Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 125 "The Great Defense"

Xu Ling stepped to the free-throw line, ignoring all the interference from the crowd, and made the free throw.

17 is better than 12
The point difference is back to 5 points.

So far, Xu Ling has scored 10 points and has the upper hand in his matchup against Paul Pierce.

However, the Celts' terror lay in their cohesion and depth.

Towards the end of the first quarter, both sides substituted some of their rotation players.

James Posey and Lyon Powell stepped up from the Celtics' bench.

Posey hit a corner three-pointer, and Powell also used his speed to break through and score.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies' second unit struggled offensively.

Howard, who was responsible for supporting the transition, had a habit of using mid-range isolation plays on the wing, but he couldn't execute it against the Celtics' defense, and Theo Ratliff also committed several fouls.

The first quarter ended with the Celtics hitting a buzzer-beating shot just as the referee blew the final whistle.
The Boston Celtics lead the Memphis Grizzlies 27-21.

During the break, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers yelled at his players: "They only have one scorer! Lock down that Chinese kid! PP, you fucking calm down! You're real, you're our number one player, don't let him drag you into this mess! In the second quarter, we're going to completely destroy them!"

This is Rivers' classic tactic; you can hardly expect him to come up with any brilliant on-the-spot strategies, but he is very good at giving players psychological support.

However, this doesn't mean the Celtics' coaching staff is all talk. The most important reason they were able to integrate the Big Three is that they built an effective system around them.

Among them, the defensive system is the most unique.

This success is inseparable from Rivers' lead assistant coach, Tom Thibodeau, who has served as an assistant coach in the NBA for many years.

While Rivers was giving his instructions, Thibodeau remained silent, like a stone. He didn't point out any defensive problems. In his view, the Celtics hadn't yet exerted their full potential, and their proud defensive system hadn't truly been revealed. Until then, there was nothing that needed to be changed.

On the other hand, for the Grizzlies, Mark Jaffaroni stood in front of the bench, his whiteboard covered with lines, but his brow was furrowed.

"We need to control the rebounds and prioritize a high success rate on offense!"

Jaffaroni only hoped that the second team could buy the starters a few more minutes of rest.

But faced with the Celtics' impenetrable defense, this simple wish seemed like a luxury. Looking at the panting starters—especially Xu Ling, who had been battling Pierce for most of the quarter—he decided to give him a few more minutes of rest.

“Trevor,” Jaffaroni called out, “you’re replacing Josh. I need your energy, good defense, and be ready to shoot.”

Ariza looked up abruptly, a long-lost gleam in his eyes: "Understood, Coach!"

These are the most crucial four minutes.

Jaffaroni's decision not to bring Xu Ling back early means the Grizzlies must rely on their rotation to compete against the Celtics' starters.

For Ariza, this is another precious opportunity. Since arriving in Memphis, he has consistently earned moments of trust like this. As a fourth-year player in his contract year, he understands better than anyone the value of this opportunity—compared to the torment in New York and the uncertainty in Orlando, this may be his last chance to prove himself to the league.

“Eli!” Ariza walked up to Xu Ling and extended his hand. “I need your strength!”

Xu Ling gave him a high five and said, "TA, you don't need anyone's help."

Ariza took the king killer's words as well-intentioned encouragement.

Don't need it?

No, after a dismal first three seasons, especially those terrible years in New York, anyone needs to rebuild their confidence.

Despite the Celtics also substituting several key players, they firmly believed that as long as Xu Ling was off the court, the Grizzlies were easy prey.

At the start of the second quarter, the Grizzlies had possession of the ball in the hands of backup point guard Kyle Lowry. As he dribbled the ball across half-court, he clearly felt that the Celtics' bench lineup—composed of James Posey, Paul Pierce, Lyon Powell, Glen Davis, and Rajon Rondo—maintained its defensive pressure relentlessly.

Lowry tried to run a pick-and-roll with Milicic, but Davis's massive frame blocked Milicic's path to the basket, while Posey clung to Ariza like a shadow.

With little time remaining on the shot clock, Lowry was forced to drive to the basket himself, but his difficult floater missed under pressure from Posey. Powell secured the rebound.

The Celtics are on offense. Rondo dribbles the ball, directing his teammates' movements. After a simple pass, the ball reaches James Posey in the corner.

Posey feigned a shot, which drew Lowry's attention, and then dribbled to the mid-range before calmly sinking the jump shot.

The score was 29 to 21, bringing the difference back to 8 points.

The situation remains unfavorable for the Grizzlies.

At that moment, Xu Ling felt that he might be going on stage very soon.

The Grizzlies' bench is always a problem when facing strong teams, as their transitional lineups make it difficult for them to get enough rest.

Fortunately, tonight is different.

