Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 139 Seven-Day Reincarnation
Originally, the Grizzlies-Hornets series was something to watch, but not much.

Although Xu Ling is a traffic king and Chris Paul is the industry's MVP, the two did not create any sparks during the regular season, so this was just an ordinary playoff series.

There has to be a team that wins its first playoff game, and it will most likely be Paul's Hornets. But if the Grizzlies pull off an upset, well... that wouldn't be surprising.

However, after the first game, Byron Scott's complaints about the calls, the seemingly excessive reaction from the New Orleans media, and Xu Ling's public response actually made the series more heated.

Now, the media battle in this round of the Southwest Division internal competition has risen in priority at an alarming rate.

Unless the Mavericks falter later in the season, or the Celtics shamelessly let the Hawks drag the series to a Game 7, the Southwest Division matchup between the Grizzlies and the Hornets will be the most exciting game of the first round.

Game 2, still in the Smoothie King Center.

Byron Scott's complaints, like precise psychological suggestion, seemed to have worked. The referee team was changed to Joe Crawford, Courtney Kirkland, and Greg Willard.

Seeing Crawford's bald head reminds one of how Tim Duncan was ejected from a game for bursting into laughter.

Xu Ling also greeted Crawford at the beginning: "Sir, I like to smile, I hope you don't mind."

"You think you're funny?" Crawford pressed.

Just as Xu Ling was wondering if the old man couldn't tell good from bad, Crawford said, "No matter how you try to get close to me, it's useless. I'll still praise you."

As a result, Xu Ling was indeed unable to laugh.

This is a rotten, heartless, and twisted referee; he's practically the Nanasaki Kaede of the refereeing world!

Then, the playtime came to an end.

As if to prove Scott's complaints were indeed effective, or perhaps to set an example for teams that had painstakingly earned home-court advantage in the notoriously competitive Western Conference, Crawford's refereeing team noticeably tightened their grip on the game. Every physical contact was scrutinized closely, especially the calls on Xu Ling's defense against Paul, and the Grizzlies' interior players' actions in protecting their positions and making defensive plays; the strictness of the calls increased significantly.

Moreover, the most unacceptable standard is not uniform.

The Hornets often have the kind of physical play that the Grizzlies can't replicate, and if they do, they'll just commit a foul.

This completely inconsistent refereeing standard makes it feel like the away team is playing a game that starts 0-10.

Given such biased officiating, it's truly impossible for the home team to win away from home without giving them a 10-point advantage.

The Grizzlies' foul trouble is fatal for a team with a short rotation and a reliance on its key players.

Darko Milicic was the first to be affected, picking up his fifth personal foul before the end of the third quarter and being forced to sit on the bench for an extended period. Josh Howard and Xu Ling also ran into foul trouble early on, becoming hesitant and timid on the defensive end.

The Hornets seized the opportunity. Chris Paul no longer tried to battle Xu Ling in the jungle of muscles, but instead used changes in rhythm and accurate mid-range jump shots to score.

At the same time, he constantly directed his teammates to attack the paint, challenging the Grizzlies' already vulnerable paint area, which had been weakened by fouls.

Despite Xu Ling and Kidd's efforts to maintain the offense, with Jason Kidd even hitting a few crucial shots from beyond the arc, the Grizzlies, lacking defensive intensity, were like a toothless beast. The game was dragged into the Hornets' rhythm; though they still had sharp claws, they were no longer lethal.

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, under the dual pressure of declining energy and accumulating fouls, the Grizzlies' defensive rotation finally collapsed.

Paul delivered consecutive assists, and West and Peja seized open looks to make shots. A 12-4 run sealed the victory.

Ultimately, the Hornets won 101-88 at home, tying the series 1-1.

After this battle, the New Orleans media felt it was time to retaliate.

The Time Gazette's headline carried a victor's air: "Back on track! The real second-place team in the West shows its strength," and the article was full of veiled sarcasm, such as "When the whistle blows fairly, the outcome of the game is no longer in doubt."

Those media outlets and reporters who seemed to have no vested interest instead seized on Xu Ling's poor shooting performance, making only 9 of 23 shots and 1 of 5 from three-point range, and made a big fuss about it. They used headlines such as "Mr. Headline Misses His Mark, Is His Magic Gone?" and "True Shooting Percentage Under Playoff Intensity" to make seemingly fair but actually extremely biased criticisms.

As the seventh-ranked team in the Western Conference, achieving a record of one win and one loss at the home court of the second-ranked team in the West cannot be considered a failure by any means.

