Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 103 The Knights in Desperation (410) (Thanks to Nian_Old_for the generous donation)

The Cavaliers have no way out.

James drove hard to the basket, pushed past Warrick, and scored a layup, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

However, the Grizzlies responded immediately.

Kidd made a long pass, Lowry made a quick run down the court, drew a foul, and made both free throws.

The score remained in double digits, like an insurmountable chasm standing in front of the Cavaliers.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers attempted to close the gap by increasing the pace of the game.

James even moved to the power forward position to use his speed to attack Radmanovic.

This tactic worked; he scored consecutive baskets and assisted his teammates in hitting three-pointers, narrowing the gap to 8 points.

The audience's emotions surged once again, and their shouts were deafening.

However, the grizzly bear did not panic.

Xu Ling and Kidd orchestrated a classic pick-and-roll, followed by a pass, which Radmanovic calmly sank into an open three-pointer.

The point difference has returned to 11 points.

Time is no longer on the Cavaliers' side.

Every time James fought hard to score two points, the Grizzlies would quickly respond with teamwork.

The Cavaliers' offense looked like they were trying to chip away at a stone wall with their bare hands, an extremely difficult task; while the Grizzlies' scoring was clean and efficient, without any hesitation.

This contrast gradually eroded James's will and made the home fans increasingly anxious.

The game entered the final six minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers were down by 9 points, and James backed down Xu Ling.

This time, he finally succeeded by overpowering the opponent and scored a 2+1.

He roared and pounded his chest in celebration, trying to ignite his teammates' fighting spirit.

But in the next possession, Xu Ling immediately responded with a three-pointer from the outside.

The Cavaliers narrowed the gap time and time again, but were never able to truly bring the game back to even.

Every time a spark of hope ignited in the audience, it was extinguished by Xu Ling's cold and ruthless response.

Mike Breen couldn't help but exclaim, "Perhaps it's a bit inappropriate to say this, but Eli reminds me of Michael Jordan in his rookie year. Apart from MJ, I can't think of anyone else who showed such offensive talent in their rookie season!"

“Yes, Michael Jordan.” Jeff Van Gundy echoed this sentiment.

Moreover, Van Gundy may have been more authoritative because he took over the Knicks after Pat Riley left and asked Patrick Ewing not to get too close to Jordan, since Jordan used that closeness to his advantage.

As everyone knows, Dan Van Gundy is the second most petty superstar in NBA history. If anyone in the industry dares to speak ill of him, he will definitely retaliate. And the famous feud between Van Gundy and Jordan reached its climax in the 1996-97 season.

At that time, Danny Clark's legendary career was heading towards the glorious peak of his second three-peat, and the Knicks were no longer the formidable Eastern Conference obstacle they were in the early 90s. However, in a seemingly ordinary regular season game, Clark completely exploded. He scored a phenomenal 51 points with a field goal percentage of over 60%, delivering a one-man show that utterly crushed Madison Square Garden.

“Tonight, I saw the same qualities in Eli,” Van Gundy continued. “It’s not that their playing styles are exactly the same, but that ruthless competitiveness that’s ingrained in their genes. He enjoys the physicality, he remembers every provocation, and—most importantly—he always responds on the court in the most direct and painful way. Every effort LeBron made tonight was met with an even more determined response from Eli. That mentality, that determination to destroy the opponent’s will—it’s on another level.”

In a way, Van Gundy predicted the outcome of the match.

James, of course, refused to concede defeat tonight, overwhelming everything with sheer physical prowess. He drove to the basket twice in a row, converting one and-one play, and drawing a foul on the other, making both free throws, scoring 5 points in a row!
He single-handedly narrowed the gap to 6 points.

The king is still fighting!

The cheers from the home fans grew louder and louder.

However, the Grizzlies' response was very simple: Kidd dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it directly to Xu Ling.

Facing James, Xu Ling did not choose to go one-on-one, but instead called for Milicic to step up and set a solid screen.

With the help of a screen, Xu Ling instantly shook off James, forcing the Cavaliers to switch defenses, and Big Z forced his way up to the three-point line.

Facing the slow-moving Z, Xu Ling created ample space to shoot with a simple crossover and a jump shot!

Hit again!

In the next possession, James tried to return the ball, but his forced fadeaway jumper bounced off the rim due to combined interference from Xu Ling and Howard.

Kidd secured the rebound and slowly advanced the ball. The shot clock was once again running out until the final moments. After a few passes, the ball returned to Xu Ling with only 5 seconds remaining.

Xu Ling adopted a threatening stance towards James and suddenly initiated a breakthrough.

James followed with all his might, but Xu Ling suddenly stopped and pulled back after one step of the drive, stepping back to the three-point line.

James used his amazing physical abilities to forcefully regain his balance and lunge forward!

Xu Ling made a very slight dodge in mid-air, and then attacked!
"Bang!" The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced high into the air.

