Chapter 67: The Welcome Ceremony I Want
In the evening, Beale Street was already bustling with noise. The smoke from barbecued meat mingled with the malt aroma of beer in the air, while a blues band improvised at the street corner, lazy yet passionate notes flowing endlessly.
Fans lined up toward the FedEx Forum, laughing and discussing the Twitter post Xu Ling made that morning.
“When the sun rises, forget yesterday.”
A young man wearing a Grizzlies cap deliberately drew out his tone to imitate it, making the crowd around him burst into laughter.
So, everyone started chaining jokes:
“When the sun rises, I’ll forget my wife wants to divorce me!”
“When the sun rises, I’ll forget my endless student loans!”
“When the sun rises, I can forget losing all my salary at the poker table last night!”
Jokes rose and fell, but everyone knew deep down: all the hope for this season rested on the figure they were teasing.
If Xu Ling could deliver the performance he had at Texas Tech, then the Grizzlies’ “Eli era” might truly see the dawn.
But what if he couldn’t?
No one wanted to think further. This team was already on the cliff’s edge: the market continued to slump, the locker room was falling apart, and the owner wanted to sell but had no takers. For any team fallen this low, the next step might be just one dead end—relocating from the city.
Some of the most loyal Grizzlies fans had put on brand-new No. 1 jerseys, holding up homemade slogan boards that earnestly read: “Eli Our Redemption”（Eli, our redemption）.
Inside the FedEx Forum, dazzling lights swept over the stands, the arena sound system blared a rowdy live recording of a blues band, and the host tried desperately with an excited tone to ignite the atmosphere, but none of it could dispel the almost stagnant air in the player tunnel.
But when the Grizzlies took the court, the somewhat dull atmosphere in the FedEx Forum instantly shattered.
Leading the team at the front was still Pau Gasol, who had publicly expressed wanting to leave. His expression was calm, leading the whole team to ignite the home court as usual. The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers and applause.
No matter the future, he remained this city’s basketball symbol for now.
Regardless, tonight was the true first game of the new season.
Will the Grizzlies tank all the way? Maybe. But what if they played exceptionally well?
The on-site support Xu Ling received far exceeded outside expectations. In the stands, most fans in jerseys chose the new No. 1; banners and posters about him were everywhere. Every time he scored, front-row fans whistled to catch his attention.
However, as rumored, once Xu Ling stepped on the court, he seemed to automatically block out all the noise from the stands. His gaze stayed focused on his teammates and the basketball in his hands.
Some scouts believed this indifference to fans gave him exceptional shooting stability. But this viewpoint wasn’t convincing—Reggie Miller, one of the NBA’s greatest shooters, was a star famous for loving fan interactions and even trash-talking opponents. Why could he “do two things at once”?
In the end, it was just a matter of personality.
And Memphis fans seemed to be following in the footsteps of Texas Tech University fans.
You, Eli Xu, aren’t ignoring us? Let’s see how long you can hold out—until fans streak in front of you, beautiful spectators flash you, and thousands shout “I want to marry you,” can you still stay unmoved?
Remember, the “floor” in the professional basketball world is much lower than pure college basketball.
Seeing Xu Ling draw screams from fans after just a few shots, Gay’s heart was instantly filled with jealousy.
Gay first hit an outside three-pointer, but it didn’t draw much attention. Unwilling, he stepped back two steps beyond the three-point line for a super long-range shot, only for it to repeatedly rim out. Just then, fans noticed his attempts, and sighs of low calls and regret came from the stands.
Each clank made his face darker.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, Xu Ling was having a simple conversation with a giant he knew only from television and the “the future is yours” legend—Tim Duncan. Xu Ling just politely greeted him, showing no excessive awe or admiration for this legend who had ruled the league with Shaquille O’Neal since 1999.
At that moment, Lowry suddenly passed the ball over, signaling Xu Ling to try a half-court three.
“Is this necessary, Kyle?” Xu Ling asked somewhat helplessly.
“Listen to the crowd’s cheers, Eli,” Lowry said with a smile, pointing to the stands. “This is what everyone wants!”
LOGO shots had become Xu Ling’s signature. At Texas Tech University, he hit two long-range three-point buzzer-beaters: one to Kevin Durant, locking in the lottery zone; the other helping the team win the national championship. It also earned him the nickname “Finisher.”
Xu Ling originally didn’t care about the crowd’s jeers, but Duncan’s intrigued, watch-the-show expression made him change his mind. He stepped back one step before the LOGO, jumped lightly without much adjustment, and released.
“Swish!!!”
The basketball swished through the net, igniting the stands with deafening gasps and cheers.
Then, having witnessed it all, Duncan spoke unhurriedly, his classic gossip expression still on his face: “Rudy Gay missed three straight threes over there. You suddenly do this—are you trying to prove something?”
Xu Ling looked at Duncan and replied flatly: “I have no interest in him. This shot is a greeting gift to the defending champions.”
These days, the Grizzlies’ internal drama had dominated sports news headlines, and even laid-back Tim Duncan had heard about it.
However, after a decade in the league, Duncan figured he’d seen too many young teams split apart by out-of-control personalities and inflated egos. Such plots weren’t rare; they repeated in different corners every year. To him, what was happening with the Grizzlies was just another familiar old script.
Was there really anything new under the sun?
Yet, Xu Ling’s naturally revealed calm and arrogance, almost disregarding Gay, made Duncan vaguely sense: the Grizzlies’ situation might not be as simple as outsiders thought. Perhaps the momentum was quietly in the hands of this young third pick.
“It’s our honor.”
Duncan dropped his smile; he had a premonition that tonight might bring an unexpected fierce battle.
