Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 68 Lord, please save this team

Xu Ling's response to Ginobili might be contender for the greatest career first basket in NBA history.

However, the defending champions have their own rhythm in the game.

Ginobili's return to the court meant the Spurs fielded their strongest lineup, and they began to demonstrate skillful tactical execution and a seasoned game rhythm.

However, the Grizzlies' young team, playing at home, showed no fear and, with the fearlessness of youth, engaged in a high-speed offensive battle with their opponents.

Xu Ling continued his previous form, becoming the brightest spotlight at Quicken Loans Arena. He received a pass from Lowry at the right 45-degree angle, and facing Ginobili's defense, he didn't hesitate to pull up for a jump shot, which swished through the net.

In the next possession, Xu Ling combined with Gasol at the top of the arc, delivering a beautiful bounce pass that pierced the defense and accurately found Gasol cutting down the court, allowing him to soar into the air and complete a thunderous dunk, completely igniting the home crowd.

The Spurs also quickly regained their rhythm, significantly improving their half-court offense.

Tony Parker capitalized on almost every opportunity for a fast break.

Kyle Lowry's defense was caught off guard. Sometimes, even when he had retreated back to his position in the frontcourt, he was still easily fooled by the opponent's high-speed changes of direction and realistic feints.

Parker doesn't even need to wait for a counter-attack opportunity; he will suddenly accelerate in half-court sets, keenly seizing the moment when the Grizzlies' interior defense is not yet settled, and forcibly dragging the half-court set into his own fast-break rhythm.

With multiple players contributing, the Spurs have completely recovered their offensive form.

Nevertheless, thanks to Xu Ling's outstanding performance of 10 points and 4 assists in a single quarter, and the team's hot shooting from the start, the Grizzlies unexpectedly gained the upper hand against the defending champions.

28 is better than 24
At the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies led the Spurs by 4 points.

Marc Jafaroni was generally satisfied with the team's performance in the first quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, he made a rotation adjustment: replacing Xu Ling with Mike Miller for a short rest, and bringing on Darko Milicic. But what was puzzling was that he didn't replace Pau Gasol, who had also played nearly 9 minutes in the first quarter, but Hakim Warrick.

This substitution has an inexplicable odd feel to it. If the goal was to rest the core players, Xu Ling and Gasol should have rotated at the same time; instead, Xu Ling left the court while Gasol remained. More notably, after Milicic entered the game, he effectively took on the role of a power forward on both ends of the court, forming a "twin towers" lineup with Gasol—a slow and space-deficient lineup that seems to contradict the team's "seven seconds or less" philosophy.

Sure enough, as soon as Xu Ling left the court, the Grizzlies' offense seemed to lose its backbone. Kyle Lowry appeared hesitant, sometimes passing the ball to Gasol for a low-post isolation play, and sometimes to Rudy Gay for a strong-side drive. His tactics were chaotic and ineffective.

Meanwhile, on the Spurs' side, Manu Ginobili led the transition lineup to capitalize on the momentum. The Argentine surgically dissected the Grizzlies' sluggish defense, either driving and dishing to assists or scoring himself. With the Spurs' fluid teamwork, the score was quickly narrowed and eventually turned into a lead.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Jaffaroni turned around and beckoned Xu Ling to get up.

And so, after only three and a half minutes of rest, Xu Ling had to go back into action.

This time, he replaced Rudy Guy.

Guy looked frustrated. Actually, he had performed reasonably well tonight, but the team suddenly lost its rhythm after Xu Ling left the court. He was forced to take on his favorite one-on-one style again, but players like him who simply love one-on-one often have a problem: inefficiency.

Compared to Bruce Bowen, Guy was like an ordinary person who had been sent to Hojo Maki's room willingly to offer himself up, utterly insignificant.

The rhythm of a game can be unpredictable at times. The Grizzlies launched a relentless offensive in the early stages, with the entire team on fire, and even when Popovich unleashed Ginobili, the "magic weapon," they were initially unable to stop them.

At that time, even a renowned coach like Popovich racked his brains, but it seemed that he couldn't compare to the "brilliant idea" of rookie coach Jaffaroni - he chose to let Gasol struggle, just to buy Xu Ling precious rest time.

Perhaps next time, he will realize that letting key players play the entire first quarter is not a wise move, but can he easily regain the rhythm he lost tonight?

At least, it was completely lost in the second quarter.

