Basketball Terminal

Chapter 97 Calm down
Around 7 PM Eastern Time, before the game, the TV cameras repeatedly focused on Kyrie Irving. He was expressionless, as if he were back in the same place, completely unmoved. The arena DJ played a pre-recorded chant of boos from the fans, but to Irving, this was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Like Kevin Durant, he has faced constant criticism, unfounded accusations, and relentless attacks and vicious insults. But for a professional player, this is part of the job. Even if Levi performs exceptionally well and is impeccable as a role player, there will still be voices attacking him because there will always be a certain group that dislikes him.

That's just how work is; once you've taken on this job, you have to swallow the grit too. If you find it stinging, you can pick the grit out—either through your performance on the field, making the grit shut up on its own, or by putting in the effort to create alternate accounts and attack each other. That's the reality. Li Wei focused on improving his performance and ignored the negative comments. He left the task of creating alternate accounts to his younger brother; he was a good assistant.

Li Wei will continue to come off the bench tonight. He has now firmly established himself as the sixth man, Nash's designated protégé. When problems arise, Li Wei is brought in; when no problems arise, he's simply there to clock in. This rhythm suits Li Wei very well. Li Wei also fears inconsistent use of him – being used excessively one day, then underperforming the next, and then only briefly again – as this prevents systematic improvement and negatively impacts his stamina and performance.

Having tasted the benefits of a diverse tactical approach in the previous game, the Nets started this game by not letting Irving and Harden handle the ball for isolation plays. Instead, they opted for a high pick-and-roll with a handoff screen, allowing Harris to take a long-range shot and Bruce Brown to cut to the basket. However, this proved ineffective; the shot missed, and Brown failed to grab the rebound, wasting their first opportunity of the game.

Tristan Thompson grabbed the defensive rebound. The Celtics have a small lineup, with Thompson and Daniel Theis as their two small-sized big men, both lacking independent scoring ability. Their perimeter is dominated by the two young stars, plus Kemba Walker. Their roster structure is very similar to the Nets, with a miniaturized, purely blue-collar interior and multiple ball-handlers on the perimeter.

However, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has a wider range of tactical options. This handsome, academically-minded tactical elite excels at developing team basketball and utilizes various unconventional tactics, earning him the admiration and love of fans. In the Celtics' first offensive possession, a series of screens on the strong side created a one-on-one opportunity for Jaylen Brown on the weak side.

Brown missed a mid-range jumper after a one-on-one with Harden. It was a good opportunity; he drove deep into the free-throw line, but his shooting touch was off. Theis tried to steal the rebound but was blocked by DeAndre Jordan. The ball went to Irving, who led the fast break and attacked the basket at TD Garden for the first time, driving to the basket for a layup, but was blocked by Jaylen Brown's defense!
Jaylen Brown's close-range defense was excellent; although he didn't block the ball, he severely disrupted Irving's layup, turning what was supposed to be a bank shot into a crossover, and possession returned to the Celtics. The competition between the two teams was fierce from the start, and Irving, who was knocked to the ground, didn't complain but immediately got up and got back into the game.

Kyrie Irving is a player you can call a god off the court, not a leader, and not a great coach—that's all fine. But on the court alone, he's not only technically gifted, but also has impeccable sportsmanship. He doesn't injure others, doesn't complain, doesn't resort to tricks, has few dirty tricks, and is clean and upright—basically, he's beyond reproach. People are complex, after all.

Kyrie Irving had a strained relationship with Jaylen Brown during his time with the Celtics. Irving proposed trading Anthony Davis, with Brown as the core asset. It's no wonder Brown was less than friendly towards Irving after learning of this, so their recent confrontation stemmed from past grievances. However, Irving didn't complain to the referee.

He then disrupted Jaylen Brown's pass to Tatum on defense, and the ball went out of bounds, giving the Celtics possession. On the baseline, the Celtics executed an unusual low-post screen play. Tatum received the ball after a low-post screen from Thompson, and a through ball from the horns went to Theis cutting to the basket. Theis received the ball and easily dunked, scoring the first point.

The essence of this tactic is to use a low-post screen to open up the Nets' interior defense, allowing teammates to easily score on a cut to the basket or exploit mismatches after the ball is passed between the strong and weak sides. Harden was guarding Theis, but his attention was on Tatum, so he was naturally watching Theis play.

Without Li Wei on the court, Harden lacked any fighting spirit on defense. And the one who raised his hand to indicate that the play was his fault was Joe Harris—who told him to collapse from the baseline to defend the basket?

That's how the game works. Depending on your position, if a star player doesn't defend or leaves their man open, it's not a big problem; the offense can recover. But if a role player leaves their man open, it's a big problem. Even if you didn't leave your man open and even helped the star player with defense, but still couldn't stop them, it's still your problem. It's your own fault for not being able to stop them.

