Chapter 97: I Love Studying
Jeff Van Gundy brought up LeBron James for a reason, as Xu Ling had been compared to the young superstar from Cleveland by many since entering the league.
But initially, it wasn’t a serious comparison.
Because James had just led his team to the Finals in his fourth year last season, how could Xu Ling compare? All comparisons were due to the seemingly large endorsement contract Adidas gave Xu Ling to poach him.
A 4-year, $60 million deal, in terms of endorsement duration and annual fee, even surpassed Nike’s $86 million endorsement contract for James back then.
It was widely believed that while Xu Ling had immense potential, Adidas’s investment was aimed at the vast Chinese market behind him.
Therefore, whenever someone wanted to compare the two, LeBron James’s camp would dismiss the discussion with a statement: “Let’s compare him to LeBron when Eli Xu averages 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in his rookie season.”
Now, almost three months into the new season, Xu Ling is averaging 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, and has been selected to the Western Conference All-Star team. Can we compare them now?
Ever since Xu Ling’s “Judgment Dunk” changed the Lakers’ destiny, discussions about him and LeBron have been escalating. Based on current stats and team records, rookie Xu Ling is undoubtedly stronger than rookie James.
Then, the debate game became the classic “you talk about the future, I talk about the present,” and if the present favors you, we’ll then discuss the future.
LeBron James’s camp and Nike’s publicity still held the advantage, but public opinion was no longer as one-sided as before.
A few days ago, the controversy surrounding James’s visit to Memphis and Xu Ling’s tweet after the game inadvertently intensified the media hype. Van Gundy already harbored dissatisfaction with James, a player who monopolized plays contrary to the objective laws of team sports. He seized the opportunity to criticize him sharply. At this moment, his words also unintentionally added fuel to the already tense debate between Xu and LeBron.
However, Xu Ling didn’t have time to deal with off-court matters, as the Jazz remained a formidable opponent.
At the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies led the opponent by 6 points with a score of 25 to 19.
At the start of the second quarter, Paul Millsap from the Jazz’s bench began to assert himself. His strength and energy made the Grizzlies’ interior defense suffer greatly. The lead the Grizzlies built in the first quarter was quickly erased, so Xu Ling came back on the court to stop the bleeding.
This was a microcosm of the Grizzlies’ season.
When Xu Ling wasn’t on the court, the others seemed to have lost their souls.
Kidd, watching from the sidelines, immediately realized why the Grizzlies wanted him. While Xu Ling was a once-in-a-decade talented player, he was still too young. He was fierce in one-on-one situations but hadn’t fully learned to lead a team in the NBA.
This requires experience, many losses to learn from. In time, he would understand his optimal solution, but the Grizzlies wanted to save on this time cost.
Jerry West believed that rookie Xu Ling could turn the Grizzlies into a tough competitor.
As it turned out, he didn’t misjudge the person.
This team, which had been rotten from within last season, is now firmly in the top eight of the Western Conference under Xu Ling’s leadership and has achieved profitability for the Grizzlies, which is what prompted the Grizzlies’ management to make a big move in the trade market.
The Jazz didn’t seem to want to be led around by a rookie.
Jerry Sloan, arguably the greatest of all NBA coaches who haven’t led a team to a championship, decided to give Xu Ling Kobe-level defensive treatment.
Double-team him as soon as he got the ball, double-team him on screens, and on off-ball defense, push him with all his might towards areas where he wasn’t actively involved in offense.
In the cramped space, Xu Ling saw Darko Milicic, who was left open in the corner! Without hesitation, he threw a bounce pass through the gap.
Milicic slammed the ball for a dunk.
“A double-team might not be enough,” Xu Ling said to Kirilenko. “You should try a triple-team.”
Kirilenko, who had never seen such an arrogant rookie, blurted out another swear word, but the Jazz continued to stick to their double-team strategy.
This wasn’t necessarily wrong. It simply meant that by choosing to double-team, they implicitly admitted that the opponent’s open shots were not a threat, and that stopping the key player was enough.
But that wasn’t the case for the Grizzlies. Although losing Mike Miller was a significant blow to the team’s overall outside shooting threat, it didn’t mean that everyone else was a scrub who couldn’t make open shots.