Xu Ling's first three-point attempt after returning to the court bounced off the rim, and the Spurs seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, further widening the gap.

Fortunately, veteran Mike Miller then cut out to receive the ball and scored with a jump shot.

The Grizzlies' scoring drought ended, and they breathed a sigh of relief, but the Spurs still held a commanding lead.

The red-hot Ginobili launched a fierce attack on Xu Ling without hesitation, using his signature serpentine Euro step to shake off Xu Ling and drive to the basket for a layup.

This is an opponent Xu Ling would never have encountered in college.

Ginobili possesses everything a world-class player has: exquisite technique, a calm mindset, and a wealth of experience in major competitions. Once he gets into the game, even the world's best defenders will find it difficult to stop his offense.

Xu Ling naturally had no intention of falling behind others.

When the fans at FedExCare once again saw him reach for the ball on the perimeter, the stands erupted in excited screams. However, he remained immersed in his own rhythm, the outside commotion merely background noise to him.

Ginobili had already experienced Xu Ling's abilities in the first quarter, so he dared not be careless at all now.

Xu Ling suddenly charged down the right flank, and the speed he unleashed in that instant even made Roderick Craig, the liaison officer on the sidelines, think that Eli's acceleration seemed to be even faster than in college.

Although Ginobili has far more experience than Xu Ling, this lightning-fast first step was purely a contest of talent.

Xu Ling is not Rudy Gay; the slight hesitation in his dribbling transition did not diminish his explosiveness. He quickly shook off Ginobili, took two steps inside the three-point line to gather the ball, and pulled up for a jump shot—the entire movement was fluid and graceful.

"Shh!"

Ginobili was almost stunned. Xu Ling gently shook his shooting hand as he returned to defense, seemingly to relax his wrist, but his eyes remained fixed on Ginobili.

That look seemed to ask: Are you coming again?
Ginobili could only shrug helplessly. Unlike Xu Ling, the Spurs' tactical discipline and Popovich's authority wouldn't allow him to demand the ball and isolate as freely as his opponent.

If he dared to challenge Xu Ling to one-on-one fights so readily, Popovich would probably spit on him a hundred times over.

Ginobili doesn't need to settle things with Xu Ling.

As the team with the superior overall strength, the Spurs gradually and steadily extended their lead once they took control of the game.

Throughout the second quarter, they successfully dragged the Grizzlies into their preferred rhythm: a slow, intense, and physically demanding battle. The Spurs' scoring wasn't explosive, but they always managed to ensure that, at this pace, their opponents had a harder time scoring than they did.

The Grizzlies were completely unable to adapt to this pace of the game, especially Xu Ling, who was used to playing like the wind. But the Spurs were a team that wouldn't let any breeze blow by.

Mark Jaffaroni made several substitutions, bringing on Lowry and Jarius Jackson in an attempt to reignite the "SSOL" system's firepower, but with little success. The Spurs successfully turned the tables and firmly controlled the game.

At halftime, the Spurs led the Grizzlies 54-47 by 7 points.

Xu Ling scored 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists in the first half. For a rookie facing the defending champions, this was undoubtedly a phenomenal performance. However, such impressive stats failed to extend the team's lead from the first quarter.

More notably, Xu Ling's stats perfectly reflect how effective the Spurs' tactical adjustments were: he dished out 4 assists in the first quarter, and the team was on a winning streak; while in the second quarter he only had 1 assist, and the Spurs turned the tide and widened the score gap.

"Coach Mark Jaffaroni wants to turn the Grizzlies into another Suns," Kevin Harlan's magnetic voice echoed globally via TNT's broadcast, "but Memphis doesn't have Steve Nash. You can't expect Kyle Lowry to suddenly become Nash, but they have Eli Xu. Their first-quarter lead stemmed from Eli's all-around performance. Coach Jaffaroni must find a way to get Eli playing the basketball he did in the first quarter!"

At this point, his teammate Doug Collins put forward a bold idea: "If it were me, I would consider letting Eli play point guard directly. Just like they did in the preseason—in my opinion, that's more imaginative than hoping that Lowry or Jackson will suddenly 'genetically mutate' into another Nash."

Doug Collins, as a basketball expert, is often most lucid when he is no longer coaching.

Having Xu Ling at point guard is indeed a tactical change the Grizzlies should consider. Jaffaroni didn't make this arrangement in the first half, mainly because Xu Ling was on fire offensively tonight, and he didn't want the point guard's playmaking duties to disrupt his offensive rhythm.

