Y13 [EN]: Chapter 57

Y13-57 (57/296)

00057 2010-11 Regular Season =========================================================================

Youngjae, with his intense focus and sharp instincts, didn’t miss Derrick Rose’s incredible moves. Rose’s dazzling changes of direction looked like they might twist his ankle at any moment. The clash between the two players was electrifying.

[Hesitation step! And a backstep again!! Derrick Rose is a whirlwind, shifting back and forth, left and right!!]

[But he can’t get past! Youngjae Yoon’s tenacious defense won’t yield an inch! His incredible footwork, those small, quick side steps, makes any breakthrough seem impossible!]

[Derrick Rose attacks! Spin move! Then a reverse spin!]

Youngjae was surprised by Rose’s sudden spin move after the hesitation steps, but this was the NBA, where anything could happen. Derrick Rose’s explosive drive and masterful dribbling unfolded like a perfectly choreographed dance, without a moment’s hesitation or a hint of error. Youngjae gritted his teeth, mirroring Rose’s every step, staying glued to him.

“Ha!”

“?!”

A sudden post-up, faking a reverse spin. Youngjae instantly understood the difficulty of the move he had used against John Wall, now experiencing it firsthand. If he yielded ground and gave Rose space, his accurate shot would find the net.

[Ahhh!!! Youngjae Yoon! He’s holding his ground!]

[Derrick Rose tries to back him down with a post-up!! Yoon isn’t giving way easily!! He’s being pushed back inch by inch, but not enough to create a shooting lane!!]

Rose’s eyes flickered, surprised that the post-up wasn’t working as planned. Youngjae smiled, pressing his chest against Rose’s back, legs braced, determined not to be moved.

“Hmph!”

Then, Rose abandoned the post-up, spinning around instantly. He leaped up like a coiled spring, eyes locked on the rim, and released the shot.

“Ugh!”

Youngjae hadn’t anticipated the turnaround jumper, but determined to contest it, he jumped with all his might, extending his right hand. Rose’s shot arced into the air, and Youngjae felt the ball graze the middle finger of his right hand. He stretched as far as he could.

Thump- thump-

Thud-

[Wow!!! Youngjae Yoon! It looks like he got a piece of the ball with his fingertip on Rose’s jumper! He’s definitely using his size advantage over Rose!]

[Derrick Rose’s incredible turnaround jumper misses! Great defense by Yoon! Tyson Chandler grabs the rebound!]

Youngjae felt completely spent after just one defensive play. But he smiled, satisfied with stopping Derrick Rose, the opposing team’s star, and immediately transitioned to offense.

Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau [known for his defensive strategies] was surprised that Youngjae had blocked Rose, but quickly regained his composure. Keith Bogans’ offensive output might be questionable, but his defensive ability was enough to contain his opponent. He wouldn’t force Rose into more one-on-one situations with Youngjae. Chicago also had excellent screeners, and Rose thrived on explosive speed and athleticism, rather than relying on intricate one-on-one skills.

Jason Kidd realized that Chicago’s defense hadn’t changed and began strategizing how to attack. He needed to exploit the mismatch of Taj Gibson, a decent offensive and rebounding player but lacking defensively and in height, guarding Nowitzki, and Rose, a defensive liability, guarding him. Keith Bogans, Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah were the cornerstones of Chicago’s defense.

[Caron Butler comes out to the right wing and sets a screen!]

[Jason Kidd! Spotting Butler’s screen, he whips a bounce pass to Youngjae Yoon! Keith Bogans gets caught on Butler’s screen! Luol Deng is late to react, but Youngjae Yoon drives hard towards the basket!]

Youngjae tried to ignore his poor shooting form from practice, reminding himself it was a real game, but it still bothered him.

[Youngjae Yoon seems to be cut off by Taj Gibson’s quick help defense… Ah! Youngjae Yoon delivers a fantastic no-look pass to Dirk Nowitzki!]

[Joakim Noah rushes out, hand raised! Nowitzki’s spot-up mid-range jumper! Joakim Noah’s hand is too late! BANG! Perfect shot!]

Youngjae gave Nowitzki a thumbs up, and Nowitzki smiled, offering Youngjae a light high-five.

After that, Derrick Rose avoided forcing one-on-one matchups with Youngjae. He could play much easier by utilizing his excellent screeners; there was no reason to engage in a pride-fueled one-on-one battle and leave his teammates standing around. Moreover, he wasn’t the only one running the offense. Noah, a skilled playmaker with excellent court vision and passing ability, moved to the three-point line to distribute the ball.

[Joakim Noah comes to the top of the key and sets a screen!]