Especially tonight, every opportunity Xu Ling created by drawing a double-team was well-seized by his teammates. The Jazz’s strategy was flawed and not adjusted in time, leading to a wider point difference by the end of the first half.
59 to 48.
The Grizzlies led by 11 points at halftime.
“Eli had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists at halftime. He single-handedly dismantled the Jazz’s defense!”
“The problem is, the Jazz completely believed that if they stopped Eli, the Grizzlies would naturally die. The reality proved that this idea was completely wrong!”
Moreover, several players on the Jazz seemed unconvinced.
Led by Deron, he said to Xu Ling, who was about to leave the court: “Don’t think you can win with a little bit of cleverness. You won’t get those open shots in the second half!”
“Really? I don’t believe it,” Xu Ling replied. “We’ll definitely get many open shots. I believe in you.”
Xu Ling was a difficult opponent for the Jazz. Despite being a rookie, he was more seasoned than many established stars.
However, as Deron said, they wouldn’t always stick to an ineffective strategy.
In the second half, Jerry Sloan changed his team’s defensive focus. The Jazz reduced the blind and inefficient double-teams, switching to more aggressive localized pressure and rotation defense. When Xu Ling had the ball, Kirilenko or Brewer would engage him with strong physical contact, forcing him to stop or pass, while other players frantically rotated to cover, doing their best to disrupt the Grizzlies’ players from receiving passes and shooting.
The Grizzlies’ offensive momentum waned. The space created for role players was drastically compressed, leading to hesitant shots and a drop in shooting percentage. Deron Williams seized the opportunity, using his strong physique to overpower Lowry, either shooting or passing, leading the Jazz on a 10-2 run, quickly narrowing the deficit to just 3 points.
At this point, the teammates began to waver. The star had to step up.
Xu Ling naturally stepped up and took over the Grizzlies’ offense. He hit a three-pointer from the outside, stopping the team’s decline, and then led the charge to pressure the Jazz’s perimeter.
Marc Iavaroni made the most important substitution decision of the night. He replaced Kyle Lowry with Jarrius Jackson, who had almost no game control ability but possessed accurate shooting.
Xu Ling took over the point guard duties, while Jackson, under his command, used screens on the perimeter to repeatedly cut and receive passes for shots, which he made.
Jarrius Jackson, a variable completely overlooked by the opponent, became the key to establishing their advantage in the second half.
Jackson now fully understood that he couldn’t become a capable combo guard in the NBA, but aiming to be like Jason Terry of the Mavericks wasn’t impossible.
His shooting ability was top-notch, and he proved it again tonight.
“Jarrius Jackson showed the form he had in his days at Texas Tech tonight!”
“Let’s not forget who awakened him!”
“That’s right, it’s his college teammate, Eli, who still wears No. 1 in Memphis!”
By the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies maintained their 11-point lead.
In the crucial fourth quarter, the Jazz came out with full effort, aiming to win with defense, but faced their most humiliating defeat.
For several consecutive possessions, their defense was successful within the first 20 seconds of the shot clock, but it faltered in the last four seconds, either with Xu Ling hitting a buzzer-beater, a defensive lapse in the paint allowing a drive to the basket, or the Grizzlies finding an opportunity in the last second. In short, luck was not on their side tonight.
Halfway through the quarter, the score was 16 points apart. A minute later, the Grizzlies’ lead expanded to 19 points, and garbage time arrived unexpectedly.
There was no suspense for the next five minutes. Ultimately, the Grizzlies defeated the Jazz at home with a score of 107 to 88, securing a precious victory.
It’s worth noting that the Grizzlies were previously mired in a losing streak, not only falling out of the top eight in the Western Conference rankings but also suffering from low morale. Furthermore, the newly acquired players through trade couldn’t play tonight. If they continued to lose, it would undoubtedly create bigger problems for their playoff aspirations.
But they overcame various difficulties, ending their losing streak under the leadership of Xu Ling, who had 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists.
“Eli looks fully recovered, which will make people even more eager to see how the Grizzlies will perform after the new players like Jason Kidd and Josh Howard integrate with the team!”
