Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 61 Mr. Sixty Million

As Jerry West gazed at the players on the court, a different image flashed through his mind—the Lakers' trade of Wilt Chamberlain from the 76ers decades ago to compete against the Celtics and Bill Russell.

On the surface, it was a dynasty team, composed of the NBA's greatest forwards, most dominant centers, and most well-rounded guards. Why couldn't they succeed? Winning in a ragtag league made up of plumbers, part-time lawyers, and drivers shouldn't be that difficult, but what was the result? Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain's friendship ended in the face of their incompatibility.

Baylor was used to giving orders, while Chamberlain always preferred to work alone; Baylor needed ample space to attack, while Chamberlain always remained in a low position; Baylor was passionate, outgoing, and a natural leader, while Chamberlain was sensitive, arrogant, and often lost. They never truly accepted each other.

This forced partnership ultimately resulted in year after year of setbacks. West would never forget the moment he finally won the championship in 1972, only to find that Baylor was no longer on the team—the anger and emptiness of that moment almost consumed him. But when he calmed down and reflected, he painfully realized that if Baylor had still been there, they might not have won that championship at all.

Does that era offer any lessons for today's NBA? Perhaps, but not much. In West's time, the NBA was hardly a business league. Salaries were low, social status was low, and off-court distractions were different. Unlike today, there wasn't a massive salary cap. Therefore, you could see teams like the Celtics where players worked together like a family. But that situation no longer exists today.

Of course, you've probably seen players hugging, high-fiving, and celebrating enthusiastically on the field countless times. Such scenes often make people think they are very close, but in reality, they are just a group of people who have no connection in life, sharing an adrenaline rush during repetitive training and highly collaborative matches.

The reality is that Gay treated Xu Ling this way because Xu Ling hadn't even played a single game yet, but he was already considered the Grizzlies' new core player. This was because Xu Ling was drafted higher than him, and because the deal Xu Ling signed with Adidas, which shocked the world, was worth perhaps ten times more than his. The modern NBA uses realistic figures to alienate people from one another, and that's the difference. The difference between Gay and Xu Ling might be tens of millions of dollars.

How could he tolerate this disparity?
Therefore, the division within the team was inevitable, as was the infighting between them. Perhaps the Grizzlies should be thankful that they didn't pretend to like each other.

Although Xu Ling's rookie team was clearly not as strong as the veteran team composed of the starting lineup of the Grizzlies last season, it was not without its own strength. In addition to Darko Milicic, there was also Jarius Jackson, Xu Ling's former captain from TTU, as well as power forward Andre Brown and white small forward Casey Jacobson.

Jackson never actually discussed the signing with Xu Ling. Although everyone knew that his joining the Grizzlies was inseparable from Xu Ling's influence, as long as Xu Ling didn't bring it up, he preferred to believe that he earned it all through his own abilities.

The atmosphere on the court was tense. Jackson smiled and leaned closer to ask, "Was this part of your plan?"

“If you mean you were deliberately targeted by someone whose last name is ‘Gay’,” Xu Ling replied calmly, “then that’s not true.”

Jackson knew that the easy, collaborative days of college were over. From the moment they stepped onto the court, they had to adapt to a completely new and more realistic NBA.

“But you absolutely cannot lose, right?” he asked in a low voice.

Xu Ling smiled and said, "Thanks to you guys, I lost two games in my senior year, so I'm really not used to losing."

Regardless of the actual situation, these words were comforting to hear. Jackie laughed and said, "Then I certainly won't let you lose today."

"Alright, alright, can we catch up on our school friendship later?" Darko Milicic interjected with a hint of sarcasm. "The match is about to begin."

Although Xu Ling believes he would play shooting guard more often in the NBA, he played small forward today. The reason is simple: he wanted to match up against Gay. Also, although the team's white small forward, Casey Jacobson, played small forward in college, he would at most play shooting guard in the NBA because his talent is far inferior.

However, the roster of the veterans team is still relatively "reasonable", consisting of Lowry, (Eddie) Jones, Gay, (Hakim) Warrick and Pau Gasol.

Only three of them were starters last season; the other two are backup point guards and a veteran nearing retirement.

The older players, dressed in black jerseys, won the jump ball.

Guy immediately rushed to the frontcourt, with Xu Ling following closely behind.

Next, Hakim set a screen on the perimeter, Gay walked close to the wall, Gasol passed the ball to him, and Gay turned and made a smooth jump shot.

"Hey, Mr. Sixty Million, did Adidas not include defensive costs in that amount of money they gave you?"

After scoring just one goal, Gay couldn't wait to start trash-talking.

Xu Ling did not respond. He was waiting.

In terms of pure strength, the veteran team is definitely stronger than the rookie team, that's beyond doubt.

