Y13 [EN]: Chapter 222

00222 2011-2012 Regular Season =========================================================================

“Sometimes I think Smith is a devil, not a trainer. He completely exhausts people to the point of death, but when we go into the game, he brings our physical condition up more than ever. Even when we handle hard workouts, he makes sure our bodies accept it as much as possible so we can grow.”

“That’s why he was the national physical trainer for the US team. I think the best thing about Dallas is this. Not only is there a systematic training system, but there are also many trainers and coaches… Augh.”

Groaning, Youngjae raised his upper body. He would have collapsed from exhaustion due to the tremendous amount of exercise in the past, but he could soon get up and was even amused by his physical condition. Originally, Youngjae had been focusing on shooting and off-ball movement training necessary for a shooting guard, but after the start of this season, he started a different training with Barea.

Thanks to bulking up a bit, he maintained his strength training to the maximum, maintained and improved his physical fitness, and steadily performed completely different training from last year, such as dribbling training using one or two balls, training to withstand the opponent’s push and keep the ball, and banding training for fast and flexible side steps.

“Still, you don’t have to worry because your body will be in top shape by the Denver game tonight. But you’re amazing too. Is it really necessary to do this training? You’re a shooting guard anyway, right?”

Youngjae’s time dedicated to leading the team was increasing due to Kidd’s frequent injuries and Bobeau’s slow growth. The coaching staff was leaning towards developing Bobeau as a sixth man in the style of Terry rather than a point guard. His leading skills were not improving, and there were limitations in his ball-handling ability, vision, and pick-and-roll defense.

It sounded like a comment to keep Youngjae in check, but Youngjae just laughed it off. After all, Barea was a long-term contract player and an essential player for Dallas in a different way from Youngjae. This season, Dallas only had five guards, and Barea’s playing time had increased compared to last year due to injuries.

If Barea really wanted to keep him in check, he would have refused to train together in the first place. Training together is only possible if they recognize and like each other, and they would never do it if they only saw each other as rivals.

“Haha. It’s just that the team is asking for that role these days, so I’m just 맞춰주고 [adapting to it]. And… Barea. I don’t think you know it, but you’ve been doing this training without fail, and now you’re asking me to pretend you can’t do it? I think that’s where that strength and durability come from. When I first did this training, I honestly thought Barea was a monster.”

Even Youngjae, a practice bug called a gym rat, found it difficult to do a completely different type of training. Youngjae secretly wondered if he was worse than Barea, but Barea’s hard schedule, which was difficult to keep up with, made Youngjae stick out his tongue.

“I don’t have a good size like you. And if you ask me if I’m good at shooting, to be honest, everyone on our team shoots too well. It’s hard for me to brag. I only had breakthroughs and passes, but I’m completely cornered since you came. So I have to do my training faithfully. The strength to push into the paint with this height and endure as much as possible. And the strong durability to shake off any minor injuries.”

Seeing only Barea, who was always smiling and passionate, Youngjae felt good every time he saw Barea. At the same time, Youngjae had inwardly concluded that Barea was a very optimistic person, but after training and spending a lot of time alone with Barea for the first time in his second year, he realized that Barea was a very deep person.

“So you’re blessed. Hehe, you little rascal. I just want to smack you in the back of the head!”

For some reason, Barea’s appearance overlapped with his past life. Those days when he struggled to preserve the barely grasped 10 minutes. 6-1 (185cm) and a thin frame and poor size that wouldn’t stick no matter how much he built up his strength. To overcome that, he tried to do better at what he was good at, but Barea was trying to fill and overcome his weaknesses.

“Hey, Barea. I feel like Barea is a great player. At least, Barea is a role model for me. As you said, my body may be blessed in Barea’s eyes, but Barea can make tough breakthroughs that I can’t do with that height, and he has better durability than me. I feel like Barea is amazing when I see that. I feel like I have to learn from him.”

Barea looked at Youngjae, who was suddenly serious and telling the truth, and jokingly shouted, ‘What did you eat wrong? Why are you so serious all of a sudden!’ But Youngjae knew. Barea’s reaction to being shy is to overreact.

The Dallas Mavericks brought Denver to their home. The American Airlines Center was filled with cheering fans in blue.

[The Dallas Mavericks, who are on a 5-game winning streak and have risen to 2nd place in the Western Conference with 20 wins and 10 losses, and the Denver Nuggets, who are on a 4-game losing streak and have fallen to 5th place in the Western Conference with 18 wins and 12 losses, will face off in an exclusive live broadcast on TNT. Dick Stockton will be the announcer, and Mike Fratello will be the commentator. Nice to meet you!]

[Nice to meet you. This is Mike Fratello.]

The two greeted each other naturally and immediately began to talk about the game.

