Basketball Terminal

Chapter 107
On offense, Li Wei was cautious and hesitant, but on defense, he was energetic and lively. He immediately used help defense to force a Hornets turnover. In zone defense, he and Bruce Brown surrounded Rozier, causing Rozier's pass to go out of bounds, redeeming himself and returning possession to the Nets.

There was indeed a significant gap in strength between the two teams. When the Nets were at full strength, the Hornets couldn't find any good opportunities to break through their defense. They chose to wait, hoping that as the game progressed and the Nets' defense gradually loosened, they could capitalize on some openings to score. However, this allowed the Nets to completely control the pace of the game.

Irving had the ball, and Levi came over to set a screen. The two of them made a feint to draw the defense's attention. Then, Irving lobbed the ball to the basket, and DeAndre Jordan leaped up for an alley-oop dunk.

After scoring, Li Wei immediately stole the ball from Gordon Hayward and passed it to the perimeter. This time, the pass landed perfectly in Bruce Brown's hands, and he made a three-pointer! Li Wei's third assist gave the Nets a 12-2 run to start the game, quickly establishing a 10-point lead.

The Hornets were completely stumped on offense by the Nets' 3-2 zone defense, forcing the coach to call a timeout to allow the players to regroup.

In the stands, Li Yue and Su Lanqi ended their long intimacy, their passion now uncontrollable. Li Yue completely missed his brother's subsequent performance, his attention entirely focused on Su Lanqi's soft lips. He didn't dare touch anything else yet; he was still too timid, unlike his brother who was so daring and roguish.

When Su Lanqi looked at Li Yue again, her eyes held a hint of coldness. But she quickly lowered her head to adjust herself, coughed lightly, and said, "The competition isn't over yet, and your brother didn't get the MVP award." Li Yue thought to himself, whatever, I'll just treat it as a loan, and my brother will pay it back later.

At this moment, Li Wei was on the bench receiving criticism from Nash.

"What were you thinking? How did you pass the ball to me?"

"Of course I was thinking of you, otherwise why would I have sent it to you?"

"Who taught you this method of controlling the organization by sticking your ass out?"

"I...I learned by watching Magic Johnson's game tapes. I'm self-taught."

"It's a bit ugly, but it's not bad to maintain this style. Be careful to control your mistakes."

"Coach, I'm a little tired. I'm not able to handle the combination of offense and defense."

Li Wei stopped trying to outdo others by playing both offense and defense, and his energy was depleted quickly. After a few rounds of testing, he figured it was about right. Nash, however, said, "You can hold off on the defense a little; I mainly want to see your offensive performance. It's okay if you leave a couple open on defense."

Damn it, I wanted to rest a bit more, but you want me to focus more on offense and less on defense. I'm only 21 years old. Am I the kind of person who stands by with his hands on his hips and watches others play while giving it his all on offense? But since Nash arranged it this way, Li Wei had no choice but to respect the head coach's wishes and develop his own playmaking abilities.

Nash thought to himself, "Finally, this is my territory. I can give Levi some pointers." He genuinely didn't understand defense. But did Nash really know how to guide Levi in ​​offensive playmaking? Not necessarily.

The offensive organization on the perimeter can be divided into three main styles. The first is the most classic traditional point guard, whose role is to control the ball, pass, and direct the offense. They don't have strong offensive ability or desire themselves, and everything revolves around passing. The representative figures are the early point guards in the NBA. Stockton is the master, Rajon Rondo is the last glimmer of his talent, and Adijiang in China is a representative player.

These types of players have been phased out in modern basketball. A point guard who is purely a ball handler and lacks offensive ability will find it difficult to survive in the modern basketball system. Rondo has devoted himself to practicing three-point shooting over the years, which is why he has become a championship piece.

The second category consists of modern ball-handlers like Nash, Curry, and Paul. They possess strong shooting abilities, pose a significant threat when on the ball, force opponents to double-team them, change their defensive formation, and then utilize pick-and-rolls and other plays to pass the ball to the player with the best opportunity, leading to a score.

Such players possess exceptional tactical coordination skills, but their overall court vision is slightly lacking. Nash was a pioneering figure, bearing some hallmarks of classic point guards. Paul is a well-rounded player, considered by some to be the perfect point guard template. Curry, on the other hand, maximizes his offensive firepower while delegating playmaking to his teammates. They represent the future direction of modern point guards.

The third category consists of players like Kidd and Magic Johnson, who are known for their off-ball movement. They are tall, have strong overall abilities, and excel in defense, rebounding, and steals. In half-court sets, they frequently pass the ball across half-court, making off-ball runs to grab rebounds, box out, and set screens, rather than relying solely on passing.

These types of playmakers are often not particularly good at shooting, but they can do a lot. Organizing and assisting are part of their job. They excel at fast breaks, have a very strong ability to solve passing problems, and while their small-scale tactical plays may not be great, they have excellent overall vision and make many unseen contributions to the team. They are often also called point forwards, with Kidd and Magic Johnson being representative figures, with Magic Johnson being the epitome of both.

The third type is generally composed of prodigies, extremely rare and exceptional players. They aren't something you can simply cultivate; they require exceptional basketball IQ and extraordinary physical gifts to integrate so many skills. Of course, besides these three types, there's another category. It's not a specific classification, but rather a mix of players who possess the ball-handling and playmaking talent of the second type but lack the shooting ability, or the physical attributes of the third type but lack the basketball IQ and willingness to sacrifice. The result is a hybrid, a separate category, the so-called "hybrid."

Li Wei needs to be careful not to become an oddball. After returning to the court after the timeout, he didn't listen to Nash and play short passes with his teammates. Instead, he insisted on sticking his back to protect the ball and focusing on the first pass. If he could assist directly, that would be best. If he couldn't assist, he should pass the ball to a teammate who could break the deadlock.

