"Let's welcome LeBron."
As the announcer's voice echoed, LeBron tossed chalk into the air, and the game against the Heat officially began.
"Dwyane, watch me hit a three-second shot for you."
Wade had no idea what this guy James was up to.
The result was that after Tang Long snatched the ball, James caught it and immediately attempted a super long-range three-pointer.
*Clang.*
The ball missed by a wide margin, hitting the backboard directly.
"You can tell James is very relaxed in this game. Having already secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference, he seems to have returned to his All-Star performance."
"It's just a bit of a wasted offensive opportunity. I hope James doesn't play so casually in the playoffs... Oh, what's this?"
"We can see that after Tang Long passed the ball to James during the tip-off, he's already stormed to the basket like a gust of wind. After James's reckless play in the frontcourt, the rebound is now in Tang Long's hands."
"It's Tang again."
"How many times this season has Tang grabbed these offensive rebounds? It's safe to say that Tang Long has contributed at least half of the second-chance points for the Cavaliers to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference."
The commentators were still shouting excitedly. Wade looked at James helplessly and said, "LeBron, is this the three-second shot you were talking about?"
James didn't feel embarrassed and stated matter-of-factly, "I have a teammate as good as Tang Long, do you? If you had one, you could also perform a three-second one-shot."
"Fuck."
Wade couldn't help but curse.
Of course.
It's common for brothers to swear at each other.
If brothers speak to each other politely and gently, they're definitely the kind who would stab each other in the back.
"Dwyane, let me tell you, there are only a few opportunities in life. If you miss them, it'll be difficult."
"Hmph."
Wade rolled his eyes at James and went to receive a pass from his teammate.
"Tang, I feel like this guy didn't fall for it."
James muttered quietly.
"That can't be right. Besides, what do you mean he didn't fall for it? We're just letting Dwyane feel the benefits of brotherly basketball."
"So what do we do next?"
"I'll lock him down on defense, and you continue to play casually."
"This is allowed?"
James looked at Tang Long suspiciously.
It feels a little like a trap.
But Tang Long has always had a high basketball IQ, and even Mike Brown has stated that Tang Long would be an excellent tactical coach after retiring.
So James decided to follow Tang Long's lead for now.
The game then seemed to turn into James's personal showcase.
His scoring ability was already strong, and he could often make shots even with a defender on him.
As a result, the first quarter turned into James's personal performance.
At the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers led the Heat 30-10, a 20-point advantage.
Wade sat on his chair with a dark expression, slowly sipping water, silent.
On the other side, James was shouting excitedly.
This was the most enjoyable game for him. He didn't have to participate in defense and could shoot however he wanted. He'd throw the ball towards the basket and, if it went in, he'd thump his chest and shout. If it missed, he'd watch Tang Long fight for the rebound under the basket. The feeling was indescribable.
"I say, James, don't get too excited and play casually. You've turned the game into garbage time in the first quarter. The coach definitely won't let us play anymore, so what's the point of performing?"
"My bad, I was just too excited."
James waved his hand sheepishly at Tang Long, indicating that he would play a bit more conservatively in the second quarter.
However, in the second quarter, Mike Brown didn't put either of them on the court at all. He only sent out two regular reserves, mostly to develop younger players and save energy for the starters.
The reserves, although their moves were a bit flashy, were quite capable of scoring.
At the end of the second quarter, the Cavaliers led the Heat 50-25, a 25-point lead.
Wade's face grew even darker. He played only three minutes in the second quarter. If the game continued at this pace, it was uncertain if the Heat would even reach 60 points.
If they couldn't even score 60 points in this game, Wade didn't know how much he'd be ridiculed.
But then he looked at James's side, where almost the entire Cavaliers team was happily fooling around, and James himself was making bizarre moves from time to time.
"This is a basketball court, not some flashy show in Las Vegas. This guy is like a clown."
Wade muttered with envy and jealousy.
But he couldn't deny that he felt a thought arise: if he were teammates with these guys, would he also be able to play like James on the court?
Hmph.
If Tang Long were my teammate, maybe I could do even better than James.
*Beep.*
With the referee's whistle, the third quarter began.
The starting lineups of both teams returned to the court. This time, the Cavaliers intensified their defense on the Heat players in the frontcourt. Pavlovic guarded Wade, with Drew Gooden providing help defense, making Wade extremely uncomfortable in the third quarter.
In contrast, James attacked in the frontcourt with various moves, avoiding easy shots and opting for difficult ones, such as long-range pull-up jumpers.
Wade also hit threes from time to time. However, despite both teams shooting threes, the Heat had virtually no offensive rebounds, while many of the Cavaliers' offensive rebounds fell into Tang Long's hands.
At the end of the third quarter, the Heat had only 40 points, with Wade scoring 30 of them.
"It looks like Dwyane is getting a bit angry. Have we gone too far?"
James sat next to Tang Long, glanced at him, and said quietly.
"I think the heat is about right. After all, Dwyane is a proud man. I think we shouldn't play in the last quarter. Besides, we've basically achieved our goal, and it's time to give others a chance to play."
"You make sense."
James patted Tang Long's shoulder. This guy always had plenty of ideas, and it was always right to follow his advice.
Tang Long and James did not play in the fourth quarter. Wade played the first five minutes, but because he couldn't get effective support on the court alone, even though he managed to cut down the deficit by more than ten points, it didn't have a significant impact on the game.
Finally, the referee blew the final whistle, and the game ended.
The Cavaliers defeated the Heat 85-65.
After the game, Wade had a dark expression, clearly in a bad mood.
"Dwyane, what are your thoughts on today's game? You personally scored half of your team's points. Are you very disappointed in your teammates?"
"Get lost!"
Wade pushed the interviewing reporter away and stormed back to the locker room.
Not long after, Wade received a call from Tang Long, who, along with James, invited him to a nightclub in Cleveland.