Y13 [EN]: Chapter 275

“Tomorrow’s the Conference Finals already. It’s great to have this much time to prepare, especially since the first game is at home.”

Malcolm Thomas, who played well for Ulsan Mobis [a South Korean professional basketball team] and is about to receive a lucrative contract from a Chinese team next season, patted his satisfied belly with a smile.

“Some guys have all the luck, huh? Not only do you get to play on the biggest stage, but you’re also making it to the Conference Finals for the second year running. Plenty of players retire without ever even getting this far.”

Youngjae simply nodded at Kelvin Davis’s words. Davis had established himself as one of the best sixth men in the Greek league.

“Honestly, it still feels like a dream. Sometimes I wonder if this is really my life.”

“Of course, it’s your real life. Unless there’s some alternate reality I don’t know about. You’re already one of the best players. It’s not like just anyone can make the All-NBA Team. And aren’t you one of the youngest to do it?”

Youngjae, who had proudly made it to the Second Team in today’s All-NBA Team announcement, received a knowing smirk from Davis, who pulled up an article on his smartphone and showed it to him.

[All-NBA Team Voting Results Announced] (Listed in order, regardless of votes: 2 Guards – 2 Forwards – 1 Center)

1st Team: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard

2nd Team: Tony Parker, Youngjae Yoon, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Andrew Bynum

3rd Team: Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Joakim Noah

…(Omitted)

Youngjae Yoon has become a superstar, being selected for the All-NBA Team at the youngest age since LeBron James (20 years and 5 months old at the time). Yoon achieved this at the age of 20 years and 10 months, making him the second youngest player after LeBron James in the 21st century to be selected for the All-NBA Team. Coincidentally, both players were selected for the 2nd Team.

Considering his rapid growth, he might be able to aim for the First Team next year. Of course, to do so, he’ll have to surpass the flawless Chris Paul and the globally popular Kobe Bryant, which will be a challenge.

※In the U.S., they use the Western age system, and Youngjae was born in July 1991, so he is still 20 years old. Usually, in the story, the age of all players is calculated as (2012-1991 = 21 years old), but for youngest records, they even consider the year, month, and day.

“Wow, the youngest since LeBron, who’s considered one of the greatest. Do you know how proud I am to have played with you, even if it was just for one year?”

“If I posted that I’m at your house right now on social media, all our colleagues would be jealous, you know?”

The friends congratulated Youngjae again and brought out the gifts they had prepared, stacking them in a corner of the kitchen.

“You guys went to so much trouble to buy these. Thanks, everyone.”

“This is a local specialty from Greece, so enjoy it.”

“These are Korean kimchi and pickled seafood. You miss them sometimes, right? I got a whole bunch, so dig in.”

They were a little awkward with grand celebrations, but Youngjae and Emily smiled as they checked and organized each gift, touched by their friends’ sincere gestures.

“By the way, it’s exciting how the awards are being revealed one by one on the 24th, 25th, and 26th.”

There was a lot of anticipation surrounding the announcements, with the All-Rookie Team (2nd Team, 10 players) announced on May 24th, the All-Defensive Team (2nd Team, 10 players) on May 25th, and the All-NBA Team (3rd Team, 15 players) on May 26th, one each day.

In Dallas, Chandler Parsons was named to the All-Rookie Second Team, Tyson Chandler to the All-Defensive Second Team, and finally, Youngjae to the All-NBA Second Team and Nowitzki to the Third Team, making it a series of joyous events.

This season, many rookies played as starters, so Parsons had stats comparable to a Rookie First Team player from last season but was only selected for the Second Team, ranking 10th. Moreover, this season, there were three players tied for 5th place with 40 points each for the First Team (Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, Brandon Knight), resulting in a rare record of 7 players being named to the First Team for the first time in NBA history.

Chandler Parsons couldn’t hide his smile, seemingly dazed as he hadn’t expected to be named to the All-Rookie Team in his first year. On the other hand, Tyson Chandler could only let out a hollow laugh.

‘I got snubbed again… Do I just not have any luck with awards?’

Chandler seemed disappointed that he failed to make the Third Team, losing to Joakim Noah by only 4 points. He was selected for the Defensive Team Second Team, but it couldn’t compare to the prestige of the All-NBA Team.

