Basketball Terminal

Chapter 22 Ball Fanatic
The acquisition of his brother in his younger days has put Kevin Durant in a very good mood and at his best tonight. Looking back on his career over the past decade, it feels like a dream.

After a brief stay in Seattle, followed by a year of poor basketball performance in Emerald City, they arrived in the wild landscape of Oklahoma, accompanied by Russell Westbrook, and later James Harden. The three young men, like brothers, began to write their own legend in a pristine, uncharted basketball arena.

Five seasons, step by step, they progressed steadily, only to fall short on the final stage. In reality, it wasn't a big deal; they had plenty of time and youth to write a beautiful story with a satisfying ending. But a foolish trade ruined everything. Harden was traded away for a few million dollars, embarking on a path he never imagined.

Meanwhile, the Thunder and Kevin Durant were plagued by misfortune, suffering a series of injuries, consecutive defeats, and dramatic comebacks, watching helplessly as the Warriors dynasty rose to power. All these accidental factors, accumulated over the years, led to a seemingly inevitable decision: the basketball fairytale came to an end, and one of the most controversial decisions in NBA history occurred—Durant went to the 73-win Warriors.

Two championships with little suspense failed to heal the ever-growing scar on Durant's heart. After rupturing his Achilles tendon on the road to a three-peat, the scar grew even larger, becoming a terrifying, unfillable void. So he left without hesitation, leaving the Golden State Warriors, the team that could have brought him even more championship rings.

He already knew that the Warriors could give him a championship, but they couldn't give him what he truly wanted. But what he didn't know was what he truly wanted.

Harden's arrival may answer some questions. He believes he wants to compete for the championship with his former brothers, relive old dreams on the court, and taste the champagne that he couldn't open 10 years ago.

Tonight, the Nets are wearing retro blue and white jerseys, the same version used by the New Jersey Nets in the 1990/1991-1996/1997 seasons. The gradient sky blue and bright red lettering are somewhat out of place with the Brooklyn Nets' current main black color scheme.

Before the game started, James Harden and Kevin Durant hugged and exchanged words of encouragement.

That foolish trade 10 years ago changed the fates of three people. 20 years later, Harden and Westbrook teamed up again, but the result was disastrous and they failed miserably. In 21, Harden joined the Nets to join the more powerful Kevin Durant, trying to prove to people how strong they would have been if they hadn't parted ways.

Of course, a turning point in fate may seem to be due to a single, accidental act of folly, but it often contains a certain inevitability.

The increasingly sophisticated design of salary caps and luxury taxes forces team managers to consider the financial issues associated with salaries. It's conceivable that such trades are unlikely to occur in the 80s and 90s, when salary caps were less complex and there was no luxury tax, or in the future, with rules more favorable to the home team and the 2016/2017 revised collective bargaining agreement with its significantly increased salary cap.

There's also the shift in mentality. The Decision 1 of 2010 opened a new door for young superstars. The 2012 Finals were more like a clash between old and new values: drafting and building teams versus forming superteams. The losing side was destined to collapse. In the end, the latter emerged victorious, proving the correctness and feasibility of forming superteams.

There are also off-court factors. The incredible comebacks in the 2016 Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals have been attributed to both heroics and biased refereeing. In any case, changes are imperative for both the Thunder and the Warriors. Furthermore, with the new broadcasting contract taking effect and the salary cap increasing significantly, the Golden State Warriors now have the cap space to sign a superstar.

There was also the influence of public opinion. The Warriors' two championships, two Finals MVPs, one Finals appearance, and one Achilles tendon rupture in three years didn't earn him enough respect and praise, but rather endless ridicule and doubt. Even his teammates didn't truly acknowledge him, telling him that they were champions before he arrived.

In short, at every turning point in his life, Kevin Durant was influenced by countless external factors. His sensitive and innocent heart was tossed about on the turbulent waves, making choices that he believed were in line with the trend and his heart, but the results were often unsatisfactory.

At the turning point of his career at age 30, he made another choice, joining the Brooklyn Nets who were willing to wait for him for a year, teaming up with Kyrie Irving, and trading for James Harden. Everything seemed to be going well.

The game started promptly at 6:30 p.m. DeAndre Jordan received the ball in the low post and assisted Joe Harris, who made a layup and scored a three-point play, thus opening the game.

Barclays Arena was eerily quiet compared to previous game days. There were no endless cheers and applause, no live DJ music, and no noise from over 20,000 fans. It felt like a private practice game. All the sounds that could be heard from the sidelines were related to basketball.

The squeaking of cleats on the floor, the players exchanging greetings during the game, the head coach shouting instructions from the sidelines, and the substitutes cheering for the starting lineup. Sitting behind the bench, Li Wei could even hear the players whispering among themselves, discussing where to eat after the game.

