Y13 [EN]: Chapter 241

Y13-241 2011-2012 Regular Season

Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwight Howard, three giants over 7 feet tall, leaped for the same ball. Statistically, Chandler and Nowitzki should have secured the rebound, but Howard, bursting through them with incredible explosiveness, split the defense like a black bullet, overpowering the two giants in mid-air and snatching the ball.

KWA-AAAANG!!

Soaring to an incredible height, reaching the apex of his jump, he seized the ball and, as gravity dictated, descended, clutching the rim with both hands and slamming the ball in with a monstrous dunk!

[…]

For a moment, the commentators were speechless at the incredible dunk.

[Oh, OH!!!! MY GOODNESS!!! D.HOWARD NASTY SLAM!!!]

[Dwight Howard is the only player besides Andrew Bynum who can pull off such a putback dunk! Enduring the pressure from Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler on both sides, he burst through them, splitting them apart, and soared to grab the ball, slamming it down as if to shatter the rim!!! Dwight Howard! Truly an amazing player!]

The perfect big man, capable of averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds, both offensively and defensively, since Shaquille O’Neal. The only player in the league with a perceived value similar to LeBron James. Dwight Howard, the dominator of the paint.

MVP!

The Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic, was filled with tens of thousands chanting “MVP.” The Dallas players, especially Chandler and Nowitzki, shook their heads in disbelief, but Youngjae chuckled, tossed the ball to the referee, and playfully patted Chandler’s butt.

“What’s with that look?”

“Huh?”

“It’s just 2 points. We’re still winning. It’s only been 3 minutes into the third quarter, and we’re up 60 to 62. It’s not like we haven’t seen Howard do that before, and no matter how much Howard goes wild, he’s just one person.”

Chandler and Nowitzki exchanged glances at Youngjae’s simple logic, then chuckled and nodded.

“Sometimes, you’re so cocky.”

Chandler, his expression relaxed, patted Youngjae’s head as he passed by, and Nowitzki calmly received the ball from the referee and passed it to Youngjae.

[Well, the Dallas Mavericks have been hit by an unexpected blow from Dwight Howard and seem to have lost momentum, so this possession is crucial. In such a close game, momentum can shift, and a double-digit lead can disappear in an instant.]

[Chandler and Nowitzki may be 7-foot big men, but they can’t match Howard’s explosiveness. Howard is the most dominant center since Shaquille O’Neal, a player who can single-handedly defend and destroy the inside. That’s why every team is drooling over Howard in next year’s free agency.]

[Of course, Howard’s contract runs until next year, but he can opt out (the right to declare free agency by giving up his salary during the contract period) at the end of this season. His relationship with the Orlando front office has soured, and he’s a player hungry for a championship, so it’s almost certain that Howard will opt out.]

Dallas also considered giving up re-signing Chandler and Barea last season to clear salary space. They hesitated over a plan to fill 2011 with expiring contracts and simultaneously grab Deron Williams and Dwight Howard in 2012, but ultimately decided to maintain the existing roster and aim for a repeat (back-to-back championships). In other words, Dallas was now unable to acquire Howard unless they traded Chandler.

Coach Carlisle watched the situation for a while after witnessing Dwight Howard’s surprise putback dunk. Fortunately, the momentum didn’t shift significantly, and the game continued with both teams trading baskets. Carlisle then made a series of substitutions and introduced a new strategy.

[Well, the Dallas Mavericks have replaced Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Dirk Nowitzki with J.J. Barea, Chandler Parsons, and Brandon Wright. The Orlando Magic have also sent Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard to the bench, bringing in J.J. Redick, Earl Clark, and Glen Davis.]

[Dallas will now play with a lineup of Barea, Youngjae, Parsons, Wright, and Chandler, while Orlando will counter with a lineup of Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Earl Clark, Ryan Anderson, and Glen Davis. This shows the limitations of Orlando, which lacks a decent backup for Howard.]

[Howard plays for so long, and Davis is strong enough to play center adequately. However, it’s a bit disappointing that they only have Daniel Orton, a second-year player, as a true center besides Howard. They were so solid when Marcin Gortat was there.]

