Y13 [EN]: Chapter 278

2011-2012 Conference Final

Leonard offered a very faint smile as the jumper went in.

“Nice defense.”

Leonard, glancing at Parsons with a bewildered expression, said something to him and backpedaled. Parsons twitched his lips.

Tuk-tuk-

“…!”

“Parsons, calm down. Always keep a cool head and a fiery heart.”

Youngjae, sensing Parsons’ rising excitement, quickly tried to calm him down.

“I know. I just got a little heated. Don’t worry about it.”

Youngjae, Marion, and Chandler, taking a breather together on the bench for the first time in the second quarter, wiped away sweat, remarking on how tough the game was. But none of them could afford to look away.

“Run more!! Stay tight!!!”

Tyson Chandler, the vocal leader of Dallas, shouted as he watched Hayward receive an easy pass to Splitter on the court. Youngjae and Marion also scanned the court with sharp eyes.

Even while resting, they weren’t truly resting. They had to be ready to jump back into that intense game at any moment and seamlessly integrate with the other players. Their bodies were on the bench, but their minds had to remain focused on the game.

[J.J. Barea! He blows past Gary Neal with a low, fast dribble!]

J.J. Barea, known as “the man of the playoffs,” was putting on a great performance against Gary Neal. Perhaps fueled by confidence after hitting the game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 7 against Oklahoma City, his play was full of experience, and both his shooting and passing exuded confidence.

Swish!

[He gets past Neal with Nowitzki’s screen and drives in!]

As Bonner shifted his attention to Barea, with Neal being blocked by Nowitzki, Barea quickly executed a behind-the-back pass to Nowitzki. Barea’s court vision for his teammates seemed to be expanding as he matured as a player.

Whoosh!!!!

[DIRK FOR THREE!!!]

Tall to begin with, and possessing one of the highest-arcing shots in the NBA, the ball seemed to hang in the air forever before dropping cleanly through the net.

Swish!!!

[YEEEES, SIR!!!]

[Dirk Nowitzki, the heart and soul of Dallas! He never backs down against the San Antonio Spurs! Come and get me if you can!]

Nowitzki quickly backpedaled, lightly high-fiving Barea. The players watching from the bench couldn’t help but jump up and cheer for Nowitzki’s thrilling three-pointer.

“…”

Coach Gregg Popovich, observing the court’s atmosphere, recognized the moment when the momentum was about to shift and immediately called a timeout. Missing this opportunity would allow the opponent’s momentum to build even further.

Beeeep-!!

[Timeout! It’s a timeout for the San Antonio Spurs!]

[Coach Popovich is coming onto the court, shaking his head. It seems the game isn’t unfolding as he had planned. He must have decided it was time to halt the opponent’s momentum and called a timeout.]

On the other side, Coach Carlisle maintained a stoic expression as he watched his players approach. He knew the Spurs were a team that couldn’t be taken lightly for even a moment, a team that could exploit any weakness.

[It seemed like the two teams were evenly matched until the second quarter, but I think the difference in the bench players of the two teams is gradually widening the score.]

The inefficiency of San Antonio’s bench was below expectations, largely due to Gary Neal’s slump. Neal, who had displayed excellent three-point shooting in the regular season, was struggling, as were Captain Jack (Stephen Jackson’s nickname) and Stephen Jackson himself. Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter weren’t relied upon for significant scoring, so Neal and Jackson needed to step up, but they weren’t. Ginobili was consistently solid, but his impact was amplified when his teammates were also shooting well.

[The San Antonio Spurs are still maintaining a 6-7 point difference, but they haven’t been able to close the gap. In other words, if they can’t stop them with defense, they can’t score themselves.]

[Parker and Duncan, San Antonio’s primary offensive threats, are being contained, and the bench’s high-percentage three-pointers aren’t falling. It’s not a disaster, but they’re not performing well enough to win the bench battle.]

The first half concluded with Dallas leading by 5 points, as San Antonio failed to mount a comeback.

In the mid-to-late third quarter, Youngjae was orchestrating the offense alongside Barea. Barea was having a particularly good game, earning him more playing time than usual.

[Tony Parker is avoiding a direct matchup with Youngjae Yoon as much as possible, right?]

[I think he’s become passive because his drives have been consistently thwarted today. Barea is also adept at drawing offensive fouls, and Chandler’s rim protection is formidable. With Barea guarding him and Danny Green positioned on the corner, preventing a run-in with Youngjae Yoon, Parker is still exhibiting a hesitant style of play.]

Parker’s jump shot wasn’t falling, and his drives kept getting blocked, causing him to hesitate without realizing it. This was largely due to Youngjae’s effective defense against him in the first half.

Swish-

[Tony Parker passes to Tim Duncan on the right wing.]

As soon as Tim Duncan received the ball, he quickly drove inside with surprising speed. Wright struggled against players who posted up and drove because of his lack of bulk, but his blocks and lateral movement were decent, a result of his three years playing small forward and power forward.

[Tyson Chandler steps in front of Tim Duncan, blocking his path, with Tiago Splitter behind him!]

A perfectly timed double team. Chandler was, as expected, a prime example of a defensive-minded big man. Tyson Chandler in front, Brandon Wright on the side. Despite the pressure from two imposing big men, Duncan remained composed, glanced towards the top of the key, and fired a pass in that direction!

