Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 160 The Situation That Must Be Turned Around

Xu Ling returned to the court at the beginning of the second quarter.

He immediately used a pass to outmaneuver Bogut, and then executed a clever outside-inside combination with Wang Zhizhi.

In the next round, it will still be the same two. Wang Zhizhi is definitely the player with the highest playmaking talent among the men's basketball team's inside players. As soon as he sees Xu Ling's running route, he knows what this little Xu is trying to do.

Bogut was consumed by rage and almost lost his judgment, allowing himself to be outmaneuvered once again.

"Great shot!" Yu Jia exclaimed excitedly. "Xu Ling and Wang Zhizhi's teamwork was absolutely brilliant!"

Sitting next to Yu Jia, Coach Zhang Weiping was equally delighted: "This is the change brought about by NBA-level perimeter star players. Look at how easily Xu and Dazhi can outmaneuver Bogut!"

Xu Ling seemed to hear Coach Zhang Heli's call, and his play became more and more rational. He not only reduced his one-on-one attacks but also increased his running, which tore apart the Australian All-Star team's defense. His teammates took the opportunity to score continuously, and the score gap gradually widened.

Bogut, on the other hand, appeared increasingly impatient. During a scramble for a defensive rebound, he and Wang Zhizhi made an overly aggressive move, resulting in a foul being called on them.

Bogut excitedly rushed toward the referee to argue.

Doing so will naturally not be well received. The warm-up matches held in China are all handled by domestic referees. Although the Chinese team is currently leading by a large margin, there is no need for them to make patriotic calls. However, if the opposing team is not aware of the situation and tries to offend the authority of the referees, then they will be in trouble.

Bogut received a technical foul. If his teammates hadn't pulled him away in time, he would have continued to struggle and would have inevitably been ejected.

Then, the time came to the last three minutes of the first half.

Xu Ling dribbled past his marker, drawing the attention of the Australian defense, before passing the ball to Zhu Ba, who was open in the corner. Zhu Ba took a three-pointer, but with a bit too much force, and the ball bounced high off the back of the rim.

Under the basket, Bogut and Yao Ming jumped simultaneously to contest the long rebound.

Yao Ming was undoubtedly in a better position, but Bogut placed his hand on Yao Ming's shoulder the moment he jumped, and with the movement of getting up, his palm indirectly slapped Yao Ming's square face.

Yao Ming cried out in pain, and the referee blew the whistle in time.

Bogut immediately raised his hands, yelling at the referee with an incredulous look on his face: "I was grabbing the rebound! He bumped into my hands! How can that be a foul?"

Such situations are commonplace for Bogut. He's known for his dirty tricks on the court, so getting caught by the referee is a regular occurrence. Quickly organizing his thoughts and making excuses is, of course, his instinctive reaction.

"This Bogut, he's always like this in the NBA, he uses a lot of dirty tricks on the court," said Coach Zhang Weiping. "Yao Ming has only recently returned from injury, he can't withstand this kind of abuse."

The Chinese team members immediately surrounded him, with Xu Ling being the first to rush to Yao Ming's side.

Fortunately, after a while, Yao Ming waved his hand to indicate that he was alright.

Swearing and boos erupted from the crowd.

The game continues, and the Chinese team has a throw-in in the attacking third.

Liu Wei first used a drop shot to find Yao Ming.

Yao Ming wasn't in good form initially, but after being hit by Bogut, he seemed to reset his shooting rhythm for the night, hitting a back-to-the-basket turnaround hook shot that went in cleanly.

The audience cheered enthusiastically and showed Bogut a great deal of hostility.

Bogut seemed to enjoy being ostracized by the entire stadium, as if only in this way could he offset the humiliation Xu Ling had inflicted on him. As he excitedly made his position, Mills passed the ball, and then he was about to drive inside.

But the moment Bogut launched his attack, his teammates all spread out, trying to create the best space for him.

However, Xu Ling suddenly abandoned Brad Newley while running and turned to head towards the inside.

Xu Ling stared at Bogut's ball, then saw his hand swing out with his right hand and slam it down heavily.

"Snapped!!!"

A sharp, intense pain instantly spread through Bogut's hand. Although it might not have damaged his bones, the real pain was enough to ignite his most primal rage.

Bogut let go, and the basketball fell to the ground.

The referee's whistle fell silent at that moment.

This was perhaps the most undisguised display of the Chinese team's home advantage, and it was precisely this moment of leniency that allowed the battle to continue to escalate.

Xu Ling grabbed the out-of-control ball and launched a full-speed counterattack.

Behind him came Bogut's roar, utterly enraged.

This seven-foot-tall man unleashed an unusual speed in his pursuit, his massive body chasing after the enemy like a runaway train.

Even so, Bogut wouldn't have been able to catch up with Xu Ling otherwise, but Bogut's teammate blocked Xu Ling's advance for a moment. Although he was quickly shaken off, he bought Bogut time to catch up.

However, Xu Ling, who should have been pushing forward at full speed to leave Bogut behind, strangely adjusted his speed after crossing the center line, like an experienced hunter luring his prey into a trap.

