Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 135 is truly a profound truth.
At the start of the second quarter, both teams' young core players were resting on the bench.

Xu Ling received a bottle of mixed Gatorade from Dr. Deckard Ross, drank it, and then gave feedback.

"It's a little too sour." Xu Ling was always critical of the doctor's cooking. "The flavor needs improvement."

Dr. Ross said without batting an eye, "The discomfort you experience on your taste buds is inversely proportional to your rate of physical recovery. Simply put, the worse it tastes to you, the more frantically it's working."

".real?"

"It's fake. But next time you can try using your imagination to imagine it as peach flavor."

The answer was heartwarming.

Unlike the Grizzlies' number 1, who had the leisure to chat with Dr. Rose, on the court, Grizzlies' backup guard Kyle Lowry was undergoing a tough test.

Although the Hornets substituted Paul out of the game, it doesn't mean they can't play.

Admittedly, Paul's style of "dribbling, dribbling, dribbling before attacking or passing" can easily stifle a team's playing style.

But the Hornets can still find players with strong personalities to energize their second unit.

Gianni Pargo, with the face of a gangster, immediately put Lowry through a nightmare with his aggressive playing style.

This style has, to some extent, distorted the cautious, conservative playing style that Paul instilled in the Hornets.

Pargo found his rhythm right away, using his teammates' screens to accelerate past Kyle Lowry, drive into the paint, and in mid-air use a difficult layup to dodge Milicic's block, scoring with a reverse layup.

Turning back, Lowry tried to organize the offense, but the Hornets, as one of the top five defensive teams in the league, were still a formidable defensive force even without their star player.

Pargo himself is the epitome of the kind of player who plays like a mad dog, with Bonzi Wells and Maurice Peterson by his side, and Tyson Chandler anchoring the paint.

Offense has become a problem for the Grizzlies.

Lowry has some individual offensive ability, but what he lacks is tactical positioning and the confidence of a ball handler.

Moreover, he completely saw himself as Kid's stand-in.

He did whatever Kidd did, which was completely unrealistic.

The ball movement failed to find a good opportunity, and Ariza finally managed a three-point attempt, which bounced off the rim.

The Hornets secured the rebound, and Pargo immediately launched a fast break. His speed was incredible; like a black panther, he charged straight into the Grizzlies' heart of the court, drawing the defense before passing to his trailing teammate. Unfortunately, the layup missed.

In the chaos, the Hornets grabbed the offensive rebound, Pargo reorganized the offense, and facing Lowry's defense at the top of the arc, he used a convincing shooting fake to get past his opponent, took a step to the side, and decisively launched a three-pointer.

"Shh!"

30 is better than 28
Pargo scored 5 points in a row, helping the Hornets take the lead.

Jaffaroni stood on the sidelines with a furrowed brow, yet the Hornets were gaining momentum.

The Grizzlies lost their half-court offense again, and Pargo used his speed to drive into the paint on the next possession, passing to Chandler. As Chandler went for a dunk, Pargo drew a foul from Grizzlies' backup center, Ratliff.
Chandler made one of two free throws, making it 31-28.

"Stop wasting time!" Pargo, brimming with confidence, waved his fist and yelled at Xu Ling on the sidelines, "Bring on all the players you can!"

Xu Ling remained unfazed, having long since become immune to this level of provocation.

He knew a pattern: the more unremarkable a scorer seemed, the more they liked to flaunt their so-called "personality" on the court.

Pargo is indeed an energetic bench player, but such a personality is too prominent for a backup scorer.

This may sound counterintuitive, but it's a truth on the court: flamboyant bench scorers and defensively focused role players often represent two completely different ways of surviving. The former is a double-edged sword, capable of hurting both the opponent and oneself; the latter, at least, provides a consistent defensive contribution. When your value can be consistently delivered, those extra emotions will be tolerated by the team.

Seeing the situation was turning against them, Jaffaroni had no choice but to bring back their key players ahead of schedule.

Xu Ling and Kidd returned to the court less than four minutes into the second quarter.

