Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 101 is just the beginning.

"Through his legs! My God! Unbelievable! Eli! He actually fooled LeBron James with a through ball! Howard caught it! Goal! A buzzer-beater!" Mike Breen's exclamation from the commentary booth was extremely sharp. "This is absolutely the craziest moment of the night!"

Mark Jackson, standing nearby, excitedly chimed in, his tone brimming with the thrill of watching a spectacle unfold: "I've never seen anyone dare to do something like that to LeBron!"

ESPN commentators were still discussing the play intensely, while the players on the field had already separated.

The first half has ended.

The Grizzlies took the lead on the road, now holding a 7-point advantage over the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers fans at the stadium gradually realized that this team from the West, ranked only tenth, was by no means an easy target.

If they looked more closely, they would find that the Grizzlies and Cavaliers' records are actually quite similar. The reason they are currently ranked tenth in the West is simply because the competition in the West is so fierce, it's practically hellish.

Compared to the audience, the Cavaliers' feelings were undoubtedly more complex and profound.

From some point in the game, Xu Ling subtly turned the tide, seizing the initiative. This was followed by a noticeable decline in James's luck—a seemingly unspoken rule in competitive sports: the more confident and decisive a person is, the more likely they are to be favored by luck. Once this momentum takes hold, it boosts performance and subtly undermines the opponent's mental defenses.

James racked up 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in the first half, maintaining his all-around stats; Xu Ling on the opposing team contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. On the surface, the two seemed evenly matched. But what truly stung James was Xu Ling's repeated tough scoring under his defense. Especially that crucial nutmeg pass at the end of the first half, which has become the defining moment of the night.

Stories of super rookies emerging out of nowhere and crushing established stars are commonplace in the league—LeBron James himself rose to prominence in this way. He just never imagined that one day he would become the challenged, even humiliated, predecessor in that story.

No, he hasn't been completely destroyed yet, the match isn't over.

James recalled Xu Ling's dismissive question from the first half—"Brown, do you still want to be my friend?"—that guy might really need a lesson to learn how to respect his opponent.

Meanwhile, Grizzlies head coach Marc Jaffaroni gave a halftime interview to reporters.

"Mark, what's your opinion on that last goal of the first half? Was Eli's choice too risky?" The reporter's microphone was practically shoved into Jaffaroni's face.

Jaffaroni's face didn't reveal much emotion, but his slightly raised chin betrayed a hint of pride: "In my opinion, it was an excellent display of reading the defense and creativity. Eli saw the gaps that others couldn't and had the guts and skill to execute them. We trusted his judgment. As for the rest? I want everyone to know that this is basketball, and the best players should play their best, no matter how."

In the Grizzlies' visiting locker room, the players were excitedly discussing their strategy for the second half.

“Listen, they’re panicking.” Kidd was the most enthusiastic one. His gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Xu Ling. “LeBron has lost his rhythm. He’s not thinking about how to win, but how to save face. What we need to do is keep poking at his sore spots.”

“That’s right, Eli is on fire tonight, we should keep hitting him!” Hakim Warrick chimed in.

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, collectively transforming into strategists to devise plans for the second half of the game.

Xu Ling did not participate because what he did in the first half was basically within the scope of tactics. He only needed to continue to follow the team's rhythm, and there would naturally be no problem.

A dozen minutes later, the Grizzlies and Cavaliers returned to the court.

The two teams' key players went head-to-head, and the Grizzlies had the first offensive opportunity in the second half. Kidd dribbled the ball across half-court and immediately saw that the opponent had Larry Hughes, a defensive stalwart, guarding Xu Ling.

It seems that King James has regained his senses?
Has he realized that his defense can't handle Eli tonight?
But is this a cowardly act?

The Grizzlies were unaware of the Cavaliers' plans. Xu Ling was using Milicic's high pick-and-roll to accelerate, shake off Hughes, and receive a pass from Kidd on the perimeter.

Just in time!

Kidd is that kind of player: selfless, with excellent vision and a keen sense of passing. Point guards with these qualities naturally become the kind of players that basketball experts see as "making their teammates better."

Whether in his past life or this one, Xu Ling had never worked with a defender like that before, which made him all the more aware of how comfortable Kidd's passes were.

