"What does this have to do with me?"
Drew Gooden looked blankly at his teammates and then at the Hornets players, feeling like LeBron James' fighting spirit had been completely ignited by this game.
The Hornets players clearly hadn't expected James to play so desperately. After being scored on by James three times in a row, and with Tang Long restricting their offense, they were unable to score for a long time, and the point difference between the two teams widened further.
There was nothing they could do but have the Hornets' head coach call a timeout.
"Why did you let James break through to the basket so easily?" Hornets head coach Byron Scott glared angrily at his players.
It was understandable to have a bad shooting touch, and even one or two turnovers were normal sometimes. But to be continuously broken through, and for the players not to defend with their all, made Byron Scott furious.
"Chandler, protect the paint, damn it."
Byron couldn't help but swear.
"But coach, didn't you tell me to keep an eye on Tang?"
Byron Scott became even more enraged upon hearing this. "Damn it, can't you make your own judgment? The ball isn't in Tang's hands right now."
"I understand."
Chandler felt wronged but dared not retort to Byron.
Beep.
The referee's whistle sounded again.
Byron had only called a short timeout. As the players prepared to re-enter the court, Byron was still blowing into their ears, "Guys, be smart, this is a game."
After being berated by their coach, the Hornets players were also feeling a surge of anger.
Returning to the court, Tang Long noticed that the Hornets players seemed different from before.
Previously, the Hornets players were relatively casual. Now, they exuded an aura that screamed "I'm very unhappy right now, and you'd better be careful."
After the ball was inbounded, Paul brought the ball past half-court, with James, who was guarding him, staring intently at West.
West bent down, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, and made a move as if to drive to the basket. James followed his steps.
As James moved, West suddenly jumped at the three-point line.
Seeing West's jump, James immediately realized he had been tricked. He roared and leaped, swinging his large hand towards West.
He felt the distance was about right and believed he still had a chance to block West's shot.
Slap.
The ball wasn't touched.
Instead, it hit West's hand.
Fortunately, this disrupted West's passing route. The shot missed, preventing a potential 3-point play for the opponent.
West was a good free-throw shooter and made all three.
Immediately after, the Cavaliers launched an attack and drove to the Hornets' basket. James, wanting to repeat his previous move and rely on his physical prowess to attack the opponent, was immediately stripped of the ball by Morris as soon as he drove in. The Hornets seized this opportunity to score another two points.
"Are these guys crazy?"
James couldn't help but mutter.
When they had driven to the basket earlier, the Hornets players had shown some hesitation. But just now, Chandler and West had faces of resigned determination, as if they would fear nothing, even a bulldozer.
The fact that Morris was also providing help defense in this situation showed how much attention the Hornets were paying to the paint.
"I heard Byron yelling during the timeout. We need to take this seriously from now on."
During the previous timeout, Mike Brown had primarily been discussing tactics with Dallyas and Pavlovic, emphasizing their off-ball movement. Tang Long had had the opportunity to observe the Hornets.
"What good does yelling do?"
Dallyas chimed in, clearly not believing that Byron Scott's outburst would change anything for the Hornets players.
Evidently.
Dallyas had underestimated the situation.
Upon re-engaging, the Hornets intensified their defense, especially guarding the passing lanes to James and Tang Long with extreme vigilance.
Morris stuck close to Dallyas as he brought the ball past half-court. Lacking any clear passing options, he could only continue dribbling.
Time ticked by, and within moments, fifteen seconds had passed.
Seeing the time drain away, Dallyas panicked and simply passed the ball to James.
West stepped forward to steal, and the ball grazed his hand.
Although the steal didn't materialize, it altered the ball's trajectory, making it difficult for James to catch it cleanly. By the time he secured the ball, he was unable to get a comfortable shot off.
Twenty seconds.
With the clock winding down, James was forced to take a contested jump shot.
Clang.
The ball hit the rim and bounced out hard.
Chandler and Tang Long leaped up at almost the same time. This time, however, Chandler forcefully shoved Tang Long aside with his shoulder.
Chandler secured the rebound and, seeing Paul already running towards the Cavaliers' half, hurled the ball with all his might to Chris Paul.
Chris Paul easily received Chandler's pass and calmly laid the ball into the unguarded basket.
The Hornets scored another two points.
In less than a minute, the Hornets went on a 7-0 run.
Mike Brown quickly called another timeout.
...
"The Hornets have found their rhythm. Byron Scott's loud voice during the timeout must have been a critique of the Hornets players. We can see that the Hornets have tightened their defense, especially Chandler, who grabbed the rebound fiercely just now. The Cavaliers' offense has also been contained. If they can't break through soon, they might lose this game."
In the broadcast booth, the three commentators, who had been chatting casually, now wore serious expressions. The Hornets' resurgence had clearly caused considerable trouble for the Cavaliers.
"Now the Hornets are restricting James and Tang Long from easily receiving the ball, and Dallyas can't get the ball out. This is very difficult for the Cavaliers."
Yang Yi looked at Yu Jia, then at Zhang Zhidao, "Do the Cavaliers have any good solutions right now?"
Zhang Zhidao pondered for a moment and said, "This feels a bit like the playoffs. Once the defensive intensity ramps up, there won't be as many easy scoring opportunities as in the regular season. At this point, the team's stars must step up."
"The Cavaliers' offense is not the problem, it's mainly the passing and receiving," Yu Jia thought for a moment and said, "Pavlovic and Drew Gooden can't just stand still now. They need to move more to create more space for James and Tang Long."
"What Yu Jia said is very reasonable. It depends on how Mike Brown adjusts his strategy."
...
As they spoke, the players from both teams returned to the court.
The Hornets maintained their tight pressure, but the Cavaliers had clearly made changes.
As Dallyas brought the ball past half-court, Drew Gooden ran out to receive it.