Y13 [EN]: Chapter 257

Y13-257 2011-2012 Playoff Round 1 =========================================================================

As befitting his nickname, ‘Stopwatch,’ Coach Vinnie Del Negro was usually meticulous about managing playing time. But these were the playoffs, where every game mattered. They had barely scraped into the playoffs as the 8th seed, facing the top team in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Even a lion gives its all when hunting a rabbit, and right now, they were the rabbits, not the lions.

Consequently, the core players inevitably saw more minutes than during the regular season. By the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, Blake Griffin had already played 18 minutes, Chris Paul 17, and Caron Butler 17. At this rate, all three were on track to easily exceed 35 minutes.

[Brandon Haywood is getting absolutely dominated by Blake Griffin every time he’s on the court in the late first and second quarters!]

[His bulk defense is good, but his lateral movement is weak, so he can’t properly defend Griffin’s face-up game. It doesn’t look like Haywood has any way to stop him!]

After watching a few possessions, Coach Carlisle, seeing Nowitzki struggling against Griffin, decided to conserve Nowitzki’s energy. He assigned DeAndre Jordan to guard Nowitzki, while Chandler took on Griffin.

During the 9-10 minutes Chandler guarded Griffin, Griffin shot poorly, going 1/3 from the field and even getting blocked, scoring only 2 points. However, against Haywood, he showed his true worth, going 3/3 for 6 points and grabbing 4 rebounds.

Whoosh-

[Mo Williams delivers a nice bounce pass to Blake Griffin.]

In any case, the bounce pass reached Griffin. With Nowitzki occupied with Kenyon Martin, Haywood was the only one left to defend Griffin.

Thump! Thump!

“Kuh!”

Haywood was taller than Griffin and still considered a decent one-on-one defender, but Griffin was a ‘Beast,’ known for his somewhat crude but explosive inside attacks based on incredible athleticism. It wasn’t about strength; it was about reaction time and speed.

Screech-!

The sound of basketball shoes scraping on the court was clear in Haywood’s ears, and in that instant, Griffin was gone. One moment he was dribbling with his back to Haywood, and the next, he had spun past him and was driving along the baseline again.

[Wow! Blake Griffin recreates the same move he failed on in the first play! Can Haywood stop this attack?]

Griffin could have jumped and grabbed the rim with just one more step, but he held back and raised both hands slightly.

‘Shooting?!’

Haywood thought that if he didn’t stop him here, Griffin would easily score two points from such close range. That urgency made Haywood jump high, but Griffin, of course, didn’t jump, taking another step inside.

“Hmph!!!”

[Blake Griffin!!! He soars up!!]

A dynamic one-handed slam, arching his body into a C-shape as he throws down a dunk that threatens to shatter the rim.

KWA-BANG!!!

[BANG!!!!]

[Blake Griffin’s beastly one-handed slam! Absolutely incredible! Brandon Haywood simply can’t handle him!]

Griffin raised both hands to the now-silent fans at the American Airlines Center.

[The score is now 57 to 50! The LA Clippers are stubbornly keeping the deficit from growing beyond 10 points!]

“As expected, he earned the nickname ‘Beast’ for a reason.”

Youngjae whistled in admiration at Griffin’s play, but his expression remained quite relaxed. If they thought they could seize the momentum with just that, they were mistaken. The current Dallas team had enough players who could stop the bleeding if the momentum shifted.

It would be a different story if Dallas had suffered a 10-0 run and lost the lead, or if they were consistently losing the battle with the starting lineup. But Dallas was consistently matching the Clippers, scoring every time they scored. The fact that they hadn’t closed the 8-point gap from the first quarter was a potentially difficult situation for the Clippers.

[Dallas is bringing in Jason Terry to replace Jason Kidd.]

[They’re clearly looking to add more firepower on offense. Besides, Terry, like Kidd or Yoon, isn’t exactly a liability on defense when they’re on the court together.]

Youngjae slowly dribbled the ball across the half-court line. After surveying the court, he nodded slightly and organized his thoughts.

‘Instead of just passing the ball around the perimeter, focus on active cuts and curls. And utilize Terry.’

