Chapter 90: The Exhausted Ox
The Christmas holiday passed in a flash, and the Grizzlies team finally enjoyed a few days of peaceful life.
The aftermath of the Judgment Dunk continued to spread, and the impact of the whole event still needed time to fully take shape.
Then, the Grizzlies team welcomed their first opponent at home court, which was also a strong Western Conference team, the currently third-ranked in the division New Orleans Hornets team.
Their star player Chris Paul and his classmate Deron Williams were equally matched, both freaks that the Grizzlies team, severely lacking a core point guard, desperately wanted but couldn’t get.
What surprised Xu Ling was that the current Paul was exactly the same as the one he saw before time travel—not in appearance, but in his playing style—just faster in speed and stronger in explosiveness, looking like someone with few distractions, focused on basketball.
It was this trait that made him stand out among the All-Star point guards of the time. Without Paul, the young generation of star point guards would basically all be like Stephen Marbury: conceited, arrogant, proud, and unrestrained. But Paul had none of these flaws. On the contrary, you could find the shadows of classic traditional OG in his games. He mastered the secrets passed down from generation to generation by OG point guards and knew how to play the right basketball.
This trait was refreshing and made people believe this was what a point guard should be like.
Ironically, Paul’s currently praised characteristics would be hard to gain recognition in the small-ball era led by Curry.
But it didn’t matter.
Xu Ling and he both had to live in the present.
As long as you consider the Lakers’ situation, you know many things are quietly changing. Kobe is moving away from this season’s MVP, and the biggest beneficiary of this is undoubtedly Paul, who was supposed to finish his career with the regret of second place in MVP voting.
“Listen up, guys!” Marc Iavaroni clapped his hands hard in front of the tactical board, trying to wake up the players’ attention. “Forget Los Angeles! Forget all the nonsense in the newspapers! Tonight’s opponent is Chris Paul, and he and his damn whole team run as fast as rabbits! We have to match their rhythm and protect our paint!”
Iavaroni loudly gave the pre-game pep talk.
Then, the players came to the court.
Tonight’s FedEx Forum was still packed.
This was no longer surprising after the Grizzlies drafted Xu Ling.
Although Xu Ling was rumored to be cold to fans and lacked enthusiasm for the team’s community events, Grizzlies fans supported him on site, and the most likely interaction was replying under his Twitter. Some perverted fans would post outrageous comments to get Xu Ling’s attention, which became a unique landscape under his Twitter and made him the most noteworthy Twitter account.
There, you could see a group of crazy fans cursing him wildly, and the most perverted Grizzlies fans confessing love to him.
Chris Paul watched Xu Ling intently.
In his view, Xu Ling was the same type of person as himself.
They were forced to start their careers in small markets, and the teams were in insurmountable trouble before they arrived. The Hornets lost their home court due to Hurricane Katrina, while the Grizzlies were struggling due to poor management. But Paul’s arrival changed the Hornets, just as Xu Ling single-handedly turned the Grizzlies from the Western Conference’s most hopeless team into one of the most watchable teams now.
“Hey, Eli.”
Paul greeted him friendly.
Xu Ling couldn’t help but sigh: this was right, this was the normal situation for a first meeting between normal people.
Because Paul’s first words to him were so normal, Xu Ling began to suspect that the people he met before all had some mental issues.
“Nice to meet you,” Xu Ling said. “CP.”
The two exchanged a few pleasantries, then went back to warm up.
This friendly first meeting instead further stirred Xu Ling’s memories of Paul from before time travel.
Speaking of which, Paul was really unlucky. Leaving aside various things before 2019, that year alone was one of the biggest “what ifs” of the 2010s—if he didn’t get injured, could the ’18 Rockets beat the Universe Warriors? What impact would that have on the subsequent NBA? We can’t imagine. The fact is, once Paul got injured, the Rockets’ luck was cut off. From then on, he basically carried bad luck. Even the Clippers’ second dance, claimed to be the last dance, was overshadowed by Kawhi Leonard’s load management contract issue before the season started.
This was really bad luck.
After warm-ups, the game began.
Paul came out and showed just a bit of his skill, easily tearing open the Grizzlies’ defense. His pick and roll coordination with David West was as smooth as breathing, while Tyson Chandler lurked under the basket, ready to alley-oop slam dunk or send a block at any time.
The Hornets took control as the visitors and started with an 8-2 mini-run.
