Chapter 78: A Third-rate Baller Who Wants To Set Rules
The Bucks are a team in dire straits.
Their lineup is not short on talented players, and they also have what seems like a promising core to build around, but when put together, they have always struggled to coalesce into stable fighting power.
The team’s inside lineup is impressively deep: Andrew Bogut, Dan Gadzuric, Charlie Villanueva, plus this year’s No. 6 pick Jeff Green. However, from actual game effects, these players seem better suited to FIBA’s rules system—they’re technically refined and have a fluid playing style, but in this era that still emphasizes the inside needing to pound like iron-blooded real men to draw double teams, none of them can truly hold their ground inside.
Lacking that iron-blooded real man who can stir up storms in the paint is the key reason this team struggles to break through its bottleneck.
“You’re that ‘Mr. Headlines’?”
Where did this new nickname come from?
When the Bucks’ top star Michael Redd walked up to Xu Ling and opened with that line, it left Xu Ling speechless for a moment.
Thinking about it, he had played one year in college and earned the nickname “Finisher.” He’d only been in the NBA for half a month, yet the titles were piling up: Sixty Million Dollar Man, main（ and various derivative memes）, and now this baffling Mr. Headlines.
Fine, he admitted he’d been in the news a lot lately, but really?
“Something wrong?” Xu Ling asked flatly.
Redd, however, put on the air of a veteran: “Rookie, show some respect to your senior. You haven’t introduced yourself.”
“Do I look like the polite type?” Xu Ling deliberately acted arrogant, just trying to joke around.
“Smart kid, you got guts!” Redd snorted coldly and turned to walk away.
Xu Ling turned to the silent Pau Gasol nearby and asked with a touch of self-mockery: “Did I just successfully leave another bad impression?”
Hearing this, Gasol’s face showed a faint smile: “Do you think anyone in the league right now, besides Memphis, has a good impression of you?”
Most outsiders have no access to the inside story, and even many players, without direct sources, can only piece together impressions from media reports. And what have the recent stories around Xu Ling been? First that absurd locker room fight rumor, then the “Memphis Three Stick-Up Men” story Xu Ling made up at the start of the season, which some have turned against him, saying “how could he make up such explosive stories without experiencing them.”
Then, Xu Ling completely tore faces both on and off the court, publicly calling out Rudy Gay, and in the second half, the team straight-up benched him; plus that post-game presser line “thanks for him not playing,” pushing the public perception of infighting to a climax.
Now Gay has “voluntarily” entered the injury list, and the Grizzlies have made it clear they want to trade him—and even Gasol, who was swirling in trade rumors last season, has been lumped onto Xu Ling by the public, as if the whole team has submitted to his will alone.
Nike-aligned media doesn’t even need to fabricate facts; just a little stirring and sympathy for Gay is enough to whip up a wave of public opinion.
And this sentiment is quietly spreading across the entire league.
Xu Ling still cared about his image, though his template was Kobe, there was no need to mimic him there too.
“I didn’t have a choice before,” Xu Ling said to Gasol, “but now I want to be a good guy.”
Gasol laughed; he was increasingly sensing the charm of this guy Xu Ling. “Go tell Michael Redd that, see if he’ll let you be a good guy.”
Xu Ling laughed too, because Gasol had nailed the classic Infernal Affairs《 line》 almost perfectly.
Just then, the scene of Xu Ling and Gasol joking around was captured on camera.
TNT’s Kevin Harlan couldn’t help saying: “Rumors swirl that Eli and Pau had a physical altercation in the locker room, but look at them now—who’d believe they hate each other?”
Harlan’s partner Doug Collins quipped: “So what about Rudy Gay?”
After the chit-chat, the game soon tipped off.
Bogut won the tip-off, and soon the possession went to Michael Redd. Facing Xu Ling’s defense, the Bucks’ ace showed no hesitation: a crisp double hesitation dribble, followed by a quick crossover dribble. Redd used his veteran experience to gain half a step, then ignored Xu Ling’s already fast help defense and pulled up for a jump shot.
“Swish!”
Redd landed and, before backpedaling, didn’t forget to say to Xu Ling: “Time to lay down some rules for you!”
Xu Ling pursed his lips, made no response, and just quietly ran to the frontcourt.
Kyle Lowry had eyes only for Xu Ling; he knew after that last possession, this young master was definitely looking to answer back.
Sure enough, Xu Ling ran off-ball, screened out, and received Lowry’s pass. Redd lunged quickly, but Xu Ling took the ball without any pause, as if he’d already anticipated the move, and drove straight through with a step-through!
