Y13 [EN]: Chapter 282

Y13-282 Conference Final

Beeeep!!!

[Wow! Who knows how this game will turn out?! What happened to the Dallas Mavericks, who were so dominant just 3 minutes ago!]

[In the last 3 minutes, Dallas has only scored 2 points, a floater in the paint by Youngjae Yoon off a screen from Nowitzki! No rebounds, no defense, no offense! Nothing is working!]

As soon as Youngjae returned to the bench, he grabbed a towel and wiped his face roughly.

‘Hoo.’

Youngjae regained his composure while wiping his face with the towel. Clearly, the previous 3 minutes had been a disaster. However, it was just a temporary setback, and the Dallas Mavericks were a team full of talented players who had made their mark in the league, including Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Shawn Marion. Kidd and Nowitzki were not only sure Hall of Famers but also considered top 10 players of all time in their respective positions. Jason Terry and Shawn Marion were also once known as the best sixth man and the best defender of their time.

“Let’s stay a little calmer. There’s no need to get anxious just because the shots aren’t falling. Let’s just focus on making the best plays.”

Youngjae spoke in a calm voice. After all, this timeout was more about regaining focus and composure. The players, who were sitting on the bench with frowns because the game wasn’t going their way, focused their attention on Youngjae. Feeling their concentrated gaze, Youngjae continued.

“We were doing great, right up until we were about to take a 10-point lead. That 10-point lead isn’t that big of a deal, is it?”

The players nodded without saying a word. Seeing their reaction, Youngjae couldn’t help but smile. In his past life, he would have just been a nobody, watching the starters with envious eyes, but now Youngjae was different. He was a player who deserved to say something to the entire team, and he had only refrained from doing so because there were so many veterans.

“We haven’t been completely overturned yet, but the momentum has definitely shifted. Missing shots is just a matter of a shooting slump, so it’s understandable, but at least we should do what we can to avoid getting too frustrated, right?”

Kidd watched Youngjae with a satisfied smile. Although he and Nowitzki were the captains, it didn’t necessarily have to be them who spoke up to the players in such situations. In fact, in these moments, a few words from the player who was performing the best could be even more effective. His role was to focus on the words of the young ace with leadership in these situations.

“Yeah! Yoon is right. Everyone, don’t jump to conclusions and stay calm. Even if we lose today, the series isn’t over. I hope everyone remembers that.”

Kidd added a few words, and Carlisle, who was watching the players encouraging each other, pondered for a moment and began to recall the previous 3 minutes.

‘Terry is getting too impatient… Considering Terry’s pride, I should leave him in, but…’

After hesitating, Carlisle realized there wasn’t much time left and urgently spoke up.

“Terry, I want you to rest on the bench for a bit. In most games, I’d let it go, but in today’s game, I have no choice. And Kidd will have to come in instead.”

Terry felt a surge of anger when he was told to sit on the bench. However, he wasn’t foolish enough to voice his displeasure in the Conference Finals, unlike in the regular season. Although his pride was hurt, he decided to hold back for now. Carlisle was a coach who could boldly exclude players who opposed him, and Terry respected his abilities and judgment.

Kidd glanced at Terry and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him with a whisper. He knew he would feel the same way in that situation, and he understood the coach’s position. He probably wanted to give the other players a wake-up call and change the atmosphere by bringing him in.

“Kidd, control the tempo well and focus on getting rebounds. Securing defensive rebounds is our priority right now. And try to focus as many offensive opportunities on Yoon as possible.”

Carlisle didn’t say much more, but Kidd nodded as if he understood everything.

‘So, it’s come to this. When everyone’s shooting touch is off, the only ones who can solve it are Yoon and Nowitzki. And the coach’s decision is to focus on Yoon’s scoring.’

Kidd called Nowitzki and Chandler over to discuss their movements briefly before heading onto the court. The Dallas Mavericks players, who had reorganized themselves, walked onto the court with a more composed expression.

[Both teams are back on the court. Now, I’m curious to see how they will overcome this crisis.]

[Carlisle is definitely a decisive coach. It’s not easy to replace a player like Jason Terry in a clutch situation like this. It requires the coach to have charisma and the ability to control the team.]

Hubie Brown asked Mike Tirico to explain the reason.

[It’s difficult to exclude a player like Jason Terry from the clutch lineup because of his pride. It can cause friction between the player and the coach. But Carlisle has the solid trust of the team’s front office and the high confidence of the entire team. Terry may be upset inside, but he won’t express his dissatisfaction until the end of the season. In my personal opinion, bringing in Kidd instead of Terry, who has been missing shots and committing turnovers, isn’t a bad idea. It can also serve as a wake-up call for the other players.]

