Y13 [EN]: Chapter 54

[I spoke with Chad Ford from ESPN before this game. Chad Ford said something like, ‘I guess my eyes aren’t so good anymore.’ Hahaha!]

[Oh, Chad Ford, isn’t he the ESPN columnist and expert famous for writing numerous columns, especially his evaluations of 60 draftees right after the draft?]

Mike Breen chuckled and nodded.

[That friend of mine said that the player who most deviated from his expectations in the column he wrote last year was someone he really couldn’t have predicted. That person is Youngjae Yoon, who is starting today. At the time, Chad Ford wrote that he had expectations, but he put Youngjae Yoon in Tier 6. But looking at Youngjae Yoon now, who would think he was Tier 6?]

[Although it’s only been six games, if we were to pick the best steal pick (a term for when a player picked lower than expected shows great potential) of this season, it would definitely be Youngjae Yoon, right?]

[It’s not easy for a rookie to push out starting players on a contender (a team capable of winning the championship). Usually, contender teams have lower picks, and their existing starting players are generally solid. Tanking teams are the opposite, with high-pick rookies and subpar starting players. That’s why it’s often more beneficial for most rookies to play on tanking teams for their careers.]

[Looking at Dallas, if we exclude the immovable veteran guard duo of Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, we have J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson, and Youngjae Yoon competing. It’s quite interesting how things are turning out. DeShawn Stevenson (salary: $4.15 million), who Dallas invested the most money in, hasn’t found his form, so J.J. Barea ($1.81 million) and Youngjae Yoon ($1.11 million) are pushing him out?]

Mike Breen took a sip of water and continued with an intrigued expression.

[Every team wants to utilize the players they’ve invested in. In DeShawn Stevenson’s case, he was sent along with Caron Butler in a trade from the Washington Wizards for salary reduction reasons, but he’s receiving four times the salary of those two players. Dallas also hopes DeShawn Stevenson will contribute, but if he doesn’t regain his form, he might really lose his spot to Youngjae Yoon and J.J. Barea. Well, Barea already had twice as much playing time as DeShawn Stevenson last year.]

[I see. Today’s game could be an important turning point for Youngjae Yoon, and Barea needs to show more competitiveness than last year. Alright, the game starts with a jump ball. Marc Gasol wins the jump ball.]

Marc Gasol is an intelligent center who is increasingly establishing himself as a promising playmaker in the NBA. With Mike Conley and Marc Gasol coordinating inside and out, their teamwork could really shine.

“Hoo…”

Youngjae felt his heart pounding as he looked at the formidable Memphis players. Jason Kidd was guarding the energetic Conley with his fox-like veteran savvy. Conley slowly dribbled the ball and scanned the court. Showing such patience in front of a veteran like Kidd was a gamble, but Conley was still a young point guard. He wasn’t yet at the level where he could visualize the court with a single glance like Kidd. Still, Conley remained calm despite his youth. He didn’t panic even with Kidd guarding him so closely.

Whoosh-

Finally, Conley moved. It started with Marc Gasol. Zach Randolph, whose shooting range was relatively short and who excelled in physical battles, positioned himself in the low post instead of Marc Gasol. Marc Gasol, with his longer shooting range and passing skills, came out to the right wing where Conley was to set a screen.

A play that would be difficult to execute unless you were Marc Gasol, who had a wide field of vision and a high basketball IQ. Even the fox-like Kidd couldn’t avoid getting caught on Gasol’s sudden screen, and Tyson Chandler, who was guarding the rim, had to block Zach Randolph, leaving Dirk Nowitzki to guard Marc Gasol.

The ability of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley to create such a forced mismatch was truly remarkable. Conley crossed over Gasol’s screen, and then Marc Gasol began to penetrate towards the basket. The moment he saw Shawn Marion forced to help, Conley threw the ball with all his might to Gasol, who had a mismatch.

[Wow! What an amazing two-man game! Mike Conley to Gasol…]

Thud-

A moment of silence. It was an amazing moment when Memphis’s mismatch-induced play, which seemed perfect, was neutralized in one fell swoop.

“Run! Run!!!”

Kidd, who quickly assessed the situation, shouted at the players who should participate in the fast break. It was none other than Youngjae who lightly intercepted Conley’s straight pass with his right hand.

[Yoon with a fantastic steal!]

[He’s taking off! Mike Conley is chasing after him, but it’s not enough!!]

KABOOM!!!

Youngjae slammed down a two-handed dunk, something he didn’t usually do, and hung on the rim for a moment. Even though his legs were shaking from the momentum, Youngjae tightened his grip on the rim and came down, meeting Mike Conley’s gaze without flinching.

[KABOOM!!! Y13 TWO HAND POWER SLAM!!!]

[Y13 staring straight at Mike Conley as he turns around! Wow, Yoon’s spirit is amazing, not avoiding Conley’s gaze! It’s still early in the season, but he’s definitely one of the most noticeable rookies this season!]

