Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 129 A Good Medicine for Combating the Sufferings of Life

"Jason thought my final shot selection was terrible, but luckily, I made it."

Xu Ling discussed his final, game-winning layup in this way.

Garnett, who acted like he was about to kill during the game, also gave Xu Ling high praise.

“I’ve seen a lot of players in this league, but very few have played as well as Eli, you know what I mean? He’s just a rookie, but he’s already one of the best offensive players in the league. He blew us up tonight!” Garnett exclaimed. “He’s a true star!”

Compared to the tense atmosphere during the game, the post-game discussion between the Grizzlies and the Celtics was quite subdued.

The victors are not boastful, and the losers accept defeat wholeheartedly.

However, this may be because they both understand that this is their last meeting this season.

The Celtics will not waver in their championship aspirations just because they lost one game, and the Grizzlies will not secure a playoff spot just because they beat the league's top team.

The journey is still long; there's no need to fixate on the outcome of just one night.

The next day, Xu Ling's buzzer-beating game-winner at North Shore Garden continued to reverberate throughout the basketball world, like a boulder thrown into a lake, its ripples spreading to every corner.

Jesse Lyles, a senior reporter from San Antonio, wrote on Twitter with no small amount of pride: "Ever since the Grizzlies' game-winning shot against us in the season opener, I've been emphasizing that Eli is the next great player. Now, that's the consensus in the league. His cold-blooded killer instinct in clutch situations is a gift from God that can't be taught."

Even Boston, a city that prides itself on its sporting tradition and has always been arrogant, had to lower its head and acknowledge Xu Ling's performance.

The Boston Globe, Boston's flagship newspaper, unusually featured a large photo of Xu Ling calmly turning around after his game-winning shot on the front page of its sports section the following day.

The lush green background contrasted sharply with his aloof figure, and the title, tinged with a complex sense of respect, read: "How the Kingslayer Rules North Shore Gardens."

Even the most die-hard and arrogant Celtics supporters flocked to Xu Ling's Twitter comment section. While their tone still carried the characteristic roughness and unruliness of Bostonians, it was a world apart from the rampant insults they had hurled before the game.

"You fucking bastard!"

"Well done, Chinaman, see you in the playoffs."

"Hey, can you stop pretending we don't exist next time?"

Between the lines, you can still sense that deep-rooted arrogance, but they no longer deny Xu Ling's strength, which in itself is the highest form of recognition.

However, despite this, the media outside of Boston have not forgotten how the Celtics previously considered themselves the "masters of the East" and looked down on the Western Conference contenders.

Especially after they personally ended the Rockets' astonishing 22-game winning streak and easily defeated the Hornets at home, the argument that "the East has surpassed the West" and "the Celtics represent a higher level of competition" became rampant, and their arrogance made the entire West uncomfortable.

So, what now?

The Grizzlies beat the Celtics on the road, and they're currently only ninth in the Western Conference. Doesn't that say something?

Maybe the Celtics aren't that strong?
The Western media's counterattack is about to begin, but these trivial matters have nothing to do with the Grizzlies.

They didn't even consider getting involved. Beating the Celtics was certainly a happy thing, but on the same night, the Nuggets also defeated the Eastern Conference powerhouse Detroit Pistons on the road.

The Nuggets gained just as much confidence in Detroit as the Grizzlies did after defeating the Celtics.

They are still one game behind the Nuggets.

We must continue to catch up and keep striving.

In the morning, the Grizzlies boarded their team plane for their return journey.

Their next opponent is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have gradually faded from the playoff race. This is their third meeting this season, but compared to the previous two, this is no longer a high-profile matchup.

The only hype is the return of Pau Gasol and Mike Miller to Memphis, but this kind of thing won't be of much interest outside of the local media.

The plane weaved through the clouds, and Xu Ling sat by the window.

Beating the Celtics, especially with that kind of game-winning shot at TD Garden, felt really good.

He skimmed through the post-match comments, but his heart remained largely unmoved.

His thoughts drifted back to that final play. The moment Pierce was faked out, the shadow of Garnett's help defense, and the subtle adjustment of his touch after the mid-air collision.
Then, Xu Ling fell asleep.

This is a good thing. In the NBA, great players either have incredible energy or excellent sleep quality.

Xu Ling belongs to the latter category.

In the afternoon, at the Grizzlies' training facility in Memphis.

Because they will be playing the Lakers at home tomorrow, Markjafaroni is not letting the players relax.

They haven't even made the playoffs yet, and the battle for a spot with the Nuggets continues. Now it's just a matter of who can hold on first.

