The original story with Maran HaGaon HaRav HaTzaddik Chaim Kanievsky shlita is off in some of the details; it is more like Kapusta said.
The rebbetzin was extremely sick; otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered to ask Reb Chaim to do this.
Someone asked Reb Chaim if you would play basketball on Shabbos. Reb Chaim asked: Vos is basketball? So the guy told him, “You gotta put the ball in the basket.” And the rav said, “It is much better to put the ball in the basket erev Shabbos.”