For a brief moment, the locker room was filled with the joy of victory. The smell of sweat and turpentine mixed. Jarrius Jackson was surrounded by his teammates, his face flushed with excitement standing out.
Jackson was undoubtedly the second hero of tonight’s win, coming off the bench with 20 points and making the Jazz dizzy.
“J.J.,” Xu Ling said with a smile, “this is the you I’m familiar with tonight.”
As soon as Xu Ling said this, others in the locker room cheered, shouting Jackson’s name. Then, Kidd and others also entered to congratulate their new teammates.
It was a perfect game. They achieved victory in front of the newcomers, and also let the newcomers know their roles on the team.
But this wasn’t the final scene of the night.
They still had reporters to deal with. A group of people were waiting to ask questions in the media room.
Marc Iavaroni brought Xu Ling and Jackson to the media room.
Reporter Rick Bucher from ESPN directed the first question to Xu Ling: “Eli, how does it feel to win your first game back?”
“Very good,” Xu Ling said. “But it could be better.”
Bucher continued, “You once again put up near triple-double numbers. We all know LeBron James is known for his all-around game. Are you consciously imitating or chasing his playing style? Is this a requirement you set for yourself?”
Here it comes.
Whether Xu Ling was willing or not, he had to face this. Adidas needed a young star with a future as bright as James’s to compete with Nike, and he had earned that qualification in just half a season.
Should he feel honored?
Or the opposite?
One thing was certain: questions related to LeBron James would dog him like stubborn dog feces that couldn’t be wiped off for some time to come.
Moreover, Bucher’s question, while seemingly flattering, was subtly designed to position Xu Ling as a pursuer, an imitator.
Xu Ling looked at him seriously. Bucher smiled slightly, showing no unusual reaction.
So, Xu Ling replied: “Thank you for saying that, but I never imitate anyone. I play a straightforward game. If the team needs me to score, I’ll score; if they need me to organize, I’ll find open teammates; if they need me to rebound, I’ll battle inside. As for statistics, they are byproducts of winning.”
Once someone fired the first shot, others would follow up with the second.
Moreover, the aftermath of Xu Ling’s tweet had not completely subsided.
Harvey Araton from The New York Times, having been singled out, asked: “Eli, a few days ago, you quoted John Wooden’s famous saying about ‘character’ on your personal Twitter. It’s widely believed that this was a criticism of LeBron’s disrespect towards ball boys. Does this mean you believe that in terms of professionalism and off-court character, you are a better standard for a great player than LeBron?”
Wait, a direct hook?
Xu Ling looked at the reporter with a “are you serious?” expression.
“That tweet was just my personal reflection after reading Coach Wooden’s biography. It has nothing to do with any specific active player. I believe Coach Wooden’s wisdom applies to all of us, including myself.”
Xu Ling certainly wouldn’t play into the other’s hands. Moreover, given the directness of the question, he shouldn’t offer any valuable response.
After all, you didn’t even bother to think of some tricky questions.
After this question, Xu Ling seemed to have resolved the situation, as a reporter from the Memphis Commercial Appeal quickly asked Marc Iavaroni a question.
However, just as Iavaroni finished answering one question, another reporter from Washington steered the conversation back: “Coach, you’ll face the Cavaliers again in ten days. Eli’s first head-to-head matchup with LeBron will undoubtedly be the focal point of much attention. Considering Eli is a rookie and LeBron is an MVP candidate, will you consider making any special tactical arrangements?”
Iavaroni naturally stood firmly by Xu Ling’s side: “LeBron is undoubtedly a great player, but Eli has already proven himself in games against Kobe, so I have nothing to worry about.”
LeBron, LeBron. Xu Ling now knew what it felt like to be under scrutiny.
You had to answer ten questions about LeBron after a win.
Who won the game, anyway?
The next day, Xu Ling asked Roderick Craig to buy him a copy of John Wooden’s autobiography. He then opened the book to the first page, had someone take a photo, and posted that photo on Twitter, retweeting his own earlier tweet about “character” with the caption: “Instead of talking about others, I prefer to converse with a master.”
