Basketball Terminal

Chapter 93 Zhuge
Every time Levi enters the game, he improves the Nets' defensive situation. His abilities, on-court role, and the Nets' roster structure are indeed a good fit. Nash is also getting more and more comfortable using him; when Levi is on the court, Nash is calm, quiet, and doesn't cause any trouble, just watching from the sidelines with his arms crossed.

The Raptors' pace was slowed down after two unsuccessful offensive possessions. On the inbounds pass, the Nets' half-court defense responded with a solid 3-2 zone defense. Siakam cut to the basket to receive the ball, but Levi anticipated this and struck at the moment Siakam turned, knocking the ball out of his hands.

Sika has long arms and immediately retrieved the ball after it was dropped. His catch was disrupted, so he dribbled the ball in, taking a step inside and attempting to overpower Levi, relying on his height and wingspan!
Li Wei had just entered the game, his energy level high, his upper body clashed with Armament Haki, and he jumped to meet Sika head-on under the basket. Sika looked thin, but his frame was actually very strong, making him very capable of physical contact. The two collided in mid-air, but Sika couldn't gain the upper hand and missed his layup.

Li Wei turned and grabbed the rebound. Siaka reached for it, but Li Wei quickly gathered the ball and controlled it. Siaka has a good habit: he takes a chance, even if it's not a sure thing. If he can get the ball, great; if not, it can still delay the opponent's counterattack.

Sika thought to himself, "This Victor is so tough. He looks like he's not that big, but his aerial ability is so strong." Levi passed the ball to Harden, patting his chest. He thought, "If I hadn't activated Armament Haki, I would have been pushed aside and given away two points."

The Nets' defense was solid, and they were finding their rhythm in half-court sets. Levi and Harden ran pick-and-rolls, with Levi then moving to the baseline. The Raptors switched, and VanVleet closely guarded Levi. The Raptors had studied Levi before the game and, like the Spurs, had started targeting him.

In the following rounds, Levi was constantly marked, unlike in previous games where open shots were easily created. Fighting for offensive rebounds became more difficult, with Siakam and OG Anunoby constantly boxing out Levi to prevent him from moving to where the ball would land.

The Mavericks' victory made Li Wei a household name in the league, prompting coaching staff and video production teams from all over the world to conduct detailed studies on him. His photos and stats appeared on the whiteboards of each team's pre-game meetings, making him a key focus of attention.

Li Wei realized this, but he didn't rush. He first stabilized the defensive position. "If I don't score, you won't score either!"
Siakam once again received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side, facing off one-on-one against Levi. Without needing to anticipate, Siakam's strategy would be to take a probing step and rush in; if he couldn't get past the defender, he would turn and back to the basket, then close the distance to finish the play.

Levi easily blocked Sika's breakthrough route, and Sika indeed turned around and tried to squeeze in. Levi activated his Armament Haki again, his legs firmly planted on the floor. "I'll let you squeeze in, can you even move?"
Siakam tried several times to move Levi but couldn't get any space to turn and attack, so he had to pass the ball back to the perimeter. VanVleet received the ball and took a tough three-pointer, but missed. The two then battled for the rebound, making several small moves and their arms getting tangled. Levi reached out and swatted the ball away, passing it to Harden.

Harden had been watching from the sidelines for a while, and finally the ball came! A fast break! Harris received the ball and drained a three-pointer! The Nets' first three-pointer of the first quarter; their offense was coming back to life. The first quarter ended with the Nets trailing the Raptors by 2 points, 26-28.

Li Wei contributed 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 assist, maintaining a high level of presence. However, scoring was truly difficult; the Raptors guarded him tightly, and offensive rebounds were also hard to secure. Li Wei thought that achieving 21 points was probably out of the question.

During the break, sitting on the bench, Li Wei thought he should rest a bit in the second quarter since he started early in the first. Nash, however, said, "Victor, you play in the second quarter."

"What? I... I thank you, Coach. But I'm a little tired."

"Come on, in the second quarter, let's run two plays around Victor."

Nash completely ignored Li Wei, picked up his clipboard, and said he wanted to build two plays around Li Wei. Li Wei was dumbfounded, thinking, "Coach, do you even have a strategy? Isn't it supposed to be everyone playing their own game and figuring things out on their own?"

In fact, during training, Nash did design several tactical routines for Li Wei, to make use of Li Wei's playmaking and finishing ability, mainly to cooperate with Harden, Irving, Shamet, Harris and others.

The Nets have consistently lacked variety in their interior playmaking. Aside from pick-and-roll alley-oops, DeAndre Jordan has limited options, only able to rack up points during the regular season when the pace is relatively relaxed. This is completely ineffective in crucial moments, a fact that has consistently caused Nash anxiety.

With three core players all on the perimeter, the lack of a decent inside playmaker makes the team's tactics lack depth. Nash is focused on enriching the Nets' half-court offense and is constantly thinking about Lee's ball-handling and playmaking.

“Victor, we’re going to run a low-post pick-and-roll. You, Harden, Shamet…”

Nash certainly understands tactics, but he's relatively conservative in their application. With Durant absent, and Harden and Irving at the core, he naturally employs the strategy best suited to them. Nash isn't the kind of seasoned coach who has a complete offensive system of his own and expects players to adapt.

