 100%, Nowitzki usually shoots over 46%. He’s 0-for-4 today. Maybe they should take him out.]

[Kobe is also 1-for-5 right now. Looks like both team’s superstars are determined to drag their teams into the mud.]

While Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki’s struggles were magnified because of their star status, the entire game was such a mess that it was hard to watch. Dallas was still generating open looks, but the ball simply wouldn’t fall. And while Dallas’s defense was solid, the Lakers were struggling to find good shots.

The Lakers were increasingly stuck on the perimeter, unable to get the ball inside. Bynum couldn’t establish position against Chandler, and Dallas’s guards were doing a good job of denying entry passes. Even when they did get the ball inside, they swarmed Bynum with quick double teams.

Tunk!

[Derek Fisher! Another missed three-pointer!]

[Derek Fisher, usually a reliable three-point shooter, is 0-for-4 from beyond the arc today! Just awful! When will Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher finally hit a three?]

[This game is so ‘cool’. It’s refreshing.]

Shaquille O’Neal, using the word “cool” as a sarcastic euphemism for “crappy,” mocked the unfolding disaster.

[At least Tyson Chandler is consistently grabbing defensive rebounds. Both teams seem out of sync, and Jason Kidd is slowing down the tempo, trying to orchestrate the offense.]

Jason Kidd, after slowly advancing the ball, reached the top of the key. He hesitated, wondering whether to give the ball back to Nowitzki, fresh off his airball, or trust Youngjae’s movement and dribbling.

‘Tsk.’

It was a tough choice, as none of the ten players on the court seemed to be in rhythm. Normally, they’d focus the offense around whoever had the hot hand, but no one did today. Kidd opted for the best available option, making a soft pass to Youngjae, who had shaken off Kobe with a V-cut [a basketball move where a player cuts towards the basket and then back out to create space] from the left side to the basket, and then back out to the left wing.

Tunk!!

Youngjae, catching the ball with his left hand and transferring it to his right, went over the screen set by Shawn Marion. Kobe’s movement had already been disrupted by Youngjae’s V-cut, and Derek Fisher, guarding Kidd, had to stick to Youngjae. Kobe switched to Kidd, but Fisher couldn’t break free from Marion’s screen to stay with Youngjae.

“Hah!!”

Youngjae aggressively drove to the low post, determined to break the scoring drought. He glanced at Andrew Bynum guarding the rim, then powerfully pushed off the floor and jumped.

[Youngjae Yoon, who’s been playing mostly on the perimeter today, drives hard to the basket and goes up!]

[Good decision. Attacking the basket is always the right move when your jump shot isn’t falling! The Lakers have a strong interior defense, but it’s better than bricking jumpers!]

As expected, Derek Fisher belatedly jumped from behind and bumped Youngjae, and Bynum, still smarting from the earlier steal, blocked Youngjae’s path with a fierce look.

Youngjae gritted his teeth and glared at Bynum, who was subtly hitting his wrist. But Bynum’s right hand, the one making contact, wasn’t holding the ball. The moment Youngjae realized Bynum was targeting his wrist, he flicked the ball off his fingertips towards the rim.

Beeeep!!!

Thump thump thump!!!

“Keuk!”

Youngjae, sandwiched between Bynum and Fisher, crashed to the floor! Fortunately, Bynum cushioned his fall, allowing Youngjae to get up quickly and check his shot.

Thud-

[Ah!! Too bad! Youngjae Yoon!]

[Was Bynum’s defense too much? It looked like he had a chance to finish.]

Youngjae tilted his head and calmly bounced the ball at the free-throw line. After bouncing it once, twice, he briefly lifted the ball and caught it again. The feeling in his hands felt unfamiliar today.

Oooooooo!

Ignoring the boos from the Staples Center crowd, Youngjae focused on the free throw. He lightly tossed the ball up.

Whoosh-

[Ah ah!!! Youngjae Yoon misses the first free throw!]

[Hmm, even the free throws aren’t falling. Usually, free throws are consistent regardless of your overall game. Looks like it’s just not his day.]

Shaquille O’Neal chuckled and nodded, acknowledging that it happens.

[At this point, it’s just bad luck. I thought it was going in, but when it spins around the rim a few times and then falls out, it’s like God telling Youngjae Yoon to give up on this free throw.]

Youngjae tilted his head, lightly high-fived his teammates, focused a little more, and shot the second free throw.

Swish-

He made the second shot, bringing the score to 14-11. But it was a clear sign that Dallas was in for a long night.

Late in the second quarter, Dallas finally lost the lead. After going scoreless for over two minutes, they couldn’t hold off the Lakers, who managed to score 6 points in the same span, and fell behind 34-35.

[Wow, this game is historic in a different way?]

[Oh! They’d win first place in a “worst game” contest! There are definitely lower-scoring games, but those are usually tight, defensive battles! This is just a comedy show!]

