Basketball Terminal

Chapter 49 Wearing a Crown
James was puzzled by what had just happened. He clearly saw Li Wei's hand reach out. Inexperienced rookies like this often have poor defensive habits. Randomly reaching out or standing haphazardly are opportunities that veterans can exploit. A slight deception, a touch, a foul, and three free throws.

League referees have a history of favoring newcomers, who often suffer from minor infractions. For example, traveling violations, three-second violations, and defensive contact fouls are common for rookie players, while these types of fouls are often overlooked by star players.

This is the referee's way of intimidating you. No matter what your status was in college or the national team, once you're here on our turf, you'll get a beating first to deflate your arrogance and prevent you from challenging the referee. This way, the referee can better control the situation and ensure the game proceeds smoothly.

Even a "chosen one" like LeBron James, who was famous in high school and was drafted number one in the league, still suffered some setbacks in his youth. However, he quickly established himself in the league based on his reputation and status, and the referees stopped calling fouls on him so easily.

Experienced players are adept at exploiting this unspoken rule against rookies. Especially for players like Li Wei, on a short-term contract (ten days), fewer than ten people on the entire court recognize him (some teammates don't even know his name), so a foul called on him goes unnoticed. LeBron James, with over a decade of experience in the league, is determined to make those three free throws (whether he makes them or not is another matter).
But Li Wei hesitated at the last minute, and everything became a joke. You can't blow the whistle unless you touch the referee; even a "hairline whistle" requires actual contact. If Li Wei had been called for a foul, it would have been an empty whistle, but tonight the referee wasn't that blind.

With Harden scoring on the fast break, James, who hadn't crossed half-court, no longer needed to, and could turn around and attack directly, saving some fuel. At 36 years old, James is in his 18th season, and he carefully manages every ounce of physical exertion to maintain a long and efficient career.

Li Wei returned to his left defensive position, also trying to calm himself down. Li Wei has extensive professional experience; tonight he was simply playing on a much better court against top-level players, and he wasn't intimidated. What truly frightened him was the giant crab.

After Li Wei time-traveled, the first time he saw a dark shadow on a person, he thought he had encountered a ghost and was about to embark on a supernatural adventure. Later, through Ah Zhong, he deduced that this was a precognitive ability. Several times when Ah Zhong approached, he saw the dark shadow pounce on him, and a second later Ah Zhong rushed into his arms.

Once, while walking down the street, Li Wei used his Observation Haki on a beautiful woman, only to see her black silhouette suddenly fly up. A second later, she was hit by a car that sped out of nowhere. That incident startled Li Wei and left him with a slight emotional scar, which he gradually healed until this time when he saw the large black crab.

"Damn it, so he was trying to draw a foul. I'll remember that."

Li Wei was glad he had pulled back a bit earlier; otherwise, he would have immediately drawn a foul and given away free throws, which would have definitely left a bad impression on the coaching staff. Later on offense, DeAndre Jordan was called for a foul on defense, and James Harden went to the bench to rest. Less than two minutes into the first quarter, all the reserves entered the game: Kyrie Irving for the Nets and LeBron James leading the Lakers.

James didn't force the shot; he's not the type to immediately seek revenge after suffering a loss. A player with a fiery temper and an overtly competitive spirit, like Kobe, would immediately retaliate after being wronged or embarrassed, even if it meant suffering another loss.

James prefers to observe, take a break, see what's going on, and let his teammates scout ahead to find out what's going on.

The Lakers executed a high screen play, with Matthews circling out and, using repeated screens from his teammates, shaking off his defender to receive a pass from James, cutting into the paint from the middle. The Nets' 3-2 run was problematic; their middle defense was breached. However, the Nets lacked familiarity with the game, and the presence of threats on the wings meant they couldn't adequately defend Matthews, who isn't their primary scorer.

Matthews drove to the basket, using a crossover to dodge DeAndre Jordan. Jordan didn't defend properly on this play; his attention was on the corner, and he only reached out a token hand to Matthews, leaving Levi alone under the basket.

In Li Wei's opinion, Matthews' breakthrough was not as good as those fierce young guards in the G League. After all, Matthews was already 34 years old, had suffered multiple major injuries, and was no longer as strong as he used to be. Li Wei stepped up and blocked Matthews' dunk with a frontal rim protection intervention.