However, the Spurs proved throughout the second quarter that trying to beat them by playing one-on-one was futile.

So Jaffaroni no longer hesitated.

"Eli," he announced loudly, "you'll be point guard in the second half! We need to get the tempo back!"

"Really?" Darko Milicic interjected with a hint of flippancy. "Can we really get it back?"

Rudy Guy naturally wouldn't miss any opportunity to dampen Xu Ling's spirits.

“Dako, what do you mean?” Guy immediately retorted, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Don’t you trust our Mr. Sixty Million?”

Milicic shrugged, speaking casually yet clearly:
"Of course I believe him. I just don't quite trust you, Rudy. After all, it's much more reassuring to have the ball in his hands than in yours."

As staunch supporters of Xu Ling, Jackson and Lowry burst out laughing.

It was a remark that was clearly meant to offend, but it unexpectedly eased the atmosphere in the locker room.

Guy stared intently at Milicich, countless impulsive thoughts flashing through his mind, but in the end, Milicich's massive, polar bear-like physique became the most realistic obstacle to all his impulses.

Xu Ling did not join the others in making fun of Guy, nor did he intend to help him out of the predicament.

Those who insult others will always be insulted in return.

That Mr. Sixty Million didn't do anything wrong, so why is he being so sarcastic?

The Grizzlies had possession of the ball at the start of the second half.

When commentator Collins saw that the Grizzlies' starting lineup for the second half lacked a traditional point guard and started Mike Miller, he excitedly shouted, "It's here! This is the moment we've been waiting for! Eli Xu is about to truly dominate the run-and-gun system as the point guard!"

Before the kickoff, Xu Ling lightly rubbed the floor with his red and black Terminator 1 shoes, and unusually looked up at the stands—what greeted his gaze was an instant burst of crazy cheers.

His gaze swept across the stands and landed on a huge poster: it showed the moment he hit the game-winning shot against the University of Florida in the first half of the National Championship game, with the words "Eli, my Lord!" written below.

He'd seen too many posters like this. Those sycophantic compliments would make any young player smug, but to him, they felt more like an invisible burden. He didn't want to think about how many fans would be heartbroken if he messed up a game.

He then focused all his attention back on the game.

Xu Ling has consistently reviewed games more frequently than the coaching staff, habitually using this method to summarize gains and losses. He gradually realized that if he persisted in playing the role of Steve Nash, he might one day finally develop the skills to become a true combo guard—but the likely cost would be the Grizzlies' complete collapse this season.

He had no intention of dragging the entire team along to train with him.

In that case, there is only one other way.

Pau Gasol took the inbound pass, but Xu Ling said, "No need to rush the advance."

After saying that, Xu Ling left Gasol looking confused and sped up to the frontcourt alone.

As soon as he arrived in the frontcourt, he raised his hand and beckoned Hakim Warrick to set a screen.

Both Duncan and Oberto opted to retreat and defend, tightly guarding against drives – the most instinctive decision for big men in the modern basketball era. Xu Ling, however, didn't hesitate, instantly stepping back to create shooting space and pulling up for a three-pointer right in front of Duncan.

"Shh!"

Immediately, Tony Parker cut to the basket like a whirlwind, turned gracefully and finished with a layup, quickly answering the Spurs' call.

However, before the French could even feel smug, Xu Ling launched another attack—this time, he called for Mike Miller to set a screen.

The tactic worked, forcing Parker to switch onto Xu Ling. Without hesitation, Xu Ling gathered the ball, pulled up, and cleanly launched a mid-range jumper over Parker's defense – and it went in!

The panel of experts fell silent; everyone was almost speechless with astonishment.

This $60 million man from the Grizzlies doesn't seem fixated on becoming the next Nash; rather, he seems to be proving to everyone that his role model was never wrong. At that moment, he appeared truly determined to follow in Kobe's footsteps.

Xu Ling dribbled up the court for the third time, calmly calling for a screen. This time, the Spurs reacted decisively, with Bruce Bowen immediately double-teaming him.

And this was the moment Xu Ling had been waiting for.

Without hesitation, he drew the defense with his own body, then flicked his wrist to deliver a precise pass to Rudy Gay, who was completely open on the wing. Gay caught the ball, jumped, and released it, sinking the open jump shot with ease.

