Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 133 You Can't Afford to Offend Me

The Smoothie King Center was already buzzing with excitement before the competition even started, with a cacophony of voices coming from all directions.

For this city, still recovering from the trauma of the hurricane, Chris Paul and his Hornets are the most exciting gift this season has given them.

Xu Ling stood in the away team's half of the court, warming up with pre-game shooting drills. He could clearly feel the scrutinizing and hostile gazes coming from all directions.

During the jump ball, Tyson Chandler used his incredible speed to overpower Darko Milicic and precisely flicked the ball towards Paul.

The first offensive play of the series has begun.

Paul dribbled steadily across half-court, without calling any plays, simply setting a high pick-and-roll with Chandler. This is the Hornets' most effective initiation move this season.

Jason Kidd, with his experience, tried to squeeze through the screen early, but Chandler's screen was rock solid, completely blocking Kidd behind him.

In an instant, Paul accelerated. For anyone who was used to Paul after 2010, the Paul of 2008 was unfamiliar. He was fast and his explosiveness was terrifying. That little gap was torn open in an instant.

Paul rushed to the free-throw line, pulled up for a jump shot, and scored two points.

"Chris Paul! His first playoff shot! His first point!" Kevin Harlan's signature 2K voice rang out from the sidelines. "He looks so relaxed, like he was born for this stage!"

On the Grizzlies' first offensive possession, Xu Ling tried to find an opportunity through off-ball movement, but Hornets' starting small forward Maurice Peterson stuck to him like glue.

Kidd couldn't find a good passing lane, so he passed the ball to Milicic in the low post, who turned and hooked the ball wide when faced with Chandler's long arms.

The Hornets secured the rebound, and Paul immediately launched a fast break.

His pace wasn't particularly fast, but his control of the rhythm was exquisite. After drawing the attention of both Kidd and Josh Howard, he delivered a graceful no-look bounce pass to Peja, who was cutting from the wing.

Peja made a layup and drew a foul from Howard, subsequently making the free throw.

The Hornets started the game with a 5-0 run.

"This is something the Grizzlies absolutely must avoid!" Doug Collins pointed out. "Chris Paul is second only to Steve Nash in terms of transition offense!"

However, the Hornets' offensive was far from over.

In the next possession, Xu Ling finally cut out from the high post with the help of two screens, but he slipped when receiving the ball, and the ball was not caught properly. This delay caused the opportunity to disappear.

Moreover, the Hornets saw this clearly and immediately double-teamed him.

Xu Ling passed the ball back to Kidd.

Kidd takes an open three-pointer.

Blacksmithing!

In the blink of an eye, the Hornets launched another counterattack. Kidd retreated and defended, trying to slow Paul's advance with his body.

But Paul, on his high-speed run, executed a lightning-fast crossover, creating half a body length gap and driving straight into the paint. Facing Milicic's help defense as the last line of defense, he showed no fear, leaping lightly—not for a difficult layup, but rather a graceful backheel flick in mid-air, lobbing the ball to Tyson Chandler who was following behind.

Chandler understood immediately, and like a rocket taking off, he grabbed the basketball with both hands and slammed it into the basket over Milicic, who hadn't fully landed!
"boom!!!"

The Hornets started with a 7-0 run.

Mark Jafaroni immediately called a pause.

Both teams had many rookies making their playoff debut, but the Hornets, playing at home, clearly got into the game much earlier.

As the players from both teams walked off the court, the Hornets fans were finally able to witness the moment they had been waiting for.

They waved posters that had been photoshopped to make Xu Ling look like a clown, and the DJ played "Stand Up and Get Crunk!", a cheering song used by every Louisiana sports team.

This upbeat rap song got the crowd hyped from the very first line, then it launched into the lyrics that every local sports fan knew by heart: "You don't dare come! You can't mess with us! Don't think you can run wild here!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, even though the game had only been going on for less than two minutes.

Jaffaroni had nothing to adjust, because being thrashed 7-0 at the start wasn't a tactical issue at all; they were simply stunned by the opening whistle.

What we need to do now is to adjust back after the pause ends.

But how do we adjust it?
Jaffaroni glanced at Xu Ling without realizing it. "Eli, after the timeout, you receive the ball here, everyone else spread out!"

"No, go straight to the low post." Kidd interrupted Jaffaroni's instructions and pointed out the problem without hesitation, "If you receive the ball there, CP3 might double-team you early and go straight to the low post!"

Xu Ling still gave Jaffaroni some face, looking at his coach to see what he thought.

Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Jaffaroni nodded and said, "That's what we'll do!"

After the timeout ended, everyone returned to the court.

Xu Ling really wanted to ask Kidd, what exactly was he trying to achieve by showing such disrespect to the coach? As a notorious coach killer, didn't he know that doing this would make Jaffaroni uneasy?

Or is it that he doesn't care?

Xu Ling didn't think too much about it. He knew that Jaffaroni's abilities were limited, but after all, he was his first coach in the NBA and had always treated him well, so he respected him.

