Basketball Terminal

Chapter 83 Coaxing
Li Wei got a bit of a shove from Dongzi and was called for a blocking foul, so he was a little angry. Of course, the main blame for this play was on DeAndre Jordan; if he hadn't interfered, he probably would have drawn an offensive foul. But that's how the court is—everything changes in an instant, and many factors can influence the course of the offense and defense.

Doncic made both free throws, but his mood wasn't much better; he still couldn't find a way to break through Levi's defense. He planned to try again later, and if that didn't work, he'd really have to ask Levi for advice. It's not shameful to ask questions; someone who could defend him like that, asking for help isn't embarrassing.

On offense, Li Wei continued to set screens for Harden, providing solid screens without rushing inside. Harden stepped back to adjust and launched a three-pointer. It missed. Li Wei then drove to the basket, battling with the Mavericks' big man. Anticipating the ball's trajectory, he knew where to push, instead of staring at the sky and trying to push the ball until it never even landed on his side.

Once he was in a good position, he easily jumped and the ball was in his hands; Porzingis couldn't reach it no matter how hard he tried. To get the rebound over his head, you'd need to be even taller and have a longer wingspan.

After securing the offensive rebound, Levi was surrounded by Mavericks players. Instead of passing, he gripped the ball firmly with both hands, exuding dominance, and jumped for a layup. Hands came from all directions, but none could knock the ball away from him. Although the layup missed, he jumped again, grabbed the ball again, and put it back in. The referee blew the whistle, calling a foul on Kleber for hitting his hand.

He drew a foul and went to the free-throw line. Li Wei's finishing ability under the basket was really average. After all, he was originally a guard and wasn't very skilled at finishing inside. He also didn't have an advantage in height or wingspan. But Li Wei could control the ball firmly, and without thinking twice, he would throw the ball towards the basket with his eyes closed.

If I miss, I'll grab the rebound, try to put it back in, or draw a foul by brushing against the opponent's arm, hand, or body. In short, if I lack talent and skill, I'll compensate with experience and understanding the rules. Step to the free-throw line, relax my muscles, and make both shots.

Neither side managed to score on their next two attacks, and the first half was about to end. Doncic received the ball from his teammate, ready for one last shot. A hint of hesitation crossed his face; should he take another one-on-one? Li Wei, however, stepped in to defend, saying, "Come on, let me teach you one more time!"

Fans and the Nets' bench jumped to their feet as they saw Levi and Doncic face off again in a Cavaliers showdown. Doncic had no choice but to respond. A seasoned veteran, he remained remarkably calm. Realizing that all his dribbling techniques and rhythm would be predictable, he opted to use his body, employing a crossover and driving hard to the right, leaning against Levi.

His strategy was to drive to the baseline and pull up for a strong shot close to the basket. Even if Li Wei could predict this, he could only try to disrupt it with his physical strength. The strong contact prevented Doncic from creating space. Finally, Doncic forced a fadeaway jumper from a zero-degree angle, the ball arcing high into the air.

Li Wei looked back at the ball, his heart pounding with tension. Luckily, the ball spun around the rim but missed and fell out. DeAndre Jordan grabbed the rebound, the buzzer sounded, and the first half ended. Doncic, due to his excessive backward lean, fell flat on his face.

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief. If Dongzi had been a little more in touch and had a bit more luck, he would have made the shot. This would have been a huge boost to Doncic's morale, and this buzzer-beater would have been the highlight of the first half. Half of Li Wei's excellent defense had been wasted.

Sitting on the ground, Doncic thought to himself, "I knew it wouldn't go in the first shot." His shooting touch was completely ruined in the first half. He couldn't shake off defenders or push them in one-on-one situations. In the end, he could only try to imitate Nash with an extremely difficult back-lying shot, which was a gamble. Unfortunately, he missed.

Frustration hung over Doncic. He looked up at Levi, who seemed so ordinary, yet his defense was so formidable. He called out, "Hey, give me a hand!" Levi was about to leave the court when he heard Doncic call out to him and extend his hand. He couldn't refuse, so he helped Doncic up.

"how did you do that?"

"What?"

"Keep me out."

"I already told you, you're too slow."

"Slowness is not a problem."

"Slow is not a problem? You're slow enough that I can keep up with your every step. My reaction time is very fast."

"Then I need to go faster?"

"Remember to pass the ball! And make good use of pick-and-rolls."

Li Wei gave Doncic a dressing-down and then went back to the locker room to rest with his teammates. Doncic was still confused; was he really that slow? Although his absolute speed and explosiveness were indeed average, his reaction time was actually quite fast.

For example, his dribbling breakthrough may seem slow, but he actually reacts promptly based on the opponent's defensive positioning. He excels at attacking the defender's forefoot; once the defender extends a certain foot, he changes direction and dribbles towards that foot.