The game was more intense than Li Wei had imagined, not because it was his first time watching an NBA game from the sidelines, but because of his mindset. He knew these people were likely to be his competitors in the future, so during the game he constantly put himself in their shoes: if I were in that position, could I do better than the players on the court?

The pace and intensity of the first quarter were relatively even, with the score fluctuating back and forth. The Nets took the lead, but the Magic quickly caught up. Magic center Nikola Vucevic hit consecutive mid-range and long-range shots. DeAndre Jordan of the Nets struggled to stay on the perimeter, giving Vucevic ample space to operate.

This is the current trend in the NBA: interior players must possess outside shooting ability, otherwise they will find it difficult to survive on the court. Because of this, DeAndre Jordan, who is only 32 years old this year and should theoretically still be in the prime of his center career, is no longer considered the best interior player in the league.

Once an All-Star and a consistent member of the All-Defensive First Team, his physical attributes declined with age, and his defensive abilities also rapidly diminished. In this situation, his weaknesses on offense—lack of independent scoring ability and limited shooting range—became even more apparent.

His market value reflects this: while the league's overall salary cap has risen significantly, his salary has declined year after year. It's dropped from $2000 million a year to $1000 million, and then to a few million. In the foreseeable future, a veteran's minimum salary awaits him, as he is no longer suited to the current pace and meta.

"This Vucevic is a bit slow, but he should be very strong. If he floats out to shoot, I can keep up with him." Li Wei imagined himself guarding Vucevic. His eyes could easily predict Vucevic's movements, and he expected that if he were to guard Vucevic, he could keep up and interfere.

Of course, imagining it is very different from real competition. In a real match, many factors can interfere with a player's judgment. You can't keep an eye on just one person forever; your opponent will use tactics and teamwork to affect your focus. Furthermore, fatigue and mental state can affect a player's performance. The deeper the competition goes, the more severe the test becomes for the players.

At halftime, the score was tied 50-52, with the home team Nets leading by 2 points. The Nets' offense was strong, with Kevin Durant and James Harden contributing outstanding performances in the first half. However, for the Magic, Vucevic also broke through the Nets' interior defense. His three-point shooting percentage even reached 50%, and DeAndre Jordan simply couldn't defend him at the center position.

During the game, Li Wei spotted Novan Pelle sitting on the bench. The newly signed player wasn't on the Nets' roster that night, so he was wearing a tracksuit and sitting courtside. Because he was wearing a mask, Novan had no idea that the Chinese-American kid who had made him look so bad on the street was sitting nearby watching the game.

Pelle was undoubtedly eager to try, but his physique was no match for Vucevic. Vucevic was one of the strongest centers in the league, and his skills were quite comprehensive. Li Wei watched him for half the game, thinking that defending him in the low post would be very difficult, and his face-up drives to the basket would be hard to stop.

The sounds of muscles colliding during each drive to the basket were exceptionally loud in the empty Barclays Arena. Without a doubt, for an ordinary person subjected to such impacts, being carried off the court on a stretcher would be the best possible outcome.

"How does it feel, Victor? Is it different watching it live compared to on TV?" Scott Mitchell asked Levi during halftime. Levi replied, "It's definitely different, it makes me even more excited for the NBA." Mitchell laughed and said he would write that down, maybe it could become the last sentence of a feature article.

In Mitchell's view, the Long Island Nets might be the end for Levi, carrying with him a permanent but unattainable expectation and hope for the NBA, continuing to strive—that's the final ending of the story. Like most ordinary people, he stands at the end of his abilities and destiny, gazing at the unreachable shore and distant horizon. Levi, of course, didn't think that way. He watched the game very attentively, not only using his phone to capture exciting offensive and defensive moments, but also constantly using his Observation Haki to anticipate the movements of players he was interested in.

The second half began, and the competition intensified, with a faster pace on both offense and defense. Key players began to showcase their skills in scoring and defense, vying for dominance. Li Wei could hear the shouts from both sides growing louder, as Durant and James Harden increasingly stepped up to solve problems.

On the Magic's side, Vucevic is slow but tall and strong; once you anticipate his moves, he's not easy to defend. Aaron Gordon is relatively easy to anticipate, but he has excellent speed and jumping ability, and he doesn't handle the ball much. Off the bench, Terrence Ross is very good at cutting and running, especially from the corner to the basket, which is one of the Magic's regular season tactics. He can also be anticipated, but he's very fast, requiring a high level of reaction time.

For the Nets, James Harden's ball-handling moves are unpredictable, mainly consisting of step-backs or drives, highlighting the high degree of randomness in his offense. Li Wei observed that his shadow was very short, making one-on-one defense against him extremely difficult. After all, he's the league's scoring champion, and guarding him one-on-one is fraught with challenges.

