Chapter 68: Lord, Please Save This Team
Xu Ling’s response to Ginobili might compete for the best career debut shot in NBA history.
However, the defending champions had their own game rhythm.
Ginobili returning to the court meant the Spurs fielded their strongest lineup, and they began to display skillful tactical execution and a seasoned game rhythm.
However, the Grizzlies’ young team, playing on their home court, was equally fearless. With the fierce spirit of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, they engaged the opponent in a high-speed offensive exchange.
Xu Ling continued his previous form, becoming the brightest focus in the FedEx Forum. He received a pass from Lowry at the forty-five-degree angle on the right. Facing Ginobili’s close defense, he unhesitatingly pulled up for a jump shot, and the ball swished through the net.
The next possession, Xu Ling coordinated with Gasol at the top of the arc. A graceful bounce pass pierced the defense and accurately found Gasol, who was cutting to the basket, enabling him to soar for a slam dunk and completely ignite the home crowd’s atmosphere.
The Spurs team also quickly regained their offensive touch, and their efficiency in set plays significantly improved.
Tony Parker seized almost every fast-break opportunity.
Kyle Lowry’s defense was caught off guard. Sometimes, even after retreating to the frontcourt, he would still be easily faked out by the opponent’s rapid changes of direction and realistic fake moves.
Parker didn’t even need to wait for a fast break. He would suddenly accelerate during set plays, keenly seizing the moment when the Grizzlies’ interior defense was not yet set, forcing the set play into his own fast-break rhythm.
With multiple players contributing, the Spurs’ offensive state had completely revived.
Despite this, the Grizzlies, thanks to Xu Ling’s outstanding performance of 10 points and 4 assists in the quarter, along with the team’s hot shooting touch maintained since the start, unexpectedly held the upper hand against the defending champions.
28 to 24
After the first quarter, the Grizzlies led the Spurs by 4 points.
Marc Iavaroni was generally satisfied with his team’s performance in the first quarter.
As soon as the second quarter began, he made rotation adjustments: substituting Mike Miller for Xu Ling to rest briefly, and bringing in Darko Milicic. However, to everyone’s confusion, he substituted Hakeem Warrick instead of Pau Gasol, who had also played nearly 9 minutes in the first quarter.
This substitution felt strange. If the core player needed to rest, Xu Ling and Gasol should have been rotated simultaneously. Now, with Xu Ling off the court, Gasol remained. More notably, after Milicic entered the game, he actually assumed the role of a power forward on both offense and defense, forming a “twin towers” with Gasol. Such a slow and spatially challenged lineup seemed to contradict the team’s main philosophy of “seven seconds or less.”
As expected, as soon as Xu Ling left the court, the Grizzlies’ offense seemed to lose its anchor instantly. Kyle Lowry appeared hesitant, sometimes passing to Gasol for an isolation play in the post, and other times feeding Rudy Gay for a strong-side drive. The tactics were chaotic and the results were generally poor.
On the Spurs’ side, Manu Ginobili led the reserve unit to seize the opportunity. The Argentine sliced through the Grizzlies’ sluggish defense with surgical precision, either assisting on drives or scoring himself. Under the Spurs’ fluid team play, the score was quickly narrowed and then surpassed.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Iavaroni beckoned Xu Ling to get up.
And so, after resting for only three and a half minutes, Xu Ling had to return to the game.
This time, he replaced Rudy Gay.
Gay looked dejected. In fact, his performance tonight was acceptable, but after Xu Ling left the court, the team suddenly lost its rhythm, forcing him to resort to his preferred isolation plays. However, players like him, who purely enjoyed isolation, often had a problem: inefficiency.
In front of Bruce Bowen, Gay was like an amateur willingly sacrificing himself in a room with Horie Asami, utterly insignificant.
The rhythm of the game is sometimes so unpredictable. The Grizzlies were on a scoring spree in the opening stages, with the whole team feeling hot, and even when Popovich unleashed the demon blade of Ginobili, they were initially difficult to stop.
At that time, even a renowned coach like Popovich, racking his brain, seemed no match for the rookie coach Iavaroni’s “flash of inspiration” – he chose to let Gasol endure, all for the sake of giving Xu Ling precious rest time.
Perhaps next time, he will understand that playing the core player for the entire first quarter is not a wise move, but can the game rhythm lost tonight be easily regained?
At least, it couldn’t be regained at all in the second quarter.
