Basketball Terminal

Chapter 84 Moses
After adjustments at halftime, the Nets' offense improved at the start of the third quarter. Harden, as the ball handler, reduced the time he held onto the ball and increased the speed of his passes.

Levi, Harris, and Brown all avoided holding onto the ball; when they got it, they either quickly passed it out or drove to the basket and then made a quick pass, moving the ball around the half-court to create open looks and mismatches. The Mavericks didn't implement a zone defense in the third quarter, switching to man-to-man defense, and their defensive communication was mediocre.

Bruce Brown seized the opportunity on the left 45-degree angle, facing Porzingis who was positioned far back, and made a three-pointer. On the other hand, Porzingis received the ball in the low post, made a strong drive against Li Wei, but his turnaround shot missed, and Li Wei grabbed the rebound.

The Nets had a chance to take the lead. Harden and Levi executed a pick-and-roll on the right 45-degree angle. The Mavericks double-teamed Harden, and a bounce pass slid through the defense. Levi received the ball and drove to the basket, with Porzingis helping on defense. Levi then lobbed a pass to DeAndre Jordan, who finished with an alley-oop and a powerful two-handed dunk!
Li Wei is now able to team up with DeAndre Jordan to play as a flight attendant. The Nets successfully took the lead, their teamwork at the start of the second half was excellent, and the Mavericks' defense had communication problems.

However, as the game progressed, the Mavericks strengthened their defensive rotations, eliminated communication barriers, and continued to use Porzingis' height advantage to attack the paint, and the Nets' advantage quickly disappeared.

Facing Levi's physical low-post defense, Porzingis opted to play defensively, using spin moves and fadeaways. Levi didn't have a good way to lock him down, and forcing close defense was likely to result in a foul. Porzingis, in excellent form, continued to score.

But the key to the Nets' problems on the court is not defense, but offense. Porzingis can't kill anyone in the low post, and the problem is that the Nets themselves can't score.

Midway through the third quarter, the Nets went into a scoring drought, missing several shots and committing numerous turnovers. Frequent passing and quick ball movement come at a cost; while it may appear fluid, each additional step in the ball's movement increases the risk of turnovers.

The Mavericks, sticking to man-to-man defense, gradually figured out several of the Nets' offensive patterns and effectively anticipated their passes, rendering the Nets' smooth movement meaningless. At this point, it was necessary for star players to break the deadlock with their individual abilities. However, Harden was in poor form, failing to score from three-point range or on drives.

Instead, the Mavericks capitalized on the opportunities, launching several fast breaks. Doncic abandoned his individual one-on-one offense in the second half, focusing instead on team play. While the Mavericks may have internal conflicts, which team doesn't? On the court, skill and tactics ultimately prevail.

Carlisle's tactical system is truly impressive. The Mavericks' offense is highly varied, which is crucial in today's NBA. The era of relying on a single trick is over; offensive diversification is the trend.

Carlisle has studied the Flow offense for over a decade, and his coaching of the offense has been very effective. When he saw Doncic actively engage with the team and reduce his time with the ball after his isolation offense faltered, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

He thought that when Dongzi realized he could maximize his power as a team player, that would be the moment he touched the MVP award and achieved greatness like Nowitzki. He wished there were more players like Li Wei to deflate Dongzi's arrogance so he would understand that basketball is a team sport.

Nash called a timeout, and the Nets reverted to a 3-2 zone defense to solidify their structure. Under the Mavericks' onslaught, their defense became disorganized. However, their inability to make shots was the most critical issue. Doncic then made a long pass to the left corner, where Josh Richardson drained a three-pointer!

Doncic is smart; he knew the 3-2 zone defense was weak in the corners and made timely passes. The lead widened to 10 points. Doncic's eighth assist of the night saw him transform into a playmaking maestro after his isolation plays faltered, orchestrating the team's offense.

Just when the situation was about to spiral out of control, Li Wei and Harden executed a pick-and-roll on the wing. Harden rolled to the basket and delivered a spin-filled bounce pass to Li Wei. Li Wei caught the ball and charged forward, shoving aside Josh Richardson who was helping on defense, and scored a layup while drawing a foul.