Kevin Durant's shadow is longer, but Li Wei knows that even if the anticipation is correct, defending him will be exceptionally difficult. First, his stride is long, and the defender might not be able to keep up. Second, his release point is too high; even if you perfectly defend him, he can still shoot and make the shot. In terms of sheer defensive difficulty, defending Kevin Durant is more challenging than defending LeBron James.

However, Li Wei was still confident because he knew he still had a lot of room for improvement, and his ability to predict his opponent's next move was already a huge advantage.

Perhaps Harden's arrival boosted morale, or perhaps Harden's presence provided Durant with more offensive space. Tonight, Durant had his first major breakout game in his Nets career. He shot 16-for-26 from the field, 5-for-8 from three-point range, and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, efficiently scoring 42 points with an extremely high shooting percentage, setting a new single-game scoring record since joining the Nets.

His pull-up two-pointer in the fourth quarter, followed by a strong three-pointer from the left 45-degree angle, extinguished the Magic's hopes of a late comeback. Li Wei realized that one-on-one defense was completely ineffective against this type of offense.

而刚刚换队的詹姆斯-哈登投篮18中8命中率一般，但创造了15次罚球机会，还送出14次之多的助攻，拿下了32分14次助攻12个篮板4次抢断的豪华三双数据，当然还有9次失误，差点达成4双成就。

With outstanding performances from these two superstars, the Nets defeated the Orlando Magic 122-115 at home. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving is also on the Nets' roster, currently missing games and practices due to personal reasons. When he returns, the Brooklyn Nets will have a formidable backcourt trio.

The game ended with little cheering from the crowd; only the Nets' bench players congratulated the starters. The coaching staff, wearing masks, shook hands and bumped shoulders with head coach Steve Nash, having successfully completed their mission for the night. However, Nash was not entirely at ease; while the team won, numerous problems were exposed.

The Nets' interior defense was particularly vulnerable, completely overwhelmed by a second-tier center like Vucevic. Vucevic scored 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, and shot 6-for-12 from three-point range. He even contributed 5 steals. The Nets' interior defense essentially turned Vucevic into a Hakeem Olajuwon. Vucevic's offensive rebounding was a major headache for the Nets, who ultimately relied on Durant's highly efficient offense to cover the boards.

DeAndre Jordan's decline has been too severe. He can't defend effectively, and more importantly, he's completely ineffective offensively. When he's on the court, it's a 4-on-5 situation, leaving the Nets with absolutely no offensive space. Therefore, Nash had to bring in Bruce Brown at center, even though Brown is 6'4"...

Standing at 1.93 meters tall with a slender build, he's forced to play inside, while James Harden also has to guard Vucevic on certain possessions. This might be fine for one or two games, but the long regular season and grueling playoffs take a toll on a player like that.

Nash has no other options for now but can only hope that management can find a usable interior player in free agency. He doesn't know if Novan Pelle will be a good fit; Nash will have to give him a try once he's on the roster for official training.

On the other side, Kevin Durant didn't think too much about it. He delivered a brilliant performance and easily won the MVP award. He came to the sidelines for an interview with reporters, expressing his happiness at Harden's arrival and his high expectations for the future.

As the interview ended and I was leaving through the player tunnel, someone reached out and handed me a pair of shoes, asking for an autograph. In a normal game, Durant might not sign them; it depends on his mood and the situation. Otherwise, if he signs one and there are too many people behind him, he won't be able to go back to rest.

But with no fans at the game, it's already a good thing if someone asks for an autograph. And he was in a great mood tonight, winning both the stats and the game, so he casually picked up a pen and shoes and signed his name on the shoes.

"Thank you, you did a fantastic job tonight."

Durant looked up at the person asking for an autograph and recognized him as the cool guy who had caught the ball with one hand during the pre-game warm-up!
"Hey! It's you! Cool guy! That was a great catch. A football player?" Durant looked at Levi's height and build and assumed he was a football player.

"No, a basketball player."

"Wow, I've never seen you before. Which team are you on?"

"Long Island Nets, just selected."

Durant nodded without saying anything more and turned to go back to the locker room.

Li Wei packed his sneakers into his canvas bag, ready to leave, when Durant suddenly turned back and asked, "Hey buddy, what's your name?"

“Victor, Victor Lee.”

"Victor?! That means victory. What a great name. Let's play ball together sometime."

"No problem, I can stop you."

Durant chuckled and turned to leave. Li Wei, however, was filled with excitement. He'd always heard that Durant was a "basketball fanatic," willing to compete and challenge anyone, seizing every opportunity to play. It seemed that was true. If he could really play against Durant, it would be excellent training for Li Wei, and a great opportunity to make a name for himself.

It seems tonight's game was definitely worth the trip.

(End of this chapter)