Y13 [EN]: Chapter 236

Y13-236 (236/296)

00236 2011-2012 Regular Season ====================================================

“Well, there were games we won because Terry delivered in the clutch, but there were also several games we lost because he overdid it. These days, when Yoon plays with Terry, he seems to be completely focused on playmaking.”

It was a play possible because he was Youngjae. If Youngjae lacked playmaking ability or had too much scoring desire, there would have been friction with Terry. However, Youngjae’s ability as a playmaker was better than expected, and Terry didn’t express much dissatisfaction because of it.

Perhaps that’s why Terry seemed to be giving good advice to his junior as a veteran before the Memphis game, but he was quite emotional. In comparison, Youngjae seemed to have gone through something and realized something after the Memphis game, and he began to calm down mentally.

“Yoon seems to have come to his senses after the Memphis game. He seems to be playing with composure. He’s as calm and collected as he used to be. The problem is that he keeps giving the ball to Terry whenever he asks for it.”

Youngjae, who had seemed rattled in the Memphis game, seemed to have cooled his head and found something that allowed him to relax during the day off. He was gradually returning to his old self.

“It’s not bad to give the ball to Terry. If Yoon’s scoring decreases, Terry needs to score that much more. Besides, Terry’s shooting has been pretty good lately. Considering Terry’s pride, Yoon is doing a good job. Terry… it’s a bit disappointing that he prioritizes himself rather than yielding to his junior, even though he’s a veteran.”

Novitzki’s words made the two players nod in agreement, and Chandler looked at the two unmarried veterans and smiled playfully.

“That’s why they say you need to meet a good woman, right?”

The only person who could privately care for Youngjae was Emily. Youngjae had never talked about his family, nor had he ever seen them, so she was virtually the closest thing to family he had. His teammates also cared for him, but they each had their own families, and there were things that were difficult to talk about with colleagues. The difference between having someone living with you at home and not having someone was quite significant. One of the important reasons why athletes maintain their mental focus and build stable careers is that they form families and find mental stability.

“It’s not just that. He seems to have listened to advice in many ways and thought about it a lot. He came to me and asked me about various things seriously. I tried to talk to him as best as I could, but our circumstances were a bit different, so I don’t know if it was of much help.”

Novitzki, who had the second-longest NBA career on the team, had a wealth of experience. He shared about the discrimination he received after settling in a foreign country at a young age, how he overcame the challenges when the skills and abilities that worked in the European league didn’t work in the NBA, and how he changed his patterns and adapted to compensate for his declining athletic ability as he got older.

“He came to me and talked a lot. Instead of training on the court, he seems to be thinking a lot about this and that. So I told him to ask the younger guys for advice, not just veterans like us. In some ways, advice from peers might be more helpful.”

Kidd also shared his skills and experience generously, but unlike Novitzki, he told him to listen not only to their stories but also to seek advice from his peers. Their methods of overcoming slumps might be different from those of today’s young people. Coping with physically challenging situations also varies from person to person, so it was good to listen to various stories and find a method that suited him.

“It’s also good that he doesn’t react much to the articles that reporters put out. He didn’t seem to look at that kind of stuff much in the first place, but he seemed to have become a bit sensitive to the media during his slump. It looks like he’s decided not to look at internet articles at all. He can’t completely ignore it because of his age, but he’s almost stopped showing the same emotional ups and downs as before.”

In their eyes, Youngjae had shown skillful interview skills from his first season, and he was quite calm about the criticism from the media and fans. When he was a rookie, he was always confident and dignified because he had nothing to lose, but this time, he was suffering from the burden of such rapid growth. If he overcame this well, he could go higher, and if he didn’t, it was the end of the road in the survival of the fittest. Fortunately, Youngjae’s recent demeanor seemed to be recovering his old self.

“His shooting isn’t as good as it was in the first half, but it seems to be getting better. As his impatience disappeared, his vision widened again, and his desire to possess the ball decreased. And instead of trying to solve things himself, he knows how to take a step back. All that’s left is the stamina issue, so it will be resolved with time.”

“It’s a shame that we can’t give him a break because the team’s situation is like this. He wouldn’t ask for a break given his personality, so Carlisle [the head coach] or the coaches should give him a break, but there’s no way to do that except to have him sit on the bench a little more during the game.”

