Y13 [EN]: Chapter 276

Y13-276. 2011-2012 Conference Finals

As the players began to warm up, familiar faces approached. It was Mark Followill, the FOX SPORTS Dallas Mavericks commentator, and, surprisingly, Son Dae-beom, a commentator actively involved in SKI SPORTS, walking together.

“Haha! Yoon! Long time no see. Is the interview preparation going well?”

Youngjae shook hands with Followill and greeted him.

“Yoon Youngjae, it’s nice to meet you. You may know him, but this is Editor Son Dae-beom. He also works as a commentator.”

“Of course, I know him! How could I not know the person who commentated on my debut game! I make sure to check out the magazine, too.”

Youngjae greeted him warmly, and commentator Son Dae-beom smiled awkwardly and shook hands. He is a basketball expert who also serves as the editor of *Jump Shot* and *Rookies*, two of the top basketball magazines in Korea.

“I came this time to directly observe and cover the local broadcasts of FOX SPORTS’ Mark Followill and commentator Derek Harper. It’s for more realistic commentary and articles. Thanks to that, I can also see Yoon Youngjae.”

For Conference Finals or big matches that are likely to be a hit, national broadcasts are done on ESPN or TNT. Simultaneously, FOX SPORTS and local broadcasters also broadcast their local team matches separately. This Conference Finals was broadcast locally by Mark Followill and Derek Harper, who are in charge of FOX SPORTS Dallas, while Kevin Harlan and Steve Kerr of TNT provided national broadcast coverage.

“Ah! Then I hope you win today’s game! I’ll be cheering from afar!”

Commentator Son Dae-beom wanted to talk to Youngjae more, but he quickly wrapped up the conversation after seeing the cameras being prepared and Kawhi Leonard walking from the opposite side.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Mike Himenes from TNT.”

Mike Himenes, who was an NBA commentator for ESPN until last year, moved to TNT in the middle of this season and has since grown into a commentator that TNT is heavily promoting.

“Today, before the game, we’re going to have short interviews with two players from both teams who are generating buzz. The sensation of the 2009-2010 NCAA, right? Youngjae Yoon of the Dallas Mavericks and Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, who enjoyed the golden age of the San Diego State Aztecs.”

Youngjae and Leonard greeted the camera without even having time to greet each other.

“I know that the two players are facing each other for the first time on such a big stage since their NBA debut. How does it feel? Can we hear a word about how yesterday’s ally has become today’s enemy?”

Youngjae gestured for Leonard to speak first, and Leonard nodded and spoke into the microphone.

“We were close roommates just two years ago. He’s a friend who gave me a lot of motivation. He’s a friend who is ahead of me and becomes my goal. But, I’m going to surpass him today.”

Youngjae felt that Leonard had really made up his mind when he heard Leonard’s answer. Just three years ago, he would have been ahead, but the feeling he felt watching his friend go far ahead for the next three years would have been the same feeling he had felt before.

“Ah… he’s actually a boring friend.”

Hahaha!

Youngjae deliberately made a bright expression and gave a long interview to ease the stiff atmosphere.

“He’s a deep friend even though he’s taciturn. And he’s also a really hard-working player. I’ve also thought that it would have been nice if I had been on the same team as this friend in the pros. But, since we’re playing on rival teams like this, I hope we can become rivals that everyone can pay attention to. But I have no doubt that our team will be the winner of this series.”

He tried to needle Leonard by speaking in a slightly strong tone, but Leonard stared at Youngjae with a nonchalant expression. But soon he bowed his head to Mike Himenes’ microphone.

“You can think what you want.”

In the stands where San Antonio fans were gathered, Malcolm Thomas and Kelvin Davis held up signs that read ‘LET’S GO SPURS! AZTECS ARE WATCHING YOU!!’ and watched the game.

“Wow… isn’t this amazing?”

The two, who were watching the last practice scene before the game started, swallowed hard and couldn’t take their eyes off the court. Youngjae and Leonard, who were practicing shooting on both sides, glanced at each other and shot the ball. Youngjae was already so famous for his shooting ability that he was one of the best in the league, so almost every shot he took during practice went in, but even Kawhi Leonard’s practice shots were going in, so Youngjae clicked his tongue.

‘He’s in good condition.’

