Y13 [EN]: Chapter 231

Y13-231. 2011-12 All-Star Weekend

The All-Star Game, where the shining stars of the East and West collide. Youngjae watched the game from the bench as a reserve member. As expected, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant, who were selected as starters, were on the court first. Both teams’ coaches, Scott Brooks and Tom Thibodeau, were also known for sticking to their starting lineups.

“Hey, Yoon. What’s with the face? Is it because you can’t get on the court? The All-Star Game is just a collection of good players, so playing time is unpredictable. Everyone tends to enjoy the game, so I don’t think you need to go out there and wear yourself out too much. Well, I guess at your age, you want to go out there and show off some flashy moves under the spotlight.”

Nowitzki spoke to Youngjae, who hadn’t been on the court even though half of the second quarter had already passed, thinking he might be feeling down. However, Youngjae wasn’t feeling down about that. He was happy to be selected as an All-Star, and it would have been even better to play, but he wasn’t the type to be upset if that didn’t happen.

“That’s right. Just being selected as an All-Star reserve is a huge deal for me. I don’t particularly crave the spotlight. It’s nice to have, but if not, that’s okay too. These kinds of exhibition games are for fun. I don’t really want to boost my popularity here or anything like that.”

Youngjae was staring at the game with a blank expression, but when Nowitzki spoke to him, he relaxed. Seeing Youngjae answer in a calm voice, Nowitzki wondered if he had been worrying for nothing.

“That’s a relief then.”

“Thanks for your concern. I’m fine.”

He said he was okay with a smile, but Youngjae’s mind was occupied with a bigger concern than getting on the court.

‘Stamina… and shooting as well.’

His performance had dropped significantly. His field goal percentage in the first half of the season was hovering around the low to mid-50s, but his pace had been gradually declining since the end of February. Even in the Rising Stars Challenge, which was close to a showcase game, there were no signs of recovery. It was possible to have ups and downs in one or two games, but when the sample size was larger, it was clear that his performance had declined significantly.

Youngjae, who was not comfortable watching the game, lightly warmed up when Coach Brooks instructed him to prepare to play, and then prepared to be substituted at the sideline. Shortly after, as the ball went out of bounds, he high-fived Kobe and stepped onto the court.

“Oh, you’re finally getting on the court for the first time? Do your best. The main course is more important than the appetizer.”

Kobe said, teasing Youngjae.

“Do you only feel better when you tease me like that? Who makes an appetizer play more than three times as long as the main course? You’re like a zombie. Aren’t you tired?”

Youngjae had been calling him a zombie when joking around since the playoffs because he often played through injuries. Half of it was out of exasperation, and half of it was out of respect for him. Kobe seemed to like the nickname, as he made a light ‘grrr’ sound and tapped Youngjae on the back.

“Haha, I just want you to do well. Why would I tease you at the All-Star Game?”

Kobe showed Youngjae his veteran composure and went to the bench, telling him to ‘enjoy it’. However, Kobe seemed to have noticed Youngjae’s stiff expression, just like Nowitzki.

[Both teams are making a substitution. Youngjae Yoon is replacing Kobe Bryant.]

[The score is 69 to 55. The West is leading by 14 points, and Yoon is stepping onto the court for the first time today. He is the last of the six players selected for the first time in this All-Star Game to step onto the court: Russell Westbrook, Youngjae Yoon, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Marc Gasol.]

[The East is taking out Derrick Rose and bringing in Rajon Rondo. There’s also Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard!]

Youngjae received the ball from Westbrook and dribbled slowly. His opponent was Deron Williams. Although he had been showing a very poor performance this season, he was still a player who had a 20-10 season and recorded double-digit assists for four consecutive seasons, competing with Chris Paul for the top point guard in the league.

[Youngjae Yoon is briefly holding the ball at the top against Deron Williams.]

Tung- Tung-

At the sound of regular dribbling, Youngjae swallowed hard and then dribbled twice briefly before driving to the right. Deron Williams blocked Youngjae tightly as if he knew it was coming, but Youngjae, who had penetrated to the high post, jumped up without hesitation and shot a pull-up jumper. It was an All-Star Game, so he was playing differently than he would on his team.

