The Best Point Guard

To say Xu Ling didn't know who Acie Law was would be a lie. Yet against this disciple of Jordan—who seemed to take His Airness's famous adage about starting the trash talk before tip-off to heart—there was no reason to be polite. Hearing Xu Ling's retort, Law showed no sign of anger. He merely fixed him with a long, measuring stare, then turned and walked away. "You really don't know who Acie Law is?" his roommate, Roderick Craig, asked in astonishment. "How could I not?" Xu Ling said. "Isn't he supposed to be the top point guard in the Big 12?" "Maybe the best point guard in all of college basketball," Craig corrected. "So I've offended him?" "What do you think?" Craig gave Xu Ling a look of pity. "You actually claimed you didn't know him." Xu Ling shrugged, offering no further response, and changed the subject: "How's your health?" Craig's expression darkened. "Sigh, just hanging in there. It's not going to get better." Xu Ling had no words to comfort him. Craig was likely the closest friend he had on the team. They were roommates, spent the most time together, and understood each other best. Craig had originally been a freshman whom the coaching staff groomed with high hopes, but unfortunately, a heart condition had been diagnosed the previous month. His training regimen had been drastically scaled back, and his physical condition was falling further and further below the standards of college basketball. "The Big 12 opener between Texas Tech and Texas A&M is about to get underway!" ESPN play-by-play commentator Dan Shulman introduced the matchup. "Both TTU and A&M are strong contenders for a bid to March Madness. This game is bound to be a heavyweight clash. Dick, give us your thoughts!" His broadcast partner, Dick Vitale, naturally took the baton: "TTU went 13–2 in their warm-up slate, completely shaking off last season's gloom to break into the national top twenty. The emergence of Eli Xu has dramatically eased the urgency brought on by Jarrius Jackson's impending graduation. I believe TTU's perimeter firepower is the key tonight. Meanwhile, for A&M, everything revolves around Acie Law! "Over the past three years, Acie has developed into one of the nation's premier talents, and this season, he is undeniably the best point guard in the country. Considering how many games come down to the wire, considering Acie's ability to carry his team to victory in the second half, and considering that the higher the pressure, the better he performs—it's safe to say his play dictates just how far A&M can go!" Xu Ling had known before the game that Law was the premier guard in the conference, but listening to the buzz around the court, he realized he had still underestimated the man's reputation. Even so, all of this only proved Law was a great collegiate player. Xu Ling had virtually no memory of him, which conversely suggested his NBA career had been unremarkable. Before tip-off, Bob Knight addressed his starting five: "I don't give a damn if Acie Law is the best in the nation. All I know is that in college basketball, no single player can dictate the outcome of a game entirely on his own!" With that, the players took the floor. Xu Ling stepped up alongside his direct matchup—Dominique Kirk, a shooting guard and undersized 3-and-D wing. He was listed at 193 centimeters, but standing next to Xu Ling, the illusion collapsed. Xu Ling stood 198 centimeters barefoot and was listed at 201 in shoes, whereas Kirk's listed height was clearly measured in shoes—and heavily padded at that. In reality, he barely broke 190. Still, physical discrepancies of that sort rarely proved decisive at the collegiate level. Kirk enjoyed an outstanding reputation in the Big 12. Every coach spoke of his relentless tenacity, aggressive hands, and reliable spot-up three-point shooting, viewing him as the quintessential enforcer alongside a star player. "Heard you don't know who Acie is?" Kirk sneered the moment they met. "The 'College Jordan' can't be that ignorant, can he?" To that, Xu Ling had an even simpler response: "And who are you supposed to be?" The opening exchange was far from warm. Xu Ling was accustomed to it by now. Ever since he had run his mouth about becoming the Jordan of college basketball, very few opponents had shown him any goodwill. It didn't matter. He wasn't here to make friends. The referee tossed the ball for the opening tip, and A&M secured the first possession. Acie Law pushed the pace immediately. Before TTU's defense could settle, a screen was already set against Jarrius Jackson. Law slipped through the seam and darted straight for the rim. Darryl Dora was a half-step slow on his rotation, and by the time he committed to contesting, he had surrendered far too much space. Law finished with an effortless layup. "Damn it, Darryl Dora!" Knight practically bolted out of his seat at the sight. "Why is he always one step behind the man?!" That was the single greatest complaint leveled against Dora. Before Xu Ling joined the program, Dora had been universally regarded as TTU's top natural talent. Strong, quick, and explosive, he was also notoriously laid-back and refused to play with true urgency—which was the only reason he hadn't become a full-time starter until his senior year. Switching to offense, Jackson was eager to answer back. Calling for a screen of his own, while Law had preferred to attack the basket, Jackson opted for a more confident pull-up from beyond the arc. Clang! No touch. Ever since his return, Jackson's rhythm had been completely off. Yet the long rebound bounced straight into Xu Ling's hands. Xu Ling was out of position to attack directly, so he swung the ball back out to the perimeter. Martin Zeno drove hard toward the basket, but his layup rolled off the rim. Xu Ling hustled back on defense, but A&M pushed a three-on-two break. Law faked a pass, took it to the rack himself, drew a foul on