[Despite being a center, Joakim Noah has a high basketball IQ and great passing instincts, showing potential as a playmaker, right? The 2-on-2 pick-and-roll with Derrick Rose is a perfect combination!]

Rose remained cautious even after seeing Youngjae get blocked by Noah’s screen. He had witnessed Youngjae’s excellent defensive awareness in their previous one-on-one, so complacency was not an option. Furthermore, Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks’ center with his long reach, was blocking his path to the basket, forcing him to change direction. Youngjae, though initially screened by Noah, quickly recovered and stuck to Rose like glue. Seeing this, Rose lowered his shoulder, creating separation from Youngjae, and drove to the basket for a layup.

[Yes!! Youngjae Yoon fights through Noah’s screen and stays with Derrick Rose!]

[But Rose had already committed to his path, right?! He wins the physical battle! Derrick Rose goes up for a layup! Youngjae Yoon stays with him and reaches for the ball!]

Rose glanced at Youngjae, then pulled the ball behind his back and threw it down with a whoosh. Youngjae tracked the ball’s trajectory and stretched his right hand as far as possible, barely grazing it with his fingertip, unable to alter its course.

[Joakim Noah!! Two-handed dunk!]

[Wow! Tyson Chandler was also in Derrick Rose’s way, so there was no one to stop the wide-open Joakim Noah! Youngjae Yoon stayed with Rose, but it was difficult to stop Rose, who had already committed to his direction and used his shoulder to create space. Moreover, Derrick Rose delivered a pinpoint pass to Noah, avoiding Tyson Chandler’s attempt to intercept!!]

[This is a great game to watch. Youngjae Yoon and Derrick Rose! A fascinating duel between a future superstar and a super rookie!!]

Rose gave Youngjae a quick smile, pointed at him a few times with his index finger, and then backpedaled.

“Good, that was a great defense.”

Chandler and Nowitzki praised Youngjae’s defense, but Youngjae felt it was a near miss. It was unrealistic to expect him to completely shut down Rose with his current abilities. The best he could do was make the drive as difficult as possible and prioritize defending the lane that Chandler couldn’t easily cover. Two-on-two defense wasn’t a solo effort. With an excellent defensive center like Chandler, forcing the opposing ball-handler towards him could be considered good defense.

After that, the game became a seesaw battle. The Chicago Bulls secured offensive rebounds with the strong rebounding of Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, consistently scoring with hooks and dunks in the paint. Derrick Rose relentlessly ran pick-and-rolls with Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, attacking the basket. Noah continued to drift to the perimeter, spreading the floor for the Bulls and passing the ball from side to side. This forced Tyson Chandler to follow Noah out to the free-throw line, opening up space for Rose and Deng to exploit.

For Dallas, they focused on attacking Chicago’s perimeter with Dirk Nowitzki’s jumpers, who was having a hot shooting night. Tyson Chandler moved to the weak side or set screens to create more comfortable shooting opportunities for Nowitzki, while Butler and Youngjae actively moved away from Nowitzki, further spacing the floor. Nowitzki was a player who couldn’t be completely stopped without a double-team.

Kidd knew he couldn’t rely solely on Nowitzki’s scoring, so he utilized Youngjae and Butler’s movement to create scoring opportunities. They rotated and shot whenever there was even a small opening.

[Youngjae Yoon receives Kidd’s pass and runs a 2-on-2 with Caron Butler again! Bogans gets caught on Butler’s screen, and Youngjae Yoon is late to react, but he steps back! And rises up!]

[KABOOM! Youngjae Yoon, accurate spot-up jumper! Perhaps because he’s being cautious with his shooting today, he’s not taking many shots, but his accuracy is solid!]

The first quarter ended with a score of 17 to 15. A close, one-possession game. Nowitzki scored a whopping 11 of the 17 points, and Youngjae attempted only 2 jumpers, making both cleanly, scoring 4 points, with 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 block in 12 minutes, contributing effectively.

“Good! It’s only a 2-point difference. Not a bad start in Chicago! Terry, Barea! Go in for Butler and Yoon! Barea, you guard Derrick Rose or C.J. Watson, and Terry, you take Kyle Korver or Keith Bogans, whoever gets subbed in! Kidd! You can guard Ronnie Brewer or Luol Deng! Haywood will replace Chandler! Noah is smart, so don’t gamble on steals, same if Asik comes in! Protect the paint! Lastly, Shawn Marion! He’ll replace Nowitzki! Marion, control Taj Gibson! Alright, let’s go!”

