Y13 [EN]: Chapter 280

An alley-oop dunk required the passer’s pass to be accurate in speed and height, and the receiver to have exceptional athletic ability. In other words, as flashy as it looked, not many players could actually pull it off. At the same time, it was an incredibly impactful play, a magical two points that captivated fans and instantly shifted the momentum.

“…”

Tony Parker frowned, realizing the momentum had shifted once again. He needed to perform well even with Terry guarding him, but Parker’s rhythm had been disrupted by Youngjae’s repeated blocks and interceptions in the first half. Perhaps that was why, even with Terry as his matchup, Parker’s shots weren’t falling after successful drives, or he was committing turnovers during passes.

“Everyone, stay calm. If we stay composed, we can turn this around.”

Tim Duncan, the team’s mainstay, encouraged the players in a quiet voice. Ginobili also patted Parker’s shoulder, and Parker, like the veteran he was, quickly regained his composure.

Whoosh- Whoosh-

[The San Antonio Spurs, their passing game flows like water, doesn’t it? Even when they have an open shot, they often pass again. As a result, even shooters who don’t handle the ball much tend to have a good number of assists.]

[That’s right. Thanks to that, a good number of Parker’s kick-out passes become secondary assists. This player brings more to the team than his recorded stats show. He commits fewer turnovers in the passing process compared to players who prefer direct assists. But that’s the San Antonio Spurs’ style. Dallas also has many secondary assists, but they have more direct assists compared to San Antonio.]

Whoosh!

[Kawhi Leonard receives the ball on the right side.]

Leonard glanced at Shawn Marion, who was standing firm in front of him, and then twitched his left foot as if to step forward, performing a jab step [a quick step to fake a drive]. With both hands holding the ball low and his right foot as the pivot, the only sound between the two players was the squeaking friction between his basketball shoes and the court.

Tuttering!

[Finally, Kawhi Leonard makes a move!]

Leonard timed his move with his left foot and then burst out in an instant. His aggressive drive towards the baseline, followed by a dribble to the right, was enough to catch Marion off guard.

Thud!!!

“!?”

[STEAL! Y13 STEAL!!!]

[He took advantage of Manu Ginobili, who was trying to create an open shot between the right wing and the sideline! He moved to the right spot and then went for the steal. He exploited the fact that Kawhi Leonard doesn’t have as wide a vision and passing skills as Parker.]

Youngjae hugged the ball tightly with both hands and then slowed down the tempo, deliberately developing the attack. Leonard, as well as his teammates, were speechless at the stolen offensive opportunity. Even though they were telling each other to keep defending, they couldn’t stop the quickly shifting momentum.

Beeeep!!!!

[The game is over! The Dallas Mavericks versus the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Conference Finals! In the end, the home team, the Dallas Mavericks, wins with a score of 111 to 104, a seven-point difference!]

[I think this game definitely showed how fierce the Texas Derby is. Both teams clearly had moments where they lost the lead and were in danger, but each time, appropriate rotations, unconventional tactics, and systems clashed to create a great game! In a game where either team could have won, the home team, the Dallas Mavericks, ultimately clinched the victory by a hair!]

Steve Kerr, after hearing that Bonnie Bernstein was ready for the interview, quickly delivered his prepared remarks.

[Who will be today’s MVP? Jason Terry, who consistently scored and maintained the lead with 15 points and 3 assists, and Dirk Nowitzki, who is known as the heart of Dallas, also had 22 points and 7 rebounds. Tyson Chandler, who toughly protected the paint with his whole body, also recorded 12 points and 14 rebounds. But today’s MVP is definitely Dallas’s Blue Curse! Youngjae Yoon! 18 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover! He showed a perfect performance as a great combo guard! Now, let’s have an interview with today’s MVP!]

Youngjae greeted Bonnie Bernstein, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, with a smile. Bonnie Bernstein also seemed more delighted, perhaps because they hadn’t had many interviews since they met in the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association].

“Hello, this is Bonnie Bernstein from TNT. I’m here with Dallas Mavericks’ number 13, Youngjae Yoon, who played 37 minutes today and recorded 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists. Welcome.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Youngjae Yoon.”

Youngjae, like any other player, wore a towel around his neck for the interview, and Bonnie Bernstein considerately told him that he could wipe his sweat.

“You showed a great performance today. Both of the alley-oop plays in the second half started from Youngjae Yoon’s hands. Is there a secret to making such sensational passes?”

“Even if you make unpredictable passes, it’s useless if the pass itself isn’t sensible and intuitive. The finish of the passes I deliver and throw… that finish is impossible without teamwork with the teammate who scores. All I can do is think about how comfortably my pass is delivered. If I consistently research and think about that process, I think I can give better passes.”

Bernstein nodded at Youngjae’s words.

“Then who do you think is the best alley-oop partner?”

Youngjae fidgeted with his towel with an embarrassed expression and then smiled slightly.

“If I say everyone, it’ll be too cliché, right? Chandler always catches well, and I’m working with Wright for the first time this season, but it’s been a hundred percent. I feel a little more comfortable with Wright. I guess you could say the timing to receive is a bit longer…”

“Lastly, what do you think about the frequent changes in your role during the game? Usually, players have a strong aversion to constantly changing their style during the game.”

