Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 113 The Last 29 Steps

The end of All-Star Weekend is always the biggest indicator of the NBA season.

You know, just like after a series of struggles, the male actor always puts his opponent back in the missionary position. The final sprint is coming. Whether it's a blossoming of the center or a snowfall in June, you will eventually reach this final moment.

This season is undoubtedly the most turbulent in the NBA in over a decade.

Xu Ling's actions may become a brilliant chapter in the career of a great star in a few years, but then what? Other things are just as important.

That four-team trade revitalized the Mavericks from a team that seemed to have closed their championship window, making them a favorite for the Western Conference title.

However, there is a problem: the Mavericks used up most of their assets in the four-team trade. While the combination of Kobe and Nowitzki is certainly intimidating, a true championship contender usually needs seven or eight players who can play.

This is the Mavericks' biggest weakness. If it were the offseason, Kobe and Nowitzki would be enough to attract a large number of veterans to join them. But now, they can only wait for the trade deadline to see which teams have bought out their veterans and then lure them in with promises of championship aspirations.

The first veteran to join the Mavericks was Sam Cassell.

However, for the Mavericks, this is not a significant addition that could bring about major changes, because they already have Kobe's longtime partner Derek Fisher at the point guard position. Adding Cassell would simply be adding an even older point guard to an already established one.

The Mavericks' real need to strengthen their small forward position is their weak three-position. After Josh Howard was traded, the Mavericks' small forward position was completely empty, leaving veterans like Jerry Stackhouse, who have never known how to play defense, to barely fill the void.

Subsequently, another variable triggered by the butterfly effect occurred.

Chris Webber, who was originally supposed to return to the Golden State Warriors to end his career, believes that the Mavericks are his last chance to realize his NBA championship dream.

Although he can no longer run or jump, he grew up watching the games of Bird and Magic Johnson's generation, and he heard the story of Bill Walton helping the Celtics become the best team in history with his broken body.

So, this near-Hall of Famer, whose career was stunted by injury, decided to join the Mavericks on a minimum salary.

"I've always believed that Kobe owes me a ring," Webber said at his press conference after joining the Mavericks. "He should give it back to me."

Kobe, who was also present, burst out laughing upon hearing this, creating a meme-worthy expression.

This has left all the teams complaining bitterly. Those strong teams hoping to snag veterans at bargain prices know that the Mavericks are now like the Celtics last summer, a championship runner-up chosen by the veterans.

Moreover, Kobe's undisputed best active partner, Nowitzki, last season's MVP, is incredibly competitive and seems to have a better chance of winning the championship than the Celtics' Big Three.

Besides the Mavericks' aggressive bargain hunting, other teams have also made progress in their trades.

After a long and drawn-out battle, the Hawks finally won the bidding war against the Cavaliers for Mike Bibby.

This infuriated the Cavaliers.

To be precise, it infuriated James.

From the beginning of the season until now, every star player that James wanted to bring in—Kidd, O'Neal, and Bibby—has missed out on for various reasons.

You have to admit that in 2008, LeBron James didn't know what kind of players he really needed, so he fantasized that Kidd or O'Neal would help him. Bibby was the only one who could possibly maintain a certain level of performance with him, but the Cavaliers still didn't get him.

The king was unhappy.

If he were a true king, how could he be disappointed time and time again?
James' camp is putting strong pressure on the Cavaliers.

So, with the principle of "doing something regardless of the effect," the Cavaliers pushed through a multi-team trade, ultimately sending away players who couldn't provide more help to the Kings and were clearly an eyesore, and helping the Chicago Bulls escape Ben Wallace's nightmare.

Ever since Eli Xu wagged his finger at LeBron James at Quicken Loans Arena on the eve of All-Star Weekend, and then snatched the All-Star MVP trophy from his grasp in the last five minutes of the All-Star Game, something good has finally happened in this disappointing world.

Since the Cavaliers acquired Mutombo, he has become the most defensively dominant player in the NBA.

If you're someone who only cares about honors, then calling Ben Wallace the greatest defender in NBA history is perfectly acceptable.

The Cavaliers believe this is a worthwhile acquisition because to win the championship, they must contend with those annoying interior superstars in the West, just like how the Cavaliers really lost in the Finals last year because of their interior defense. To be fair, that's not the case. The Cavaliers effectively limited Duncan, holding the greatest power forward in history to just 18 points and 11 rebounds per game with a 44% field goal percentage. Could they really expect Ben Wallace to do any better?
Even assuming that Ben Wallace, now over 30, hasn't declined and still possesses the defensive abilities of his peak, is he truly a better fit for LeBron James than players like Drew Gooden? Aside from interior defense, all his attributes on the court don't align with James's, so what was the point of this trade?
It's hard to blame the Cavaliers' management, because they have to do something to cover up the fact that they can't actually do anything.

On the bright side, Gooden, that softie, is gone, and Larry Hughes, that pseudo-3D player who benefited from his early career, is also gone. Everything is moving in a positive direction. Unfortunately, we all know that this is not the only case of a player who achieved success before teaming up with Mr. LeBron but suddenly fell from grace after joining forces.

