Basketball Terminal

Chapter 67 Seizing the Opportunity
On the evening of February 25th, the Brooklyn Nets, riding a seven-game winning streak, played their 34th game of the season against the Orlando Magic. This was also Levi's first game as a formal member of the Nets.

This time, when entering the arena through the players' tunnel, even more reporters and cameras surged forward. Meng Jie, a slender Chinese female reporter, caught Li Wei's attention—not because of her figure, but because of the penguin logo on her microphone.

Li Wei's meteoric rise and official signing with the Brooklyn Nets mark another Chinese player establishing themselves in the NBA. A certain website quickly set up a "Li Wei section," and it won't be long before they try to get him to post something on the site: "[Hi everyone, I'm Li Wei. I've come to the website. What would you like to talk about?]"

Tencent also sensed an opportunity to turn things around. In the past two years, the NBA's ratings and attention have plummeted due to the Morey incident and the virus lockdown. The expensive broadcasting rights are about to go to waste. If a Chinese player can make a name for himself and attract attention, it would be a lifeline.

Therefore, Tencent Sports immediately changed its plans, sending its frontline reporter Meng Jie to Brooklyn to cover the Nets vs. Magic game, conduct a close interview with Li Wei, and obtain more information about him. Ideally, they would conduct an exclusive interview for a more in-depth understanding.

Li Wei gave an interview, briefly chatting with Meng Jie. Regarding deeper matters, he stated, "It's not convenient to reveal anything; there will be exclusive sources." Of course, Li Wei doesn't rule out making friends with reporters and the media. One must always broaden one's path; you never know what rain will come from the clouds in the future.

Facing the camera, Meng Jie asked Li Wei if he had anything to say to the Chinese fans. Li Wei replied in fluent Mandarin, "Thank you so much for your support and love. Your expectations are my motivation. I hope I can make a name for myself here and leave behind a beautiful story for the fans to remember. Thank you, and I look forward to your continued encouragement and support. Thank you."

Li Wei spoke very sincerely, deeply understanding that fans and audiences are fundamental to the sports and entertainment industry. Basketball, without the love and support of fans, is worthless; it's merely a form of self-entertainment and physical exercise. Only with a large number of passionate enthusiasts can commercialization be established, creating wealth and social phenomena.

What is a myth? A god exists only when there are believers, and a word only exists when it is spread. Basketball fans are believers in basketball.

While there may be those who are subjected to intense psychological manipulation (PUA), believing that "hitting is affection, scolding is love, and no love without hitting or abusing," such people are engaging in cult-like practices. Basketball, as a positive, healthy, and uplifting sport, has a large number of enthusiasts who are generally normal.

The interview with Li Wei went unexpectedly smoothly. Meng Jie successfully added Li Wei's contact information, giving both parties the opportunity to get to know each other better.

Two hours before the game, staff came into the locker room to remind Li Wei to take a urine test. To prevent the proliferation of doping and steroids, the NBA conducts random drug tests on players every season.

Li Wei wasn't worried because he hadn't used any banned drugs. The growth factor medication Luo Ping gave him was fast-acting and metabolized quickly; it wouldn't be detectable if used the next day.

This is one of the reasons why Li Wei was willing to cooperate with Luo Ping; the fact that Luo Ping could get reliable medicine meant that he was capable. Li Wei had previously approached other people, but they either couldn't handle it or were frauds, which gave him a lot of headaches.

Li Wei lacks a good university platform to support him. Some top basketball schools have massive training and technological resources behind them, and their annual revenue is higher than that of NBA teams.

Half of the NBA's revenue goes to player salaries, while the NCAA doesn't pay a single penny to student-athletes; all revenue goes to the schools themselves. To maintain competitiveness, besides desperately recruiting high school prodigies, the NCAA piles up resources in training and technology, providing virtually everything that's considered the most advanced and cutting-edge.

The more talented and closer a student-athlete is to becoming a professional, the more likely they are to use performance-enhancing drugs to push themselves. In contrast, ordinary players, for health and financial reasons, see no need to resort to such methods. In North American professional leagues, baseball is a major area of ​​drug abuse, at one point reaching the point where almost everyone was using performance-enhancing drugs.

American football has faced considerable criticism regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs for weight gain and muscle building, with some players experiencing excessive muscle and weight increases. Basketball is somewhat better because it demands a high level of skill and agility, making reliance on performance-enhancing drugs ineffective.

The main purpose of the medication is to enhance metabolism and promote rapid recovery. It's like Han Laomo using the bottle to produce more immortal herbs to heal injuries and give you more opportunities for arduous training and cultivation.

After the urine test, Nash told Levi during warm-up that he would start him again tonight, and that the game would be more difficult than the last one.

