Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 41 Turbulent Waves
Most of Texas Tech's offenses went through Xu Ling, while most of Ohio State's half-court sets were initiated by passing the ball to Oden in the low post.

However, compared to TTU, who mainly relies on the perimeter, Oden's low-post offensive details are actually not very rich.

After several rounds, Oden's back-to-the-basket game basically involved using his weight and strength to overpower his opponent, relentlessly hitting him until the opponent was too weak to jump, then turning around and delivering a powerful hook shot.

His hook shot has a relatively soft feel, but according to scouts' description of his playing style—the so-called "Tim Duncan feel"—he would need at least three more years of college training like Duncan to reach that level.

However, for this prodigy, who scouts said could easily be selected as the number one pick in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 NBA draft, staying in college for another year is almost impossible.

Oden's hook shot was indeed unstoppable at the college level. In the first ten minutes of the first half, he scored with hook shots from both sides indiscriminately.

Xu Ling started the game with an amazing double-step three-pointer, followed by a pick-and-roll jumper. Then, his strengths were on the defensive end.

Midway through the first half, Ohio State's leading outside scorer, Ron Lewis, began to make his move. The shooting guard roamed the left three-point line, suddenly cut past his defender, and called for the ball—the opportunity had arrived!

But just as the ball was being passed to Lewis, a red figure flashed into the passing lane like lightning—Xu Ling, with his amazing anticipation and long arms, precisely intercepted the ball midway!
Before Lewis could even react, Xu Ling had already grabbed the basketball, turned, and launched a counterattack. At the same time, Jackson on the other side, seemingly on the same wavelength, sped off, darting across half-court like an arrow. Without hesitation, Xu Ling delivered a precise long pass across the entire court, sending Jackson to the frontcourt. Jackson received the ball, started his run, and easily scored a layup!

After a few rounds, Lewis finally learned his lesson. He tightly marked Xu Ling, receiving the ball near the free-throw line. He turned, jumped, and executed a textbook pull-up jump shot, completely unaware that his opponent still had the strength to jump.

"Snapped!"

Xu Ling leaped into the air from the side and swatted the ball away with one palm.

“Oregon State’s key perimeter player, Ron Lewis, had several offensive plays thwarted by Eli!” Jim Nantz said. “This is not good news for the Shamrocks! Ron is a key figure in their path to the Final Four, having scored 20 points in several previous games. Without his offensive support, OSU’s interior defense will also face problems!”

Ohio State head coach Thad Mata, undeterred by the odds, called out another play from the sidelines, sending Ron Lewis one-on-one.

Lewis dribbled between his legs repeatedly against Xu Ling, then suddenly changed direction and accelerated.

Xu Ling's left hand, like a viper's tongue, precisely struck the ball. Lewis staggered, trying to save the ball, but saw that Xu Ling had already taken control. He then rushed across half-court, still one-on-one in the frontcourt, and this time Xu Ling made his most signature fast break pull-up three-pointer.

Bob Knight is numb.

Xu Ling scored his 8th point of the night, as the commentator remarked, "Eli's signature fast break three-pointer."

After this goal, TTU's lead extended to 9 points.

This was an unexpected result.

Before the game started, the so-called "college observers" racked their brains but couldn't figure out how TTU's weak inside game could compete with Oden.

TTU's answer was the same as Knight's response years ago about how coaches should handle bad referees.

Knight once said it's like being raped; if you can't resist, then give up and enjoy it.

It's easy to imagine Knight being heavily criticized by feminist activists, but unlike those pretentious "male chauvinists," Knight never deliberately hid his toxic masculinity—he was an open and blatant sexist—which in fact led to the end of his first marriage. And what was his attitude towards it? Answer: Replacing a menopausal wife is a blessing.

This attitude is also TTU's attitude towards Oden.

Aside from occasionally letting Xu Ling harass the inside line, he was left to his own devices in all other aspects.

Knight believes that shutting down Ohio State's outside shooting is the key to winning this game.

Ron Lewis was not substituted after the timeout.

In fact, like TTU, Ohio State University does not have a strong roster depth.

Even if Lewis's performance falters, they have no replacements and can only continue using him, but the offensive focus will be more on the inside.

Oden needs to take on more responsibility.

However, it's not really about betting everything on Oden.

Conley, which had been lying low for a long time, began to become active again.

This talented point guard, who, like Oden, was destined to be a lottery pick in this year's draft, single-handedly tore apart Jarius Jackson's defense—something Jackson's teammates were already used to.

You can't blame Jackson, because that's just how his defense is.

Knight has never known how to "enjoy" this, but tonight he didn't criticize Jackson too harshly.

After Conley scored a layup, Jackson capitalized on Xu Ling's breakthrough to create an opportunity in the frontcourt, then caught the ball and shot in response.

The game became a protracted tug-of-war.

In the latter part of the first half, Texas Tech struggled to extend their lead, while Ohio State's outside shooting was ice-cold and their main scorer, Ron Lewis, was completely shut down, preventing them from connecting inside and outside. Although Greg Oden still dominated the paint and could easily score against TTU in the paint, he couldn't guarantee a score on every possession; moreover, the frequent back-to-the-basket attacks were taking a toll on his stamina. In the final possession of the first half, Xu Ling suddenly switched onto Mike Conley.

The moment Conley faced Xu Ling at the top of the arc, a flicker of emotion flashed in his usually calm eyes. He lowered his center of gravity and attempted several quick crossovers, trying to break through the defense with a change of pace—but Xu Ling's defense was as solid as a mountain, without any flaws, and remained firmly planted in his path of attack.

