Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 97 I Love Learning
Jeff Van Gundy brought up James for a reason: Xu Ling has been compared to that young Cleveland superstar since he entered the league.

But initially, this was not a serious comparison.

Because James led his team to the Finals as a fourth-year player last season, how could Xu Ling compare? All the comparisons are based on the seemingly large endorsement contract that Adidas offered Xu Ling in order to snatch him up.

The $60 million deal over four years even surpasses Nike's $86 million endorsement contract with LeBron James in terms of both duration and annual fee.

It is widely believed that while Xu Ling certainly has great potential, Adidas's angel investment is actually aimed at the vast Chinese market behind him.

Therefore, whenever someone tries to compare Eli Xu to LeBron James, James' camp will end the discussion with a single sentence: "Let's wait until Eli Xu averages 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in his rookie season before comparing him to LeBron."

Now, almost three months into the new season, Xu Ling has averaged 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game and has been selected for the Western Conference All-Star team. Now it's time to compare, right?

Ever since Xu Ling's legendary dunk changed the Lakers' fate, discussions about him and LeBron James have been escalating. Based on current statistics and team records, Xu Ling in his rookie season was undoubtedly stronger than rookie LeBron James.

Then, the debate game became a classic scenario where you and I talk about the future, and I talk about the present. If the present is in your favor, then we'll discuss the future.

James' campaign and Nike's marketing still have a significant advantage, but public opinion is no longer as one-sided as it used to be.

The controversies surrounding James' visit to Memphis a few days ago, along with Xu Ling's post-game tweet, inadvertently fueled media hype. Van Gundy, who already harbored resentment towards James, a player who takes on too much responsibility and defies the objective laws of team sports, seized every opportunity to deliver a scathing critique. His words at this moment inadvertently added fuel to the already tense debate between Xu and James.

However, Xu Ling hasn't had time to deal with off-court matters yet, as the Jazz remain a formidable opponent.

At the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies led their opponents by 6 points, 25-19.

At the start of the second quarter, Paul Millsap, off the bench for the Jazz, began to dominate, his strength and energy causing the Grizzlies' interior defense considerable trouble. The Grizzlies' lead built up in the first quarter was quickly erased, prompting Xu Ling to return to the court to stem the bleeding.

This is a microcosm of the Grizzlies' season.

As long as Xu Ling is not around, everyone else seems to have lost their souls.

On the sidelines, Kidd immediately realized that this was why the Grizzlies wanted him. Xu Ling was indeed a once-in-a-decade talent, but he was still too young. He was brave one-on-one but had not yet fully learned how to lead a team in the NBA.

This kind of thing requires experience and learning from many defeats. In time, he will understand what his optimal solution is, but the Grizzlies want to save that time cost.

Jerry West believes that Xu Ling, in his rookie season, can turn the Grizzlies into a formidable competitor.

As it turns out, he was right about who he was looking for.

This team, which was already rotting from within last season, has been firmly in the top eight in the Western Conference this season under Xu Ling's leadership, and has also made the Grizzlies profitable. This is what prompted the Grizzlies' management to make a big move in the trade market.

The Jazz don't seem to want to be led by the nose by a rookie.

As the greatest NBA coach who has yet to lead a team to a championship—perhaps without equal—Jerry Sloan decided to give Xu Ling Kobe-level defensive treatment.

Double-team him as soon as he gets the ball, double-team him when he calls for a pick-and-roll, and when he's off the ball, make every effort to drive him to those less active offensive areas.

Xu Ling spotted Darko Milicic, who was left wide open in the bottom corner, through the gap in the defense! Without hesitation, he delivered a bounce pass through the gap in the defense.

Milicic scores with a powerful dunk.

“Two-man double-teams might not be enough,” Xu Ling said to Kirilenko. “You should try a three-man double-team.”

Kirilenko, a rookie who has never been so arrogant, once again displayed his nationalistic style, while the Jazz continued to stick to their double-team strategy.

This isn't actually wrong, but choosing to double-team means assuming that the opponent's open shots are not a threat, and that it's enough to shut down the key player.

