Chapter 139: Seven-day Reincarnation
Originally, the Grizzlies-Hornets series was somewhat noteworthy, but not much.
Although Xu Ling is the traffic king and Chris Pau is the MVP pick by the industry, these two didn’t spark any fire during the regular season, so this is just an ordinary playoff round.
There has to be a playoff virgin to win, and it’s most likely Pau’s Hornets, but if the Grizzlies pull off an upset, that’s not anything rare.
But after the first game, Byron Scott’s complaints about the officiating, the seemingly over-the-top reaction from New Orleans media, and Xu Ling’s public response instead gave the series a taste of gunpowder.
Now, the media war in this Southwest Division civil war has skyrocketed in priority.
Unless the Mavericks flop later, or the Celtics shamelessly get dragged to a Game 7 by the Hawks, the Grizzlies-Hornets Southwest Division civil war will be the most noteworthy first round matchup.
Game 2, still at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
Byron Scott’s complaints, like precise psychological suggestion, seemed to really work. The referee crew was swapped to Joe Crawford, Courtney Kirkland, Greg Willard.
Seeing Crawford’s bald head brings to mind how Tim Duncan got ejected for once hilariously exploding in a single game.
Xu Ling also greeted Crawford at the start: “Sir, I like to smile, hope you don’t mind.”
“You think you’re funny?” Crawford asked aggressively.
Just as Xu Ling wondered if this old guy couldn’t tell good from bad, Crawford said: “No matter how you try to get chummy with me, it won’t work, I’ll call what I call on you.”
This way, Xu Ling really couldn’t laugh anymore.
This is just a heartless pervert referee who’s a total asshole, practically the block king of the referee world!
Then, the playful moment ended.
As if to prove Scott’s complaints were indeed effective, or to set an example for teams in this inhumanly competitive Western Conference division that grind out home court advantage, Crawford’s referee crew clearly tightened up in this game. Every body contact was scrutinized, especially Xu Ling’s defense on Pau, and the calls on the Grizzlies inside in positioning and defense, with strictness ramped up a lot.
And the most unacceptable part is the inconsistent scale.
Often, what the Hornets can do in confrontation, the Grizzlies can’t; as soon as they do, it’s a foul.
This completely uneven officiating standard for the away team is like starting a game down 0-10.
Facing this biased whistle, without the strength to spot the home team 10 points, it’s impossible to win on the road.
The Grizzlies ran into foul trouble, which is fatal for a team with a short bench and reliant on starters.
Darko Milicic was hit first, picking up his fifth personal foul before the third quarter ended, forced to sit on the bench for a long time. Josh Howard and Xu Ling also got into early foul trouble, becoming hesitant on defense.
The Hornets seized the opportunity. Chris Pau stopped trying to tangle with Xu Ling in the muscle jungle, instead scoring more with rhythm changes and precise mid-range jump shots.
At the same time, he kept directing teammates to attack the inside, challenging the Grizzlies’ already fragile paint due to fouls.
Despite Xu Ling and Kidd working to sustain the offense, Jason Kidd even hitting some key outside shots, the Grizzlies without defensive intensity were like a beast with its teeth pulled. The game was dragged into the Hornets’ rhythm; though still with sharp claws, no longer lethal.
In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, under dual pressure of declining stamina and foul accumulation, the Grizzlies’ defensive rotation finally collapsed.
Pau dished out consecutive assists, West and Peja capitalizing on open shots. A 12-4 run completely sealed the game.
In the end, the Hornets evened it up at home 101-88, tying the series 1-1.
After this game, New Orleans media felt it was time to counterattack.
《Times Picayune》’s headline carried the victor’s posture: 《Back on track! The true Western Conference Second shows strength》, with lines like “when the whistle returns to fair, the outcome is no suspense” full of sarcasm.
Those seemingly unbiased media and reporters latched onto Xu Ling’s 9-for-23 shooting and 1-for-5 from three, making a big deal of his efficiency, with headlines like 《Mr. Headlines off-target, magic no more?》, 《True shooting percentage under playoff intensity》, offering seemingly fair but actually extremely biased criticism.
