Chapter 26: Beyond Imagination
Texas Tech University advanced to the finals of the Big 12 League Championship, where they will face Kansas University again in the finals. Just like their first matchup, TTU is still the underdog.
Moreover, whether ordinary fans or professional scouts, they all believe Kansas University is the stronger team.
From the lineup perspective, this is indisputable.
Bob Knight has been a basketball coach for 42 years, and he firmly believes one thing: in a single-elimination format, campus basketball has no sure winners.
To that end, he brought in an “outside helper.”
It had been several years since he last saw Isiah Thomas, and Thomas hadn’t been doing well these years, recently acting like he was possessed, but none of that mattered.
In Knight’s eyes, the most important thing is loyalty. Loyalty to friends.
Thomas was willing to drop his work and come support him voluntarily, which said a lot.
“Isiah, you look just like you did back then.”
Knight said with emotion.
“Coach, I’ve lost at least two things.” Thomas held up two fingers. “Speed and bounce.”
At least he didn’t say “pride” and “dignity,” so Knight still had reason to be happy for him.
TTU’s players were surprised by Thomas’s appearance.
If Knight were still coaching Indiana University, any Mountain Men veteran showing up today would make sense. The problem is, Knight has already parted ways with Indiana University, and Thomas’s appearance isn’t as a legendary player “who won supreme honors for the school,” but as the head coach of an active NBA team, simply because Knight called him, and he came.
This looks very sensitive.
Because the NBA explicitly prohibits insiders from having any close contact with college players before they declare for the draft.
But Thomas still appeared in Texas Tech University’s locker room.
Facing this recently controversial NBA veteran, everyone set aside their gossip.
Thomas said lightly: “The coach asked me to come check on you guys. I’ve also heard you’ve been playing well this year, and apparently one of you claims to be TTU’s Jordan?”
The players’ gazes turned to Xu Ling.
Xu Ling wasn’t all that impressed by this sudden appearance of one of the NBA’s top 50 superstars; he just shrugged, signaling “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Although college-era Jordan wasn’t that great, I think if it were Jordan, he could lead the team to win the Big 12 championship.” Thomas played dirty, using provocation right away.
Xu Ling responded flatly: “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Thomas laughed: “I’ll be watching you.”
As the Knicks’ general manager, Thomas’s words undoubtedly conveyed the team’s interest in Xu Ling.
But Xu Ling was realistic; he was thinking: Do the Knicks even have a draft pick?
Although he wasn’t familiar with Thomas’s series of outrageous moves with the Knicks, he had been following major media mock drafts, and he had never seen the Knicks in the first round mock drafts.
This meant the Knicks had lost their 2007 first-round pick.
However, that wasn’t his concern.
The players prepared to take the court under the assistant coach’s lead.
Knight and Thomas watched them leave the locker room.
“He looks gutsy,” Thomas said.
Knight said: “He’s more than just gutsy.”
Facing Kansas University again, both sides were much more familiar with each other.
Mario Chalmers proactively approached Xu Ling: “Hey, rookie, Brandon is really pissed about you predicting you’ll enter the lottery zone!”
“Just the lottery zone, nothing to be mad about.” Xu Ling said in a Versailles manner.
“Just the lottery zone?” Chalmers laughed. “Brandon has never been in the lottery, and you say the lottery zone is just ‘that’?”
It really was “just that.”
Ever since Xu Ling matched up with Durant, he had been completely disenchanted with these potential NBA players.
On the sidelines, ESPN experts introduced tonight’s special situation—Isiah Thomas as a special guest in TTU’s “family section.”
He sat in the back row of the bench.
As an active NBA coach and general manager, he looked too close to TTU.
ESPN’s Dan Schulman discussed the potential penalties Thomas might face.
However, considering this NBA veteran, who was nearly ruined, had recently settled out of court with the female employee he threatened—just needing to pay millions of US dollars in emotional damages—it seemed he had nothing left to lose.
The starting lineups of both teams took the court.
Kansas University looked like they had a roster full of NBA prospects.
Xu Ling saw Brandon Rush again and said nothing, though Chalmers said the other was upset about him entering ESPN mock draft’s lottery zone, he at least didn’t show it.
Tip-off to start, Kansas University’s Darrell Arthur helped the team win possession.
Chalmers took the ball and pushed forward quickly, reaching the frontcourt without pause, passing to Julian Wright, who forced a drive to the basket for a layup.
“Daryl!” Knight was dissatisfied with Dora’s defense. “You have to be in the right position!”
The inside was the most prominent of TTU’s many problems.
Senior center Daryl Dora was considered to lack sufficient competitive drive; he was the type of player who was godly one game and ghostly the next.
Facing a strong opponent, TTU didn’t have enough margin for error to afford his super-ghost performances.
But they couldn’t bench Dora either, because TTU lacked inside depth.
So, Knight could only keep applying pressure; among the whole TTU team, if anyone got scolded the most by Knight, it was definitely Dora, and today was no exception—a single defensive lapse, and Knight couldn’t sit still.
