This is something Nowitzki had done before.
At that time, Tang Long was playing brilliantly, and the Cavaliers eventually defeated the Mavericks. As they were leaving the court, Nowitzki had directly approached Tang Long to poach him.
Paul looked at James with a dark expression. This guy really underestimated him.
Paul opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter the curse from his lips.
...
"The main players from both sides have returned to the sidelines. It looks like once this possession ends, the starters will be back on the court."
In the Dragon country broadcast booth, Yu Jia looked at Coach Zhang and said, "Coach Zhang, if the Hornets make this shot, they'll only be trailing the Cavaliers by 2 points. I'd still like to ask Coach Zhang for his thoughts on the first few minutes of the fourth quarter between the two teams."
"Mike Brown should have brought in the starters when Chandler and the other two were on the court. Instead, he let the Hornets go on a run. If they had come in earlier, the score might have widened by now, and the rest of the game would have been easier for the Cavaliers. Now, with only a 2-point difference, the Hornets see a glimmer of hope for a comeback, so they'll definitely play with more desperation on the court."
"Coach Zhang is right. This has always been Mike Brown's weakness. His on-the-spot coaching is generally average, and sometimes LeBron has to step in as a de facto head coach."
Yang Yi was referring to the NBA Finals last year. After losing consecutive games to the Spurs and falling behind, LeBron simply stepped forward to draw up plays for his teammates while Mike Brown stood on the sidelines. At the time, domestic fans had made a lot of jokes about it.
"Fortunately, after the starters returned, the game returned to the rhythm of the previous quarters. As long as the Cavaliers can stabilize the situation and not underestimate their opponents or rush into anything, winning this game shouldn't be a problem."
"It mainly depends on whether the Cavaliers' starters can secure this possession after coming back on the court... Look, Tang Long is out there, is he setting a screen?"
James had the ball at the high post, with West defending him fiercely. Peja was also nearby, ready to help on defense, and the game entered a stalemate.
The Hornets' goal was clear.
They would not allow James to easily break through to the basket.
At this moment, Tang Long stopped fighting for rebound position with Chandler and came out to set a screen for James.
As a result, West ran headfirst into Tang Long's chest. James seized the opportunity, dribbled between his legs, and drove past Peja.
Chandler was the only one left in the paint.
One step.
Two steps.
James leaped high.
Chandler didn't dare to delay and jumped up to contest the shot.
Swish!!
Chandler's hand was a half-step too slow. By the time his hand swung over, the ball had already left James's hands.
"Close."
Chandler breathed a sigh of relief. Although James had still managed to get a shot off, the ball's trajectory was clearly not heading towards the rim.
At this moment, a figure as fast as lightning dashed in from the elbow area.
He was too fast!
Chandler's eyes blurred, and the person had already leaped high. The stadium spotlights illuminated the figure, which was filled with power.
Tang Long caught the lob in mid-air.
A dunk! It was executed flawlessly!!
Chandler looked at Tang Long with annoyance.
Originally, the ball was bouncing in his direction, so he had slacked off and hadn't jumped, just raising his arms to wait for the ball to fall. Who knew Tang Long would be at the basket at this moment, as if he had already predicted that James wouldn't make the shot.
"Tang Long, are you that sure LeBron wouldn't make this shot?"
Tang Long didn't even bother to respond.
Did this guy have a problem? What was wrong with fighting for rebounds?
Being ignored by Tang Long, Chandler became completely enraged.
This guy dared to ignore him.
After the Hornets' offensive possession, Chandler stopped setting screens for West and instead went to battle physically with Tang Long in the paint.
Although Drew Gooden grabbed the rebound, and the ball remained with the Cavaliers, Chandler's tactics made Tang Long very uncomfortable in the paint.
"Tyson, you're a center, have some dignity, alright?"
"My job is to guard you."
Chandler's eyes were full of provocation.
His meaning was clear: I'm a role player anyway, and you don't expect much from me offensively. Now, if I can lock down James, we'll see how your Cavaliers run their offense.
Tang Long was helpless. He rolled his eyes and didn't bother to engage further. After crossing half-court, he continued to set screens for James.
As long as the Cavaliers had scoring options and could defend on the other end, they could maintain their lead.
Moreover, Tang Long didn't want to focus all his energy on Chandler, otherwise, he would be no different from Chandler, and that wasn't Tang Long's aspiration.
The two teams traded blows with great intensity. Time ticked by, and by the last minute of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were still leading the Hornets by 3 points.
A three-point difference.
Cavaliers' possession.
At this point, head coach Mike Brown could no longer sit still. He stood by the sidelines, arms crossed, nervously watching his players' offense.
This time, Tang Long employed the same tactic.
He came out again to set a screen for James, creating space for James to drive.
However, after a few such attempts, the Hornets had found a way to counter the pick-and-roll.
As soon as Tang Long screened West, Peja and Morris moved up to assist. Peja, in particular, switched on defense directly, aiming to block James's driving lane.
But James didn't try to force his way through. Instead, he passed the ball to Tang Long at the free-throw line.
Tang Long dribbled the ball with ease. Although he appeared relaxed, the moment a defender closed in, Tang Long would instantly transform into a lion.
Chandler stood in the three-second area, eyeing him menacingly.
"Tyson, you know my mid-range jumper has always been good."
Chandler faltered.
He thought Tang Long would continue to drive, so he was still guarding the basket. Hearing Tang Long say that, James suddenly remembered that Byron had specifically emphasized this during their video analysis.
Tang Long's mid-range jumper had an extremely high success rate in the league, ranking among the top ten in the entire league.
Chandler's heart tightened, and he still ran out from the three-second area.
As he moved, Tang Long also made his move.
The ball sailed over Chandler's outstretched hand in a deceptive arc. Drew Gooden was already standing there.
Receiving the pass from Tang Long, Gooden easily laid the ball into the basket.
Chandler was so angry he was spitting smoke.
Didn't he just say his mid-range jumper was good? Why did he pass the ball again?
Damn it, could this kid ever tell the truth?
Despite his anger, the game wasn't over, and there was still time. Chandler clearly wasn't willing to let the game end like this.
When his team initiated a fast break, Chandler quickly ran to the three-point line, intending to set a screen for Paul.
"Chandler's woken up."
The commentator at the scene, although also black, was clearly a staunch fan of Tang Long!