Basketball Terminal

Chapter 110 Whip
The Nets were incredibly generous to Durant. In the summer of 2019, despite Durant's serious Achilles tendon rupture, they signed him to a max contract with a year of recovery time. They essentially gave him tens of millions of dollars for free, without him playing a single minute – a truly generous offer. This season, he only played a few games before getting injured, requiring extensive rehabilitation and over two months of rest.

This year's season was already shortened, with only 72 games. Regular season spectators weren't allowed in, and later on, only a limited number were allowed to attend, so ticket revenue was undoubtedly severely impacted. With the team operating at a loss, the Nets are supporting three injury-plagued star players, with their star player being the most injured. They also pay the second-highest luxury tax in the league, and their management team consists of a large group of former veterans. Owner Tsai is practically branded with labels like "honest man" and "sucker" plastered on his forehead.

Halfway through the season, Joe Tsai realized he'd been a bit of a loser as owner. Clearly, he underestimated the differences between Black player culture and Chinese political culture. In China, even emperors had to feign three refusals to ascend the throne. And I'm not being modest; I'm an e-commerce guy from Alibaba, how did I end up in Brooklyn running basketball? I should probably find someone more capable.

Boss Cai thought everyone would say, "We've already discussed and decided, of course we'll listen to you on all team matters." He then recited a couple of lines of poetry, "If it benefits the team, I'll risk my life..."

Before the poem was even recited, the American saw it, and the boss said, "Find someone else." "Great," he thought, "I'll be called Gaoming (meaning "brilliant"). Sean Marks, very tall, and "Sean" means "God's gift"—isn't that both tall and brilliant? So the management team remained unchanged, and the number of people even increased.

Black basketball stars are the same; they don't understand the intricacies of relationships, the concept of reciprocity. If you pay me, I'll work; if you're strict, I'll work hard; if you're lenient, I'll slack off. Mr. Cai probably thinks that with millions in pay, they should be different from construction workers, right? There are differences, but not many. The bigger the carrot, the thicker the whip should be.

Unfortunately, Mr. Cai himself lost control of the team. He wanted his partner to take the reins, but they were ousted. He hoped Nash would take over, but Nash lacked the ability and made things chaotic for himself. Things only changed inexplicably when Li Wei joined the team. He acted like a catfish, triggering a series of effects.

One effect is that, despite being on a minimum salary, he managed to unite most of the team. He has a great relationship with Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and James Harden. Irving, Jordan, and others seem to have formed a small group with him, often getting together before and after games to chat. Harden can't play without Levi on the court; he publicly stated, "I want Levi to play with me; I feel relaxed playing with him."

Others like Jeff Green, Harris, and Shamet all have good relationships with Levi, often dining and going to nightclubs together. Durant, on the other hand, seems increasingly out of place. He dislikes socializing, doesn't act like a leader in the locker room, spends his days engrossed in his phone, rarely plays games, and is becoming increasingly distant from his teammates.

If the Nets lose, it's understandable; everyone will miss Durant and hope for his speedy return to lead the team out of their slump. But in Durant's absence, the Nets have achieved a winning streak, briefly rising to first place in the Eastern Conference, boasting the best offense in the league, defeating strong opponents and easily beating weaker ones—they've played exceptionally well. This makes Durant seem ineffective; it shows that we can still win without him.

Gradually, people will think it's better that you don't come back, because if Durant comes back, the existing ball distribution pattern and rotation will be broken, the good chemistry will be destroyed, and everyone will have to readjust. Who wants to play like this when things are going well?

It wasn't until Harden went down that the Nets started to become unstable and their winning percentage dropped, which was the perfect time for Durant to return. If it had been any later, and Harden had returned, or someone else had settled in and stabilized the team's winning percentage, Durant's role as the team's leader would have become dispensable and would have been challenged.

A similar situation occurred with the Sacramento Kings in the 2003-2004 season. Chris Webber suffered a major injury and missed the first half of the season. However, the Kings brought in Brad Miller to replace Webber, shifting their offensive focus to Stojakovic. Before Webber's return, the Kings had a record of 43 wins and 15 losses, ranking first in the league.

Webber couldn't sit still and returned to the starting lineup in the second half of the season. However, after Webber's return, the Kings' winning percentage was less than 50%, with a record of 11 wins and 12 losses. In the game he missed, the Kings won by 17 points against the Magic, but in the previous game, they suffered a heavy defeat against the Miami Heat. In the end, the Kings only managed a record of 55 wins and 27 losses, ranking fourth in the Western Conference. In the semifinals, Webber's game-winning shot missed, and the Kings lost to the Timberwolves in Game 7.

If Webber hadn't rushed his return that year, or changed his playing style and transitioned to a bench role, the Kings would definitely have achieved 60 wins, entering the playoffs as the top seed in the West. Their path would have been much smoother than if they had finished fourth, and their chances of reaching the NBA Finals would have been much greater. That season, the Timberwolves were inexperienced, and the Lakers' "Big Four" were not cohesive. Their chances of making it out of the West were high, but everything was disrupted by Webber's return.

Starting that season, Webber's status as the team's leader was threatened, and the Kings were caught in a power struggle between the Serbian and Webber. In the 2004-2005 season, the 31-year-old Webber was traded, and Stojakovic was promoted to become the team's core player.

The good times didn't last long. Stojakovic wasn't cut out to be the leader. After two unsuccessful seasons, he was traded, and the glorious and splendid Purple Kings disintegrated, entering a long and dark road of rebuilding. To this day, almost 20 years later, they still haven't succeeded in rebuilding.