Watching Chandler, Youngjae thought that the reason might be that Dallas’s team defense had declined compared to the previous year. Former defensive coach Dwane Casey (current Toronto Raptors coach) had left, and while Mattis had taken over, it didn’t feel as effective as during Casey’s time. Of course, the aging of the starters was a bigger factor, but still. Naturally, with the visible stats declining, it was difficult for Chandler’s performance to be rated higher than the previous year.

Youngjae found it difficult to prematurely comfort Chandler. It was definitely not easy for a good defensive player to win awards like All-NBA or All-Star. Even Nowitzki, who had a rather poor season, was named to the All-NBA Third Team. This season, except for Noah, there were no players who excelled in defense rather than offense who were selected for the All-NBA Team.

“Still, it’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it? I thought I could make the Defensive Team. The All-NBA Team is great, but it’s still a bit of a shame.”

“It can’t be helped. The Defensive Team has one less team than the All-NBA Team, so there are only 10 players, and it’s chosen by the coaches of each team, so your impact during the game and your reputation have a big impact on the award. Besides, defense doesn’t have many objective stats. You just have to accept it. It also means there’s still a lot to improve.”

“Still, it’s a bit of a shame. But even if there was a Third Team, I wouldn’t have had enough votes, so maybe it’s better that there isn’t a Third Team?”

Thomas teased Youngjae as always, and Youngjae was momentarily taken aback but couldn’t help but laugh. As Thomas said, he didn’t have enough votes to be selected for the Third Team. He was only 7th among the guards.

“Did you meet Leonard? San Antonio finished the second round before us, so they probably had some time, right? I only finished my game yesterday.”

At Youngjae’s words, the players exchanged glances, and Youngjae looked puzzled, wondering what was going on.

“No, I haven’t met him yet.”

“Huh?”

Youngjae was about to ask ‘Why?’ at D.J. Gay’s words, but the only word that came out of his mouth was ‘Huh?’ He knew that they had been contacting each other on Twitter and had been specifically planning to meet, so he wondered why Leonard hadn’t met his college alumni.

“We did contact him. But he said something like this: ‘I’m really sorry, but it’s a bit difficult right now.’ He probably thought about you and us meeting too. Leonard definitely played well, but it’s also true that he’s not as good as you, Yoon, so he must have been concerned about that.”

Averaging 22 minutes per game and scoring 8 points with 5 rebounds in his first season was not bad for a rookie. Moreover, in a strong team like the San Antonio Spurs, where the system is well-established and there are many good players, team play is more important than stats, so it’s definitely encouraging that he settled in well in just one season. Being included in the All-Rookie First Team means it was definitely not a bad start.

However, the gap between him and his friend Youngjae, who in his second year had already recorded a championship ring, 2nd place in Finals MVP, 2nd place in Rookie of the Year, 2nd place in Most Improved Player (MIP), and All-NBA 2nd Team, had widened.

“Leonard is worried about that kind of thing?”

“You know how competitive he is. He’s a guy who puts everything into basketball. But I don’t think it’s that simple. He might not want to be mentally shaken while playing against you. We decided to meet after the season.”

Youngjae seemed to understand Leonard’s feelings a little. Youngjae was the type to find peace of mind by meeting Emily, the people around him, his friends, and colleagues, while Leonard was the type to quietly spend personal time honing his skills.

“Scary, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, honestly, considering the speed of his development, it doesn’t seem like that big of a gap. It’s a world of difference from when I saw him at university the year before last.”

Leonard’s long arms, power, and physique were definitely top-notch, so much so that he was called a double-double machine in college. Leonard’s diligence was definitely a great asset.

The players, who had been talking about the various awards announced over the three days and Leonard’s story, noticed that quite a bit of time had passed and subtly exchanged glances before getting up from their seats.

“We shouldn’t bother you too much since the season hasn’t ended yet, right? We’re leaving now~”

“I feel like we took up too much of your time, but please understand since it’s been a while since we’ve seen you~”

“I think I’ll be able to go and watch the first and second games, so do well?”

“Let’s talk about the rest after the season is over~”

Youngjae smiled warmly, watching the players who had left faster than he had expected. He was proud that he seemed to have shown Emily what his friends were like. Youngjae had been subtly hinting, but they had raved about how delicious the food was and had taken care of the dishes and cleaning up on their own, so there was nothing left to do.

“Want to have a cup of coffee?”

Emily said kindly to Youngjae, and Youngjae nodded enthusiastically, saying, “That sounds good.” Emily brought two cups of steaming Americano and sat right next to Youngjae, who cleared his throat lightly and wrapped his empty left arm around Emily’s waist.

