Y13 [EN]: Chapter 47

Y13-47 Pre-Season

October 6, 2010.

American Airlines Center. Dallas. First pre-season game.

Youngjae, wearing the Mavs jersey, watched the game intently from the bench. He wasn’t fully engaged yet, but he meticulously observed his teammates’ movements, knowing he had to coordinate with them as soon as he was. Whenever a fantastic play occurred, he cheered, indirectly participating in the game.

Despite it being the pre-season, Dallas’ home fans filled many seats to see and support their superstar.

[Andrea Bargnani with the rebound. The Dallas Mavericks’ big men combination of Brendan Haywood and Dirk Nowitzki isn’t properly dominating the paint (the area near the basket). Consequently, the team’s overall field goal percentage isn’t great either.]

[Brendan Haywood must be frustrated. Dirk Nowitzki contributes a lot on offense, but Haywood is struggling on both offense and defense, isn’t he?]

[Moreover, the guard rotation, besides the starters, is hard to rely on. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are showing decent moves, but J.J. Barea isn’t doing well, and DeShawn Stevenson is playing terribly.]

[He’s 0 for 3 on field goals so far. He doesn’t seem to be in good condition today. It’s the pre-season to test players’ conditions, but Stevenson doesn’t seem promising for this season either. It’s the last year of his contract, so I thought he’d play well for free agency, but that’s not the case.]

The commentators and analysts from the Dallas local broadcast couldn’t help but express their frustration with the disappointing performance. The only times they showed a competitive edge were with the lineup of Jason Kidd – Caron Butler – Shawn Marion – Dirk Nowitzki – Tyson Chandler, or when Jason Terry came off the bench, so the point difference wasn’t too significant yet.

[The only ones who deserve a passing grade so far are the starting players except for Haywood, sixth man Terry, and Tyson Chandler. Originally, Haywood was expected to be the starter, but it turned out the opposite.]

[Currently, there are 3 minutes and 20 seconds left in the second quarter. The score is 51 to 45. Dallas was expected to be one of the top teams in the league this season, but they are struggling in the pre-season.]

A 6-point difference. Although the main purpose of the pre-season is to check performance, they weren’t losing due to tactical experiments, but because the players’ conditions were below expectations. They were trying out numerous player combinations to see which one was the most efficient and whether the players were adapting well to various tactics, but the results weren’t great.

Beeeep-

[Time-out, Dallas Mavericks!]

Rick Carlisle, looking frustrated, began to explain the strategy.

“Washington is using John Wall and Kirk Hinrich as their point guard and shooting guard, respectively. Both are point guards, but Kirk Hinrich, who has relatively better shooting ability, is playing like a shooting guard. I think I’ve repeatedly emphasized that you shouldn’t leave Kirk Hinrich open during rotation defense.”

Carlisle’s sharp criticism made the guard rotation, especially DeShawn Stevenson, Hinrich’s matchup, look like they had messed up badly. Overall, Dallas, with many veterans, couldn’t keep up with Washington’s speed and energy level, which had many young players.

“We’re getting pushed around too much inside by Andrea Bargnani and JaVale McGee’s big men combination. It’s inevitable that we’re getting pushed around, but we’re allowing Bargnani to score too many points. Tyson Chandler, get ready. We need you to stop Bargnani’s post-ups (offensive plays near the basket).”

Starting center Brendan Haywood also shook his head, then sat on the bench, wiping away sweat and conserving his energy.

“Yoon. You’ll replace Stevenson. When you play with Kidd, focus on transition offense (a quick offensive attack), but when it becomes a half-court offense (a slower, more structured attack), try to create opportunities yourself. We need you to disrupt the opponent’s defense. On defense, it’s hard for Kidd to guard Wall, so you need to contain Wall.”

“Overall, we’re not finding offensive opportunities because we’re getting pushed around by the opponent’s inside game. When Yoon opens up space with his drives, the other players should utilize that space well, and Kidd should give Yoon plenty of opportunities on offense.”

Youngjae nodded, thinking his chance had finally come, and took off his jersey. Then, the commentators from the Dallas local news, as well as commentator Cho Hyun-il and caster Kim Myung-jung, who were broadcasting live in Korea, became even more excited that Youngjae was finally coming out.

[He’s finally coming on! Yoon Youngjae, his first appearance in the pre-season!]

[It’s been a long wait, hasn’t it? Yoon Youngjae, the first Korean to be drafted in the first round of the NBA, the first Korean in NBA history to win the Summer League and Summer League Championship MVP… He’s a truly promising player. He’s a player who can become the ace of Korean basketball.]

[The biggest problem in today’s game is the team’s overall 3-point shooting and the bench players’ field goal percentage. With Rodrigue Beaubois participating in international competitions and J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson showing terrible performances, it seems like it’s an opportunity for Yoon Youngjae. He needs to make a strong impression in a short amount of time, right?]