Hubie Brown’s words were accurate. With Kidd’s entry, the overall game management became smoother, and the defense regained its stability. Although Youngjae could play point guard, there was a clear difference in class compared to Kidd.

Moreover, Youngjae had spent more time playing shooting guard since his previous life, so his movements resembled those of a shooting guard. He preferred creating space with short ball possession rather than holding the ball for a long time and creating space through passing.

[Jason Kidd slowly possesses the ball at the top of the key, stalling for time.]

When the offense isn’t working, the best way is to slow down the tempo, let the opponent’s hands cool down, and reduce the number of possessions, unless there’s a perfect fast-break opportunity.

‘?!’

At that moment, Kidd saw a player rushing in from the right wing at an incredible speed. Although non-ball-handlers don’t usually set screens well, veterans can perform screens for cutting players, briefly leaving them open.

Whoosh!!!

Just as he passed the high post, Youngjae extended his right hand forward, and Kidd threw an incredible laser pass, anticipating Youngjae’s cut-in speed without even receiving a signal.

Thud!!!

Youngjae, catching the fast and powerful pass that stung his hand, jumped up as soon as he received the ball. Duncan was rising up like a wall in front of him, but Youngjae was hoping that Duncan or anyone else would jump at him.

“Uwaaaah!!!”

Youngjae, who seemed like he was going to shoot a floater with the ball raised in his right hand, shouted and slightly lowered his right hand, changing to a layup position. He collided with Duncan’s body with a thud! but pulled the ball out to the side and extended his hand as close to the rim as possible, scraping the ball with his fingertips.

Beeeep!!!

Thump thump thump!!!

“Ugh!!”

Youngjae, who intentionally collided with Tim Duncan and fell backward, instinctively raised his head despite groaning as he fell.

Clang- thud thud-

[Ah! The ball teases the rim and falls off!]

[Still, Youngjae Yoon’s aggressive drive, feinting a floater and attempting a scoop layup, was truly miraculous! And he got two free throws, right? Youngjae Yoon’s free throw percentage this season is over 90%. We can consider it as 2 points secured!]

Youngjae calmly stood at the free-throw line, bounced the ball a couple of times, and gently floated it into the air with a slight spin.

Swish!

[1st shot successful.]

Compared to his usual quick release, this free throw was as slow as a turtle crawling, but it was incredibly accurate. He had practiced free throws relentlessly in the past, and that hadn’t changed.

Swish!

[2nd shot also successful! Perfect as always!]

[With this, the Dallas Mavericks are pulling away again, 98 to 94, a 4-point lead!]

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili stared at Youngjae, who was unleashing a barrage of attacks today, with a look of disgust, but Youngjae didn’t avoid their gaze and stared back at them confidently. It was an action he couldn’t have imagined before. In his previous life, Youngjae’s play was heavily influenced by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. He had learned and imitated a lot from them, especially their drives and dribbling, since they were on the same team. But that was in the past. He was completely different now.

Tick!

[STEAL!!!]

[Another careless pass! Manu Ginobili, he still shows the same heroic plays in dribbling and clutch time, but he also makes turnovers that are hard to understand!]

[He’s running! Youngjae Yoon is breaking through so fast that all the Dallas players can barely keep up! Only Tony Parker is in front of Youngjae Yoon!]

Youngjae didn’t care whether Tony Parker was blocking him or not and ran straight ahead. Parker was superior in simple speed, but his lack of lateral quickness and strength made it difficult for him to stop Youngjae.

Thud thud!!

[SPIN MOVE!!]

[Spin! And then another reverse spin!!! He turns his back as if drawing a semicircle, then reverses his body again to get past Tony Parker with a face-up!]

Parker thought that he shouldn’t allow a perfect 2 points here, even if it meant fouling, and chased after Youngjae relentlessly. Youngjae glanced at Parker as if telling him to try and see, and leaped with all his might, stretching out his right hand.

[Y13 ONE HAND!!!]

“Eek!!!”

Tony Parker, noticing Youngjae’s intention to make a flashy one-handed dunk to gain momentum, could only watch the ball, which seemed just out of reach as he desperately stretched out his hand. At that moment, Youngjae coldly pulled his right hand back slightly and lowered it as if he were going to make a layup.

Tap!

“?!”

Beeeep!!!

Youngjae induced contact from Parker while maintaining his focus until the end and throwing the ball up. In the clutch, fouls aren’t called for minor contact, so he aimed for a more obvious foul. It would have been difficult to get an and-one [a free throw awarded after a player is fouled while scoring] against Duncan or Leonard, but it was possible because it was Parker. Parker thought he would rather foul than give up an easy score, but it was a victory for Youngjae’s concentration.

