Chapter 70: Won’t Take Your Life, At Least Not Now
Xu Ling dragged his exhausted physique back home, the night in Memphis already deep outside the window. He sank almost completely into the sofa, but Roderick Craig brought over the data statistics sheet specially prepared by the coaching staff: “Eli, you might need to take a look at this.”
Xu Ling took the data statistics sheet.
At first, he thought it was just ordinary basic technical statistics—points, rebounds, assists. But as soon as he unfolded it, his gaze instantly froze.
This was far beyond an ordinary data sheet.
It densely recorded the starting position of every offense he initiated tonight: left wing, top of the arc, transition offense, and it even marked his choices when facing different defense strategies.
Faced with switch 7 times, chose shot 5 times, pass 2 times; encountered double team 4 times, successfully passed out every time
There was even a detailed position distribution map of every missed shot by Xu Ling: left corner three-pointer 2 attempts 0 makes, right mid-range 4 attempts 2 makes. Even more surprising was the analysis of his 3 turnovers tonight: once a passing lane that was anticipated, once an offensive foul, once stopping the ball too early under pressure, each followed by a concise tactical board-style diagram and “avoidance suggestion.”
This wasn’t a data statistics sheet at all, but an extremely professional individual offense audit report.
When Xu Ling turned the page, he found the second page was similarly detailed “statistics” on his overall defensive performance throughout the game.
Rather than calling it “statistics,” it was more like a scout report.
“Who made this data statistics sheet?” Xu Ling asked.
Craig thought for a moment and said uncertainly: “Seems like D.J.”
Dave Joerger（Dave Joerger）?
Xu Ling had a slight impression of him, one of the young assistant coaches relatively favored in the industry.
This in-depth analysis made by Joerger for Xu Ling usually came from a professional video analysis team. As an assistant coach, unless Iavaroni instructed him, Joerger didn’t need to do this at all. What was his purpose? If it was to leave a deep impression on Xu Ling, he had clearly succeeded.
Xu Ling found Joerger’s number in his contacts and immediately dialed it.
Joerger on the other end of the phone clearly hadn’t expected Xu Ling not only to seriously read the report but also to call late at night. When he picked up, his tone carried a hint of hurried readiness to explain: “Eli? So late, is there something wrong with the data?”
“Quite the opposite, D.J.,” Xu Ling laughed, “I’ve never seen such meticulous and precise personal report. This is more than just data; I can even see your understanding of the game and your expectations for me in it.”
Xu Ling paused, then earnestly added: “Seriously, the value of this report far exceeds that buzzer-beater tonight. The team having you is our fortune.”
The other end of the phone fell silent for a few seconds. Joerger seemed a bit at a loss, finally his voice carrying a touch of flattered emotion: “Eli. Thank you. I-I just did what I thought was necessary. For you to say that, it means a great deal to me.”
After Xu Ling hung up, Joerger gripped his mobile phone and didn’t move for a long time, lost in thought.
Xu Ling’s value to the team needed no further explanation—the season opener against the defending champion with 39 points and a buzzer-beater was enough to establish his undisputed core status. However, opinions within the team about him showed subtle divisions.
The marketing department had some complaints about this new star. As a highly popular focal player, Xu Ling showed little interest in the team’s commercial activities and public promotions, far from their ideal team face who was good at interacting and eager for exposure.
The coaching staff, led by Mark Iavaroni, harbored another deep concern. Iavaroni desired to become Memphis’s Mike D’Antoni; he firmly believed the “seven seconds or less” offense system was the poetry of basketball’s future, Shakespeare’s sonnet on the court. But Xu Ling’s obvious discomfort in the system undoubtedly cast an uncertain shadow over SSOL’s future with the Grizzlies.
The more common view was that Xu Ling was both aloof and arrogant. The most direct manifestation: he never responded to the fans’ thunderous cheers on the court, as if in another world, calm almost like Duncan the stone man.
But you know, even someone like Duncan was ejected last season by an infuriated referee for mocking the referee’s calls.
Xu Ling never had such moments or instances.
Such a counterconventional, non-mainstream rising star should have faced opposition from fans at home court.
But Memphis fans bought into it completely.
This contradictory yet real acceptance reminded Joerger of another name that once defined Memphis—the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley. At first, he was seen by the mainstream as an outsider blaspheming decorum for his swinging hips, noisy music rhythm, and wild fusion of black blues and country rock. But it was precisely this real, uncompromising, even somewhat aloof rebellious quality that struck the soul of Blues City. Thus, the King of Rock and Roll became more than just a singer—a cultural belief transcending music itself.
And at this moment, hearing the faint echoes outside the window of fans still shouting “My Lord Eli,” a thought suddenly popped into Joerger’s mind that even surprised him.
Maybe no one in Memphis truly knew Eli.
Less than an hour after the game ended, major social media platforms’ homepages had all switched to a massive poster of Xu Ling standing still after the buzzer-beater, with the Spurs players’ stunned expressions in the background.
The news media’s reactions continued roaring into the next day.
《Memphis Commercial Appeal》 used a striking headline to remind all residents who didn’t watch the game what happened at FedEx Forum last night: “Good morning, Blues City! The Lord’s era begins with a buzzer-beater!”
Then ESPN quickly responded. Though a Nike-leaning media outlet, they wouldn’t miss any chance for traffic, creating a special feature on last night’s game with multiple NBA reporters under them writing columns.