As Rick Carlisle explained the substitutions, the players began taking off their warm-ups. Carlisle quietly called Youngjae over, who was resting on the bench after putting on his jersey.

“Yoon, do you think your shooting touch is off today? I see hesitation even on open looks.”

“Ah… Yes. I’m sorry. It doesn’t feel right.”

“No, it’s good to be aware of your condition. But you’re not just a defender and three-point shooter. You’re one of our best slashers, responsible for the fourth-most points on the team, and your field goal percentage is excellent. If you hesitate to shoot, our spacing gets messed up, and Nowitzki carries too much of the scoring load. I’ve watched you since the draft, and I know you’re trying to fit in for the sake of winning. But sometimes you have to be aggressive.”

Carlisle patted him on the shoulder, serious, like a veteran player giving advice to a younger one.

“I won’t say more. Overcoming a bad shooting night is up to you. I think Kyle Korver, who’s replacing Keith Bogans, will have trouble guarding you, so they might put Luol Deng on you. Thibodeau’s defense is flexible and systematic, so it’s possible. If that happens, it’ll be different. Endure it and make the attack work. Be confident. Whether you drive or spot-up. Yoon, that’s what I, Rick Carlisle, the coach of Dallas, want from you. Care for the team, but actively score for the team.”

Youngjae was moved by Carlisle’s sincere advice. He knew that when his shot wasn’t falling, he tended to focus on passing for the team’s sake. But… didn’t he know himself well? He knew what kind of player point guard Yoon Youngjae was in his past life: just a backup. It helped him get here, but his main role now was shooting guard, and he’d been recognized for his ability as a shooting guard. He was a shooting guard who could lead, not a superstar who could professionally lead and shoot.

‘Let’s not forget our duty.’

The responsibility as a shooting guard. Scoring.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

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

＠The two semi-conference series are now 1:1. Chicago looks tough because Noah isn’t normal. It’s better not to have Noah. If J.R. doesn’t act like a thug, Cleveland looks easy. The Clippers finally realized Paul’s absence. Austin Rivers’ clutch turnover… In the end, Griffin was the only one leading, so in the fourth quarter, Griffin’s stamina burden and the limitations of the monotonous attack pattern were revealed.

※Contest: Encompasses the act of interfering with shooting as much as possible. To put it simply, it can be seen as raising your hand and jumping in front of the opponent shooting. It is to prevent the opponent from shooting easily. You can think of it as interfering with the field of vision and suppressing the direction of the ball.

※ Feeding: Similar to feeding as the word suggests. It refers to passing from the outside to the post. It is mainly used for control tower big men (Marc Gasol, Joakim Noah, Kevin Garnett, etc.) who have a wide field of vision and good passing skills. Instead of these players coming out as screeners, they grab the ball like guards and pass it left and right to create space. That’s why they get 5-7 assists even though they are centers.

※Weak Side: The opposite of the strong side, it refers to the direction where there are fewer people and the opponent’s defense is weak. Dividing the half court left and right based on the goal, the side with more defense is the strong side, and the side with less defense is the weak side.

Thank you for your comments, Gray Shadow, Pretty Boy in Front of You, -DarkANGEL-, Brilliant Legacy!!!

Vegetable Milk/// Um, Nowitzki and Duncan’s head-to-head record is 33 (San Antonio): 22 (Dallas) in the regular season from 1999 to 2015. The playoffs are 18 (San Antonio): 15 (Dallas). They are really disgusting old men. Considering San Antonio’s performance, it seems no exaggeration to say that Dallas is the team that catches San Antonio the best among the 29 teams. The number of head-to-head matches between players is said to be the highest among active players.

Grow Up Grow Up/// Somehow ㄷㄷ…

Get Out of the Way/// Hehe NBA is fun ^^ Please watch it when you have time~

Heavenly Star/// Uh hahaha It’s not short ㅠ.ㅠ

Devil’s Number/// I’m already trapped in assignment hell ㅠ.ㅠ

Thank you for your comments, Kwon Woo-hyun™, Kundara, misscherry, Angel’s Circumstances///

Lafir and Jint/// A boss called assignment and exam…

anwkdk/// I also know that Lin is a player with unstable dribbling and vision but good athletic ability. Still, was his speed top-notch? Hmm… I think the average I thought was too high.

zigichacha/// Rose in this season is ㄷㄷㄷ

Yabes/// Dejordan or McGee has a BQ of hahaha. A big man… It’s a part that can be considered later.

Thank you for your comments, User Master, Omari On, Financia, Goddess Yuri Praise///~~

pen36/// That’s right. It’s Rose’s MVP season.

Mangpo-dong///Thank you for the marathon reading~