Y13 [EN]: Chapter 73

Y13-73

00073 2010-11 Regular Season =========================================================================

“Nowitzki, how are you feeling today?”

Carlisle, who was observing the players’ betting pool, addressed Nowitzki, who was finishing up a discussion about his injury with the team doctor.

“I’m fine.”

The team doctor also nodded, giving a thumbs-up as if to confirm Nowitzki’s complete recovery. In previous years, Nowitzki might have rushed back after a partial recovery to prevent the team from slumping. However, this year, he prioritized a full recovery, remaining out of the lineup for about 2-3 weeks.

This systematic injury management and rest period proved beneficial, allowing Nowitzki to recharge his stamina and completely eliminate the knee pain – a true win-win.

“What do you think?”

“About the team?”

Coach Carlisle simply nodded, glancing between the betting group and the players heading off for individual training. Carlisle knew that Dirk Nowitzki was a key figure in the team’s history, having experienced and achieved everything alongside him to bring Dallas to its current position. Therefore, Nowitzki often possessed insights that Carlisle himself lacked. Respecting Nowitzki as the team’s captain and franchise star, Carlisle didn’t hesitate to seek his advice.

“It’s the best I’ve ever seen it.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because it’s harmonious. And… because I see the future.”

Nowitzki kept his explanation concise, but his meaning was clear: he foresaw success. A faint smile touched Coach Carlisle’s usually stoic face.

“You mean Y13 [referring to Youngjae, whose jersey number ends in 13]?”

Nowitzki nodded and walked towards the lively shooting bet. Spotting him, Peja exclaimed, “Oh! The captain has arrived!” Tyson Chandler jokingly added, “Don’t overdo it with that bad knee. Remember your age!”

“Was that meant for me to hear?”

Then, starting with Jason Kidd (born in 1973), the team’s oldest player, followed by Jason Terry (1977), Peja Stojakovic (1977), who had just joined the team, and finally Shawn Marion (1978), everyone turned to glare at Tyson Chandler (1982) for his comment to Dirk Nowitzki (1978).

“Oops, sorry, sorry. Did I say something wrong? Ack!”

Tyson Chandler exaggeratedly dodged the basketballs being thrown at him. The younger players looked bewildered, unaccustomed to the older players’ playful antics. Before they knew it, Youngjae (1991) was standing next to Marion, laughing as he tossed a basketball at Chandler’s rear.

“Hey! You! I saw that! Wait, wait!”

Chandler ended up being bombarded with basketballs for several minutes.

[Dirk Nowitzki is scoring a lot of points as soon as he returns!]

[Dirk Nowitzki is facing Blake Griffin again! He’s pushing powerfully, but he’s not being pushed back. It seems that his knee injury has completely healed! Dirk Nowitzki is trying to post up against Blake Griffin!]

Nowitzki used his back and posterior to try and gain position against Griffin’s tight defense. However, Griffin’s strength was greater than Nowitzki anticipated, prompting him to adjust his strategy.

After a quick shooting fake, Nowitzki immediately created separation from Griffin. Griffin reached out with a frustrated expression, but his relatively short wingspan, often considered a weakness, couldn’t affect Nowitzki’s shot.

Moreover, Nowitzki didn’t just jump straight up. He leaned back as if reclining on an invisible sofa, bending one leg to prevent his opponent from getting close – his signature fadeaway.

Nowitzki’s turnaround fadeaway, sometimes called the “heron fadeaway” or “lying-down fadeaway,” arced towards the Clippers’ basket at an incredibly high angle.

[BANG! What an amazing shot! Dirk Nowitzki!]

[He already has 15 points in the middle of the second quarter! He’s 6 for 8 from the field! That’s a 75% success rate! The score is 44 to 31! A 13-point lead!]

[The Clippers must feel like nothing is going their way! Dallas’ performance has improved dramatically with Nowitzki’s return! The team’s captain brings more than just individual skill!]