Like Li Wei, he is learning and accumulating experience; Li Wei is a good guinea pig for him. Cheap, effective, efficient, and intelligent—practically perfect. With Durant absent, the Nets completely abandoned low-post offense, relying entirely on perimeter ball-handling, pick-and-rolls, cuts, or fast breaks.

Nash hopes to have a low-post offense as a supplement, which can be implemented once Durant and Griffin return. Levi isn't a low-post ball-handler; he lacks low-post offensive ability and is not a threat in the low post. Harden will handle the ball, with Levi and Harden running low-post pick-and-rolls, and Harris and Shamet providing support on the perimeter.

This is a classic half-court strong-side tactic, frequently used and with many variations. For Harden, receiving the ball in the low post also saves him some energy. Li Wei plays a crucial role in this tactic.

When he sets the screen, and what he chooses to do afterward, determines the subsequent tactical deployment. We practiced this many times in training yesterday and this afternoon, but I didn't expect to have to use it tonight. It seems a bit too fast.

At the start of the second quarter, Harden returned to the court and said to Li Wei, "I'll pass you the ball more often, so do your best, buddy." Li Wei nodded; he knew the scoring opportunity had arrived, and he had to seize it.

The Nets have possession in the backcourt. Shamet dribbles the ball across half-court, and Harden, unusually, moves to the right low post to receive the ball. Shamet passes the ball and Harden moves inside. Li Wei transitions from the weak side to the strong side, setting a cross screen with Shamet near the low post in the paint.

After the screen, Shamet retreated, and Li Wei cut to the basket. Harden then made a behind-the-back pass to Li Wei, who easily made a layup. The Raptors hadn't prepared for this Nets play before the game, and communication problems on defense gave Li Wei the opportunity to cut and score.

They stole a point, and on the return defense, Levi and Harden high-fived, tying the game. In the transition, the Raptors' second unit's defense was already mediocre; two possessions later, in the same position, with the same tactical movement, Levi and Shamet set a cross screen, and Shamet cut to the basket.

The Raptors players went for a cut, and Li Wei stepped back to the free-throw line, received a pass from Harden, and took a mid-range shot. It missed, but Li Wei sprinted forward, grabbed the offensive rebound, and made a floater. He had one more rebound.

Li Wei gradually found his rhythm and realized he wasn't as tired as he thought. After all, he had rested for a week and had enough energy reserves. The Raptors' transition lineup clearly wasn't keeping enough of a close watch on Li Wei, and he continued to steal the ball, grabbing offensive rebounds, assisting Brown, and drawing a foul to make both free throws, bringing his total to 8 points.

The Nets' sudden tactical change caught the Raptors off guard. Raptors coach Nick Nurse immediately called a timeout to reorganize the defense and make more targeted arrangements against the Nets' low post pick-and-roll.

"This number 0 is indeed worth paying attention to; there's still too little research on him. But his information is also pitifully scarce. Where did this guy come from?" Nurse muttered to himself, a sentiment shared by many other coaches in the league.

After racking up some points, Li Wei went to rest. This time, he genuinely praised Nash, saying, "Coach, you're really something. Our tactics were pretty good." Nash was secretly pleased, but said, "It was just a surprise attack on the opponent. Once they react, it won't be as effective."

Thanks to Li Wei's consistent performance on both offense and defense, the Nets widened the gap with the Raptors, extending their lead to as much as 8 points. The Raptors, unsure how to play defensively, resorted to a zone defense, which was subsequently breached by consecutive three-pointers from substitutes Shamet and Johnson, forcing them to switch back to man-to-man defense.

Afterwards, the Raptors' starters returned to the court, with VanVleet and Lowry attacking the basket and scoring with mid-range shots, bringing the score back to within one point. Since winning the championship in 2019, the Raptors have elevated the mentality and individual abilities of every player from top to bottom.

Like Fred VanVleet, who went undrafted like Levi, he performed poorly during the 2019 playoffs, with many games showing abysmal efficiency. Nurse persisted in using VanVleet, who then had a breakout performance after the birth of his daughter. In the last three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, and in Games 3 and 6 of the NBA Finals, he made crucial contributions, repeatedly hitting key shots, transforming from "Chef VanVleet" into "Van Jordan."

He is now the undrafted player with the biggest contract, earning 2100 million this year, which can be considered Li Wei's goal.

After the score was caught up, Nash called a timeout. He pulled out his clipboard and said, "Victor, get ready to come in. We'll run two more plays around Victor." Li Wei thought, "Holy crap, Coach, what's wrong with you? Is this some kind of Steve Nash?"

Is the team going to make me the core player? Is Durant here to support me? Isn't this a bit too fast? Or does the coach know about the challenge between me and the Indian player and want to give me scoring opportunities? My mind is racing with all sorts of thoughts, but it doesn't matter anymore. Being able to participate deeply in the tactics is certainly a good thing.

When an individual's abilities are insufficient or have shortcomings, it's crucial to execute tactics effectively and coordinate well with teammates to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses, thus maximizing one's impact. Furthermore, seeing Nash's increasingly confident and organized command style, Li Wei was also pleased for him.

(End of this chapter)