“Ugh!”

Barea instinctively reached for the ball, but it was too late. If he intended to steal, he should have committed fully. If he was focused on stopping Tony Parker, he shouldn’t have even considered the steal and stuck to Parker. Caught in between, Parker launched an uncontested three-pointer from the top of the key.

[TONY PARKER!]

Tung! Tutung!!

Swish!

[OH MY!!! WHAT A NICE SHOT!!!]

[Tony Parker is tilting his head! It seems he still lacks confidence in his shot! Still, making a 3-pointer has a big meaning!]

With 4 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, the score stood at 77 to 73. This wasn’t a terrible position, but some of the San Antonio players, who hadn’t held the lead at any point, were growing impatient.

[Youngjae Yoon dribbles the ball past the half-court line.]

Youngjae, dribbling slowly, considered whether to initiate the offense through Brandon Wright or Tyson Chandler. Wright was more effective as a roll man than Chandler. Wright could execute a hook shot or spin move after receiving a pass inside, and he possessed the height to catch alley-oops.

‘With Chandler and Wright playing together, the paint is bound to be congested. Wright, being faster and having a better touch, would be the better option. I always feel that when Wright and Chandler play together, the offensive options become too predictable.’

Youngjae felt conflicted, but decided to run the patterns he had practiced with Coach Stotts during training. Seeing Youngjae’s gesture, Chandler moved slightly outward, drawing his defender with him, and Wright moved towards Youngjae.

[Ah, Green gets caught on Wright even though Wright only walked a little. Youngjae Yoon gets past Green!]

[You could say that the Dallas players’ screening ability is outstanding, but you can see that this scene stems from Youngjae Yoon’s amazing ability to ride screens!]

In reality, Youngjae easily navigated Chandler’s excellent screen, but he also possessed the skill to ride screens from Wright, Nowitzki, and Marion, whose screens were less refined, to the same degree as Chandler’s. Of course, Wright, Nowitzki, and Marion were still good screeners overall, just relatively less so.

[Brandon Wright! Quick pick and slip!]

Wright penetrated towards the rim quickly, capitalizing on the moment when Danny Green was caught and Tim Duncan was late in reacting. Youngjae momentarily stood open, calmly assessing where Wright would cut, and placed the ball on his right hand.

Swae-ack!!!!

[Youngjae Yoon throws a low, fast bounce pass despite Tim Duncan’s defense!!!]

Youngjae was particularly effective against San Antonio. This was due to his five years as a point guard for the Spurs. He knew their tendencies intimately, anticipating their moves without needing to be told.

‘Duncan would stop where he could reasonably contest the shot and pass, rather than recklessly rushing in. He always seeks maximum efficiency, playing the best possible defense rather than gambling.’

Of course, executing such a perfect play required exceptional skill. It demanded a combination of defensive understanding, thorough opponent analysis, and quick judgment and reaction speed. The position and timing to stop and check the opponent is decided in a fleeting moment.

Tung!!!

A strong bounce pass that might have been heard clearly by tens of thousands of fans? With the ability to catch the ball appropriately, though not quite glue hands, Youngjae’s pass was clean and beautiful enough to be received. Wright was originally a smart player with short shooting range and a slender physique as weaknesses, but he had the basics of a big man and good timing and positioning.

“Wooaaah!!!!!”

[Tiago Splitter versus Brandon Wright head-on!!!! The two players soar at the same time!!!]

Splitter attempted to block him, but Wright was already accelerating, and Splitter had no choice but to extend his hand in a textbook manner to avoid giving up an and-one [a play where a player is fouled while scoring, resulting in a free throw].

“Ugh!!!”

In the end, it was Tiago Splitter who let out a heavy groan. Splitter, overwhelmed by the force and jumping ability of the helicopter, Brandon Wright, who was a head taller, was pushed straight back, and Wright was about to smash the rim to smithereens!

Kwaaaang!!!!!!!

[BAANG!!!]

[BRANDAN WRIGHT!!! HUGE, HUGE SLAM!!!]

“Waoooo!!!!”

IN YOUR FACE!!!!

IN YOUR FACE!!!!!

[Can you hear it?! The In Your Face chant coming from the stands!]

On the bench, the players were chanting Youngjae and Wright’s names, unable to contain their excitement as they jumped up and celebrated the incredible slam. The audience seemed mesmerized as well, clapping and jumping around like crazy, and the San Antonio players couldn’t hide their embarrassment.

[The score is 79 to 73! Dallas Mavericks widen the gap to 6 points again!! It’s touching to be watching this game with my own two eyes!]

After stopping one attack from the San Antonio Spurs, the subsequent attack failed, and when Youngjae stole the ball again, Coach Carlisle called a timeout to slow down the tempo of the game for a while.

============================ Author’s Comments ============================

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

Thank you to Paiensia, CrownT, Gyeongeul, Witid, Han512, Disappearing Soul, Lapir and Jint, Omarion, Goddess Yuri Praise/// Thank you all. I hope you all have a good year, and please enjoy reading today^^.

Lazze/// Leonard is Kawaii lol

goimosp/// Long time no see^^ Happy New Year and enjoy reading~~

Ultra10/// Haha, shouldn’t there be some fire in a rivalry lol