As if responding to Shaquille O’Neal’s comment, Jason Kidd, with an open look, shot the ball with his usual form and force, as if it were just another practice shot.

Swish-

[Aoh! Wow! That’s amazing! Jason Kidd! He’s now 0-for-4 from three-point range! Did he revert from JASON KIDD to ASON KIDD?! [A play on words, removing the “J” from Jason to imply he’s lost his jump shot]]

Before coming to Dallas, Kidd, who had reigned as one of the best point guards, had only one weakness: his jump shot. Fans used to mock him by calling him ASON KIDD, highlighting the absence of a “J” (for jump shot) in his name.

However, as he aged and his speed declined, Kidd developed an outside shot after joining Dallas to better fit their offensive system, shooting nearly 40% from three-point range until two years prior. Although his three-point percentage had dropped to 35% last year, likely due to age, his open three-pointer was still a viable offensive option. Of course, Kidd’s three-point shooting had gotten even worse this year, and today it was particularly bad.

[What is Jason Kidd doing today? Is he trying to retire? He’s had several open looks, but he hasn’t made a single one!]

[Kidd might have added a three-pointer after coming to Dallas, but if he misses a few early on, you can assume his three-point shot won’t be there today! His three-point shooting isn’t consistent; it’s sporadic!]

Jason Kidd looked frustrated. He tightly gripped his right wrist with his left hand, clenching and unclenching his fist, but the stiffness wouldn’t go away. The first half ended with a 1-point difference, and the Dallas players gathered in the locker room to listen to Coach Carlisle’s halftime speech.

“Hoo.”

Coach Carlisle wasn’t sure what to say. They weren’t being completely outplayed by the Lakers. What could he say to magically restore their shooting touch? He knew better than anyone that such words didn’t exist. Just like slumps in baseball, there are shooting slumps in basketball. Even jump shot masters like Nowitzki and Kobe had off nights.

“First, I want you to focus a little more. To be honest, I don’t think there’s anything I can say to change the current situation. Jason Kidd, Youngjae Yoon, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler will start the third quarter.”

Coach Carlisle paused, then continued.

“Keep taking shots aggressively. I can’t do anything about your shooting touch, and you all know that. That’s why… I just want to say one thing.”

…

“Keep shooting. Even if they don’t go in.”

“Yes!”

With Coach Carlisle’s final word, the players slowly stretched to stay warm, wiped away the sweat, and began discussing how to turn the game around.

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

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

＠It seems like there are days like that as a team. Usually, even if most people’s shooting touch isn’t good, two or three people carry the team, but there are times when everyone is like that as a group. It’s a day from hell for jump shot-oriented teams. I was really shocked by Nowitzki’s wide-open airball. Kobe doesn’t usually miss that much either.

＠Both teams have a high proportion of jump shots, and Dallas is absolutely dependent on them, so once the jump shots stop going in, there’s no end. Fortunately, Nowitzki was still able to do face-up drives at this time, and Youngjae and Barea were able to drive. The Lakers just had to have Bynum post up or Kobe and Gasol rub against each other somehow.

Sungjuseongpyodongsengdeulnim, Eunseolseolyanim, Ultra10nim, Kingdom Brothersnim/// Odom is… a bit unfortunate. He’s suspected of using cocaine. He was already on drugs with 10 doses of Viagra in a brothel… According to interviews with his agent and local news, it seems difficult for him to recover. Even if he survives, it seems like he won’t be able to live a normal life. He showed a mess in Dallas and in later teams, but the surrounding events were a bit too pitiful. His grandmother died, his cousin hit a pedestrian on the day he died, his child died, he got divorced… Well, events that would be hard for most people to endure all happened at once.

Saebyeokdareulbarabwanim/// Shaq is usually like that ㅋㅋ. He’s very cheerful and direct.

goimospnim/// Ah ㅋㅋ You’re talking about how the Lakers’ all-time legend beat the Bulls’ all-time legend. Personally, I agree. Except for Boston, the level of club legends can’t keep up with the Lakers. If you exclude Jordan from the Bulls legends, I think the Lakers would overwhelm all the remaining 4 positions. If it’s Shaquille, Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Elgin Baylor, then Pippen is the only one among the Bulls legends who can compete. Rose-Johnson, Rodman-Abdul-Jabbar, Gilmore-Shaquille seem to have a big difference. At least the Bulls only have Jordan for SG, but the Lakers have Kobe and West. SG No. 2 and 3 are both Lakers…

Lee Dongseokdongnim, 神天花nim, misscherrynim, Painensiahnim, Omarionnim/// Thank you for your comments today!!

H0hnim/// That time was a bit abnormal ㅋㅋ. That’s why many players went downhill after that season;; Tsk. It’s a disappointing season.

HeulkGom12nim/// ㅎㅎ You can write anything.

SarajilYounghonnim/// Thank you for the manuscript fee coupon!! Please continue to enjoy reading ^^.

BioneunNarenWoooolhaenim/// ㅋㅋ Bynum will be bye-bye soon