Novitzki was a little sorry that Youngjae couldn’t rest during the game. Because of the lack of guards, Youngjae couldn’t rest unless he was injured. On the other hand, there were too many forwards and centers, so the coaching staff was working hard to distribute playing time evenly. Starting with Novitzki himself, there were five forwards: Shawn Marion, Chandler Parsons, Corey Brewer, and Brandon Wright. Assuming that Novitzki and Marion were the starters, the remaining three players had no choice but to fight for time, and Corey Brewer had to come out as a shooting guard backup because the forward positions were so saturated.

“Well, I thought that distributing playing time with just five guards would be tight in the first place, so there were no additional signings. But Bobo is out indefinitely (not a season-out, but an indefinite absence), and I’m having a harder time than last year, so Yoon’s burden is bound to be great. Still, it’s a relief. It seems like he’s endured that burden well.”

Youngjae and Terry could play for more than 30 minutes, Kidd could play for around 30 minutes, and Bare and Bobo could play for 15-25 minutes. Dallas was playing the season with five players because adding guards would only make the distribution of playing time more complicated. In the first place, it was difficult to guarantee all players the playing time they wanted, even if Youngjae and Bobo divided the reduced playing time of Kidd and Terry, and Bare played as much as he did the previous year. However, Bobo’s indefinite absence has recently increased Youngjae’s physical burden.

“Tomorrow is an away game against Golden State. I have to take a plane in the morning again. I’m suddenly tired.”

Novitzki sighed as if he was annoyed to be taking a plane in the morning. Kidd took a sip of the coffee that came with dessert and nodded.

“I know. The atmosphere there is so intense that it’s even more tiring. The good thing is that the tempo is slower than before, so we don’t have to run as much? Ah, but we still run too much.”

In the days of Don Nelson, Golden State played basketball at such a tremendous tempo that they were considered Dallas’s nemesis, and their chemistry was so bad that they were considered the worst team for Dallas, which had a high average age.

However, Dallas was dominant in last year’s matchup against coach Keith Smart, winning 3-1. And after coach Mark Jackson took over this season, the team was transformed into a defensive basketball team, completely changing its team color from the old Golden State.

“It’s like we’re facing them for the first time since the team color changed. And even though the team color has changed, the player composition is similar. Everyone has weak defense and many players who rely on speed.”

The other two agreed with Novitzki’s words, and Chandler began to eat his rice, as if he could finally eat comfortably. The two also shrugged their shoulders and began to enjoy their slightly cooled meal.

Mark Followill and Derek Harper, the flagship broadcast team of FOX SPORTS, were broadcasting the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks, and they could feel the arena getting hotter and hotter. Golden State’s backcourt duo, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, and backups Nate Robinson, Brandon Rush, and Klay Thompson. All four players except Thompson were specialized in running, attacking, and shooting rather than having great strengths in defense.

[Monta Ellis! What’s blocking his path is none other than Y13! Youngjae Yoon!]

However, such aggressive Golden State guards were unable to find a way out in front of Youngjae and Kidd’s stable defense. It’s still the second half of the first quarter, but Golden State, which hasn’t been able to show the power of its backcourt at all, is stuck at 10 points.

Dallas minimizes points allowed with stable defense and distributes the ball to Novitzki and Marion, who have a good shooting touch, through their teamwork with Kidd, thoroughly targeting Golden State, which has a weak inside defense, with safe midrange jumpers or finishes under the basket.

[He’s a player who’s hard to beat with speed or footwork rather than strength. He showed the worst performance of his career in the Memphis game, but he’s been rebounding little by little since then.]

[The heat of Oracle Arena isn’t stopping the home team Golden State from falling behind 10 to 17. The offensive tactics are too simple to break through Dallas’s complete defensive rotation. Monta Ellis, one of the league’s best slashers, needs to find a way out, even if it’s just a little bit? He’s still 0/3 against Youngjae Yoon! He hasn’t scored a single point!]

Monta Ellis, who received the ball on the wing, looked at Youngjae for a moment and then slowly began to dribble the ball. It would have been enough to get a screen and go over, but Monta Ellis is a typical slasher. He didn’t feel intimidated in front of Youngjae, as he was the best at holding the ball himself, tearing through the opponent’s defense with dribbling, and then digging into the gap.

“Your form has been pretty bad lately, right? It’s amazing that you haven’t given up any points so far.”

“…”

In the past, he would have returned the favor or reacted in some way, but Youngjae stared at Monta Ellis with a cold, eerie look, without changing his expression.

‘I think so. Yoon is also a person, and there will definitely be times when he can’t control his emotions.’

His conversation with Emily was enough to make Youngjae more mature.

[Monta Ellis! It looks like he’s saying something, but Youngjae Yoon isn’t budging!]