This change of direction doesn't need to be quick, but the defender absolutely can't react in time because when you extend your foot forward, you have to retract your foot before turning, which is definitely a beat too slow. So, while Doncic may seem to be leisurely getting past his opponent, it's actually because he quickly made the decision to attack with that foot.

But Li Wei was able to react, and Doncic even suspected that he deliberately stretched out his foot to trick him into dribbling in a certain direction, and then quickly blocked the route.

"How could this be? How could this be?" Doncic scratched his head violently on his way back to the locker room, looking extremely frustrated. Carlisle came over and reminded Doncic, "You need more teamwork." Doncic was a little annoyed and replied rudely, "I know what to do!" After saying that, he realized something was wrong and apologized to the coach, saying, "I was a little too hasty."

Carlisle didn't say much; this wasn't the first time. Doncic's interactions with the head coach were filled with impatience, like a bright young man facing a nagging old father. Back in the locker room, assistant coach Jamal Mosley came to comfort Doncic.

He often gives Doncic one-on-one coaching during training. A former professional player, he's similar in height and build to Doncic. He can both defend and create problems for Doncic, and also attack and test Doncic's defense. Doncic enjoys spending time with Mosley, believing he can unlock his potential.

Carlisle, however, was annoyed by Mosley, believing that Mosley was investing too much energy in Doncic alone. Furthermore, he felt Mosley's motives were impure; he thought Mosley's attempt to curry favor with the team's young star was a ploy to prepare himself for a future head coaching position.

The relationships in the Mavericks' locker room have become quite complicated. It's not simply a matter of two camps, but multiple camps: players, coaches, managers, and owners. They are connected yet dislike and wary of each other, and everyone has their own agenda.

On the other hand, the Nets are in a better position. The Mavericks have deep-rooted and complex internal relationships that are difficult to resolve. The Nets have a new roster, and the relationships are equally complicated, but everyone is able to work together as a team for the championship and victory.

Li Wei's performance in the first half received unanimous praise. Durant and Irving both said it was "unbelievable." Harden sat next to Li Wei with a silly grin, then secretly asked, "Did you hold back when we played one-on-one in practice?"

"No, absolutely not. I only used 80% of my strength to defend against Dongzi, but I used 120% of my strength to defend against you. Obviously, it is more difficult to defend against you."

Harden's white teeth peeked out from under his black beard. Whether he's telling the truth or not, it just sounds nice.

Li Wei has always believed that teammates should be treated with the warmth of a spring breeze, while opponents on the court should be treated with the coldness of winter. It shouldn't be the other way around: praising opponents while dismissing teammates as amateurs. When they're opponents, they're hailed as superstars, rising stars, truly impressive. But as teammates, they quickly decline, becoming useless and a burden.

Despite their good performance, the Nets were still trailing the Mavericks in the score. To win, one-on-one defense alone is far from enough. One-on-one defense can only stop a few shots; once Eastman figures out the importance of pick-and-roll plays instead of isolation defense, the effectiveness of one-on-one defense will decline.

Furthermore, the Nets' bigger problem in this game was their offense, which was too monotonous. They didn't have a second reliable ball-handling offensive option, so all the pressure was on Harden.

Nash made some adjustments, but the team didn't have much room for further adjustments; the lack of a ball-handling scorer would plague them throughout the game.

Just before going on the field, he suddenly asked Li Wei, "Can you attack with the ball?"

Li Wei thought to himself, "Coach, why do you keep asking these irrelevant questions? If I were capable, would I be here on a minimum salary? Besides, I'm already on a minimum salary, and I'm exhausted from defending. Do you expect me to handle the ball and attack?"

Li Wei replied with a smile, "It seems a bit difficult."

Nash nodded and then asked, "If I let you handle the ball and orchestrate the offense..."

Li Wei quickly interrupted, saying, "Coach, how about this? I have an idea. My strength lies in offensive rebounds. On offense, I'll try my best to grab offensive rebounds and disrupt the Mavericks' paint. According to the data, the Mavericks' defensive rebounding is in the lower middle of the league, and their defensive rebounding protection is only average. I'm confident that grabbing more rebounds will provide ammunition for my teammates, forcing the Mavericks to focus more on rebounds. This will slow down their fast breaks and give our outside shooters more space. I'll choose to shoot myself or pass depending on the situation, getting our outside shooting hot. I think this is a good approach. This is something you mentioned when we discussed tactics before the game; I'm afraid you've forgotten it, so I'm bringing it up for your consideration. What do you think?"

Nash stroked his chin, thought for a while, and Li Wei thought to himself, "What are you still thinking about? You didn't even suggest it, but just agree. It's the only way to win."

Did I really say that?

"I really did talk about it, when we were discussing rebounding. Otherwise, how would I know the data?"

"Okay, let's do it that way. But remember to get back on defense."

"..."

I was about to go for the offensive rebound, and I still had to get back on defense! Li Wei then thought, forget it, this game isn't a must-win, I'll just do my best and not get angry before I get to work.

(End of this chapter)