One step!
Just one step, and Xu Ling used explosiveness to gain position advantage, shoulder-checking Redd, then a floater off the glass from outside the paint for the score.
“Thanks, first time I realize third-rate stars can lay down rules in the league too.”
Since their unfriendly first encounter was already clear, there was no need to pretend to be friendly anymore.
Thanks to LOGO Man, the word “disguise,” and even the act itself, would become one of the things Xu Ling hated most in the near future. He might never watch spy thrillers again.
Redd, fuming, wanted the ball but was stuck tight by Xu Ling.
The Bucks stalled forever before giving it to Bogut for an isolation play inside.
Bogut missed the isolation, and Gasol passed the ball back to Xu Ling.
Redd angrily full-court defended him, but given his awful defense, the posture was almost comical.
If not for his teammates not running in transition in time, Xu Ling would’ve shaken Redd for a fast break long ago; instead, he dragged it to the frontcourt, then suddenly changed pace to blow by him. Bogut hurriedly contracted for help defense.
Just as everyone thought Xu Ling would rise up to challenge Bogut, in an incredibly tight space, he one-handed the ball back behind him, perfectly into Pau Gasol’s hands. Gasol easily laid it in for the score.
Xu Ling ignored Bogut and wasn’t letting Redd off: “Though I don’t plan to follow your rules, I’m very interested in what rules a third-rate star like you thinks he can lay down for me.”
Redd slammed the ball hard and walked toward Xu Ling, looking for trouble.
The nearby referee hurried over to stand between them.
The scene was lively for a moment.
Fans at FedEx Forum booed en masse to support their star.
No matter how the outside world twisted Xu Ling’s image, no matter how much of a hated bully he was in public opinion, it didn’t stop Grizzlies fans from embracing him with open arms.
They didn’t want to go back to the Rudy Gay era, that mediocre, inept time waiting for Gasol to be traded, then praying Gay turned into Tracy McGrady, or waiting for the next savior.
Completely rattled by Xu Ling, Redd just wanted to get his on offense and did nothing else, taking the ball and pulling up over Xu Ling.
Xu Ling jumped to contest, and the shot naturally clanged off.
The long rebound popped out, and Xu Ling spun to grab it.
“If you’ve got the guts, play me straight up all game!”
Redd was somewhat exasperated.
Xu Ling chuckled lightly, got to the frontcourt, and signaled everyone to clear out.
Half the court cleared instantly.
Fans realized what was coming and stood to cheer.
“Eli signals to clear out—he wants to iso Redd!”
“Michael Redd isn’t known for defense, but you can’t underestimate any NBA player’s defense, especially a player like Redd—no one’s better at offense than him!”
As the commentator spoke, Xu Ling faced Redd’s defense with rapid crossover dribbles, rhythm shifting fast and slow. Redd was fully focused, not daring to slack.
Suddenly, Xu Ling hit a massive crossover dribble, body dropping super low, looking ready to drive hard right! Redd slid laterally to block. But the instant Redd shifted his weight, Xu Ling hit a physics-defying hard stop, yanked the ball back, stepped back, created massive space, and rose calmly!
Redd trying to close out for the block was futile.
“Swish!”
“!#@￥”
The shot not only drew screams from the crowd but forced the Bucks to call timeout.
In the luxury box at FedEx Forum, the atmosphere was starkly different from the raucous court below. The soundproofing was excellent, filtering fan cheers into muffled background noise.
Michael Heisley stood by the one-way glass window, holding a glass of the club’s complimentary cheap soda water. Seeing the full house and the popularity of the Grizzlies’ No. 1, his calculating eyes showed a nostalgic smile: “Good start tonight.”
Jerry West sat beside him, silent.
A subtle, unspoken quiet hung between them.
This was Heisley’s smarts, and the price of getting West to join back then.
He promised never to interfere in basketball operations, never to micromanage West’s work, and never to yell at him.
“I’ve seen the financials; attendance this new season looks way better than last, especially…” Heisley smiled, “after we became the national focus—looks like winning, uh, rephrasing, ways of winning, sell more tickets than a harmonious locker room.”
Heisley didn’t look at West, as if no reply was needed. He didn’t ask about the team’s recent form, or Xu Ling, or Gay, but circled in from what he cared about most—attention and ticket sales.
“Short-term, conflict does draw eyes,” West responded cautiously, maintaining a professional calm. “But long-term success still needs stability.”
“Stability?” Heisley chuckled lightly. “Jerry, since I bought this team, the most ‘stable’ things have been losses and empty seats. Now, the outside world’s finally buzzing about our team. Every sports channel’s talking Grizzlies, not ignoring us. That’s an asset in itself.”