After sending Marcin Gortat, who was more than adequate as Howard’s backup, to Phoenix in the winter of 2010, Orlando’s backup center position remained vacant. As true centers were very rare, it was a very regrettable situation for Orlando, but it was an unavoidable sacrifice to strengthen the 2-3 [shooting guard and small forward] position starting lineup.

“Youngjae!”

Dallas, seeking revenge after Howard’s attack, Youngjae received the ball and began to dribble slowly. With Kidd on the bench and Barea on the court, it was only natural that the game plan would change.

Whoosh-

[Youngjae Yoon calmly passes the ball to Barea before crossing the half-court line.]

[When Barea is on the court, Dallas transforms into a completely different style than when Barea is not there. Youngjae is a player who can penetrate, but Barea is a player who relentlessly drives to the basket. He’s fearless when it comes to contact, like a tough guy.]

When Barea, who is less effective from the outside and more aggressively attacks the basket, is on the court, Youngjae focused on secondary playmaking and off-ball movement. If Youngjae held the ball for too long, Barea would be nothing more than a surplus. Barea, positioned at the top of the key, watched Jameer Nelson lower his stance in front of him and slowly began to dribble.

“…”

Barea decided to aggressively attack the basket since Howard wasn’t there. With Howard in the paint, it was difficult for Barea to recklessly charge in, but with the Anderson-Davis inside combination, Barea could stir things up enough.

However, Barea nodded after seeing Youngjae’s gesture and slowly dribbled the ball, then roughly shoved his right shoulder into Nelson while dribbling with his left hand. Nelson was also a short player with weak defense, so he couldn’t properly stop Barea.

[J.J. Barea! He’s using his left hand, which he doesn’t usually use, to dribble and face Nelson! Nelson can’t help but be flustered!]

[Being able to use both hands is a basic requirement for a guard, but everyone has a preferred hand. In Barea’s case, it would be his right hand, but the way he momentarily dribbles with his left hand and drives in looks very natural!]

However, in just two steps, Barea flicked the ball to his side, and it was accurately delivered to Youngjae, who was positioned on the left wing.

“That brat…”

Redick had been waiting for Youngjae to catch the ball. He was completely tied up by Youngjae, unable to do anything, with 0/5 shooting and only 2 free throws, contributing nothing else to the team. Thanks to his good stamina, he was able to defend Youngjae’s off-ball movement well, but he couldn’t properly defend Youngjae when he had the ball.

[Redick versus Youngjae! He aggressively penetrates from the wing!]

[Youngjae seems to be in good condition today. He’s not usually a player who enjoys isolation plays, but today he’s showing a lot of isolation-based attacks. He’s not calling out Chandler or Wright.]

[Orlando’s guards have poor defense and slow feet, so Youngjae, who has quick feet and good steps, can break through with isolation, but it’s not a good choice. For a player who is good at using picks to choose isolation instead of 2-2 plays against players who are weak at pick-and-roll defense, it looks like arrogance, no matter how good the result is.]

The commentator criticized Youngjae for relying on isolation plays today. It was a waste of energy for a player who could produce a result of 10 with a force of 5 to use a force of 10 to produce a result of 10. Moreover, the commentator found it difficult to understand why he wasn’t calling out Chandler and Wright, who take up a lot of space in the paint, as screeners to create space by pulling them out to the perimeter.

Pretending to turn his back, then facing Redick again and dribbling. Putting his left shoulder in and roughly pushing against Redick’s chest, just as it became difficult to control the speed.

Tak!

“?!”

Youngjae slightly reduced his speed and stepped back a little. Redick looked visibly flustered, but thinking that he hadn’t fallen back that much yet, he moved forward quickly to stick to Youngjae…

Whoosh-

[Youngjae Yoon! Incredible dribbling and footwork!! It’s truly amazing! Redick can’t defend at that level!]

Youngjae, who seemed to be passing by Redick, didn’t completely shake Redick, whose legs were tangled, and stepped back slightly again. In-and-out moves that drive the opponent crazy, and jab steps and backsteps based on solid fundamentals of dribbling and footwork. With dribbling that was so low to the ground, Redick tried to control Youngjae’s penetration route according to the plan, but even that was a difficult situation.

“…”

While Redick, whose steps were tangled, was struggling, Youngjae took two steps forward again and pushed his shoulder into Redick’s chest.

