Y13 [EN]: Chapter 238

2011-2012 Regular Season

The Dallas Mavericks maintained their 5-point lead. Coach Carlisle smiled with satisfaction and applauded, pleased with how they shut down the attack. In a single game, it might just be one 24-second possession, but it completely stifled Golden State’s persistent chase, which had narrowed a 10-point lead to 5. In all sports, momentum is key; it can either ignite a comeback or extinguish hope.

[Jason Terry is being substituted for Shawn Marion, who was tiring.]

[The strategy is to increase the pace and engage in a running game with the opponent. Golden State lacks a dominant small forward, so Brewer is a suitable matchup.]

Carlisle’s intention to maximize Terry’s impact was evident in the lineup. Youngjae took on the primary playmaking role on offense, Terry played shooting guard, and Brewer shifted to small forward. Since Youngjae’s shooting touch wasn’t at its peak, spacing became difficult when Marion and Brewer were on the court together.

Thump-thump.

Terry, crossing the half-court line, passed the ball to Youngjae. Youngjae briefly faced Brandon Rush at the top of the key before lightly handing the ball to Brewer, who was consistently moving around the three-point line on the left wing. Brewer, with Dorell Wright guarding him, didn’t attempt a risky dribble. Instead, as soon as he saw Youngjae driving Rush from the top to the high post, he bounced a pass inside.

[Corey Brewer! An unexpected bounce pass!]

[Haha! That was surprising because it was a pretty good pass! I never imagined Brewer would make such a pass. He usually just shoots or drives when he gets the ball, but this is a pleasant surprise.]

Youngjae managed to catch the low, fast-moving bounce pass, but he immediately engaged in a physical battle at the high post, backing into Rush to protect the ball.

Squeak-squeak.

[He pivots with his right foot against Rush, who is backing him down, using his left foot as the axis! Youngjae Yoon’s subtle movements suggest a threatening drive is possible! And Brandon Rush is on edge with each pivot, unable to anticipate his next move!]

Youngjae gained enough time to survey the entire court with a couple of pivots. And at that moment, as soon as he saw a player cutting towards the rim at tremendous speed, Youngjae instantly switched his pivot foot to his right and spun out clockwise.

[Spin move! An amazing spin move! Brandon Rush, did he think it was just another pivot? That’s a rookie mistake!]

[Youngjae Yoon jumps up! Looking at his posture, it resembles a floater, but the distance is quite far, isn’t it? It’s hard to definitively call it a floater!]

Whoosh!

Until the moment the ball left Youngjae’s right hand, it did indeed look like a floater. Raising his right hand to the highest point and lightly supporting the ball with his right hand, he floated it up with just a flick of his wrist, making it seem like he was executing a teardrop [a high-arcing shot near the basket] with a significant arc, as if tears were falling. His form was unmistakably a floater.

“Aaaaaah!!!”

That was until Corey Brewer soared.

[It looked like a desperation floater, but it was an alley-oop pass!!! Youngjae Yoon’s WONDERFUL PASS gently floats it up!!!]

Brewer, who had soared to the peak, felt the ball snugly fit into both of his hands and looked down. Golden State’s players, who couldn’t even react to follow and block Brewer, who had jumped up based on his incredible agility, to the point where no one could control his speed on a fast break, looked up from below. And the red circular rim, which looked so large and inviting today.

KABOOOOM!!!!

[KABOOOOOM!!!!]

[Corey Brewer grabs the rim with both hands as if to devour it!!! And Youngjae Yoon’s perfect pass without any flaws! Brewer can’t control his excitement and hangs on the rim, shaking it wildly with both hands!]

[It was as if they had practiced together, with perfectly synchronized movements. It’s not usually easy to pull off an alley-oop play in that kind of situation?!]

Youngjae also found it difficult to control his excitement due to the thrill that resonated throughout his body, but since the game wasn’t over yet, he maintained his composure and calmed his excitement by subtly giving Brewer, who was hanging on the rim, a thumbs up. Brewer came down from the rim like an excited child, put his arm around Youngjae’s shoulder, and couldn’t control his excitement, saying, ‘Just float me one, no, two more, huh?’

Golden State, keenly aware of the growing deficit, ultimately failed to narrow the score gap by the middle of the fourth quarter, and the 2-possession difference had already widened to a 3-possession difference. A comeback requires a solid defense, but they couldn’t provide it.