But Kidd doesn't seem to think that way. This is probably a common problem with core point guards; they are all control freaks with their own opinions. Once they find that the head coach is useless, they can't help but rebel. And they always succeed because the point guard is indeed the brain of the team.

An incompetent basketball coach may be less effective than an incompetent e-sports team coach, who can at least order takeout for the players, while the only way for the former to keep his job is to take good care of the core players.

Maurice Peterson was following Xu Ling around when suddenly, Milicic went to the perimeter to set a screen, and Xu Ling fell into the low post.

Kidd lobbed the ball directly, and Milicic pulled away.

Tyson Chandler stood frozen at the free-throw line, unsure whether to defend Milicic or go back to the basket.

Peterson was extremely cautious. Although he had done a lot of research on the Grizzlies before the game, they still didn't have a clear solution for Xu Ling.

Because they lack a strong, dominant wing player, Peterson, despite his decent defense, had already been outplayed by Xu Ling several times during the regular season.

Allowing Xu Ling to play in the low post is probably the most acceptable outcome for the Hornets, as this is not their usual offensive tactic.

But Xu Ling smoothly backed down the ball, turned and stepped back, and launched a jump shot aimed at the backboard, which went in cleanly off the backboard.

2 is better than 7
The fans in the stadium were very unhappy when Xu Ling scored.
Wherever Xu Ling went, hissing rained down.

Is it possible that you will become the most unpopular away player in the entire league after the season ends?

As Xu Ling ran back to the backcourt, Kidd asked.

“That would be my honor,” Xu Ling retorted. “But have you ever considered that you also have a good chance of becoming the most unpopular point guard in history?”

Kidd didn't answer; ostensibly, it was Paul who was dribbling the ball over, but in reality, he was pretending not to hear.

A cunning old man.

Paul dribbles with silky smoothness; his initial scouting report stated, "He can dribble anywhere."

It was true. Xu Ling watched as Paul dribbled from the right side of the three-point line to the free-throw line, then to the left side of the free-throw line. David West set a screen, and Paul finally dribbled enough, gathered the ball, and took a mid-range shot, but it missed.

Kidd rushed to the paint and grabbed the defensive rebound by using Milicic's positioning.

Every guard with counterintuitive rebounding numbers has this skill.

However, it is undeniable that even to grab rebounds, one needs an extremely keen sense of rebounding.

After receiving the ball, Kidd turned and passed it to Xu Ling, who was making a run down the court.

The moment Xu Ling got the ball, it was as if he had some kind of switch on, and the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Inspired by the hostility of the crowd, Maurice Peterson inexplicably wanted to be the hero who defeated the bully, but was he a hero?
Morris blocked the shot in the penalty area, but Xu Ling seemed to be channeling Paul, tossing the ball behind him. Josh Howard, following up, leaped up like a dragon crossing a river and slammed the ball over Peterson for a score.

Furthermore, referee Dick Bavetta also called a defensive foul on Peterson, which was a 2+1.

"！#￥#@￥%"

The boos felt like an added insult to injury. Peterson stood up reluctantly, about to say something, when he heard Xu Ling humming the lyrics of their home cheering song: "You don't want none. You don't want none of this, boy."

In an instant, all sorts of legends about Xu Ling flooded Peterson's mind.

That dunk where he deliberately collided with Bynum's knee, causing Bynum to miss the rest of the season; that night he openly provoked LeBron and wagged his finger at the Cavaliers' home arena; that infamy that all stars avoid like the plague.
Even Chris Paul's statement, "I like Eli," sounds profound at this moment.

Infamy may breed disgust, but when it becomes tangible, it breeds fear. Peterson pondered the lyrics Xu Ling hummed, and couldn't help but wonder, wasn't this a blatant threat?

The more you think, the further you stray from the right path.

Xu Ling has never been fully aware of his "bad reputation" with the outside world. He was just doing his job, and that lyric was just a casual joke during the competition. If someone insists on being a level 10 scholar of reading comprehension—that's not his responsibility.

Peterson quickly made another fatal mistake. He forgot to communicate with his teammates while running, resulting in overlapping offensive routes, which allowed Paul, who averaged less than 2 turnovers per game in the regular season, to quickly add to his turnover account tonight.

Josh Howard intercepted the pass and returned the favor by making a long pass to Xu Ling, who was making a run down the court.

Maurice Peterson was consumed by a desire for redemption, and he pursued Xu Ling like a fugitive.

Xu Ling suddenly lowered his center of gravity outside the three-point line, and made a sharp crossover dribble to break through, but stopped abruptly the moment Peterson retreated with all his might!

The basketball and his body remained firmly in place at his intended shooting spot, while Peterson, burdened with the defensive responsibility, had completely lost control—the immense inertia caused him to glide past Xu Ling as if he were walking on ice skates.

There was no one in front of them.

Xu Ling calmly collected the ball, and his three-pointer, like a precision-guided missile, pierced straight through the net.

Amidst the boos from the entire stadium, the sound of a goal being scored was like heavenly music.

"Whoosh!!!"

8 is better than 7
The Grizzlies have taken the lead, and now it's the Hornets' turn to call a timeout.

(End of this chapter)