“It’s my job to adapt to the team’s circumstances. I adapt to the four players, rather than the four players adapting to me. The coach decides what I need to do in the five-man combination on the court. Even if the roles are different, they’re familiar things.”

Before long, all of May had passed and it was June. The weather was getting hotter, and the Western Conference Finals were just as fiercely contested as the hot weather. Texas was as hot with basketball fever as it was with temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius.

– 2011-2012 NBA Western Conference Finals Game 5 Result: The Dallas Mavericks win again with a score of 103 to 96, taking a 3-2 lead. They are now just one win away from advancing to the Finals as the Western Conference champions… –

Youngjae finished the intense game and returned home, collapsing on the sofa like a wet rag. Big stages like the Conference Finals were bound to be even more exhausting and difficult.

He was incredibly hungry, but he barely managed to shower and then collapsed on the sofa. He didn’t want to eat anything, didn’t want to drink anything. That empty state, where he was endlessly lazy and unmotivated, was weighing down on Youngjae’s entire body.

“…”

Emily was temporarily away due to her broadcasting schedule. She had adjusted her schedule to coincide with the two-game road trip that started on May 31st, and she was scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning when they left for the road trip.

– After winning Game 1 at home, the Dallas Mavericks, whose momentum had been somewhat broken by losing two straight games at home and on the road, regained their momentum with a come-from-behind victory in Game 4, and carried that momentum to win Game 5, taking a 3-2 lead… –

“It was really tough.”

They were all truly great games. There wasn’t a single game where one side dominated; they were all fiercely contested, even desperate. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili showed off their class without reservation. In Parker’s case, he was well-defended in Game 1, but as one of San Antonio’s Big 3 [referring to the team’s core players] and a Finals MVP [Most Valuable Player], he found a way to contribute even when matched up against Youngjae from Game 2 onwards. Manu Ginobili, as creative as ever, even unpredictable by his own teammates, had his ups and downs, but showed artistic plays.

– The Dallas Mavericks are showing a relatively dominant game as Jason Kidd and Jason Terry’s shooting touch improves. If their shooting touch hadn’t been good, the San Antonio Spurs might be leading the series right now. Youngjae Yoon, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler are consistently performing at least above average. –

Youngjae, who had been listening to the news that kept coming out, barely managed to lift his heavy body and trudged to the refrigerator.

===

[YOON!]

One bowl every day! Be sure to eat and send a proof shot!

===

A post-it note was stuck on the refrigerator door. It was written by Emily in cute, round handwriting. As the door opened with a creaking sound, a bowl of grilled eel that Emily had made while sweating profusely was beautifully packaged inside.

Emily, who had never even touched a fish before, secretly went to the market and bought cleaned eel, then ground and grated garlic, which is said to be good for stamina, to make a special garlic sauce and grilled the eel.

“…”

Youngjae had no appetite at all, but as he stared at the bowl, an overwhelming hunger came over him. In the end, he took out the bowl and started eating the eel cold, without even warming it up.

Smack- Smack-

The strong garlic flavor. The uneven seasoning. The crispy grilled eel. But as he ate, thinking about Emily, who had struggled to do all this by herself and finally made it, it was the best health food ever.

“Heo.”

Youngjae wiped the bowl clean and took a proof shot, then dragged his tired body to bed.

– I ate it all. –

Youngjae attached the photo and sent the message, and soon Emily called.

– Yoon! Was it good, was it good? –

“Yeah. It was really good. I told you I ate it all?”

Youngjae tried his best to sound energetic, but Emily could tell from his voice alone that he was very tired.

– I couldn’t see it properly, but I think I know how hard Yoon played in the game. –

“Umm… it was tough. But it’s good because we won.”

Emily let out a pleasant laugh at Youngjae’s words.

“Did you finish your schedule well?”

– Umm… our producer is like a tiger, so I got pointed out a lot. But I’m so happy to be singing again that I laugh even when I get scolded. In the end, that producer laughed too. –

Emily had the power to make people around her laugh. It was no exaggeration to say that Youngjae was saved by such Emily, and he received a lot of mental healing and relied on her quite a bit.

“I’m going to San Antonio tomorrow. I’ll probably stay there for a day or so to prepare for Game 6.”

– Okay! I’ll meet Melli and go to the stadium together. Is it better to meet after the game? –

Emily wanted to meet Youngjae right away, but she didn’t want to distract him before a big game, so she held back her feelings and spoke. Youngjae found such Emily cute, and he burst out laughing without realizing it.

“Yeah. Let’s meet after we win the game. That would be better.”

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

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

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupon, Park Jungsoo.

magara/// Haha, please enjoy it slowly.

Wittid, Han512, Black Moonlight, -DarkANGEL-, Vanishing Soul, goimosp, Omarion/// Thank you for your comments as always.

Lafir and Jint/// Yes. Blair exploded at that time, Dallas’s defensive plan worked properly, and the San Antonio bench was collectively silent.

Yabes/// Is it the greatness of God Bonner? But God Youngjae!!