As soon as Xu Ling entered the game, he received the ball on the wing. Facing Pargo's mismatch defense, he did not hesitate to use his height advantage to pull up for a jump shot, and the basketball went into the net.

"How does it feel?" Xu Ling looked at Pargo, who was full of defiance, and said casually, "Making a wish come true right after making one's first wish must be a wonderful experience."

This casual remark instantly ignited Pargo's anger.

Pargo shone brightly in the second quarter, his confidence so inflated that even the 193cm tall Kidd couldn't contain him. He even waved for a screen, determined to create a mismatch and isolate Xu Ling.

Pargo dribbled between his legs repeatedly, then suddenly accelerated to break through from the right side, but Xu Ling's defense remained close by.

Seeing that his breakthrough was unsuccessful, Pargo stopped abruptly at the free-throw line and forced a fadeaway jump shot.

The instant the ball left his hand, Xu Ling leaped up like a cheetah, delivering a clean and decisive block that sent the ball flying.

The basketball flew straight out of bounds, and the New Orleans arena erupted in a cacophony of gasps, protests, and boos.

Ignoring the clamor of the crowd, Xu Ling simply looked at his opponent, whose "dream had come true," and asked calmly, "Is there anything else you haven't fulfilled?"

If Pargo truly has any unfulfilled dreams, it's that he hopes the head coach can give him more patience. Unfortunately, while Byron Scott appreciates his fighting spirit, this appreciation is based on the Grizzlies' weak bench. When he attempted to challenge Xu Ling, the outcome was already predetermined.

Scott didn't give him any more chances, and Chris Paul immediately went to the scorer's table to prepare to go on stage.

As Paul walked toward the bench, he smiled and raised his hand to Pargo, ready to give him a high five.

But the indignant Pargo ignored his teammate's hand hanging in mid-air, and walked straight back to his seat with his head down.

This is the chain reaction brought about by a distinct personality—such a personality may annoy opponents, but it can also easily sow the seeds of disharmony in the locker room.

But Paul is truly a brilliant man. Faced with this awkward moment, he smoothly transformed the high-five into a call for the ball, and then shouted to his teammates on the court, "Stabilize the rhythm, let's regroup!"

Xu Ling took in everything and teased Paul as he passed by, "Isn't your team's 'wish list' a bit too long?" Paul didn't know how to respond, so he decided not to, letting the game speak for itself.

Moreover, after a few minutes of rest, Paul decided to change his playing rhythm.

In the frontcourt, Paul is facing off against Kidd.

Based on Paul's playing style in the first quarter, Kidd chose to open up some space, mainly to defend against his drives.

This choice is sound because although Paul has the ability to score 20 points per game, he is not the kind of extreme offensive player who takes every shot he sees.

However, Pargo set the tone for the Hornets' second quarter.

Paul clearly wanted to continue that kind of offense.

So when Kidd created space, Paul decisively gathered the ball and jumped, unexpectedly shooting a three-pointer over Kidd's head.

"Shh!"

Paul gained a lot of confidence from this shot, which made him want to keep attacking.

Moreover, Kidd may be the most well-rounded point guard in the league, but when facing a core point guard like Paul who excels in all aspects of the game, he completely fails to grasp the key points on defense.

Xu Ling then dribbled to the basket, drawing Chandler's second foul of the night, and made both free throws.

However, Paul responded immediately, weaving through the Grizzlies' defense like an elf, and sinking another difficult drifting mid-range jumper.

As Kidd watched helplessly as Paul dominated him, Byron Scott on the sidelines was ecstatic, waving his arms and cheering loudly.

As the Grizzlies' most emotionally stable player, Kidd rarely becomes such a weak point for the opponent as he did tonight. The unspoken mentor-student bond between Scott and Paul made him feel a tightness in his chest.

The old man wanted to do something, but what could he do?
Paul even deliberately left him an empty seat.

Kidd knew his opponent was trying to lure him into shooting, but he took the bait anyway and missed.