The Hornets have lost home-court advantage in the series—and with that alone, the Grizzlies have achieved their strategic objective.

As for Xu Ling, this rookie averaged 36 minutes per game in the playoffs and was also primarily responsible for guarding Chris Paul. The effort he put into defense was unprecedented; this was no longer his college days, and he could no longer shut down opponents while simultaneously dominating the offense.

The intensity of the NBA is far greater than that of the NCAA, let alone the playoffs.

Facing an MVP-caliber opponent, with his interior defense crumbling, Josh Howard's offensive support falling short, and the officiating standards completely favoring the home team, Xu Ling was heavily targeted, and his declining shooting percentage was to be expected.

However, the media outlets that raised questions seemed to have collectively forgotten that Xu Ling was just a rookie, and only focused on using so-called data analysis to argue that his inefficiency at the end of the fourth quarter led to the team's collapse.

"This is utter nonsense!" Marc Jafaroni responded angrily to all the criticisms of Xu Ling.

When asked about the criticism of "insisting on taking shots despite low efficiency," Xu Ling's answer retained his signature style: "It seems some people are better suited to watching golf tournaments, because in that sport, every shot demands absolute precision, and no one needs to step forward to take the blame for 'unreasonable shots.'"

Judging from how Xu Ling handles questions, it's not hard to imagine how he would trash talk on the field.

He's the kind of person who can't help but refute absurd statements, and he never cares about the other person's feelings when he does so.

This caused some reporters who already had a bad impression of him to lose even more points in their minds—he was not humble at all, never reflected on his actions, and even went so far as to belittle other sports in order to support his point of view.

It was a frustrating night. Xu Ling couldn't understand why losing one game would attract so much hostility, as if the Grizzlies had already lost the entire series. But it was only a 1-1 tie!

This inexplicably reminded him of the 2020s.

During that era when the sports world was completely dominated by fan culture, any popular star athlete would immediately face a nationwide online backlash if they lost a game.

It was unexpected that he, at such a young age, would already be "enjoying" this kind of treatment.

However, even the most difficult nights will eventually pass.

Back at the hotel, I closed my eyes and it was dawn; the Grizzlies were about to head home.

In Game 3 of the series, FedExCare finally welcomed back its owners.

While missing out on the Grizzlies' first-ever playoff win at home was undoubtedly a disappointment for fans, the more important thing is that victory finally arrived. If anything demonstrates the difference between this team and the Gasol era better than the various challenges the team has faced this season, it is this hard-won first playoff win.

This is an achievement that Gasol never quite reached. That seemingly simple goal, however, permeated the Spaniard's entire career in Memphis. He came all the way from Europe, displaying his talent and inspiring countless dreams; he led his team to an average of 48 wins for three consecutive years, reaching the playoffs, but he never managed to win a single game in the playoffs.

The "city of bluster" didn't want to become a laughingstock on the sports field. Someone always has to take responsibility, and the team's core player naturally became the target of criticism.

Gasol has been labeled a "playoff softie".

People in Memphis couldn't understand why he seemed stronger than Nowitzki in the EuroBasket and was the world's best center in the Olympics, yet he couldn't carry over his international dominance to the NBA. Thus, everything about Gasol became his original sin.

His personality, his playing style, and even his choice to serve his country have all been heavily criticized.

The Grizzlies' golden age has come to an abrupt end, leaving only a basketball hell ahead.

Now, the bittersweet chapter of Pau Gasol's life can be turned over.

Fans just didn't expect this moment to come so quickly.

When Xu Ling looked out the porthole and saw the long line of fans outside the airport, and heard the chants of "My Lord Eli" coming closer and closer, he still felt a little uncomfortable with the title.

Surrounded by reporters, Xu Ling specifically chose a question from the Memphis Business Journal: "After winning your first-ever victory in New Orleans, what are your goals going forward?"

“We’ve been through so much and faced so many challenges, so I think advancing to the second round is the bare minimum reward,” Xu Ling said. “That’s my goal now.”

However, the Lord's short-term goal had surpassed the fans' and the city's wildest dreams for the team. They were stunned and made way to see the Lord off.

Then, the night of the competition arrived.

Returning to their home court, the Grizzlies were met with a deafening roar of support. The fans greeted their heroes with the most enthusiastic cheers and the Hornets with the most deafening boos.

Perhaps fueled by the home crowd, or perhaps spurred by their Game 2 loss, the Grizzlies displayed a completely different energy from the very first second of the game. The referees also seemed to have regained some semblance of balance, allowing for more intense physical contact.