This pass reveals a glimpse of the broad vision and selfless playing style he displayed during his college years.

"Look!" Kevin Harlan exclaimed with a laugh from the commentary booth, "He actually passed it to Rudy!"

His partner, Doug Collins, immediately picked up on the joke, humorously replying, "After all, once the sun rises, Eli will have forgotten all the unpleasantness of yesterday." On the sidelines, Marc Jafaroni's expression gradually shifted from excitement to a hint of daze.

He began to vaguely realize that what Xu Ling was implementing did not seem to be the SSOL system he had brought from Phoenix.
However, it is very effective.

Moreover, this may be the most efficient way to use Xu Ling in the number one position.

Simply put, it means giving him the ball and letting him control the game at his own pace.

The key to the effectiveness of this playing style lies in Xu Ling's all-around threat and indiscriminate "point-and-click" ability after a pick-and-roll. This is not only a core skill he had honed before his transmigration, but also the style of play that he finds most comfortable.

After three rounds, one fact became increasingly clear: Adidas's $60 million investment was not in vain. Xu Ling can never become a player like Steve Nash—because he is only outwardly selfless, but deep down he has an absolute obsession with the ball. If necessary, he could even prevent his teammates from touching the ball for an entire quarter.

Seeing the momentum shifting in the Grizzlies' favor, Popovich decisively called a timeout and quickly made a substitution, replacing Tony Parker with Michael Finley and replacing him with Manu Ginobili as the point guard.

This substitution not only made up for the Spurs' size disadvantage on the court, but the subsequent matchup adjustment also demonstrated Popovich's utmost respect for his opponent - he sent Bruce Bowen to directly match up against Xu Ling.

After the timeout, Duncan missed a low-post shot.

When Xu Ling called for a pick-and-roll again in an attempt to break free, Bowen's subtle, underhanded tactics began to surface frequently.

Xu Ling naturally knew how to take advantage of home field. Just as Bowen reached out to interfere again, he quickly made a slightly exaggerated reaction and jumped back.

The referee immediately blew his whistle, calling a defensive foul on Bowen.

Bowen was furious. He had spent his whole life hunting eagles, and today he had been outmaneuvered by a fledgling bird. What angered him even more was that he had already been yelled at by Popovich in the first quarter for his poor defense against Xu Ling, and now he had been tricked again. He couldn't help but feel angry and sneered, "Of the 60 million Adidas gave you, how much was paid for this kind of acting?"

“I learned this trick from Manu,” Xu Ling said with a hint of helplessness. “If you want to blame someone, blame him.”

Bowen's face instantly turned gloomy.

Mike Miller, who was standing nearby, felt a chill run down his spine.

“Rookie,” Miller whispered during a break in the serve, “I admire your guts, but there’s really no need to provoke that bastard.”

Xu Ling countered, "What if I deliberately try to make him angry?"

Miller smiled, but still frowned: "Then you are very brave."

Xu Ling wouldn't give Bowen too many opportunities to defend him one-on-one. What he wanted was for Bowen to focus on him. Once Bowen was focused on him, he might make mistakes in other defensive options.

In this situation, unless Bowen goes completely mad and takes advantage of Xu Ling's unpreparedness to deliver the same flying kick that Szczerbiak experienced, he is still quite safe.

The ball was inbounded from the sideline, and Xu Ling did not call a screen. He suddenly took a step and drove hard to Bowen's right side! This step was faster than expected. Even Duncan could only quickly return to the basket to protect the rim and barely prevent Xu Ling from scoring directly, but he also committed his fourth personal foul.

When he stepped to the free-throw line, Xu Ling remained calm and made both free throws with composure.

It could be said that everything in the third quarter was like a sudden, unexpected attack.

The Spurs didn't do much pre-game research on the Grizzlies, and naturally didn't make any special arrangements to counter Xu Ling's habits. They were forced into a rough start, not only losing their 7-point lead but also being hit hard by Xu Ling at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Xu Ling faced Bowen one-on-one at the top of the arc, using a series of quick crossovers to create half a body length before accelerating into the paint and scoring with a high-lob shot over Duncan's help defense.

The Spurs called an emergency timeout. Popovich brought Parker back, essentially acknowledging that their defense was ineffective against Xu Ling tonight. Meanwhile, Jaffaroni also substituted Lowry, signifying the temporary failure of the SSOL experiment centered around Xu Ling. The only clear tactic now is to give the ball to Xu Ling and let him play freely.

