Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 142 Feeding on Hatred

Xu Ling's three-pointer brought the score difference to 4 points.

This relieved the other Grizzlies players.

The Grizzlies are already a poor offensive team. If Xu Ling goes cold and no one can step up and score consistently under this intensity, then the game is over.

Fortunately, Xu Ling adjusted quickly. Since he wasn't allowed to run tactics, he went straight for one-on-one attacks. How many times could Maurice Peterson's defense stop him?

The attack just now was like a shower of ice rain, making the New Orleans fans uneasy. They decided to make a louder noise, hoping to distract the person who was never affected by the fans.

Paul had seen Xu Ling's performance firsthand. As the undisputed MVP, he did not underestimate the latter. The opponent adapted to the defensive intensity very quickly and reacted and adjusted even faster.

Paul knew that Xu Ling was an absolute hurdle to overcome in order to win the decisive battle.

So Paul took the initiative and launched an attack.

Although Kidd is still going strong and his defensive experience and skills are impeccable, he lacks the explosiveness and athleticism needed to limit Paul.

The current Paul is not the rhythm monster who will play like an old man for a long time in the future. With two quick and powerful crossovers, he forcefully shook off Kidd and broke into the paint. However, he saw Milicic guarding the penalty area, so he made the move that Xu Ling was most familiar with.

Paul stopped at the free-throw line and made the jump shot.

17 is better than 11
The DJ on site yelled, "This is our MVP!"

Conversely, Kidd launched a fast break, perhaps because he was eager to respond, he immediately set a screen for Xu Ling and passed the ball hand-off.

Xu Ling didn't feel any pressure and even with half of his teammates not yet in the frontcourt, he chased down and hit a three-pointer.

"boom!"

This is the most intense criticism he has faced in recent days: he always over-relys on his three-point shot.

For Xu Ling, such irrational rotations and three-pointers are commonplace.

That's his style, and the Grizzlies have to accept that.

Xu Ling quickly retreated to defend.

Paul saw this counter-attack after the defensive rotation as an opportunity to widen the score gap. After drawing the attention of Kidd and Xu Ling who was tracking back, he came to the frontcourt and delivered a no-look behind-the-back pass, which accurately found Peja who was making a run down the court.

However, Peja did not commit as planned.

"boom!"

The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced very high.

"rebound!"

The inside game erupted into chaos as muscles collided instantly. Chandler and Milicic jumped simultaneously, but the ball was tipped to the perimeter.

Paul appeared like a ghost at the landing point, picked up the basketball, pulled it up, and launched a long two-pointer like a cold arrow.

Xu Ling's arm, which flew over, almost blocked his face.

"boom!"

Another missed shot!

This time, Xu Ling judged the landing point correctly. He rushed to the paint and jumped with all his might, grabbing the rebound with one hand in mid-air.

Upon landing, Xu Ling immediately protected the ball and turned around, dodging Paul's attempt to steal the ball, and then dribbled the ball forward himself.

"Eli Xu grabs the rebound and initiates the fast break himself!"

Xu Ling moved with incredible speed, like a bullet fired from a gun. But Peterson had already positioned himself ahead.

Xu Ling did not slow down. He made a quick crossover dribble outside the three-point line, pretending to break through from the right. He tricked Peterson into shifting his center of gravity, but then used a behind-the-back dribble to pull the ball back and took another shot.

Another sudden attack from beyond the three-point line!
"Is all that bastard can do?"

One of the fans in the front row shouted this.

"Shhh!!"

Another one!
17 is better than 14!

"A second consecutive three-pointer! Eli Xu single-handedly narrowed the gap to 3 points!" Harlan shouted passionately. "He answered all the doubters and the boos from the crowd!"

At that moment, Collins seemed to be a kindred spirit to Xu, echoing Harlan's words: "Hate is like Eli's fuel; he lives off it just like Kobe!"

Xu Ling quickly returned to defense with a blank expression. As he passed by the dumbfounded Peterson, he still didn't say a word, but his cold eyes still conveyed information that Peterson couldn't convey with a few words of trash talk.

Paul could clearly feel that the Grizzlies' defensive intensity was rising sharply.

The reason is simple: when a team has an absolute core player who can carry the offense, the other players are completely freed from the pressure of scoring. They no longer worry about having a cold shooting night, because they know that even if they don't score a single point, that rookie will earn back what they did.

As a result, the entire team can devote all their energy to defense without reservation. The resulting increase in defensive intensity from this focus is extremely formidable.

Paul absolutely did not want to watch Xu Ling gradually raise the Grizzlies' morale.

What a joke! This is their home ground; they should be the team that overwhelms their opponents with their momentum.

Paul decided to play it safe and score the basket.

He called for West to set a screen again, but this time the Grizzlies switched their defense more decisively, with Warrick sticking to Paul tightly and not giving him any space for a mid-range shot.