This was absolutely not Knight being overly sensitive.
He knew Dora too well.
Some players start off careless but snap to attention after a reminder, while others maintain their opening state, good or bad, throughout the game.
Unfortunately, Dora was the latter.
Jarius Jackson responded from outside with a three-pointer; Kansas University tried a three-pointer too, but missed.
However, wing Julian Wright crashed the basket and grabbed the offensive rebound right in front of Dora.
Then, Wright’s putback missed, and nearby Darrell Arthur grabbed Kansas’s second offensive rebound; this time, he converted.
Knight watched helplessly and said self-mockingly: “I hope God remembers that I coached Daryl Dora for four years in situations like this. I endured him for four whole years!”
On the left wing, Xu Ling backdoor cut and received the ball.
As soon as Xu Ling got the ball, the crowd’s cheers rose several decibels.
“Eli is undoubtedly one of the most popular college athletes in Texas!”
At the same time, Kansas University used Julian Wright in mismatch defense on Xu Ling.
As a sophomore, Wright was the highest-potential player in Kansas University’s loaded 2005 recruiting class; he had a forward’s physique, a guard’s speed, and all-around skills, but he didn’t show star-level strength in his freshman season, affecting his draft prospects, so he stayed for his sophomore year.
Purely in terms of static talent, Wright basically enveloped Xu Ling.
201 cm barefoot height, 216 cm wingspan—not to mention anything else, the statics were maxed out.
But if physical talent represented everything, you wouldn’t see Akai Mizuki uncensored, nor Muhammad Bamba drifting around.
Xu Ling first used a fake with his eyes, making Wright think he was going right, but at the moment of acceleration, he crossover dribbled to the left, instantly creating a step of separation, arrowing to the basket like an arrow for a layup.
Dora was stunned; Julian Wright might be the most physically talented player in the entire Big 12 aside from Durant, but Xu Ling handled him like a son.
Meeting Xu Ling’s gaze, Dora felt only awe for the strong.
Xu Ling glanced at him and said faintly: “D.D., get your head in the game.”
Normally, a freshman underclassman talking to a senior upperclassman in that educating tone would be asking for bullying, but Dora admired Xu Ling the most on the whole team.
Without Xu Ling, forget contending with Kansas University for the Big 12 championship—they might not even get a March Madness ticket.
Now motivated by Xu Ling, Dora shook off his early sluggishness like a changed man, actually boxing out and holding Darrell Arthur.
With pressure building inside, Xu Ling hounded Brandon Rush like a tiger from outside.
Then, Martin Zeno locked down Russell Robinson, forcing organization-less Mario Chalmers into isolation play.
Isolation play after the offense is strangled tests the isolator’s skill the most.
Chalmers’ isolation ability in college basketball was top-tier, but he wasn’t in rhythm now.
“Bang!”
Chalmers’ jump shot clanged off the rim.
Dora positioned aggressively, and TTU’s other big, junior white power forward John Plevka also held his matchup.
Xu Ling leaped and snagged the rebound.
“Want to push?” Wright fouled him. “No way!”
Referee whistle.
Xu Ling rubbed his slapped hand and said to Wright: “Pointless. We’ll score more in the set play.”
Wright sneered: “Score first, then talk!”
After the last loss to Kansas University, Xu Ling reviewed the game many nights, starting from his own perspective, constantly simulating how he could perform to change the outcome.
No matter how he simulated, the conclusion was that one person alone couldn’t bridge the lineup gap.
To beat Kansas University and other teams with stronger lineups than TTU, he had to fall back on the cliché: “Great players make the players around them great too.”
That was his answer.
So, he had to motivate Dora to step up, and at the same time activate his teammates, which undoubtedly demanded even more from him.
In the past, Knight’s role for him was simple: handle offense and defense. Now, he had given himself an extra part-time job.
Xu Ling took the ball outside, Rush pressing up tight.
Xu Ling backed to protect the ball, then signaled Dora for a pick and roll; seconds later, Dora set the screen.
The instant Rush got caught on the pick and roll, Darrell Arthur had to switch and close on Xu Ling, while Dora spun down per the play.
Xu Ling found the only passing lane in traffic, snatching the ball with one hand and whipping it out—”What a beautiful pass!”—Dan Schulman’s praise echoed in the air as Daryl Dora caught it, drove to the basket, and powered through Julian Wright’s help defense to score.
“Beep!!!!!!”
The referee clearly signaled good basket and yelled: “And One!”
“!@#￥@%”
Dora excitedly turned back to celebrate with Xu Ling.
Shocked by this weren’t just the on-site scouts, but also Isiah Thomas.
Before coming, he had heard Xu Ling was a super freshman who could stand toe-to-toe with Durant and Oden, but he didn’t expect to see this.
“This Chinese guy completely exceeded expectations,” Thomas said in surprise. “Even better than I imagined!”