[Dallas and Denver recently faced off on February 8 at the Pepsi Center, Denver’s home. Dallas has been on a winning streak ever since, and Denver has been on a losing streak ever since. It’s a rare sight to see teams that started winning and losing streaks face off again.]

[That’s right. Dallas defeated the LA Clippers in their previous game and succeeded in regaining 2nd place in the Western Conference, closely following the 1st place Oklahoma City Thunder (22 wins and 7 losses), so their momentum seems to be soaring. Jason Terry will be out today due to a slight pain, but considering the atmosphere of both teams and the fact that Dallas is at home, the game seems to be leaning towards Dallas today as well.]

Dick Stockton began to talk about Denver’s situation in a slightly regretful voice.

[Denver had a stormy start, but quickly fell into a losing streak. They don’t have a definite ace, and they’re on a roller coaster ride, as befits a team that ranks first in team scoring and in the middle to lower ranks in team scoring. Still, the prevailing opinion is that they wouldn’t have been able to achieve this result without coach George Karl. As a coach who leads a team of young players without star players well, he quickly succeeded in rebuilding after the Carmelo Anthony trade. One column described Denver’s rebuilding as a ‘one-night rebuilding.’ This is because they completed the rebuilding in an instant with the players they received in the Anthony trade.]

[However, it is uncertain whether ‘one-night rebuilding’ will be successful. Danilo Gallinari, who is known to be injury-prone, has barely returned from injury, but it is unknown when he will collapse again. In addition, Wilson Chandler is currently playing with painkillers, so there is no choice but to doubt the players’ durability.]

As the players came onto the court one by one, Dick Stockton appropriately changed the subject and began to introduce the starting lineup.

[Here is the starting lineup. The home team, Dallas Mavericks, starts with the returning Jason Kidd, Y13 Youngjae Yoon, who was selected for the All-Star team in his second season, Shawn Marion at forward, Dirk Nowitzki, and finally Tyson Chandler at center.]

Dick Stockton fluently recited the Denver Nuggets’ starting lineup in a dignified voice, as befits an announcer.

[The away team, Denver Nuggets, starts with Ty Lawson, Aaron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari at forward, Kenneth Faried, and finally Kosta Koufos at center.]

[In terms of members, I want to give the edge to the Dallas Mavericks, who have maintained the core of last year’s championship team, but there are definitely risk factors. The Dallas Mavericks’ physical burden is directly reflected in their performance due to the difference in energy levels. The game may be different if they are pushed back by the Denver Nuggets, which is a relatively young team, in terms of energy levels!]

Mike Fratello’s high-pitched voice clearly conveyed information as if hitting the viewers’ ears. Before they knew it, the players from both teams were lined up on the court, and Tyson Chandler and Kosta Koufos were on high alert to react immediately to the jump ball rising while facing each other.

Tak!!

[The Dallas Mavericks have the jump ball! Tyson Chandler, his height is outstanding!]

Tyson Chandler immediately passed the ball to Jason Kidd. Kidd showed a slightly sluggish appearance as it was his first start in a long time, but he was skillfully playing with the ball in his hands.

Puck!

[Oh! Tyson Chandler! When did he run to the left high post?! He checks Youngjae Yoon, who was on the left side, running near the top and sets a perfect screen!]

“Ugh!!”

Aaron Afflalo, who was following Youngjae, almost fell backward due to Tyson Chandler’s tremendous physique. At that moment, Youngjae slightly stopped going to the top, stopped his steps momentarily near the high post inside the left wing, and stepped on the court with both feet.

Hook-

[Jason Kidd’s nice pass!]

[It’s a perfect pass that stabs right at the moment when Youngjae Yoon is standing at the high post! Ty Lawson, who was blocking Kidd’s path, has no choice but to look at Youngjae Yoon as is!]

Youngjae missed this pass quite a bit. Of course, other guards were also good at passing, but they couldn’t be compared to Jason Kidd. Jason Kidd’s pass, which can reign as the legend of point guards, was like a highly addictive drug that was hard to get out of once you tasted it.

Shuk!

[BANG! The Dallas Mavericks take the first point with a clean mid-range jumper!]

[There’s no way he’d miss such an open shot, right? Youngjae Yoon is recording the highest field goal percentage among top-class swingmen (players with breakthrough ability among shooting guards and small forwards)! He’s been on a roll since being selected for the All-Star team!]

As Youngjae lightly sank the shot, an old man with white hair in the front row of the audience stood up and cheered. Youngjae knew that he was Don Knobler, a big fan of Dallas and very famous in the Dallas area.

[He’s here again! If the New York Knicks have Spike Lee and the Lakers have Jack Nicholson, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Dallas Mavericks have Don Knobler, a fan who never fails to come to Dallas home games!]