The Dallas Mavericks’ momentum surged with Nowitzki’s impressive comeback. Jason Terry, who had been struggling, hit timely three-pointers to deflate the opponent’s comeback attempts, and Kidd’s game management was exceptional.

[Tyson Chandler’s screen! Youngjae Yoon goes over Chandler’s screen at the top of the key! He turns to the right!]

[Baron Davis! He tries to chase after him, but he’s too late! Tyson Chandler also rolls to the rim as soon as he screens Davis! DeAndre Jordan! He hesitates about who to defend and eventually turns towards Tyson Chandler! Ryan Gomes rushes to Youngjae Yoon, but it’s too late!]

Youngjae was disrupting the opponent’s inside and outside game with a dynamic 2-on-2 pick-and-roll. This created space and defensive breakdowns for the Mavericks.

[Youngjae Yoon, driving and raising the ball with his right hand! Youngjae Yoon soaring upwards!]

[He flicks the ball with his right hand as he jumps! A super high-arcing floater!]

The ball, released with a flick of the wrist, soared high, clearing DeAndre Jordan’s outstretched hand, and slowly descended.

Swish-

[It’s in! Perfect!]

[Yoon’s shooting accuracy is incredible! If the defender has already been screened off and DeAndre Jordan commits to Tyson Chandler, it’s essentially giving Yoon an open shot! They should have helped on the perimeter, even if it meant leaving the outside open!]

The game became a one-sided affair. Blake Griffin and Baron Davis fought hard, but the Clippers couldn’t find their rhythm and were overwhelmed by Dallas’ team offense, which combined 2-on-2 plays and open looks created by their offensive system with precision shooting.

[Another screen! This time it’s Shawn Marion’s screen!]

As soon as Kidd saw Shawn Marion setting a screen at the top of the key, he passed the ball to Youngjae. Youngjae drove to the left, separating himself from Baron Davis. To prevent another floater or accurate shot, Blake Griffin abandoned Nowitzki and quickly pursued Youngjae.

“Hmph!”

[Here we go! A clash of super rookies!]

[Ah! Is he trying to do too much?! Youngjae Yoon can’t overpower Blake Griffin’s strength! Is he still going for a layup?!]

Youngjae went up for a layup to give Griffin no time to react. Griffin, having caught up, extended his arm and jumped behind Youngjae, blocking his path to the basket.

Swish-

But Youngjae released the ball in a completely unexpected direction. His eyes were focused on the rim, and his right hand was in a perfect layup position. However, Youngjae flicked the ball behind him at the last moment.

[OH MY GOD!! Youngjae Yoon’s amazing no-look pass!]

[Blake Griffin, completely fooled! Dirk Nowitzki is already standing behind Youngjae Yoon, catching the ball safely and spotting up!]

[BULLS EYE!!! DIRK NOWITZKI 2 POINTS!]

With both Nowitzki and Butler sidelined at times, Youngjae, who was the team’s leading scorer and also filled in as point guard when Kidd or Barea were out, became a major problem for opponents. Especially since Youngjae was competing with Griffin for Rookie of the Year, Griffin tried to outplay him. However, Youngjae didn’t seem interested in personal stats or the Rookie of the Year award. He simply aimed to execute the most effective offensive play, even if it meant passing instead of shooting.

“Good!”

Watching Nowitzki make the shot and high-five Youngjae, Griffin felt a surge of frustration.

[The game is over! 115 to 92, a 23-point victory for the Dallas Mavericks! Today is a great day for Dallas fans.]

[Absolutely. Dirk Nowitzki’s return was incredible. He achieved a double-double with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, shooting 65% from the field (13/20)! He’s a phenomenal player. Despite being his first game back, he showed no signs of rust! And the players who supported Nowitzki also contributed to the victory! The most notable player was Y13, Youngjae Yoon!]

[Is it fair to say that Youngjae Yoon won the Rookie of the Year battle that everyone was watching?]