Terry was being guarded by Mo Williams, whose defense was notoriously poor. Youngjae called the play, imagining the sequence as Marion came out to set a screen and then started to drive.

[Youngjae Yoon versus Chris Paul! But Shawn Marion is providing support for Dallas!]

The Matrix’s physicality hadn’t gone anywhere, and neither had the defensive prowess that had shut down LeBron James last year. Marion’s screen was as reliable as Chandler’s, and Youngjae was one of the best players at utilizing it.

[Chris Paul is known for his defense against 2-on-2 plays, but Youngjae Yoon’s timing and positioning when using the screen are just too perfect!]

Caron Butler switched onto Youngjae after Paul was screened, but all Butler could do was delay Youngjae’s progress for even a second. However, Youngjae, after holding off Paul, glanced at Marion cutting to the basket, noticing Mo Williams looking helpless.

Thump! Thump!

[Feinting a drive towards Caron Butler and then stepping back! It’s absurd to think Caron Butler can stop Youngjae Yoon!]

Whoosh!

Dribbling the ball a couple of times with his own rhythm, Youngjae looked at Marion and then fired the ball to Terry, who was standing on the right side. Mo Williams hesitated for a moment before rushing towards Terry, but Terry had already caught the ball and launched a textbook three-pointer.

Swish!

[KABOOM! J.E.T FOR THREE!]

[Youngjae Yoon finding that gap and delivering the pass, it’s just amazing! Terry’s good positioning combined with Mo Williams’ terrible defensive awareness. Terry is a greedy player, but he’s also a player who works hard to get open.]

[The score is 60 to 50! The Dallas Mavericks finally take a double-digit lead! They’re showing why they’re the number one team. They’re on pace to score over 120 points.]

As the second quarter ended and halftime arrived, the players retreated to the locker room to listen to the coaches’ instructions and recover. Coach Vinnie Del Negro was deep in thought. The odds of an 8th seed upsetting a 1st seed and advancing to the second round were extremely low. Moreover, the matchups weren’t particularly favorable. He had racked his brain, but it wasn’t easy.

“Haa… We need a game-changing variable… We can’t win playing conventionally.”

“Paul and Griffin are struggling more than we anticipated. The opponent is exploiting our weaknesses too well. It won’t be easy unless Williams or Butler can step up.”

The assistant coach, hearing Del Negro’s sigh, chimed in.

“I know… I’m not expecting Carter or Jordan to be X-factors. Should we increase Foye’s usage…?”

Even the experts were mostly predicting Dallas to win in 5 or 6 games. In terms of this season’s record, experience, and even the level of coaching, the Clippers had nothing over Dallas. Even Chris Paul didn’t match up well against Youngjae, and Griffin wasn’t a better player than Nowitzki. The difference in class between the other players was not even worth mentioning.

“Alright. You’re doing well.”

In contrast, the atmosphere in the Dallas locker room couldn’t have been better. The players’ faces were full of motivation. The score at the end of the second quarter was a whopping 64 to 52, a 12-point lead.

“I’ll say it again, we can’t let our guard down. We’ve been to the playoffs often, but we also have a history of being upset. Upsets are fundamentally the result of complacency. We may have won the championship last season, but it was just once. We need to maintain our focus in the second half.”

The players nodded at Coach Carlisle’s words.

“The Clippers’ chemistry isn’t perfect yet. Exploit that continuously. Except for Paul, it’s easy to intercept their passing lanes. Defensively, they’re not clear on who they should be guarding in what situations. Their offensive tactics mostly rely on individual skills rather than coordinated plays.”

Coach Carlisle took a drink, perhaps feeling thirsty, and continued.

“We’ve played together as a team for longer than they have, we’ve practiced our tactics, and we understand each other well. I only have one thing to say. Show the performance we showed in the regular season. If we do that, victory in today’s game will be ours.”

At Coach Carlisle’s words, vocal leaders Chandler and Terry stepped forward, clapping and shouting words of encouragement, and the other players followed suit, expressing their desire for victory.

“Move more!”

Barea, the only teammate who could alleviate Youngjae’s burden on drives, was brought in. Barea lowered his stance against Mo Williams and started waving his hands, shouting loudly at the players.

