Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 25 A rat crossing the street wants to skip work
Xu Ling believes that there is a special connection between him and Asi Law.

In their first match against Texas A&M University, Xu Ling's defensive containment of Asi Law helped his team defeat their opponents, earning him widespread recognition. They recently completed their rematch, with Texas Tech (TTU) emerging victorious once again.

In the first game of the Big 12 Conference Championship, which was crucial for securing a spot in the "Mad Men's League," they once again faced Texas A&M University.

"Sigh, what can I say?" Lao looked at Xu Ling with a weary expression. "We've had such bad luck this year. Let me tell you, even if I fell into Pam Anderson's breasts, I could still squeeze her implants out!"

Xu Ling's first reaction was: "Who is Pam Anderson?"

Why not Ava Adams? Why not Lisa Ann? Of course, Xu Ling doesn't like "technology"; what he truly admires are natural, unadulterated geniuses like Sarah Arab.

“Don’t mind it, Axi.” Xu Ling shook hands with the other person and said calmly, “At least you can be the first lottery pick to prepare for the 2007 NBA Draft.”

Lao sneered, "I'll take that as wishing me good luck!"

Agricultural and Industrial University can certainly blame their bad luck. Although the Big 12 conference is incredibly competitive this season, they are still a top-four team in the league, and securing a spot in the "Mad Third" shouldn't be difficult. With Assie Law on the team, they have a fighting chance against most teams.

But unfortunately, in the first round of the tournament, they encountered the only team in the Big 12 conference that "counters" them.

This was a match with no suspense whatsoever.

Xu Ling is like a high wall in front of Asi Law. This wall may seem like a hurdle for him in the NCAA, but it actually foreshadows the difficulties he may encounter in the NBA.

When every team he faces has one or two defensive players like Xu Ling, will he be able to adapt?
This is the key to his career.

But tonight, he has no chance.

The more games Xu Ling played against Asi Law, the more skilled he became at defending him.

Asi Law got hot from beyond the arc, but that only added a little suspense to the game, because it's hard to maintain a consistent shooting touch throughout the entire game.

Under Xu Ling's high-pressure defense, Axi Law lost his rhythm in the second half, and the Agricultural and Industrial University collapsed as a result.

At the same time, Xu Ling's brief low-position intensive training also yielded some results.

He is still not used to the rhythm of back-to-the-basket play, but he has gradually learned how to suppress mismatch players who are not as heavy, strong, or explosive as him.

This is a small step for him, but a giant leap in mastering the art of back-to-the-basket one-on-one play.

For perimeter players, the essence of post-up play is simple – punish any mismatches that dare to be placed in front of you.

If you can't post up, you'll end up like the owner of "the longest river in NBA history," making a fool of yourself by being defended by Barea in the Finals.

Tonight, Xu Ling's low-post offense was highly effective, and he also shouldered the heavy responsibility of defending the opponent's key player, dominating both ends of the court. He scored 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks, helping the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeat their opponents, advance to the next round of the tournament, and also earn a ticket to the 2007 NCAA March Madness Tournament.

"Are you kidding me?! Eli is the James Dean of basketball!"

After watching the game, Bill Simmons was as excited as a child in his column. He wrote: "This time last year? Who the hell knew who Eli was? To us, he was just one of those countless 'what ifs' where you'd be lifting weights in some gym every summer, with a decent shooting form, but never making it to the NBA. You know, like your cousin, he always said he 'used to play on the high school team.' But now? In just one year, this guy has gone from some unknown corner of the international arena to a world-renowned superstar!"

"That game-winning three-pointer he hit over Kevin Durant? My God, it was exactly the look James Dean gave in 'Rebel Without a Cause' in 1955! You know, that movie not only immortalized JD, but also turned him into a youth culture icon, a perpetual rebel. And Eli's shot was his 'Rebel Without a Cause' moment—it not only sealed the victory, but it also shaped him into the lawless, adrenaline-pumping Eli we know today!"

"And that's not even the craziest part—the craziest part is that he's still improving! Can you believe it?! We can't even predict how far this guy will evolve by the end of this crazy March! Will he become the '2001: A Space Odyssey' of basketball? Skipping all the intermediate steps and turning into a bone to fly into space? Tell me!"

Texas Tech is aiming for its twelfth conference championship, and Xu Ling's reputation is soaring.

This name has already entered the offices of major NBA general managers.

When Isaiah Thomas heard the team's scouts rank Xu Ling alongside Oden and Durant, calling him "one of the most unmissable rookies in the 2007 draft," Thomas, with a face that New Yorkers loathed, broke into a devilish smile. He pointed out the window and said, "Phil, if I went out there right now and announced to the citizens that we were giving up the whole season and fighting for the lottery pick, I guarantee you, I'd be hanged in Times Square because we fucking have no draft picks left!"

Phil Ford, the Knicks' chief scout, twitched at the corner of his mouth, wanting to say something. But reason told him not to argue with Isaiah; he was already deaf to any other opinions, and any advice should be echoed.

“Isaiah, you are the best trader in the world. If Eli is someone you can’t afford to miss, I’m sure you’ll find a way to get him.”