Matthews slipped and fell hard on his backside after landing. He gestured to the referee for a foul, but the referee waved play on. Levi defended the play very well; Matthews lacked the necessary height and explosiveness to jump, and was effectively shut down. The Nets' bench erupted in cheers, with even Durant standing up to applaud Levi.

Li Wei just successfully defended against James, forcing James to commit a turnover, and Durant watched from the sidelines, covering his mouth and snickering. Durant was delighted to see James suffer such a setback. Although he and James have a good relationship privately, on the court, Durant has long been overshadowed by James. He resents this, believing himself to be more capable than James, yet always feeling he falls short in certain areas.

So Durant always wanted to prove himself, to follow in James' footsteps and do better, but he forgot to walk his own path.

Upon gaining possession, Li Wei immediately passed the ball to Irving. Irving accelerated, blew past Caruso, and drove straight into the Lakers' paint, drawing a large number of defenders. Irving saw Li Wei completely open on the left 45-degree angle and ready to shoot. Without hesitation, he threw the ball to Li Wei. Although the two had a minor altercation during their pre-game one-on-one, it wasn't enough for him to refuse to pass the ball to Li Wei.

Kyrie Irving has a quirky temperament. You might think he won't pass, but he actually will. And when he should pass, he might just not. Irving doesn't know how good Levi's three-point shooting is. He sees him as an inside player, wondering if he can even shoot threes. Whatever, he just had a good block, so he should pass to him.

The ball was in Li Wei's hands. He made a perfect pass, and without any adjustments, he caught the ball, bent his knees, jumped, and shot in one smooth motion. It was a great opportunity, and crucially, no one was defending him.

The ball spun and swished through the net, and Li Wei made his first basket in his NBA career—a three-pointer.

The Nets have taken a 7-point lead at 29:22.

The Nets' bench erupted after the basket. These black guys were so clueless, always making a fuss over nothing. They jumped and waved towels after making a three-pointer. But Li Wei didn't pretend to be calm, nor did he go crazy yelling. He was excited, but he maintained his composure.

He held up three fingers as if plucking a flower, bent his arms towards the sky, and made JR Smith's classic "Heaven's Gate" celebration, both to commemorate his first three-pointer and to thank the heavens for the strength bestowed upon him. Of course, he didn't kneel down; the game continued, and he quickly returned to the backcourt to defend the basket.

On the sidelines, Scott Mitchell excitedly raised his camera, snapping away at Levi. He had taken many photos of Levi's defense against James, capturing the precious moment. "What a fantastic performance! I've hit the jackpot!" Mitchell thought to himself, secretly pleased; he knew the story was set.

With one minute remaining, LeBron James quickly dribbled the ball across half-court. The Nets' zone defense remained loose; despite the 3-2 lead, the three perimeter players lacked cohesion in their defense, failing to apply enough pressure on the ball handler, and their formation lacked tension. James made a long diagonal pass to Caruso on the right, and DeAndre Jordan rushed out to intercept.

Caruso easily faked out Jordan with a pump fake, leaving the paint wide open and only Levi facing Caruso's attack. Harrell drove in, and Caruso could either attack the basket himself or pass to Harrell for a dunk. The defender was in a dilemma.

Without hesitation, Levi lunged at Caruso. Caruso, seeing this, attempted a bounce pass to Harrell, but Levi, as if anticipating this, reached out and blocked the ball like a goalkeeper. The ball changed direction, and Harrell retrieved it.

Levi turned and pressed against Harrell, arms raised high, body taut, sticking close to Harrell. Harrell grabbed the ball and tried to turn and push Levi aside for a layup, but couldn't. Levi's legs and chest exuded an aura of dominance, unmoving as a mountain, hard as steel, like an iron plate blocking the three-second zone.

Harrell could only manage a shot; another three-second violation would mean missing. Levi didn't jump, simply maintaining his Frenchman stance. Harrell's posture was completely contorted, the ball hit the rim's neck, then bounced off the hoop and missed. Levi, positioned in the best spot under the basket, withstood Harrell's shoving and secured the rebound.

All of this happened in just a few seconds. Li Wei executed a brilliant one-on-two defense, regaining possession of the ball. The continuous physical contact under the basket was incredibly taxing; the NBA's physicality is far greater than the G League, and Harrell was like a beast.