Xu Ling’s first three-point attempt after returning to the game rimmed out. The Spurs unhesitatingly seized the opportunity for a fast break, further widening the point difference.
Fortunately, the veteran Mike Miller subsequently cut in, caught the ball, and scored with a jump shot.
The Grizzlies’ scoring drought thus ended, and they took a breath, but the Spurs still held a significant lead.
A red-hot Ginobili showed no mercy and launched an offensive barrage against Xu Ling, faking him out with a signature serpentine Eurostep and driving to the basket for a layup.
These were opponents Xu Ling would not have encountered in college.
Ginobili possessed everything a world-class player has: exquisite technique, a calm mindset, and abundant experience in major games. Once he got into his rhythm, even the world’s top defenders would find it difficult to stop his offensive surge.
Xu Ling naturally had no intention of falling behind.
When the fans in the FedEx Forum saw him signaling for the ball on the perimeter again, excited screams erupted from the stands. However, he remained immersed in his own rhythm, the outside noise merely background sound from another dimension to him.
Ginobili had already experienced Xu Ling’s capabilities in the first quarter and dared not be the slightest bit negligent now.
Xu Ling suddenly drove hard to the right. The explosiveness he displayed at that moment made even the liaison officer at the sidelines, Roderick Craig, think: Eli’s acceleration seemed a few notches faster than in his college days.
Although Ginobili had far more game experience than Xu Ling, this lightning-fast first step was a pure test of talent.
Xu Ling was not Rudy Gay; he did not let any stutter in his dribble handle weaken his explosive release. He shook off Ginobili with one step, quickly gathered the ball two steps inside the three-point line, and rose for a jump shot. The entire motion was fluid and stretched.
“Swish!”
Ginobili watched, almost stunned in place. On his way back on defense, Xu Ling lightly shook his shooting hand, seemingly to relax his wrist, but his gaze remained locked on Ginobili.
His eyes seemed to ask: Still want more?
Ginobili could only shrug helplessly. Unlike Xu Ling, the Spurs’ tactical discipline and Popovich’s dignity would not allow him to call for isolation plays as he pleased.
If he dared to call for isolation plays like Xu Ling, Popovich’s saliva would probably be enough to wash his hair a hundred times.
Ginobili didn’t need to decide victory or defeat with Xu Ling.
As the team with the overall superior strength, once the Spurs seized the initiative, they gradually and steadily widened their lead.
Throughout the second quarter, they successfully dragged the Grizzlies into their preferred rhythm: a slow, intense, physically demanding grind. The Spurs’ scoring wasn’t explosive, but they always ensured that in this rhythm, it was more difficult for the opponent to score than for them.
The Grizzlies were completely unable to adapt to this game rhythm. Especially Xu Ling, who was accustomed to a game of speed and agility, but the Spurs were precisely a team that wouldn’t let any gust of wind blow through freely.
Marc Iavaroni continuously made substitutions, bringing in Lowry and Juwan Jackson successively, attempting to reignite the “SSOL” system’s firepower, but with little success. The Spurs successfully turned the tables and firmly controlled the situation.
At halftime, the Spurs led the Grizzlies by 7 points, 54 to 47.
Xu Ling personally scored 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in the first half. For a rookie facing the defending champions, this was undoubtedly a phenomenal performance. However, such brilliant statistics failed to help the team maintain their first-quarter lead.
More notably, Xu Ling’s stat distribution precisely reflected how effective the Spurs’ tactical adjustments were: in the first quarter, he had 4 assists, and the team was smooth sailing; in the second quarter, he only had 1 assist, and the Spurs managed to reverse the tide and pull away.
“Coach Marc Iavaroni wants to build the Grizzlies into another Suns team,” Kevin Harlan’s magnetic voice transmitted globally through TNT’s broadcast, “but Memphis doesn’t have Steve Nash. You can’t expect Kyle Lowry to suddenly become Nash, but they have Eli Xu. The first-quarter lead stemmed from Eli’s all-around performance. Coach Iavaroni must find a way to let Eli play like he did in the first quarter!”
At this point, his partner Doug Collins proposed a bold idea: “If it were me, I’d consider letting Eli play point guard directly. Just like they did in the preseason – in my opinion, that’s more imaginative than hoping Lowry or Jackson suddenly ‘mutate’ into another Nash.”
Doug Collins, as a basketball expert, often had his clearest moments when he was no longer coaching.