Not far away, Gay took it all in. A burning sensation surged to his cheeks—not excitement, but hard-to-hide anger and embarrassment.
That rookie clearly chose that spot on purpose, publicly humiliating him with a LOGO three.
And that damn Kyle Lowry, the traitor, the son of a bitch. He was the most damnable!!!
Soon, warm-ups ended.
Both head coaches gathered their starters for final instructions. Grizzlies head coach Mark Iavaroni looked hard to hide his tension—this was understandable, as it was his first official game as coach, against the powerful defending champions.
For safety, Iavaroni started Lowry, Xu Ling, Gay, Warrick, and Gasol. The Spurs countered with Parker, Michael Finley, Bowen, Oberto, and Duncan leading.
Tip-off: Duncan easily won possession for the Spurs.
At the commentary desk, Kevin Harlan introduced the background: “Though seen as a rebuilding team, the Grizzlies have no plans to tank—because their next first-round draft pick is already traded to the Atlanta Hawks. So they’ll fight for every winnable game. Despite the strength gap, they have a chance. The Spurs might be low on energy; they just played the opener last night, beating the Trail Blazers 106-97. Tim Duncan was the key man with 24 points and 13 rebounds.”
As Harlan spoke, Duncan used a clean pick and roll to receive at the free-throw line. Facing Hakim Warrick a step away, he calmly jumped and hit a steady mid-range shot.
Spurs struck first.
Grizzlies’ turn to offense. Lowry steadily dribble-pushed over half-court. Xu Ling didn’t stay on the weak side; he suddenly accelerated, faking a cut to the corner, then a quick stop and backdoor cut, using Pau Gasol’s screen to dive to the basket, forcing Duncan to help.
This off-ball movement instantly drew Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley’s defensive attention, disrupting the Spurs’ tight outside lineup.
In a flash, Lowry spotted the defensive gap, accelerated breakthrough without hesitation, drove to the paint, and easily laid up.
Most eyes were on Lowry.
But Duncan couldn’t help glancing extra at Xu Ling.
On the sideline, Gregg Popovich couldn’t hold back and roared at Bruce Bowen: “Bruce! Did you fucking leave your brain at the hotel?!”
Don’t be fooled by Popovich’s furious, zero-tolerance-for-slack-defense look—the Spurs, Duncan perhaps excepted, didn’t truly take the Grizzlies seriously. From their off-ball movement and reactions, most played casually, as if it were just an easy regular season win.
The Spurs tried another set play,
Michael Finley’s jump shot rimmed out under Xu Ling’s timely closeout. Xu Ling reacted lightning-fast, grabbed the rebound himself, and without pause, fired a full-court long pass perfectly to the trailing Hakim Warrick, assisting his powerful one-handed dunk!
On the other end, the Spurs tried Tony Parker driving to break the defense, but his layup missed under Pau Gasol’s long-arm interference. Warrick secured the defensive rebound and quickly passed to Xu Ling to push transition.
Spurs couldn’t retreat in time and fouled Xu Ling tactically to stop the Grizzlies’ speed.
However, in the set play, Xu Ling stayed calm. He observed the defense, used a simple screen to cut and draw help, then hit Gasol on the weak side with a kick-out pass. The Spaniard caught and drained the mid-range shot.
In the first five minutes, Xu Ling hadn’t shot once, yet his presence was everywhere.
The Grizzlies led the defending champions 13-5! Spurs called timeout.
Commentator Doug Collins didn’t hold back praise: “Look at Eli! I’ve never seen a rookie impact the game this way! No points, yet he’s in every possession—from defense to rebounds, pushing forward to passes, he’s everywhere! Memphis is running Phoenix Suns-style high-speed dynamic offense through their youngest player!”
Mark Iavaroni was ecstatic.
He hadn’t expected such a smooth start; Xu Ling seemed increasingly comfortable in his role in the system.
Iavaroni gathered the starters, shouting passionately: “See that?! They can’t match our rhythm! Keep pushing speed, seize every transition opportunity! Stay focused on defense, aggressive doubles, quick rotations! We’re younger, hungrier for victory! Let them see what we’re made of!”
After timeout, Spurs adjusted, subbing Manu Ginobili for Michael Finley.
The Argentine immediately used Tim Duncan’s solid screen to shake his defender. Xu Ling squeezed through the pick and roll to chase, but Ginobili pulled up directly from a step outside the three-point line without hesitation.
“Swish!”
After the three, Ginobili recalled NBA legends and couldn’t help trash-talking Xu Ling with the line every NBA player has heard: “Welcome to the NBA.”
No need for Xu Ling to say anything.
Kyle Lowry dribble-pushed to the frontcourt, ditching tactics and passing straight to Xu Ling on the left wing outside the three-point line.
This time, after catching, Xu Ling wasn’t the system commander linking the team—he raised his hand in the ISO signal familiar to home fans.
Ginobili got excited; he’d successfully provoked this rookie who’d been veteran-calm since tip-off.
But the excitement didn’t last.
Xu suddenly drove hard left, explosive start and fierce physical confrontation nearly knocking the Argentine over; Ginobili instinctively leaned back to draw an offensive foul, but at the contact moment, Xu Ling abruptly stopped, spun swiftly, and stepped back wide right.
Ginobili, focused on baiting the foul, lost balance completely and stumbled to the floor like his foundation was pulled.
“Xu Ling shake downed Manu Ginobili with his signature step-back!”
Kevin Harlan’s gasp hadn’t faded when Xu Ling rose calmly from outside the three-point line.
“Swish!!!”
“Got it! Eli’s response leaves Manu Ginobili embarrassed!”
Xu Ling looked down at Ginobili still on the floor, a satisfied smile crossing his face: “Now that’s the welcome I wanted.”
