Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 40 Generations of Geniuses
March 31, 2007, Atlanta, Georgia Dome.

This is the day of the NCAA Final Four, where the final two will be decided.

Countless fans flocked to this arena, which is far larger than a typical NBA arena. More than 70,000 seats were nearly full, and fans from all over the country regarded this game as an annual must-see event.

On the sidelines were live broadcast teams from various television stations, setting up equipment and testing devices.

Jim Nantz and Billy Parker, the nationally renowned commentary duo, are discussing tonight's game.

“Texas Tech’s journey has been incredible,” Billy Parker said, seemingly neutral but actually quite opinionated. “But I think their journey may be coming to an end. TTU’s zone defense, which they excel at, is ineffective against the ‘Clover’ (Ohio State’s team name). The gap between the two teams’ interior defenses is huge. Even if Greg Oden can only attack with his left hand, I don’t think Daryl Dorra and Jon Plefka would have any chance against him.”

Parker's statement did not surprise his colleagues.

Before the Final Four, Parker was TTU's number one supporter. Because Parker was a die-hard Duke fan; a Duke die-hard who didn't want North Carolina to be eliminated wasn't a typical Duke die-hard. But when TTU eliminated North Carolina, then it was time to settle old scores. While you deserve credit for eliminating North Carolina, don't forget, you also eliminated Duke.

How much support does Parker have for Duke? In the ACC regular season this year, Duke played against North Carolina. When the game was in garbage time, North Carolina still didn't substitute Hansbrough, so Duke couldn't help but give him a flagrant foul, which made Hansbrough's nose bleed on the spot.

Parker said, "That was a perfectly legal defensive move!"

Supporting Ohio State, the favorite to win the championship, to defeat TTU is simply a return to our original intentions.

“I think TTU still has a chance to go further,” Parker’s partner Nantz said. “Based on the two teams’ games so far, Eli has had a greater impact. While Greg is a game-changing defender, the focus tonight is on offense, not defense.”

Upon hearing this, Parker felt he was even more correct, because since it was all about offense, Oden's better defense was likely to determine the outcome of the game.

In the stands, NBA executives took their seats one by one.

Basically, every team aiming for the lottery had a representative present at the event.

Subsequently, players from both teams entered the field one after another.

Greg Oden brought up the rear. His massive frame cast an exaggerated shadow under the stadium lights, and his left hand unconsciously touched the protective gear on his right shoulder.

As is customary, players from both sides can greet each other before the match.

Xu Ling took the initiative to walk towards Oden, an unusual scene that was also witnessed by the reporters.

"Has your right hand recovered?" This was the first time Xu Ling and Auden had met, but he greeted others as if they were old friends.

Oden's mature face carried an air of "don't mess with me" authority. It's a real shame he didn't live up to expectations, otherwise, how many "wild father-son jokes" would have been made up by his nasty fans?

“Not yet,” Oden chuckled wickedly, “but enough to crush you all.”

They didn't pretend to ask each other's names; they simply exchanged a question and a reply, and then each returned to their own half of the court.

“What do you have to say to that guy?” Daryl Dora had been mentally preparing himself for the past few days.

After all, who wouldn't be afraid of facing Oden? Oden had been the best player in the nation since his sophomore year of high school, and was said to have the defense of Bill Russell, the speed of David Robinson, the strength and explosiveness of Dwight Howard, and the game instincts of Tim Duncan.

He averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game throughout the entire season using only his non-dominant hand. What an incredible talent!

But Xu Ling actually had the leisure to greet the other party, which made Dora very angry.

"I asked him about the condition of his right hand for you."

"How did he say?"

He said he was going to strangle you.

This is the "taking things out of context" technique that Xu Ling learned from the media, and he thinks he has learned it quite well.

A few minutes later, both teams took to the field as their starting lineups.

Jim Nantz immediately pointed out a key point about the starting lineup: "The Red Raiders are fielding a big man and four smaller players again tonight, except that their starting center has been changed from Jon Plevka to the more athletic big man Daryl Dorra."

“This shows that TTU has decided to completely abandon its inside game,” Billy Parker immediately added. “However, I don’t think Ohio State’s outside firepower is inferior to TTU’s.”

The opening jump ball was a foregone conclusion.

Oden jumped with all his might and passed the ball to Mike Conley.

From the very first second of the game, those who had been watching Oden for a long time sensed something was wrong.

Since entering college, Oden has never played at full strength; scouts believe he has used at most 70% of his power.

So when he won the jump ball and sprinted down the court at full speed, Conley didn't need to give any instructions. He just had to toss the ball high up the court, and the behemoth, considered a generational genius, would soar up like a rocket, catch the ball with both hands, and slam it down onto the basket. "These past few days, everyone's been talking about Eli's potential to surpass Greg Oden. Now, Greg's going to shut them up!" Billy Parker exclaimed passionately.

Xu Ling faced off against 193cm tall shooting guard Ron Lewis in the frontcourt.

This guy can be considered Oden's right-hand man; he can shoot and defend, and he's an indispensable player for Ohio State University.

Xu Ling doesn't need to ask for the ball; his teammates will naturally pass it to him.