As the Western Conference Seventh team, getting a 1-1 split in the Western Conference Second’s home court can’t be called a failure no matter what.
The Hornets have already lost series home court advantage—just that alone means the Grizzlies achieved their strategic goal.
As for Xu Ling, this rookie averaging 36 minutes in the playoffs, primary defender on Chris Pau. The effort he’s putting into defense is unprecedented; this isn’t college anymore, he can’t lock down opponents and still dominate offensively.
NBA intensity far exceeds NCAA, let alone playoffs.
Facing an MVP-level opponent, with inside collapse, insufficient fire support from Josh Howard, and officiating fully tilted to the home team, Xu Ling being targeted with lowered efficiency is normal.
Yet those questioning media seem to collectively forget Xu Ling is just a rookie, only using so-called data analysis to argue his fourth-quarter inefficiency caused the team collapse.
“This is complete nonsense!” Mark Iavaroni angrily responded to all the criticism of Xu Ling.
And when asked about the “low efficiency yet persistent shooting” question, Xu Ling’s answer still carried his signature style: “Looks like some people are better off watching golf, because in that sport every shot demands absolute precision, no one ever needs to step up for ‘unreasonable shots’.”
From how Xu Ling handles questions, it’s easy to imagine how he’d trash talk on the court.
He’s the type who can’t help refuting absurd statements, and doesn’t care about the other person’s feelings when doing so.
This made some reporters who already had a poor impression of him deduct more points in their minds—he’s not humble at all, never reflects, even drags other sports to back his viewpoint.
This was a frustrating night. Xu Ling didn’t understand why losing one game brought so much malice, as if the Grizzlies had lost the whole series. But clearly it’s just tied 1-1?
This inexplicably reminded him of the 2020s.
That era when sports fully turned into fan circles, any traffic star losing a game would face immediate full-net pile-on.
He just didn’t expect to “enjoy” this treatment at such a young age.
But even the saddest nights eventually pass.
Back at the hotel, eyes closed, dawn came, and the Grizzlies were about to head home.
Series Game 3, FedEx Forum finally welcomed back its master.
Not witnessing the team’s first playoff win in history at home is a regret for Grizzlies fans, but more importantly—victory finally arrived. If anything proves this team different from the Gasol era amid all the season’s challenges, it’s this hard-earned playoff first win.
This is an achievement Gasol never touched.
That seemingly simple goal defined the Spaniard’s entire career in Memphis. He came from Europe, showed talent that sparked imagination; led the team to average 48 wins over three straight years, made playoffs, yet never won even one playoff game.
“Bluff City” unwilling to become a joke on the sports court too. Someone had to take responsibility, and the team core naturally became the target.
Gasol was labeled a “playoff softy”.
Memphians couldn’t understand: why he seemed stronger than Nowitzki at EuroBasket, like the world’s top inside at the Olympic Games, yet couldn’t carry that international dominance to the NBA? So everything about Gasol became original sin.
His personality, his playing style, even his choice to play for country faced criticism.
The Grizzlies’ golden era abruptly ended, leaving only basketball hell ahead.
Now, the bittersweet page of Pau Gasol can be turned.
Fans just didn’t expect this moment so soon.
When Xu Ling saw the long line of fans outside the airport through the window, hearing “Lord Eli” chants from far to near, he still felt a bit uncomfortable with the title.
Surrounded by reporters, Xu Ling specifically chose 《Memphis Commercial Appeal》’s question: “After winning the team’s first historic win in New Orleans, what’s next goal?”
“We’ve been through so much, faced so many tests, I think advancing to the second round is the minimum reward.” Xu Ling said, “That’s my goal now.”
But the Lord’s short-term goal already surpassed the wildest dreams fans and the city had for this team; they were stunned, so they parted the way, watching the Lord leave.
Then, game night arrived.
Back home, the Grizzlies felt tsunami-like support. The fans here welcomed their heroes with the hottest cheers, and greeted the Hornets with the wildest boos.