Having Xu Ling play point guard was indeed a lineup change worth considering for the Grizzlies. Iavaroni hadn’t arranged this in the first half mainly because Xu Ling’s shooting touch was hot tonight, and he didn’t want the burden of organizing the point guard to interfere with his offensive rhythm.
However, the Spurs had proven throughout the entire second quarter that trying to defeat them through individual matchups was futile.
Therefore, Iavaroni no longer hesitated.
“Eli,” he announced loudly, “you’re playing point guard in the second half! We’re going to take back the rhythm!”
“Really?” Darko Milicic interjected with a hint of mockery, “Can we really take it back?”
Rudy Gay certainly wouldn’t miss any opportunity to pour cold water on Xu Ling.
“Darko, what do you mean?” Gay immediately chimed in, with a sarcastic tone, “Don’t you believe our Sixty Million Dollar Man?”
Milicic shrugged, seemingly casually but with every word clear:
“Of course, I believe him. I’m just not so sure about you, Rudy. After all, it’s much more reassuring to have the ball in his hands than in yours.”
As staunch supporters of Xu Ling, Jackson and Lowry burst into laughter.
Although it was a remark that could easily damage relations, it unexpectedly eased the atmosphere in the locker room.
Gay glared intently at Milicic, countless impulsive thoughts flashing through his mind, but ultimately, Milicic’s massive bear-like physique became the most realistic obstacle to all his impulses.
Xu Ling didn’t join the others in mocking Gay, nor did he show any intention of bailing him out.
Those who insult others will be insulted in turn.
Why was he being so nasty when our Sixty Million Dollar Man hadn’t provoked him at all?
The Grizzlies had possession of the ball at the start of the second half.
When Collins on the commentary desk saw that the Grizzlies’ starting lineup for the second half did not include a traditional point guard, and Mike Miller was moved to the starting lineup, he exclaimed excitedly: “Here it comes! This is the moment we’ve been waiting for! Eli Xu will truly lead the run-and-gun system as the point guard!”
Before the tip-off, Xu Ling lightly scuffed his red and black “Finisher I” shoes on the floor, rarely looking up at the stands – and was met with an eruption of frenzied cheers.
His gaze swept across the stands and settled on a giant poster: it depicted him making the game-winning shot against the University of Florida in the first half of the National Championship Game, with the words below: “Eli, My Lord!”
He had seen too many such posters. Those over-the-top compliments were enough to make any young player feel elated, but for him, they were more like an invisible burden. He didn’t want to think about how many fans would be heartbroken if he messed up a game.
Afterward, he pulled all his attention back to the court.
Xu Ling had always reviewed games even more frequently than the coaching staff, and he habitually summarized his gains and losses in this way. He gradually realized that if he insisted on playing the role of Steve Nash, he might eventually become a true combo guard – but the cost would likely be the Grizzlies’ season record completely collapsing.
He had no intention of dragging the entire team along for his leveling-up process.
In that case, only one other way remained.
Pau Gasol inbounded the ball, but heard Xu Ling say, “No need to push forward in a hurry.”
With that, Xu Ling left a bewildered Gasol and accelerated towards the frontcourt alone.
As soon as he reached the frontcourt, he signaled, and Hakeem Warrick quickly came up for a pick-and-roll.
Duncan and Oberto both chose to drop back in defense, strictly guarding the drive. This was the most instinctive decision for interior players in the era of big balls. Without hesitation, Xu Ling instantly stepped back, creating shooting space, and pulled up for a three-pointer directly in front of Duncan.
“Swish!”
Immediately, Tony Parker cut into the paint like a whirlwind, spun lightly, and finished with a layup, quickly returning the favor for the Spurs.
However, before the Frenchman could celebrate, Xu Ling initiated another offense – this time, he called for Mike Miller to set a screen.
The play worked, and Parker was forced to switch onto Xu Ling. Xu Ling, without hesitation, drove against Parker’s defense, quickly gathered the ball, rose up, and decisively hit a mid-range shot, scoring again!
Silence fell over the expert seats, and everyone was almost dumbfounded.
This Sixty Million Dollar Man of the Grizzlies didn’t seem fixated on becoming the next Nash. He seemed to be proving to everyone that his template had never been wrong. At that moment, he seemed truly determined to follow Kobe’s path.
Xu Ling dribbled forward for the third time, still calmly calling for a screen. The Spurs reacted decisively this time, with Bruce Bowen stepping up to double-team without hesitation.
And this was exactly the moment Xu Ling had been waiting for.