The moment Xu Ling caught the ball with his right hand, his center of gravity shifted downwards, and he took a powerful forward lunge, breaking Lewis's balance. Under pressure, Lewis had no choice but to shift his weight back.

These instinctive actions could become the trigger for the end of an ankle injury.

Xu Ling's ball crossed his legs as he moved, and his left hand suddenly pulled the ball sideways. Lewis, who lost his support, stared wide-eyed, but could not avoid falling forward.

As Xu Ling stepped back, the basketball was still in a downward dribble position, a truly peculiar feeling. He knew what he could do; this was the first time he'd done this since his transmigration—first, he dribbled laterally to create space, then he stepped back to gather the ball. The two movements flowed seamlessly, leaving Ron Lewis lying on the ground, watching in despair as he launched his three-pointer.

"My God! What are we just seeing?!" Commentator Jim Nantz's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, almost cracking. "This isn't a basketball move—it's magic! Eli Xu just made the defender disappear!"

The entire Georgia Dome erupted in a frenzy. Front-row spectators spontaneously rose to their feet, some even throwing their popcorn buckets, sending golden popcorn flying like celebratory ribbons into the air.

"That's impossible." ESPN analyst Jay Bias ripped off his headphones. "That step-back dribble...did he do a double crossover in mid-air?"

The replay on the big screen reignited the cheers. The slow-motion replay clearly showed that the basketball seemed glued to Xu Ling's left hand for a mere 0.5 seconds as he dove to the ground, before shooting like a slingshot towards the three-point line. As the orange net rippled, Lewis, still sprawled on the ground, had barely managed to sit up – a scene that would become the front page of every sports media outlet tomorrow.

While Oden's opening alley-oop dunk certainly gave people the preconceived notion that "he had already won," Xu Ling's subsequent ankle-finish three-pointer followed by a double step-back layup made everyone feel absurd.

My goodness, basketball has been around for over a hundred years, is there really anyone who can still do something that has never been seen before on the court?

Xu Ling's response not only matched Oden's original talent display, but also far surpassed it in terms of imagination.

What followed was a round of back-and-forth attacks and defenses, with neither side giving an inch.

Oden actively called for the ball in the low post.

Just as Xu Ling and his team had analyzed before the game, although Oden's body, which was so strong that it didn't look like that of a freshman, was practically a "natural pick-and-roll physique," he, like Howard, had a great physique but didn't like pick-and-rolls and was obsessed with low-post offense.

In this way, even though Ohio State has a group of shooters on the perimeter, they cannot maximize Conley's potential.

A point guard who is not qualified to initiate pick-and-roll plays is destined to be a mere errand boy on the court.

All TTU players who get close to Oden will try to harass him and force him to pass the ball outwards.

Although we said during training that we would abandon the inside game and let Oden dominate them when the game started, how could we really abandon the inside game when the game actually started?
Moreover, the NCAA's three-point line, which is as short as Ji Chunzhuo's, is naturally suited for collapsing defense. Peripheral defenders don't need to completely abandon their assigned players to disrupt the inside offense.

Oden received the ball back and forth, backed down the defender, and passed it out, finally creating a good opportunity for his teammate on the perimeter. However, the rhythm of the back-and-forth passing also had a significant impact on the shooter, and the shot went completely wide.

No matter, Oden leaped up like a tiger, grabbing the rebound tightly. Just as he was about to power up the basket, Xu Ling, like a vengeful ghost from the shadows, suddenly snatched the ball away. Oden, who was used to attacking from high up, had never developed the habit of playing high up. This seemingly insignificant bad habit caused him trouble for the first time tonight.

The moment Xu Ling stole the ball and turned around, the Ohio State guards were still beyond the three-point line and hadn't reacted yet.

The entire audience watched as the red figure shot forward like an arrow, the lights of the Georgia Dome casting long shadows at his feet. Just inside the free-throw line, Xu Ling leaped on one foot, pulling the ball behind his head with his right hand like a fully drawn bowstring—while Oden, chasing after him, could only watch his performance from close range.

"boom!"

Amidst the deafening roar of the basketball hoop shaking violently, Xu Ling landed and slid out of bounds. He turned and ran right into Oden, who was sprinting back, their chests nearly colliding.

"Do you know the difference between you and me?" Xu Ling's voice was so soft that only the other person could hear it. "You are always waiting for the right opportunity, while I never miss it."

Oden's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively took his mouthguard out of his mouth with his right hand: "Next time I'll nail you to the backboard."

"What you can't do with your right hand, you can't do with your left hand either."

"We'll see!"

The title of "genius of a generation" is never a blessing, but a shackle. It means you must become the most dazzling existence of your era, and it means countless eyes are waiting to see you fall. History has long proven that most of those who have been given this title have failed to reach the heights they once aspired to.

But young people don't care about these things.

Youth is the age to flaunt one's talents and let ambition be written all over one's face. So the moment Xu Ling and Oden's eyes met in the Georgia Dome, the battle had already begun.

There was no probing, no reservations, and of course, not a trace of friendship.

(End of this chapter)