Youngjae watched Leonard cleanly sink shots from various positions and then threw a 3-pointer from the top.

Swish!

“Oh~ you’re in good condition today?”

Parsons, who was watching the scene from the side, exclaimed and shot the ball from the side.

“Oh!”

Clang clang-

However, Parsons scratched his head as if he was disappointed at the shot that barely licked the rim.

“If it doesn’t go in like that during the game, it’s a lack of concentration, Parsons.”

Unlike usual, it sounded like a joke, but Parsons smiled awkwardly at Youngjae’s serious joke with a cold tone, and Chandler and Wright quickly came to Parsons’ defense.

“Whew. The atmosphere is no joke. He’s really scary at times like that.”

“He’s always like that. He’s a fun and comfortable guy outside of the game, but he has a *kkondae* [꼰대 – Korean slang for a condescending, older person] tendency when it comes to basketball. Well, I guess that’s why he can do so much at that age.”

Chandler shook his head as if he was fed up, and Wright could only smile awkwardly. When all the practice was over, TNT’s camera started rolling again, and the scene of commentator Kevin Harlan and analyst Steve Kerr greeting each other was shown on the screen.

[Hello! This is the first game of the Western Conference Finals, broadcast live on TNT! We will be broadcasting the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs. I’m commentator Kevin Harlan, and analyst Steve Kerr will be providing commentary for today’s game. Nice to meet you, Steve!]

Steve Kerr nodded with a laugh.

[Nice to meet you, Kevin! The series to determine the strongest team in the West between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs has finally begun. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the LA Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder to advance, and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz and the LA Lakers to advance. Both teams have defeated really strong opponents to get to this point, so they will never back down easily!]

When Steve Kerr’s story ended, Kevin Harlan continued the story by looking at a data point at the right time.

[Looking at the physical aspects of the two teams, the San Antonio Spurs have the upper hand. The San Antonio Spurs passed the first round with 4 wins and 0 losses, and the second round with 4 wins and 1 loss, so they had a week of rest before today’s game, right? On the other hand, the Dallas Mavericks had 4 wins and 1 loss in the first round, but they had a bloody battle with Oklahoma City in the second round with 4 wins and 3 losses. The Dallas Mavericks only had one day of rest. Fortunately, they have the home-court advantage because they were the first in the regular season.]

Steve Kerr countered the story by emphasizing that the team should be viewed from various aspects as well as physical aspects.

[The styles of both teams are also completely different, so it will be fun to watch. The Dallas Mavericks have a perfect balance of offense and defense, while the San Antonio Spurs have succeeded in establishing a clear offensive line. If you check the regular season records of both teams, the team style is even more evident. Dallas is 3rd in offensive efficiency (Offensive Rating) and 6th in defensive efficiency (Defensive Rating), while San Antonio is 1st in offensive efficiency and 10th in defensive efficiency.]

Steve Kerr took a sip of water, took a breath, and added a little more.

[If you look at it this way, you might feel that the styles of the two teams are completely different, but the twist is that they are teams with similar styles and strengths and weaknesses, and that’s the point to watch. Both teams have no clear weaknesses, and they are teams that are tightly organized with natural team tactics and meticulous systems. The proportion of 3-pointers is higher than inside scores, and the success rate is also good. The team defense is good, but the block stats are low, and the turnovers are low. Let’s take a look at the data.]

*The front is the Dallas Mavericks’ record / the back is the San Antonio Spurs’ record.

Assists: 23.2 (4th) / 23.2 (4th)

Turnovers: 13.5 (3rd) / 13.6 (4th)

3 points: 3rd in attempts, 6th in success rate / 7th in attempts, 1st in success rate

Blocks: 5.1 (14th) / 4.4 (24th)

[In addition, I think the fact that the coaches of both teams have complete control over the tactics and the players faithfully implement them is the same. Both coaches are among the best. Dallas is 1st in offensive efficiency after a timeout, and San Antonio’s record of 1st in the league in the number of passes and secondary assists is a good indicator of this, right?]

Steve Kerr nodded in agreement with Kevin Harlan’s words.