Ginobili then drove to the basket and scored a three-point play.

Parker capitalized on Gay's missed one-on-one opportunity to launch a counterattack, but the Grizzlies responded quickly. Xu Ling drew a double team and calmly passed the ball to Warrick, who attacked the basket and drew Duncan's fifth personal foul.

With Duncan carrying five fouls, the Spurs' interior defense noticeably tightened up. Gasol seized the opportunity to attack Duncan, creating space before dunking powerfully – exactly the kind of toughness fans had been hoping to see him display.

Despite being limited on the defensive end, Duncan responded on the offensive end, sinking a signature 45-degree bank shot.

Xu Ling also took the opportunity to strengthen his passing and playmaking. After a breakthrough that drew help defense, he suddenly passed to the weak side, where Lowry hit a mid-range shot that he doesn't usually use.

Manu Ginobili, the Spurs' most consistent scorer tonight, stepped up once again, hitting a three-pointer to tie the game again.

This fierce, uncompromising battle continued until the very last minute of the match. The air seemed to freeze; every attack and defense was clear and heavy, as if played in slow motion. The players' breathing became labored, and the execution of the tactics could not be compromised.

89 is better than 88
The Spurs lead the Grizzlies by 1 point.

徐凌在外线从容控球，TNT屏幕适时打出了他今晚的惊人数据：23投14中，36分8篮板7助攻。

In the commentary booth, Doug Collins—the 1973 NBA number one draft pick who had faced off against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, coached Michael Jordan, and witnessed almost the entire history of the modern NBA—studied the data for a few seconds before solemnly saying, "Is this the greatest debut since the league merged? I can't say for sure. But if Eli can lead the Grizzlies to beat the Spurs tonight, I'll definitely vote for him."

Xu Ling's ball-handling put the entire Spurs team on edge. They were wary of his pick-and-roll jump shot, afraid of his passing vision, and completely unable to predict his next move.

Just then, Pau Gasol set a screen, and a frustrated "Oh, damn it!" came from the Spurs coaching staff.

Hakim Warrick had already cut silently along the baseline like a ghost, heading straight for the basket!
Will Xu Ling be able to see him?
Yes, he saw it!
Xu Ling flicked his wrist and tossed the ball toward the basket.

But the ball's trajectory was clearly not a floater; instead, it drew a precise guide line and flew straight to the right side of the backboard!

Warrick leaped into the air, seemingly defying gravity, and caught the ball with one hand above everyone else, slamming it into the basket!

"BANG!!! Hakeem Warrick slams the ball into the basket!!! Following an alley-oop pass from Eli Xu, this dunk was thunderous and almost killed the game!"

90 is better than 89
With only 39 seconds left in the game, the Spurs decisively called a timeout. Popovich remained calm, tapping his pen heavily on the left side of the whiteboard in the low post, clearly indicating that he was going to give the final shot to Tim Duncan.

After the timeout, the Spurs successfully inbounded the ball, and Duncan received it calmly in the low post on the left. He leaned against Gasol, dribbled, and backed down the ball; the entire FedExCare stadium seemed to hold its breath.

Just as Duncan turned to shoot, Xu Ling decisively abandoned his defender and rushed towards the paint to help defend! His help defense effectively disrupted the shot.

Duncan's shot hit the front edge and bounced off the rim!

"They held on! Memphis has defended against a crucial attack!"

Kevin Harlan's voice was hoarse with excitement.

But the next moment, Duncan, with his amazing rebounding instincts, desperately flicked the ball out of the three-point line through the crowd—the ball landed right on Manu Ginobili, who was completely left wide open.

At that moment, Gay, who was supposed to help defend Xu Lingren under the basket, chose to launch a fast break early after Duncan took the shot, which led to a series of mistakes.

"No! It's Ginobili! He's completely unguarded beyond the three-point line!!"

Ginobili calmly adjusted himself, got up, and made his move.

"Uh-huh!!!"

"Manu Ginobili!" Harlan shouted hoarsely, "With 7 seconds left in the game! The Argentine hit another three-pointer, that shot just pierced the heart of the Memphis fans!"

