Chapter 81: The Original Form, The Final Form
Xu Ling’s biting remark hit Durant like a double slap in the face. The FedEx Forum instantly erupted, cheers surging from all directions.
Durant looked back at Xu Ling’s receding figure and suddenly recalled the cliché question a reporter had asked before the game: “How do you view your Rookie of the Year battle with Eli?”
How did he answer?
“I don’t care about that. What I value is continuing to grow and improve. I respect Eli’s achievements.”
All bullshit.
Respect? Improvement?
He just wanted to prove he was better. He wanted to prove he was the undisputed Rookie of the Year.
When Oden’s rookie season ended due to injury, everyone thought he would easily win the honor. But now, just a month into the season, many already believe Xu Ling has won it.
What the hell do they know?
Durant believed he had made significant progress since college. He needed to get some payback from Xu Ling tonight.
Nike’s Holy Infant’s face turned ashen. He said nothing, just buried his head and ran to the frontcourt. He urgently needed to respond on offense, in his most skilled way—scoring.
SuperSonics offense. The ball went through several passes and predictably found Durant positioned on the wing. He caught the ball facing Xu Ling’s tight defense. His huge height and wingspan advantage showed now. He didn’t opt for complex dribbling, instead using that one step of space for a pull-up jump shot.
Xu Ling leaped fully to contest, but Durant’s arms（226CM） longer than Oden’s and his ultra-high shot arc made the defense seem futile.
“Swish!”
Durant, who usually played silently well on the court, rarely roared at an opponent and declared his attitude: “Don’t think you have the right to point fingers at me!”
“Great response! KD showed his talent!” Mike Breen laughed. “Look, he’s roaring at Eli!”
Xu Ling himself felt nothing yet, but the FedEx Forum crowd reacted like devout believers seeing someone blaspheme their god, booing Durant hostilely.
As Xu Ling’s biggest rival for Rookie of the Year, Durant was already unpopular here. The moment he made an offensive gesture toward their lord, the fans erupted in frenzied hatred.
“Go back to your damn Seattle!”
“Skinny guy, shut your dog mouth!”
“You worthy to compare with Eli? Nike’s bitch, you can’t even match Eli’s toe!”
For some reason, the cursed-by-the-crowd Durant felt a sick pleasure. He found being hated by people he didn’t care about so enjoyable.
No wonder that damn Xu guy reinforced his villain image all day. All the unreasonable behavior had its reasons.
Meanwhile, as Durant was lost in thought, Xu Ling had already fast-broken past half court.
Perhaps because he hadn’t faced a Durant who could overwhelm him with talent in a long time, Xu Ling didn’t use rougher defense on him this time, letting little Durant easily answer back.
But next time, he wouldn’t give such an opportunity.
Xu Ling didn’t even call for a screen. He matched up with Durant again at the top of the arc on the right. Continuous crossover dribbles changed rhythm. Durant focused intently, not daring to slack off.
Suddenly, Xu Ling did an extremely quick crossover dribble, seeming to drive left. As Durant’s center of gravity shifted, Xu Ling pulled the ball back right with a lightning-fast behind-the-back dribble, instantly creating half a body’s space.
No hesitation. Xu Ling rose again.
Durant reacted extremely fast this time, his long arms fully covering.
But Xu Ling’s shot was faster, with a slight fadeaway. The basketball flew toward the basket, nearly grazing Durant’s fingertips.
“Swish!”
Hit again!
“You’re defending pretty seriously,” Xu Ling said flatly. “You don’t really think you can stop me, do you?”
Durant felt a chill inside. With his current defense, stopping Xu Ling was indeed very difficult.
But he didn’t want to lose face here, so he fired back: “You can’t stop me either!”
Reading《the Bible》might not get you to heaven, but it definitely gives you some confidence from God.
Peak Durant was a monster no one could guard in isolation once opened up, but now he was still inexperienced. If Xu Ling already hated those strong-bodied, smart, rhythm-resistant wing lockdown defenders, then Durant had almost no defense he feared.
But his talent was too good. Even when guarded tightly, he had a 30% chance on a forced pull-up.
So, he needed more pressure on Durant’s lower body.
Xu Ling had known how to handle Durant since college. Reviving old skills in the NBA was no problem.
Durant struggled to move, but Xu Ling stuck to him like glue. The longer it went, the harder it was for him to generate power from his lower body. Conley barely passed the ball over.
Mike Breen on the broadcast booth shouted: “Eli and KD clash again!”
Durant couldn’t find a comfortable rhythm, so he forcibly dribbled for space and spun for a shot.
But Durant’s touch wavered under Xu Ling’s constant defensive pressure and his churning emotions.
The shot missed. Xu Ling grabbed the rebound in the paint and immediately threw a long pass to Kyle Lowry breaking fast.
Lowry drove for a layup and scored.
“You hug《the Bible》every day. Didn’t it teach you to stay humble against someone stronger?” Xu Ling asked casually, hitting Durant’s most sensitive core. “Or is your humility just a facade?”
Meanwhile, SuperSonics head coach P.J. Carlesimo couldn’t watch anymore.