With little time remaining on the shot clock, Oden unusually stepped up to set a fake screen. Conley seized the fleeting opening and cut in, but Xu Ling seemed to have anticipated this, deftly turning around the screen and relentlessly pursuing him. In the final moment of his jump, Conley could clearly feel the pressure coming from behind.

Xu Ling's long arms completely blocked his shooting vision, and the barely made layup ultimately hit the front of the rim, but that didn't matter.

Oden, who was already poised to strike, was already close behind the basket. He leaped into the air like a prehistoric beast awakening, his powerful arms catching the rebounding basketball. When his forehead was almost level with the rim, the entire arena held its breath.

Because Oden descended from the sky like an ancient giant, catching the rebounding ball with both hands, his forehead almost reaching the same height as the rim, and using all his strength to slam the ball inside.

That's what they mean by Howard's power and O'Neal's explosiveness.

With five seconds left in the first half, Oden's stunning putback dunk tipped the scales in his favor.

Although Xu Ling has shown more, who wouldn't be envious of this damn primal talent?
"Five seconds left! Don't let them cross the halfway line!" Saad Mata shouted excitedly from the sidelines.

The two sides are now only 3 points apart, which is negligible, but if the opponent scores a last-minute goal, it will be a blow to morale.

Under the coach's direction, Ohio State University employed a full-court press. Mike Conley pounced on Jarius Jackson, who was inbounding the ball, like a mad dog, waving his hands in an attempt to interfere, but the ball still found Xu Ling precisely.

Ron Lewis immediately closed in, about to foul to stop the advance, but unexpectedly, Xu Ling made a sudden stop with a crossover dribble, and pushed the ball sharply to the right with his right hand. Lewis lunged forward as if drawn by a magnet, only to grab air. He immediately lost his balance, and in despair, he thought, "Who the hell gets faked out twice in the semifinals?"

"Eli has once again outmaneuvered Ron Lewis!" the commentator's voice suddenly rose.

Seeing this, Oden immediately rushed over from inside the three-point line to block him; the seven-foot giant's sprinting speed was terrifying. Xu Ling did not slow down at all; he dribbled forward against Oden's momentum, just a moment before the two were about to collide violently.

Xu Ling suddenly executed a lightning-fast behind-the-back dribble, passing the ball to his left hand and feinting a drive to the left. Oden's massive frame hesitated for a moment due to the sudden change of direction, shifting his weight slightly to the right.

In that split second, Xu Ling pulled the ball back with lightning speed with his left hand, as if the ball was glued to his hand, completing a tiny Sam Gold-style hand switch, and flashed past Oden's right side!
This move allowed him to completely bypass Oden's direct defense and gain valuable space to advance.

There are 2 seconds left on the clock.

Xu Ling had just crossed the midfield line, and a wide-open attacking area lay before him. Without the slightest hesitation, he powerfully slapped the ball forward and began a full-speed sprint.

Behind him were Oden, who had been completely beaten, and Conley, who was desperately chasing back.

With only one second left on the clock, Xu Ling dribbled the ball and rushed to a position two large steps away from the three-point line (approximately 28 feet/8.5 meters).

The conventional options were gone. There was no time for him to drive to the basket.

Without any adjustment, he gathered the ball and, taking advantage of the immense momentum, jumped forward and shot with a horse-riding archery stance!
His body was almost at a 45-degree angle to the ground, and he maintained his balance in the air with his powerful core strength, tossing the ball high toward the basket.

The basketball, with an extremely high arc, soared over all the fingers trying to block it, drawing a long parabola in the air before hitting the backboard with pinpoint accuracy.

"Bang!!"

The red light comes on, and the net surges.

The Texas Tech bench erupted in chaos, with towels being tossed into the air like ribbons.

Xu Ling nearly fell after landing due to inertia. After scoring, he calmly turned around, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and casually said to the OSU bench, "This full-court press wasn't very tight."

Saad Mata went berserk on the spot, roaring, "This is basketball, not a circus!"

In the commentary booth, Jim Nantz was in a frenzy, shouting excitedly, "My God! Eli beat Oden! He lost his balance in the high-speed sprint! But he still managed to sink a difficult bank shot at the buzzer! We just witnessed what could be the craziest and most absurd buzzer-beater in Final Four history!"

The cold numbers on the scoreboard were a jolt to Ohio State's nerves—42 to 36, a six-point difference.

This wasn't just a simple point difference; it was a resounding slap in the face. Who could accept such an outcome? Under near-perfect defensive pressure, pushing the opponent to the very last moment, only to watch helplessly as that damned number 1 used a series of acrobatic moves to get past the giant, and then, while off balance, threw in an unbelievable, long-range bank shot at the buzzer?
"What a stroke of luck! It's all just pure luck!" Oden roared, his face flushed, his thick arms waving in the air. "Six points? What's six? We'll catch up in no time!"

But Xu Ling didn't have time to pay attention to him at that moment.

He was already surrounded by his excited teammates, smiling as he accepted each bump, enjoying his moment. ESPN promptly displayed a comparison of the two players' first-half stats:

徐凌：19分6篮板4助攻3抢断1盖帽（11投7中）
奥登：14分11篮板1助攻1盖帽（8投6中）
"How long have we been waiting for this kind of new generation showdown?" Billy Parker, unable to hide his excitement, commented from the commentary booth. "This reminds me of the legendary NCAA Finals in 1982—the first epic showdown between Jordan and Ewing. Are we witnessing the beginning of another great competition tonight?"

“Don’t forget Kevin Durant!” Jim Nantz added with a laugh. “These three young men are destined to make waves in the future!”

In retrospect, this prediction couldn't be more accurate.

(End of this chapter)