Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 148 Lingering Echoes
The tsunami of the battle between the bumblebees continued to spread the following day.

The Hornets announced that David West's back tension has worsened and he may miss Game 6 in Memphis.

The Hornets' intention in releasing this information at this delicate time is self-evident—they are trying to shift the focus of public opinion from a purely basketball defeat to that controversial round filled with physical confrontation.

Everyone wants to know: Was Xu Ling's collision in the fourth quarter the culprit behind West's increased back tension?
Then, the highly controversial physical collision between Xu Ling and David West in the fourth quarter of the game began to receive a lot of hype.

On ESPN's morning debate show "First Take," two prominent commentators are having a heated argument in the studio.

"Look at this move!"

Skip Bayless, who boasts of never causing controversy but whose daily job is to create controversy on the show, pointed to the screen showing the moment Xu Ling collided with West and said, "David West was definitely not standing still, but when Eli Xu squeezed through the screen, he made a very obvious, deliberate, forceful headbutt on his opponent's torso! His arms and shoulders were pushing forward! This was not a legal squeeze through the screen at all; it was illegal physical contact, an offensive foul! If the referee had blown the whistle then, possession would have changed, and the outcome of the game might have been completely different! Eli Xu stole the victory like a thief with that play!"

His rebuttal came from his on-screen partner, Jackie McMullan, also a well-known sports journalist and bestselling author. After hearing Bayless's words, McMullan countered directly: "Skipp, we watched the entire series, and this level of physical contact happened almost every possession. West's screen was problematic; he was moving and didn't leave space for the defender. In that situation, the defender has the right to fight for their position. Xu Ling's physical exertion was to squeeze past, not to attack. I think Dan Crawford was absolutely right not to call the whistle; he followed the playoff officiating standards—let the players decide the game."

Bayless continued to rant and rave, accusing Xu Ling of all his misdeeds since his rookie season.

The fact that Xu Ling knocked West down alone is enough for ESPN to dedicate a whole segment to.

This is precisely the direction that those media outlets that dislike Xu Ling are refuting.

Xu Ling did win, but what did he rely on?
Xu Ling's performance last night was nothing short of superstar-level, but could he have really won away from home without the referee's bias at the last minute?
Moreover, putting aside your good performance last night, does that erase the fact that you played terribly in the fourth game?
However, it's impossible to dismiss Xu Ling's efforts throughout the night by seizing upon a single mishap on the court. This is the moment Adidas has been waiting for; great stars always manage to tell their stories in the playoffs.

Nike's most successful story recently is undoubtedly the "Chosen One" narrative about LeBron James. In his third year, he led the team to the playoffs, only to be eliminated by the Pistons. In his fourth year, he avenged the Pistons and led the Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals appearance. Although they ultimately lost to the Spurs, this was enough to convince people of James' future potential.

Xu Ling left behind enough stories in the regular season, and his playoff performance was quite good before Game 5, but he still lacked the legendary flair of a "judgment dunk" or a "finger wag".

As a result, Nike's attempt to break Xu Ling under pressure by mobilizing its media machine instead led to the most exciting game of the playoffs so far.

Between winning and losing, it's like heaven and hell. That's the pressure of the crucial game. In such a match, Xu Ling scored 46 points with a shooting percentage of over 50% throughout the game.

In NBA history, only one player has ever scored more points in a single game during their rookie season.

That man's name won't surprise you: Wilt Chamberlain.

In his final on-site interview, Xu Ling stated that he wanted to dedicate this match to those who hated him, as it was a significant moment in shaping his image.

David Aldridge of The Washington Post wrote in his ESPN column: "When the gods of Olympus look down from the clouds onto the earthly arena, they witness not just ordinary victories and defeats, but another turn of the hammer of fate. Last night in New Orleans, the Smoothie King Center was no ordinary arena; it was the Isthmus of Corinth, linked by the threads of fate, and Eli Xu, this young demigod from the East, completed his sacrifice and coronation there."

When Adidas' media machine got going, the focus of the counterattack quickly shifted to Brian Windhorst's "System Destroyers".

Some people have noticed that ESPN's NBA homepage features an article titled "Data Doesn't Lie, But People Who Interpret It Does," which directly challenges Windhorst's "System Destroyers," using more direct data to provide a comprehensive rebuttal.

The author is Frank Murtaugh, a name unfamiliar to the general public but certainly recognizable to the people of Memphis.

In his article, Murtaugh sarcastically remarked: "Mr. Windhorst attempts to paint a picture of a 'ball possession black hole' using isolated slices of data, but the absurdity of this outcome-oriented analysis, which ignores the context of the game, can be exposed with a simple analogy."