[86 to 93! The score has widened to a 7-point difference!]

[The Curry and Ellis combination can generate 40 or 50 points on offense, but it’s a difficult combination to rely on for defense. Moreover, due to the injury of their starting center, Andris Biedrins, they can’t even properly control rebounds. Ekpe Udoh and David Lee alone are not enough.]

[The team’s best lineup always has to be on the floor in crunch time. It’s also a matter of the players’ pride. Even if their shooting touch isn’t perfect, Curry and Ellis have to be used in the late fourth quarter when defensive intensity increases. Robinson, Rush, and Thompson are effective players off the bench, but they are definitely not at the level to face the starters.]

Monta Ellis had a sluggish performance with only 3/10 shooting, and Stephen Curry with 3/8 shooting. This was thanks to Dallas’s excellent backcourt defensive coordination. Moreover, since Ekpe Udoh lacked offensive ability, Chandler was able to comfortably protect the paint [the area close to the basket], making it difficult to penetrate. Golden State’s field goal percentage in the paint today was a miserable sub-40%.

“Slowly.”

Dallas also activated its best lineup as the fourth quarter entered its final stages. There were only 5 minutes left at best, and considering the score difference, there was no room to save the starters’ stamina. If they relinquished the momentum against a team that was good at three-pointers, they could be overturned in an instant.

[Youngjae Yoon slowly approaches the top of the key, surveying his surroundings.]

[This season, Jason Kidd is on the bench during crunch time. Due to injuries and aging, both his offense and defense have become less effective, and Youngjae Yoon has grown rapidly, forming a backcourt partnership with Terry. On offense, Youngjae Yoon plays the role of the point guard, and Jason Terry steps up as the shooting guard, often focusing on off-the-ball movement and scoring. Conversely, on defense, Terry, who is short, guards Curry, and Yoon guards Ellis. Terry is a player who comes off the bench due to his size limitations, but if a point guard like Kidd or Yoon guards the opposing shooting guard, there are no problems on defense.]

Youngjae stood at the top of the key for a moment, pondering. Youngjae knew that Terry’s shooting hadn’t been great today. However, Terry didn’t push himself too hard for individual stats as long as the team was doing well. He took a lot of shots because of his pride as a clutch shooter [a player who performs well under pressure], but he didn’t forget about team play.

‘Terry’s shooting hasn’t been good today, but other than me, the only option is to maximize Terry and Nowitzki. Marion and Chandler aren’t players who can create their own shots.’

The players who couldn’t create their own shots were used when they had a chance while circulating the ball, but there was nothing he could do to create shooting opportunities for them. Youngjae exchanged glances with Chandler and slowly started dribbling, shaking Monta Ellis in front of him.

[Youngjae Yoon’s smooth movement shaking back and forth, can Monta Ellis’s defense really contain Youngjae Yoon? Ellis is a good player at steals, but his matchup opponent’s field goal percentage is among the worst in the league.]

At that moment, Youngjae dribbled between his legs a couple of times and started dribbling between his legs with increasingly larger motions. The motion of dribbling finely soon raised his arms to his shoulder line, teasing Monta Ellis’s nerves, and then he leaned his waist forward greatly once.

“?!”

Squeak-squeak.

He took a big step with his left foot and leaned his waist forward, but at that moment, he stopped abruptly as if applying the brakes, took a small step forward with his left foot to use it as an axis, and then leaned his upper body to the right and bounced off in the opposite direction.

“Ugh!”

[An amazing crossover! Monta Ellis is being thoroughly outplayed by Youngjae Yoon today! Moreover, he is blocked by Tyson Chandler’s fantastic screen that slowly approached from behind!]

Youngjae rushed in, thinking that there was no one blocking him, and Youngjae, who glanced at Dorell Wright, who had come to cover after Ekpe Udoh, who had to protect the paint, followed Chandler, made a split-second decision. A player who hesitates to make a choice after a breakthrough is not a true slasher [a player who frequently drives to the basket].

‘Nowitzki or Chandler… no.’

As expected, David Lee was closely guarding Nowitzki, who had a good shooting touch, and Ekpe Udoh, who was showing a good performance on defense, was blocking the passing route for Chandler, who had to perform a pick-and-roll [an offensive play where a player sets a screen for a teammate and then rolls towards the basket], so he had to take a risk.

