Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 75: It's Important to Me Without You
Before the start of the second half, Xu Ling approached Marc Iafaroni again and suggested that Jarius Jackson replace Kyle Lowry in the starting lineup for the second half.

The reason is simple: Jackson may not be a qualified NBA point guard, but his outside shooting is incredibly accurate—whether it's catch-and-shoot, pull-up jumper, or shot after a screen, he's quite skilled, which is exactly the kind of player this team needs right now.

What else could Jaffaroni say?
If it weren't for Xu Ling's persistent efforts, Jackson probably wouldn't have even been able to get into the NBA.

But it was precisely because of Xu Ling that he not only stayed, but also gradually earned consistent playing time. If he can seize the opportunity in this game, he might truly be able to establish himself in the league.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jafaroni still tried to dissuade him. "You should know what the second half means."

Xu Ling answered without hesitation: "That's exactly why I chose JJ."

Having said that, Jaffaroni said no more.

At the start of the second half, the Grizzlies' revamped starting lineup immediately drew the attention of the commentators.

“Rudy Guy isn’t here, Kyle Lowry isn’t here either,” Kevin Harlan said. “Coach Jaffaroni made an extremely bold adjustment.”

His teammate Doug Collins continued, "We all know what happened in the Grizzlies' locker room. Eli and Rudy had an open argument on the court, and Rudy had a poor performance tonight—that's probably why he was dropped from the starting lineup. But Kyle has always been a staunch supporter of Eli, and I believe this substitution was purely for tactical reasons."

With this lineup change, the Grizzlies now have three players on the court who pose a shooting threat from the outside. While it's far from the small-ball era where it's easy to field a five-outside lineup and stretch the floor, it's sufficient for this era where the big-ball concept still dominates the court.

"Eli, what can I do for you?"

Jackson asked this question after he came on stage.

He was very excited and grateful for Xu Ling's guidance. Although he was Xu Ling's senior in college, he had always been under Xu Ling's protection in the NBA, which was an open secret.

In this situation, there's nothing more he can say than give it his all.

Xu Ling laughed and said, "Be yourself, JJ."

Jackson, however, had no idea that a nobody like him could have any sense of self in the NBA.

Be yourself?
How to do it?

At the start of the second half, Xu Ling was actually the Grizzlies' point guard.

Since Jackson was to be himself, he couldn't be the primary point guard. Even at Texas Tech, Jackson was primarily a scoring guard.

As soon as Xu Ling entered the frontcourt, the Nets were eager to double-team him.

No wonder, Xu Ling scored 25 points in the first half. If the intensity wasn't increased in the second half, wouldn't he have scored 50 points?
Xu Ling noticed the opponent's movements and, with a sudden thought, gave Jackson a wink. Jackson instinctively understood Xu Ling's meaning; they had cooperated countless times in TTU and had excellent teamwork.

Jackson immediately ran over to set a screen for Xu Ling, but Kidd completely ignored Jackson and double-teamed him.

Xu Ling passed the ball to Jackson, who was wide open and took a three-pointer.

"Shh!"

Kidd couldn't help but take another look at Jackson; this unassuming guy seemed to be a shooting expert.

Then I heard Xu Ling say, "So making an open shot isn't that difficult after all."

Xu Ling was actually mocking Gay on the sidelines, but unfortunately, Kidd, who often misses open shots, took his words to heart.

Moreover, knowing he couldn't withstand Kidd's offense, Jackson adopted a completely permissive attitude towards his shooting, focusing only on defending against his drives.

Gay, sitting on the sidelines, began to feel anxious. He looked at Kidd and thought that the opponent had been exploiting his weak defense in the first half. Shouldn't they be targeting Jackson, who was a defensive lapse, now?

Kidd was meant to be targeted, but Jackson gave him too much space, so much so that it would be embarrassing not to shoot.

So Kidd gritted his teeth and took the shot.

With a "bang," Kidd's three-pointer went short.

Damn it, what is that bastard doing? Just break through his defenses!

Guy was even angrier.

Then Xu Ling jumped up and grabbed the rebound.

Kidd decisively committed a tactical foul, denying the opponent any chance to counterattack.

