Y13 [EN]: Chapter 271

May 25th. American Airlines Center.

As befits the final game of a best-of-seven series, the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder were pouring everything they had onto the court, putting on a fiercely competitive performance that delighted the fans packing the arena.

[Yessss!!! Another 3-pointer!!!]

Early in the second quarter, Youngjae was focusing more on passing than scoring. He had been a reliable scorer, but in this game, there were players with an even hotter shooting touch than him, so he was adapting his play accordingly. This flexibility was one of Youngjae’s strengths. It’s not easy for an ace, whose shooting is not bad, to focus on passing instead of shooting.

Swoosh!!

[BANG!!]

ESPN’s Mike Breen shouted his signature “Bang!!!” and Reggie Miller, sitting next to him, applauded wildly.

[OHHH!!! JASON TERRY!!!]

[Incredible! Terry has played 10 minutes and is 3/3 from three-point range! 5/7 overall! He’s put up 13 points!]

Terry held up three fingers, encouraging the home fans, who responded with thunderous applause, chanting “JET!” repeatedly. He glanced at Youngjae, who had delivered a sweet assist from the top of the key, smiled slightly, and extended his hand. Youngjae reciprocated with a high-five, seemingly burying any past grudges.

[An amazing play by the two players, dismissing the occasional rumors of discord!]

[In fact, the rumors weren’t based on solid evidence but rather on occasional observations of the two players’ behavior. Kevin Broussard was the first to bring it up, but the supposed feud never surfaced or affected Dallas’s performance during the season. Since the rumors emerged, Dallas has played dozens of games, and the two players have been the starting backcourt partners. And this backcourt combination is one of the best in the NBA, both statistically and in terms of visible performance.]

Kevin Broussard was a respected figure, but many of his reports were rumors with questionable credibility. Mark Stein and other reporters only shared reliable information, but Broussard tended to report news even with minimal evidence.

[Anyway, this game is something else. The score is already 44 to 42, isn’t it? At this rate, they might score over 60 points in the first half.]

[It’s not that either team is playing poorly on defense, but the high score is due to the incredible three-point shooting. And usually, when focus increases, the game becomes more defensive, but today, both teams have players with a great shooting touch.]

[That’s right. Even contested shots or poorly selected shots are going straight through the hoop. Ultimately, the game will be decided when one team’s shooting cools off. It’s hard to defend any better than this.]

It wasn’t that either team was playing worse defensively than in previous games. The defense was good enough, but the shots were just falling. The fact that both Dallas and Oklahoma City had team field goal percentages over 50% showed that this was destined to be a high-scoring game.

“…”

Harden, struggling against Brewer and the offensively and defensively explosive Terry, continued to underperform in this series. Coach Scott Brooks was trying to counter Rick Carlisle’s ‘Harden-killing’ strategy by staggering Harden’s minutes, but his performance was still below expectations.

[James Harden calmly directs his teammates from the top of the key.]

[If he’s heavily guarded and his shooting isn’t great in this series, this kind of playmaking is not bad. After all, point guard Westbrook’s scoring and explosiveness are among the best in the league.]

Passing to Durant wasn’t a bad option, but Shawn Marion’s defense was not to be taken lightly. Harden decided that it would be better to distribute possessions in preparation for when he would face Nowitzki at the 4 spot [power forward position]. He instructed Ibaka to move towards Westbrook and then passed to Westbrook.

[He passes from the top to the right wing.]

[Westbrook catches it, and Ibaka comes up. Ibaka sets a screen!]

Westbrook went over Ibaka’s screen. Youngjae, who had been guarding him for six games, found Westbrook’s relentless drives challenging, no matter how much he tried to stop them.

Thud!!

[Youngjae Yoon comes out aggressively!]

[Youngjae Yoon, who mainly used a close-marking defense with backsteps and sidesteps, has been gradually changing his style this season, right? It’s an effective defensive method against players who become more dangerous with acceleration, like John Wall, but it can lead to defensive fouls if not done carefully.]

‘Tch!’

Westbrook clicked his tongue. After constantly facing Youngjae, he had learned that he should avoid reckless or individual plays in front of him, so he passed the ball back to the top.

“Hmph!”

Terry, perhaps not expecting the kick-out pass, had taken a step towards Westbrook’s driving lane, creating a momentary gap for Harden.

[James Harden FOR THREE!]

Clang!

[The ball hits the back of the rim and bounces high! What will happen?!]

Thud, thud!

[Ah!! The ball, after teasing us, falls in! Tyson Chandler safely grabs the defensive rebound and doesn’t attempt a risky fast break!]

[Missing this three-pointer leaves him with only 6 points on 1/5 shooting and 4 free throws. It’s a very poor performance for a Sixth Man of the Year. Especially his 3-point percentage, which is 0% today compared to his season average of 39%, is a big problem.]

Chandler passed the ball back to Youngjae, who leisurely crossed the half-court line, knowing that a fast break wasn’t possible.

‘Should I circulate the ball on the perimeter to create an opening? Or go for a 2-on-2?’

Youngjae decided that it would be best to keep passing the ball around, and when he had the ball, he would drive in and out, alternating between the inside and outside, and then kick it out.

Whoosh-

[Youngjae Yoon to Jason Terry.]

Whoosh-

[Jason Terry to Shawn Marion, who’s moved to the side.]

Swish!