The Nets played a beautiful play, employing a three-man pick-and-roll strategy. Levi and Harris simultaneously came over to screen for Harden, and the Mavericks, man-to-man, all came over. So, six players clustered on the left side at a 45-degree angle, leaving a large open space elsewhere.

Then Harris moved towards the three-point line in the middle, and Levi cut to the basket. The Mavericks' man-to-man defense was in complete disarray. Six players, all intertwined, spread out and it was impossible to find anyone to guard. Levi seized the opportunity, easily scoring and drawing a foul.

He made the free throw, completing the 2+1 play and erasing Josh Richardson's three-pointer.

Then, Josh Richardson made another mistake, passing the ball carelessly across half-court, which was intercepted by Levi, leading to a Nets fast break! Levi dribbled around once and passed the ball back to Harden, who took a three-pointer from the top of the arc! It missed.

Li Wei grabbed the offensive rebound, his hands brimming with dominance once again. He drove to the basket, past Doncic and Josh Richardson, drawing a foul from Doncic. But this wasn't a layup; it was a direct attack on the opponent's arm, drawing a foul – a move he learned from Harden.

Harden can do that because of his strong arms and incredible grip, allowing him to hold the ball firmly in his hands. No matter the impact, he won't lose the ball, and he can still shoot it while drawing a foul.

During his training, Li Wei learned some of Harden's techniques for drawing fouls, which he found very useful. Although his arm strength and grip power weren't as good as Harden's, he had a commanding presence. His hands, imbued with Armament Haki, were as hard and strong as iron, firmly holding the ball in his palms.

He stepped up to the free-throw line, but unfortunately only made one of two shots. His shooting consistency needs improvement under intense pressure.

But Levi's rebounding was undoubtedly hurting the Mavericks. In half-court offense, after repeated passing, the Mavericks got to Porzingis in front of them, backing down Levi and then turning for a shot. Levi didn't jump, but held the baseline, gambling on Porzingis's touch.

Missed the shot, grabbed the rebound. No one from the Mavericks went for the offensive rebound. Rebounding is incredibly important, but its importance in various data analyses has indeed declined in recent years. It's like air; everyone needs it, but it's easily overlooked. Only when it disappears do we realize how important it is. In basketball, if you don't have the ball, everything you say is meaningless.

The Nets' outside shot missed again. Harris' three-pointer from the top of the arc was met with a long rebound, which Li Wei anticipated. He grabbed the rebound and passed it to a teammate to continue the play. It went back to Harden, who dribbled between his legs and drove to the right, but his floater missed. Li Wei followed him to the basket, grabbing one player with each hand, and jumped just before Doncic and Porzingis could reach it, but he barely managed to touch it in!

"Holy crap... my damn hand."

He tried again before the shot went in! Having secured a good position, Levi jumped a second time to grab the ball, and, over Porzingis's long arms, forced a layup. Don't dodge; the more you dodge, the more likely you are to be blocked. Although the layup after the physical contact still missed, the referee blew the whistle, calling a defensive foul on Porzingis.

Another free throw line appearance. Consecutive offensive rebounds have the spectators going wild; Durant and Irving have transformed into cheerleaders. Even the usually composed Cai (a well-known sports commentator) stood up and applauded. Although he was wearing a mask and glasses, you could see his eyes were squinted; he was definitely grinning from ear to ear.

Stepping to the free-throw line, Li Wei relaxed for a moment, took a deep breath, muttered a spell, and then released the shot. He made the first free throw, and the second went in smoothly as well. Luckily, he had a decent shooting foundation. Otherwise, all that hard work grabbing rebounds and drawing fouls, only to miss both free throws, would have been a complete waste of effort.

Li Wei's playing style is reminiscent of Moses Malone, the former king of offensive rebounds. Malone had small hands and a low shooting percentage near the basket, often grabbing rebounds and then shooting, grabbing three or four rebounds in a single possession. He would then draw fouls and go to the free-throw line, unleashing an unstoppable barrage of free throws to completely destroy his opponent.

James Harden, nicknamed "The Porcelain King," averaged 11.8 free throw attempts per game in his peak season, while Moses Malone, in his earlier years, averaged 11.4, a respectable figure. As a center, he boasted an 81% free throw percentage, a career high of 76%, a truly outstanding performance.