[It seems that shaking his mentality doesn’t work on Y13 anymore. Monta Ellis, feeling that no more words are needed, tries to break through as is!]

With about 10 seconds left, it may be a slightly hasty choice, but without using a screen, Monta Ellis pushed his left shoulder in and roughly bumped Youngjae’s chest. However, Youngjae did not allow Ellis’s breakthrough with a smooth and quick sidestep, without changing his expression even in Ellis’s rough drive-in.

‘Then think about it that way. Isn’t the fact that this person is cursing at me and trying to make me excited an admission that Yoon is that scary? Hehet [Korean onomatopoeia for chuckling]. If the players are more skilled than Yoon, they have the confidence to beat Yoon without having to go through such trouble. And the intention itself is to provoke the opponent, so falling for it is definitely losing, right?’

In fact, that didn’t happen when he matched up against the best guards such as Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant. No special story was needed. They trusted their skills, acknowledged the opponent’s skills, and confronted each other head-on.

[Monta Ellis! It looks like he’s overdoing it?! Despite being blocked by Youngjae Yoon’s skillful defense, he jumps up forcibly!]

Monta Ellis’s last choice was truly a mistake. He had to create space even by stirring it up a little more, but going up hastily was a play that came from the urgency to get even a free throw.

Thud-

However, Youngjae, who would not allow such a thing, rose into the air with him and raised his right hand very lightly. Ellis moved the ball he was holding in his right hand to his left hand and stretched out his left arm toward the rim, but Youngjae’s right hand was guarding that spot.

[WHAT A SMOOTH BLOCK!!!]

[Youngjae Yoon lightly touches and blocks Monta Ellis’s shot without being flashy! It’s really amazing!]

[The defense is still the same! There were no problems with the defense even during the slump!]

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

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

@Choo Shin-soo [Korean MLB Player] said something. “Major League players don’t slump because they lack skills. The most difficult thing to overcome in the world is the mind, the mentality.” We may have lacked the ability to convey our intentions, but the process in the novel can definitely happen.

Choo Shin-soo has also hit rock bottom, experienced more difficult situations than Youngjae, and is a veteran who is older than Youngjae. He endured years of hardship in the minor leagues in a foreign country. It is not strange that Youngjae has mental problems. The process or description may be awkward, though.

잉킹둘님///Fatigue accumulation is the primary cause, and the slump caused by it has mentally collapsed, so fatigue accumulation is the main cause.

개구리파워님///엌ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for laughing] That movie might sound like women saying, ‘Men are just kids, even when they get older’…

-DarkANGEL-님, 사라질영혼님, 파이넨시아님, 이동석동님, 위티드님, 오마리온님/// Thank you for your comments!!

ㅎ0ㅎ님, Nerine2님/// Well, I think you can think that way enough. Even if you look at the same novel, the impressions are different for each person. However, we believe that even if you have hit rock bottom and experienced several setbacks, there is no guarantee that you will not suffer setbacks in other situations. And if the emotional change seems too sudden, I guess our description wasn’t smooth enough. I’ll try to write better so that it’s smoother.

울트라10님///As you said, if you’re a person, you have to have a slump. The main character is not a god, but simply a person who has lived a few more years^^ And as you said, the mental shock of being injured is different from the slump caused by the burden of being an ace and the lack of stamina that you have not experienced.

야베스님/// As you said, rebounding is the least stat that makes teammates trash. It’s not a stat that owns the ball like scoring or assists. And the more guards or forwards participate in rebounding, the more solid the team’s inside becomes. But I think rebounding also has many flaws. For example, I think the reason why Drummond and Dejordan’s rebounds have increased rapidly is because the 골밑 [Korean for under the basket] partner has become a stretch 4 and mainly moves in the high post. And I honestly think Love’s rebound stats are a bit of a bubble. When he thinks he’s late to defend, he aims for rebounds rather than trying his best to block. This is a problem that Love has been pointed out for years. Of course, Love’s rebounding ability is definitely top-notch in the league.

The same goes for steals and blocks. Curry and Monta are in the top ranks for steals, but they are not said to have good defense, and Ibaka’s season of recording 3.7 blocks per game is not said to have good defense either.

잠.자.비님/// That’s right. If you combine impatience, greed, and burden, you’ll get into trouble if you train too hard. Just like the movements during the game become faster and more flashy, there is a risk of injury. It’s true that you have to work harder than others to succeed, but if you overdo it too much, you’ll get sick ㅋㅋ [Korean onomatopoeia for laughing]