Running for opportunities, catching the ball, and shooting – that's what Kidd has been doing most since he arrived.

The Cavaliers could only look to the sky; that shot had a beautiful arc and there was absolutely no chance of failure.

"Shh!"

Xu Ling hit a three-pointer, bringing the score difference back to double digits.

The Grizzlies set up a zone defense, and the paint suddenly became an unreachable barrier, while the Kings dribbled the ball continuously and then suddenly pulled up for a jump shot.

hit!

After James made the pull-up jumper, his face was filled with a murderous intent.

The king was burning with anger. He didn't want to lose to Xu Ling and wanted to reverse the slump he had been in since the start. Perhaps he needed to be more aggressive, which led him to trash talk Xu Ling: "I've only just begun, kid."

Xu Ling didn't respond, as if she didn't take the provocation to heart at all. That nonchalant attitude was even more infuriating than a direct retort.

The Cavaliers continued to place Hughes next to Xu Ling, but the Grizzlies' offensive plays flowed smoothly. Milicic moved to the high post and set a screen. Xu Ling swiftly circled around, and the moment he received the ball, Hughes was already half a step behind.

"good chance!"

Kidd's warning rang out almost simultaneously with the ball taking off.

Xu Ling receives the ball and shoots.

The basketball arced across the Quicken Loans Arena, swishing into the net once more. Two three-pointers in a row!
This made James instinctively angry.

He likes to be in control and dislikes the unknown. From a young age, he has enjoyed playing what he considers the "right" game, and he can often foresee the most likely outcome before a round even begins.

He sees tonight's game as a defining battle between him and Xu Ling. Xu Ling is just a rookie, while he became a superstar leading his team to a championship last season. How can there be any comparison between them? Does Xu Ling really deserve it? Is this hype going too far?
You know, arrogant stars never believe they can be replaced. Just like Jackie Chan publicly stated that no one watched Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior" overseas. His subtext was, "You haven't reached my level of global fame, so don't compare yourself to me."

That's how James feels about Xu Ling, and it still is.

Xu Ling responded to him again.

The Grizzlies' number 1 player didn't utter any trash talk; his notorious mouth, already famous throughout the league, didn't continue to offend the King.

but
Not to be outdone, James aggressively drove to the basket. Facing the Grizzlies' zone defense, he executed a series of crossovers, forcefully creating an opening, leaping into the air, and slamming the ball into the hoop with both hands. The arena erupted in cheers.

In the next possession, the Grizzlies launched a counterattack. Kidd's long pass was like a needle threading a needle, finding its way directly to Xu Ling. James chased back frantically, his footwork as swift as the wind, and it looked like he was about to complete his signature block. At the critical moment, Xu Ling swiftly gathered the ball in mid-air, twisted his body to the right, almost floating horizontally in mid-air, and launched the ball over the other side of the backboard with a layup.

The moment the ball went in, James dove to the basket, his hands clenched tightly, his teeth clenched.

Xu Ling turned around and walked past James, his belated trash talk not being pleasant: "You're much easier to deal with than Kobe."

Long before LeBron James declared himself the GOAT after his comeback victory against the Warriors in 2016 to win his third championship, Kobe Bryant was the biggest noise-maker in his life.

Even in 2025, you can still hear fans at games telling LeBron James that he's not as good as Kobe.

Currently, Kobe has become an obstacle that LeBron James must overcome.

After saying that, James's expression grew increasingly grim, and his eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

Xu Ling patted Kidd's hand, his expression calm, as if nothing had happened.

The Cavaliers needed to stabilize their morale, but James drove and dished to Larry Hughes.

Hughes missed a three-pointer, Kidd secured the rebound, and on the fast break passed to Josh Howard for a powerful dunk, bringing the point difference to 13.

Mike Brown quickly called a timeout.

However, the Cavaliers didn't have many options. Brown only made a personnel rotation, replacing Daniel Gibson with Delonte West, who had a standout performance in the first half.

After the timeout, the Cavaliers were clearly determined to use James' individual abilities to dominate the game.

James received the ball at the top of the key, called for a pick-and-roll, and capitalized on Hakeem Warrick's mismatch. He first faked a drive, then suddenly accelerated, forcefully shoving Warrick aside. Milicic, who was helping on defense, rushed in, but James used his body to withstand the contact in mid-air and forced a layup.

