Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 131 The Concrete Has Dry

After Xu Ling left, she recalled her time at TTU. Although it was short, it was definitely a memory worth cherishing.

Time does indeed have a unique power, allowing us to beautify most of the bad memories and preserve the most beautiful moments.

Moreover, Xu Ling did indeed leave an indelible mark on Texas Tech University.

Xu Ling's reverie lasted for a while, but eventually, he needed to return to reality and, as Knight had said, do what needed to be done.

And he does have things to do, right here in Texas.

Xu Ling flew to the space city on a private jet arranged by Adidas. Interestingly, when Xu Ling expressed his desire to skip a training session to attend Bob Knight's retirement press conference, the team had no objections; the only problem was how to get there.

Then, Roderick Craig brought it up with Adidas, and the company reacted quickly and arranged it immediately.

Coincidentally, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, who had only met Xu Ling once, also wanted to send his cash cow to Lubbock by using his private jet.

Although Xu Ling was surprised by the boss's overly attentive manner, he still chose Adidas.

That night, the Grizzlies played the Rockets on the road.

With their previous 22-game winning streak, the Rockets, much like teachers who make a lot of films to rake in money before retiring, have firmly secured their fourth-place ranking in the Western Conference. Unless they suffer a five-game losing streak in the final period, their playoff spot is practically guaranteed.

But this doesn't mean the Rockets are really a top-four team in the Western Conference.

After all, they lost Yao Ming. Even when Yao Ming was there, it was hard to say that they were a top-four team in the West. That's what made that winning streak so legendary. A team whose ceiling was clearly visible suddenly surpassed its limits.

That evening, the Toyota Center was packed to capacity.

Xu Ling was warming up, but she didn't seem very focused.

Trevor Ariza came over with two bottles of water and handed him one.

"Still thinking about Coach Knight?" Ariza asked.

Xu Ling took the water, took a sip, and shook his head: "Not entirely. I was just thinking, sometimes the end of one era means that another era must begin even more difficultly?"

Ariza is not Xu Ling; he never had his own era.

"Don't overthink it, Eli. Just play your game. We all need you just like Texas Tech needed you last year in the NCAA Tournament."

“You’re right, TA.” Xu Ling nodded. “We need to play well in the matches we have now.”

Just then, the Rockets players began to enter the court to warm up.

Tracy McGrady, who was leading the group, still looked sleepy, but when he picked up a basketball, his innate elegance and talent were on full display.

After Yao Ming's injury, the Rockets were essentially a one-man team, yet they are still ranked fourth in the Western Conference, which is definitely an unexpected performance.

As fellow Adidas stars, McGrady neither liked nor disliked Xu Ling. Like many others, he was tired of Xu Ling's constant presence in headlines, but he wouldn't harbor any ill will towards him because of it.

McGrady warmed up casually, looking extremely relaxed.

Xu Ling is paying close attention. The Grizzlies are currently only ranked eighth in the Western Conference, with teams closely following behind. They have no room for error; losing a game they shouldn't lose could ruin their entire season's efforts.

At the start of the game, McGrady was on fire, hitting a series of difficult jump shots.

Shane Battier, on the other hand, clung to Xu Ling with his tenacious defense, as if determined to contain this rising star.

However, the Grizzlies were prepared. Kidd perfectly controlled the tempo, not deliberately trying to break Xu Ling's lead, but instead constantly using pick-and-rolls to cleverly move the Rockets' interior players around, giving Milicic and Warrick frequent opportunities under the basket.

Xu Ling strictly followed the tactics, reducing his forced shots and making more use of off-ball movement to create space. He also devoted a lot of energy to help defense and cover on the defensive end.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was close, with the Rockets leading the Grizzlies 25-24 by one point.

In the second quarter, both sides substituted their transition lineups, and Ariza and Lowry became the duo that broke the deadlock. One was tough on defense, and the other was aggressive on penetration, effectively curbing the Rockets' offense and defense, and taking the lead before the starters returned, extending it to 6 points.