Let's turn our attention to the 2007 NBA Finals, where a 22-year-old prodigy named LeBron James led the Cavaliers to the ultimate stage for the first time. In those four games, which were hardly in doubt, what kind of statistics did this future face of the league deliver?
He averaged 22.5 field goal attempts per game, scoring 22 points with a 35.6% field goal percentage.

Three-point shooting percentage: 20.0%
5.8 turnovers per game

If we follow Mr. Windhorst's theory regarding Eli, should we also define LeBron as a "system disruptor"? Did he also "devour offensive opportunities that should have belonged to the team," ultimately leading to the Cavaliers' complete defeat?

This is a typical "it's my turn" moment.

To be fair, this is the same thing that all fan groups, e-sports fans, and sports fans do after gaining an advantage.

This is a full-scale counterattack by Xu Ling's camp, because the first person to fire the shot during the playoffs was a reporter under James's command, so now it's only natural to retaliate in kind.

Riding on the momentum of their valiant performance in the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, Xu Ling's camp, in conjunction with Adidas's promotional efforts, was naturally unstoppable in this round.

However, all of this has nothing to do with Xu Ling himself.

Because he doesn't know what happened behind the scenes, he doesn't care about these things. Just like Curry only felt that Pachulia didn't have bad intentions, he was just a bit clumsy. Duncan also thought Bowen was a good teammate, he never injured anyone in the playoffs. They all believed what they wanted to believe in their own timelines.

As Xu Ling's haters suffered repeated defeats, they could only grasp at the last straw—accusing Xu Ling of deliberately harming David West.

However, West himself soon confiscated the card.

Reporters photographed David West participating in the Hornets' regular practice as usual. West appeared to be in good condition.

Then, a Hornets beat reporter revealed: "David's situation still needs further evaluation, but we are becoming increasingly optimistic about his prospects of playing in Game 6."

This is probably the most obvious smokescreen in the sports world.

And so, no one discussed whether Xu Ling was suspected of intentionally harming West anymore.

Xu Ling's victory became pure and flawless, and his performance in Game 5 would be mythologized by the people of Memphis. This was evident when the Grizzlies' private plane returned to their home court at noon that day.

On the track, the densely packed fans resembled an army awaiting inspection, waving blue and white flags and Xu Ling's number 1 jersey.

Welcome home, Lord!

"Memphis believes in Eli!"

"Lord Eli!"

These banners are everywhere you look.

As Xu Ling walked out of the airport, the cheers of the fans seemed to tear the city apart, and the sound even made the surrounding area tremble slightly.

"My Lord Eli!!!"

The fans' chants were unified, carrying an almost religious fervor.

Jerry West walked behind Xu Ling, watching the frenzied scene, his lips twitching slightly. He had experienced the glory of the Showtime Lakers and witnessed countless grand occasions, but the sight of a city so quickly and thoroughly placing all its hopes and emotions on a young man who was only 20 years old still felt somewhat unreal to him.

He glanced at Xu Ling beside him. The young man's face remained expressionless. He simply nodded to the crowd and then, like a ghost unable to face the sunlight, strode quickly toward the bus.

Seeing this, who would believe that he made a "shush" gesture to the entire audience during the most terrifying away game in order to boost the team's morale?

"Is he enjoying it, or is he enduring it?"

A thought flashed through West's mind.

Perhaps, for Xu Ling, this fervent love is essentially no different from the bone-deep hatred he felt in New Orleans last night; both need to be ignored, otherwise he might lose sight of who he is.

At the same time, an unfamiliar energy was injected into Memphis's veins.

In the bars on Beale Street, the blues seemed to pick up pace.

The clinking of glasses was crisper than ever, and people were no longer talking about "we almost won," but rather "we fucking did it!"

Xu Ling's repeated "shush" gesture became the latest topic of conversation among everyone.

That gesture seemed to simultaneously raise the index finger at Memphis Sports' long-standing sense of inferiority.

It's like saying: Shut up, we've had enough, shh!

This shift in emotion is subtle and gradual.

Although the Grizzlies have not yet advanced, with a 3-2 lead in the series, the semifinals are entirely within reach, so the sales department has begun pre-selling tickets for Games 3 and 4 of the semifinals.

Not only that, but ticket prices have also been blatantly increased, with prices for seats in each section rising by 10% to 20%.

But so what? Outside the FedEx Forum ticket office, the longest line since the team moved to Memphis formed.

In the stadium's official store, Xu Ling's No. 1 jersey was sold out, and the staff were frantically searching through the inventory. Meanwhile, T-shirts printed with "Kingslayer" and "Lord Eli" had already begun to circulate quietly on the streets.

On Memphis local radio sports programs, the presenters' voices were an octave higher. They no longer needed to painstakingly search for the team's highlights; callers were almost all excitedly repeating the same topic: Eli.

The fans were excitedly shouting everywhere: "They're afraid of us now! Did you hear that? They're afraid of us!"

It's hard not to hear it.

(End of this chapter)