Y13 [EN]: Chapter 59

Y13-59 (59/296)

00059 2010-11 Regular Season =========================================================================

Just before the start of the 4th quarter, Coach Thibodeau nodded, observing the Dallas Mavericks’ unexpectedly persistent pursuit. He then began instructing his players.

“Alright, it’s the 4th quarter. Except for Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas’s shooting percentage, especially from beyond the arc, isn’t great. Maintain our defensive rotations, forcing them to the outside and staying alert for potential drives. And Dallas’s inside game is practically non-existent without Tyson Chandler! We need to dominate the paint [the area near the basket, bounded by the free-throw line and the baseline] and grab those offensive rebounds! Gibson, Noah! You two alternate guarding Nowitzki, and if necessary, double-team him decisively! Focus on offense and wear him down so he can’t exert much energy on defense! Let’s shut down their final push!”

Coach Thibodeau encouraged his players with a gravelly voice and applause, and the players nodded, determined to end Dallas’s relentless chase.

[Alright, the 4th quarter is finally starting. The current score is 67 to 61. Neither team has been particularly effective on offense. The point difference has remained in the single digits.]

[Ah! It’s truly remarkable. Despite their poor shooting night, the Dallas Mavericks are persistently chasing Chicago, aren’t they? Dirk Nowitzki is the only one shooting above 50%. He’s made 11 of 18 field goals (2-point and 3-point), including two 3-pointers, and has already scored 26 points with free throws! Plus, he’s pulled down 6 rebounds, fueling Dallas’s comeback attempt!]

As Weber finished speaking, Brian Dunton began discussing Dallas’s weaknesses.

[However, the other players seem to be struggling too much. The shooting percentages of the four guards—Caron Butler, Jason Terry, J.J. Barea, and Youngjae Yoon—are really concerning.]

[Combined, Kidd, Terry, Barea, and Yoon’s field goal percentage is less than 25%. And it’s not like Chicago’s guard defense is particularly strong. Yoon has done a decent job defensively on Derrick Rose, better than expected, but his stamina is clearly becoming an issue. As a result, his shots are falling short. Youngjae Yoon, who is usually so accurate, is 2/5 on 2-pointers and 0/4 on 3-pointers today, a dismal 2/9 overall. He’s mainly contributing with intelligent plays to draw fouls and kick-out passes [a pass from the inside to a player on the perimeter] after drives… Unless one of the four guards steps up, it could be a tough game.]

[Dallas’s guards are missing open 3-pointers tonight, aren’t they? Yoon not hitting any 3-pointers is especially concerning.]

Weber nodded, agreeing that it was possible.

[Shooting touch isn’t something that many players maintain consistently. Considering Youngjae Yoon’s performance so far, he’s been phenomenal for a rookie, truly outstanding. But no rookie can have a perfect season. Games like this happen. It’s an unavoidable situation for Dallas! Dirk Nowitzki’s offense is incredible, but we can’t ignore that he’ll face even more intense defensive pressure in the 4th quarter! Despite his struggles today, Yoon is currently Dallas’s best outside shooter! If he hesitates or passes up open shots because he’s not feeling it, it will disrupt the spacing and make Chicago’s tight defense even more impenetrable! He needs to shoot with confidence!]

Youngjae swallowed hard and watched the beginning of the 4th quarter from the bench, not missing a single moment. He needed to conserve his energy, so he couldn’t actively cheer, but he exchanged words and high-fives with the players coming in during timeouts.

Coach Thibodeau seemed determined to keep his starters in as much as possible, making no further substitutions. The only change was Keith Bogans replacing Kyle Korver to strengthen the defense.

The score continued to fluctuate. The Bulls’ tight rotation defense and the Dallas shooters’ cold shooting touch prevented their outside game from taking off. With Youngjae, a dangerous driving option with a diverse skillset and excellent speed, out of the game, they were forced to rely solely on Nowitzki and Caron Butler for scoring.

Fortunately, Chicago’s offense was also struggling. The defenders guarding Rose, along with Tyson Chandler, were intelligently executing 2-2 defense, stifling Chicago’s attack. Derrick Rose, who averages over 25 points per game, was held to just 17 points by the mid-point of the 4th quarter.

“Yoon, go out there and shoot without hesitation until the end.”

Carlisle didn’t say much. Youngjae, like Jason Terry, needed to shoot confidently even on days when he wasn’t feeling it. This was especially important for a player who frequently created open looks.

“Yes.”

