The Feast

The moment the basketball ripped through the net, the entire Georgia Dome seemed to skip a beat, only to erupt an instant later in an earth-shattering roar. It was no longer merely cheering, but an invisible tsunami, instantly swallowing Florida's sea of blue and orange under a tidal wave of Texas Tech red and black. Xu Ling did not celebrate. He just stood motionless where he was, watching the cords ripple and flare open in the air like a blossoming flower. The posture of that shot had been so bizarre that even he could never replicate it, yet it had undeniably, irrevocably decided the game. He felt as though a colossal force had completely drained every ounce of strength from his body, and then, his teammates tackled him to the floor. Prince, Jackson, Zeno... Every single one of them piled on top of him, forming a massive, boiling mound of bodies. Some were screaming, some were sobbing, and others were simply pounding on his chest with everything they had. When the crowd finally untangled themselves, Roderick Craig pulled him into a fierce embrace, bellowing right in his ear, "We won! We won!" And Darryl Dora—the big man who had scrapped and clawed through the shadows of Oden and Florida's twin towers for the entire tournament—was now weeping like a child. He locked his arms around Xu Ling with crushing force, as if trying to squeeze him right into his own chest. "You're the f**king greatest player I've ever seen!" Dora roared, completely incoherent. "Who the hell cares about Michael Jordan?! You're even greater than him!" Over by the sideline, Bob Knight, that stubborn old general, had uncharacteristically flung his clipboard aside. He threw both arms into the air, a grin breaking across his face—a mixture of sheer ecstasy, profound relief, and roaring pride. Turning around, he pulled his assistant coaches into tight embraces, slamming heavy palms against their backs. On the other side of the court, the Florida bench was entombed in dead silence. Billy Donovan's face was ashen. He stood frozen like a statue, watching his dream of a dynasty disintegrate before his very eyes. Noah hung his head low, burying his face in a towel so no one would see the tears in his eyes. Horford slumped on the floor, staring blankly ahead, looking as though he couldn't believe what had just transpired. Brewer—the guy who had inadvertently missed the first free throw, only to intentionally miss the second at his coach's direction—broke down completely as his teammates supported him, sobbing uncontrollably. He blamed himself for everything. If he hadn't clanked that first free throw, the coach would never have told him to miss the second, and none of this would have happened. Utterly despondent, Donovan walked over to Brewer and gently patted the player's shoulder. "Corey, chin up. Don't cry. It's not your fault. Whether you made it or not, I still would have told you to miss the second. They had no timeouts left. The call was the right one." "We just..." Donovan swallowed hard, his throat tight. "We just have to accept this result." Every heart on the Florida Gators roster was shattered. As Donovan looked at his team, the ache in his chest was beyond words. This was a truly great team. They had deserved to capture back-to-back championships, to forge a dynasty just like Duke in the nineties. In this era—or from this day forward—would a consensus number-one NBA draft pick ever choose to return for another season just because he couldn't bear to leave campus and the brothers he had bonded with? Would multiple players with lottery projections turn down millions just to stay together in college and chase consecutive titles? Would something like that ever happen again? Never. The trophy ceremony began. One by one, the players climbed the ladder, shears in hand, cutting away pieces of the net that symbolized their triumph. Finally, when Xu Ling stepped onto the ladder and snipped off the final strand, camera flashes across the arena flared in a blinding frenzy. He draped the net around his neck, raised both arms high, and saluted the roaring crowd. Tonight, he was the undisputed king of this court. Moments later, to nobody's surprise, Xu Ling was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Holding the trophy, he stepped up to the podium, facing cameras broadcasting to the entire world. "To be honest, I had prepared a really touching acceptance speech..." Xu Ling paused deliberately. "...but just a moment ago, Darryl told everyone that I'm greater than Michael Jordan." The arena burst into laughter and whistles. "After an intense internal struggle, I've decided to reluctantly accept the compliment. If any of you have an issue with that, take it up with my MOP trophy." In that instant, people finally recognized what this mysterious young superstar shared with his compatriot Yao Ming. They both had a brilliant sense of humor. Afterward, Yao Ming was granted access to the Texas Tech locker room in his capacity as a Texas sports icon, offering congratulations to the Red Raiders on behalf of Houston. It also gave Xu Ling the chance to speak with the legendary figure. While many great athletes gradually faded from memory after retirement, Yao Ming would never be forgotten in China. He was the nation's first true global superstar in a major team sport, and his impact on the next generation back home was cemented further once he took the helm