[J.J. Barea has great chemistry with Youngjae Yoon!]

[Barea works well with Yoon or Kidd. He doesn’t mesh as well with Terry. Yoon or Kidd take some of the playmaking pressure off Barea, allowing him to focus on his drives, and they help him on defense with their active movement.]

Barea began to wreak havoc in the paint, guarded by DeAndre Jordan and Kenyon Martin, with his signature quick and agile dribbling. Martin cleverly directed Jordan.

[Jordan and Martin are trying their best, but it’s not easy. The Dallas players are moving so well. They’re creating a good path for Barea to drive.]

Barea easily used Wright’s screen to stir up the paint. Barea’s nimble dribbling, as if he were entering his own home, was not easy for Jordan or Martin to control, and neither was it for Mo Williams.

Swish!

[J.J. Barea! He drives into the paint and suddenly kicks it out!]

[He definitely could have gone up, but he spotted the opening with his great vision! The recipient is none other than Youngjae Yoon! Youngjae Yoon catches the ball on the left side, Vince Carter is late to close out, isn’t he?!]

In that instant, Youngjae easily shook off Carter with a pump fake and fired the ball to the top of the key. The player who caught the ball at the top didn’t hesitate and launched a shot.

Swish!

[BANG!!! CHANDLER PARSONS!!!!!]

[Chandler Parsons, scoring 8 points in just 10 minutes, including 2 three-pointers today! He’s showing some solid play.]

Parsons, after making the shot at the top of the key, celebrated by mimicking Green Arrow from DC Comics, drawing back an arrow, and the fans responded to Parsons by shouting, “ARCHER!!!!”

“Ah! Let’s get some assists, huh?”

Barea nudged Youngjae’s side, grumbling. But his eyes were smiling.

“Barea, don’t joke around. You’re not really greedy for that kind of thing.”

Youngjae laughed and patted Barea’s back as they backpedaled.

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

★Thanks to those who gave pre-orders, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

@Dallas is one of the teams that has suffered many first-round upsets. Their playoff win rate is not as good as their regular-season win rate. They are far behind San Antonio. That’s why they had a strong image of being soft. So, until the championship, Nowitzki’s leadership was often criticized. It was common for them to collapse from the 3rd game after winning the 1st and 2nd games.

@At this time, Griffin was not a mid-range master like he is now. When Doc Rivers came, he parked DeAndre Jordan in the paint and had Griffin come out to the high post to be the control tower and equip the mid-range game. Of course, he could do mid-range at this time, but he didn’t enjoy it. On the other hand, Griffin is now criticized for not penetrating the paint enough.

Thank you for the comments, Witid, Lee Dong-seok, Pianensia, Disappearing Soul, Omarion///!

Muheopsoseolkwang/// It seems like the Warriors just need to make sure Curry and Green don’t get hurt. Barnes and Thompson are also important players, but they don’t have the same presence as Curry and Green. Barnes is going to miss the entire Eastern Conference road trip, but if they win against Indiana, they will win all of them.

H0h/// NBA stadium hoops are made of soft material and designed to absorb shock well. Of course, the players also have muscles and tough skin. If you dunk like that on a street basketball hoop, you will hurt your bones and muscles. There are quite a few people who have been injured while dunking on the street.

Ultra10/// Paul was a guard who made a living with his skills and BQ [basketball IQ], so he maintained a certain class even after his athleticism declined. Of course, it wasn’t a career-threatening injury like Rose’s. He struggled against Deron in his prime, so it will be difficult for him to gain an advantage against Youngjae in the story. Of course, Youngjae would have struggled against Paul in his prime.

Goddess Yuri Praise/// Yes. That’s right. So, the players’ abilities and records are not that great compared to reality. The players who come to Dallas have different roles and teammates, so there are some big changes. For example, Parsons has less playing time and importance than in reality. On the other hand, Barea fails when he goes to Minnesota, but he stays in Dallas and plays well.

Only the players and teams that are twisted from reality are very different, and the other teams are bound to be similar. For example, New York without Chandler or Houston without Parsons will suffer more than in reality.