Youngjae didn’t offer a longer response. Only 5 minutes remained. The point difference was 8. He had to overcome his fear of making mistakes. He needed to actively contribute to the comeback with his scoring.

[Here we go, the final stretch. Coach Rick Carlisle is making a bold move, inserting Youngjae Yoon for Barea and Jason Terry for Jason Kidd! In a way, they’re sacrificing some defense. With this lineup, Youngjae Yoon will be playing point guard, and Jason Terry will be at shooting guard, right?]

[That seems to be the case. Jason Terry isn’t incapable of running the point, but it’s been a while, and he’s not as steady as Yoon. Since Kidd hasn’t even been getting many shot opportunities today, they’ll likely use Terry and Yoon as ball-handlers to create opportunities through pick-and-rolls with Nowitzki, or if that doesn’t work, they’ll pass the ball around to find open shots or rely on Dirk Nowitzki’s 1-on-1 play!]

Chris Webber’s sharp prediction was accurate. Dallas had Youngjae playing Kidd’s role, but they deployed an offense centered around endless switching and drives, resembling a double shooting guard system.

[Alright, no need to rush, Chicago. With an 8-point lead, there’s no need to force fast breaks, right?]

Rose’s relaxed expression showed he was trying to use as much of the 24-second shot clock [the time limit a team has to attempt a shot] as possible. But Youngjae and the Dallas players remained unfazed. If they could get a stop on defense and prevent offensive rebounds, Dallas still had a good chance to win.

[Derrick Rose, to Keith Bogans. Jason Terry is guarding Bogans closely!]

[Derrick Rose’s driving ability is so exceptional that it’s really difficult for a weak defender like Jason Terry to guard him, isn’t it? Derrick Rose, the starting point of Chicago’s offense and a player who can finish at the rim, is a much bigger threat than Keith Bogans, who has 0 points today, so it seems Carlisle has chosen to keep Yoon on Rose.]

[Keith Bogans, looking for an opening, but unable to find one, passes it back to Luol Deng!]

Luol Deng checked the shot clock, seeing only 3 seconds remaining, but he couldn’t easily get a shot off. Shawn Marion, known as “The Matrix,” was tightly guarding him, using his entire body to contest Deng’s shot.

[Luol Deng forced to take a tough shot as the shot clock expires!]

It’s a given that the accuracy of a shot decreases with its difficulty. Dallas’s inside players gritted their teeth and began battling for position, doing everything they could to box out and secure the rebound.

Thud!

The short shot hit the edge of the rim hard and bounced out. Coincidentally, the ball started falling towards where Youngjae and Derrick Rose were tangled up.

[Here we go! Youngjae Yoon and Derrick Rose battling for the rebound!]

Youngjae, thinking he needed to overcome Derrick Rose’s explosiveness with his height, jumped first to gain the advantage. Rose also jumped, knowing that losing this rebound could lead to another Dallas possession, but he ended up disrupting Youngjae’s balance.

Crash!

Beeeep-!

[Oh! Derrick Rose called for a loose ball foul! He pushed Youngjae Yoon, who had already jumped!]

[Perhaps Derrick Rose’s decision was a good one. They still have team fouls to give, and he eliminated the risk of a fast break. I think he stopped Dallas’s momentum!]

Tyson Chandler, with the ball on the sideline, safely passed it in. Youngjae received the ball and slowly crossed the half-court line, reaching the top of the key. With Keith Bogans guarding him closely, Youngjae dribbled for a moment, then called for Nowitzki to set a screen. He quickly used a give-and-go to shake off Bogans and drive towards the rim on the right side.

[Youngjae Yoon’s speedy drive!]

[Despite being tired, Youngjae Yoon is showing incredible driving ability with smooth movements! Keith Bogans is beaten! Luol Deng is coming to help! But Shawn Marion is standing firmly in Deng’s path!!]

As Youngjae drove, using Shawn Marion’s screen, he felt his vision narrowing. He saw that Nowitzki was being guarded by Taj Gibson, and Joakim Noah was firmly protecting the paint. A scoring opportunity through Chandler was also unlikely.

“Ugh!”

Youngjae let out a frustrated yell, abruptly stopping his forward momentum and taking a step back.

‘My shots are falling short!’

Youngjae forcefully flicked the ball with a finger roll that was slightly different from his usual form. Keith Bogans, who was late getting around the screen, knew that Youngjae’s shooting touch wasn’t great tonight and had been studying Youngjae’s shots throughout the 4th quarter. He extended his hand as he had been doing to contest Youngjae’s shots.

