Chapter 41: Stormy Seas
Most of Texas Tech University’s offense has to go through Xu Ling, while most of Ohio State University’s set plays are initiated by passing the ball to Oden in the low post.
However, compared to TTU, which is perimeter-oriented, Oden’s low post offense details are actually not rich.
After a few possessions, Oden’s post-up play basically uses his weight and strength to suppress the opponent, aggressively attacking until the opponent has no strength to jump, then spinning for a big hook shot.
His hook shot touch is relatively soft, but according to scouts’ description of his playing style—”the Tim Duncan game feel”—he still needs at least three years of college seasoning like Duncan to possibly reach that level.
However, for this prodigy who scouts say could easily be the number 1 draft pick in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 NBA drafts, staying in college for another year is almost impossible.
Oden’s hook shot is indeed unguardable at the college level. In the first ten minutes of the first half, he indifferently used left and right hook shots to score on both sides.
After Xu Ling opened with a stunning double step-back three-pointer, he hit a pull-up jump shot off a pick and roll. Then, his highlight came on defense.
In the middle of the first half, Ohio State University’s leading scorer from the perimeter Ron Lewis started to stir. This shooting guard wandered outside the left three-point line, suddenly made a backdoor cut to shake his defender, reached for the ball—opportunity emerged!
But at the instant the ball was passed to Lewis, a red figure cut into the passing lane like lightning—Xu Ling used amazing anticipation and long arms to precisely intercept the ball midway!
Lewis didn’t even have time to react before Xu Ling grabbed the basketball, spun, and launched a fast break. At the same time, Jackson on the other side instinctively accelerated at full speed, arrowing through halfcourt. Xu Ling didn’t hesitate, firing a precise full-court long pass straight to the frontcourt. Jackson caught it, drove smoothly, and easily laid it in for points!
A few possessions later, Lewis finally learned his lesson. He tightly stuck to Xu Ling and received the ball near the free throw line. He spun, jumped, and hit a textbook pull-up jump shot, but he never expected the opponent to still have enough lift to jump.
“Pa!”
Xu Ling leaped from the side, swatting the ball away with one hand.
“Ohio State University’s perimeter core Ron Lewis’s several offensive possessions have all been stopped by Eli!” Jim Nantz said. “This is not good news for the ‘Clover’ team! Ron is their key to the Final Four. He has had multiple games with 20 points recently. Without his firepower, OSU’s inside will also be in trouble!”
Ohio State University’s head coach Thad Matta refused to believe it and called another play from the sideline, setting up Ron Lewis for an isolation play.
Lewis faced Xu Ling with consecutive crossover dribbles, then suddenly changed direction and accelerated.
Xu Ling’s left hand struck like a viper’s tongue, precisely slapping the ball. Lewis stumbled trying to save it, but Xu Ling had already taken possession, then pushed over halfcourt. Again, it was a one-on-zero in the frontcourt. This time, Xu Ling hit his signature fast break pull-up three-pointer.
Bob Knight was numb.
And under the commentator’s call of “Eli’s signature fast break three-pointer,” Xu Ling got his 8th point of the night.
After this basket, TTU’s lead expanded to 9 points.
This was an unexpected outcome.
Before the game, so-called “college observers” racked their brains but couldn’t figure out how TTU’s weak inside could counter Oden.
TTU’s answer was the same as Knight’s back then on how coaches should handle bad referees.
Knight said back then, it’s like being raped—if you can’t fight back, just stop struggling and enjoy it.
One can imagine Knight being heavily criticized by feminists, but unlike those pretentious “down bad guys,” Knight never deliberately hid his toxic masculine traits—he was an open, unabashed enjoyer of sexism. In fact, this led to the end of his first marriage, and his attitude? Answer: Replacing a menopausal old wife is a blessing.
This attitude is also TTU’s attitude toward Oden.
Except for occasionally sending Xu Ling inside to harass, they otherwise let it be.
In Knight’s view, strangling Ohio State University’s perimeter was the key to winning this game.
After the timeout, Ron Lewis was not subbed out.
In fact, Ohio State University, like TTU, lacks strong roster depth.
Even if Lewis’s performance falters, they have no replacement and must keep using him, though shifting the offensive focus more to the inside.
Oden needs to shoulder more.
But it’s not really about putting all chips on Oden.
Mike Conley, who had been quiet for a while, started to get active.
This genius point guard, destined like Oden to enter this year’s draft as a lottery pick, tore apart Jarius Jackson’s defense purely on individual skill—his teammates were used to this.
You can’t blame Jackson, because that’s just his defense.
Knight never knew how to “enjoy” this, but tonight, he didn’t criticize Jackson much.
After Conley laid it in, Jackson used Xu Ling’s drive to get open in the frontcourt, caught the ball, shot, and answered back.
The game fell into a complete tug-of-war.
In the second half of the first half, Texas Tech struggled to further expand the lead, while Ohio State, with cold perimeter shooting and main scoring threat Ron Lewis completely shut down, failed to link inside and outside. Though Greg Oden dominated the inside and could isolation play TTU’s paint at will, he couldn’t score every possession; moreover, frequent post-ups greatly drained his energy.