Amidst the roar of the crowd, Doug Collins' calm yet incredibly sharp voice cut into his perspective: "A disastrous defensive choice. Eli's help defense wasn't wrong, but Rudy Gay made a mistake a professional player should never make. Before the rebound was even secured after the shot, he was only thinking about the fast break, completely abandoning his defensive duties. He let Manu Ginobili slip through his fingers, the last opponent he should have missed tonight!"

The Grizzlies immediately called a timeout.

Xu Ling glanced at the scoreboard, then at Guy who was walking towards the bench without looking back. He said nothing and simply walked quickly to the sidelines.

The advantage of playing in the NBA is that the season is so long it's almost numbing. No matter how thrilling your win or how heartbreaking your loss tonight, it's just one night. The sun will rise again tomorrow, and there are still eighty-one games waiting for you.

However, Marc Jafaroni was completely unable to comfort himself with this long-term perspective at that moment. He chewed his gum rapidly, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest at any moment.

With seven seconds left, they were down by two points. Their first game of the new season was against the defending champions—a victory would have been the perfect start.

But can they still win?
Jaffaroni's gaze swept over his players, but his mind kept replaying Rudy Gay's foolish premature fast break. When he watched helplessly as Ginobili received the ball in an absolutely open position and shot, he felt utterly hopeless.

What should we do? What should we do now?
Just as Jaffaroni was so nervous he was almost speechless, he suddenly heard a voice that brought him a sense of salvation: "Coach."

Jaffaroni suddenly turned his head and saw Xu Ling standing in front of him, holding a paper cup containing a semi-transparent sports drink.

Xu Ling handed him the paper cup.

"Drink some water and wipe your mouth clean," Xu Ling said calmly. "I won't let you lose your first regular season game as a coach."

He said it so matter-of-factly, as if it weren't his first regular season game in his professional career.

In the brutal world of the NBA, once a head coach loses control of the game, it often means the end of his coaching career. And when the players begin to act more confidently and like leaders than the coach, a silent power shift is already taking place.

If a head coach, who should be the backbone of the team, accepts the players' "protection" without a second thought, their relationship can never return to the pure "coach and coached" dynamic. That bond will eventually transform into another form of existence.

On that day, Marc Jafaroni did not fully realize what all of this meant to him.

All he knew was that I was panicking, but Eli made me feel at ease; I could trust Eli, and I had to draw up a "everyone get out of the way and give the ball to him alone" tactic for Eli.

The pause ends.

Xu Ling stood on the sideline and received the basketball from Gasol, who was inbounding the ball. The moment he touched the ball, the previously restless atmosphere in the FedEx Forum suddenly changed—a heavy silence, a mixture of tension, anticipation, and absolute trust, descended.

All the spectators unconsciously held their breath, as if even the air had stopped moving. Their eyes were fixed on the figure wearing the Grizzlies' number 1 jersey.

Bowen immediately moved closer to defend himself.

6 seconds left

Xu Ling made an abrupt stop at a 45-degree angle on the left and then changed direction at an angle.

3 seconds left

But at that moment, Bowen's floating center of gravity suddenly rose with Xu Ling's paused bowing gesture. When Bowen jumped into the air and saw that Xu Ling was still on the ground, he knew that everything was over.

Xu Ling calmly gathered the ball, took a step back to two steps beyond the three-point line, and resolutely shot with only 0.8 seconds left in the game!

Bowen turned around in shock, only to see the basketball spinning rapidly toward the basket, and the final red light suddenly came on.

That ball, like a precision-guided missile, pierced straight through the center of the net!
"Whoosh!!!!"

"BANG!!!!!!"

Kevin Harlan's roar instantly tore through the arena.

"A game-winner! A game-winner! Eli sank the buzzer-beater!!! He blew the Spurs off from beyond the three-point line! A magnificent shot! All of Bruce Bowen and San Antonio's efforts throughout the night have been for naught! Memphis! Tilt your hats to your king!!!"

Bowen swore the moment he scored.

Then he heard Xu Ling shout at him from behind: "This is why Adidas gave me $6000 million!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Ling was completely overwhelmed by his teammates who surged forward. Gasol, Lowry, Miller—almost the entire team roared and pounced on him, as if trying to steal the magic of victory from him, pushing him to the ground.

Xu Ling was stuck at the very bottom of the crowd. Amidst the swaying jerseys, sweat, and deafening shouts, his gaze pierced through the throng of people, as if touching the slogan on the huge poster not far away:

"Eli—our savior, please save this team!"

At that moment, the noise suddenly faded away.

(End of this chapter)