The Nets immediately responded on offense. Bruce Brown and Harden executed a pick-and-roll, and the Celtics' defense was strange; they used a 2-3 zone defense but couldn't stop Bruce Brown's pick-and-roll, leaving the middle wide open. Bruce Brown received a pass from Harden and dished to DeAndre Jordan on the baseline, who slammed it home with a dunk.

Li Wei noticed the team's tactical coordination was improving and said to Nash, "Coach, your tactical arrangements have improved!" Nash ignored Li Wei, but judging from the lines on his face above his mask, he was definitely grinning from ear to ear. The recent string of victories has certainly given Nash a taste of what it's like to be a great coach!

But this momentum didn't last long. Thompson missed a hook shot, and Harden drew a foul on the fast break and scored. Then, Kemba Walker hit a pull-up three-pointer after a simple pick-and-roll. The Celtics then continued their penetrating passing to the basket, giving Thompson and Theis consecutive scoring opportunities. However, they lacked the ability to capitalize. Not only in the paint, but the two corners of the 3-2 zone defense were also exploited, leaving the Celtics with wide-open shots. Fortunately, Jaylen Brown and Theis missed several wide-open three-pointers, preventing further embarrassment for the Nets. The initial plays were decent, but after a few possessions, the Celtics began to collapse their defense. Harden made a pass that hit his foot and a charge, resulting in a chaotic game.

When Tristan Thompson and Kemba Walker executed a high-post play, cutting to the basket for a layup, Nash seemed uneasy. Thompson was orchestrating the play from the high post, passing the ball to the basket and drawing a foul – what was going on with the defense? The winning streak had made the players complacent on defense.

Only four minutes into the first quarter, the Nets trailed the Celtics 6-10 by four points. Nash kept glancing at Li Wei. Li Wei thought to himself, "They're going to put me through the wringer again! Only four minutes! If I play the full eight minutes of the first quarter, and then they make me play again in the second, I can't take it. Wouldn't I miss my chance to travel off-peak?"

Besides, my playing time is getting earlier and earlier each game, which is not good. It not only disrupts my rhythm, but also causes dissatisfaction among my teammates.

Before Nash could speak, Li Wei spoke up to persuade him: "Coach, don't worry, it's just a technical adjustment, everyone will get back into form soon..." Before Li Wei could finish speaking, Harden made a long pass across half the court to Irving, which went directly out of bounds, another turnover!
"..."

"Fine, coach, let me play! I want to play!"

Nash, however, calmed down and said, "Don't rush, it's not your time yet." He got up and went to the sidelines, shouting at Harden, "Don't be impatient, kid! Keep the ball in your hands more at times like this!" Harden nodded and returned to defense.

Harden has a particular characteristic in games: the more disadvantaged he is, the more he likes to make risky passes. For example, if the opponent goes on a scoring run and starts a mini-run, Harden's choice is often not to play it safe, but to try to get behind the defense with a risky long pass. Sometimes this works wonders, quickly stopping the bleeding for his team. But many times it makes matters worse; a turnover gives the opponent more opportunities and also damages his own team's morale.

This is a point of frequent criticism Harden faced during his time with the Rockets. Harden's explanation was that he had to pass the ball when the opportunity arose, otherwise his teammates would lose confidence. There's some truth to that, but Nash believes that as the primary ball-handler, one can't just focus on opportunities; risks must also be considered. Balance is what truly makes a mature ball-handler.

The Celtics tried to utilize Thompson's high-post playmaking, but Irving anticipated this, intercepting the pass to Jaylen Brown and sending it out of bounds. However, the Celtics' sideline inbounds plays were incredibly varied. A double screen created an opportunity for Tatum, who accelerated to receive the ball and drove directly to the basket, easily breaking through Jordan's defense for a successful layup.

Tristan Thompson then scored on a putback, followed by a three-pointer from Kemba Walker. The Nets only managed 4 points from Harden's free throws and Bruce Brown's putback. The score was now 19-10, with the Celtics leading by 9 points, prompting an official timeout. Nash remained calm and composed, signaling to Levi, "Wait two more minutes, then you can come in and make the transition."

Li Wei nodded in understanding. Nash was increasingly displaying the composure he had as a player, no longer so impatient. Of course, it was also possible he had run out of options. Regardless of whether he had a plan or not, being able to stay calm and not disrupt the plan due to unfavorable circumstances is indeed a basic quality of a coach.

However, Stevens on the other side was also waiting for Nash to be traded for Levi, and he prepared a clever little gift for Levi.

(End of this chapter)