Gasol found Tang Long irritating, and hearing his voice was even more so.
Every time he heard this guy's voice, Gasol thought of the playoffs and how he was affected by this guy. Every jump ball he lost to him, which made him lose face on the team, so Gasol decided to ignore this guy from the start of the game until the end.
"Paul, are you getting used to being in Long Country? Let me tell you, you've come to the right place. What kind of food do you people eat? Look at us."
Gasol stared straight ahead, as if there were mosquitoes buzzing around his ears.
"Paul..."
Tang Long prattled on for a long time and found that he got no response. Seeing that Gasol had no intention of acknowledging him, Tang Long's eyes rolled, and he changed the subject.
"Paul, Bynum has already started training. I heard that the Zen Master wants to change your position this season, playing you at power forward and Bynum at center."
Gasol quickly turned his head: "Who told you that?"
"Weren't you just pretending not to know me? Now I don't want to talk anymore," Tang Long snorted, "Unless you apologize for your rude behavior just now."
"Okay, I apologize." Gasol took a deep breath. "Tang, I was rude just now, and I apologize."
"That's more like it." Tang Long nodded. "Actually, I was guessing."
"Fuck, thanks..."
A string of standard Flower Flag profanities greeted Tang Long.
Gasol truly believed that Tang Long had heard something, as this guy really had good connections in the NBA.
After the last game, he was photographed with the "Four Kings of Shenfen" visiting a nightclub in Sanlitun. He figured he must have heard some gossip from the players.
The result was even more outrageous: he claimed it was a guess.
"Shut up, you should believe me."
"Believe your ass, you're trying to trick me again."
"Why would I trick you? You should believe me."
Gasol snorted, "Unless you're saying you've hooked up with our boss's wife, why would I believe you?"
"What are you talking about? What if you really change to power forward next season?"
"You're talking nonsense. If I really change to power forward this season, I'll call you 'brother' every time I see you, and I'll even let you sign me as my agent.
Tang Long's eyes lit up: "You said it, if your position changes to power forward next season, you'll sign with my agency."
"And if not?"
"If not, every time I see you, I'll not only call you brother, but I can also be a substitute for the Lakers."
"It's a deal."
Gasol's eyes were shining.
Although he disliked this guy, he had to admit that Tang Long was indeed a rare and excellent player.
If he really came to the Lakers, playing power forward wouldn't be impossible for him.
At the same time, Gasol had his own little plan.
If he leaked this bet to the media, and the media found out, then Tang Long would be in trouble.
Whether he was coming to the Lakers or not, this guy would probably have a headache for a while.
In fact, Gasol didn't even need to tell the media, because while they were talking, a reporter from the Flower Flag Country in the player tunnel had already recorded it all.
...
"Welcome everyone to C5 Sports Channel. This is the second match of Group B in the Olympic Games, Long Country versus Duck Country. In the last match, we defeated Flower Flag Country, with a viewership reaching 550 million this year! It can be said that one out of every three people watched this game, which is absolutely a grand event in basketball history."
"But in the last game, except for Da Yao resting for a few minutes, our main players basically played the whole game. Fatigue will be a big problem for us. What are your views on this match?"
Old Bai and Director Zhang exchanged glances, deferring to each other.
It was Old Bai who spoke first: "Our victory over Flower Flag Country in the last game was beyond everyone's expectations. Many people are still celebrating, and this actually increases the difficulty of this match. Because Duck Country's strength is similar to Flower Flag Country's, they will definitely take this game seriously and increase their defensive intensity."
"But we also have our advantages. Because Duck Country is also good at positional play and plays with two to three-person coordination, we have Da Yao and Tang Long in this position, which can counter their horn tactics."
Old Bai paused and continued, "The key actually lies in other positions. If players like Sun Yue and A Lian can perform as well as in the last game, then winning against Duck Country in this match will be no problem."
Director Zhang followed up: "Old Bai is right. Our historical tactics with Duck Country are quite similar. Tang Long can defend Gasol, and A Lian can defend the other pivot, thus limiting Duck Country's horn tactics."
Yang Yi couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, it's obvious that after defeating Flower Flag Country, you two have become bolder in your predictions. What do you think the point difference will be in this game?"
Old Bai said: "That's hard to say, but I don't think it will be too large. Because our tactics are similar, both sides will play a close game. So we still need to disdain the enemy strategically and treat the tactics seriously."
"The first round has concluded. Except for Argentina losing to Lithuania and Australia losing to Croatia, there haven't been any other upsets. This shows that strong teams play steadily and basically don't give their opponents too many opportunities."
"The starting lineups for both sides have been released. Long Country's lineup is the same as the last game. Duck Country's lineup is also as we predicted in terms of positions. Gasol, Fernandez, Calderon, Navarro, Jimenez, this is also currently Duck Country's strongest lineup."
...
"Let me go for the jump ball against Gasol. Sun Yue, you catch the ball on the right. Yao Ge, as soon as I jump, run towards the baseline. We'll put some pressure on Duck Country right from the start."
Yao Ming couldn't help but laugh: "Tang Long, aren't you afraid Gasol will really become your sworn enemy?"
"I've already messed with LeBron, so one more Gasol won't make much difference," Tang Long shrugged indifferently. "Besides, he and I aren't teammates, so why should I care what he thinks?"
"Alright, we'll do it your way."
Yao Ming had a lot of faith in Tang Long on this matter.
Moreover, without the potion Tang Long gave him, according to the diagnosis from Flower Flag Country's doctors, even if he could play in the Olympics, he would likely be playing with an injury, which would undoubtedly shorten his career.