Xu Ling was one of the first to arrive at the stadium. After a simple warm-up and stretching session, he began his individual shooting practice.

Unlike usual, assistant coach Dave Joerger stood beside him, verbally reviewing several rounds from the previous night.

“Look here, Eli,” Joerger pointed to the perimeter, “when you’re running off the ball, using Darko’s screen, Garnett’s switching position. Next time, you can add an extra reverse fake, which might create a more comfortable half-second of space.”

Xu Ling nodded, dribbling the ball while mentally simulating the details Joerger had mentioned. His goal wasn't simply to score, but to find a more efficient and consistent way to score under increased defensive pressure.

Compared to Jaffaroni, Giorg is a perfectionist when it comes to details.

He likes to use a few key moments to review the entire match, and Xu Ling finds this kind of review very useful.

This led Xu Ling to increasingly respect Joerger.

Clearly, on a personal level, Giorg was more conducive to his improvement than Jafaroni.

However, Xu Ling's personal ambitions have not yet expanded to the point where he believes he can appoint the team's coaching staff.

Trevor Ariza walked in looking sharp. He was key to the Celtics' victory last night, earning a lot of praise for his efficient 18-point performance off the bench.

“Hey, how does it feel to be ‘Boston Nightmare’?” Lowry joked with a laugh.

Ariza smiled shyly and waved his hand, saying, "Stop joking, it's everyone's hard work."

After saying that, Ariza walked over to Xu Ling and began to warm up by shooting.

"Eli, I dreamt about your game-winning shot again last night!" Ariza said while dribbling the ball. "It was absolutely fantastic!"

Xu Ling asked jokingly, "Did my game-winning shot go in your dream?"

“No,” Ariza admitted honestly. “Darko grabbed the offensive rebound, passed the ball to me at the last second, and then…”

"And then you missed?" Xu Ling finally turned around, raising an eyebrow at him.

Ariza scratched his head sheepishly: "I don't know, because I woke up after that."

That's very lifelike.

After all, most people who have erotic dreams will inevitably return to reality before getting down to business, so this basketball-themed erotic dream is no exception.

Ariza tried several shots, but the basketball always missed the rim.

His shooting motion looked somewhat stiff, clearly not the kind of natural shooter. After several missed shots in a row, he slapped the ball in frustration, his poor shooting touch involuntarily reminding him of the struggles of the past three years.

After being selected by the Knicks in the 2004 NBA draft, he thought he had ushered in the dawn of his professional career, but little did he know that he had stepped into a quagmire.

In his rookie season, he spent most of his time on the bench, and in his second year, he encountered one of the most nightmare coaches in NBA history—Larry Brown.

The Hall of Fame coach dismissed Ariza's basketball philosophy in a near-humiliating manner. When Ariza aspired to be a 3-and-D player, Brown bluntly called it a "daydream," claiming it was a delusional fantasy he could never achieve.

Imagine the devastating blow to a young man who has yet to establish himself in the league, being completely negated by such an authoritative coach. Ariza's shooting conviction collapsed completely, leaving him only with mechanical shots, and then he regressed in his sophomore season, which should have been a time of growth—his playing time decreased sharply, and his shooting percentages plummeted.

Brown, who was constantly battling Isaiah Thomas, treated Ariza like a victim of a water hell, warning him: "Never shoot over me, never."

Ultimately, Brown left New York with an eight-figure buyout clause, while Ariza, who had performed poorly, was also used as a bargaining chip and sent to Orlando.

With the Magic, he still couldn't shake Brown's curse, failing to make a single three-pointer all season.

Then Ariza was kicked around like a ball to Los Angeles, but still couldn't get a chance with the Lakers until he came to Memphis in that four-team trade that changed the league.

Four years, four teams—this is the standard resume of a player who is about to be eliminated from the NBA.

Until last night, he scored 18 points at TD Garden.

But now, the continuous clanging of metal seemed to be a cruel reminder to him: it was just a coincidence.

Just as frustration began to creep in, he heard Xu Ling beside him say, "Maybe you should ask Dr. Ross for another peanut butter and jam sandwich."

Ariza was taken aback at first, then remembered that he had indeed eaten a sandwich specially made by Dr. Rose before the game last night, which led to his best performance of his career.

“You’re right,” Ariza nodded emphatically, his gloom vanishing. “Looks like I’ll have to make this my lucky recipe.”

This might be why Xu Ling doesn't like jam sandwiches, because they're so sweet that Ariza can forget the sadness Larry Brown brought him.

This is by no means a coping strategy worth promoting, but sweetness is indeed the most straightforward way to combat the bitterness of life.

(End of this chapter)