Webber went to Philadelphia to team up with Iverson, but his injuries meant he was no longer the dazzling power forward he once was. Stojakovic, after leaving the Kings, became a role shooter, eventually achieving his championship dream with the Mavericks, a relatively satisfactory ending. In fact, if the Kings hadn't had internal strife, given their age, ability, and tactical chemistry, they could have maintained their competitiveness for about three more years.

The best example is the San Antonio Spurs. After Duncan lost his dominance, they transformed their tactics, retained their core roster, and spent seven years returning to the top of the NBA. This fully illustrates how important internal unity is for a team, and how crucial it is for a leader to maintain team stability.

From this perspective, Durant isn't a very good leader. From the moment he left the Thunder to join the Warriors, he embarked on a path of short-sightedness, and it's hard to turn back. The coaching staff knew the dangers of a hasty return. Steve Nash was unusually calm; he not only decisively rejected James Harden's return, demanding he focus on recovery, but he was equally cautious about Durant's return. In the game against the Pelicans on the evening of April 7th, Nash didn't put Durant in the starting lineup, but rather on the bench. He explicitly told Durant, "I'll put you in the second quarter. Leave the first quarter to your teammates; we need to build an advantage. In the second quarter, go out there and unleash your firepower."

As head coach, Nash did a great job developing the Nets' offense. Having started as a point guard, he knew how to unleash his players' offensive potential, giving them ample freedom and confidence – these were Nash's strengths. His weaknesses, however, were numerous and too many to list here. But even with these strengths alone, the Nets' formidable offensive firepower was truly maximized.

Like his mentor Mike D'Antoni, this instinct to fully exploit a player's offensive potential is ingrained in his DNA. This is also why Nash always had so many unrealistically high expectations of Levi.

Durant followed Nash's instructions and participated in the team's pre-game warm-up. For the first time in two and a half months, he jumped and danced with his teammates to prepare for the game. He also saw Levi, Irving, Jordan, and Griffin performing a pre-game prayer ceremony, which made him increasingly curious about what kind of organization they were, what their relationship was, and what they were up to.

Li Wei's growth rate is astonishing, even making Durant a little scared. This guy went from a short, unremarkable defensive center on a 10-day contract, at the very end of the bench, to now showing signs of becoming the team's most popular player. He not only receives attention from fans and the media, but is also very popular within the team and highly valued by the owner and coach.

During this time, Durant gradually resumed normal training, and he would seek out Levi for one-on-one matches. Kyrie Irving's struggles against Levi in ​​previous one-on-one games left a deep impression on Durant. When Durant's injury had almost fully recovered, he tried to experience Levi's suffocating defense. However, the coaching staff reminded Levi not to play too aggressively on defense, to prevent Durant from injuring himself again.

Although Li Wei was eager to try, having agreed to a one-on-one match with Durant three months prior, they hadn't had the chance since becoming teammates. However, considering the bigger picture, Li Wei restrained his abilities and played with Durant in his normal form. Naturally, he was no match for Durant, who easily scored over him. Durant asked, "Victor, where's your amazing defensive ability?"

"That's for your opponents, not for you," Li Wei explained, indicating that he no longer needed a one-on-one match to prove himself. However, Durant remained unconvinced and recently challenged Li Wei to a one-on-one duel during every practice session.

Li Wei was happy to participate. He wouldn't use Observation Haki and would rely solely on his primal instincts to fight Durant, which would also be a valuable training opportunity for him. Just like how Michael Jordan tormented Pippen in one-on-one battles, Li Wei wouldn't miss such a good chance to hone his skills.

Even with Observation Haki, it might not be effective against a tall, slender, naturally gifted shooter like Durant. You might anticipate his shot, but you can't block it; you can only try to disrupt him. With each basket he gets scored on, Li Wei constantly adjusts, using physical contact and positioning to disrupt Durant, quietly improving his game.

"Hey Victor, how about we play one more shot?" With half an hour left in the game, Durant couldn't resist challenging Levi to another one-on-one. He was trying to solidify his status as the leader by defeating Levi in ​​a one-on-one match. This guy, so childish.

Li Wei nodded in agreement. Durant passed the ball to Li Wei, who returned it to Durant. Both players prepared. Durant held the ball with both hands and pulled back, executing his classic jab step, while Li Wei's arms hung down, his center of gravity raised, appearing completely vulnerable. This was quite different from their usual practice.

Durant dribbled the ball and started moving to the right, but Li Wei simultaneously rushed forward, using his left hand to slice the ball away from Durant.

"Shit! Again!" Durant realized he had been careless, retrieved the ball, and continued dribbling.

Li Wei remained with his arms hanging down, his center of gravity raised, his body riddled with openings, but his eyes were fixed on Durant. Durant felt uneasy under his watchful gaze. He dribbled between his legs several times, and seeing the distance between them, prepared to time his jump perfectly for a pull-up three-pointer. Just as he jumped, Li Wei sprang into action, lunging forward and blocking Durant's shot!
Durant's release point was too high, so the shot wasn't blocked, but it severely disrupted Durant's shot, reducing the ball's power and resulting in an airball.

Li Wei chuckled and said, "Haha, air ball~ Your injury hasn't fully healed yet, Kevin, it's hard for you to exert force with your legs. Let me attack you, I'll give you a shot."

Li Wei's ball-handling offense was so-so; he could manage in low-intensity one-on-one situations, but he couldn't break through Durant's all-out defense and got blocked by Durant, so the score was even. After warm-ups, both teams returned to their benches for introductions. Durant sat on the bench, watching Li Wei start and the 1773 spectators cheer, feeling a strange unease.

(End of this chapter)