Y13 [EN]: Chapter 68

Y13-68 (68/296)

00068 2010-11 Regular Season =========================================================================

“By the way, Dirk, shouldn’t you be careful about pushing yourself too hard in today’s game?”

As always, Chandler initiated the conversation by talking to the players first, and Nowitzki simply shrugged.

“My medical report has already been reviewed by the coach. We’ve had in-depth discussions about it. Although the coach couldn’t join us on this road trip due to knee surgery, my playing time for today has already been decided during the break.”

Chandler stretched, his expression worried.

“It’s strange to hear that from someone who always told us that overdoing it is the worst thing.”

“Yeah, what if the injury gets worse?”

Nowitzki smiled faintly and said nonchalantly, “Did I say that?”

“Assistant Coach Dwane Casey will be in charge of today’s game, so he’ll make the decisions. If my playing is detrimental to the team or if I look unstable, he’s the one who can stop me even if I insist on playing. Before that, I’ll step down on my own if I feel that way.”

Nowitzki kept his words short and started to warm up. He walked slowly, and when he felt okay, he jogged lightly. He was concerned, but he didn’t think he was in a condition where he couldn’t play, so he carefully picked up a ball and stood at the free-throw line.

“Shoot. I’ll grab the rebound if it bounces out.”

Chandler had already taken his position at the center, and Youngjae smiled and approached Chandler, taking his place next to him. Youngjae looked like a teenager standing next to a large adult, and Chandler teased him, saying, “Hey, kid~” Youngjae retorted with a playful tone, “Oh, must be nice to be tall?”

“Here I go.”

Woosh-

Nowitzki’s accurate free throws went straight into the rim without any deviation, but even when the shot went in, Chandler accurately visualized and contested for the rebound. Even though the opponent was Youngjae, a guard, Chandler didn’t slack off in practice.

“Ugh!”

Youngjae tried his best to push, but he couldn’t penetrate Chandler’s incredible height and skillful positioning by even a single step. Even when Youngjae stood in the center position and Chandler stood outside, the rebound contest was a complete defeat.

“How is it? Now that you’ve gotten used to competing with me, you won’t feel the strength of other players as much during the game. Just remember the height difference between us. It’s not like I have long arms or an amazing jump.”

Youngjae chuckled at Chandler’s strange theory, but when he thought about it, it seemed to make some sense. Thinking about how he had done post-up drills with power forwards of different sizes in the Summer League, Youngjae decided to persuade Chandler to do this training from time to time.

Nowitzki’s shooting touch was also better than expected. Nowitzki, who was warming up with spot-up shots without overdoing it, boasted a success rate of over 90%. However, everyone in the Dallas Mavericks knew that Nowitzki’s knee condition was not very good. Youngjae and Chandler knew that there was only one way to reduce Nowitzki’s burden.

Reduce Nowitzki’s playing time and win the game. That was the best scenario.

[Hello! This is ESPN bringing you the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks. Mike Breen is on the play-by-play, and Jeff Van Gundy (48) is on the commentary. Nice to see you!]

[Nice to see you too, Mike! I can feel the tremendous energy from the crowd filling the Chesapeake Energy Arena, just like the name of the stadium!]

Jeff Van Gundy. A famous commentator who served as the coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets before starting his career as a commentator in earnest. As a former NBA coach, he was very popular for his extensive knowledge, logical commentary, and easy-going and straightforward style depending on the situation.

Just because he is a commentator now doesn’t mean that he is an incompetent person who couldn’t perform his duties as a coach properly, but Jeff Van Gundy has achieved great achievements as a coach.

He led the New York Knicks to six playoff appearances and one NBA Finals appearance from 1996 to 2001, and he led the Houston Rockets from 2003 to 2007, recording the team’s third-highest winning percentage of 52.8%. When he was the coach, his trademark was definitely ‘defense,’ and as a result, the New York Knicks’ team defense never fell below 5th place for 6 years, and the average points allowed per game was less than 90 points, at 89 points.

[Jeff? How do you see today’s game?]