"If you miss again, JJ might give you more space," Xu Ling said with a smile to Kidd.

For some reason, Kidd felt that the relaxed young man in front of him was a completely different person from the possessed tyrant in the first half of the game.

"I'll make it eventually."

Kidd is exactly the kind of person who everyone says is inaccurate, but he has absolute confidence in his shooting.

Please remember that before he became known as "Old Zhang" for his unreliable shooting, he was a die-hard fan of Kidd and showed the world how Kidd could consistently achieve "1 out of N shots made" in games where his shooting was off.

If it weren't for love, who would be so bored?
Unfortunately, Kidd didn't have a good shooting touch tonight. He made 2 of 6 shots in the first half, which was already a sign of his poor form. He missed a shot right at the start of the second half and hadn't even caught his breath when Xu Ling dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and was already preparing to double-team him.

As a result, Jefferson's defense did not fully respect Xu Ling's shooting range. Even though Xu Ling was standing just one meter outside the three-point line, Jefferson stood right next to the three-point line.

Xu Ling immediately gathered the ball and, facing Jefferson's bald head, hit a pull-up jump shot from a meter beyond the three-point line.

The Grizzlies hit two consecutive three-pointers, extending their lead to nine points.

Kidd got another shot opportunity, but didn't dare to try it easily. He could only pass the ball to Jefferson, who then passed it to Carter, who scored against Miller one-on-one.

This is the Nets' stop-loss ball.

But if the Grizzlies' offensive continues, this bleeding won't last long.

Xu Ling dribbled the ball to the frontcourt again, and Jefferson, having learned his lesson, proactively came out to the three-point line to closely guard him.

Then, Xu Ling raised his hand, and Miller rushed over to set a screen.

Damn it, don't let him in, you bunch of idiots!

Gay roared inwardly. When he saw Jefferson's defense loosen slightly, he thought Xu Ling's breakthrough was about to succeed. But when Carter double-teamed him like Kidd had, his heart leaped with joy. Yes, that's it, shut him down!

Guy was practically standing up, while Xu Ling was forced into a corner by the two men and managed to pass the ball with difficulty.

In this situation, passing the ball out is the key to victory.

Miller caught the ball, turned around, and hit another three-pointer.

"Shh!"

Less than two minutes into the second half, the Grizzlies hit three consecutive three-pointers, going on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to double digits.

The Nets had no choice but to call a timeout.

Mark Jafaroni was deeply moved.

While this may not be the orthodox "seven seconds or less," who says that run-and-gun offense has to be like Steve Nash, meticulously orchestrated and executed by a superstar point guard? Right now, this simple, direct, and even somewhat "reckless" long-range firepower coverage, with three-pointers raining down—doesn't that count as run-and-gun offense?

If Guy had stepped up to set screens in those previous rounds... Jafaroni could almost instantly foresee all the possible scenarios.

Gay's perfunctory screens only put Xu Ling in more dangerous double-teams; even if the ball was successfully passed to the outside, given Gay's inconsistent shooting percentage, it would most likely result in a missed shot. After several such attempts, the offensive rhythm was completely disrupted, and the players lost their composure.

That's why whenever Guy is around, the whole system is like a rusty gear that's been crammed into it and can't turn anymore.

Guy sat expressionless deep inside the bench, saying nothing.

Xu Ling walked over to her, her voice low but clear as a blade slicing through the air: "Without you, everything is much smoother."

"The game isn't over yet!" Guy suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his emotions teetering on the edge of losing control. "Don't be too happy yet!"

“I’m not happy,” Xu Ling said. “I just haven’t been able to figure out why we’re never on the same page.”

Why? You didn't know? Guy almost laughed in anger. He was the team's future star, whom they had painstakingly groomed, but he lost everything overnight because of Xu Ling's sudden emergence. And now, the other party was showing a completely bewildered expression?

“But none of that matters now,” Xu Ling said, the last trace of polite smile disappearing from his face. “In fact, I should thank you. You made me realize that to succeed in this alliance, we must decisively remove the cancer before it festers—compared to that, bearing a few insults is the cheapest price to pay.”

