Y13 [EN]: Chapter 240

Y13-240 2011-2012 Regular Season

Tut!

In the end, Youngjae took control and initiated the play. He subtly shifted his left foot forward, attempting an aggressive drive past Richardson. Surprised by the sudden move, Richardson quickly sidestepped to his left to block Youngjae’s path. But Youngjae leaped backward, as if stumbling, just before colliding with Richardson.

[Youngjae Yoon! He soars! He halts his drive, plants both feet, and uses all his strength to spring back with incredible elasticity!]

Richardson, not expecting a shot from that distance, couldn’t close out in time and could only jump and reach out in vain. Youngjae’s lips curled slightly, confident he’d put the right spin on the ball by scraping his right hand at the release.

Tung- Tutung-

[The ball teases, bouncing on the rim!]

Shwook-

[OH! Y13 DIFFICULT FADEAWAY!]

[The shot selection itself isn’t ideal, but by defying the opponent’s expectations, he created a de facto open look! For a player with good balance and a feel for the air, such a shot might have a higher probability than a contested set shot!]

[With about 8 minutes remaining in the second quarter, the score is tied at 47! Both teams are playing aggressively today!]

Youngjae watched the ball ripple the net, high-fived Nowitzki, and returned to his team’s side of the court. He displayed his cleverness not only on offense but also on defense, making life difficult for Orlando’s backcourt.

[Jameer Nelson receives the ball.]

[Due to the quick switch, Terry is now guarding Jason Richardson, and Youngjae Yoon is guarding Jameer Nelson, correct?]

Orlando’s Jameer Nelson methodically moved the ball, probing for weaknesses in the Dallas defense. Despite the dwindling time, a mismatch emerged. A simple pass to Jason Richardson, who had the advantage, could lead to a clean attack. However, Nelson hesitated to pass to Richardson. Youngjae anticipated this, focusing on preventing the pass to Richardson.

“Keuk!”

Nelson immediately signaled, calling for Anderson to come out to the perimeter. However, Nowitzki’s well-timed hedge [a defensive maneuver where a player briefly steps out to impede the ball-handler] and recovery, combined with Anderson’s ineffective screen, prevented Nelson from shaking off Youngjae, even after receiving the screen. After a pump fake, he immediately drove to the basket as if continuing his motion.

“?!”

[Jameer Nelson! The worst decision! Anderson’s screen failed, leaving him unable to shake off the defense. With time running out, he resorts to clumsy pump fakes. 3 seconds left! 2! 1!]

Ultimately, Nelson fell into Youngjae’s trap. With the clock winding down, he forced a jump shot, hoping to at least hit the rim, releasing the ball slightly early. But Youngjae’s outstretched hands met nothing but air.

Paah!

[BLOCK!!! Jameer Nelson seems to have attempted a fadeaway, aware of Nowitzki’s presence as a towering obstacle, but Youngjae Yoon, positioned beside him, anticipates the timing perfectly! Yoon is taller and jumps higher than Nelson, making the block possible!]

The impressive block from the side didn’t lead to a fast break, unfortunately. But Dallas retained possession, and Marion, securing the rebound, safely passed it to Youngjae, who was responsible for leading the offense.

Tung- Tung-

Youngjae nodded, acknowledging Coach Carlisle’s shouts and hand signals, and crossed the half-court line. The players spread out, and Youngjae extended his fingers, issuing instructions.

[Youngjae Yoon is relaying tactical instructions to the players based on Coach Carlisle’s call. Jason Richardson is once again trying to block Youngjae Yoon’s path, isn’t he?]

Youngjae dribbled, stalling for time. Observing Nowitzki behind Richardson, Youngjae initially considered a double screen with Nowitzki and Haywood. However, Orlando seemed to have anticipated this, devising a different defensive strategy for Youngjae. Ryan Anderson, guarding Nowitzki, abandoned his assignment and suddenly charged towards Youngjae.

