"That's obvious," Anthony retorted irritably. "Look at the stands, those are all our fans."
The fans directly facing the free-throw line were all Western fans, who were now resorting to all sorts of tricks to disrupt Tang Long.
Some fans even took off their shirts and performed seductive dances. One particularly fiery and beautiful female fan, clad only in pink lingerie, was provocatively posing, clearly attempting to use a honey trap to throw off Tang Long's free throws.
Tang Long glanced at Anthony and decisively took his shot.
Swish!
The basketball went in.
Anthony's face darkened to the color of the bottom of a pot. The fans who had tried to distract Tang Long were now dejected. All their efforts had failed to affect him.
135-136, with thirty seconds remaining.
Byron Scott could no longer sit still and was shouting instructions from the sidelines.
"Focus on three-pointers, no more two-pointers."
Scott wanted to end the game with a three-pointer. If they only scored two points, the East could tie the game with another three.
Scott was unwilling to see such a scenario.
Simultaneously, Scott yelled for Yao Ming and Duncan to go to the paint for rebounds, even calling Anthony to the inside.
As a result, both teams' players were crammed into the paint, waiting for rebounds.
"No, this is Kobe with the ball."
Tang Long's eyebrows shot up. With everyone crowded in the paint, Wade was the only one defending Kobe on the perimeter.
Everyone on the court possessed strong offensive talent, but not many had defensive prowess.
"Bosh, LeBron, you two secure the rebounds. Foul if necessary."
Tang Long shouted and ran out from the paint.
"Why did Tang come out?"
The commentators watched in confusion as Tang Long ran out of the three-second area.
"He... he's actually... going to help defend Kobe."
The commentators were stunned.
What kind of play was this?
Everyone knew Tang Long's true strength was in the paint. Now, he was abandoning his advantage to defend Kobe, which seemed like a self-defeating move.
"The continuous comeback has changed the mindset of the Eastern players. They've become complacent."
The commentators were disappointed. They had initially hoped the Eastern players would make a miraculous comeback, but they didn't expect them to get ahead of themselves before even winning.
Kobe's eyes lit up when he saw Tang Long coming out.
Scott's earlier calls were clearly meant to confuse the Eastern players, intending to draw LeBron and others out and create space for drives. He hadn't expected Tang Long to come out of the paint.
Without hesitation, Kobe's pass found Yao Ming in the paint with pinpoint accuracy.
Clang!
Yao Ming caught the ball and dunked it.
135-138.
The difference was again three points.
There were now twenty seconds left until the end of the game.
"We've been tricked."
Tang Long looked angrily at Kobe, who was jumping and waving his fists.
They had executed a play, only for the opponent to respond with one of their own.
Scoring two points now was pointless; they needed a three-pointer to tie the game.
Not only did they have to make the shot, but they also had to do it quickly.
They needed to reserve a foul and have time for one more possession.
"It's okay, we still have time."
LeBron patted Tang Long's shoulder. Although he was under immense pressure at this critical moment, missing this shot would mean losing the game.
"We've come back from a twenty-five-point deficit to here. Losing wouldn't be the end of the world."
Wade also came over to comfort Tang Long. After all, at one point, no one had expected to win, and it was Tang Long who had led them to see a glimmer of hope.
"Leave it to me."
LeBron nodded seriously at Tang Long.
Beep.
At this moment, the referee blew his whistle. Rivers called a timeout.
However, Rivers didn't set up any specific plays this time. He looked at everyone and said, "I'm not going to set up any plays. You are the warriors, you have absolute game sense. I think you just need some rest."
Rivers swept his gaze across everyone, finally resting on Tang Long and nodding seriously.
Clearly, Rivers was also very impressed with Tang Long at this moment.
He intended to leave the strategy for the final offense to Tang Long.
...
"Coach Zhang, who do you think will take the final shot?"
Coach Zhang pondered for a moment. "It should be LeBron. Firstly, LeBron has a good feel for the game, and secondly, LeBron and Tang Long have excellent chemistry. Only a player with a big heart like LeBron can take this shot."
"What about Wade?"
Yang Yi looked at Coach Zhang.
"Wade could also do it, but the Flash's role is more about breaking down the opponent's defense. The West will definitely be guarding against drives and focusing on perimeter defense right now."
Yang Yi chimed in, "But if that's the case, taking a three-pointer will be difficult."
"It all depends on how Tang Long and the others handle this play."
As soon as he finished speaking, the screen cut back to the court, and the players returned.
In fact, it was just as Coach Zhang had said. The Western players were tightly defending the perimeter, with Yao Ming lingering in the paint, ready to provide support.
Kidd brought the ball past half-court, intending to pass to LeBron, but Kobe blocked his passing lane. Even Wade was tightly guarded.
Tang Long came out from the paint to set a screen for Kidd, but Paul saw through this move. Paul navigated around Tang Long to block Kidd, forcing Kidd to pass the ball to Tang Long first.
Tang Long glanced at the game clock. Ten seconds had already passed.
The perimeter players were all locked down. Bosh and Kidd were both inside the three-point line.
There wasn't enough time.
"Pass the ball! Why is Tang spacing out?"
The commentators were already standing up and shouting excitedly, as if afraid Tang Long wouldn't hear them.
At this crucial moment, Tang Long made an offensive error and was now spacing out on the court. Impatient fans were shouting along with the commentators.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Tang Long jumped and shot.
Both Eastern and Western fans held their breath, their anxious gazes following the elegant arc of the basketball.
The arena was eerily silent, so quiet that only the thumping of hearts could be heard.
The players, still jostling for position, froze and all looked towards the basket.
Swish!
The shot was good.
138-138.
After being down by twenty-five points, the Eastern All-Stars had finally tied the game.
Tang Long punched the air, but as the others excitedly ran towards him, he motioned them to stop. There were still eight seconds left, and the opponent would have one more possession.
"We have to defend this shot."
Rivers shouted from the sidelines.
This game made him feel as if he had returned to his youth.
The fans collectively stood up, their eyes glued to Yao Ming, who was about to inbound the ball.
Yao Ming took a deep breath and passed the ball to Paul.
As Paul received the ball and prepared to move, old Kidd lunged forward and grabbed him. Everyone was stunned.
No one would have expected Kidd to choose to foul at such a moment!