Basketball Terminal

Chapter 38 Controlling the Field
In Brooklyn, New York, not far from the Barclays Center, a Toyota Corolla is parked on the side of the road. Paris Robin is eating a hot dog and tapping the steering wheel with his fingers.

The car was blasting deafening rap music, Drake's "God's Plan." Drake is a Canadian singer who loves basketball and the NBA, and his lyrics often incorporate basketball elements. In 2019, when the Raptors won the championship, he released two singles to celebrate Canada's first NBA title.

“50 dub I even got it tatted on me, 81 they'll bring the crashers to the party. And you know me, turn the 0 2 into the 0 3…”

The noise was so loud that it took Luo Ping a moment to realize someone was knocking on the car window. It was Sean McCallian. Luo Ping quickly unlocked the car and let McCallian in.

"I can hear your car firing fireworks from fifty feet away. Have you ever fought in Iraq? Why are you making such a loud noise?"

"Oh, my new car stereo, Dolby sound! 360-degree surround sound, it's like being there! What do you think, Sean!"

"Keep your voice down! I can't hear what you're saying!"

Luo Ping turned the volume down, and McCallen felt a buzzing in his ears. Luo Ping finished his hot dog, licked his fingers, and took out his phone. McCallen looked exasperated and said, "You sent me here just to listen to your new speaker?"

"I'm showing you a genius's performance." Luo Ping took out his phone, opened a live streaming app, and watched a basketball game.

“Long Island Nets and Iowa Wolves?” McCalion recognized the two teams’ jerseys at a glance.

"It's the second quarter! Look at the score, we're up by 20 points! Holy crap, I just checked and we were only up by 15. Do you know who did it? The rising superstar of the East Coast, from the Dragon Kingdom... Hey! Don't go, don't go, Sean!"

Luo Ping had only sung halfway through when McCalion opened the car door to leave. Luo Ping grabbed McCalion and said, "Dude! You really should watch his performance! Why are you in such a hurry? I didn't lie to you last time, did I? He got drafted by the Long Island Nets, he's amazing... Don't go."

McCallian got back into the car, sighed, and said, "Paris, your recommendation was indeed good, but I've already done you a favor, and we're even. Victor is indeed a good player, but that has nothing to do with me. The team has already sent a special scouting team to Disney to observe him, so it's not my responsibility anymore. Sorry, Paris."

“But you’re the one who discovered Viktor, aren’t you? What about that black guy from last time? The guy Viktor defended like a dog, where is he? Where is he? Viktor is much better than him.” Luo Ping was referring to Novan Pelle.

Pelle's contract termination with the Nets dealt a heavy blow to McCallum, who spearheaded the signing. Consequently, the Nets' scouting team sent personnel to Orlando Disney to observe young players, excluding McCallum, despite his six years with the Orlando Magic and extensive connections there.

Among the Nets' scouting team, McCalil is the least experienced, having only joined the team in 2018. Others like Khalid Green and Bob Ferry are much more senior.

Take Bob Ferry, for example. He started as a scout for the Nets in 2010 and served as general manager of the Washington Bullets from 1973. He worked there for 20 years, winning one championship and two Executive of the Year awards. He's a living legend in the league. When he stepped into a high-level executive position in the league, McCallian wasn't even a fertilized egg yet.

Therefore, McCallum is eager to achieve something, particularly in the draft and free agency market. Especially given the team's frequent big trades and signings, if he can't even handle minor adjustments, his competence will definitely be questioned.

Seeing McCallian remain silent with a somber expression, Luo Ping continued, "I know, they excluded you from the decision-making group because you didn't select the right person? Oh my god, my brother, now there's a great opportunity right in front of you, it's already in your hands, why not seize it? Victor is my good brother, he's very loyal, he personally asked me to find you and get the scouting team to pay more attention to you, he said he has the ability."

McCallian finally said, "He's that confident in himself?"

"You only need to look at me, how could my judgment be wrong?"

McCallian thought to himself, "Your judgment has never been right, but this time you must have gotten incredibly lucky to find such a gem." However, Luo Ping was right: if Victor really saw him as a link to the Nets, then why shouldn't I make good use of that connection?

He was able to get a tryout with the Long Island Nets because I personally recommended him to Brett. Brett later said that Victor's tryout was perfect, a great defensive team player. So how could I let go of this potential credit?