Xu Ling shook off his slump in Game 2, hitting consecutive shots at the start and leading the team to a perfect start.

The only problem is that Milicic commits a lot of fouls.

When the Serbian committed three fouls in the first half, some worried that the Grizzlies might squander a good opportunity due to their lack of interior defense.

This forced Marc Jafaroni to use veteran Theo Ratliff more often.

Ratliff was a renowned shot-blocking king in his youth, and even now, in his old age, he still possesses a strong ability to protect the rim.

Ratliff held up the paint while Milicic was off the court, and the Hornets struggled to keep up thanks to the offenses of Paul and West. But in the end, the Grizzlies didn't give their opponents many chances, leading from the start to the end, winning 95-85 and taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Grizzlies fans sang Elvis Presley songs, paying the highest tribute to the Grizzlies' first playoff victory at home.

Xu Ling, who scored 30 points, responded to the doubts from the outside world, but when asked if this was a response to the criticism, he simply said: "I have never heard any criticism, so there is no need to respond."

Is he unable to hear, or does he not want to hear?
In any case, victory is the best medicine to shut up the noisy ones.

Aside from Kevin Durant during his time with the Warriors, it's rare to see a player whose reputation declines after achieving victory.

However, those critics with ulterior motives have disappeared, but some more professional and calm analytical voices have begun to emerge.

In his post-game analysis, ESPN data expert John Hollinger pointed out a major hidden danger beneath the Grizzlies' victory—physical fitness.

Or, to put it another way, the depth of personnel.

Josh Howard averages 42 minutes per game.

Eli Xu's average playing time has increased to 37 minutes per game.

Jason Kidd, 35 years old, averages 40 minutes per game
Hakim Warrick averages 32 minutes per game.

Darko Milicic averages 34 minutes per game and carries an average of 5 fouls per game, which takes a huge toll on his defense.

The Grizzlies are basically relying on a seven-man rotation: Trevor Ariza and Vladimir Radmanovic. Tonight they unearthed an eighth man, Theo Ratliff, but the burden on their core trio remains too heavy.

"Memphis played respectable basketball, and their core lineup showed great competitiveness," Hollinger pointed out on the show. "But we have to ask: is this playing time sustainable? Josh Howard and Eli Xu are young, but the intensity of the playoffs is extraordinary. As for Jason Kidd, we admire his professionalism, but 38 minutes for a 35-year-old veteran point guard means huge wear and tear and a high risk of injury. Their bench depth could become the 'Achilles' heel' of their playoff journey, or even this series."

Hollinger's concerns came true in the fourth game.

Shortly after the start of the game, Jason Kidd unexpectedly fell to the ground during a defensive play, suffering a leg cramp, which completely disrupted the Grizzlies' rhythm. Then, Josh Howard fell heavily in a collision with David West, which made all Grizzlies fans hold their breath. Fortunately, Howard was fine, but West suffered some back discomfort from the collision.

However, these incidents completely disrupted the Grizzlies' rhythm.

The Grizzlies, aiming for a 3-1 lead at home, will do anything to win.

Xu Ling played 46 minutes in the game, but no matter how high the intensity or how slow the pace, someone still needs to score consistently. Tonight, when the team lost its offensive rhythm, Xu Ling took 31 shots, making only 13, and scored a game-high 34 points. But the Hornets' best move was to stifle his outside shooting with intense physical play.

Xu Ling scored 34 points, but only made one three-pointer.

The Hornets, under Paul's leadership, grew stronger and stronger, ultimately winning this tough away game.

The score was tied again at 2-2.

Paul's 22 points and 13 assists were a testament to his status as the season's MVP.

The Grizzlies, having fought hard but still losing this crucial home game, have to accept the fact that the Hornets have regained home-court advantage. Now they need to return to New Orleans to compete against the second-place Hornets in the Western Conference for Game 5.

Giannilo Pargo, who came off the bench in Game 4 of the first round, told the Memphis media with an air of arrogance: "The series will end in Game 6, and we'll be back here next week to eliminate the Grizzlies. But I think you should be satisfied. You've already won the playoffs, and not just one, but two. That's enough for you."

In seven days, the Grizzlies went from leading by a large margin in the series to being tied, then leading again, and then being tied again. They have gone through a cycle and are now back to where they started.

They need to go to New Orleans.

They need to retake the second castle in the west.

(End of this chapter)