However, the situation is different for the Grizzlies. Although losing Mike Miller is a significant weakening of the team's overall outside shooting threat, it does not mean that the others are useless and cannot even take wide-open shots.

Especially tonight, every opportunity Xu Ling created by drawing double teams was well seized by his teammates. The Jazz's strategic errors and failure to adjust in time led to them falling further behind before the end of the first half.

59 is better than 48
The Grizzlies led their opponents by 11 points at halftime.

"Eli had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in the first half. He basically single-handedly dismantled the Jazz's defense!"

"The problem was that the Jazz completely believed that as long as they could stop Eli, the Grizzlies would be naturally doomed. As it turns out, this idea was completely wrong!"

Moreover, the Jazz players seemed quite unconvinced.

Led by Deron Williams, he said to Xu Ling, who was about to leave the field: "Don't think that you can win the game just by being a little clever. You won't get those open spaces in the second half!"

“Really? I don’t believe it,” Xu Ling replied. “We’ll definitely get a lot more open spots. I believe in you guys.”

Xu Ling is a tough opponent for the Jazz. Despite being a rookie, he is more experienced than many established stars.

However, as Deron said, they will not stick to an ineffective strategy forever.

In the second half, Jerry Sloan changed the team's defensive focus. The Jazz reduced their blind and inefficient double-teams, instead adopting a more aggressive approach of localized pressure and rotation defense. When Xu Ling had the ball, Kirilenko or Brewer would exert strong physical contact, forcing him to stop or pass, while other players would frantically rotate to help, trying their best to disrupt the Grizzlies' other players' receiving and shooting opportunities.

The Grizzlies' offense stalled, their role players faced increasingly limited space, hesitated in their shots, and their shooting percentage dropped. Deron Williams seized the opportunity, using his strength to overpower Lowry, either shooting or passing, leading the Jazz on a 10-2 run that quickly narrowed the gap to just 3 points.

At this point, his teammates began to waver, and the star player had to step up.

Xu Ling naturally took the lead, controlling the Grizzlies' offense and hitting a three-pointer to stop the team's losing streak. He then led the charge in pressuring the Jazz's perimeter defense.

Mark Jaffaroni made the most important substitution of the night, replacing Kyle Lowry with Jarius Jackson, who had little control of the game but was a sharpshooter.

Xu Ling took over the point guard position, and under his direction, Jackson repeatedly cut out to receive the ball and shoot, taking advantage of screens on the perimeter.

Jarius Jackson, a variable completely ignored by the opponents, became the key to establishing an advantage in the second half.

Jackson now fully understands that he can't become a proper combo guard in the NBA, but targeting Jason Terry of the Mavericks isn't out of the question. His shooting ability is top-notch, as proved once again tonight.

"Jarius Jackson showed his Texas Tech days tonight!"

"Let's not forget who awakened him!"

"That's right, it's his college teammate, Eli, who still wears number 1 in Memphis!"

At the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies maintained an 11-point lead.

In the crucial fourth quarter, the Jazz came out with an all-out defensive approach, aiming to win, but suffered their most humiliating defeat.

For several consecutive possessions, their defense was successful in the first 20 seconds of the shot clock, but things went wrong in the last four seconds. Either Xu Ling hit a buzzer-beater, or their interior defense had a gap and they were attacked for the basket, or the Grizzlies created an opportunity in the last second. In short, luck was not on their side tonight.

Halfway through the quarter, the gap widened to 16 points, and a minute later, the Grizzlies extended their lead to 19 points, and garbage time arrived unexpectedly.

The next five minutes were uneventful, and the Grizzlies ultimately defeated the Jazz 107-88 at home, securing a valuable victory.

It's worth noting that the Grizzlies were already on a losing streak, dropping out of the top eight in the Western Conference and experiencing a significant drop in team morale. Furthermore, their new acquisition in a trade was unavailable for tonight's game. Continuing to lose would undoubtedly create even greater problems for their playoff aspirations.

However, they overcame various difficulties and ended their losing streak, led by Xu Ling's 28 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists.

"Eli looks fully recovered, which will make people even more excited about how the Grizzlies will perform after the new additions like Jason Kidd and Josh Howard develop chemistry with the team!"