“…”

But Nowitzki and Youngjae remained composed. Nowitzki naturally stepped towards the high post [the area near the free-throw line, but outside the paint], and as Glen Davis rushed in, Youngjae delivered a bounce pass to Nowitzki, precisely splitting Richardson and Anderson.

“Heok!”

[Oh, what an amazing bounce pass! Glen Davis, caught off guard, hurriedly chases after Nowitzki!]

Nowitzki contemplated a jump shot, but Davis recovered faster than expected. He pulled the ball back to his chest and passed it to Terry, stationed on the right side.

[Dirk Nowitzki to Jason Terry. Jason Terry quickly passes to Shawn Marion, who is cutting from the right wing to the basket!]

Orlando attempted to respond calmly to the fluid passing. Their offense, centered around the 1-4 motion offense [a common basketball offensive strategy], was straightforward. They had four players besides Dwight Howard who could shoot 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers, earning them the nickname “Archery Unit.” However, the shooters’ 3-point accuracy was inconsistent, and they lacked driving options, making it a system with clear weaknesses.

On the other hand, Orlando’s defensive system was surprisingly solid. The key was to contest open shots, even if it meant allowing drives. With Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, patrolling the paint, opponents were discouraged from driving to the basket.

[Dwight Howard, protecting the paint, blocks Shawn Marion’s path, and Hedo Turkoglu, who was beaten by the cut, aggressively sticks to Marion from behind. Orlando’s defense, which executes quick double teams and then switches back to man-to-man coverage, seems quite sophisticated, doesn’t it?]

Marion knew shooting in front of Howard would be foolish. Like a seasoned veteran, he subtly jumped as if shooting, and Howard, perhaps underestimating Marion’s willingness to shoot, jumped higher than usual, defending aggressively.

Whee-

[Shawn Marion! He’s truly showing his veteran savvy! He feigned a daring, contested shot in front of Dwight Howard, then executed a kick-out pass! Because Marion’s shooting form is so unorthodox, Howard seems to have reacted too quickly!]

Jason Richardson, who was supposed to be guarding Youngjae, was instead covering Brandon Haywood from behind, trying to fill the void left by Howard. This left Youngjae, who received the kick-out pass, wide open.

[Youngjae Yoon! What will he do behind the left-wing 3-point line?!]

[Dirk Nowitzki is open at the top of the key! Youngjae Yoon dribbles and glances to his right!]

Youngjae turned his head towards Nowitzki, making sure Richardson and Anderson clearly saw his intention, and delivered the obvious pass to Nowitzki. Instantly, Richardson and Davis reacted to Youngjae’s gaze and rushed towards Nowitzki. Nowitzki chuckled and, upon receiving the ball, tapped it back to Youngjae (a pass made by hitting the ball in the air with the hand).

[Richardson! He’s not usually a player who makes such defensive mistakes! He’s completely fooled by Youngjae Yoon’s fake!]

[Glen Davis isn’t very mobile, so he moved from the high post to the low post area to prevent Marion’s kick-out pass! But he couldn’t intercept the pass, and the ball moved so fluidly to the outside, Davis can’t keep up!]

[Youngjae Yoon smoothly receives the fantastic tap pass and rises! Richardson and Davis can only watch!]

The two defenders were caught in no man’s land, unable to effectively block either Youngjae or Nowitzki. They could only watch as Youngjae launched the 3-pointer.

Shwook-

[YES, SIR! Y13 CLEAN SHOT!!!]

[His 3-point shooting touch is heating up! And his ability to deceive opponents and create openings, though subtle, is truly at its peak!]

[This 3-pointer could be a crucial one for Dallas. The Dallas Mavericks take their first lead of the game! The score is 47 to 50! Youngjae Yoon has played only 15 minutes so far, with 6/9 shooting, including 2/2 from 3-point range! Including 2 free throws, he has a whopping 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists! Against Orlando, whose perimeter defense is weak, he’s easily scoring through fluid ball movement rather than relying on drives.]