"You need to focus on guarding Vucevic and prevent him from scoring as easily as he did in the last game. Can you do that? Try to take care of him; you've already signed a guaranteed contract."

Li Wei thought to himself, "Coach, I really appreciate your high regard for me. Judging from your tone, anyone who didn't know better would think I signed a top-salary contract yesterday."

"I'm just a minimum-salary player, and you expect me to snag a $2600 million annual salary, 23+10 All-Star European big man like Olajuwon? Thank goodness we're not in the era of super centers, otherwise, tonight it'd be Hakeem Olajuwon, the day after tomorrow Shaq, and the day after that Duncan and Robinson—I'd be dead under the basket." But he still had to be defiant, Li Wei replied, "Mission accomplished! I won't let him run rampant under the basket anymore."

Nash nodded; in his mind, he no longer considered Levi a minimum-salary player. Levi signed a minimum-salary contract because that was the only option he could get. Since acquiring Harden in the trade, the Nets' offense had been formidable, but their defense under the basket was riddled with holes, and their rebounding was inadequate. Even when they won, it left Nash feeling incredibly frustrated.

Why did he repeatedly fail to advance with the Mavericks and Suns? Luck played a part. Another important reason was the teams' lack of good defense under the basket, which led to opponents exploiting the paint in the playoffs.

Why did the Mavericks, who relied heavily on offensive shooting, win the championship? Because of Tyson Chandler. The Warriors, with their formidable offense, didn't just win because of their three-point shooting; they had Bogut, Pachulia, and Draymond Green in the paint. The smaller Heat had Birdman Anderson's shot-blocking prowess and passion, and Shane Battier's intelligent defense.

So far, apart from Levi, the Nets haven't shown any defensive prowess from Nash. In these three games, the Nets have played steadily as long as Levi is on the court. When Levi is off the court, the game becomes unpredictable, with ups and downs that keep Nash on edge.

Li Wei returned to the starting lineup, and veteran Jeff Green, who was replaced, had no complaints. He even said to Li Wei, "Thank you for giving me a chance to rest a little longer. I'm getting old. Young people should do more, play more, and perform more."

Jeff Green and Kevin Durant entered the league in the same year, and the two were initially known as the Seattle Twins, with people expecting them to make great strides in Emerald City.

Little did anyone know that the SuperSonics would soon disappear into the annals of history, Durant would rise to fame and become an MVP, Green would begin a nomadic journey, and now he has reunited with Durant in Brooklyn.

At 34 years old, Green has an excellent mentality. He once underwent a five-hour surgery for an aortic aneurysm, during which his heart stopped beating, leaving him with a long scar on his chest. He is already grateful to be able to continue playing, and he no longer cares whether he starts or comes off the bench.

However, not every player shares Green's laid-back attitude. Starting not only represents opportunity but also symbolizes status within the team. Li Wei's sudden move to the starting lineup will undoubtedly cause resentment among some.

An hour before the game started, Nash approached Levi again and said, "Sorry Victor, you can't start this game; you'll be a substitute."

Li Wei was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "Whether I start or come off the bench, it won't affect my performance."

The team then submitted its starting lineup, with DeAndre Jordan starting at center. Apparently, some people raised objections; after all, Jordan is a member of the team's core trio and earns over $1000 million annually. Durant is willing to come off the bench, and given that Li Wei was asking for a new contract in the last game, perhaps they could give way a little.

Now that you've got the contract, and you're still making me a substitute, I'm definitely unhappy. After talking to Durant, Irving, and the coach, Nash had no choice but to compromise. He can be tough on Marks and Nash, but not on the Big Three for now.

Li Wei didn't feel wronged at all; he was actually hoping to play off the bench to avoid the opponent's strength and wait for an opportunity to strike. The Magic's interior defense was much stronger than the Clippers' and Kings'.

At 7:30 p.m., both teams took to the floor of the Barclays Center, with the Orlando Magic wearing white jerseys on the other side. There were still 300 fans in attendance, and it's said that the next game will have 600 people in attendance.

Time flies. Li Wei remembers the last time he was invited to watch a game at the Barclays Center, the opponent was the Magic. It was in mid-January, Harden's first appearance after being traded to the Nets. Vucevic was on fire in the game, racking up an incredible 34 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals.

Li Wei had imagined how to defend Vucevic from the sidelines. If he floated out to shoot, he could keep up and contest. But in a battle under the basket, Vucevic's strength was probably too much for him. His face-up drives were like a bulldozer, unstoppable, and DeAndre Jordan was completely outmatched.

Li Wei thought to himself, "I don't know where DeAndre Jordan got the courage to insist on fighting for this starting position. Maybe he wants to get back at us in the game, after all, he was humiliated in the last matchup."

(End of this chapter)