[Shawn Marion back to Youngjae Yoon at the top.]
The passes were so natural and fast that Mike Breen and Reggie Miller struggled to keep up with their commentary. They created a strong side on the right and a weak side on the left with Nowitzki alone, and then circulated the ball. Moreover, everyone except Tyson Chandler was capable of shooting threes, and not just capable, but a threat. So, trying to steal the ball carelessly could lead to an open three-pointer.

[The Dallas Mavericks’ players all have good passing sense and shooting ability, so there are no dangerous passes, and the ball moves organically! Oklahoma City is just focused on passively defending?!]

Youngjae circulated the ball for about 10 seconds, never even glancing at Nowitzki. With three players constantly passing the ball on the right, attention naturally focused there. The moment the ball came back to Youngjae, he drove forward without hesitation.

[Sudden drive-in!]

Pretending to look for a shooting opportunity on the perimeter, he made a surprise drive. Westbrook was stronger than Youngjae, but not as quick. Youngjae’s first step was very fast, while Westbrook’s sidestep was slower. Moreover, Westbrook was a little late to react because he was focused on the perimeter, trying to time his jump shot.

[Will he get through?!]

As the situation became dangerous, Youngjae glanced to the left for the first time. He confirmed that Nowitzki was still being guarded, but his attention was already divided. Youngjae provoked Ibaka a little more.

Squeak!!

[Spin move! A very smooth spin move!!!]

Ibaka, thinking he needed to check Youngjae’s threatening movement as he spun clockwise, moving in a semi-circle to the left, subtly approached him.

‘Just a little…’

Waiting for just a little more, Youngjae, the moment Ibaka took another step, delivered an incredible bounce pass that Ibaka couldn’t even think about stealing.

[Youngjae Yoon’s beautiful bounce pass goes through Serge Ibaka’s legs!!!]

[Was that spin move for this pass?! Was that why he didn’t even look at Dirk Nowitzki on the weak side?! He’s a truly terrifying player, Youngjae Yoon!!]

Nowitzki was hard to guard even when closely marked, but with Ibaka at a distance, it was as if Nowitzki had no defender at all.

Swish!

[DIRK NOWITZKI, BANG!!!]

[That’s 9 points! The score is 46 to 42! The Dallas Mavericks are pulling away again by 4 points!]

[It’s their potential. Since both teams have been undefeated at home and winless on the road, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to win today at home. So far, they are on track. However, considering it’s Game 7 and Oklahoma City’s energy level is overwhelmingly superior, the gap can be closed in an instant.]

In the remaining second quarter, both teams’ offenses continued to explode. Durant showcased his hot shooting touch despite Marion’s good defense, and Harden and Westbrook supported him, steadily adding points.

[Kevin Durant playing at the 4 is really threatening! It’s hard for a traditional 4 to defend against that kind of dribbling and speed at the 4.]

[Another pull-up jumper! Nowitzki tries hard to keep up, but it’s not enough!]

Oklahoma City, with many good drivers but poor screening ability, had a low assist rate. They mainly played through Harden and Westbrook’s drives and kick-outs, Durant’s face-ups, and 2-on-2s with Ibaka.

[On the other hand, Dallas doesn’t have a clear distinction between ball-handlers and screeners. Yoon, Terry, Kidd, and Marion all set off-ball screens, creating space for teammates to cut in or curl! It means that each individual understands their teammates’ movements.]

On the other hand, Dallas’s offense started with screens. This was because they were all skilled at motion offense and lacked players who could easily beat their opponents 1-on-1. They constantly set screens for each other, passed the ball, created space, and shot jumpers through the gaps.

[Jason Terry, is he going up as soon as he gets the ball?!]

He intentionally stood on the strong side and pretended to shoot. It was unthinkable to leave Terry, whose shooting touch was at its peak today, open. And because they had been constantly passing the ball, Westbrook, who should have been guarding Youngjae, jumped up to block Terry’s open shot.

Whoosh-

[A clever pass! After the pump fake, the pass goes to Youngjae Yoon! A subtle pass that finds an opening!]

[Youngjae Yoon, THREE POINT!!!]

Swish-!

[BUCKET!!!]

[Today, the exquisite plays of Jason Terry to Youngjae Yoon and Youngjae Yoon to Jason Terry are shining! Jason Terry has 15 points and 2 assists, Youngjae Yoon has 12 points and 6 assists!!! And Youngjae Yoon is 5/5 from the field today, including 2 three-pointers! He’s showing 100% shooting!]

Youngjae held up two fingers to show the fans that it was his second three-pointer, and the fans cheered, chanting Youngjae and Terry’s names.

Beeeep!

[Well, the second quarter has come to an end like this. The score is 63 to 58! The Dallas Mavericks have maintained their 5-point lead as the first half ends. It was a close game that you couldn’t take your eyes off for a moment.]

[Today, both teams will likely score over 100 points. Since it’s the final game, their focus is at its peak. The key to the second half will be who can maintain this focus longer and whether they have the stamina to support that focus.]

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

★Thank you to those who favorited, recommended, commented, and gave coupons!!

@I couldn’t connect to the internet yesterday, so I’m uploading it in the morning. Have a great day, everyone.

Wittyed, -DarkANGEL-, 사라질영혼, 파이넨시아, 오마리온///Thank you for your comments!!

울트라10/// If you’re underperforming, you’re going to get criticized no matter what you do, lol. It seems like the US has a bit more freedom in terms of rest time compared to Korea. They do quite a bit of volunteer work during the season. Even during the playoffs, they sometimes go to watch other sports or play other sports during their rest time. That’s why I included that episode.