He unhesitatingly used himself to draw the defense, then flicked his wrist, precisely passing the ball to the completely open Rudy Gay on the wing. Gay caught the ball, jumped, and shot, the open jump shot calmly hitting the net.
This pass faintly revealed the broad vision and selfless playstyle he had displayed in college.
“Look!” Kevin Harlan on commentary exclaimed with a smile, “He actually passed to Rudy!”
His partner Doug Collins immediately picked up the joke, responding humorously: “After all, after the sun rose, Eli forgot all the unpleasantness of yesterday~”
On the sidelines, Marc Iavaroni’s expression gradually shifted from excitement to a hint of daze.
He began to vaguely realize that what Xu Ling was executing did not seem to be the SSOL system he brought from Phoenix.
But it was effective.
Not only that, but this was perhaps the most efficient way to utilize Xu Ling at point guard.
Simply put, give him the ball, and let him control the game at his own pace.
The key to this playstyle’s effectiveness lay in Xu Ling’s comprehensive threat after the pick-and-roll and his indiscriminate “calling out” ability. This was both a core skill he had honed before his transmigration and the way he felt most comfortable playing.
After three possessions, one fact became increasingly clear: the Adidas sixty million dollars were not wasted. Xu Ling would never become a player like Steve Nash – because he was only outwardly selfless, but inwardly possessed an absolute obsession with the ball. If necessary, he could even let his teammates not touch the ball for an entire quarter.
Seeing the momentum gradually shift towards the Grizzlies, Popovich decisively called a timeout and quickly made a substitution, replacing Tony Parker with Michael Finley and assigning Manu Ginobili to primary ball-handling duties.
This substitution not only compensated for the Spurs’ size disadvantage on the court, but the subsequent matchup adjustments also demonstrated Popovich’s greatest respect for his opponent – he deployed Bruce Bowen to directly guard Xu Ling.
After the timeout, Duncan’s low-post attempt missed.
When Xu Ling called for a pick-and-roll again, attempting to break free, Bowen’s subtle little tricks began to appear frequently.
Xu Ling naturally knew how to utilize his home-court advantage. The moment Bowen reached out to interfere again, he quickly made a slightly exaggerated reaction and leaped backward.
The referee’s whistle immediately sounded, penalizing Bowen with a defensive foul.
Bowen was instantly furious. He had been hunting hawks his whole life, only to be pecked in the eye by a fledgling bird today. What made him even more irate was that he had already been yelled at by Popovich in the first quarter for failing to defend Xu Ling effectively, and now he had been tricked by the opponent again, his anger rising. He sneered sarcastically, “How much of that sixty million Adidas paid you was for your acting skills?”
“I learned this move from Manu,” Xu Ling replied with a hint of helplessness in his voice. “You can blame him if you want.”
Bowen’s face instantly turned grim.
Mike Miller, standing nearby, felt a tightening in his chest.
“Rookie,” Miller whispered during the break between possessions, “I admire your courage, but there’s really no need to anger that bastard.”
Xu Ling retorted, “What if I deliberately angered him?”
Miller smiled, but still frowned, “Then you are truly brave.”
Xu Ling wouldn’t give Bowen too many one-on-one defensive opportunities. What he wanted was for Bowen to focus his attention on him. Once Bowen was focused on him, he might make mistakes in other defensive choices.
In this situation, unless Bowen stopped being human and pulled a surprise kick like the one Szczerbiak experienced, it would still be relatively safe.
The ball was inbounded, and Xu Ling didn’t call for a screen, suddenly driving past Bowen to the right! This step was unexpectedly fast, and even Duncan could only quickly retreat to the basket to protect the rim, barely preventing Xu Ling from scoring directly, but costing him his fourth personal foul.
Standing at the free-throw line, Xu Ling’s expression was calm as he steadily made both free throws.
It could be said that everything in the third quarter was like an unexpected raid.
The Spurs had not conducted in-depth pre-game research on the Grizzlies, and naturally, they had not made specific arrangements based on Xu Ling’s habits. They were forced into a surprise encounter, not only losing their 7-point lead but also being dealt a heavy blow by Xu Ling at the start of the fourth quarter.
Xu Ling isolated Bowen at the top of the arc, using consecutive quick crossover dribbles to create half a step of separation, then accelerated into the paint and hit a high floater off the glass over Duncan’s help defense.