In the final possession before halftime, Xu Ling suddenly switched onto Mike Conley.
The instant Conley matched up with Xu Ling at the top of the arc, his usually calm eyes flashed with a ripple. He lowered his stance, hit quick consecutive crossover dribbles, trying to tear the defense with rhythm changes—but Xu Ling’s defense was rock-solid, flawless, always glued to his driving line.
With time running out, Oden unusually came up for a fake pick and roll. Conley seized the split-second gap to flash cut, but Xu Ling seemed to anticipate it, agilely spinning around the screen and sticking with him like a shadow. In the final jump, Conley clearly felt the pressure from behind.
Xu Ling’s long arms completely blanketed his shooting vision. This forced layup rimmed out off the front, but that didn’t matter.
Oden, following to the basket, was primed. Like an awakened prehistoric beast, he soared, thick arms snatching the rebound. When his forehead was nearly level with the rim, the entire arena held its breath.
Oden descended like an ancient titan, grabbed the carom with both hands, forehead nearly rim-high, and slammed it home with all his strength.
That was Howard’s strength, O’Neal’s explosiveness.
Five seconds before halftime, Oden’s arena-shaking tip-in swung the crowd to his side.
Though Xu Ling showed more, who wouldn’t covet this damn raw talent?
“Five seconds left! Don’t let them over halfcourt!” Thad Matta urgently directed from the sideline.
Now down by just 3, negligible, but a buzzer-beater would hurt morale.
Under the head coach’s command, Ohio State University went full-court press. Mike Conley pounced like a mad dog on passer Jarius Jackson, flailing hands to disrupt, but the basketball still found Xu Ling precisely.
Ron Lewis immediately closed out. Just as he fouled to stop the push, Xu Ling did a crossover hesitation, shoving the ball hard right with his right hand. Lewis lunged like drawn by a magnet, grabbing only air. Losing balance, he thought despairingly: “Who the hell gets shake downed twice in the Final Four?”
“Eli just shook down Ron Lewis again!” the commentator’s voice spiked.
Oden rushed from inside the three-point line to contest, this seven-footer’s sprint speed chilling. Xu Ling didn’t slow, dribbling into Oden’s charge, right before violent collision.
Xu Ling suddenly did an ultra-quick behind-the-back dribble to his left hand, faking a left drive. Oden’s massive frame hesitated from the sudden change of direction, center of gravity shifting slightly right.
In that split-second gap, Xu Ling’s left yanked the ball back ultra-fast, like glued to his hand, completing a tiny-amplitude Sam Cassell-style crossover, flashing past Oden’s right side!
This step blew past Oden’s frontline defense, gaining precious pushing forward space.
Time left: 2 seconds.
Xu Ling had just crossed halfcourt, open frontcourt ahead. No hesitation, he pounded it ahead and sprinted full speed.
Behind him: the beaten Oden and desperately chasing Conley.
One second left, Xu Ling dribbled to two big steps outside the three-point line（ about 28 feet/8.5 meters）.
Normal options gone. No time to drive to the basket.
No adjustments, he gathered, riding massive momentum in a running one-leg fade, firing forward!
Body nearly 45 degrees to the floor, core strength balancing him airborne, lofting it high to the rim.
The basketball arced extremely high, over all blocking fingers, tracing a long parabola, hitting precisely off the glass.
“Bang swish!!!!!”
Red light on, net swishing.
Texas Tech University’s bench erupted, towels flying like confetti.
Xu Ling nearly fell from momentum on landing, glanced at the made shot calmly, wiped forehead sweat casually, then lightly told the OSU bench: “That full-court press wasn’t very tight.”
Thad Matta lost it on the spot, roaring: “This is fucking basketball, not a circus!”
On the broadcast desk, Jim Nantz went wild, shouting: “My God! Eli beat Oden! He lost balance in the sprint! But he still banked in the high-difficulty buzzer-beater three! We just witnessed maybe the craziest, most improbable buzzer-beater in Final Four history!”
The cold scoreboard numbers stung Ohio State University—42 to 36, 6-point gap.
More than a mere margin, a loud slap. Who could accept this? Near-perfect defensive pressure forcing the opponent to the wire, only to watch that damn #1 juke the giant with circus moves and bank an unbelievable super-long buzzer-beater off-balance?
“Dogshit luck! All dogshit luck!” Oden roared red-faced, thick arms flailing. “6 points? We’ll catch it right back!”
But Xu Ling had no time for him now.
He was swarmed by excited teammates, smiling through chest bumps, savoring his moment. ESPN flashed their halftime stats:
Xu Ling: 19 points 6 rebounds 4 assists 3 steals 1 block（ 11/7）
Oden: 14 points 11 rebounds 1 assist 1 block（ 8/6）
“How long have we waited for a freshman showdown like this?” Billy Packer could barely contain excitement. “Reminds me of the legendary 1982 NCAA Finals—Jordan vs. Ewing’s first peak clash. Tonight, are we seeing the start of another great rivalry?”
“Don’t forget Kevin Durant!” Jim Nantz laughed, adding: “These three young guys are destined to stir up waves in the future!”
This prediction looks spot-on today.