“…”

Youngjae seemed to have made up his mind, and with a determined expression, he stopped his dribble, stepped hard on the court with his right foot, barely stopped his body from leaning forward, and quickly pulled his left foot back. Dorell Wright, who was lowering his stance to block Youngjae, couldn’t hide his bewildered expression as Youngjae suddenly seemed to disappear backward as he executed a step-back.

[Youngjae Yoon, step-back jumper!!!]

In that it can create a relatively open shot by creating clear separation from the defender, the step-back jumper was an essential skill for swingmen [a versatile player who can play multiple positions]. And because it was easier to gauge the distance than a pull-up [a jump shot taken immediately off the dribble], the success rate was also decent.

Concentrate on the ball until the fingertips and release it smoothly. If the opponent is slow to react, the step-back is purely a matter of your own feel, and the defender’s interference is meaningless.

Swish-

[PUT’S IN IT!!!!]

[Step-back jumper!! Amazing, Youngjae Yoon!!! He hits a big shot at a crucial moment!]

Beeeep-!!

[Timeout! Golden State!]

Only then did Youngjae smile brightly for the first time in today’s game, expressing his joy with his whole body, raising his index finger.

“That’s right!!! That’s it!!!”

Brewer, Parsons, and Wright cheered as if it were their own accomplishment and ran to Youngjae, and Youngjae lightly hugged his teammates while not lowering his raised right index finger. As if to make sure that all the fans who came to Oracle Center could see his index finger.

-Beeeep

[The game is over. The Dallas Mavericks win against the Golden State Warriors 107 to 96. They are washing away the slump before and after the All-Star break and their performance is gradually improving. They succeed in maintaining 3rd place in the Western Conference.]

[Youngjae Yoon recorded a double-double [when a player accumulates ten or more in two statistical categories] with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists. He seems to have changed his play style, recording double-digit assists for 3 consecutive games. His field goal percentage is not yet completely normal, but he is doing his part through change. Dirk Nowitzki also showed his strength by scoring 24 points. It was a game that could have been easily won if Jason Terry’s field goal percentage had been better.]

[The Golden State Warriors are failing to break the pattern of losing when Curry and Ellis are contained. This is the disappointing aspect of a team whose backcourt is the ace. Moreover, both players struggle when they meet fast defenders. In the end, the big men’s efforts are essential for victory.]

[The Dallas Mavericks’ next game is against the Washington Wizards, and the Golden State Warriors’ next game is against the LA Clippers.]

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

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

＠The updates may be late tomorrow and the day after. There is a possibility that I will arrive home at or after midnight after finishing the team project;; Our team leader is very enthusiastic;;

Makerele-nim, goimosp-nim/// That’s right. At that time, Curry definitely had a good shot, but his ball-handling wasn’t top-notch, and above all, he was injury-prone. His three-pointers weren’t at the level of “how do you stop him now” like they are now, so he’s been a steadily improving player. He became a full-fledged All-Star from the season before last, and MVP [Most Valuable Player] just last season. Of course, there is some controversy because of the team’s performance, but I think it’s natural for the ace who made a 67-win team even with good players to be the MVP.

Gwanghwanmaryong-nim/// Thank you^^ I put in scenes of slumps or poor performance because I thought they were necessary, but it’s a bit difficult every time I put them in. Still, it’s natural that not all comments are good comments when I open the comments and write ㅎㅎ.

-DarkANGEL-nim, 사라질영혼님, 이동석동님, 파이넨시아님///Thank you for the comments!! Avoid the Monday blues and have a good week~~

H0h-nim/// It’s time to rebound ㅎㅎ. The setting is that the slump won’t be long.

Lazze-nim/// Curry takes a little time ㅋㅋ. He exploded in the 14-15 season…

Yabes-nim/// Yes. Curry also contributes to team defense. Of course, Curry’s one-on-one defense itself is still a bit lacking, so he relies a lot on Thompson or Green’s help, and Youngjae’s defensive ability is at least as good as Klay Thompson or Danny Green’s last season.

잠.자.비-nim///That’s right. Failure is the mother of success!!

Ultra10-nim/// ㅎㅎ You must have been busy. We have to get up again!!