[Ahem, listen carefully. Today’s game is… Haha! I’m more comfortable talking as a commentator. I’m not a coach anymore. The Dallas Mavericks, who have been on a roll lately, are currently in first place in the Western Conference with a record of 24 wins and 4 losses, right? On the other hand, the Oklahoma City Thunder are also in 6th place in the Western Conference with a record of 21 wins and 10 losses, but their recent momentum is not as good as the Dallas Mavericks. Their winning streak was broken by the Phoenix Suns, who have Grant Hill and Steve Nash firmly in place, and they have a winning percentage of over 50% with 3 wins and 2 losses in the last 5 games, but… Dallas is on a 4-game winning streak, right?]

Mike Breen raised his thumb, using the expression ‘Amazing’ about Dallas’s progress. However, Jeff Van Gundy predicted that Dallas would have a difficult game with his sharp analysis.

[But there is no guarantee that Dallas will win easily. Rick Carlisle, the coach, said in an interview that he would adjust the playing time of Dirk Nowitzki, the team’s captain, because he has a knee injury. It seems difficult for him to play for a long time due to inflammation and damage to the ligaments. At times like this, when the team’s first option is injured, other teammates need to play together more tightly, right? In particular, it is time for Jason Kidd, the commander of the court and the triple-double machine [a player who achieves double-digit figures in three of the five main statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks], and the team’s 2nd and 3rd options, Caron Butler and Jason Terry, to step up. And how well they can control the Durant-Westbrook one-two punch, who are combining for 50.8 points per game, will be the key.]

As soon as Jeff Van Gundy’s explanation was over, the players began to come onto the court. Mike Breen quickly began to talk about today’s starting members.

[Here is today’s starting lineup. For the home team, Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook at point guard, Thabo Sefolosha at shooting guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Jeff Green at power forward, and Nenad Krstic at center.]

[For the visiting team, Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd at point guard, Youngjae Yoon at shooting guard, Caron Butler at small forward, Dirk Nowitzki at power forward, and Tyson Chandler at center.]

[Well, Nowitzki is starting. Depending on Nowitzki’s knee condition, his playing time is expected to be adjusted depending on the point difference. Jump ball! Tyson Chandler wins the ball.]

Tyson Chandler passed the ball to Kidd, who was waiting next to him, as soon as he received it. Considering Nowitzki’s knee condition, it was right to develop the game slowly with half-court offense, but Dwane Casey, who is directing today’s game instead of Rick Carlisle, did not abandon Dallas’s unique fast break and transition offense. That’s why Nowitzki’s playing time would be strictly limited, and Dwane Casey instructed Youngjae and Butler to aim for fast breaks as much as possible, playing the role of running to the opponent’s court for a quick attack after defense.

And the players were moving smartly according to Dwane Casey’s strategy.

[Jason Kidd, a fantastic pass that pierces deeply to the front as soon as he receives the ball!]

[Russell Westbrook quickly reaches out, but fails to intercept the pass! Thabo Sefolosha and Youngjae Yoon in a 1:1!]

Thabo Sefolosha. As a shooting guard, Youngjae’s size was average, but Thabo Sefolosha was a tall player at 6-7 (201cm) and had a high understanding of team defense as well as man-to-man defense. Therefore, his ability as a defender to thoroughly block the opponent’s guards with Westbrook was very outstanding.

However, his playing time was short due to his weak offensive power. It was similar to Dallas. Oklahoma, where backup shooting guard James Harden plays for more than 30 minutes and is only nominally a sixth man. Similarly, Dallas, where backup shooting guard Jason Terry also plays for more than 30 minutes and is only nominally a sixth man. Harden and Terry are both not good at defense and don’t perform well without the ball. The roster management method was very similar, except that Youngjae had more roles and playing time than Sefolosha.

However, Youngjae had faced top players in dozens of games over the past few months, and as a result, his skills had improved significantly. Even if Thabo Sefolosha was a top-notch defender, Youngjae was confident.

[Wow! Thabo Sefolosha’s speed is amazing!]

[Did he catch up with Youngjae Yoon, who was running ahead?!]

[Youngjae Yoon doesn’t give in to speed either! Thabo Sefolosha, finally catches up and sticks to him!]

Youngjae was impressed by Thabo Sefolosha’s elastic and explosive speed, but he had plenty of time to be impressed later. Sefolosha’s defensive power, which blocked Youngjae’s shoulder with his chest and fully caught up with Youngjae’s path with quick side steps, was truly amazing.