Fortunately, Li Wei didn't need to lead the offense. He grabbed the rebounds, passed the ball to Irving, and played for the last two or three possessions. Irving's superior one-on-one ability came into play at this moment. He repeatedly used crossover dribbles on the left side to deceive Caruso, then drove to the basket and made a high-arcing left-handed layup that grazed the defender's fingertips before bouncing into the hoop.

Then both sides wasted another chance. With James passing the ball to Caruso, Caruso casually threw up a long three-pointer that missed. The first quarter ended with the Nets leading 31-22 in the final moments and going on a 9-0 run against the Lakers.

Li Wei's three defensive plays were crucial, not only disrupting the Lakers' seemingly inevitable offense but also creating opportunities for his teammates to counterattack. Harden and Irving's exceptional fast-break isolation abilities came into play, demonstrating how good defense can lead to good offense, a fact fully illustrated in those two minutes.

In the final seconds, the Lakers seemed hesitant to attack, with no one driving inside and instead shooting from the outside. The information on that number 29 was unclear, his defensive ability unknown, but he was a tough opponent. They must have been desperately missing the injured Anthony Davis; if Davis were there, his height and long arms would surely have been enough to contain this unknown number 29.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel also missed Anthony Davis, but he was even more dissatisfied with the team's weak offense in the final stages, showing a fear of a player on a 10-day contract. He told LeBron James, "You should go in and take him down." James replied, "I don't even know who he is."

"Who cares who he is, you should beat him up."

"Give me his information. What's his background?"

"He came from the Development League, and the scouting team said they had been paying attention to him."

James didn't say anything more, but his tone revealed dissatisfaction when he spoke with Vogel, indicating his disagreement with Vogel's rotation methods. Playing halfway through the game and then returning for the last two minutes or so meant insufficient rest, plus the challenge of facing undrafted players. Although Vogel said this would avoid the intense competition in the middle of the first quarter and make it easier to manage the bench during transition periods, it was anything but easy today.

On the other side, Li Wei received hero treatment on the bench. In just two minutes, his performance was truly remarkable. His teammates came over to give him high-fives, and Durant, sitting in his chair, bumped fists with Li Wei, saying, "When I'm better, I definitely want to have a one-on-one match with you. Damn, how did you do that? One against two!"

Li Wei said, "I was born in the Year of the Cat, so my reactions are seven times faster than a human's, and I have nine lives."

Nash remained relatively calm. If he were younger and had long hair, he would have definitely pulled Levi into a dance, like he did with Nowitzki in Dallas. But now, he's older, his hair is shorter, and he's the head coach; he needs to maintain his authority. So he simply patted Levi on the shoulder and said, "Well done." The break was short, and the second quarter started quickly. Levi sat back on the bench, inwardly grumbling to Nash, "If you said I did a good job, why didn't you let me play? You just pushed me back like that?" Levi's performance satisfied Nash, but he hadn't yet earned his full trust.

As a player, Nash was known for his free-spirited style, tricky passing, and willingness to experiment. However, as a coach, he became more conservative. He had less trust in his bench players and relied more on his star players. This is a direct result of his mentor Mike D'Antoni's style of play. While the fast-paced style of play during his time with the Suns was visually appealing, it was built on severely exploiting his key players.

From the Suns to the Rockets, Mike D'Antoni consistently used an eight-man rotation, pushing his starters to the extreme in the playoffs. For example, in the 2004-05 playoffs, the Suns used a six-man rotation, with Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion all playing over 40 minutes, Johnson and Richardson 39 minutes, and Jim Jackson 31 minutes. Apart from these six, no one else played more than 15 minutes. Such usage rates were so extreme that even the Rockets' coach, Mike D'Antoni, was heartbroken, calling it inhumane.

Nash spent his peak with the Suns, and D'Antoni is now the team's assistant coach; this conservative personnel management style has been passed down to the Nets. The advantage of this approach is that it maximizes the stats and impact of star players, prevents starters from worrying about playing time, and ensures a stable roster and good team cohesion.

The drawbacks are also obvious. The NBA season is too long and intense, and short rotations mean that key players don't get enough rest, making them prone to fatigue and injuries in the playoffs, which can lead to the team's collapse. Furthermore, such teams often lack game-changing surprises and have few contingency plans in the cutthroat playoffs, frequently falling short at the last hurdle.

The Suns and Rockets, led by D'Antoni, repeatedly fell short in the playoffs, losing everything and never reaching the Finals or winning the championship. This was inextricably linked to his stubborn and conservative leadership style.