West stayed noncommittal; he didn’t like this spotlight, this manufactured noise, this national attention, and especially not that the reason was so-called internal scandal.
When West was still in Los Angeles, he’d once been driven to suicidal thoughts by the team’s scandals, because Jerry Buss ignored his strong opposition and followed his almost-son-in-law Phil Jackson’s advice to bring in Dennis Rodman, whose mind wasn’t on basketball at the time. The Lakers went from a team that looked unable to succeed in the Shaquille O’Neal era to a full circus, with Rodman as the clown making everyone laugh—he degraded himself and the team. West had told his wife more than once that one day, he’d leave them forever because of these damn shames.
Now, his team had something similar, though Xu Ling’s issue was far less severe than Rodman’s, but it was absolutely not a trend to encourage.
But Heisley liked this protagonist feeling.
“That kid… Eli. His troublemaking skill matches his playing skill.” Heisley’s voice lowered, as if just sharing thoughts. “But from a business angle, what I see now is a core asset drawing all eyes, and a…” This billionaire infamous on Wall Street for stinginess showed a greedy smile, “drag that’s quickly becoming a bad asset.”
He didn’t need to say Rudy Gay’s name; West knew what he meant.
“I just hope we can ensure our core asset keeps appreciating and brings max return to the whole team,” Heisley concluded. “As for parts already dragging overall value, I trust you’ll handle the stop-loss most professionally.”
With that, the Grizzlies’ owner turned his gaze back to the court.
But West clearly felt the silent pressure.
Heisley didn’t need to roar; he just needed to remind you what he cared about—attention, tickets, asset value.
“That’ll take time.”
West replied.
“We’ve got time,” Heisley said casually. “But don’t keep that kid waiting.”
“Won’t. He’s already got what he wants.”
And tonight’s game delivered the result the Grizzlies wanted most.
The Bucks are a weird opponent; they have inside depth, but their winning key is in the hands of their outside shooters. Once the outside firepower erupts in a strong offensive push, they can dismantle any team; otherwise, they might lose to anyone.
The small-ball era proved shooting can kill games, but you need efficient shooting, smart shooting, and the right environment created to enable it.
Those conditions don’t exist today, so the Bucks lack game-killing ability most nights.
Especially tonight.
Michael Redd took tons of shots but with low efficiency; Xu Ling, after early isos on him, focused on the team game with inside-out balance, finishing with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, leading the team to a 101-88 win over the Bucks.
Post-game, he walked to the sideline, where the TNT reporter predictably approached.
“Eli, congrats on the two-game win streak—how you feeling?”
“Good. Winning always feels better than losing.”
“Rudy Gay’s out with injury—how’s that impacting the team?”
Xu Ling knew the last question was what the reporter really wanted. He smiled: “I’ll just say the positive impact—our offense has way more options now.”
The reporter pressed: “So, when do you expect him back? Problems between you solved?”
“Ask the doctor about his return timeline.” Xu Ling paused. “As for issues between us? The team found a way to win—that’s the only problem that matters to me.”
Seeing Xu Ling airtight, the reporter threw the last provocative question: “Okay, then… Gay’s absence has zero negative impact?”
Xu Ling looked at the camera, flashing an almost innocent smile:
“Locker room locker freed up—does that count?”
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ESPN headlines today
Disgruntled David Stern publicly criticizes poorly run New York Knicks
Asked about the Knicks’ situation, Stern said: “It shows they’re not a model of smart management. There were many points along the way where more decisive action could have avoided this.”
Seattle investment group letters SuperSonics owner, hopes to meet Bennett
“We hope to bring the SuperSonics and Storm back to local ownership, reviving Seattle’s basketball spirit and passion,” said Doug, a former minor shareholder in the team.
Kobe Bryant mystery: What’s his real trade value?
“No doubt, he’s one of the greatest offensive forces we’ve seen. Indeed, his skill level across game aspects might be the most advanced since Jordan. But not everyone thinks he’s the best player in the game.”
Calm at the storm’s eye: Xu Ling lightly drops 25, Grizzlies crush Bucks for two straight wins
“In Memphis, Xu Ling declared the era of the lord with a public purge and an easy win. Against the Bucks, Eli not only dominated the opponent’s ace Michael Redd in their head-to-head, but nailed the final nail in Rudy Gay’s Grizzlies career with a jab about the ’empty locker room locker.’ The Grizzlies now sail forward with near-brutal resolve.”