The locker room was briefly filled with the joy of victory after the game. The smell of sweat and turpentine mingled as Jarius Jackson was surrounded by his teammates, his face flushed with excitement.

Jackson was undoubtedly the second hero in tonight's victory, scoring 20 points off the bench and leaving the Jazz completely bewildered.

“JJ,” Xu Ling said with a smile, “you are the person I know best tonight.”

As soon as Xu Ling said this, the others in the locker room cheered and shouted Jackson's name. Then, Kidd and others came in to congratulate their new teammates.

It was a successful match; they won against the newcomers and also helped them understand their role in the team.

But this is not the last scene tonight.

They also had reporters to deal with, and a bunch of people were waiting to ask questions in the media interview room.

Mark Jaffaroni brought Xu Ling and Jackson to the media interview room.

ESPN reporter Rick Butcher immediately asked Xu Ling his first question: "Eli, how does it feel to win your comeback game?"

“Very good,” Xu Ling said, “but it could be even better.”

Butcher then asked, "You've gotten close to a triple-double again. We all know LeBron James is known for his versatility. Are you consciously trying to imitate or emulate his style of play? Is that what you're aiming for?"

It's coming, it's coming.

Whether Xu Ling likes it or not, he has to face this issue. Adidas needs a promising young star like James to compete with Nike, and he earned that qualification in just half a season.

Should he feel honored?

Or is it the other way around?
One thing is certain: issues related to LeBron James will be like dog poop stuck to him that he can't wipe off for some time to come.

Moreover, Butcher's question, though seemingly flattering, actually contained a hidden barb, attempting to position Xu Ling as a follower or imitator.

Xu Ling gave the other person a serious look, and Butcher smiled slightly, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Xu Ling replied, "Thank you for saying that, but I never imitate anyone. I play realistic basketball. If the team needs me to score, I will score; if they need me to organize the offense, I will look for open teammates; if they need me to protect the rebounds, I will fight the inside. As for stats, those are byproducts of winning."

Once someone fires the first shot, someone else will fire the second.

Moreover, the repercussions of Xu Ling's tweet have not yet completely subsided.

Harvey Araton of The New York Times, after being called out, asked: "Eli, a few days ago, you quoted John Wooden on your personal Twitter account about 'character.' It was widely interpreted as criticism of LeBron's disrespect towards the caddies. Does this mean you believe you meet the standards of a great player better than LeBron in terms of professionalism and off-court character?"

Wait, a straight hook?
Xu Ling looked at the other person with a "Are you serious?" expression.

"That tweet was just a personal reflection after reading Coach Wooden's biography; it has nothing to do with any particular current player. I believe Coach Wooden's wisdom applies to all of us, including myself."

Xu Ling certainly wouldn't go along with the other party's wishes, and given how blunt the question was, he shouldn't give him any valuable answer.

After all, you're not even willing to put in the effort to think about some tricky problems.

After that question, Xu Ling seemed to have escaped the predicament, because soon a reporter from the Memphis Business Journal asked Marc Jafaroni a question.

However, as soon as Jaffaroni finished answering one question, another reporter from Washington brought the topic back: "Coach, you will face the Cavaliers again in ten days. The first head-to-head matchup between Eli and LeBron is undoubtedly the focus of everyone's attention. Considering that Eli is a rookie and LeBron is already an MVP candidate, will you consider making any special tactical arrangements?"

Jaffaroni would naturally stand firmly on Xu Ling's side: "LeBron is undoubtedly a great player, but Eli has already proven himself in the game against Kobe, so I have nothing to worry about."

LeBron, LeBron, Xu Ling now knows what it feels like to be the center of attention.

You have to answer ten questions about LeBron James on a winning night.

Who actually won?
The next day, Xu Ling asked Roderick Craig to buy a copy of John Wooden's autobiography. He then opened the first page of the autobiography, had someone take a picture of it, and posted the photo on Twitter. He also retweeted his own tweet from a few days earlier about "character," and added the caption: "I'd rather talk to masters than talk about others."

(End of this chapter)