Chris Webber nodded in agreement.

[Blake Griffin played for 35 minutes and recorded 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists with 3 turnovers, shooting 7/16. He showed why he’s a strong Rookie of the Year candidate. But Youngjae Yoon’s stats are amazing. He only played 23 minutes, showing that his playing time was carefully managed. In those 23 minutes, he scored 14 points on 5/7 shooting! He was 1/1 from three (100%) and 4/6 from two (67%). He also had 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals, with a plus-minus of +14 and only one turnover! He was the perfect complement to Dirk Nowitzki!]

[Let’s go to Craig Sager Jr. for an interview with today’s MVP, Dirk Nowitzki. Craig?]

Craig Sager Jr. (Craig Sager’s son), standing on the court with Dirk Nowitzki, began the interview amidst the cheers at the American Airlines Center.

“Hello, this is ESPN’s Craig Sager Jr. I’m here with today’s MVP, Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk, were you really injured? Your performance was so amazing that it’s hard to believe!”

Nowitzki nodded, smiling awkwardly as if embarrassed.

“I was nervous because it was my first game back. But after watching my teammates struggle for the past three weeks, I felt I needed to come back and help them. That led to today’s performance.”

“You’re the captain. Mavericks fans can’t talk about the team without mentioning Dirk Nowitzki. A personal question: In the 14 games you missed, the Mavericks went 6-8. What are your thoughts on that?”

Nowitzki replied calmly, as if it was understandable.

“You can’t win every game. Compared to our strong start, the games I missed might seem disappointing. But this year’s Mavericks are different. I feel like we’re a true team. We lost many of those games by a small margin. It’s my job as captain to make up for that. Even when I’m not there, the players maintain a high level of performance and work together to win, allowing me to fully recover. The Mavericks have completely changed this year.”

“I see. We look forward to your future success. A slightly unrelated question: what are your thoughts on Youngjae Yoon and Blake Griffin?”

“Y13 is a great super rookie. I can’t believe he was the 25th pick. I have no doubt he’ll be a cornerstone of the Mavericks. He’ll face challenges as a rookie, but his attitude and play are beyond his years. He’s like a veteran, but he trains harder than any other rookie for the team and his own development. Any team would want him, and he’ll succeed in anything he does. Y13 has contributed a lot to the Mavericks. Most people thought Blake Griffin would be the unanimous Rookie of the Year, but the Mavericks think Y13 is more deserving.”

Craig Sager Jr. looked surprised by Nowitzki’s strong statement but quickly agreed. In today’s game, Blake Griffin challenged Youngjae, but Youngjae’s team won, and his individual performance was also impressive.

“After watching today’s game, I agree with Dirk. Thank you for your time, even though you must be tired. Any final words?”

Nowitzki smiled and pointed his index finger at the camera.

“Jason Kidd and Ian Mahinmi, who finished last in the shooting bet today: I expect a good dinner tonight. We’re going to an expensive place, right?”

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

I sincerely thank the readers who participated in the survey. As an amateur, Team Signature will do its best to repay the readers who give a lot of advice through surveys and comments with writings of a quality that will not disappoint!

@The survey results will be watched until tomorrow. We would like to proceed with the writing in a way that can be a win-win for each other, taking into account both the results of the survey and the flow of the writing. Of course, we will continue the story considering many points such as the character of the main character and the plausibility.

@It’s a digression, but I, Team Signature’s younger brother, am writing the afterword today. Curry vs. Harden was amazing today. Judging from the fact that GSW won by 1 point, this series will not be easy either. But… personally, I, the younger brother, feel more thrilled when the underdog wins. Curry vs. Harden are such great players that it’s hard to guess who the underdog is.

@There also seems to be some talk about the heroine. Please wait a little longer. Hehe!

@Instead of being a little late for the update time, I wrote a little more ㅠㅠ. Thank you for reading it nicely~