But Youngjae pushed his shoulder straight in. Sefolosha was a little surprised that Youngjae, who he knew as a technical player, was pushing his shoulder, but that was it. It was enough power to block, and the speed was fast, but he could catch up.

“?!”

But then, Sefolosha was blown away by Youngjae without reacting at all.

[Wow, wow!! Did you see that?! Can you believe it?! He disarmed Thabo Sefolosha so easily!]

KWAANG!

[Oh, MY GODNESS! Y13 ONE HAND SLAM!!! BANG!!]

[Let’s see it again! Thabo Sefolosha seems to be blocking well at the high post, but Youngjae Yoon attempts a tremendous crossover dribble, shifting his weight from right to left in an instant! Thabo Sefolosha read Youngjae Yoon’s dribble, but immediately jumps over Sefolosha with a spin move, and even perfectly deceives center Krstic, who was guarding the basket, with a fake, and then soars up a beat late and slams a power slam!]

“Yeah!!”

“Nice!”

Dallas seized the momentum from the beginning with a single fast break. And at the center of it was Youngjae’s fantastic movement and one-handed slam. Youngjae, who shouted loudly while looking at Jason Kidd, who gave him a good pass, and shared his joy with Butler with a high-five, looked around the Chesapeake Energy Arena, which had suddenly turned cold, turned his back to the opposing players, and pointed to his jersey number with his right thumb.

[A declaration of war to try it! Youngjae Yoon! Can it really be Friday the 13th, which puts the opponent into a curse, as he aspires?!]

[Youngjae Yoon has the spirit! He is showing the aspect of Y13, he has to approach the game with the thought that Oklahoma City is nothing. Even if you have a fantastic performance, the game is now 0:2! It’s only 2 points.]

Following Jeff Van Gundy’s words, Oklahoma City reorganized around Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City’s super aces were Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and the main one was Durant. It was difficult for Oklahoma, which lacked veterans, to lose momentum. The strength of a young team is that it can explode and rush when it gains momentum, but on the other hand, it often collapses uncontrollably once it collapses.

‘It’s no wonder he’s called LeBron James’s rival.’

Kevin Durant, who is considered a superstar who can succeed LeBron James, who has won the MVP for two consecutive years. And Russell Westbrook, an enthusiastic point guard who is still young but creates tremendous synergy as a one-two punch with Durant.

When Youngjae stood in front of Westbrook, he couldn’t help but smile eerily as he felt a tingling sensation all over his body.

Because he wanted to stop him. And because he wanted to feel the pleasure of defeating him and leading Dallas to victory.

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

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

＠At the time, Rick Carlisle had knee surgery, so assistant coach Dwane Casey took over as acting coach. Carlisle returns to lead the next game.

＠By the way, Joara always goes crazy after midnight these days. I’m uploading it again several times today. I hope you can expand the server or properly check the server. It’s a relief that the content is still alive when I press the back button, but I would have been mentally broken if it had been blown away.

※Triple Double: Recording double-digit figures in 3 of the 5 stats: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

encoding/// Wow. I’m so jealous of those who started with Nash and Phoenix games. That thrilling run and gun!!

까만둥하얀콩/// I’m sorry. I think I deleted two letters while changing lowercase to uppercase. Thank you for pointing it out!!

야베스/// Uh… if it’s already fatal and perfect, will it be over soon? We haven’t even reached 70 episodes yet ㅠ.ㅠ

자이안트, 여신유리찬양, 쿤다라/// Thank you for your comments!!

misscherry/// In reality, Haywood protested during that season and it was resolved well.

반포아찌/// Hehe thank you. I guess we’ve been running well, so trials are slowly coming…??ㅎㅎ

라피르and진트/// I guess that’s why Korean fans called him Ibanamu…

-DarkANGEL-, 파이넨시아, 오마리온/// Thank you~~

천상별리/// Hehe, the next game is right after the coach is absent. Coach Carlisle is a bit of a jerk and has charisma.

러프99/// American sports often have players with more power than the coach, but Carlisle had the full support of the club, and Haywood was not a superstar, so Carlisle wins hehe. Of course, if you do that in the US, the player’s value will drop. You have to prove it with your skills like a pro.