[Wow! Youngjae Yoon’s unstoppable pull-up jumper!]

Even as his body tilted, Youngjae concentrated on releasing the ball until the end, and fortunately, the ball barely made it onto the rim and bounced several times as if it felt playful before being sucked in.

‘Good. It seems much better than the day before yesterday.’

At least the first play wasn’t bad. It is said that excellent shooters can tell their condition after shooting a few times, and they can tell whether it will go in or not. Youngjae had not yet accumulated the ability and experience of a shooting master, but at least he could grasp his current state through shooting. In that sense, Youngjae’s first shot was very good.

Deron Williams thought that he had defended Youngjae a little too physically, recalling how he had been badly defeated by Youngjae in Utah last year, but Youngjae succeeded in scoring while maintaining his balance. Deron Williams had no choice but to click his tongue as if he was disappointed.

[He got a hit! Deron Williams, is he going to counterattack right away?]

Youngjae smiled slightly at the sight of Deron Williams driving in with his strength and gradually penetrating to the high post in front of him with a crossover that fascinated people. He knew that there was a problem with his condition, but his competitive spirit was second to none. He found pleasure in confronting and defeating an opponent with all his might if that opponent was giving his all against him.

[Deron Williams’ crossover! Deron Williams’ signature move of leaning his upper body slightly to the left and then bouncing to the opposite side!]

[But Youngjae Yoon is following him! He’s an excellent defender! He’s a player with such quick reaction speed and agility!]

His feet are fine, and his reaction speed is fine. There is no problem with defense. Youngjae thought that it didn’t seem to be a simple stamina problem, but he still jumped up with Deron Williams, who was surging up, and stretched out his hand.

[Deron Williams’ floater!]

However, although a floater can avoid a block, it is not an orthodox shot, so the feel of the fingertips is important. Williams’ floater, who failed to properly measure the distance due to Youngjae’s tight defense, hit the rim and went out of bounds.

“Nice!”

Marc Gasol, who was guarding the paint [the area near the basket], gave Youngjae a thumbs up, and Youngjae smiled awkwardly and shared a high-five with Marc Gasol.

‘Now, the last one.’

Youngjae began to run around the court with a fairly light movement. It was not just a meaningless movement, but a movement to create good opportunities according to the movements of the nine players on the court. Since there is only one ball, modern basketball emphasizes the movement of the other four players, and countless tactics come out with just the movement of those four players.

[Youngjae Yoon’s strength is coming out! I personally think that such judgment and intelligent off-the-ball movement are the biggest abilities that made Youngjae Yoon who he is today.]

[Now, Youngjae Yoon, a V-cut that bounces back from the baseline to the top! Rondo is blocked by Marc Gasol! As soon as he receives the pass from Russell Westbrook, who stopped at the high post, he shoots a 3-pointer!]

Youngjae gritted his teeth and jumped up. As usual, he repeated, ‘This is practice, this is practice,’ and jumped up. He smiled without realizing it because he felt like he had the right touch on the ball.

“Ugh?!

But at the last moment, Youngjae felt a stiff and heavy feeling in his shoulder, and he unknowingly put too much force on his fingertips. The ball seemed to draw a beautiful parabola and fall toward the rim.

Tung!!!

[The ball hits the back of the rim and bounces straight up! Is it going in?!]

Tuteong!

[Ah! It falls out! Youngjae Yoon! The 3-pointer fails!]

Youngjae gritted his teeth at the fact that the 3-pointer didn’t go in, but there was nothing he could do. Youngjae, who thought that it was unacceptable for a professional to have his shot shaken by a slight, nerve-wracking stiffness, had no choice but to sit on the bench with a hardened expression after the timeout and calm himself down.

‘Hoo, why……’

“…”

Nowitzki looked at Youngjae like that and moved his lips, but eventually closed them. He thought that it was not something that could be dismissed with a light comment during this game. And he thought that he should not speak rashly because he did not know his condition exactly.

In the end, Youngjae finished his first All-Star Game by standing on the court for only a few minutes in the second half. He only played for 12 minutes, and his stats were not impressive. In the last possession of the game, LeBron James committed a pass miss, and the Western All-Stars defeated the Eastern All-Stars 152-149.