Just as Bogut was about to stand shoulder to shoulder with Xu Ling, and that vengeful hand was about to grab his jersey.

Using the momentum of his sprint, Xu Ling passed the ball to his left hand, and his right arm, like a pendulum, delivered a precise elbow strike to Bogut with a movement that seemed to be a ball-protecting motion, entirely dependent on his running motion.

Bogut let out a painful groan; the immense impact made him momentarily stunned.

This vicious response completely extinguished Bogut's last shred of sanity. Staggering, he frantically reached out, desperately trying to pull Xu Ling down.

But Xu Ling, like a slippery fish, suddenly lunged forward and accelerated the instant his fingertips touched her.

Bogut missed his target, and the immense inertia caused him to lose his balance completely, falling to the ground in a sorry state like a felled giant tree.

Amidst this deafening roar, no one could stop Xu Ling.

Xu Ling scored with a gliding dunk amidst cheers from the crowd.

"Xu Ling delivers another thunderous dunk, and Bogut can't stop him!"

Then, the large screen and television broadcast at the scene began to replay the details from earlier, and Xu Ling's less-than-clean little actions came into everyone's view.

However, this is easy for Jia to explain.

"Xu Ling's movements are very unrestrained because he knows this is the kind of game Bogut likes. They have faced each other many times in the NBA and are very familiar with each other."

Actually, we're not that close.

“That’s right!” Coach Zhang Weiping laughed. “Moreover, don’t be fooled by how hard Xiao Xu’s movements seem. He can’t actually hurt anyone. If we’re talking about injuries in matches, you have to look to my era. Back then, it was a different story. Even drawing blood wasn’t considered a foul!”

The two commentators tried their best to explain Xu Ling's blatant act of retaliation in a harmonious way, but the fans didn't care at all; they knew exactly why Xu Ling did it.

They were delighted that a Chinese player had finally done this.

So they, like those on the other side of the ocean who were madly infatuated with Xu Ling for the same reason, fell into a passionate frenzy.

Tonight may well be Bogut's Good Friday.

From the very beginning, he was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Xu Ling, who used his smaller size to outmaneuver his larger size. This moment was the climax of the match, and his attempt to show off on the Chinese side of the field was met with an unprecedentedly fierce response.

He had completely become Xu Ling's toy.

Subsequently, Bogut's mentality deteriorated, and he didn't even finish the first half. He protested fiercely because he couldn't stand the referee staring at him and received his second technical foul.

Bogut's exit was met with cheers from the entire stadium.

The intensity of the match dropped sharply after Bogut was sent off.

The Chinese men's basketball team established a 20-point lead at the end of the first half, and they maintained this advantage throughout the second half.

Ultimately, the result was as expected.

Xu Ling's first game representing the national team was absolutely satisfying, as he scored 26 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists in 24 minutes.

For him, FIBA ​​competitions were like returning to the NCAA after a year of experience in the NBA.

He played with great ease on the court, and no one on the Australian team could match him. Even Bogut, who could compete with Yao Ming under the basket, was helpless against Xu Ling when they were mismatched.

That evening, a reporter from Titan Sports Weekly arranged a post-match interview with Xu Ling. The first question they asked was what performance expectations Xu Ling had for his first stint with the national team.

"It might be a bit arrogant to say we'll win the championship," Xu Ling said, "but I want to lead the men's basketball team to the podium at the Olympics, that's my goal."

※※※

Just as Xu Ling was actively preparing for the Olympics, the NBA officially entered its peak season for management.

The window for operation has officially opened.

For the Memphis Grizzlies, this summer's reinforcement plan is clear and urgent, mainly focusing on three key targets.

The first priority is to thoroughly strengthen the power forward position.

This has become the team's most fatal weakness. In the first round of the playoffs, David West dominated here; in the second round against the Spurs, Tim Duncan put up a dominant performance, averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks per game. If this position isn't addressed, the same disastrous outcome will continue next year.

Secondly, he completed the contract extension with Jason Kidd.

Although 36-year-old Kidd is about to enter the final year of his contract, his role as a floor general remains irreplaceable. However, the initiative is in the hands of the opposing team—Kidd is currently fully engaged in training with the Dream Team and is not in a hurry to push forward with contract renewal matters, so the Grizzlies management can only wait patiently.

Finally, it is necessary to clear the necessary salary space.

Although Xu Ling's rookie contract remains a huge asset, the team's total salary has already reached $5700 million, just shy of the $5800 million salary cap for next season. Without clearing out some players, only a mid-level exception and a minimum salary contract will be available during the offseason, leaving extremely limited room for maneuver.

Jerry West scrutinized the roster, his eyes landing on Hakim Warrick and Vladimir Radmanovic.

The former is a player who hasn't shown significant improvement in three years, while the latter is a one-dimensional pure shooter. Allowing these two to share the power forward position on a playoff team, and even forcing Josh Howard to frequently defend the paint, leading to his injury, is undoubtedly a failure in roster construction.

This situation must be reversed.

On the day the trading window opened, West picked up the phone.

(End of this chapter)