The Spurs called an emergency timeout. Popovich brought Parker back in, implicitly admitting that their defense had no answer for Xu Ling tonight. On the other side, Iavaroni also brought in Lowry, signifying the temporary failure of the SSOL experiment centered around Xu Ling. The only clear tactic now was to give the ball to Xu Ling and let him play freely.
Subsequently, Ginobili drove for an and-one.
Parker seized the opportunity of Gay missing his isolation to push the fast break, and the Grizzlies quickly responded. Xu Ling drew a double team and calmly passed to Warrick for an aggressive drive to the basket, drawing Duncan’s fifth personal foul.
With Duncan carrying five fouls, the Spurs’ interior defense was noticeably restrained. Gasol seized the moment to attack Duncan, creating space and powerfully dunking, demonstrating the toughness fans had always expected him to show.
While limited defensively, Duncan responded offensively with a signature forty-five-degree bank shot that smoothly went in.
Xu Ling also took the opportunity to increase his passing involvement. After a drive drew help defense, he suddenly dished to the weak side, where Lowry hit a mid-range shot he didn’t often take.
And the Spurs’ most consistent scorer tonight, Ginobili, stepped up again with a cold-blooded three-pointer, tying the score once more.
This back-and-forth struggle continued until the final minute of the game. The air seemed to freeze, and every possession felt like a slow-motion replay, clear and heavy. The players’ breaths became ragged, and tactical execution could not afford any mistakes.
89 to 88
The Spurs led the Grizzlies by 1 point.
Xu Ling calmly controlled the ball on the perimeter. The TNT screen appropriately displayed his astonishing stats for the night: 14 of 23 shooting, 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
On the commentary desk, Doug Collins – the 1973 NBA number 1 draft pick, who had played against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, coached Michael Jordan, and had witnessed almost the entire history of modern NBA – pondered the stats for several seconds before solemnly stating, “Is this the greatest debut in the league since the merger? I dare not say. But if Eli can lead the Grizzlies to defeat the Spurs tonight, I will definitely vote for him.”
Xu Ling’s ball-handling put the entire Spurs team on high alert. They feared both his pick-and-roll jumper and his passing vision, completely unable to predict his next move.
Just then, Pau Gasol moved up to set a screen, and a frustrated “Oh, damn!” came from the Spurs’ bench.
And Hakeem Warrick, like a ghost, silently cut along the baseline, heading straight for the basket!
Could Xu Ling see him?
Yes, he saw him!
Xu Ling flicked his wrist and tossed the ball towards the basket.
But the arc of the ball was clearly not a floater; it traced a precise guide line, heading directly to the right of the backboard!
Warrick soared into the air, as if defying gravity, caught the ball with one hand above everyone, and slammed it ferociously into the basket!
“BANG!!! Hakeem Warrick slams it home!!! An alley-oop from Eli Xu, this dunk is like thunder, almost killing the game!”
90 to 89
With only 39 seconds left on the clock, the Spurs decisively called a timeout. Popovich’s expression was calm, his pen tapping heavily on the left side of the tactical board, clearly indicating that the final possession would go to Tim Duncan.
After the timeout, the Spurs successfully inbounded the ball, and Duncan smoothly received it in the left low post. He leaned against Gasol, dribbled, and posted up. The entire FedEx Forum seemed to hold its breath.
The moment Duncan turned to shoot, Xu Ling decisively abandoned his own defender and rushed into the paint for help defense! His help defense formed an effective interference.
Duncan’s shot hit the front rim and bounced out!
“They stopped them! Memphis stopped the crucial offensive play!”
Kevin Harlan’s voice was already hoarse with excitement.
But in the next moment, Duncan, with his amazing rebounding instincts, fought his way through the crowd and tipped the ball to beyond the three-point line—it landed perfectly for Manu Ginobili, who was completely open.
At that instant, Xu Ling was still under the basket, and Gay, who should have been helping him with defense, chose to sprint ahead on a fast break after Duncan shot, leading to a series of mistakes.
“No! It’s Ginobili! He’s completely unguarded from three-point range!!”
Ginobili calmly adjusted, rose, and shot.
“Swish!!!”
“Manu Ginobili!” Harlan shouted hoarsely, “Seven seconds left! The Argentine has hit another three-pointer, this shot is going to pierce the hearts of the Memphis fans!”
Amidst the roar of the crowd, Doug Collins’ voice cut through his perspective, calm yet incredibly sharp: “A catastrophic defensive choice. Eli’s help defense was not wrong, but Rudy Gay made a mistake that a professional player should never make. At a moment when the rebound was not even secured, he was only thinking about the fast break, completely abandoning his defensive responsibilities. He left open Manu Ginobili, the opponent who should have been guarded most tonight!”