Kevin Durant poured in 36 points and was selected as the All-Star Game MVP [Most Valuable Player], and the players exchanged greetings and finished the festival. The 2012 All-Star Break, which everyone was excited about, was also over.

As soon as Youngjae returned to Dallas, he went to the stadium and had an in-depth interview with Smith, the trainer. There was a game against the New Jersey Nets tomorrow, and there was a back-to-back schedule, so there was no time unless it was today. Smith, the head athletic trainer of the team, recommended that he go to the team hospital for a thorough examination. From his point of view, he had no choice but to make the safest choice possible if the player felt something was wrong.

Youngjae underwent a thorough examination due to the stiffness in his shoulder that was somehow constricting him like a noose. A few hours later, the team doctor could not help but tilt his head as he looked at Youngjae’s test results.

“Doctor. What are the test results?”

“There are no major problems. No abnormalities were found in the bones other than fatigue. I couldn’t find a reason why Yoon felt stiff.”

The team doctor continued to explain diligently as he looked at Youngjae’s anxious expression. He showed several photos, compared them with other photos, and answered each of Youngjae’s questions in detail.

“Um… are there no abnormalities in the muscles either?”

Youngjae asked the last question as if he was frustrated. He had a headache because there was nothing wrong with his bones or joints, but he was feeling stiff.

“Yes. There are not many signs of fatigue fractures, and there is nothing different from other athletes who are in the middle of the season. Medically, there is no problem at all.”

“I… understand. Then there will be no problem training as before.”

“Training is good, but it would be good to take a rest today. Your schedule will be very difficult for the time being, so I think it’s good to take a rest if there is any place where your body is uncomfortable.”

The team doctor soothed Youngjae and sent him home, telling him to take a rest. Youngjae had an unpleasant expression, but since there was no medical problem, he decided to take a rest for the time being. Anyway, there was a game tomorrow, so he thought that rest would be better than training. There was also a back-to-back schedule coming up in the future.

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

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

Yabes-nim/// OKC [Oklahoma City Thunder] seems to have serious defensive problems. It seems that coach Donovan is trying to completely break away from the defensive system of the Scott Brooks era… The defense is worse than last year. In particular, the 2-2 defense is completely self-destructive. If the tactics are established, I think they can go to the conference finals. Of course, I think they are below GSW [Golden State Warriors] or CLE [Cleveland Cavaliers]. I don’t think OKC has a defender who can stop LeBron or Curry.

Parangaori-nim/// The schedule is terrible because the first home game was the 4th game;; ㅋㅋ. This season was over since Dejordan fell through. The moment Cuban was heartbroken and told Richard Jefferson to go to a championship contender, Parsons’ backup was also gone. They turn three guards if they’re bored, and the center’s defense isn’t that good. The starting 4 is a defensive liability. Even Popovich or Phil Jackson can’t fix it ㅋㅋ

-DarkANGEL-nim, Pineensia-nim, Disappearing Soul-nim, Lee Dong-seok-dong-nim/// Thank you for your comments!! Have a nice weekend^^.

H0h-nim/// Yes. I thought that they could have won with their individual abilities, but the backcourt was so overwhelmed that Team Chuck had no choice but to win. And Youngjae and Wall know each other so well that they can play as a team to some extent.

Ultra 10-nim/// Rose’s skills are skills, but he needs to fix his attitude… He’s such a sad player. If there is no further rebound, the first MVP-born player may not be able to go to the Hall of Fame.

Goimosp-nim/// The dunk contest and 3-point shootouts have been ruined for a while because rookies have been coming out mainly. The dunk contest and 3-point contest are shunned by superstars, just like the MLB [Major League Baseball] home run derby. There are no more fresh dunks… I personally hope that more All-Star level players will come out.

Ganakeun Devil-nim/// I think NBA-level players can come out if players with good physicals go to the United States from high school and learn American basketball, and if the association doesn’t use them like slaves. However, unlike baseball, if you go to a Korean university and go pro, you will never be able to become an NBA-level player. I really hope that a Korean player will go to study abroad early and succeed like soccer.