In the next possession, Lowry appeared more cautious and called for Ariza to make a handoff pass.

After receiving the ball, Ariza, facing Posey's defense, did not choose to attack himself, but passed the ball back to Lowry and then immediately cut to the basket.

It was a simple two-man pass, but Ariza's acceleration was incredibly fast! Lowry understood perfectly and delivered a bounce pass, accurately placing it in Ariza's path.

Ariza received the ball, started his run, and fearlessly took off towards Glen Davis, who was coming to help defend. He had a noticeable hang time in the air, dodged Davis's block, and then flicked the ball toward the basket.

29 is better than 23
"Beautiful attack! Trevor Ariza!"

When Ariza landed, he glanced at his team's bench. Xu Ling was also waving a towel vigorously on the sidelines.

This reminded Ariza of his shooting touch in practice, and tonight seemed to be his good night. Although the basket he just scored wasn't from a shot, having a good run is a wonderful word in a game.

It reflects the team's condition and provides strong feedback to the players themselves.

Moreover, players often know they are in excellent form.

The Celtics were on offense, and Pierce attempted to overpower Ariza, but Ariza anticipated his drive. Just as Pierce gathered the ball and prepared to jump, Ariza's long arms moved like a viper, precisely slicing through the ball.

"Snapped!"

Steal successful!

Ariza took control of the ball and immediately launched a counter-attack! He charged forward like a swift horse!

Only Posey managed to get back on defense for the Celtics. Ariza took a long stride, leaped from just inside the free-throw line, fully extended his body, and slammed the ball into the basket with one arm.

29 is better than 25
The point difference was instantly reduced to only 4 points!
The noise at North Shore Garden was somewhat drowned out by this unexpected steal and fast break dunk.

After landing, Ariza let out a rare roar, as if he wanted to vent all the emotions deep in his heart.

The Celtics were forced to call a timeout.

Rivers is very dissatisfied with the team's performance during this period, especially with Ariza, a substitute who was previously ignored, now showing signs of changing the course of the game.

This is unacceptable, so let's stop the game, disrupt Ariza's rhythm, and then adjust the personnel on the field.

After the timeout, the Celtics proactively ended the transition period, with Ray Allen and Garnett returning to the court.

For the Grizzlies, seeing Ariza's hot streak, Jaffaroni decided to keep him on the court and bring back Kidd and Xu Ling.

After entering the game, Kidd patted Ariza on the back: "You played well, Paul Pierce couldn't do anything with you."

Ariza quickly and modestly shook his head: "No, this shouldn't be credited to me. Eli tore his defense apart long ago; I'm just taking advantage of the situation."

"Don't say that, TA," Xu Ling laughed. "A good play is a good play."

Ariza chuckled upon hearing this and made a lighthearted joke: "If you ask me, maybe it's Dr. Ross's sandwich that's working. Maybe he added some special ingredient, you know what I mean." Xu Ling shrugged helplessly.

Ariza's excessive humility made Xu Ling wonder what the guy had been through in New York. The days spent being coached alternately by Larry Brown and Isaiah Thomas seemed to have smoothed out all his edges. Despite putting up brilliant performances, he always habitually gave the credit to others, completely lacking the arrogance that a young man should have.

Back in the game, Pierce had clearly adjusted his mindset. He no longer focused on one-on-one duels with Xu Ling, but instead made more use of off-ball movement and screens to find opportunities.

This was a classic pick-and-roll cut to the outside.

Pierce used a double screen to circle out from the baseline, received a pass from Rondo, and hit a three-pointer.

32:25.

But the Grizzlies had found their rhythm. Kidd controlled the ball and keenly noticed a subtle change in the Celtics' defense—the Celtics' wing defense was distracted due to Ariza's activity.

Kidd dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and signaled Xu Ling to move to the weak side corner.

This positioning immediately attracted the attention of Pierce and Garnett, who was ready to help defend at any time.

Just then, Ariza suddenly cut to the basket from a 45-degree angle.

Kidd's pass was surgically precise, bypassing the defenders and finding Ariza directly in his hands.

Ariza receives the ball and easily scores a layup!

32:27.

"Jason Kidd! He completely read the defense! Beautiful assist! Ariza has scored 6 consecutive points! He's become the Grizzlies' secret weapon!"

A commotion erupted at North Shore Garden. This previously unknown player had scored consecutive points in the second quarter.

In the transition, Pierce attempted a one-on-one against Ariza, believing the young man lacked experience. However, Ariza used his superior athleticism and long arms to tightly guard Pierce, and Pierce's turnaround jump shot missed again due to severe interference.

Xu Lingchong grabbed the rebound!
The Grizzlies launched a counter-attack, with Xu Ling making a high-speed run down the middle, drawing two defenders before passing the ball to Ariza who was following up.