of the Chinese Basketball Association. Although the men's national team struggled during his tenure, for Xu Ling's generation, Yao's promotion of mini-basketball and vigorous organization of grassroots youth leagues had established robust competitions for U8, U10, U11, and U12 levels, giving far more children early access to semi-professional training and structured games. In his previous life, Xu Ling had been one of them—a member of the first generation to benefit from mini-basketball. Now, standing before Yao Ming in the flesh, the normally quick-witted Xu Ling found himself momentarily at a loss for words. "I knew you were incredible, but I honestly had no idea you were this incredible!" Yao said with a hearty laugh. "Tonight's game was simply breathtaking!" "Not at all, it was all thanks to my teammates that I could perform like that," Xu Ling replied modestly. "No, seriously, that last shot..." Yao gestured with exaggerated flair. "I was about to call an ambulance for myself!" "You should have called it for Florida," Xu Ling quipped with a wink. "I bet they're bawling their eyes out in their locker room right about now." The two exchanged a smile. Yao's expression then turned earnest. "What are your plans next? Are you entering the draft?" "I haven't thought that far ahead yet," Xu Ling said, looking back at his teammates, who were still celebrating in wild abandon. "Right now, I just want to savor this moment. After all... it's not every day you fly out just to watch me play." Yao patted his shoulder. "Cherish these teammates. Once you get to the NBA, you'll never find brotherhood this pure again." Xu Ling gave a noncommittal nod. It was the truth. If there was any single factor that might complicate his impending decision, it was this group of brothers he had bonded with. The revelry rolled on. Foam from soft drinks and showers of bottled water sprayed across every corner of the locker room. Players sang and danced, covering the tactical dry-erase boards with celebratory graffiti. When Knight walked in, the room fell abruptly silent, only to explode into an even louder ovation. "Coach!" Drenched from head to toe, Xu Ling stepped forward holding the championship net he had just clipped down. "This is for you." Knight accepted the net and looked around the room. Pure, unadulterated joy radiated from every young face before him. He cleared his throat, his voice thick with emotion. "Boys... this is the most special championship of my entire coaching career." He lifted the net high. "Not because it's another title after all these years, but because you made me believe that miracles will always belong to the game of basketball." The room erupted once more. Craig pulled a bottle of soda out of nowhere and sprayed it straight at Knight. The veteran coach didn't dodge, letting the cold drink soak right into his trademark sweater. Yet beneath the seemingly endless jubilation, a hollow emptiness crept into Knight's heart on the ride back to the hotel. He knew that every comedy's sequel was a tragedy. Eli would not stay for a sophomore season. Next year, everything would return to the mundane. But so what? Texas Tech University would enshrine this 2007 National Championship trophy forever, honoring it like a sacred relic. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Jiu Lang Sports Headline: Chinese Phenom Hits 1.1-Second Buzzer-Beater! Texas Tech Stuns in Championship Upset Author: Zhang Bo Published: April 3, 2007 "Atlanta Dispatch—With 1.1 seconds remaining, Chinese player Xu Ling buried a deep three-pointer from the logo, lifting Texas Tech to an 84–82 upset over the defending champion Florida Gators to capture the first NCAA national championship in school history. The nineteen-year-old racked up 28 points and 7 assists, capping his masterclass with a shot for the ages. A resigned Florida head coach Billy Donovan remarked afterward, 'Perhaps it was simply meant to be.' Sitting courtside, Yao Ming couldn't hold back, shouting in native Shanghainese: 'That little rascal! Tough as nails!'" Top User Comments: @HeavenlyWisdomKing: "King Xu ascended to godhood tonight! Did you see that? Sinking a game-winning three virtually from the logo—even Michael Jordan would have to drop to his knees! Florida was supposed to be hot shit, but King Xu treated them like toys after all the American media's hype! Whoever doesn't take Xu Ling with the first pick in the NBA draft is blind! With King Xu on the national team, we might as well pre-order Olympic gold!" @SuQunLovesYangYi: "Hilarious. Win one NCAA title and suddenly you're floating on air? 'Greater than Jordan'? Xu Ling is going to get ruined by all this praise. Just wait and watch him get a reality check the second he steps into the NBA!" @GimmeLinChiLingsBuns: "Here comes the closet hater above me. King Xu just buried the defending champions with a buzzer-beater! What does your precious Greg Oden know how to do besides sticking his rear out in the low post? And people still hype him as the number-one pick? King Xu just slapped the American media right across the face with pure skill. Watching clowns like you squirm is priceless!" @CareForRoommateMaJiajue: "Xu Ling is unquestionably elite, but Darryl's comment was clearly just emotion talking. What's disgusting is seeing certain people seize on it to tear our guy down. Is it really that painful for you to see a Chinese player succeed?"