Paul passed the ball back to West, who, facing a mismatch with Kidd, opted for a strong drive, but his turnaround jumper missed again due to Kidd's experience. West clearly missed a golden opportunity to exploit a mismatch.

The fans sighed in disappointment, but then became tense.

Watch out for the Grizzlies' counterattack!

However, the Grizzlies had no chance to fight back.

Tyson Chandler is an underrated player on the Hornets. His height, athleticism, and speed, combined with the Grizzlies' worrying frontcourt, made him play like a seven-foot-tall Ben Wallace from the very first game of the series.

In this play, Chandler faced two opponents under the basket. Although he didn't grab the offensive rebound, he still managed to snatch the ball out of bounds in a fierce struggle, disrupting the Grizzlies' rotation opportunity.

Then, he still looked unsatisfied, like Angela White who went to Japan for a side job. Even though she was fighting three against one, you couldn't see that the Japanese Doraemon put any pressure on her.

The Grizzlies can only play positional offense by inbounding the ball from the baseline.

"Jason," Xu Ling said as he served, "pass me the ball, I'm feeling pretty good right now."

"No problem!" Kidd said. "Get ready, I'll pass the ball anytime!"

"At any time" means immediately or right away. It means that as soon as Kidd crossed the halfway line, he immediately passed the ball across to Xu Ling and then waved his hand to have people pull him away.

"Eli has the ball again!"

Maurice Peterson felt as if a dark cloud was hanging over his head, a symbol of misfortune.

Xu Ling immediately adopted a triple threat stance. With the two previous three-pointers still fresh in his mind, Peterson was already a frightened bird, frantically lunging forward.

This is where the flaw lies!
Xu Ling put down the ball, accelerated past Peterson, and sped towards the penalty area.

Tyson Chandler was there, and his paint was an impenetrable barrier for the New Orleans team. The screams that erupted around the arena when Xu Ling charged in at full speed were a testament to the city's confidence in its interior defense.

Xu Ling showed no fear and took to the air to meet Chandler. There was a clear confrontation in the air. When he lost his balance, he threw the ball with the last bit of feeling that had not yet dissipated.

"Beep!!!"

Assistant referee Scott Foster blew his whistle, calling a defensive foul on Chandler!

The basketball bounced twice on the rim, and finally, luckily, it went in!
And one!!

"Oh my god!!! Unbelievable!!! Eli Xu!!! He drew a foul from Tyson Chandler and made the shot! That's a three-point play!"

The entire arena erupted in boos and protests, with many believing it was an offensive foul.

Chandler spread his hands, looking innocent as he complained to Foster.

Foster, however, remained indifferent and showed no remorse.

Xu Ling got up from the floor, dusted himself off, and walked toward the free throw line as if no one else was there.

The boos came crashing down on him like a tsunami, but he seemed to be in another dimension, with only the basketball hoop in his eyes.

Additional penalty.

Shot.

hit!

17 is better than 17!

The Grizzlies have tied the game!

Xu Ling scored 9 points in two and a half minutes, completely stunning the home team Hornets.

"Timeout! The Hornets have called a timeout!" Harlan said. "Byron Scott needs to make adjustments! Eli Xu is completely in form; they can't stop him!"

The Grizzlies players excitedly rushed towards Xu Ling, Howard vigorously patted his head, and Kidd gave him a big high-five.

Mark Jaffaroni was ecstatic on the sidelines. His pre-match speech seemed to have come true – their rising star was leading the team forward with his actions.

After the timeout, the Hornets noticeably tightened their defense on Xu Ling. Whenever he reached the frontcourt, players would immediately move in to interfere, preventing him from receiving the ball easily.

In the following minutes, every point became extremely difficult for both sides. Fouls increased, and shooting percentage dropped.

Paul put the Hornets back in the lead with a difficult floater, while Howard responded with a strong layup.

In the last two minutes of the first quarter, both sides began to rotate substitutions.

The Hornets brought in Pargo, while the Grizzlies replaced Xu Ling, Warrick, and Milicic with Ariza, Radmanovic, and Ratliff.

After Pargo came on, he used his speed to isolate and attack Kidd, and made a pull-up jump shot.

Kidd then took control of the tempo, running a pick-and-roll with Ariza to draw the defense before passing to Radmanovic on the perimeter. Radmanovic took an open three-pointer, but unfortunately, he couldn't find his rhythm immediately and missed the shot.

The Hornets secured the rebound, and Pargo launched a fast break. His speed made the Grizzlies' retreat defense look a bit messy, and Peterson eventually scored a layup.

25 is better than 21
On the Grizzlies' final possession, Kidd ran down the clock and passed the ball to Ariza, who had cut out after a screen, in the final moments.

Ariza attempted a buzzer-beating three-pointer, but it also missed.

The first quarter of the game is over.

Despite Xu Ling scoring 11 points in the latter part of the first quarter and almost single-handedly carrying the team forward, the Hornets regained the lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a more cohesive overall performance and the advantage of their rotation.

(End of this chapter)