"That damned barbarian!"

Milicic was hit in the chest and felt pain.

Xu Ling tossed the ball to him and asked, "Did you forget to pray for yourself today?"

“I never pray for myself,” Milicic said, passing the ball out. “It’s pointless.”

It was clear that Milicic was quite upset about his classmate who was doing so well. Xu Ling returned the ball to Kidd after arriving in the attacking third and then positioned himself on the left.

Kidd then used Xu Ling's offensive distraction to his advantage, suddenly delivering a brilliant pass to Milicic, assisting the latter to score under the basket.

“！#！#￥@”

Milisi cried out in surprise and pounded his chest, seemingly trying to assert his presence.

The gap remains at 13 points.

James got the ball again and, almost like a copy-paste, drove hard, drew a foul, and made both free throws.

In the next round, Xu Ling made a run to create space, received a brilliant pass from Kidd, and made a clean shot from mid-range.

Cavaliers fans had extremely mixed feelings. They cheered for every strong attack James made, only to be left speechless by the Grizzlies' response the next second.

The score difference hovered between 10 and 13 points, like an invisible glass wall preventing King James from reigning supreme in his own country.

What makes the home fans even more suffocated is that James's all-encompassing style of play is like an invisible sponge, constantly absorbing his teammates' game state and offensive rhythm when things are going badly—when the ball is always in one person's hands, the others' shooting touch will only get colder and colder.

"What a difficult comparison!" Mike Breen raised his voice. "Every point LeBron scores is like dancing on a knife's edge! On the other hand, the Grizzlies' offense flows incredibly smoothly, and Eli does whatever he wants on the court!"

Jeff Van Gundy immediately added, "That's the impact Kidd has had. The Grizzlies are no longer playing one-man games; they've become a well-functioning machine. On the other hand, for the Cavaliers, LeBron is still the one and only, but can this LeBron really lead them to the end of their glory days?"

The Cavaliers' bench began to stir.

Hughes tried to share the offensive burden, but he missed three-pointers from the outside.

Big Z tried to attack the paint, but was limited by Milicic's defense.

All hopes rested on James's shoulders.

With seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, James had already scored his 10th point of the quarter. However, his expression showed no joy, but rather a hint of anxiety. No matter how many points he scored, the point difference remained unchanged.

In the stands, a fan couldn't help but shout, "Damn it, someone come out and help LeBron!"

With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Cavaliers launched a furious comeback. Their outside shooters found their rhythm again, finally narrowing the gap to single digits. A long-awaited glimmer of hope finally erupted in the arena.

The Grizzlies called a timeout, disrupting their offensive rhythm. When the game resumed, Xu Ling immediately attacked Hughes in the low post on the first possession.

In an instant, Xu Ling recalled a shot Kobe had made against him. He mimicked the move, leaning against the defender, bumping him, swaying his shoulder, and using the momentum of his body's rotation to pull away Hughes' defense before turning around and shooting a fadeaway jumper.

"Shh!"

Shortly after, the whistle blew to end the third quarter.

The scoreboard showed 85-74. The Grizzlies still led by 11 points.

At that moment, James was resting on the sidelines. The camera focused on him, but he just sat there with a somber expression.

He began to think about why this game was so difficult. He had been playing at full power, scoring 26 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in three quarters, almost a triple-double, but they were still down by 11 points. Xu Ling only scored 30 points in three quarters, which was an outstanding performance, so why was it like this?
James would never accept that Xu Ling played better tonight. This conclusion is obvious to neutral observers. He is more well-rounded, and his influence on the court is stronger. What does Xu Ling have besides offense? Defense? Who on the Cavaliers does he need to specifically defend? His assists... oh my god, since Kidd came, he no longer needs to force himself to do things he's not good at.

This made James see the biggest difference between Xu Ling and himself.

The other team had a star like Jason Kidd by their side as soon as they entered the league, while I was dealing with the unbearable Ricky Davis.

They have a great management team; no one in the league can claim to be better at building a team than Jerry West, and what about the Cavaliers?
Without comparison, things would have been fine, but this comparison has given James an excuse for everything that has happened so far in the game.

(End of this chapter)