[BASKET COUNT!!!!]

[Youngjae Yoon, pretending to make a one-handed slam, gets an and-one with an even more stable easy layup against Tony Parker’s threatening defense!!! If that was an intentional play, it’s truly amazing!!]

Another 2 points. Youngjae stood at the free-throw line, took a breath, and lightly put in the first free throw.

[101 to 94!!! That good moment when the difference was 2 points widens to 7 points in 30 seconds!! In this important situation, a steal and a fast-break and-one following a free throw get!! He dominates the clutch time!!]

[The game has tilted towards Dallas in an instant. In the end, it’s San Antonio’s mistake for not properly stopping Youngjae Yoon in the clutch time.]

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

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

@Hoo, my router broke down yesterday, so I couldn’t do it at home and I’m uploading it today after coming to school. The router has been acting up for a month or two, but I’m not buying a new one because I don’t want to buy it again now. Have a good day today~~

Han512, eastarea, -DarkANGEL-, 사라질영혼, 여신유리찬양, 위티드/// Thank you always for your comments^^

goimosp/// Ah… you’re talking about that series where the Clippers suffered an unbelievable comeback loss. Paul’s limitations and criticism of Doc Rivers were at their peak.

흑월화야/// Haha, we’re the same. We see more now than when we first wrote this. Even before writing this, I watched a lot of games and looked at a lot of data, but while writing this, I looked at so many different materials that my perspective on basketball has changed a bit from before.

anguqwhdk/// Hmm, I think you’re mistaken about Butler’s height… Butler’s official height is 6-7 (201cm). He was a 3 in his debut, but he settled in at 2 because of Luol Deng, and eventually became a player who specializes in post-ups and breakthroughs, taking advantage of his physical advantage over his position. Kobe Bryant (6-6, 198cm) is also a shooting guard as his main position, but he has also played small forward in some seasons. I asked several people who have watched the NBA for a long time about Butler, and they said that even if he changed his position to small forward, many of Butler’s current strengths (overwhelming physical strength compared to his position) would disappear, and considering the shortage of shooting guards in the league, it would be a losing proposition.

It is generally accepted that a power forward should be at least 6-9 (206cm). That’s why Chandler Parsons, who is 6-10 (208cm) and drafted by Dallas in the story, is a small forward as his main position, but he can also play power forward from time to time. He is too weak to do it for a long time though. Power forwards are big men, so they need to be a bit heavy and strong.

Ah, you might think that Butler can play power forward even with that height because of Draymond Green. But Green is a strongman with the highest level of power compared to his height in the NBA, and the difference between his wingspan (width of arms extended left and right) and standing reach (height of arms extended upwards) is large. Green also weighs more than 15 pounds (about 7 kg). He is strong, so he is slower and can’t break through as well as Butler.

Jimmy Butler Wingspan 6-8, Standing Reach 8-5
Draymond Green Wingspan 7-1, Standing Reach 8-9

And considering the combination with Youngjae, Parsons is slightly better than Butler. Butler is still hard to see as having good off-ball movement and jumpers. He is the type who lives when he has the ball. But Parsons has good off-ball movement and jumpers, including cut-ins, so he is a good style as a 2nd or 3rd option. Considering the current league where 3-pointers are the trend, Dallas where jumpers are essential, and the harmony with Youngjae, I think Parsons is better than Butler. Of course, I think Butler’s individual skills are better. But even up to his 3rd year, Parsons was better than Butler in some ways.

히나。/// Thank you for pointing that out. We missed something. We have corrected it to the first buzzer beater of the regular season.

야베스///Yes, Youngjae is fully capable of being a full-time point guard. But there are plenty of point guards in the league, and in a situation where shooting guards are scarce, it’s a bit of a shame to use a player like Youngjae as a full-time point guard. There are Kidd and Barea in Dallas in the story.

Maybe you said that because of Mike Tirico’s comment, but Youngjae’s game management ability is not comparable to Kidd, Nash, Paul, Rubio, or Wall. But his coordination ability is better than attack-oriented dual guards. In addition, his overall overall is high because he has top-level shooting, passing, dribbling, and defense.

비오는날엔우울해/// Hmm? Are you talking about the Korean national team? Or an episode in Korea?

울트라10///Worrying about San Antonio is on par with worrying about celebrities ㅋㅋ

사랑하므로/// Thank you for pointing that out. It would be contextually correct to remove the word “연일.”

파이넨시아/// Haha, the end of the year and the beginning of the year are especially busy. I guess that’s the case for you. Enjoy reading~~