Having figured this out, McCalion settled down and decided to calm down and continue watching the live broadcast of the game with Luo Ping in the car.

At this point, the game was in the latter part of the second quarter, and the pace of both teams was increasing. It had reached a point where after one team scored, the other would immediately inbound the ball from the baseline and drive to the basket. Once past half-court, a shot was almost guaranteed after no more than three passes.

That's how the G League is; everyone is both a team player and a lone wolf. To succeed in this environment, neither solely relying on teamwork nor solely on individual effort is enough. Li Wei understood this perfectly, so when both sides were fiercely competitive, he unceremoniously adopted a toxic playing style. He stopped expending too much energy on defense and focused all his energy on offense: grabbing offensive rebounds, anticipating the opponent's defensive movements, cutting to the basket, and immediately launching a three-pointer from the right 45-degree angle.

In this high-scoring battle, the Iowa Timberwolves narrowed the gap because the Nets' real advantage lay in their defense. Especially in the final stages, guards Alonzo Trier and Lindall Wikington frequently unleashed three-pointers from beyond the arc.

双方最大分差从20分一眨眼就来到了11分。由于G联赛现在动不动比分上到130分、140分，所以20分的分差，稍微给点时间很快会抹平，10分的分差更加算不了什么。

This trend isn't limited to the G League; it's also prevalent in the NBA. A 15-point lead in a quarter isn't secure either, as quick three-pointers and fast breaks can quickly turn the tide.

Inside the car, Luo Ping and McCallian were both baffled. McCallian remained silent, while Luo Ping kept explaining, "His strength is defense, but he's also quite good offensively, right? The Nets wouldn't want a player who has absolutely no offense, would they?"

"Although he used his eyes instead of his hands to defend just now, he just didn't want to, not that he couldn't, I know that."

"Yes, he just put his hands on his hips, but I think he was conserving energy for the second half. He wasn't like that in the first quarter! McCallum, don't go! You have to watch the whole thing!"

"I just got off the bus to buy a pack of cigarettes. I'm not as impatient as you think. If I'm going to watch it, I'll definitely watch the whole game."

McCallen got out of the car, bought a pack of cigarettes at a nearby convenience store, and smoked them in a corner of an alley. He closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and erased the game footage he had just watched, relying solely on his intuition to judge Levi's level. He hoped his intuition would tell him: was Levi a player worth fighting for?

“Shit, intuition. I’m not Jerry West, nor Larry Bird. My intuition is nothing.”

The cigarette burned down to his butt. McCallen threw the cigarette butt into the trash can and was about to go back to his car when he saw Luo Ping running out with his phone in his hand.

"what happened?"

"The Wi-Fi in the restaurant upstairs isn't working! I'm going out to find a working network!"

Don't you have internet access yourself?

"Too expensive, I usually eat at nearby restaurants... Fuck, did they change the password for this place too...?"

"Fine, I'll use my phone!"

Back in the car, McCallian took out his phone and turned on the live stream of the game; the second half was about to begin.

At the start of the third quarter, the situation was very similar to the beginning of the first quarter, with Levi starting to exert himself on the defensive end. However, instead of focusing on Tyler Cook, he repeatedly switched to defend the perimeter, directly facing the Timberwolves' fast shooters Alonzo Trier and Lindall Wikington near the three-point line.

A block, a direct steal, a missed shot interference – perfect delays. Once the defense switched, Li Wei once again delivered a perfect performance against smaller players. His reaction speed and anticipation made him incredibly effective against smaller guards, immediately shutting down the two guards who had been shooting like crazy at the end of the second quarter.

With their tough defense, the Long Island Nets widened the gap again. After a series of fast breaks, the gap was approaching 20 points. Only then did Li Wei relax a little, return to the basket, and direct his teammates to defend a 3-2 zone defense.

McCalion pulled another cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag.

What's the point of having intuition? We absolutely have to keep an eye on him. Luo Ping is right; we can't let an opportunity slip through our fingers. We must find the manager or boss and recommend Li Wei before the Disney scouting team makes a decision.

In the world of basketball, players are like stocks. Some are blue-chip stocks, everyone knows they can make money, but you can't buy them even if you want to. The most attractive ones are always the ones with potential; you buy them before they surge, and when they finally skyrocket, you can make a fortune.

(End of this chapter)