“But,” Thomas asked, “what is the price?”

To put it simply, whatever the cost, it can't be worse than giving someone like Jerome James a 5-year, $3000 million contract, "stealing" Eddie Curry from Chicago with multiple future first-round picks, assembling a group of high-profile, flamboyant, and unruly veterans, only to then waving a check to hire a control freak like Larry Brown and expecting him to change things. It's practically a "two negatives make a positive" decision, because Thomas doesn't listen to anyone's opinions, and Brown won't accept others' opinions either. So, will these two similarly minded people work together?

No, the New York Times called the marriage of Thomas and Brown the NBA version of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. Two irreconcilably opposed "drug addicts," the man with some talent who ultimately realized he was worthless except for entertainment, chose to end his own life. This ended one of the worst romantic relationships in Hollywood history, leaving behind a legend greater after death than in life—something we're all familiar with—while forever condemning the woman to the inferno of "you killed him." There couldn't be a better ending. The same was true for Thomas and Brown. Their relationship ended quickly; less than a year later, Brown ended his tenure with the Knicks, taking a hefty buyout and telling those who accused him of making the Knicks worse, "What are you expecting? These guys weren't my choice."

So Dolan had no choice but to let Thomas take the lead himself, as this was the fourth head coach he'd fired in the past three years. Since hiring anyone would inevitably result in their dismissal, he figured he might as well do it himself. Therefore, Thomas is now both the team's general manager and head coach. Thomas's reward for the owner's trust was a lawsuit for sexually harassing female employees.

The Knicks are having their best season in the past five years, currently boasting a 50% winning percentage. Dolan was "ecstatic" and offered Thomas a three-year contract extension.

Rumors circulated that Dolan had single-handedly defended a famous player's post-up game, but honestly, given the level of tolerance Dolan gave Thomas, even being a star player for twenty years wouldn't have been enough.

“I remember, Eli was Coach Knight’s player?” Thomas suddenly asked.

“Yes, that’s the kid who claimed he was going to be ‘College Jordan’,” Ford said immediately.

"He's a good kid, just a bit short-sighted," Thomas scoffed. "'The Jordan of college basketball' is nothing. Even Jordan in the NBA was only a semi-finalist in the 80s!"

Given the long-standing animosity between the two, it would be acceptable for Thomas to say anything outrageous to Jordan.

"He just capitalized on the window of opportunity when I, Larry, and Magic Johnson were getting old, and achieved a little success in the 90s. What's so great about that?!"

After saying that, Thomas looked at Ford: "You're right, aren't you, Phil?"

Phil Ford, the second overall pick in the 1978 draft and the greatest guard in North Carolina history before Jordan, now feels like he's being targeted by a venomous snake.

"Uh-huh."

Whenever Thomas belittled Jordan, what he wanted most was for others to agree with him, especially those from North Carolina.

Ford isn't Jordan; he won't be wearing Carolina blue training pants as underwear when he's 50. For him, keeping his job is the most important thing.

So even if Thomas said that Jordan was a "dog" who was lucky every day in the 90s, he would admit it.

"How's Texas Tech doing these days?" Thomas changed the subject. "I heard they've been playing quite well lately?"

“Fantastic!” Ford said when he saw Thomas’s interest. “They’ve already secured their ticket to March Madness, and they won by a large margin yesterday. They’re just one game away from lifting the Big 12 championship trophy.”

Thomas also wanted to go and take a look, not to assess Xu Ling, since the team didn't have a 2007 draft pick, so what good would a good rookie be?

He's a pariah now. If he abandons the team to go to Texas to watch a game, what will people say about him?

But then again, his reputation has already hit rock bottom and there's no room for it to fall any further, so why would he care about this?

Thomas decided to call his mentor.

"Coach, how have you been lately?"

“Not bad.” Knight seemed to be in high spirits. “We’ve made it to the Big 12 finals.”

Thomas didn't want to continue the small talk. He knew Coach Knight wasn't the type to enjoy pleasantries, so he went straight to the point: "I've heard there's a good kid at Texas Tech University (TTU). What do you think of him?"

"I'm no worse than you."

"But you can come and see for yourself how it is."

Thomas spoke with his mentor for a few more minutes, then hung up and told his assistant, "Book a flight to Dallas."

“But, Isaiah, our opponent tomorrow night is Dallas.”

"So what?" Thomas yelled. "You don't think we have a chance against Dallas, do you? Listen, I'm sick! I have to go on a business trip! I have a lawsuit to fight, a bunch of trades to consider, a boss who trusts me to talk to, and a damn 'college Jordan' to scout! I'm not free tomorrow night!"

This basically summarizes the internal dynamics of the Knicks during the Isaiah Thomas era.

You know Thomas is an idiot, but you don't dare call him an idiot because the owner thinks he's a once-in-a-lifetime management genius. If the team has problems, it's always someone else's fault, Thomas is never at fault. If you think he's an idiot, it's the same as saying the owner is an idiot. Do you still want your job? If you do, shut your stinking mouth and say something nice!
"Yes, BOSS!"

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(End of this chapter)