Youngjae glanced at John Wall as he ran onto the court. The biggest rival from the Summer League. The most unexpected and greatest rival. John Wall and Yoon Youngjae.

If the first match was Youngjae’s overwhelming victory, will it be John Wall’s revenge this time, or will people still say, ‘It’s Yoon Youngjae after all’? It was entirely up to Youngjae. Today, Hinrich was matched up with Kidd, so John Wall was matched up with Youngjae.

“Y13…”

“John Wall.”

Youngjae slightly showed his back like in the Summer League, then ran towards his teammates. The game resumed, and Jason Kidd seemed to be controlling the tempo, then passed the ball to Youngjae. After receiving the ball, Youngjae confirmed that Jason Kidd was going to the top of the key and immediately attempted a drive towards the right wing.

“Ugh!”

As expected of one of the league’s top screeners, Tyson Chandler’s screen was perfectly timed and positioned despite the short time they had to coordinate. And Youngjae gracefully navigated through the screen. The moment John Wall was blocked, Youngjae instinctively sensed that Kirk Hinrich was coming to help from the top and checked Kidd quickly cutting towards the low post. Youngjae deliberately made his path a bit wider to overlap with Kidd’s cutting route, and after confirming that John Wall was trying to grab him from behind, he let Wall grab him.

“?!!”

[Amazing play! A precise 3-man play by Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, and Yoon Youngjae!]

John Wall couldn’t say anything. Clearly, Youngjae, who was dribbling towards the rim just a moment ago, didn’t have the ball in his hands. In that single moment, John Wall smiled inwardly, thinking that Youngjae would attempt a forced drive because his path overlapped with Kidd’s. But at that moment, Youngjae made contact with Kidd, subtly handed him the ball, and pretended to dash towards the rim.

Swish-

The Washington defense was completely fooled. Even Andrea Bargnani, who was guarding the paint, turned his body towards Youngjae to block him. Naturally, Kidd easily laid the ball into the wide-open basket.

Youngjae lightly high-fived Kidd and Chandler, then casually went back on defense. John Wall didn’t want to see Youngjae going wild again, so he started to approach the game more cautiously.

But from that moment on, John Wall’s play started to go wrong. John Wall, who had been playing with a fast tempo, suddenly became cautious and abandoned his daring dribbles, speed, and active play style in favor of perfect plays. This was great news for Youngjae.

Wall, standing at the top of the key, unconsciously licked his dry lips and looked around the court. In front of him, Youngjae, as tenacious as ever, was staring at Wall with his hands slightly lowered to the sides.

Thump thump-

The mechanical, rhythmic dribble gradually sped up, and John Wall leaned forward to gain momentum. Youngjae smartly reacted, shifting his weight with his toes and knees to block Wall’s direction.

As if to show that he hadn’t been idle since then, John Wall bumped Youngjae’s body with his shoulder, drawing Youngjae’s attention. When sticking this close, it was necessary to move to the side to use a screen and create some distance from Youngjae. So, Wall pushed Youngjae once more, then moved two steps to the right to safely carry the ball with his right hand…

Tap-

[Yoon Youngjae steals the ball! A fantastic steal!!!]

[No matter how great a guard John Wall is, his most aggressive weapon is a dribble drive with acceleration! A cautious and stable dribble can’t be a great weapon for John Wall. Yoon Youngjae read John Wall turning to the right, immediately blocked John Wall’s dribbling direction with quick steps, and the moment he turned his body towards the rim just before the drive, Yoon Youngjae stretched out his left hand like a spear to make a sharp steal!]

Youngjae started to rush towards the opponent’s basket, which was practically undefended, with a quick dribble. As experts predicted that Youngjae’s dribbling speed would be effective even in the NBA, the only players following Youngjae were John Wall and Nick Young at best. This was why it was dangerous for a guard to get stolen from. Because it was stolen from the rearmost position, it was difficult to provide defense.

While cutting from the high post to the low post, Youngjae felt Wall and Young closing in right next to him. As Youngjae showed signs of going up, Nick Young and John Wall stuck close to pressure Youngjae with a double team, and at that moment, Youngjae glanced behind the rim.

“Huh-”

That familiar, energy-draining grunt. And then, Youngjae just threw the ball upwards as if he was just throwing it away. Nick Young and John Wall were visibly flustered and couldn’t help but raise their heads towards the ball, and the high-flying ball was soon snatched by someone and slammed straight into the rim.

KWAANG!!!

[Amazing!!!! Shawn Marion’s alley-oop two-hander!!]

[Wow, he could have gone up himself, but he noticed Marion following behind at that timing?! Yoon Youngjae, he really deserves to be called Y13, Friday the 13th! He gives the opponent hope that they can steal his ball and block his attack, draws them in, and then checks Shawn Marion rushing in at the last moment! Really, it’s a play that doesn’t look like a rookie. Yoon Youngjae!!!]