Like that great chant: Not one, not two, not three.
Then, some good news came from the Grizzlies.

They signed former shot-blocking champion Theo Ratliffe in free agency.

This isn't a signing that will elevate the Grizzlies' overall strength, but at least it will provide them with a suitable option when they need someone to protect the rim.

The trading deadline was uneventful because the most impactful trades had already taken place long before today.

Teams are now focusing on players who might be bought out.

Just as the All-Star Weekend holiday ended and the league was about to resume play, the Grizzlies suffered a non-combat loss.

Vladimir Radmanovic, who joined the team in that legendary four-team trade, was on vacation in Utah during All-Star Weekend when he suffered a fall and will be out for at least eight weeks. This naturally poses a challenge to the Grizzlies' interior defense.

Because their inner line is not thick enough.

But what's done is done, and although they don't know how Radmanovic got injured so carelessly, the Grizzlies have no choice but to accept the outcome.

Moreover, the Grizzlies, located in the hellish Southwest Division, really don't have time to be distracted by Radmanovic's situation.

They are currently ranked tenth in the Western Conference, and they are four games behind the eighth seed. Closing that gap will be no easy feat.

Because the Grizzlies are in the same division as the Rockets, Mavericks, Spurs, and Hornets.

Based on current winning percentages, the four other teams in the same division besides the Grizzlies are considered to have a chance to achieve 50 wins by the end of the season.

This is definitely the most terrifying division in the history of the NBA, because if the Grizzlies perform well enough, they will create a case where all five teams in the division make it to the playoffs with 50 wins.

Octover 2st

The Grizzlies will play the SuperSonics on the road.

This is their third meeting this season, and it will be the last. It will also be the Grizzlies' last NBA game in Seattle.

Because the Supersonics are destined to relocate.

The Grizzlies didn't take the Western Conference bottom-ranked SuperSonics seriously.

Before arriving at the venue, Grizzlies head coach Mark Jaffaroni wrote a number on his whiteboard: 29.

Those are the remaining regular season games for the Grizzlies.

"Guys, we still have 29 games left!" Jaffaroni shouted, this was the most important thing for the Grizzlies for the rest of the season. "We're tenth in the West, and four games behind the eighth-place Nuggets! So, look at this number, we only have 29 games left! From now on, every loss we take is like a step down the ladder we're climbing. When the ladder breaks completely, we'll truly become a laughing stock this season—'Oh, that Grizzlies team with the greatest rookies since Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, and Tim Duncan who can't even make the playoffs!'"

"I don't want to hear anyone say that!" While Jaffaroni's coaching abilities are questionable, he's certainly adept at the essential coaching skill of giving motivational speeches. "So, let's go out there and take down the SuperSonics!"

Admittedly, Jaffaroni may have a thousand flaws, but his oratory skills are absolutely top-notch.

His words stirred the crowd's blood.

So Kidd clapped his hands and shouted, "Damn it!" and everyone charged out with great fanfare.

This was definitely not a suspenseful match.

Kevin Durant may be angry about the result, but the attention that should have been his was ignored because of Xu Ling's appearance.

Durant is undoubtedly a prodigy. Standing at 208cm barefoot, he can play shooting guard with ease, averaging 20 points per game—an exceptional performance for a rookie, much like his college form. However, the problem is that when he and Xu Ling were both in college, the limited talent pool made it difficult to assess their immediate impact. This shallow talent pool in college makes them appear evenly matched.

However, once they reach the NBA, the difference in immediate competitiveness becomes extremely obvious.

Xu Ling possesses All-Star level immediate impact. In terms of offensive ability alone, he may have already reached the level of a top star. From the second month of the regular season onwards, there has been no doubt that he will be the Rookie of the Year.

Tonight, Durant took a crazy 32 shots and barely managed to score 26 points, while Xu Ling on the other side had no intention of proving himself in front of Durant, taking only 16 shots and still managing to score 26 points.

Isn't this just trying to disgust Durant?

He scored the same number of points as his opponent with half the number of shots Durant took.

The Grizzlies won by a huge margin of 33 points.

When the match ended, a reporter asked Xu Ling what he had learned from the game.

Xu Ling countered, "What do you think I should learn? What can I learn? This game was never in doubt from the start. I really wanted to learn something, but Kevin and his teammates didn't show anything worth learning. I'm glad this game is over. We need to move on. Our goal is to make the playoffs, and that's the most important thing."

Xu Ling's insult was unintentional; he had no intention of humiliating Durant. But sometimes, such unintentional insults are more memorable.

Durant was deeply impressed by this, responding with a cool, hard tone while carrying his backpack: "He won, so he can say anything. I learned a lot from this game."

This is why human joys and sorrows can never be shared.

Don't expect people who are walking towards each other to understand each other.

⑴ 2005-06赛季，东部的中央赛区五队全部打进季后赛：活塞（64-18）、骑士（50-32）、步行者（41-41）、公牛（41-41）、雄鹿（40-42东部第八）。恭喜你又收获无用篮球小知识一则。

(End of this chapter)