With All-Star player Pau Gasol, their advantage in the paint is immense. But the good thing is that while Gasol is physically present, he's not really playing with his full potential. Although he showed his basketball IQ by assisting Gay, he might not actually be playing at his best in this game.

Ultimately, the only ones who were truly locked in a fierce and uncompromising battle were Xu Ling and Guy.

Xu Ling had just taken his position when he received a pass from his teammate. Gay immediately pounced on him like a hungry tiger, spreading his arms wide to press forward and try to create pressure with aggressive defense. Undoubtedly, he possessed the perfect talent a small forward could only dream of—excellent height, amazing wingspan, explosive power, and a precise jump shot. It wasn't without reason that scouts dubbed him "McGrady." But the "McGrady" label, to some extent, also seemed like a hidden curse: most of the talented players given this title ultimately succumbed to certain mental weaknesses or defensive lapses.

Xu Ling took a quick probing step to the right, instantly shifting Gay's overly focused defensive weight. In that instant, his defensive judgment flaws were laid bare. In the split second he tried to adjust his balance, the rookie he had mocked as "Mr. Sixty Million" had already taken a step to the left and jumped to release his shot.

"Shh!"

Hollow into the net.

Xu Ling landed smoothly, glanced back at Guy expressionlessly, and retorted in the same calm yet sharp tone: "It seems that Nike didn't expect you to be able to defend against anyone when they paid you an endorsement fee."

Guy's face turned ashen.

"He actually went straight to singles." Lowry wasn't sure if he was implying that singles was more valuable or expressing dissatisfaction. "Is he that confident?"

Guy immediately got worked up and just said, "Give me the ball!"

Then he rushed forward.

Lowry wore a harmless smile. He really didn't want to get involved. The competition between the third and eighth picks was not something a small-time player like him could interfere with.

The lines were spread out, Guy raised his hand, and Lowry passed the ball to him.

When facing Xu Ling, he was like a lion defending its territory, eagerly unleashing his first astonishing move.

This move is so swift; if handled well, it could easily get past Xu Ling.

His physical attributes aren't the problem; the real issue lies in his ball-handling ability. Gay lacks the ball-handling skills to harness his explosive power. Therefore, while this step gave him position, he couldn't maintain a decent, sustained acceleration to reach his most powerful state.

Xu Ling's most significant improvement during his year at Texas Tech University was not in offense, but in defense.

From the very beginning, Bob Knight assigned him to primarily guard the opponent's key player and insisted on having him practice defensive sliding steps for an extra half hour every day. This relentless hard work day after day forged his dominant performance during March Madness, where he repeatedly shut down the opponent's core wing player. Now, on the NBA court, even when facing a prodigy like Gay, whose talent was rarely seen in college, he still manages to relentlessly entangle his opponent with his excellent judgment and quick reflexes.

Under Xu Ling's tight defense, Gay managed to jump and shoot, but naturally missed.

Milicic slapped the rebound away, but Xu Ling skillfully controlled the ball. Before the veterans could even get back on defense, Xu Ling had already locked onto the fast-running captain Jackson and delivered a precise long pass across the court, assisting the latter for an easy layup.

During a break in the offensive and defensive play, Xu Ling glanced at Guy, whose face was growing increasingly gloomy, and casually added, "Do you know how big a contract Nike initially offered me?"

"What?" Guy didn't react for a moment, his mind still on his mistake.

Just then, Lowry skillfully passed the ball over, landing it perfectly in Gay's hands, and shouted with a look of anticipation, "Rudy, catch! Show him what you've got!"

This inflaming remark, combined with Xu Ling's earlier nonsensical provocation, was like dry tinder meeting a raging fire, completely igniting Guy's fighting spirit.

Gay received the ball and faced Xu Ling, his eyes fixed solely on the basket. This time, he held nothing back, unleashing his full potential—a series of explosive crossover steps followed by a quick spin, attempting to completely create space. Every move he made was brimming with innate wildness, yet also carried a hint of awkwardness stemming from a lack of solid foundation. This was completely different from the silky smoothness that Durant, taller, faster, and longer than Gay, provided to Xu Ling.

Because of his disrupted dribbling rhythm, Gay couldn't fully utilize his explosive speed advantage. In a one-on-one situation, this kind of offense, which relies more on instinct than skill, was almost destined to be predictable.

Just as Guy thought he had finally created the slightest opening and was about to jump to complete his signature jump shot, Xu Ling, as if he had foreseen the future, timed his jump perfectly and blocked the shot with his long arms.

"Snapped!!!"

A clean and decisive block sent the ball swatted out of bounds.

Xu Ling landed smoothly, looking calmly at Guy who was staring in disbelief. He finally picked up where they left off, saying jokingly, "They offered me 4000 million over 7 years. But I chose Adidas because they not only offered more money, but they also had better judgment."

(End of this chapter)