Just as all Cavaliers fans were about to cheer for this successful defense, a blue figure cut into the paint like a ghost – it was none other than Hakeem Warrick, the Grizzlies' underrated springy man!

With his amazing jumping speed and accurate anticipation, he gently tapped the basketball that bounced off the heads of the crowd, and the ball obediently rolled into the basket!

"Warrick! Putback score! The Grizzlies have once again pulled the deficit back to 10 points!"

Mike Brin's voice was filled with incredible amazement.

The Cavaliers struggled like drowning men, each time they managed to surface for air, only to be violently pushed back into the sea by an even bigger wave. Whenever they were on the verge of suffocation, LeBron James would always go all out, using his individual skills to forcefully pull the team back from the brink of despair.

But simply attacking is far from enough.

Because Xu Ling's responses were relentless, like a cold tide, they once again completely drowned out any hope that had just been seen.

Such oppression is suffocating, devastating, and leaves one feeling powerless and desperate from the bottom of one's heart.

Time flew by with each attack and defense. The intensity of the game continued to rise, the physical confrontations became more and more fierce, and every point became incredibly difficult.

With two minutes remaining, the score was 98-89, the Grizzlies maintaining a nine-point lead. The Cavaliers had the ball, but they only had one timeout left. The air in the entire arena seemed to freeze; everyone knew that every possession from now on would determine the final outcome of the game.

LeBron James held the ball at the top of the key, gesturing for his team to spread out. Sweat dripped from his forehead, but his eyes remained sharp, revealing an unwavering determination to never give up.

The entire audience stood up, holding their breath.

James lowered his center of gravity and used a series of crossover dribbles to change the rhythm of the defense. Suddenly, he tried to break through from the right side with a very quick crossover! But Xu Ling's lateral movement was faster and he blocked his position.

The shot clock ticked away. Instead of passing, James forced his way past Xu Ling with six seconds remaining, turned and leaned back, attempting a difficult jump shot to finish the attack!
However, just as he jumped to catch the ball, Xu Ling's long arm slashed down with perfect precision, as if he had anticipated it!
"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball was touched by Xu Ling's fingertips, slipped from James's hands, and slammed directly onto James's knee before bouncing out of bounds!

"Out of bounds! Grizzlies have possession!" The referee decisively pointed to the backcourt.

"@#￥@#￥"

James immediately appealed to the referee for a foul, but no matter how agitated the Kings were or how much the fans cursed, the referee could not change the call.

"Eli made a crucial steal!"

The Grizzlies gained possession of the ball.

They are not in a hurry to launch a rapid attack.

Kidd dribbled the ball upcourt and, facing tight defense, simply raised his hand to call a high pick and roll.

Taking advantage of the opening created by the screen, Kidd did not choose to shoot himself, nor did he look for Xu Ling on the outside. Instead, he flicked his wrist and made a brilliant bounce pass to Hakim Warrick, who was cutting inside.

Warrick received the ball and jumped, and although the defender behind him had already arrived, his action had already drawn a foul!

The referee blew his whistle and called a shooting foul!
Warrick stepped to the free-throw line, made the first free throw, and bounced off the rim on the second.

It's not perfect, but it's enough.

There are only 1 minute and 58 seconds left in the game.

The point difference between the two teams has once again reached 10 points.

Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown had to use his last timeout.

Brown, nominally the head coach but in reality the Kings' caretaker, is a man of experience and knows that in this situation, if he doesn't catch his breath, he could be taken down by the opponent in one fell swoop.

If it were just a regular regular season game, it wouldn't be a big deal, but look at LeBron's performance, is this just a regular regular season game?

Therefore, Brown had to call a timeout.

After the players left the court, Brown immediately went to the Kings to greet them.

Inside the Quick Loan Center, hope is rapidly slipping away from King's kingdom.

On the Cavaliers' bench, Brown simplified his tactics to the extreme: "From now on, give the ball to LeBron, everyone else spread out, and trust that LeBron can handle everything for us!"

So, this timeout wasn't actually planned; it was just meant to give James a breather and, incidentally, disrupt the Grizzlies' rhythm.

This is not hard to understand. With less than two minutes left, trailing by 10 points, if the deficit widens even further, the game will be over. In fact, if the next attack fails, the game will most likely be over as well.

On the other side, Marc Iafaroni clapped his hands loudly: "Hold on! Only two minutes left! Defend the rebounds! Don't give them easy shots! Control the tempo!"

There were no sophisticated strategies, no unexpected substitutions, and neither coach was the kind of renowned manager who could adapt to changing circumstances or even create something out of nothing. In this situation, all they could do were things that would never go wrong.

Calm the star players down, encourage their defense, give them authority, and then yell and shout from the sidelines, pretending that you, like them, fought to the very end for this game.

(End of this chapter)