Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 20 The Annoying TTU Jordan
To say that Durant would take Xu Ling's challenge seriously before the game is pure nonsense.

Looking across the entire college basketball scene, there are very few opponents he can truly take seriously.

Although the season is only halfway through, Durant has already been hailed as the most impactful freshman in history, which of course includes Carmelo Anthony, who led Syracuse University to the championship in 2003.

Moreover, every media outlet that reached this conclusion has ample data to prove that it is correct.

With an average of 28 points and 11 rebounds per game, if we only consider the Big 12 league games, Durant's average stats would rise to 33 points and 13 rebounds per game, and he led his team to a perfect record in the league championship. This is an undisputed dominance.

His goal is to dethrone Oden from the top draft pick. As for players like Xu Ling, who started the season quietly and then surged into the lottery predictions with a half-season breakout—although they are geniuses, in the eyes of the public, geniuses are also divided into different levels.

So before the match started, and even after the first few rounds, he didn't take Xu Ling seriously at all.

Until—Xu Ling scored over him, trash-talked him non-stop, and even forced him into a turnover on the defensive end.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Durant realized for the first time: this TTU Jordan might really be a tough opponent.

If he doesn't give it his all, he might get devoured by Xu Ling.

So, in the next possession, Durant ran to his favorite right 45-degree angle to get the ball in the frontcourt.

As planned, Xu Ling applied a lot of pressure to Durant before he even got the ball. Soon, he realized that Durant was very good at playing under pressure.

With a quick glance, Durant, standing at 208 cm tall and with a wingspan of 226 cm, clearly possesses physical attributes that far surpass Xu Ling's.

Xu Ling reached out to interfere but found that the opponent was too tall to affect the shot with just his arm.

Durant, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, fired a shot that swished through the net.

Then, just as Durant was about to leave, he remembered Xu Ling's earlier mockery and, still angry, turned back and said, "Your defense isn't much better."

That sentence hung in the air.

Shouldn't someone remind Durant that it's not that my defense is bad, it's that your talent is just too outrageous? How can you give such a comment after using your talent to overwhelm my defense?
“Don’t mind him,” Jarius Jackson said. “Just guard him next round.”

Xu Ling smiled and said, "I don't mind."

However, the person who kept saying he didn't mind added, "Give me the ball."

Xu Ling's teammates were already out of the game before they even crossed the halfway line.

Martin Zeno passed the ball out, and those who had a shot on the court moved outwards as much as possible, while those who didn't have a shot on the court moved away from Xu Ling's half of the court. The entire offensive system was cleared out instantly, creating a one-on-one stage for him.

Durant took a deep breath, ready to go all out on defense. He lowered his center of gravity and spread his incredibly long arms. But rookies like him all have one problem: they've played too much of the "natural" style of basketball since childhood, and their physical defensive instincts far outweigh their defensive skills and awareness.

This is especially common among gifted players, and when the situation becomes extreme, it can even produce geniuses like Ben Simmons who believe they can dominate the game without shooting.

Xu Ling lowered his center of gravity and suddenly took a step forward. In that instant, Durant's defensive center of gravity was greatly disrupted. However, due to his outstanding static talent, he was still able to interfere with the offense.

However, Xu Ling's footwork began to change. Before Durant could regain his balance, he had already pulled the ball to the right and made a lateral step-back. In an era where one-on-one players prefer to shoot long-range mid-range shots and fight for the basket, step-back shots are considered impractical fancy skills. Such rare lateral step-backs are even less favored by professionals.

However, Durant's defense was completely shaken off, and Xu Ling pulled up for a jump shot on the right side of the free-throw line, which went in off the backboard.

"Kevin Durant wanted to prove he was the best rookie in the Big 12 league, but Eli gave him a crushing blow right from the start, as if to say, 'No, man, you're not the best, I am!'"

After that point, the duel between the two intensified.

Durant believes he's invincible in one-on-one situations, but Xu Ling thinks otherwise.

Instead of dribbling and attacking like Xu Ling, Durant created an opportunity through movement. He then showed his most terrifying side: once he created an opportunity, his teammates would pass the ball to him. In this situation, unless someone could immediately rush in front of him to interfere, his accuracy in catching the ball and shooting in an open position was frighteningly high.

Durant retaliated.

A dozen seconds later, as if to prove that he was proficient in all of Durant's offensive techniques, Xu Ling also began to move.

Furthermore, Texas Tech has more off-ball movement tactics than the University of Texas.

Bob Knight is a master of dynamic offense, and what he least wants to see is a lot of isolation plays. It's just that today's occasion is different from the past, so he allowed Xu Ling to arm wrestle with Durant.

Now we move on to the tactical phase, and Xu Ling and the team are entering their comfort zone.

The movement of the players and the ball successfully created an opportunity for Xu Ling to shoot from the corner.