However, the current Grizzlies were no longer the same. Xu Ling quickly stepped up, steadying the situation with a three-pointer, then defended Morris Peterson’s drive, pushed the fast break, and Lowry scored on the break.
From the looks of the court, the current Grizzlies team was not a weak team at all.
Having a core like Xu Ling on the court gave the whole team full confidence.
This was no wonder; Xu Ling’s epic battle with Kobe before Christmas was truly shocking. Kobe was crazy enough that night, slashing 58 points, and from the matchup, Xu Ling might have been slightly down in one-on-one, but he still put up 48 points and 13 assists with his skill set, plus that final Judgment Dunk, which was enough to make the Grizzlies believe they could beat any opponent under Xu Ling’s lead.
The two teams fell into a stalemate.
Paul’s passing was everywhere; he always found open teammates.
Peja Stojaković set up shop on the outside and hit cold threes.
On the Grizzlies’ side, it was similarly built around Xu Ling.
Xu Ling repeatedly broke Morris Peterson’s defense from the outside and low post. Gasol could occasionally show skill in the low post, but facing Chandler’s mobility and West’s mid-range jump shot, it wasn’t easy.
After the first quarter, the Hornets led 28-25 by 3 points.
In the second quarter, during the rotation phase, the Hornets’ roster depth started to show. Substitutes Jannero Pargo and Bobby Jackson continuously attacked the basket successfully, while the Grizzlies’ bench looked a bit weak, and the lead stretched to 9 points at one point.
This might be the Grizzlies’ biggest problem when facing strong teams.
Compared to strong teams with deep rosters, the Grizzlies lacked lineup depth. The starting five could compete with any opponent, but once rotations came, they got punished by the opponents’ bench units.
At such times, Iavaroni had to bring Xu Ling back in.
As a result, Xu Ling’s average playing time was as high as 38 minutes, ranking sixth in the league. Those ahead of him were basically known workhorses, like Iverson, who averaged 41 minutes, the league high, and of course Kobe at 39 minutes. But the problem was, these were all battle-tested veterans who knew how to manage energy, while Xu Ling, a league rookie, was carrying such a heavy load right away—no one would think this was normal.
Marc Iavaroni certainly knew this, and Jerry West had always had issues with the coaching staff’s usage.
But abnormal was abnormal, and opinions were opinions, but grinding the big daddy really worked.
As soon as Xu Ling entered, the effect was immediate. He first drew a double team and assisted Mike Miller for a corner three, then drove strong to the inside himself, drawing a help defense foul on Chandler, and hit both free throws.
Under his lead, the Grizzlies responded with a 9-2 run, closing the gap again.
With Xu Ling playing like this, the Hornets brought back Paul and other starters, and the intense battle continued.
In the final possession before halftime, Paul milked the clock. Facing Xu Ling’s tight defense, he pulled out his signature crossover dribble, then suddenly pulled up for a mid-range jump shot—the ball swished through the net!
Xu Ling, not caring about efficiency, launched a half-court three with one second left in the half, which rimmed out.
52-48, the Hornets entered halftime with a 4-point lead.
Xu Ling had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the half, while Paul led the team with 14 points and 7 assists.
“You had to shoot that?” Paul laughed. “No need, right.”
But Xu Ling said, “I’ve hit two buzzer-beaters from about the same spot.”
He was referring to his college days, but whether it was the buzzer-beater against the University of Texas or the one in the championship against Florida, they were both from logo range or a bit farther out, while this one was a standard half-court three. Unless it was someone like Midorima Shintarō, no one on earth would claim they could reliably hit that in a game.
But Xu Ling saying this made Paul wary.
Did he really think he could make it?
Paul couldn’t help but think.
In the home locker room, Marc Iavaroni was very dissatisfied with the team’s overall defense.
“We can’t guard their pick and roll!” Iavaroni said somewhat anxiously. “Switch more aggressively! Stay with their feet! Kyle, you need to give Eli more support!”
Xu Ling sat there indifferently—not out of disrespect to Iavaroni, but because he was immune to this routine performance.
Did Iavaroni not know the strengths and weaknesses of his players? He knew.
Did Iavaroni not know the Grizzlies’ current roster couldn’t produce high-quality defense? He couldn’t not know.
So why did he still put on this show?
Naturally, to let Xu Ling hear and see that the coaching staff had done their best to adjust, but the teammates were what they were, so bear with it.
Xu Ling had no issue; he knew the team’s current personnel setup. No matter who coached, there couldn’t be a qualitative change; they could only wait for management to complete that long-brewing trade.