Though Durant was outstanding, Xu Ling’s maturity far exceeded his. Forcing one-on-one would likely crush Durant.
Durant needed time. With his talent, he could make leaping progress every year. Someday, he would surpass Xu Ling.
Thinking this, Carlesimo blew his whistle loudly, signaling Nick Collison on the court.
SuperSonics ran a play. Durant tried to shake Xu Ling with a pick and roll.
But Xu Ling seemed to predict every move, slipping past Collison’s screen, sticking tight, and even stealing the ball out of bounds right as Durant was about to catch it.
Though possession stayed with SuperSonics, the gap in skill was clear.
The FedEx Forum crowd chanted “Lord Eli” in unison. Xu Ling never responded, but just walking a few steps in front of Durant was enough to rattle the Holy Infant.
Durant started looking anxious. He called for the ball in isolation again. Teammates had no choice but to pass it.
This time Durant tried bigger change of direction to blow by Xu Ling. But his dribbling staggered under Xu Ling’s aggressive tight defense. He created no space, couldn’t penetrate, and all the pent-up frustration dissipated under Xu Ling’s chase-down block.
“Bang!!!”
Durant blocked frontally.
Xu Ling landed first and chased down the loose ball at full speed, gliding for a dunk in front of Durant’s eyes to score.
No one could tell Durant how to handle Xu Ling in this moment.
He had used every trick, but every step was read. Even his prized talent was shrouded in shadow before it could shine.
Carlesimo called timeout decisively.
Seeing Durant’s dejected face, the head coach—who once nearly got strangled by a player for his sharp words—walked up and patted his shoulder gently: “KD, we can admit generously that right now, you’re not Eli’s match.”
It was an irrefutable fact. Durant’s face grew darker.
“But I believe in a few years, you’ll surpass him.” Carlesimo quoted《the Bible》: “‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'”
Durant looked up, said nothing, but clearly took in the coach’s comfort.
“So you know what to do.”
Durant knew, of course.
Since he couldn’t beat Xu Ling one-on-one, avoid one-on-one.
He should integrate into the team offense, hit open shots steadily, and create value the same way.
Timeout over.
Back on court, Durant stopped forcing isolation. Mike Conley drove for a layup and scored.
Xu Ling found Durant again, called for a screen, drove to the basket, and hit a light layup.
Then he looked at Durant, waiting for his reaction.
But the just-schooled Nike Holy Infant had eyes clear like a college kid fresh from boot camp—the unfriendly, aggressive look that made Xu Ling want to teach him a lesson was gone.
“At least today, you’re the better player,” Durant said.
Yeah, Xu Ling admitted it was fact, but he preferred the Durant who dared clash head-on at the start. That fit his image of KD.
However, once Durant calmed and stopped forcing, he regained rhythm with team support. He got mismatches via pick and rolls and screens, drew fouls with dribbling to the free throw line, hit open threes in sets. These simple efficient scores rebuilt his confidence. Early second quarter, he even faded away over Xu Ling’s tight defense to hit, instantly regaining his edge.
Xu Ling knew it wouldn’t take years for Durant to become a real handful.
He might be the most offensively talented player in history.
To avoid peak AD on the kill list, he had to work harder to grow stronger.
This sense of crisis kept Xu Ling diligent even now, practicing extra daily at home court.
But future Durant didn’t matter today. He would end the Rookie of the Year talk today.
Xu Ling quickly answered Durant’s fadeaway jumper with a strong three-pointer outside the line and kept pressuring on defense.
The real show was SuperSonics set plays failing. Xu Ling’s fast-break dunks drew gasps from the ESPN booth each time.
SuperSonics’ tanking team’s heavy practice mode meant everyone revolved around Durant. Without Durant as game MVP, winning was impossible.
So the score lost suspense quickly.
Halftime, Grizzlies led by 20. Under six minutes into second half, Xu Ling’s pull-up three made it his 30th point, pushing the game to garbage time.
Teams played on in the unclosable gap a few more minutes. Grizzlies head coach Marc Iavaroni finally decided with a 32-point lead: “Eli, time to rest.”
Xu Ling, with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, checked out.
SuperSonics didn’t sub Durant even in garbage time.
Durant kept roaming, shooting 28 times, hitting 10. In garbage time for his 22nd point, Xu Ling whistled: “Going for 30?”
“I don’t want to,” Durant said. “I just had to shoot.”
Putting himself in Durant’s shoes, Xu Ling understood the pressure. Debuting in SuperSonics’ final year in Seattle, fans expected miracles to keep the team in Emerald City. That impossible hope burdened Durant, endless comparisons to Xu Ling troubled him deeply. Those pressures, that ambient awareness might shape his worldview.
But he had to know the world was like this.
At least now, Xu Ling believed Durant’s initial self was like this. As for why he became disgusting old 1.5 later, who knows? Think about it: Julia debuting in three years carries industry hopes, looking like a one-in-a-million gem from 2D. So what? Mix in this filthy industry 15 years, her face starts looking like a TS.
That might be Durant’s evolution. Years later, you might be fat, oily, bald, ugly—but no matter, someone saw you young.