Durant was a beat too slow, and Xu Ling took a three-pointer.

"Whoosh!!!" "Look!!!" commentator Dan Shulman exclaimed in surprise, "Eli and KD have turned the game into a one-man show, they've scored all the points since the start!"

His teammate Dick Vitale chimed in, "Kevin Durant is still Kevin Durant, but Elijah tonight was far more aggressive than we've ever seen! He's not just trying to prove he's no worse than KD, but, at least so far, he's even outperformed KD!"

However, even the strongest newcomer can't keep up the pace from the start to the end of the game. Suddenly, DJ Augustin of the Longhorn Bulls broke through and made a layup, ending the duel between Xu Ling and Durant.

After a few minutes of quiet, Xu Ling finally had the opportunity to take advantage of this moment of peace to study Durant's running habits on the spot.

Putting aside other factors, Xu Ling noticed that Durant's body rhythm and his footwork frequency were a perfect combination.

Xu Ling thought narcissistically, "Hmm, this is just like me."

The secret lies far beyond simple balance. It requires extraordinary talent, exceptional coordination, an innate feel for the ball, and years of accumulated ball control. Moreover, you must perfectly integrate everything you've learned with your own playing rhythm. Generally speaking, the taller a person is, the less agile they are and the harder it is for them to control their balance. Therefore, they don't need to worry about ball control; utilizing their height to play well is more important than anything else.

Xu Ling's ball handling and feel for the ball were developed before his transmigration, while his talent came after. Someone like him is probably one in hundreds of thousands. Durant is 10 centimeters taller than him, yet their coordination, ball handling, and feel for the ball are basically the same, which shows that Durant's talent completely overwhelms him.

Basketball is such a ruthless sport.

You can really feel the "beauty of numbers" from those overflowing with talent in a single round.

But Xu Ling wouldn't underestimate himself. Even someone as talented as Jordan wasn't much better than him in terms of raw talent. So why is Jordan the GOAT? This shows that talent is just the entry ticket; there are many other factors that determine the final height.

A strong intuition told Xu Ling that he couldn't keep applying physical pressure. That was like trying to cut through a mountain with an ordinary sword—the effect would be limited. He needed to find a crevice in the mountain.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Durant's legs. "All his movements—his power generation, his turn, his jump—start from here," Xu Ling thought. "What if I could anticipate his movements or disrupt his lower body?"

The idea was bold and risky, but he decided to give it a try.

Half of the first half has passed, and the score is very close. Although the duel between Xu Ling and Durant is not as intense as at the beginning, it is still a head-to-head contest.

TTU's backup scorer, Alan Voskull, hit consecutive three-pointers after entering the game, extending the Red Raiders' lead to 6 points.

At this point, Durant decided to do something.

He leaned against Xu Ling and started by asking for the ball.

The teammate passed the ball directly to him.

Xu Ling changed his previous defensive strategy. The moment Durant received the ball, instead of using his chest to block him, he silently used his forearm to block Durant's waist, while cleverly inserting one leg between Durant's legs to disrupt his power base.

The moment Durant lost his rhythm, he had no choice but to force a turn against the flow, trying to use the momentum to launch a powerful shot. His choice was too easy to predict; Xu Ling's chop shot came straight down the instant he turned, slicing the ball away like a decapitation.

"Eli cut the ball away from KD face-to-face!!!!"

With the ball in his hands, Xu Ling sprinted at full speed to the frontcourt and ended the counterattack with a powerful dunk.

"He fouled!" Durant continued to protest to the referee. "He used his hand to push against my waist and his foot to block my position. That was an absolute violation of my cylinder!"

A casual remark from Xu Ling drifted over from afar: "You might as well just say I destroyed the whole world."

Durant glared at Xu Ling. The constant friction since the start of the game had, over ten minutes in, transformed those negative impressions into intense negative emotions.

The sentiment couldn't be clearer: I hate this person!

Xu Ling still had a smile on his face. He hadn't expected Durant to be so impatient. After all, he was just a freshman, and compared to him, a "fifth-year" senior, he was still far behind.

Controlling Durant's core and squeezing his legs to disrupt his rhythm—this was Xu Ling's defensive strategy. He wasn't particularly adept at this type of defense, so its effectiveness on the first try was purely accidental.

He decided to maintain this level of defensive intensity.

Following Durant's repeated appeals, the referees became more cautious about Xu Ling's defensive actions. Finally, Xu's less-than-clean hand movements revealed a flaw.

The referee promptly blew his whistle.

"Yes! That's it!" Durant clapped his hands excitedly. "You fouled!"

Xu Ling simply smiled and said, "I hope the referee will always be there for you whenever you encounter difficulties."

After saying that, Xu Ling stretched his joints while secretly calculating in his mind, "Hmm, it seems that I still need to refine the details of these 'small movements'."
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(End of this chapter)