Xu Ling then found his scoring opportunity, scoring 7 consecutive points and establishing a decisive advantage in the first half.
At halftime, the Grizzlies led the Rockets 54-41 by 13 points.

This is the Grizzlies' favorite rhythm. When they don't need to rely entirely on Xu Ling's offense, but instead draw out the team's firepower under Kidd's drive, then Xu Ling will play very easily.

The Rockets made the mistake of investing their most important wing defensive resource (Battier) in Xu Ling.

While this approach limited Xu Ling at the start, the restriction on Xu Ling would instantly lessen once the other positions on the Grizzlies found their rhythm. Moreover, Battier couldn't shut him down for the entire game.

He can attack at any time.

In the second half, the Rockets failed to perform at the level expected of a top-four team in the West on both offense and defense, still struggling with the stress of losing after their epic winning streak.

Facing the surging Grizzlies, they were down by 20 points before the end of the third quarter, and only managed to hold on for a little while in the fourth quarter before surrendering.

The Grizzlies secured a crucial victory in their playoff battle on the road.

The following day, the Grizzlies faced the defending champion Spurs in a back-to-back game. The defending champions' consistency and maturity were far superior to those of the Rockets.

The Grizzlies battled them until the final minutes, but several mistakes led to their collapse in the crucial moments.

The Grizzlies returned home satisfied. Although their top-eight position was still uncertain, no team in the West, except for the top few, could claim to be in a safe position.

However, the Grizzlies still have reasons to be optimistic.

For example, after a tough two-game road trip in Texas, there are no more formidable opponents on the remaining schedule.

A day later, they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers at home. At the same time, the Warriors lost to the Lakers, who were eleventh in the Western Conference, falling behind by a game.

Don't underestimate just one game; as the season draws to a close, sometimes a single win can make all the difference.

Then, the Grizzlies won a big victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home.

Even though it was just a regular season game, this derby attracted the attention of countless Chinese fans across the ocean. Despite the Timberwolves' lack of strength, Yi Jianlian found his rhythm that night and scored a team-high 24 points, while Xu Ling scored 30 points to win the game.

After the game, Xu Ling greeted Yi Jianlian in Cantonese: "Yi Jianlian, long time no see. You shot really well tonight, I almost got blown up by you."

Yi smiled shyly and replied, "Don't mess with me, congratulations on winning."

Xu Ling knew that this guy was the kind of person who wouldn't say much even if you hit him with a stick. Although the Taiwanese guy said he was a lot of fun in private, it was best not to delve too deeply into those kinds of things. So he said, "Keep in shape, see you on the national team."

Upon hearing this, Yi looked at Xu Ling in surprise: "Really, we can see him?"

Although Xu Ling has repeatedly expressed his willingness to represent the mainland, the Chinese Basketball Association is still going through the procedures, and it is still unknown whether they will be able to complete them.

However, Xu Ling believes that with the grand vision of winning medals in the three major men's ball sports at the Beijing Olympics, the Basketball Association will do everything in its power to get this process through.

"I really will," Xu Ling said finally.

The Grizzlies, on a winning streak, not only began to widen the gap in wins with the ninth and tenth-ranked teams, but also further threatened the sixth-ranked Utah Jazz in the West.

The Jazz are currently only one game ahead of the Grizzlies, and the Grizzlies have won both of their previous two meetings. If the record is tied, the Grizzlies will jump to sixth place in the Western Conference.

From a playoff strategy perspective, there isn't much difference between being sixth or seventh in the West.

The Mavericks, aiming for 60 wins, are destined to be the top team in their division. Anyone who gets in their way will be doomed. Although returning to the playoffs after a year's absence in the turbulent and fiercely competitive Western Conference can be considered a successful rebuild, who wouldn't want to climb as high as possible?

Two days later, they will face the seventh-ranked Golden State Warriors at home, and the outcome of this game will directly reverse the rankings of the two teams.