This has clearly created a vicious cycle. Chandler fought hard to grab the defensive rebound, and Paul drove the length of the court all the way up.

Xu Ling chased back at full speed to try to block the shot, but the opponent was not a hothead like Pargo—Paul took the initiative to lean towards Xu Ling before shooting, and then flicked his wrist lightly.

The whistle blows, and the ball goes in!
It was this wretched 183cm shorty who deliberately delivered the cylinder to the referee's door, yet the referee called a defensive foul on him.
“I didn’t foul,” Xu Ling said, raising his hand to acknowledge the penalty while complaining to referee Dick Bavita.

Upon hearing this, Bavita immediately turned around, his weathered face radiating unquestionable authority.

Okay, even the most fearless king slayer has someone he can't mess with on the field: the referee.

Moreover, the mental fortitude of a referee like Baveta, who has personally blown many infamous biased calls, is beyond question. Complaining to him is a waste of time, and you might end up with an additional technical foul, which would be a huge loss.

Xu Ling stepped aside and looked at Paul.

This short guy is becoming a big problem for the Grizzlies. His MVP power, combined with the home-court advantage, is clearly something Kidd can't handle.

Xu Ling was wondering if he could give it a try.

Xu Ling didn't immediately ask Kidd to switch on defense; he wanted to continue observing Paul's playing style from the side.

Paul, on the other hand, single-handedly led the team's offensive.

His relentless offensive play made the Grizzlies wary, but the more wary they were, the more attention they focused on him.

Once two Grizzlies players are interested in him at the same time, this small guy, who doesn't seem to have a complete view of the game, can pass the ball immediately.

In the first half, Paul, as the core point guard, completely outplayed Kidd, leading his team to a 48-36 lead over the Grizzlies with three minutes left in the first half.

The Grizzlies lost all rhythm and basically relied on Xu Ling and Howard's one-on-one plays to stop the bleeding.

However, unless the Dream Team makes a surprise appearance in the playoffs, there is absolutely no basketball team in the world that can keep up with an opponent who is playing with all their players just by relying on individual plays.

Then, Jaffaroni made a substitution, replacing Kidd with Jarius Jackson, allowing him to share the ball with Xu Ling. This was basically the Grizzlies' usual playing style before Kidd's arrival.

When veteran heroes are out of commission, can simple strategies still work?
The answer is yes.

Perhaps there was an element of luck involved; the Hornets genuinely didn't expect the Grizzlies to be able to substitute Kidd and disrupt the game.

After Jarius Jackson entered the game, he hit two jump shots, finally creating space for Howard to have a comfortable one-on-one opportunity. Xu Ling, on the other hand, disrupted the Hornets' defense with more frequent movement.

The Grizzlies responded to the all-out effort of the MVP with a chaotic offensive, eventually narrowing the gap to 6 points before halftime.

53 is better than 47
Xu Ling walked through the players' tunnel amid boos from the fans.

Tonight's fierce battle gave him a completely new understanding of the cruelty of the playoffs.

The game was completely different from the regular season – the intensity was drastically different, the focus was worlds apart, the level of competition was significantly higher, the tactics were incredibly targeted, and the defensive rotations were impenetrable. When he couldn't easily get shooting space as usual, he had to rely on team tactics or his teammates' drawing defenders.

Tonight, when Kidd was completely suppressed and the team's offensive system was on the verge of collapse, he found himself in a predicament where he couldn't unleash his full potential. If it weren't for Jaffaroni's effective substitutions at the last minute, they probably wouldn't have even had a chance to catch their breath.

No other game has given you such a clear view of what lies ahead.

Shooting is important, but if he wants to go further in the playoffs, he must significantly improve his ball-handling and physicality, elevate his face-up threat to a new level, and hone his low-post skills to Kobe's level. Otherwise, his future may well be as his college mentor, who might be watching on TV right now, predicted.

"If you don't do these things, you won't even see Kobe's taillights."

It turns out that the general had predicted this day a year ago.

That's a truly wise saying, Coach.

(End of this chapter)