The most eye-catching was Chris Sheridan, who had previously fiercely criticized Xu Ling; his attitude had done a complete 180: “Memphis is destined for a brilliant morning. You can’t imagine a more perfect season opener—Eli repelled the defending champion with what could be the greatest debut in a decade. At least for now, no one will question Adidas’s bold investment back then.”
Adidas naturally wouldn’t miss this prime marketing opportunity.
From the moment they resolutely bet on this young man, they believed he could bring unimaginable returns. This debut pushed them forward a huge step.
Adidas basketball division head Lawrence Norman decisively held a press conference in New York, excitedly announcing: “To match Eli’s great ambitions shared with this city, Adidas officially decides—to invest in building a brand-new ‘Adidas Basketball Innovation Center’ in downtown Memphis. This is not just a building, but a long-term commitment: we will shape the future together with Memphis and Tennessee’s basketball community.”
Then, Norman paused briefly and dropped another bombshell: “At the same time, to celebrate Eli’s legendary NBA beginning, we will launch the region’s limited first signature series—’Finisher Generation 1 · Memphis Blues’—it not only represents Memphis’s resilience and pride, but is a symbol of this city’s spirit. We believe it will go national and global, just like Eli.”
While the Adidas camp was eager to market Xu Ling worldwide, Nike didn’t sit idly by; it just wasn’t their turn yet—whatever the media said was useless.
However, all the external news was just passing clouds to Xu Ling.
Since the team had a back-to-back at home court tonight against the Indiana Pacers, head coach Mark Iavaroni specially scheduled the video analysis session for the morning.
The atmosphere in the Grizzlies’ video analysis room was relaxed yet tinged with fatigue. Darko Milicic slumped in a chair with heavy dark circles under his eyes, and a teammate immediately came over to tease: “Hey Darko, what did you do after the game? Your dark circles look like you got punched.”
Someone like Milicic, a nightclub VIP with a verifiable record, was usually a time management master; it was hard to imagine how far these people could control their time to burn life brightly.
Hearing his teammate’s question, Milicic wasn’t pleased at all, just complaining: “Don’t even mention it—those girls at ‘Blues Night’ don’t know what customer service spirit is! No attitude toward serving customers, terrible technique too. I didn’t pay to hear them complain about tips… what a waste of my precious sleep time!”
Xu Ling sat quietly to the side, saying nothing.
Until head coach Mark Iavaroni entered with the tactical board.
Since there was another back-to-back tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, Iavaroni had to split the video analysis session in two: the first half reviewing last night’s thrilling game against the Spurs, the second half analyzing tonight’s opponent.
In reviewing the Spurs game, Iavaroni was mostly complimentary. When discussing Xu Ling, the only flaw he pointed out was “sometimes briefly drifting outside the tactical system,” but he seemed worried it sounded too harsh and quickly added: “Of course, if not for Eli choosing to trust himself at certain moments, we probably wouldn’t have won the game.”
The other players weren’t so lucky to get this double standard from the head coach.
Beyond that, the first half of the game review was calm until Iavaroni cut the video to the final moments—Manu Ginobili picking up the offensive rebound off Tim Duncan’s tip at the top of the arc, while Rudy Gay, who should have rotated for help defense, had already stolen ahead for fast break.
The screen froze at the moment Gay was sprinting full speed toward the opponent’s half-court, oblivious to the crisis behind him. The video room fell instantly silent.
Iavaroni turned off the projector, his gaze locking directly on Gay.
“Rudy, we need an explanation. At that moment, what made you think abandoning defense for an early fast break was a more important choice than securing the victory?”
Gay looked away with a grim face, mumbling: “I thought we’d get the rebound… because we had more people inside… I thought it was an opportunity…”
“Opportunity?” Iavaroni suddenly raised his voice, ““Tim Duncan might be the league’s top inside player! You thought our real chance of grabbing that rebound at that moment was how much? This isn’t even gambling—it’s a complete blunder! That wasn’t a choice; it was a defensive lapse! Regardless of what you ‘thought,’ our tactical discipline requires you to hold your position! Because of your so-called ‘opportunity,’ we nearly lost last night’s game!”
Gay abruptly stood up, the chair legs scraping harshly on the floor.
“So now it’s all my fault? Just because I made a wrong choice?”
“This isn’t about choice, Rudy; it’s about judgment!” Iavaroni stared him down without yielding, “And your judgment last night was abysmal.”
Gay’s face turned ashen; he seemed about to argue but ultimately just kicked the chair away hard and turned to head for the door.
Suddenly, a leg lazily stretched out, perfectly blocking Gay’s path.
Gay looked down—it was Xu Ling.
Surprising? Not at all.
He almost laughed in anger. Why was it always him? Because of this guy, his status in the team had plummeted; because of him, no one in the locker room gave him a second glance; because of him, he was in this embarrassing situation now. What did he want now?
“Sit down, Rudy.” Xu Ling said mildly.
“What if I say no?” Gay retorted coldly.
“I’m not ordering you,” Xu Ling finally turned his face, eyes emotionless, “You owe me a favor. Remember? If not for my buzzer-beater, the situation you’d face today would be ten times worse than just now. I covered for you; now it’s time to return the favor.”
Gay froze in place, his face changing several times, finally gritting his teeth and heavily plopping back into the chair.
“That’s right,” Xu Ling said offhandedly, “Relax, it’s not gonna kill you.”
At least not today.
PS: There will be about five or six chapters of updates tomorrow. Because of family matters, the drafts aren’t finished editing, so that’s it for today. Thanks for everyone’s support.
