Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 146 The Restless Swarm of Bees

Xu Ling excitedly high-fived Radmanovic.

This play perfectly showcased Radmanovic's value. He may not be a reliable defender or rebounder, but his accurate outside shooting and the excellent ball-handling skills that rough guys like Warrick lack certainly relieved Kidd of the pressure of organizing the offense.

Paul's expression grew increasingly serious. He tried to run a pick-and-roll with West again, but the Grizzlies' defensive strategy was exceptionally clear—they would switch on every screen, using their players' excellent mobility to continuously disrupt the Hornets' familiar offensive rhythm.

Paul couldn't find a good opportunity, so he lobbed the ball to West in the low post.

West backed down Radmanovic, a matchup that the Hornets theoretically had a clear advantage in.

West used his footwork to push forward, but just as he turned to shoot, Josh Howard on the weak side seized the opportunity to help defend, his long arms making a precise cut.

"Snapped!"

Howard cleanly and decisively sliced ​​the ball away!
Xu Ling, who had already retreated, quickly picked up the ball from the floor and immediately handed it to Kidd to launch a counterattack.

Kidd dribbles wildly, his speed is not as good as when he was young, but his overall awareness is a treasure that will never deteriorate.

Kidd spotted Xu Ling making a quick run down the left wing and Howard following up on the right wing but slightly behind. Using the more conspicuous Xu Ling as bait, he looked left and passed to right, delivering a graceful bounce pass that fooled the recovering Paul and Peterson, and accurately found Howard.

Howard received the ball, took a long stride, faced Paul who was helping on defense, jumped forcefully, and scored after a mid-air collision.

The referee blew his whistle at the same time—it's a 2+1!

"Josh Howard! A tough two points! And he deserves the free throw!" Harlan's voice was full of passion. "The Grizzlies' defense fueled their offense! They played perfect team basketball!"

The boos from the crowd grew even louder. They couldn't understand how Paul had fouled. All he did was push Howard's cylinder. Was that a foul?
Why doesn't our MVP have any special privileges?

A completely excited Howard calmly made the free throw.

44 is better than 49
The point difference has reached 5 points!
Byron Scott paced anxiously on the sidelines, shouting loudly.

Paul took a deep breath; he knew he had to respond. If they couldn't get going offensively, the Grizzlies could build a significant advantage through fast breaks, just like in Game 1.

Facing Xu Ling's close defense, Paul used his extremely fast crossover dribble with unpredictable rhythm, and suddenly made a very quick crossover, forcing his way through from the right side.

Xu Ling followed closely with her sliding steps, her arms always enveloping Paul's body.

Paul rushed to the baseline and, at an almost negative angle, forced a jump, leaning back. It was an extremely difficult shot, and Xu Ling's defense was at its best.

But an MVP is an MVP.

No one can truly make an MVP completely helpless on the defensive end.

There was a crisp sound.

Paul's jump shot went in cleanly.

"Chris!!!!!!!!!!"

The crowd immediately erupted in thunderous cheers, as if the sound waves were about to rip the roof off.

However, the Grizzlies did not panic and continued to execute their tactics.

Xu Ling is like an eye-catching butterfly; wherever he goes, the Hornets' defense changes accordingly. Even if he doesn't touch the ball at all and just strolls around the court, the Hornets remain highly vigilant.

His 24-point performance in the first half is still fresh in everyone's mind, and the Hornets definitely don't want him to continue on that hot streak.

As a result, the opponent's attention will be diverted, and Kidd will take the opportunity to pass the ball to Howard, who is calling for the ball in the low post.

Howard faced Peja, used his physical advantage to sit two steps inside, and then turned and jumped to shoot.

"Shh!"

51 is better than 46
"It's Josh Howard again!"

"The Hornets are in trouble now! They not only have to deal with Eli, but also Josh!"

The pace of the game suddenly reversed from the first half.

Paul hit a mid-range jump shot with the help of Chandler's screen.

Xu Ling drew a double team and passed the ball to Radmanovic, whose open three-pointer from the corner missed, but Milicic grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback.

West used his experience to draw a foul from Radmanovic during a mismatch, and made both free throws.

With Xu Ling and Howard drawing attention, Kidd made a slow three-step breakthrough and layup, securing two points.

The score remained close, with the Grizzlies unable to pull away, while the Hornets' offense was repeatedly thwarted by the Grizzlies' high-pressure defense. Apart from Paul and West, the other players in each position struggled to find their rhythm.

West's performance was particularly crucial.

When Radmanovic hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to seven points, West decided to completely abandon the pick-and-roll strategy and actively receive the ball in the high post and mid post for isolation plays.

All tactics and all confrontations will eventually turn into endless one-on-one battles when there is no other way to fight.

After West scored on Radmanovic repeatedly, the Grizzlies called a timeout to bring Warrick back in, but what could Warrick do? In terms of one-on-one defense alone, he wasn't significantly better than Radmanovic.

David West was like a divine warrior, scoring 10 points in a single quarter and tenaciously keeping the score difference at 3 points before the end of the third quarter.

64 is better than 61
The Grizzlies entered the fourth quarter with a 3-point lead.

The New Orleans fans sang their home anthem with great passion, believing that tonight would be different from the first game.

They weren't overwhelmed by Memphis' defense. Paul and West were like modern-day Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—well, maybe not quite as good, but enough to handle the Grizzlies!

Mark Jaffaroni was completely flustered and had no idea how the fourth quarter would go.

But one thing is very clear: to defeat the Hornets, David West must be contained.

This All-Star power forward completely dominated the Grizzlies' power forward position throughout the series. Although Josh Howard managed to limit him in the first game, it had little effect in subsequent games.

The Grizzlies now have no way out.