[San Antonio has the highest regular season winning percentage since 2000, but Dallas has the highest winning percentage since 2005. It’s a really fierce Texas rivalry. Of course, San Antonio has the upper hand in the playoff head-to-head record and the number of championships. San Antonio has advanced to the playoffs for 13 consecutive years, and Dallas has advanced to the playoffs for 12 consecutive years!! However, the most championships during that period were won by the LA Lakers, which is a trap. Of course, the LA Lakers’ regular season winning percentage is also 2nd during that period. In the end, it’s hard to guess what the results of these big games will be! San Antonio and the LA Lakers have shared the championship, but Dallas has only advanced to the Finals once, except for last season’s championship.]

Kevin Harlan nodded cheerfully at Steve Kerr’s conclusion.

[Isn’t that the beauty of the NBA? The symbol of this rivalry is the match between Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the victory or defeat depends on the performance of these two players! This season, the center of the team has shifted to Tony Parker and Youngjae Yoon, but if you were to pick the representative players of the two teams, many people would still say Duncan and Nowitzki!]

While giving a fierce commentary and briefing, Kevin Harlan confirmed that the players were finally coming onto the court to warm up, and Steve Kerr also confirmed the PD’s sign and spoke a little faster.

[The head-to-head record between the two players is also very fierce. The two players have played a total of 43 games in the regular season, with Duncan recording 22 wins and 21 losses, and Nowitzki recording 21 wins and 22 losses! Even this season’s head-to-head record is 2 wins and 2 losses. The playoffs are also fiercely competitive. They have played 26 games, with Duncan recording 14 wins and 12 losses, and Nowitzki recording 12 wins and 14 losses. They have met 43 games in the regular season, but they have met 26 games in the playoffs, which is a really terrible and great bad relationship. It is also evidence that the two teams have reigned as strong teams in the West for a long time. They have also given each other upsets.]

[They are the best power forward rivals of the time, and their teams are also rivals, so they have been highlighted a lot, right?]

Steve Kerr faithfully completed the answer to Kevin Harlan’s last question.

[That’s right. Duncan is more comparable to Garnett in terms of records and style, but he is more compared to Nowitzki because of the team’s performance and the symbolism of the derby match. Which team will be able to laugh in this season’s rivalry match?!]

※Since the 11-12 season, Dallas’ team management has continued to fail, and Duncan has recorded 10 wins and 1 loss in the recent 11 head-to-head matches based on the regular season. So now there is a big gap with 34 wins and 22 losses. The playoffs have only met once since then, so Duncan is ahead with 18 wins and 15 losses. In the 13-14 season, they were the only team to take the championship team San Antonio to the 7th game, tormenting them the most and pushing them to the brink of elimination, but they lost due to Blair’s self-destruction.

[Finally, the starting players of both teams are coming onto the court!]

The San Antonio Spurs started with Tony Parker, followed by Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Boris Diaw, and Tim Duncan. In comparison, the home team Dallas came out with Jason Kidd, followed by Youngjae, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler, and carefully checked their bodies for the last time.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

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

＠When university seniors and juniors play against each other, they do joint interviews and take pictures together. I tried to recreate that scene.

Hyunchek, Rainysky, Yabesu, 神龍, Black Moonlight/// The personal record is somehow a콩line [a losing record]. It’s a relief that the team record is a championship;;

Witted, Vanishing Soul, Han512, -DarkANGEL-, Financia/// Thank you for your comments. I hope you finish the remaining two days of the year well^^.

Yamo/// It would be nice to get out of the콩line and win a lot of championships.

RapirandJint/// Back-to-back… it looks difficult, but there are quite a few records.

Asjkfhiu15/// Ahaha… I guess that’s because it’s Maps’ home… Besides, Leonard spent 2 years in college;;;

ㅎ0ㅎ/// Yes. That’s the protagonist’s goal. Personal records are important, but he can accept personal records getting worse if it’s for the championship. Of course, the ace of the championship team will have to have some stats.

Ultra10/// Oh, the first team players are too scary. Youngjae is still young. Kobe’s personal record is a bit lacking, but his name value is overwhelming;; Paul’s record is at the level of his second prime this season.

Anguqwhdk/// That’s right. Malcolm Thomas was released from Mobis due to lack of stamina. In the story, he is more reinforced in terms of stamina and technique. Mobis is… like San Antonio in the NBA. They pick good players with low picks and win the championship every year.

Sleep.Self.비/// You must be very busy because it’s the end of the year. I hope you finish the year well.