[Because the players’ movements are so fluid and there are many players who can control the ball, they can create numerous opportunities with just passes. On the other hand, Orlando lacks defenders who can disrupt that flow. If they rely solely on jump shots, the offense can become predictable, but if those shots are falling, Orlando’s defensive system can’t stop it.]

Youngjae lightly raised his index and middle fingers, signaling his second 3-pointer of the game, and headed back to his team’s side.

As the game progressed into the third quarter, it became a tight contest. Stan Van Gundy, the Orlando coach, benched Glen Davis early due to his poor performance and began to favor Ryan Anderson, who had shown decent offensive output against Nowitzki. He also continued to play Jason Richardson, forcing the defensively sound Youngjae to guard him, and tried to create opportunities for Jameer Nelson, their most effective offensive player, to make plays.

Howard battled fiercely against Chandler and Haywood, like an iron man. Even with two 7-footers with different styles taking turns guarding him, Howard held his own. But with this level of performance, it was difficult for Orlando to secure a win.

“…”

Coach Carlisle recognized Stan Van Gundy’s intentions. So, when Jason Richardson was on the court, he assigned Kidd, who had decent size and strength, to guard him, as Richardson was struggling against Youngjae’s tight defense. He further tightened the defense by assigning Youngjae to Jameer Nelson.

[The coaches of both teams, their strategies are truly impressive. Isn’t this a battle of wits?]

[Frankly speaking, Orlando’s system has been thoroughly analyzed and exploited in past playoffs. Furthermore, the abilities of players other than Howard are so limited that Coach Van Gundy can’t implement other tactics even if he wanted to. Except for Nelson, there are no players who can lead the offense or drive to the basket, and there are no sixth men who can provide a spark.]

Tung!

[J.J. Redick! Another miss!]

[He’s not having a good day. Even with the slower Kidd guarding him, he can’t shake him off! 0/3 so far! J.J. Redick hasn’t scored a single point today!]

“Uwaaaat!!”

But the soaring ball descended slowly, as if in slow motion, landing near the rim without bouncing far.

[Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwight Howard!!! Three giants leap for the same ball!!!]

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

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

＠The Orlando roster is full of high-cost, low-efficiency players except for Howard. The bench is in the bottom of the league, and even the four starters are at a level that is difficult to be above the mid-tier compared to other teams. Howard had reason to be dissatisfied with the team. Of course, his image was ruined because the method was not good…

※Tap Pass: A pass that hits the ball in the air with the hand

DomZ///Thank you for pointing that out. I can’t believe I made such a basic mistake;;;

Bidrihi, Tamsik, Hwanin///Joara must be crazy… Why is that mark there…? I never wrote that, and even after uploading it, it doesn’t show up when I check with my account, so I was wondering what you were talking about, but when I went into the work modification, the mark was entered in every conversation. I was dumbfounded, but I deleted it for now.

H0h/// At least for sports players, it seems that the saying that a man is what a woman makes him is not wrong. Personally, I think it’s a saying that applies to ordinary people as well haha

Painenxia, -DarkANGEL-, Omariyon, Jam.ja.bi/// Thank you for your comments!!

Sarajil Soul/// ㅋㅋ I also watched basketball for the first time since the Lee Sang-min McDowell era. At the time, Kia was the strongest team. I hardly watch KBL after Coach Chu Seung-gyun’s retirement. It’s so different from the NBA that I wonder if it’s the same sport;;

Lee Dong-seok Dong/// Coincidentally, my dinner tonight is curry pork cutlet…ㅋㅋ

Heukgom12/// Appropriate provocation makes fans happy

Kingofking/// I’m glad you’re re-running it. But… Youngjae’s season record doesn’t appear in episode 108, so did you write the wrong episode number? Please check.

Ultra10/// At the time, Howard was a monster like LeBron who single-handedly sent the team to the championship. If the other players had done a little better, they could have won the championship. Honestly, Howard after the herniated disc just looks like a top-class defensive center. He occasionally goes into monster mode in the playoffs, but… he has a lot of injuries, and his regular season performance is really not that good.