“The Conference Finals are tomorrow… San Antonio Spurs. A Texas rivalry derby.”

Youngjae responded with “Yeah” to Emily’s words and took a sip of coffee.

“You’re really amazing. Making it to the big stage for two years in a row, working hard to be recognized for your skills, and actually getting recognized.”

“It’s not just me. Emily is also getting offers for OST [Original Soundtrack] recordings and interviews in between filming for The Walking Dead, and even drama offers that she can film during the break.”

Many changes had occurred in Emily’s life since she met Youngjae. Her acting and tone in The Walking Dead were getting better day by day, and she was actually receiving offers in various fields, so she had even boasted to Youngjae that these days were the busiest of her life.

“So I feel a bit sorry. You’re giving up some drama filming offers because of me.”

In the case of dramas like The Walking Dead, which are filmed with a long-term plan, the filming period and break period were divided, and offers for supporting roles or minor roles in famous dramas that could be filmed during the break could be a good opportunity to promote herself. However, Emily clearly stated that she wanted to focus on The Walking Dead as much as possible, excluding such opportunities.

“That’s because I want to focus on The Walking Dead, it has nothing to do with you. So don’t feel sorry and focus on winning against San Antonio.”

However, Youngjae knew well. No matter what she said, Emily was sacrificing some of her opportunities to be here. Youngjae felt grateful and sorry for Emily, and he hugged her waist a little tighter with a complex expression.

“Okay.”

That was all Youngjae could say.

May 27th, American Airlines Center, Dallas’s home stadium.

The Conference Finals Game 1 between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs.

Youngjae enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the stadium just before the game, looking around the stands. Emily was sitting side by side with D.J. Gay and Brian Cardinal, waving her hand. Cardinal was holding a large banner that read ‘LET’S GO MAVS! AZTECS ARE LOOKING YOU!!’ [Referring to San Diego State University’s team name, where Youngjae, Gay, and Leonard attended].

============================ Afterword ============================

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

＠If Youngjae wins a championship ring this season, he will have 2 rings and all sorts of 2nd place awards in his second year. His first all-nba team is also the second team. It wasn’t originally intended, but the records keep becoming 2nd place. Those who saw the Dallas’s 2011-2012 roster and stats data last time will have also seen that Youngjae’s playing time is 2222 minutes ㅋㅋㅋ

＠Yes, after researching the data, Youngjae is the youngest ALL-NBA team in the 21st century after LeBron. Even looking at the previous ones, there seems to be no one except Kobe Bryant. The period when there were high school rookies was only about 10 years, and the one-and-done, where players jump into the pros after finishing one year, was also fully introduced in the 21st century by Kentucky coach John Calipari, so before the 1990s, there were no players playing in the NBA at the age of 20. As far as I know, Kevin Garnett is the first high school rookie. In the 21st century, only LeBron and Griffin have entered the ALL-NBA team in their debut season. The problem is that Griffin missed one season, so he actually entered in his third season.

미얄마님, Han512님, -DarkANGEL-님, 사라질영혼님, 위티드님, ㅡMinTㅡ님, 파이넨시아님/// Thank you for your comments as always^^ Have a good end of the year~~

Lazze님///https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig8rZRG9sec This is the address of the video. I uploaded it to the yard because I can’t scrape it from Joara. If you’re curious, please go to the yard and take a look^^ Ah, of course, there is some adaptation, so it’s a more beautiful scene than the actual scene ㅋㅋㅋ

울트라10님/// Thank you. I was trying to write a buzzer beater, so one play became long, but it seems like it was well visualized.

이동석동님/// Thank you for the marathon reading ㅎㅎ. I hope it becomes a fun article to read again.

개구리파워님/// Restricted Daeil?!!!

여신유리찬양님/// Oh my, if it’s only half of that, Restricted Daeil will definitely come out. Half of that is 10 points and 4 assists, which is enough to be a key bench member or a starter. There are quite a few starters with those stats.

It’s not like soccer where there are Korean players on several teams. Moreover, in basketball, about 10 players are put in each game, so that player will be in almost every game, and since they play at least 82 games and up to 100 games a year, the popularity will be concentrated on that player’s team. The disadvantage is the broadcast time;;

흑월화야님/// I’m glad it was a scene that was concentrated. Please continue to support Youngjae’s rise^^