Whack-

Beeeep-!!

“?!”

But Bogans couldn’t help but be surprised. Youngjae’s shooting form was exactly the same as usual, but his arm extended further forward than usual, and Bogans couldn’t help but hit Youngjae’s hand.

Swish-

Youngjae watched the ball with anticipation. The ball, launched with even more spin than usual, flew on a low arc. The shooting pose and force were the same as usual, but feeling his physical limitations, Youngjae extended his arm further forward to reduce the physical distance and spun the ball more quickly to create a low but long-reaching arc.

Swish!

A moment of silence. The Chicago fans were shocked by Youngjae’s basket, unable to say a word. Conversely, cheers erupted from the Dallas fans in attendance.

“Ooooo!!!”

Youngjae clenched his fist without realizing it and shouted. A successful jumper, albeit a risky one. Chandler yelled back at Youngjae, who had overcome his shooting slump with ingenuity, and he shared an electrifying high-five with Nowitzki.

[Wow!!! Did you see that?! Youngjae Yoon’s basket and the foul! Dallas isn’t giving up!]

[Dallas is relentlessly chasing! What an amazing shot by Youngjae Yoon! He felt his shots were falling short, so he extended his arm forward and released the ball more quickly, lowering the arc but increasing the distance to force the shot in!]

[It was a successful gamble. Usually, shooting with a different form than your usual one lowers your success rate, but he sensed that his usual touch wasn’t working today, so he made that adjustment in this clutch moment!]

Youngjae, still riding that exhilarating feeling, stepped to the free-throw line. With a long sigh, he calmly made the first free throw.

[83 to 78! Now it’s just a 5-point difference!]

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

★Thank you to everyone who favorited, recommended, commented, and gave coupons!!

@Rose’s buzzer-beater was electrifying. During this regular season, Rose led the game against Dallas to overtime with such a buzzer-beater, and I suddenly remembered the scene where Monta Ellis hit a buzzer-beater in overtime, leading to a loss.

@Austin Rivers really paid his dues. American Father’s Day is in the third week of June, so it’s like the day after Father’s Day in Korea, and he just exploded like that. And because Haws also exploded, Houston seemed to be in a mental breakdown.

@Youngjae can’t always succeed. He will lose and be tested from time to time. From the beginning, his specs weren’t LeBron or Jordan-level athleticism and durability. I will try to describe winning games rather than losing ones, but because he keeps succeeding, it seems like expectations are getting too high. Of course, he’s definitely not an average player.

※Basically, field goals are the sum of 2-pointers and 3-pointers. For example, if a field goal is 4/9 and 3-pointers are 2/6, then 2-pointers are 2/3 and 3-pointers are 2/6. This notation is the same in Korea and abroad.

※Kick-out pass: A pass from near the basket to the outside. This includes a guard passing to the outside while driving, or a big man passing to the outside from the paint.

※Paint Zone: The narrow space from the baseline to the free-throw line. You can think of it as the area where players stand on either side when shooting free throws. It is mainly a rebounding area and the area where layups are attempted. In the NBA, staying in this area for more than 3 seconds results in a violation (3-second violation).

※Shot-clock: A clock that shows how much time is left in the attack or quarter. If this shot clock rings, it means the time limit has passed or the quarter has ended.

yaves/// No, you’re welcome. You posted it. I must have missed it because I re-commented after posting it ㅠ.ㅠ

pen36/// He’s still a rookie, and in the world of sports, you have to roll him around a bit to get the taste ㅋㅋ

Anti/// Peja is recruited after Butler’s season is over. Brewer is waived and recruited shortly before the playoffs… I don’t know yet. I’ll bring Peja if possible.

Celestial Separation/// He was rolled around coolly and barely put one in ㅋㅋ

Brilliant Legacy, Finance, Angel’s Circumstances/// Thank you for your comments!!

Lafir and Jint/// Because the child is succeeding too much and only putting in good things…ㅎㅎ

Shadow Boy/// Well, you always grow by experiencing defeat ㅎㅎ. It’s hard to describe everything ㅠ.ㅠ

misscherry/// He had never blocked a Rose-level player for 2-30 minutes before ㄷㄷ

-DarkANGEL-, Omariyon, zigichacha/// Thank you for your comments as always~~

Rhone’s Heart/// It was a thrilling buzzer beater. Austin Rivers really paid his dues ㅋㅋ

Goddess Yuri Praise/// I have my graduation exam next week ㅠ.ㅠ I’ll try it after I finish my graduation exam ㅎㅎ