Joseph Tsai said to Sean Marks, who was watching the game from the sidelines, "Sean, do we still need to sign Blake Griffin?"

Max is currently negotiating with Griffin's team, and frankly, given Levi's performance, Griffin probably can't replicate it. Besides, Levi is still very young and full of potential. But Max still says, "It's necessary; Victor is young after all. And it's always good to have an extra layer of security."

Mr. Cai didn't say anything more and sat down to continue watching the game.

The Mavericks' bench player, Carlisle, has stepped up; if they keep losing offensive rebounds like this, the game is over. Brunson was substituted in, and Doncic went to the bench for a rest, preparing for the fourth quarter push.

Porzingis continued to force his way into position, pushing his way into the paint. Once he got into position and received the ball under the basket, Levi had no choice but to foul. Desperately pushing his way out, Levi thought to himself, "My life is so miserable. I only make a few hundred thousand dollars, and I have to fight tooth and nail with guys who are two heads taller than me in the paint."

They make over 2900 million a year, and since Texas doesn't pay state taxes, they still take home over 1600 million. Why should I work so hard? Thinking this, Li Wei stopped pushing and released his energy. Just then, Brunson passed the ball in from the outside, and Porzingis reached for it. With no support behind him, he fell flat on his backside and went out of bounds.

The ball came into Li Wei's hands. Li Wei and the referee exchanged a glance; Li Wei was afraid of being called for a foul. The referee gestured with his eyes, "Keep playing! Don't trust my skills? There was no foul!"
Carlisle was hopping mad on the sidelines, shouting that it was a defensive foul, but the referee ignored him. Carlisle believed Levi had made a hand contact, but the referee retorted, "Didn't I see it better than you?" Carlisle was at a loss; his pressure was ineffective.

He kept a close eye on Li Wei, reminding the players not to lose any more rebounds. But the Mavericks players were a bit dazed, numb on the court, their spirits low, and their reactions sluggish. Li Wei, on the other hand, was in high spirits. The Nets opened up their outside shooting, and even if they missed, it didn't matter; Li Wei judged the landing point perfectly and grabbed another rebound!
Brunson was positioned under the basket. If Levi had acted impulsively, grabbing the rebound and pushing in, he would have committed an offensive foul. But Levi wasn't about to fall for that trick. Facing the short Brunson, he quickly floated a shot over his head, finally banking it in.

The Mavericks called a timeout. Carlisle couldn't stand it anymore; how could they play like this? They were completely outmatched on the boards, losing possession repeatedly in the paint and committing fouls. Li Wei needed to be tightly marked; they couldn't let him grab offensive rebounds.

Carlisle reiterated the importance of rebounding and positioning, demanding that the perimeter players actively prevent Levi from cutting to the basket and harass him. This approach was effective; after the timeout, Levi found it much more difficult to secure offensive rebounds.

However, Li Wei finally got his wish when his teammate on the perimeter hit a three-pointer.

Harris, Shamet, and Harden all hit consecutive three-pointers, and his aggressive play in the paint created space and confidence for his teammates. Moreover, even with missed three-pointers, one player couldn't stop Levi from contesting the long rebounds; the Mavericks' rebounding remained precarious.

In three quarters, Li Wei grabbed 16 rebounds, including 9 offensive rebounds—more offensive rebounds for the entire Mavericks team combined. Thanks to his rebounding, the Nets tenaciously kept the score close, overcoming a scoring drought, and then hit several three-pointers at the end of the third quarter to take the lead!
Carlisle was quite disappointed with the team's performance, and his face grew even more somber. During the break, he was thinking about how to motivate the players to fight hard in the fourth quarter and grab those damn rebounds. Doncic stepped up and said, "Coach, I'll go guard Levi. I'll fight him for rebounds. I'll take him down on every single one."

Carlisle looked at Doncic with a sense of感慨 (gan3 kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including admiration and awe). "This kid, has he really grown up overnight?" he thought. "People really do need to encounter true rivals to achieve mental growth." Doncic seemed to always be playing against older players and had never met anyone his own age who could truly dominate him.

Today he finally found the answer, and he knows how to play now.

(End of this chapter)