Jackson, and finished the bucket. "Go back to class, J.J.! You're completely washed! You can't guard me!" Law never missed a chance to break his opponent's spirit and fire up his own squad. "Rookie, do you know me now? You and I aren't even on the same level!" Xu Ling didn't reply. Law stepped to the line and sank the free throw, then turned right back to Xu Ling to rub it in: "You see that? That's real game!" Jackson scooped up the inbound ball and barked at Xu Ling, "Don't let that bastard get in your head. We're taking it right back!" Xu Ling glanced at the scoreboard: 5–0. The game had barely begun; there was plenty of time. As for who was actually getting shaken? That was still very much open to debate. Xu Ling wanted the ball, which had never been an issue before Jackson's return. Instead, with Jackson back in the lineup, TTU's hierarchy had been forcibly reset to its original order. The teammates who had just rattled off a twelve-game winning streak with Xu Ling felt constrained, and Jackson wasn't backing up his status with production. Xu Ling was still trying to find a rhythm with Jackson, but he didn't know how long his patience would hold. Maybe until the next possession? "Get the ball, TTU Jordan! Don't tell me Acie scared you off?" Kirk bumped Xu Ling physically while chirping in his ear. Jackson swung the ball to Zeno, looking to relocate and establish a rhythm. In that split second, Xu Ling executed a sharp backdoor cut to lose Kirk, pointing one finger toward the rafters. Almost on instinct, Zeno lofted an alley-oop pass high into the air—inside the paint, Texas A&M's starting center Joseph Jones, a massive 208-centimeter, 125-kilogram bruiser, had already anticipated the move. "Zeno lofts it up—Eli shakes his man on the backdoor! Oh, he's up! He's flying—he's airborne!!!!" Jones reacted, but what could a reaction even look like? A classic lumbering big man, the most he could do was turn around. Meanwhile, the TTU Jordan charging straight at him took off like a jet launched from a catapult. In an instant, his explosive leap carried him to heights Jones could never hope to reach. Xu Ling snatched the ball out of the air, his body inadvertently straddling his opponent, cocked his right arm back like a drawn bow, and hammered the ball through the iron with thunderous force. Boom! "Whoaaaaa!" The commentators' shouts were swallowed whole by the roar that erupted across United Spirit Arena. The referee signaled to Xu Ling that it was an and-one. With play stopped, Xu Ling had time to soak in the crowd's reaction. He could have pumped his fists, egging on the arena for an even louder roar just as Acie Law had done, but he didn't. "Oh—he's still talking to Dominique Kirk!" the announcer shouted. Xu Ling stared down at Kirk. "Didn't you want me to touch the ball? Now that I've got it, where did you go?" Then, tuning out the crowd and paying no further heed to his opponents, Xu Ling walked straight to the charity stripe, received the ball from the official, and swished the free throw. 3–5. Jogging back on defense, Xu Ling said to Zeno, "Great pass." Knight took in the entire sequence from the sideline. Leadership could be forged through experience, but players who were born with that innate, almost instinctive ability to drive others and unify a team were one in ten thousand. Jarrius Jackson had leadership. But when an insurmountable gap in skill, raw talent, and court vision opened up, leadership hierarchies were cleaved apart without mercy. This was Jackson's third game back, and he remained trapped in his own head, tormented by the freshman's brilliant performances, terrified of losing his status as the team's centerpiece, and perhaps already hearing the mockery of national pundits: A player long heralded as the program's cornerstone, only to have his mantle stripped away by a freshman during his senior season? Knight knew perfectly well that if TTU wanted to make a deep run, certain people had to face reality and accept their rightful place. Before that could happen, Xu Ling had to make Jackson understand that they were simply not on the same level. Evidently, Xu Ling understood that as well. "I'm done with you, J.J.," Acie Law taunted, blowing past the distracted Jackson with a lightning-quick first step and tossing the barb over his shoulder as he penetrated the paint. "Let your loudmouth freshman have a turn!" Law rose into the air, preparing to finish the possession with a delicate scoop layup. Yet the moment the ball left his fingertips— A blur of red descended like thunder from the weak side, as if having anticipated Law's trajectory all along! Smack! A ferocious, smothering block pinned the ball flat against the glass! The resounding crack echoed across the entire arena like a sharp slap in the face. Xu Ling landed smoothly, his impassive gaze sweeping over Law, who stood frozen in utter shock. "I know who you are now," Xu Ling said coolly. "The 'best point guard' who just got swatted by a freshman." Leaving his bewildered opponent stranded, Xu Ling turned and walked straight up to Jackson. "Captain," Xu Ling said, using the title with a tone that brooked no negotiation, "leave that guy to me." Jackson warred with himself. Logically, he knew Xu Ling had the tools to contain Law, but emotionally, handing over the opponent's star to a freshman felt like a surrender of his captain's pride. "No, I can still—" "You just got back. Focus on finding your rhythm first," Xu Ling interrupted, his voice firm yet offering an undeniable exit ramp. "Besides, their number twenty-two, Kirk, is the real headache. That guy plays like a rabid dog. I need you to lock him down for me." Those words instantly reignited Jackson's competitive fire, torching away whatever lingering embarrassment remained. He squared his shoulders, brimming with renewed confidence. "No problem. Leave that dog to me!" *Right,* Xu Ling thought. *He's all yours.*