Instead of dribbling around and trying to make brilliant passes and assists, and then when things get tough and you can't shoot yourself, you pass the ball to your teammates to handle.

After a timeout, the Hornets tried to drag the game into a chaotic scramble, hoping to capitalize on the chaos and quickly close the gap. Both sides engaged in a series of fast breaks, with Rozier first hitting a strong mid-range jumper, then switching to full-court man-to-man defense to disrupt the Nets' half-court advance. Irving's layup was forcefully stolen by Rozier, but the referee didn't call a foul.

In a quick counterattack, Hayward finally made a close-range floater, giving the Hornets four consecutive points and relieving their scoring drought.

Li Wei received the ball on the wing. With Harden out, he truly became the Nets' temporary second ball-handler. Li Wei didn't hog the ball and immediately passed it to Harris, who was cutting through the middle. This was a screen play between Harris and DeAndre Jordan. Harris received the ball and immediately shot, but the opportunity wasn't great, and he missed.

Li Wei predicted the ball's trajectory, successfully securing the offensive rebound and passing it to Irving, who was cutting to the basket. Irving received the ball, took a step forward, and, facing Biyombo's help defense, scored a difficult basket. Li Wei was already prepared to grab the offensive rebound; his presence near the paint drew the attention of at least two Hornets players, giving Irving more offensive space.

Therefore, Li Wei didn't see himself as a purely ball-handling playmaker; he believed that passing wasn't the only way to create opportunities for teammates. Rebounding offensively under the basket could also create space for teammates to drive. Kidd often did this; in his best season, he averaged 2.5 offensive rebounds per game in the playoffs.

The Hornets' offense failed to pick up, and in fact, the Nets' 3-2 zone defense was showing signs of weakness, with both corners repeatedly opening up the floor. However, the Hornets couldn't hit their three-pointers and posed no real threat to the Nets. No wonder Nash used the Hornets as a practice partner for Levi; their offense simply couldn't apply any pressure.

After securing the rebound, Levi passed the ball to Irving, who then passed it back to Levi. Actually, Irving himself doesn't really like ball-handling; he prefers to be a surprise attacker. Levi set a screen with Bruce Brown at the top of the key, which frankly wasn't very threatening. He then passed the ball to Jeff Green on the wing.

Green's three-point attempt missed, and the rebound went long. Irving rushed into the paint and grabbed the rebound. Li Wei immediately rushed in, received a pass from Irving, cut to the basket, and slammed it home with a dunk! The two returned the favor, demonstrating the tacit cooperation between the members of the Yixin Hui team.

The Hornets finally hit a three-pointer from PJ Washington at the top of the arc, and Levi immediately followed up with a behind-the-back pass to Jeff Green, who drained a mid-range jumper. That behind-the-back technique is really effective; it has a kind of beauty that completely disregards the defender's safety. It doesn't matter if you're a center, guard, or forward; one back-the-back pass shuts you all out, a radar scan in the back of your head, and you pass to whoever looks promising.

As a result, another passing error occurred in the latter part of the first quarter. A behind-the-back pass almost hit the referee on the head, prompting the referee to issue a technical foul to Li Wei. Just then, Li Wei went to the bench for a rest, and Griffin entered the game. He was already very tired, and Nash, whether engrossed in watching the game or if the substitution button on his controller was broken, almost let Li Wei play the entire first quarter.

Of course, the effect was excellent. How excellent? The Nets led the Hornets 35-12 in the first quarter, a massive 23-point lead, completely dismantling the Hornets in just one quarter. Li Wei's playmaking and organization played a crucial role, while the Hornets' abysmal performance tonight exacerbated the situation. Li Wei contributed 6 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in the quarter, making him the most well-rounded player.

Seeing Li Wei's performance, even before the game was over, Li Yue said, "With a performance like this, my brother should have no problem getting MVP for the quarter, right?" Su Lanji nodded, and the two of them started talking again. It was a perfect time for a passionate encounter; the slightest provocation was just a spark that could ignite their fervor at any moment.

Li Wei had no idea that his younger brother had made something of himself. Right now, all he could think about was how to get Nash to reimburse him for a $2000 technical foul.

Because the Hornets were trailing so far in the first quarter, the team fell into a deep hole from which they couldn't climb out. Although the Hornets' offense improved in the second quarter, with their outside shooting hitting repeatedly and substitutes Monk, Miles Bridges, and Hayward all making three-pointers, making 5 of 8 three-point attempts in the quarter, they were still outmatched by the Nets, who made 7 of 8 three-point attempts in the second quarter – an inhuman shooting percentage.

Without Harden and Durant, the Nets' offense was very balanced and fluid. Levi occupied Harden's niche, but his playing style was different. He had short touches, quick passes, and didn't aim for direct assists, but rather to get the ball to the right player as quickly as possible to initiate the attack.

Li Wei follows certain principles. For example, he won't pass the ball to DeAndre Jordan, who is far from the basket, as that's a transitional pass with no offensive threat. He won't allow himself to be double-teamed to the point where his teammates need to receive the pass and he has to pass it back, as that kind of defensive pass is a waste of time.

Of course, when he was really tired and had no other options, he would pass the ball across to Irving, Shamet, and Bruce Brown on the other side. Running to threatening positions under the basket to fight for offensive rebounds also contributed to the half-court offense. By halftime, Li Wei had already achieved a double-double, not just points and rebounds, but a rare combination of rebounds and assists.

8 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists—a triple-double was beckoning to Li Wei, and the Hornets had little chance to fight back. Looks like he's pulled through again tonight. He needs to figure out a way to pay off that 2000 yuan fine; if he keeps getting fined like this, it'll just keep piling up.

(End of this chapter)