Basketball Terminal

Chapter 99 Cut
Smart originally wanted to give Levi a hard time and let him experience the acting skills of the Boston Oscar winner. His acting was indeed quite good, fooling the referee to gain possession of the ball, but he immediately suffered a setback, crashing and looking dizzy, only to be dismissed by the referee and his teammates as if he were just acting.

The story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" played out for Smart, leaving him speechless with bitterness. His initial arrogance and slight contempt quickly vanished. He realized this guy was a formidable opponent; within two or three exchanges, he noticed that Levi's positioning and hand movements were extremely skillful.

The biggest problem for most rookies when they first step onto the court is not knowing what to do. Although everyone has been playing year after year, game after game, the speed and pace of NBA games are very different from other leagues. Rookies can easily get confused during games and be unable to make timely decisions.

Li Wei, on the other hand, reacts incredibly quickly on both offense and defense, making decisions almost without hesitation. This requires excellent on-court observation and anticipation skills, as well as years of experience in professional leagues. Smart, who played in the NBA for seven years and over 500 games, considers himself highly experienced.

But in the first quarter, facing off against Levi, he found himself unable to figure out the kid. Every time Smart made a small hand gesture, Levi could easily deflect it—whether it was grabbing his waist, pulling his clothes, or tripping him, it was all useless. But if Levi actually pushed or pulled him, Smart's acting skills would really shine.

But Li Wei, having learned his lesson the first time, wouldn't repeat it. He resolutely refused to use force, instead employing his waist, back, and hips to outmaneuver Smart, rendering Smart's dirty tricks ineffective. After solidifying their defense, the Nets launched a counterattack at the end of the first quarter, their three-point shooting catching fire, with Harris and Irving hitting consecutive long-range shots.

Every time Li Wei is on the court, the Nets' three-point shooting percentage improves. Firstly, his screens are excellent, and secondly, with Li Wei in the paint, everyone shoots more decisively, and rebounding is guaranteed. Smart tried to battle Li Wei for rebounds, but was at a height disadvantage. Li Wei grabbed three consecutive offensive rebounds, providing ammunition for his teammates.

Smart thought he would have some advantage in terms of physicality and positioning, but Levi's positioning skills were so slippery that Smart couldn't gain any advantage at all. Having just returned from injury, Smart played four minutes and scored nothing except for a fast break layup.

The Nets rallied from a 10-point deficit to trail by only 3 points at the end of the first quarter, 26-29. Li Wei didn't score in this quarter, as Smart tightly guarded him, limiting his shot opportunities. Seeing Smart's aggressive defense on him, a minimum-salary player, Li Wei encouraged his teammates to take more shots when they had better chances.

He focused his energy on defense, rebounding, and screens. He especially screened for Irving, who gradually found his rhythm towards the end of the first quarter, hitting more and more three-pointers, drives, and mid-range shots. As he left the court at the end of the first quarter, Li Wei couldn't help but ask Smart, "Why the hell are you staring at me? I'm a center, you're a guard, aren't you Smart? You don't seem like Smart at all."

"I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do."

"You think your job is just to draw fouls on minimum-salary players? Go find Harden if you dare."

Li Wei's scathing remarks made Smart lose face, and he returned to the bench sullen. Stevens asked Smart how he felt, and Smart shook his head, saying, "Not good. That slippery guy is hard to deal with. And he's so tough."

Jaylen Brown, who was standing nearby, asked, "How hard?"

"It's really hard! It hurt when I hit it."

"Stop talking nonsense. I can tell this guy isn't a newbie."

“I think so too. He has more and more subtle tricks up his sleeve than I do.”

Stevens fell into deep thought, testing Levi with Smart for a few minutes, and as he expected, he was indeed a tough nut to crack. Stevens' interest in Levi grew even stronger, and he decided to try a different strategy with him in the second quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, Stevens substituted Jeff Teague, Robert Williams, and Grant Williams, with Jayson Tatum as the primary scorer on the perimeter. For the Nets, Irving went to the bench for a rest, and Harden led the second unit, with Levi and Harden both on the court.

The Celtics' strategy of using their center to facilitate from the high post was anticipated by the Nets, who countered by closely marking off-ball movement. The Celtics' tactic failed, and they attempted to switch to the low post for offense. Grant Williams, the big guy, and Levi were boxing out on the left side in the low post. Levi wasn't about to let him receive the ball easily, and he swatted away a pass from Tatum with a powerful choke.

Grant Williams touched the ball out last, giving possession to the Nets and a chance to tie the game.

After Levi entered the game, every Celtics player felt his quick hands, and they had to be careful when facing him. This caution would affect the offense; you have to divert some of your attention to being careful not to lose the ball, and you'll have less focus on tactics and attacking the basket.

When a player struggles to reach a state of flow, their offense cannot reach its peak. This is the role of an excellent defender—it's not just about blocking shots and grabbing rebounds, but about making opponents doubt and hesitate during their offense, thus ruining half the game before it even begins. This is why many outstanding defenders, after joining a strong offensive team, may not see significant changes in their individual or team statistics, yet the team's record leaps to a higher level.

Li Wei hasn't reached the level where he can make the opponent's offense fail halfway before it even starts. It's just that the Nets were originally at a very low level. With him on the team, they've returned to their normal form, and it's easy for opponents to get used to it.