“Keuk!!”

Thump!

Eventually, Redick couldn’t maintain his balance and had no choice but to fall on his butt. But Redick didn’t give in to such humiliation and raised his head. He had managed to drive Youngjae into the rim, and Glen Davis was running out according to the plan. It was a defensive tactic that was possible because Dallas had put in two big men with short shooting ranges.

But Youngjae knew from the beginning. It wasn’t obvious, but he had read Davis’s gaze, who was looking at Chandler while facing Chandler, but glancing at him with his body facing forward.

[WOW! WOW!!!]

So Youngjae stretched his right foot forward and turned the ball in his right hand behind his back, responding with a behind-the-back dribble. The moment the ball disappeared, Davis tried not to be fooled by the dribble, thinking that he had to stop Youngjae first, but he couldn’t help but be horrified to see the ball, which should have been received with his left hand, back in his right hand.

[Did you see that?! Youngjae Yoon’s incredible play of passing the ball from behind his back to his right hand after a behind-the-back dribble!!! Glen Davis, thinking that Youngjae Yoon would dribble with his left hand, is in a situation where his upper body is tilted, and Youngjae Yoon lightly lifts the ball with his right hand and soars!!!]

Youngjae looked down at Glen Davis, who could only look up with a bewildered expression, without making any expression. For a moment, Davis felt humiliated, thinking that he was being ignored, but this play was absolutely, absolutely Youngjae’s overwhelming victory that Davis couldn’t say anything about.

Swish-

[BUCKET!!!!]

[Youngjae Yoon! Truly amazing! The Dallas Mavericks are not giving up the lead!! Youngjae Yoon breaks through Redick’s first defense and lightly brushes off Glen Davis with just one behind-the-back dribble! He scores 2 points with a safe layup, but this is more than just a simple 2 points!!!]

[He’s paying back Howard for trying to gain momentum with a putback dunk earlier. He’s wearing out the Orlando players with flashy plays!]

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

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

＠I’m sorry for being late. By the way, McHale was finally fired. I don’t know if Houston can rebound. Considering that famous coaches usually don’t come during the season, it’s right to send them under a caretaker manager system, but since they’re a team that needs to perform right away, they’ll either have to seduce famous coaches or use a suitable coach on a short-term basis. For now, they’re saying they’ll bring in Tom Thibodeau or Jeff Van Gundy… Thibodeau said he’ll be taking this season off, and Jeff was fired from Houston before due to a conflict with GM [General Manager] Morey. It doesn’t seem like either coach will come.

＠Nobi played like a slave again today and scored the most points on the team, and Duncan is still putting up efficient stats. These old men never get old… I wonder if Cleveland can overcome Milwaukee’s .500 instinct tomorrow!!

goimosp, Inkingdul/// A back injury is fatal to most big men. Not only does post-up efficiency decrease, but defensive strength also weakens. It’s sad to think about Howard during his Orlando days.

H0h/// Haha, there are many ways to make Youngjae suffer because his specs aren’t too OP [overpowered].

Ultra10/// Lewis was traded to Washington in the winter of 2010 in exchange for Gilbert Arenas. You could say it was a trade between high-cost, low-efficiency players… Washington gave up on the season and accepted Lewis, who had a longer contract.

Houston looks like they’ll barely make the playoffs if they don’t fix the team chemistry.

Lee Dongseokdong/// I also want a shot of soju [Korean distilled beverage] ㅋㅋㅋ I’ll have a drink on the weekend.

-DarkANGEL-/// I guess I did that in several posts. Anyway, Joara system;;;

Tteureak/// It’s not an injury. Instead, he gets crushed in one scene ㅋㅋㅋ

Sarajil Younghon/// Haa. It’s our mistake. This is because we have one person writing and one person editing, so these mistakes sometimes come out. Thank you for pointing it out^^.

Misscherry, Omarion, Financia/// Thank you for your comments^^.

Yabes/// Nobi has made a tap pass assist this season. The scene will be a little different, though.

Kingofking/// Thank you for pointing it out. I’ve finished editing^^ I edited episode 117. 67 wins are the 6th highest in history, adding Boston with 68 wins to the 5 teams you mentioned. Did I write a different ranking in another episode?