The Grizzlies immediately called a timeout.
Xu Ling glanced at the scoreboard, then at Gay, who was walking back to the bench without looking back. He said nothing, simply walking quickly to the sideline.
The advantage of playing in the NBA is that the season is numbingly long. No matter how exhilarating your victory tonight is, or how unforgettable your loss, it’s just for this one night. Tomorrow the sun will rise as usual, and eighty-one more games await you.
However, Marc Iavaroni could not comfort himself with this long-term perspective at all. He chewed his gum rapidly, his heart beating so violently as if it would burst from his chest at any moment.
Seven seconds left, down by 2 points. The first game of the new season, against the defending champions—a victory would have been the most perfect start.
But could they still win?
Iavaroni’s gaze swept over his players, but his mind uncontrollably replayed Rudy Gay’s foolish early fast break. When he watched Ginobili catch the ball and shoot in absolute open space, he felt utterly despairing.
What to do? What on earth should be done now?
Just as Iavaroni was so nervous he could barely speak, he suddenly heard a voice that felt like salvation: “Coach.”
Iavaroni abruptly turned his head and saw Xu Ling standing in front of him, holding a paper cup filled with a translucent sports drink.
Xu Ling handed the cup to him.
“Drink some water and wipe your mouth,” Xu Ling said calmly, “I won’t let you lose your first regular-season game as a coach.”
He said it so matter-of-factly, as if it weren’t his own first regular-season game.
In the brutal world of the NBA, once a head coach loses control of a game, it often signifies the end of their coaching career. And when one day, a player performs with more conviction and leadership than the coach, a silent power shift has already occurred in the shadows.
If the head coach, who should be the team’s pillar, comfortably accepts the player’s “protection,” their relationship can never return to a pure “coaching and being coached.” That bond will eventually transform into a different form of existence.
On that day, Marc Iavaroni did not fully realize what this meant for him.
All he knew was, “I’m panicked, but Eli makes me feel at ease; I can trust Eli, and I must draw up a play for Eli that says ‘everyone get out of the way and give him the ball.'”
The timeout ended.
Xu Ling stood by the sideline and took the basketball from Gasol, who was inbounding. The moment he touched the ball, the restless atmosphere in the FedEx Forum suddenly changed—a silence mixed with tension, anticipation, and absolute trust settled heavily.
All the spectators held their breath unconsciously, as if even the air had stopped flowing. Their eyes were fixed on the figure in the Grizzlies’ number 1 jersey.
Bowen immediately came to guard him tightly.
6 seconds
Xu Ling stopped abruptly at the 45-degree angle on the left side, crossover and change of direction.
3 seconds
It was at this moment that Bowen’s floating center of gravity suddenly leaped with Xu Ling’s stutter step and hesitation dribble. When Bowen jumped into the air and saw that Xu Ling was still on the ground, he knew it was all over.
Xu Ling calmly gathered the ball, stepped back two steps beyond the three-point line, and decisively shot with only 0.8 seconds left on the game clock!
Bowen looked back in horror, only to see the basketball spinning at high speed towards the hoop as the final buzzer blared.
And that shot, like a precision-guided missile, pierced directly through the net!
“Swish!!!!”
“BANG!!!!!”
Kevin Harlan’s roar instantly tore through the arena.
“Buzzer-beater! Buzzer-beater! Eli hit the buzzer-beater!!! He shot down the Spurs from beyond the three-point line! A great shot! Bruce Bowen and San Antonio’s entire night’s effort turned to nothing at this moment! Memphis! Tip your hats to your King!!!”
Bowen cursed the moment the shot went in.
Immediately after, he heard Xu Ling shout to him from behind: “This is why Adidas gave me 60 million US dollars!”
Before he finished speaking, Xu Ling was completely buried by his teammates who rushed over madly. Gasol, Lowry, Miller… almost the entire team was shouting and pouncing on him, pushing him to the ground as if trying to extract the magic of victory from him.
Xu Ling was at the bottom of the pile, and through the gaps of shaking jerseys, sweat, and deafening shouts, his gaze pierced through the surging limbs, as if he could touch the slogan on the giant poster not far away:
“Eli—Our Savior, please save this team!”
At that moment, the clamor suddenly faded into the distance.