[Indeed. I didn’t expect to see such a fantastic steal and fast break followed by a two-handed slam dunk within the first minute of the game. Really, this player was picked 25th? The 24 teams ahead of him have no excuse, even if they were dozing off during the draft?!]

Mike Breen paused to collect himself and then lavished praise on Youngjae’s steal.

[During the pick-and-roll, Kidd couldn’t properly defend Gasol’s screen, Dirk Nowitzki was marking Marc Gasol, and Shawn Marion had no choice but to help. Up to this point, it was all according to Conley’s plan. And the decision to pass to Marc Gasol was also accurate. Nowitzki is a 7-footer, but he’s a power forward and not a good defender. But at that moment, Yoon, who understood Conley’s intention to abandon O.J. Mayo, shook off O.J. Mayo and sprinted towards the passing lane, right? What’s really amazing about Yoon is that if he had gone the shortest distance, Conley would have noticed and chosen a different path, but he deliberately went around and intercepted the pass in front of Marc Gasol, so Conley had no choice but to be caught.]

Conley’s expression twisted at Youngjae’s unexpected steal, but he regained his composure, thinking it was only 2 points. Youngjae was known for his knack for steals, but he was still a rookie who hadn’t received much attention, so no teams had done an in-depth analysis of him. No one expected him to make such a perfectly timed steal in the middle of a pick-and-roll.

After that, Memphis showed a slightly different offensive approach. The pick-and-roll was still attractive, but the big man-oriented attack with the powerful Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol was also appealing, so Conley simply passed the ball into the low post.

[Memphis is focusing on attacking Dallas’s basket with relentless big man attacks! In comparison, Dallas is bombarding Memphis’s perimeter with a wide shooting range!]

That was exactly right. The two teams’ styles were clear. If Memphis scored, Dallas would answer. Nowitzki, who was matched up with the strong Zach Randolph, had a hard time winning the physical battle and penetrating the basket as usual, but he dominated the mid-range with his fadeaway (a shot where the player jumps backward while shooting, creating space from the defender), jumping back and lifting his right leg like a crane even when the opponent tried to block him with force. Youngjae cleverly moved inside and outside, creating space and steadily scoring points with reliable spot-up shooting. When playing with Kidd, Youngjae’s primary goal was scoring.

[Alright, Yoon. Once again, 1-on-1 with OJ Mayo!]

However, Youngjae didn’t just shoot spot-up shots. If he only shot spot-up shots, he wouldn’t be as valuable. The reason why Youngjae is being valued more is his ‘dribble penetration’ ability and stable ball-handling.

When there is a man-to-man situation where a pick play cannot be executed, the ball is given to Youngjae. At first, it was bound to be a burden, but as he went through 6 games, his stability and basic skills improved, so Youngjae couldn’t help but gain confidence.

[Yoon moves first!]

Youngjae started moving with Mayo in front of him. He slightly shifted his weight to the right and then turned his body, pushing Mayo with a post-up move once or twice. OJ Mayo was 6-4 (193cm), so he couldn’t overwhelm Youngjae with height, and in the end, he had to endure the force, but Youngjae had no intention of overpowering Mayo with force.

Whoosh!

[That’s the breakthrough Yoon showed against John Wall?! He seems to be posting up, but he pushes the opponent away with a quick spin move, and he also bounces forward slightly, creating distance and rushing in!]

[Wow, Yoon! To the low post in an instant!]

Youngjae wondered whether to break through Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who were firmly guarding the rim, or to shoot a jump shot here, but OJ Mayo was already rushing in from behind him, and Nowitzki, who was facing Randolph, was appropriately setting a screen in front of Youngjae.

[Youngjae Yoon! Jumper after the breakthrough!]

[BANG!]

[O.J. Mayo can’t contain Youngjae Yoon!]

[Timeout! Memphis!]

There were about 2 minutes left in the first quarter. Youngjae, who had energized the court for 10 minutes, high-fived his teammates. The score was 24 to 17. A 7-point lead in the beginning might not be a big deal, but it felt good because Dallas had seized the early momentum.

“Yoon, that’s the way to do it. Don’t be intimidated even on the road and play with confidence! The opponent is pushing in with the advantage of big men, but overall, their shooting range is short and their shooting accuracy is not good! Cardinal, and Haywood! Go in instead of Nowitzki and Chandler. Haywood! Make sure to thoroughly protect the rim from the opponent’s basket attack! Cardinal, try to be as tough as possible on defense. Focus on creating open 3-point opportunities as much as possible on offense! Terry! Go back in instead of Yoon and break through the opponent’s perimeter!”

With that, Youngjae was substituted. Youngjae, who played for about 10 minutes, recorded 9 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, including 1 three-point shot. Thanks to focusing on scoring, Youngjae’s high-quality scoring ability was on full display.

[Well, Rick Carlisle’s strategy is truly impressive. He’s replacing the weakness of the big men with a tough center, Brandon Haywood, and he’s indicating that he won’t relinquish the offensive initiative even if some defensive weaknesses are exposed with Brian Cardinal! And he’s giving Youngjae Yoon, who’s showing a crazy performance in scoring today, a rest, and he’s planning to throw in Jason Terry to disrupt Memphis’s perimeter to the point where they can’t focus!]