Ariza received the ball beyond the three-point line with a wide-open shot in front of him. He made a slight adjustment and took the shot without hesitation.

Swish!

32 is better than 30!

Ariza hit a three-pointer, scoring 9 consecutive points, and the Grizzlies are now only 2 points behind!

This was completely unexpected!

The Grizzlies' small forward position is not weak. Although Josh Howard's recent isolation efficiency reminds fans of Rudy Gay, his defense is such that even ten Gaies tied together couldn't catch up with him.

Therefore, the Celtics focused all their attention on Xu Ling and Howard, which did have an effect in the first quarter. Howard was repeatedly forced to miss shots by the Celtics, a team that likes to double-team on the strong side. If it weren't for Xu Ling's outstanding performance since the start of the game, the game might have been one-sided by now.

Even if Xu Ling performs exceptionally well, the Celtics are still confident of winning the game easily. No matter how great an individual's influence is, unless it's an explosive performance like James' Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons last season, it's very difficult for one person to defeat a well-trained team.

Ariza's sudden outburst completely disrupted the Celtics' rhythm.

The Celtics called another timeout.

Rivers never dreamed that he would be forced to call two timeouts by the Grizzlies' backup forward.

But as Mike Brin screamed: "Trever Ariza!!! He's been the 'surprise' for Bostonians tonight!"

Marc Jaffaroni was ecstatic; there's never too much good striker, especially since Ariza was a completely unexpected surprise.

After the timeout, the Celtics tightened their defense on Ariza, which was exactly what the Grizzlies wanted to see.

After several fruitless attacks and defenses, the Grizzlies had their offensive possession, and Kidd and Xu Ling made a handoff pass at the top of the key.

The Celtics' defensive focus instantly shifted towards Xu Ling.

In that instant, Kidd didn't stop, but quickly cut to the basket.

Xu Ling understood perfectly and skillfully bounced the ball through the crowd to Kidd's hands, allowing Kidd to easily score a layup.

32 is better than 32
The Grizzlies have tied the game!

The Celtics did not let the losing streak continue.

Garnett drew a foul while attacking the paint and made both free throws.

34 is better than 32
Xu Ling immediately broke through and passed the ball to Milicic, who made a mid-range shot.

34 square meters

Pierce used his individual skills to back down Ariza and then turn and shoot a jump shot.

36 is better than 34
Ariza made another cut to the basket, received a pass from Kidd, drew a foul, and made one of two free throws.

36 is better than 35
The game entered into a tug-of-war.

The two sides traded blows, with the score fluctuating back and forth.

Ariza's outburst undoubtedly injected vitality into the Grizzlies' offense, relieving Xu Ling and Kidd of a huge amount of pressure.

In the final two minutes of the first half, Xu Ling faced Pierce, made a series of crossover steps and forced his way through, and scored a difficult layup before Garnett could help defend.

37 is better than 36
The Grizzlies took the lead for the first time since the start of the game.

Pierce tried to respond, but his mid-range shot missed again due to Xu Ling's interference. Garnett grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback.

38 is better than 37!

In the final possession of the first half, the Grizzlies had possession. Kidd controlled the clock and launched an attack with 8 seconds remaining.

Kidd and Xu Ling initiated a pick-and-roll, and the Celtics decisively switched their defense, with Garnett instantly appearing in front of Xu Ling.

Faced with the Wolf King's tight defense, Xu Ling did not attack, but passed the ball back to Kidd and quickly retreated to the three-point line.

Kidd understood perfectly, feigning a drive to draw the defense before delivering a bounce pass back.

Xu Ling received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the left side, with only two seconds left!

Xu Ling launched that three-pointer amidst Pierce's desperate defense, maintaining a perfect following motion in the air.

As the basketball arced high and swished cleanly through the net, the red light signaling the end of the second quarter flashed brightly.

"Uh-huh!!!"

It was just a fleeting, ethereal sound, yet it struck like a thunderbolt, reverberating in the ears of nearly 20,000 fans at TD Garden.

The moment the ball went in, Xu Ling's face showed no joy, only an almost bored calm. Looking at Pierce, whose expression was contorted due to poor defense, he took a half step forward and said, "Looks like we have to thank you."

“What did you say?!” Pierce asked coldly.

Xu Ling had no choice but to give Pierce the "truth" he needed: "If you hadn't defended so well, Trevor and I wouldn't have been able to play so smoothly tonight."

"Don't fucking think you've won just because you played well for half the game!"

"Friendly reminder," Xu Ling said, "Thanks to your defense, I scored 13 points over you in the first half. Also thanks to your defense, Trevor scored 10 points in the second quarter. It was truly great defense. Please keep it up."

(End of this chapter)