As soon as the second half started, the situation changed dramatically.
Paul, who had been conducting like John Stockton in the first half, suddenly channeled Isiah Thomas, switching to personal attack mode: two mid-range shots and a three, scoring 7 straight to pull the lead again.
The Grizzlies didn’t collapse. Xu Ling hit another three, then posted up Morris Peterson. After the battle with Kobe, Xu Ling finally realized his offensive skills weren’t as all-around as he imagined—or rather, if it were the small-ball era now, his skill set would be sufficient.
But unfortunately, the small-ball era hadn’t arrived yet, and it was still the generation that grew up watching Michael Jordan’s games dominating the court. Thus, core players at the 2 and 3 needed to emulate Jordan: not only complete isolation skills but also a kaleidoscope of post moves. Xu Ling could hold off Kobe that night mainly because his shooting touch was scorching, allowing him to maximize avoiding direct matchups via pick and rolls and screens. But if no touch? He might get eaten alive by Kobe.
Therefore, these skills had to be practiced, and Xu Ling finally understood what Bob Knight had told him back then.
If he didn’t master post-ups, let alone Jordan, even Kobe would be out of reach.
Xu Ling was completely using Kobe as his model; the low-post moves were almost identical: jab steps, spin, with many flaws, but enough against Peterson.
Just like that, the score closed again.
Moreover, Xu Ling proactively came to the top of the key to guard Paul one-on-one.
The FedEx Forum crowd saw this and screamed.
Calls for “MVP” filled the arena.
Xu Ling didn’t disappoint, isolating Paul one-on-one, limiting the earth’s strongest 183cm who was possessed by a killer god to the perimeter, forcing a pull-up jump shot after a dribble move.
“Bang!”
Xu Ling turned back to grab the long rebound off the miss, then went to spin, but was interrupted by Paul’s quick tactical foul.
“I watched your game against Kobe,” Paul said, panting. “You’re even better than I imagined.”
There was no emotion on Xu Ling’s face, making Paul feel this wasn’t the same No. 1 who greeted him before tip-off.
“I feel the same about you.”
Xu Ling wouldn’t tell Paul how surprised he was, having returned from 2025 to the present, by this version of Paul.
He looked like the league’s top point guard.
Then, the Grizzlies inbounded from the sideline. Xu Ling brought the ball up alone and hadn’t crossed half-court before signaling “ISO” for everyone to clear out.
Peterson, already beaten into a daze, hoped someone could replace him. He knew Xu Ling was coming; it was like an uncontrollable desire—once it came, you could only let it surge through your body.
Xu Ling shook Peterson with a quick crossover dribble, accelerated to the basket. Tyson Chandler and David West didn’t expect him to come so fiercely. In an instant, the Hornets’ paint was vacuumed; no one could stop the Grizzlies’ No. 1 from rising, gliding, and slamming home the dunk that gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game.
“!@%￥#@%￥”
“Eli is still unstoppable tonight!!!”
Under the commentator’s roar, it abruptly stopped the moment Xu Ling landed.
A short, painful grunt squeezed from Xu Ling’s throat!
His face twisted instantly, his sprinting motion halted abruptly, and his whole body seemed tripped by an invisible rope.
“Oh No——!!”
The arena erupted in terrified screams; countless fans instinctively covered their mouths, fear and disbelief washing over like ice water, turning the deafening cheers into dead silence in an instant.
“Eli?!”
Kyle Lowry, closest to him, rushed over first, his voice changing tone.
Paul Gasol’s face went pale; Marc Iavaroni jumped straight up from the bench, heart nearly leaping out, worst thoughts flashing—Achilles? Knee? God, please don’t let it be
The referee’s sharp whistle sounded; timeout.
All Grizzlies players surrounded him, faces full of anxiety and panic.
Team doctor Frederick Azar rushed onto the court with the medical kit, pushed through the crowd, knelt on one knee beside Xu Ling, and urgently asked: “Where does it hurt? Eli, tell me where it hurts?!”
Xu Ling gritted his teeth, fine cold sweat beading on his forehead. He took deep breaths, gently tested his ankle, knew what it was, saw his teammates’ ashen faces, and said: “It’s fine, I just cramped.”
Iavaroni squeezed in then, hearing “just cramped,” he suddenly wiped his face, feeling like he’d walked to hell’s gate and back, weakly repeating: “Good, good… It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Thank goodness!
