Y13 [EN]: Chapter 87

Y13-87 (87/296)

00087 2010-11 Regular Season =========================================================================

Youngjae watched John Wall, who had blocked his path, glaring at him slightly before retreating. He felt a pang of envy. He had spent nine years honing his skills, clawing his way to this point. Of course, those previous nine years had their limitations. To be precise, it took him eleven years to finally reach this position, while John Wall had achieved it in just a few years. This meant Youngjae’s progress was much slower compared to John Wall, and the thought made Youngjae feel a bit scared about the future.

‘I’ve already succeeded just by getting this far,’ he imagined himself rationalizing. He believed that even maintaining his current skills, Youngjae could play as a starter on any team. However, the moment he set a limit, it would be the end. Monstrous rookie players would continue to emerge. Youngjae didn’t want to be left behind in that competition. Seeing John Wall’s growth compared to their previous match, Youngjae felt jealous but also relieved in a way. He was living in a den of monsters that wouldn’t allow him to rest easy.

[Barea slowly crosses the half-court line, controlling the tempo! Barea reaches the top, and Nick Young blocks his path!]

[Barea is playing well these days, isn’t he? If he gets a screen to shake off Nick Young, he can definitely drive in!]

No sooner had Jeff Van Gundy finished speaking than Tyson Chandler came to the top to set a screen. This was the textbook offense of the Dallas Mavericks.

[Ah! As Tyson Chandler sets the screen, Youngjae Yoon sprints from the right side to the left! John Wall follows, but after Youngjae Yoon passes the baseline, Nowitzki skillfully sets a screen!!!]

[He shook off John Wall! Barea! Drive in! Even Nick Young is shaken off! What will Barea do!]

Whoosh-

The choice was clear. Rather than Barea, a 6-0 short guard, attempting a layup against the opponent’s center, JaVale McGee, it was much safer to pass the ball to the open Youngjae for a more reliable score. A few months ago, Barea might have forced the shot, but recently, Barea’s vision had improved quite a bit.

[J.J. Barea’s kick-out pass! Barea doesn’t force it and passes out. He’s definitely on a roll these days!]

[Here comes! Youngjae Yoon, spot-up 3-pointer!!!]

Swish-

[BANG!!! OH MY GOD!!!]

[Youngjae Yoon, a perfect clean shot that only touches the net! He returns the screen he suffered from John Wall!]

Even though the shot went in, Youngjae didn’t lower his right hand, flicking his wrist as he retreated. As if to say he could shoot anytime, Youngjae flicked his wrist a few more times, then held up two fingers, reminding the Washington players that it was his second 3-pointer.

After that, Youngjae started to dominate. It wasn’t that he had been negligent in previous games, but it would be more accurate to say that the plays he made for the team’s victory had changed slightly.

Youngjae had been playing as a pass-first point guard for the past nine years. Even though he had honed his skills as a scorer for a year and a half in the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association, the organization that regulates college athletics in the US] and Dallas, that habit didn’t disappear easily. However, Youngjae was physically feeling that his style was being read as the season progressed.

Opponents were gradually recognizing that he preferred to open up the offense with a pass rather than shooting, even when driving to the basket, and that he aimed for assists rather than finishing himself if there was an open teammate. Youngjae had noticed that opponents were actively trying to cut off his passing lanes rather than blocking his shots, and that they weren’t easily fooled by his fakes.

[Youngjae Yoon penetrates deep into the paint!]

[Youngjae Yoon penetrates at high speed! John Wall chases him to the end!]

[Youngjae Yoon’s tendency has been to pass to the outside or to the rolling man after penetrating the paint, rather than finishing himself?!]

[If he passes now, it looks like John Wall will intercept it! John Wall behind him, Kevin Seraphin in front! He’s in a dilemma!]

Youngjae gritted his teeth, feeling the pressure from both sides. He rebuked himself for perhaps having been complacent. There was no weakness as fatal as having one’s style read. The self-reproach made Youngjae think more flexibly.

[Youngjae Yoon jumps up!]

[Kevin Seraphin and John Wall also jump up together!]

In that instant, Youngjae had a pointless thought, ‘It seems like time slows down when you face situations like this in movies or novels…’ but his hands were quickly moving the ball from his right hand to his left hand.

John Wall and Kevin Seraphin were wary of Youngjae passing at any moment, so they couldn’t respond properly to a direct shot, and Youngjae accurately exploited that gap.

Beee!!!

[WOW!!! Y13 GORGEOUS DOUBLE CLUTCH!!!]

[AND ONE!!! Youngjae Yoon, that’s a perfect movement!]

Being labeled as a pass-first player is truly terrifying. If he had passed this time, the pass would have been intercepted by John Wall. However, the two players who had predicted that he would pass this time were late in trying to block Youngjae’s double clutch and ended up touching his hand.

After landing on the ground, Youngjae didn’t avoid the gaze of John Wall and Kevin Seraphin, who were looking at him in disbelief, and taunted them with a hand gesture, flicking his right hand as if to say, ‘Come on, try me.’

Swish-

Since Youngjae’s free throw success rate was over 90% this season, it felt like he was making all 10 out of 10. Youngjae, who had cleanly made this free throw, began to increase the proportion of direct finishes rather than passes.

[Youngjae Yoon, hesitate step in front of Nick Young!]

[It’s really difficult to defend because he can narrow and widen the distance back and forth at any time with small steps! Nick Young is too hasty and gets too close to Youngjae Yoon!]

With Nick Young’s mark, Youngjae approached as if to stick to him, then suddenly turned his body and lightly brushed past Nick Young. John Wall came to help late, but Youngjae was already soaring.