[Ah, according to information, Don Knobler is not a Hollywood worker or entertainer like Spike Lee or Jack Nicholson, but he is said to be a tycoon called a big hand in the real estate business in Dallas. He is sometimes called an eccentric for his ridiculous clothes or unusual dyeing, but most of them are those 멋진 MAVS [stylish Mavericks] blue jackets and blue cowboy hats, and the pink palm-shaped cheering tools in both hands can be said to be Don Knobler’s trademark!]

Don Knobler seemed even more excited about high-fiving Youngjae, chanting ‘Let’s Go MAVS’ and clapping his palm-shaped cheering tools as if applauding.

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

★Thank you to those who 선작 [added to favorites], recommended, commented, and gave coupons!!

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupon, Roak! This is the first time someone has given me so much. I’m grateful and bewildered. I will work hard to repay your support in the future^^.

＠I was 고민고민 [agonizing] about Youngjae’s fan vote ranking and decided on that level. In some ways, he could be selected as a starter by fan voting thanks to our country’s enthusiastic fans, but considering our country’s low level of basketball popularity and the popularity of alternative KBO [Korean Professional Baseball League] and overseas soccer, I thought the craze would be less than I thought. Choo Shin-soo also played well, but he didn’t make it into the All-Star starting lineup. Even with the popularity of baseball, it’s that much, so I thought basketball would be even worse. Still, I thought it was about that level because Youngjae is good-looking and his play is relatively flashy.

＠Yesterday and today’s NBA is a series of chaos. All four teams in the hellish 싸웨 [Southwest Division] lost. Even New Orleans, Memphis, and Houston were embarrassingly defeated. Dallas beat Phoenix and was 싸웨 [Southwest Division] 1st place for just one day ㅋㅋ. In fact, they showed a good game without Parsons, who is the 1st option. Well, Phoenix self-destructed. Tomorrow is the DeAndre Jordan Gate match. There won’t be too much booing because it’s the Clippers’ home.

＠Leonard grew too fast. Today I thought I was watching Jordan. Aldridge doesn’t fit the team as well as I thought, and Oklahoma’s Donovan coach used tactics to thoroughly target Parker, so he was severely 털렸네요 [dominated] by Westbrook. Besides, he can’t control Kanter at all. This is the part that I have pointed out as the biggest weakness in San Antonio’s season from before. Since Duncan is the only 정통 [orthodox] center, I thought San Antonio would have a very hard time if the opposing team had a center with strong offensive power.

소심찌질열등남님 [meek, pathetic, inferior man]/// ㅋㅋ I also watch MLB, but I only watched the articles and highlights because the two teams in this World Series are not teams that I pay much attention to. I might have watched it more if Toronto or Pittsburgh had gone up.

goimosp님, 야베스님/// Thompson’s slump made Curry’s presence shine even more. Thompson has been slumping since the last finals. Is it not a maximum;;;

Lazze님/// Joe Johnson also had trade rumors with Cleveland this time ㅋㅋ. Well, there are many players with the name Johnson, so if Cleveland had recruited him ㅋㅋ

이동석동님, 사라질영혼님, -DarkANGEL-님, 파이넨시아님, 오마리온님, 여신유리찬양님/// Thank you for your comments as always!!

Naye님/// Ah, you’re talking about the D Answer work. Well, Liverpool is a mess, so it’s a different form from the novel ㅋㅋ;; Liverpool’s owner is John Henry, but he doesn’t own an NBA team. He owns the Boston Red Sox of MLB and Liverpool. He is the owner of the main character’s team in the novel ‘You can learn everything from defeat’.

울트라10님/// Seagull… He’s not doing well today either. I really don’t know if the guard is the problem, or if he can’t adapt to the changed body due to bulking up. Last year, LeBron and Love had a hard time losing weight, but I feel like Seagull’s shooting with his bulked-up body doesn’t fit well.

ㅎ0ㅎ님/// Haha… I’m 최대한 자제하고 기사형식 [restraining myself as much as possible and writing in a news article format]. After all, it’s a more boring part than broadcasting or interviews. So I’m trying to make an effort with comments on the article part.

흙곰12님/// Hmm? It’s a name that reminds me of Peter Drucker.

오후의홍찻님/// We will definitely face Paul within this season.

파란가오리님/// Now Deron has become a pure point guard who can shoot 3 points and lead. The breakthrough is much 죽어서 [dead]; Still, I think he will rebound quite a bit this year.

클라이브스님/// I think so. Lee Ji-en-rien, who was treated as a 쩌리 [loser] in the NBA and returned, is sweeping around. In Yao Ming’s prime, Korean basketball had the power of stars from the basketball festival era, and Yao Ming had more minor injuries due to frequent withdrawals than I thought, so he couldn’t play as well as he did in his NBA heyday. Still, if Yao Ming is added to the current Chinese national team, winning a gold medal in Asia would be a joke. I think Asia is getting worse overall.