[In comparison, Memphis’s Lionel Hollins also took out Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who were very tired, and put in Darrell Arthur and Hasheem Thabeet, right? Hasheem Thabeet seems to be trying to prevent any basket attacks with his enormous height of 7-4 (223cm). And Xavier Henry was put in instead of O.J. Mayo. O.J. Mayo didn’t perform well on offense or defense when matched up with Yoon today. He’s probably going to assess Xavier Henry’s shooting touch and insert Xavier Henry when Yoon is put in. The problem is that Xavier Henry has never properly played the 2 (shooting guard) position.]

It was rare to see a game where the teams’ styles were so distinct. Memphis with their relentless basket attack, Dallas with their tremendous jumper barrage. It was inevitable because the hottest players in Memphis right now were Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, and in Dallas, it was Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki, and Youngjae.

The second quarter also proceeded with the same substitutions. When Hasheem Thabeet failed to properly utilize his great height of 7-4, Lionel Hollins replaced him with Zach Randolph again, forming a small lineup with Zach Randolph as the center and Rudy Gay as the power forward.

[Ah! Brandon Haywood is being pushed back by Zach Randolph!]

But Zach Randolph’s strength was top-notch in the league. As if a 6-9 height for a power forward wasn’t a problem at all, he relentlessly pushed the 7-foot Brandon Haywood. Brandon Haywood tried to control him with a defense that used Zach Randolph’s smaller height to interfere with his shooting as much as possible, but that’s only an effective defensive method if the strength is equal, and there was no answer when he was being overpowered like now.

[Zach Randolph In Your Face Dunk!! He’s going crazy!]

Since he even suffered an In Your Face (a dunk performed directly over an opponent, considered a humiliating play), Rick Carlisle substituted Tyson Chandler and Youngjae and Barea for the tired Kidd and Terry.

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

@Dirk Nowitzki’s signature move. In Korea, it’s called ‘lying down and shooting,’ and it can be said to be his own shooting form. If his ‘lying down and shooting’ were to come out as a trademark like Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan mark, I would be willing to buy it.

@Atlanta and Memphis lost in the first game of the semi-finals. I think it was Atlanta, where the sense of outside shooting didn’t come alive, and Memphis, where Mike Conley’s absence was painful. GSW is so strong, but Washington Wizards seems to be making unexpected progress. Paul Pierce’s effect seems to be working properly. After all, old players never die.

@DeShawn Stevenson is a player whose skills have deteriorated significantly compared to his salary, so he was a player received as a package in the Caron Butler trade. To put it bluntly, it’s like receiving a burden.

Radiant Legacy, Minrad, Ronsheart, Yoomin Farm, Celestial Farewell, Financia, Omarion, Flower Boy in Front of You // Oh my, thank you. Please visit often.

Hikar / Taylor Swift doesn’t have that English phrase no matter how you combine it ㅠ It’s a shame, but it’s not!

Karseijin / I’m glad. I’m so moved that the quality is coming out to the point where you’re reading it carefully ㅠㅠ

Yabes / Griffin and Paul… What would the Clippers have done without Chris Paul? Wow… I don’t think there’s another player who can do that with a hamstring injury, except for President Ma (Michael Jordan) or the old legends. I heard that Essien, a soccer player, played 90 minutes without even knowing he had a thigh muscle injury… It seems like it was a very disappointing game for San Antonio.

skkt0113 / Um… Team Signature will also run all the way to the end in response to your support.

misscherry / I’m incredibly happy just to be put in that category~

Lafir and Jint / It’s his first start. Actually, it doesn’t seem like Rick Carlisle is a huge veteran lover, but Dallas at this time had a squad that forced him to use veterans. Watch our Youngjae grow up!

abyss87 / Ah, ah, Youngjae is still crazy about basketball, so… (flinching)

Youngjae is also a energetic young man, so it’s not like he doesn’t have those desires ㅠ But the catch is that Youngjae likes basketball more right now…

-DarkANGEL- / I don’t know much about the Mayweather Pacquiao game. It seems like there’s a lot of talk about this and that, but I was more interested in the fact that President Ma (Michael Jordan), who runs a shoe store and is the owner of a team, went to see the game.

zigichacha / Yes. I saw it. Two people from Team Signature gathered at a restaurant and watched it. I thought Paul wouldn’t be able to play for more than 3 quarters. Ha… He’s not CP3 for nothing, and he’s not Tim Duncan for nothing. How is this the playoffs, it’s the 7th game of the finals ㅠ

Bejimeilgun / Steal King… Just thinking about it makes my heart flutter. Steal pick to Steal King! But the future is unknowable. Hehe.

氷烏 / Uh, I know that Marco Belinelli recently took a pictorial and took a nude pictorial. I know it’s even Maxim… Chandler seems to be confident in his body too.