"Who the hell are you calling a cancer?!" Guy suddenly stood up, his roar startling several of his teammates who turned around.

Xu Ling had anticipated that this scene would be amplified by the media, but he didn't care.

“You know what? Someone told me to be patient. He told me that good things would happen once I realized my full value.” Xu Ling’s gaze swept over the glaring swoosh shoes on Guy’s feet. Everything was crystal clear—who was behind the media storm that had been raging for days? In this world, there was probably only one force that genuinely resented his success. Continuing to compromise would only benefit the team, but it would be detrimental to him personally. He had to choose the path that was best for him. “But you’ve shown me that waiting won’t bring anything good! Teams with you will only continue to decline, and those who get close to you will only become unhappy. I must eliminate you completely before you drag me down with you.”

Guy completely lost control, cursing and lunging forward, but was stopped by veteran Eddie Jones.

“I assure you,” Xu Ling turned and left, leaving behind his last words, “you will never be my teammate again. With you around, there is no me.”

The whistle signaling the end of the pause sounded at the appropriate time.

Jaffaroni stood there, unable to exchange a single word with Xu Ling, but he felt no regret. Back in the season opener against the Spurs, when Xu Ling told him "I will never let you lose your debut" and then hit the game-winning shot, he knew this young man was no ordinary player.

But he never imagined that Xu Ling would break the deadlock in such a fierce and ruthless way.

But this gave Jafaroni a strange sense of certainty.

Since victory or defeat can determine everything, for Xu Ling, who is possessed by the god of death tonight, winning the game is the simplest of all the problems.

The Nets were unable to stop Xu Ling's all-out offensive onslaught, nor could they cope with the Grizzlies' pick-and-roll offense. They were outmaneuvered in the third quarter and suffered a huge 34-15 deficit in that quarter alone.

Then, in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, Xu Ling hit two consecutive three-pointers, widening the gap to 25 points.

The suspense died out like a candle flame.

Jaffaroni substituted Xu Ling with five minutes left in the game. The 60 million man, determined to end his losing streak, scored a career-high 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists tonight. Considering everything else that happened tonight, these stats may be forgotten, but history is here. Witness him, remember him.

In his seventh professional game, Xu Ling turned the tide for his team with an unstoppable individual performance.

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The visiting team's media interview room at the Continental Airlines Arena

Reporters from major media outlets gathered here. The background of the match, the pre-match media frenzy, the suffocating rumors, and the series of public arguments that occurred during the match—people needed answers. There were many questions, many unsolved mysteries. The question is, will God give them the answers?
"Eli, first of all, congratulations on ending your losing streak. You got your first career triple-double tonight and scored a career-high 44 points. How would you rate your performance tonight?"

"I am grateful to my teammates who have helped me."

"We noticed that you and Rudy Gay had several heated arguments during the game. Does this confirm the rumors about discord in your locker room?"

"Argument? No, that was just a basketball-level exchange. We have different understandings of winning. Tonight's result, I think, has already given a clear answer."

Do you think Rudy's performance hurt the team?

"I believe a team's victory stems from all the players making the right, selfless choices. Tonight in the second half, we found the right way to play. As for whether Rudy's performance hurt the team, the plus-minus (-11) on the stat sheet is more convincing than my personal opinion."

"There are rumors that a physical altercation occurred in the locker room, and that someone was even injured. Are you willing to respond to this?"

"We just had a frank and necessary basketball discussion in the locker room, that's all."

"What were your considerations in DNPing Rudy for most of the first quarter and throughout the second half?"

"This was the coaching staff's decision. The goal was simple: to win. And the results proved it was the right decision."

There were many problems and many conflicts, and the name Rudy appeared more frequently than on any other night in Xu Ling's life.

Ultimately, this needs to escalate.

So, when the Memphis Business Journal, a media outlet from Memphis, asked in an attempt to ease the tension, "Eli, you thanked your teammates for your great performance tonight, did that include Rudy?"

He did not receive a kind response, but rather a thunderclap that had been building up for a long time.

"I thank all my teammates who contributed to the victory. As for those who didn't play, they naturally couldn't have a negative impact on the victory, and in that respect, I also 'thank' them for their absence."

(End of this chapter)