Harden loves playing alongside Li Wei, as it allows him to unleash his offensive potential while slacking off on defense. Harden has always envied Curry; with the Warriors, Kerr's system, along with Draymond Green and Thompson, always provided excellent protection. Even with the Rockets, Harden is constantly exposed to heavy firepower and frequently has to guard centers.

His early days with the Nets were particularly tough. He wasn't just playing center; he was essentially always the center. The chubby guy was already out of breath playing, and that kind of pressure was unbearable. But Harden didn't like to complain. He'd say, "I'll do what I'm told, and if I don't do it well, don't blame me. That's just my skill level." With the arrival of Li Wei, he gradually established himself and completely freed Harden.

On offense, facing Tatum's defense, Harden executed a series of crossover dribbles, a forward thrust, a pullback, a change of direction, and a pullback again, causing Tatum to stumble and fall to the ground, sliding several meters away. The Nets' bench jumped up. Harden watched Tatum fly away, shook his shoulders, adjusted his shot, and released it!
His mother didn't go in!

Li Wei could tell from the trajectory that the ball had gone astray, but luckily it was a long rebound. Li Wei ran to the landing point, grabbed the ball, and passed it to Harden. By this time, the Celtics' help defense had already come up. Harden's eyes were on Harris on the wing, but he passed the ball directly to Li Wei, who had sneaked into the basket. Li Wei received the ball and easily made a layup, scoring two points.

What was supposed to be a classic three-pointer that would shake off the opponent turned into a lowly layup attempt by a nobody under the basket. Harden, however, didn't mind, saying, "This is for your Victor!" "Can you shoot more accurately next time?"

They narrowed the gap to just one point, and that one point became the subject of several more possessions. Teague drove to the basket, drew a foul, and made both free throws. Harden then fast-breaked a layup, drew another foul, and made the free throws as well. The two teams played very quickly, avoiding set plays whenever possible, engaging in chaotic battles, focusing on defense and rebounding under the basket, and seizing open three-point opportunities.

Levi and Robert Williams battled fiercely. Levi blocked Williams' layup, and on the other end, Williams stole the ball from Levi. On the fast break, Tatum received the ball, turned, and drove to the basket, but Levi blocked him. Williams grabbed the rebound and went up for the basket, but Levi blocked him again. In their aerial duel, Levi held his own.

However, this constant running, scrambling, layups, blocks, and fouls took a toll on Li Wei's energy, and he was losing his usual domineering edge. Different games have different rhythms and playing styles. In the last game, the Raptors played with great sportsmanship; both sides focused on a methodical, tactical approach with few dirty tricks, allowing Li Wei to play comfortably.

This game was different. Although Stevens is a talented, academically-trained tactical coach, the Celtics have never been a team to be trifled with. They've always been aggressive, capable of both meticulous tactics and haphazard play. In the second quarter, the Celtics launched a chaotic offensive, disrupting the game for both sides.

The Celtics maintained a one-point lead, giving the Nets no chance to recover. Levi's concentration began to wane, and his limbs became heavy. Harden drove to the basket, drawing a double team, and passed the ball to Levi on the other side, creating a good opportunity to attack the rim.

However, Levi slipped up and missed the ball, actually due to fatigue and slower reaction time. Grant Williams stole the ball and prepared to launch a counterattack, but Levi, having lost possession, mustered all his strength, correctly predicted Williams' pass, and intercepted the ball mid-air!
After stealing the ball, Levi turned and drove to the basket, colliding with Gerd and falling to the ground, drawing a blocking foul on Gerd. Gerd shrugged helplessly and yelled at Stevens, "I was a little slow!" Stevens didn't say anything. Gerd wasn't slow, but Levi was cunning; he pretended to duck to defend, but was actually already prepared to steal the ball, making it impossible to defend against.

Li Wei stepped to the free-throw line. He missed the first shot, glanced at Nash on the sidelines, and gestured with his eyes, "I'm about to die!" But he had to take the free throws, so he kept going. He made the second shot, finally tying the game.

At 36-36, Li Wei fought desperately and helped his team tie the score.

Stevens, in his opinion, felt that Levi's stamina was an issue; his offensive and defensive quality noticeably declined after continuous running and physical contact. However, he noted Levi's incredibly tenacious character and his relentless, never-give-up attitude. Furthermore, he possessed a cunning playing style on the court and was adept at acting.

His acting isn't like Smart's exaggerated flopping to draw fouls; instead, every move he makes is deceptive, disrupting the opponent's judgment and allowing him to gain an advantage. Against a player like this, you must stay focused at all times, especially in the playoffs, where such players can be the key to victory in certain possessions—they are quite formidable.

In Stevens' view, this is the real Smart.

Meanwhile, in the NBA chat room in China, Xu Dongyu, seeing Li Wei's performance and then seeing Gwendo's mistake and free throws that allowed the Nets to tie the score, couldn't help but shout: "Get him out! Get Gwendo out! Cut him! Cut Gwendo! What kind of play is this! How could he get the ball stolen and give away free throws! Cut Smart too! Cut them all! All of them combined are not as good as Li Wei alone!"

What Xu Dongyu didn't know was that, if possible, Stevens really wanted to fire both of them and replace them with Levi.

(End of this chapter)