Who is the key player tonight?
Josh Howard!
This experienced forward is getting better and better at the end of the season. Tonight, he not only played a crucial role on the wing, but also scored 24 points with a one-on-one play. With someone at the small forward position to share the pressure, Xu Ling easily scored 26 points. Kidd also recorded a triple-double. This may be the Grizzlies' most classic winning formula after the four-team trade.

Xu Ling and Howard combined for points, Kidd contributed a triple-double, and the rest of the teammates had a sip of the soup. Sometimes winning is just that easy.

The Grizzlies' crucial victory over the Warriors seemed to unlock their full potential. They then unleashed their momentum, defeating the Pacers and Clippers, two relatively weak opponents, extending their winning streak to five games. Meanwhile, the Warriors sank into a losing streak, allowing the Nuggets to reclaim their place in the top eight.

The Grizzlies have firmly secured their seventh place in the Western Conference, and their playoff spot is now firmly in their grasp.

Of course, there are still theoretical risks, such as them going winless from now on—this possibility does exist, but its probability is roughly equivalent to Kim Kardashian's hymen regenerating.

The Grizzlies ultimately gave their pursuers no chance.

And the season is drawing to a close.

Octover 4st

With a record of 50 wins and 31 losses, the Grizzlies headed to their final away game in New York.

This is the final game of the regular season, against a desperate Knicks team that is second to last in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22 wins and 59 losses.

This would be their seventh consecutive season with a disastrous outcome, like the biblical apocalypse—avoidable, yet ultimately unavoidable. Their owner, the playboy with a cable television empire, rarely shows up anymore, because he doesn't want to see his $900 million-a-year, paid-to-lose-weight center and $1300 million-a-year, nightclub-go-to-the-graves-visiting-power forward clashing on the court, nor does he want to see his $2000 million-a-year prodigal-type guard locked in a life-or-death feud with his former father-like, $600 million-a-year head coach.

This is the NBA's biggest market and the place where legends are most likely to be made, but suddenly, everyone wants to escape from here.

Apart from Isaiah Thomas.

At this time last year, because of his "capable" coaching—taking a 23-win team to 33 wins—James Dolan gladly believed that Isaiah had given the New Yorkers hope for a revival and gave him a four-year, $24 million contract extension. Before the signature on the contract was even dry, Thomas was embroiled in a sexual harassment lawsuit and once again slashed Dolan's offer of $10 million as a settlement.

One year later, the Knicks are back to square one.

No, they've taken a step back from where Thomas was before he took over; they now only have 22 wins, and their chances of winning tonight are practically nonexistent.

When Thomas saw Xu Ling's phenomenal performance in the final game of the season, he couldn't help but feel resentment towards Grizzlies president Jerry West. Why? Why wouldn't that old bastard agree to a trade? Someone like Eli Xu was born for a big market like New York!

What can Memphis offer him?
With the few people he found for Eli, can they win the championship?
Thomas was furious. He was the first person in the world to recognize Xu Ling's value, but in the end, the mistakes he made years ago made New York lose any chance to reach Xu Ling.

That night, no miracle occurred, and the Knicks suffered a crushing defeat in their final game of the season.

徐凌在常规赛收官战中以60%的命中率砍下30分，以场均25分5.5篮板5助攻的数据结束了新秀赛季。

The Grizzlies made it to the playoffs with a 51-win record, reversing the Grizzlies' fate.

Thomas watched this unfold, pretending not to know his time in New York was over. He calmly walked to the sidelines and, when asked about the future by an ESPN reporter, said: "We need to build a culture here, a foundation, where the people who pour the concrete may never have the chance to live in that beautiful house."

This is typical Isaiah Thomas-style arrogance.

He spoke earnestly, his voice gentle, but his words were hollow.

But that has nothing to do with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies are about to enter the next chapter.

Playoffs.

This is their first playoff run in the post-Pau Gasol era.

If those years of Pau Gasol can be called an era.

(End of this chapter)