Swish-

[Immediately a pull-up jumper after the spin move! Amazing!]

Having succeeded in scoring like this in succession, Nick Young and John Wall had no choice but to make their defensive movements bigger in order to block Youngjae’s shots. It’s difficult to block patterns that are different from usual.

[Tyson Chandler’s screen! Barea, who has slipped out slightly, throws a fantastic kick-out pass! The ball connects perfectly to Youngjae Yoon on the left side!]

As soon as Youngjae received the ball, he soared up without hesitation. Wall, who had switched with Nick Young, blocked Youngjae’s path as if he couldn’t allow any more scores, and stretched his right hand upwards with all his might.

Whoosh!

[Wow, wow!!! Youngjae Yoon, an amazing play!!]

[He collapses the motion to shoot a 3-pointer as it is, and throws the ball with both hands to Tyson Chandler under the basket! The Washington defense doesn’t react to the incredible speed!]

[Tyson Chandler, as soon as he receives the pass, a one-handed dunk as it is!]

Bang!!

Tyson Chandler, who slammed down so hard that the basket swayed, landed heavily and then turned around, showing off his biceps with full force in both arms. Chandler, who lightly high-fived Youngjae on the way back, had a satisfied expression, and Youngjae also gave a thumbs up, praising Chandler’s play.

The play that Youngjae made now was the play of Kyle Korver, a shooting specialist who transferred to Atlanta in his past life and whose skills blossomed. His accurate 3-point shooting was a tactic in itself just by him being on the court, and the opposing team tried to seal Kyle Korver’s 3-point shot with tremendous close marking to stop him. Korver, who was struggling with such defense, began to take advantage of the close marking, which was the pass that stabbed the ball into the basket with both hands just before shooting a 3-pointer. This pass allowed Atlanta to gain more diverse offensive tactics, and in Youngjae’s past life, they achieved the feat of finishing the regular league as the Eastern Conference’s top team in the 2014-2015 season.

Despite John Wall’s struggles to maintain the balance, Washington was increasingly cracking due to Youngjae’s skillful play, which had changed to a more aggressive pattern than before. In particular, Barea and Youngjae were guards who could both shoot 3-pointers and penetrate, so no matter who Wall blocked, Wall couldn’t cover the remaining one, and even if Nick Young, Mike Bibby, and Jordan Crawford took turns trying to control the remaining one, they couldn’t control Barea and Youngjae at all.

“Barea! Stick to him to the end!”

And Youngjae gradually began to raise his voice. Moving tactically as a member of the team and doing his best in his role was also a perfect piece. However, when Kidd wasn’t there, Youngjae matched his defensive position with Barea, directed him, and began to contribute to defensive organization. In the big men’s defense, Tyson Chandler was the mainstay, and Nowitzki constantly exchanged conversations and coordinated. Barea, Youngjae, and Shawn Marion gave each other advice and encouragement whenever they saw a gap, so even if they were penetrated, the help immediately came and minimized the gap.

[The Dallas Mavericks are properly showing off their qualities as the league’s second-ranked team! Isn’t this the ultimate form that the Dallas Mavericks are pursuing?!]

[They continue to communicate with each other and develop offense and defense, so there’s no reason to get tangled up! The Washington Wizards must feel like they’ve met a mountain too big! The balance that had been somewhat matched with John Wall’s struggles and Nick Young’s scoring ability has completely collapsed!]

[At the center of it all is Youngjae Yoon! Until now, he was a shooting guard, but he had a strong image of having a pass-first mindset and attempting stable attacks! In fact, this may be a good thing, but it can also be a disadvantage if the pattern becomes fixed! But Youngjae Yoon in today’s game is quite unconventional and challenging! He’s properly showing that everything he’s shown so far isn’t all of Y13!]

Youngjae returned to the bench after the second quarter and shared high-fives with the players. The score was already 47 to 62. With a 15-point lead at the end of the second quarter, the Dallas players were able to prepare for the second half with a light heart and without pressure. Coach Carlisle checked the score difference and replaced the members. Youngjae, who had been active with 5/8 field goal success, 15 points including free throws, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 rebounds until the second quarter, and Barea, who supported him and recorded 3/4, 7 points, and 3 assists in a short time, were replaced by Beaubois and Kidd. And Nowitzki and Chandler, who had played a lot of time, also returned to the bench, and Peja Stojakovic and Ian Mahinmi were put in instead.

Washington didn’t have that luxury. John Wall, Nick Young, and Jordan Crawford, who were in good condition today, continued to play, and Trevi Booker and Kevin Seraphin formed a pair with the three players. Coach Saunders, who had no intention of taking out Wall, Young, and Crawford, gave instructions to the three with a firm expression. Although they were on a losing streak, the Washington Wizards were not willing to back down easily because it was their home game.

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

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

@The Warriors won today. It seems like there’s no way to make up for Irving’s absence due to injury in overtime. Even today, LeBron and Thompson played for more than 45 minutes in an 8-man rotation. Fortunately, according to recent updated news, Irving’s injury is not serious, but well. His physical condition was already not good, but even if he has a minor injury, the impact will be significant… It’s his first final, so I want to play, but I’m worried about what will happen if he overdoes it and has aftereffects.

@It’s time for Youngjae to gradually change his style.

Revermiya/// Be careful…

misscherry/// The whole country is in chaos ㅠ.ㅠ

skkt0113/// ㅠ.ㅠ

Caesar Night, -DarkANGEL-, Kundara, Financia/// Thank you for your comments!!

Rough99/// You came after a long time!! What about Heywood;;;

LafirandJint/// No answer Saunders…