Li Wei's impressive two-minute performance was clearly not enough to change this personnel strategy. However, Li Wei's debut was already satisfactory, leaving a good impression on Nash. Next, Nash wants to see what Li Wei has to offer on the offensive end. Defense alone is not enough to make Li Wei a starter in his mind.

Nash thought of Boris Diaw, the French magician who created magic in the 2005-06 season. If Levi had 60% of Diaw's offensive playmaking ability, Nash would consider putting him on the farm's whipping list.

Expecting Li Wei to showcase his playmaking abilities in this match is definitely asking too much. Li Wei hasn't trained with his teammates, lacks understanding of the tactical system, and doesn't have any chemistry in passing and positioning. In this match, a defensive striker is his best option, but he can't afford to be positioned incorrectly; overlapping with teammates would be problematic.

At the start of the second quarter, Lakers' Harrell scored repeatedly in the paint. He received a pass from James and slammed it home with both hands. Then, after receiving a pass from Tucker, he took a floater from just inside the free-throw line, facing DeAndre Jordan, and surprisingly made it.

DeAndre Jordan's defensive threat has declined rapidly. While his physical abilities have deteriorated, a lack of motivation is the more significant reason. Shots he usually dominates are now being humiliated by a dunk and a floater. When Harrell caught the ball and dunked with both hands, Jordan didn't even attempt to contest. Against a floater, he merely extended his arms, barely moving his feet.

Nash saw all of this but could only endure it. During his playing days, Nash was known for his poor defense, but his attitude wasn't the problem; it was a matter of ability. DeAndre Jordan was a player who made his mark on the league through defense, but now he doesn't play defense properly. Because now he doesn't rely on defense but on connections; he's best friends with Durant and Irving.

When Durant and Irving joined the Nets in 2019, one of their conditions was that the Nets sign DeAndre Jordan. Both were willing to lower their salaries to make room for Jordan's signing, demonstrating the close relationship between the three. It's like buying two large bottles of classic Coke at a special price, but with a free bottle of Pepsi included – a bundled sale. Superstars are priceless, and since two have joined, the freebie might not taste as good, but you'll have to put up with it.

On the offensive end, DeAndre Jordan did a good job, receiving passes from Harden repeatedly, catching alley-oops, and dunking after receiving the ball on the roll. He was effective when it came to scoring.

Although the Lakers launched a counterattack, repeatedly scoring under the Nets' basket, with Harris and Green unable to withstand James's attacks, the Nets maintained their lead and widened the gap due to their overwhelming offensive firepower.

Harris is a poor defender, and a disaster at the small forward position, but he has a 50% catch-and-shoot percentage from beyond the arc, with a quick release and high accuracy. The points he concedes on defense are often made up for on offense, and even more on offense.

Midway through the second quarter, James went to the bench again, leaving the Lakers leaderless and their offense stalled. The Nets seized the opportunity, firing away from beyond the arc, with Jeff Green and Shamet both hitting three-pointers. This high efficiency from beyond the arc allowed the Nets to quickly widen the gap, at one point leading by 17 points.

Anthony Davis's injury had a significant negative impact. Vogel's rigid rotations and the lack of independent offensive ability among other players led to the Lakers' predicament. Of course, the Nets' offense was simply too strong. Vogel had to call a timeout and bring James back into the game with three minutes remaining.

Seeing this, Nash patted Li Wei on the shoulder, indicating that it was his turn to play. Li Wei was much calmer this time, slowly taking off his jacket, thinking to himself, "Coach, are you serious? If James plays, I'll play. You really want me to guard James one-on-one?" Li Wei had already made ample preparations for this challenge, as evidenced by his performance in the first quarter.

When James saw Li Wei enter the court at the same time, he thought to himself, "Damn it, it's you again." He went up to Li Wei and greeted him, asking, "Hey buddy, did Nash specifically send you to guard me?"

Li Wei shook his head: "The coach told me to win the game."

He's pretty cocky. James is planning to talk to Nash after the game and ask who this kid is. James and Nash have a pretty good relationship.

LeBron James' return didn't have an immediate effect; the Lakers' outside shooting was off tonight. An opportunity arose on the wing, and Horton-Tucker received a pass from James but missed a three-pointer. In the battle for the rebound, Li Wei anticipated the ball would bounce to the right, and since he was on the left, he used a zigzag route, slid along the baseline to the right, circled around the crowd, jumped just below where the ball would land, and elbowed Harrell in mid-air to secure the rebound.