Perhaps boosted by home atmosphere, or fueled by the G2 loss, the Grizzlies showed completely different energy from the first second. The referees’ scale seemed back to some balance, allowing higher intensity physical confrontation.
Xu Ling shook off G2 slump, hitting shots right out the gate, leading a perfect start.
The only issue was Milicic’s fouls piling up.
When the Serbian had three fouls by halftime, some worried the Grizzlies might squander the good position due to inside issues.
This forced Mark Iavaroni to use veteran Theo Ratliff more.
Ratliff was a famed block king in his youth, and even now old, still has powerful rim protection.
Ratliff held the inside while Milicic sat, the Hornets clung on with Pau and West’s offense, but ultimately, the Grizzlies didn’t give opponents much chance, leading from start to finish, 95-85 for another home win, series 2-1.
Grizzlies fans sang King of Rock and Roll songs, paying highest tribute to the Grizzlies’ first home playoff win.
Xu Ling with 30 points answered the outside doubts, but when asked if this responded to critics, he simply said: “I’ve never heard any criticism, so no need to respond.”
Did he not hear, or not want to?
Either way, victory is the best medicine to shut up the noisy ones.
Besides Kevin Durant in his Warriors days, it’s hard to see any player whose reputation worsens after a win.
Though the agenda-driven critics went quiet, more professional, calmer analysis voices emerged.
ESPN data expert John Hollinger in the postgame show pointed out the huge hidden risk under the Grizzlies’ win—stamina.
Or roster depth.
Josh Howard averaging 42 minutes.
Eli Xu averaging 37 minutes.
Jason Kidd, 35 years old, averaging 40 minutes.
Hakim Warrick averaging 32 minutes.
Darko Milicic averaging 34 minutes, and averaging 5 fouls, huge defensive drain.
Grizzlies basically running on a seven-man rotation. Trevor Ariza, Vladimir Radmanovic. Tonight they dug up an eighth man Theo Ratliff, but the core trio’s burden still too heavy.
“Memphis is playing respectable basketball, their core lineup showing strong competitiveness.” Hollinger noted on the show, “But we must question: is this playing time sustainable? Josh Howard and Eli Xu are young, but playoff intensity is no joke. Jason Kidd, we admire his professionalism, but 38 minutes for a 35-year-old veteran point guard means huge wear and injury risk. Their bench depth could be the Achilles’ heel of their playoff run, even this series.”
Hollinger’s concerns played out in Game 4.
Early on, Jason Kidd cramped his calf falling awkwardly on defense, completely disrupting Grizzlies rhythm, then Josh Howard crashed hard colliding with David West, hanging every Grizzlies fan’s heart, but luckily Howard was fine, while West had some back discomfort from the hit.
But these incidents completely affected the Grizzlies’ rhythm.
Grizzlies aiming for 3-1 home lead spared no effort to win.
Xu Ling played 46 minutes full game, but no matter high intensity or slow pace, need someone for stable scoring; tonight with offense stalled, Xu Ling jacked up 31 shots hitting 13 for game-high 34 points, but Hornets best did was intense confrontation killing his outside touch.
Xu Ling’s 34 had only one three-pointer.
Hornets under Pau’s control grew bolder, ultimately winning this tough road game.
Series tied 2-2 again.
Pau 22 points 13 assists full game, like proving he’s indeed the season’s most valuable player.
Grizzlies who gave everything yet lost this key home game could only accept it; Hornets regained home court advantage, now Grizzlies need to go back to New Orleans to battle the Western Conference Second Hornets for Game 5.
Jannero Pargo, sub in first round Game 4, smugly told Memphis media: “Series ends in Game 6, we’ll be back here next week to eliminate Grizzlies, but I think you should be satisfied, you’ve won playoff games, not one, two, that’s enough for you.”
In seven days, Grizzlies went from series lead to tied, back to lead, tied again—a full cycle, back to the starting point.
They need to go to New Orleans.
They need to conquer the Western Conference Second’s castle again.