Radmanovic's role has reached its limit, Warrick has committed too many fouls and is completely outmatched, so the only option is to let Howard, who just played the entire third quarter, continue to play the power forward position.

Meanwhile, Ariza regained playing time. After his impressive performance in Game 1, he failed to maintain that level – his offense remained raw and his defensive experience needed improvement. But the team has no time to wait for him to develop; he must now match up against Peja and make an immediate impact.

Ideally, Peja would continue to struggle under Ariza's defense; the worst-case scenario is that Peja would recover and provide the Hornets with a third consistent scoring option.

If that's the case, the situation will take a sharp turn for the worse.

But the Grizzlies had no choice but to fight with their backs against the wall.

Amidst the deafening roar, the Hornets launched their attack first. Paul's gaze swept across the entire court, finally settling on Xu Ling, who was relentlessly pursuing him.

Since the start of the playoffs, Paul's evaluation of Xu Ling has been rising. Compared to the regular season, Xu Ling's defense has improved a lot, and his stamina management is also better.

It's a huge responsibility for someone so young to have to balance both offense and defense in the playoffs.

And this is very likely the reason for the Grizzlies' defeat.

Paul believed they would win.

On the first offensive possession of the fourth quarter, the Hornets' play failed to materialize, so Paul opted for a one-on-one attack, combining fast and slow dribbling rhythms, with each fake being deceptive.

Xu Ling remained calm and focused, spreading his arms wide like an invisible net, tightly enveloping Paul.

Paul suddenly changed direction to the right, using the gap created by his lightning speed to force his way through from the right. He then stopped abruptly before Xu Ling could catch up and took a jump shot.

"Shh!"

"Eli, let's settle this once and for all!"

Paul said this after scoring the goal.

“Your trash talk is completely unoriginal,” Xu Ling said.

Paul simply snorted and stepped back.

Strangely enough, despite Xu Ling's seemingly innate ability to attract hatred and his near-death experience in the series, his relationship with Paul remains unchanged.

This kind of banter is not at all hostile.

However, the absence of hostility does not mean a lack of will to win.

Memphis and New Orleans, two cities yearning for healing through professional basketball, need a victory in this series.

When it came to the Grizzlies' offensive possession, Peterson stuck to Xu Ling like glue.

For him, Xu Ling was difficult to defend. The only thing he could do was prevent him from receiving the ball. Once he got the ball, it was not something one person could handle.

At least the Hornets can't find anyone who can match up against Xu Ling on the defensive end.

This fronting maneuver was fairly successful. Seeing that Xu Ling had no chance to receive the ball, Kidd simply moved the ball to the low post and let Howard go up against West.

Howard opted for a jump shot after dribbling and creating space, but missed.

Chandler secured the rebound.

"Back up!" Kidd yelled, but the Hornets' counterattack had already begun.

Paul received the ball and sprinted forward, but not very fast, because the Grizzlies had players who retreated faster on defense. He used a simple crossover to get past Kidd, who was trying to slow him down, and drove straight into the paint.

Xu Ling chased back at full speed, attempting to block the shot from the side and rear.

Paul delivered a backheel pass in mid-air to Tyson Chandler, who was following up behind him.

Chandler, like a rocket taking off, grabbed the basketball with both hands and slammed it into the hoop.

"boom!!!"

"Tyson Chandler!!! Alley-oop!!! He dunked like a beast!"

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The entire audience cheered in unison.

Xu Ling got the ball, shook off Peterson, and then unleashed a three-pointer from the outside.

Clearly, they rushed things, and the shot missed.

The Grizzlies seem to be mired in trouble again, and Paul has regained control of the situation.

The lead was quickly wiped out.

Then, in another possession, David West received the ball on the perimeter, and Josh Howard was on high alert.

This star forward from the golden generation of 2003 can be described as a late bloomer. He entered the league at the age of 22, and his immediate ability should have been his selling point. However, he had few opportunities with the Hornets, whose interior was crowded. After a few years of waiting, his contemporaries, such as LeBron James, had become superstars, and Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade had risen to stardom.

He remained a substitute on the team, living a life of obscurity. Then, the team selected a nimble and elegant young man—Chris Paul. His speed and skill made people think he would play like Iverson, but the opposite was true. No one was more like a traditional point guard than him.

In early 2006, PJ Brown, the team's veteran, took leave to attend a funeral. West entered the starting lineup and wondered what he should do. Paul simply said, "Run, let's turn the world upside down." Since then, West has gradually grown into the player he is today.

Now the opportunity is right in front of him. West has a chance to crush his opponent and help Paul win this crucial Game 5, and he still performs brilliantly despite being unwell.

West leaned against Howard, then dribbled towards the basket, before unleashing an awkward yet very soft hook shot from his palm.

"Shh!"

The Hornets took the lead.

West maintained his unstoppable form from the second half.

Within minutes, the Hornets went from a 2-point lead to a 7-point lead.

The Grizzlies called a timeout, but there really wasn't anything to adjust.

Paul and West's duo was completely unstoppable, while the Grizzlies struggled to find their rhythm on offense.

After the timeout ended, the Grizzlies' tactics were still read, forcing Kidd to take a three-pointer himself.

It slammed heavily against the side of the rim and bounced a long way.

Peja secured the long rebound and immediately passed it to Paul.

Paul is leading the counterattack again!

He dribbled to the frontcourt, facing Xu Ling who was retreating and defending, and suddenly stopped. Seeing Peterson following up on the weak side, he passed the ball to Peja, who was positioned outside the three-point line on the strong side.

Peja received the ball and launched a three-pointer.

"Shh!"

"Peja!!! A three-pointer from close range!!! The Hornets are completely on fire! They're unstoppable!"

(End of this chapter)