That rebound was unbelievable; the anticipation was incredible. He circled around like that and still managed to grab the rebound. Off the court, Lakers coach Vogel started paying attention to Levi, asking the assistant coach what the guy was up to. Learning he was from the G League and had no college record, he figured he was probably just another flash in the pan.

There are quite a few players like this in the NBA. They might have a breakout game and deliver a stunning performance, but then quickly fade into obscurity because surviving in the NBA is an endurance-based endurance game.

On offense, it was still a two-man show between Harden and Irving. Both were in good form, with Levi setting screens at the top of the key and waiting for passes to shoot threes. Irving dribbled beautifully past Caruso, weaved into the crowd, and missed a floater under the basket – that was a tough shot.

However, Li Wei darted under the basket like a ghost, jumped as the ball bounced off the rim, and gently tapped it into the basket, scoring a putback!
"Damn! Where did you come from?" Irving tried to put the rebound in himself, but his teammate beat him to it. He had clearly seen Levi at the top of the key when he drove to the basket.

“From your heart,” Li Wei replied.

Irving remained silent, deeply moved by Livy's words. He had heard of a question in Chinese Buddhism: when a flag flutters on a pole, is it the wind or the flag that moves? A wise monk replied, "It is the mind that moves." This story had greatly impressed Irving, though he didn't quite understand it. Now, hearing the phrase "from your heart," Livy's image immediately became unfathomable.

Actually, Li Wei just said it casually. He couldn't possibly say that he could predict the shot with his eyes and that he knew the shot wouldn't go in, so he came here specifically to try and score.
The point difference had widened to 19 points when James finally got going. He quickly inbounded the ball from the backcourt and, taking advantage of the Nets' lax defense and unsteady footing, drove hard through the middle to the basket, scoring over Jeff Green and drawing a foul in the process. Li Wei was too far away to reach him; once you get going, poor positioning makes it difficult to control the ball.

James made the free throw, narrowing the gap to 16 points.

With two minutes remaining and a difference of more than ten points, both teams played very relaxed. One team was desperately trying to catch up, while the other was freely passing and shooting from long range, completely stretching the court. The Lakers' defensive formation was forced to the vicinity of the three-point line, because the Nets' three-point shooting was just too accurate.

While running back and forth, Li Wei diligently performed his blue-collar work while looking for a scoring opportunity. He'd already got a three-pointer and a two-point putback; now he just needed to figure out a dunk, and it would be a perfect first half performance.

"Come here, block one, come here."

Harden seemed to understand Li Wei's intentions, waving at him during the offensive play, signaling for a screen and then an opportunity to cut to the basket. The two had never played together, or even trained together, but a smart player can understand each other with just a glance or a gesture.

Li Wei quickly moved over and set a solid screen for Harden in the middle. The physical contact made subsequent choices difficult, but he had to stay focused. Li Wei opted to cut to the basket from the left wing, a passing lane Harden preferred. Harden understood perfectly and delivered a bold and direct pass to Li Wei.

Li Wei received the ball, and with no one under the basket, it was a perfect opportunity for a dunk. He dribbled straight to the basket, but LeBron James came to help defend on the other side. He wanted to make up for the blunder in the first quarter. James realized that this Chinese-American player was a good defender and a decent shooter, but lacked explosiveness. He was confident he could block his shot in a head-on confrontation!

Li Wei didn't care anymore; once he started, he couldn't stop. He didn't care if James came; he had been waiting for this moment. He jumped up suddenly with the ball! James also jumped up and reached out to block it!

The moment he jumped, Li Wei sensed something was wrong, because James came to help defend, and he misstepped. He could see James's hand coming to block, and he could dodge it. But what about the rim? Could he dunk it? It seemed a bit far.

Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. No matter how far or near, you can only smash it down with all your might!

It was way too far! Li Wei jumped too early! The ball only touched the edge of the rim, then slid down with a "thud!" and hit James right on the forehead!
James collapsed to the ground, clutching his head as if wearing a crown and a mask of pain, his eyes seeing stars. Li Wei also lost his balance and fell to the ground. After sitting up, he looked bewildered, shrugged, and said to the approaching referee, "I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

(End of this chapter)