Shawn Marion raised both hands and high-fived Youngjae forcefully, shouting, and Youngjae also high-fived him, shouting, “Oh!”

“Good!”

Kidd also patted Youngjae’s head as he returned to the court and gave him a thumbs up. John Wall was frustrated. How could that be a rookie the same age as him? Moreover, a player whose main position was a shooting guard, not a point guard like himself.

He was worried about the shot contest, so he was conscious of defending right away, and when he went over the screen, he thought he would put up a layup right away, so he chased him to the end, but John Wall had no idea that he would use Kidd, who was cutting to the side, in that way.

Moreover, he was stolen again by that disgusting stealing ability that he had seen since the Summer League. And the aftermath was also a problem. In fact, shouldn’t he be trying to score with skills like a double clutch in that situation, as a shooting guard? He pretended to aim for the empty basket, tied up both Nick Young and himself, and then an alley-oop pass. In that one moment, he read the entire court and didn’t imagine that he would use Shawn Marion rushing in.

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

★Thank you to those who gave 선작 [pre-emptive favorites], recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

＠I didn’t intend to involve John Wall this much, but the first pre-season game was against Washington. Since I decided to finish the pre-season with one game, I decided to include the opening game. Maybe a rivalry with John Wall will be created… I doubt there will be a chance to meet in the playoffs, haha.

And to be precise, John Wall was born in 1990, and Youngjae was born in 1991, so Youngjae is younger, but I assume that Wall thought they were the same age because they both came from one-and-done [players who enter the NBA draft after only one year of college basketball].

＠Atlanta and Chicago are struggling more than I thought. Especially if Chicago uses up all their stamina in the game against Milwaukee and goes up, Cleveland will be very dominant even if Love is not there.

※Inside: Refers to the area near the basket. Narrowly, it includes the low post (right below the basket), and broadly, it includes the high post (near the free-throw line). Centers and power forwards are mainly positioned there.

※Transition Offense: Transition means quick offense-defense conversion. It is a broader meaning than fast break, meaning attacking quickly before the players are all in position. Many unconventional and creative attacks come out.

※Half-Court Offense: With a meaning close to the opposite of transition, it refers to both teams setting up all five players and attacking slowly. For example, it would be easy to think of it as a tactically set offense.

Thank you to niapekkochminam, 찬란한유산 [Brilliant Legacy], cheonsangbyeolli///

Thank you to Jo Chang-hyun/// Haha. That’s right. Dallas avoided a sweep.

…(-1)…nim/// Stephen Curry’s career average 3-point percentage is 44%. ㅡ.ㅡ…He is considered NO.1 in the all-time 3-point shot category.

ultra10nim/// He often gets matched up with Josh Smith, who is full of athletic ability. It’s the worst matchup for Nowitzki. But he can’t block Howard either.

Thank you to PaiNenShea///

Thank you to keoyokeoyo/// Oh dear. Thank you for pointing that out. ㅠ.ㅠ I’ve been a little out of it lately.

Thank you to misscherry/// Now the pre-season game is starting, haha.

Thank you to Rapire and Jinte/// Dallas is best at firepower, haha.

Thank you to Baekye and OmariOn/// Always thank you for the comments^^

Thank you to Baekwollyang/// Yes. There are dozens of players in this neighborhood with over 40% 3-point percentage.

Thank you to dydqlsl/// Love has been injured for at least 2 weeks. It’s just my personal guess, but if it’s 2 weeks, he’ll be back in the finals, but I don’t think he’ll be in proper condition. He could get even more broken… I’m a little worried.

-DarkANGEL- nim/// I didn’t know well, but after looking it up, the referees in that game are famous for their back-and-forth calls. It just happened to explode in a game like that..ㅠ.ㅠ

Thank you to Hideye/// Thank you for pointing that out. I have corrected it~

Thank you to Yaranggum/// As you said, there is no official 존비법 [formality levels] in English. Readers and writers are Korean, so I am writing according to Korean grammar. I also think that there is a limit to expressiveness if I consistently use only informal language like in English. I think that various expressions are possible because there is 존비법 [formality levels].

Thank you to zigichacha/// At that time, the Clippers’ lineup wasn’t very good, so Griffin received a lot of stats. LeBron’s stats were better when he was in Cleveland than when he was in Miami. Durant’s stats were also better when Subrook wasn’t there. I guess it can’t be helped, haha. In this season, Griffin recorded an average of 22.5 points (12th overall), 12.1 rebounds (4th overall), and 63 double-doubles (3rd overall). Griffin was the only player this season to record an average of 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists or more, and he became the fourth player in NBA history to record 1600 points, 900 rebounds, and 250 assists or more in his debut season. I wonder what kind of stats Youngjae will get, haha.

Thank you to Daru_/// Haha, thank you for the compliment~. Please continue to read it in the future~