"I don't think so, I saw it too."
Yang Yi looked at Coach Zhang and then at Yu Jia, feeling a bit dazed.
Having commentated for so long, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. In the past, at most, players would sneak to the bench to eavesdrop on the opposing team's tactics, but he had never seen his own players high-fiving opposing players.
"Well, I can only say that Tang Long has too much good rapport in the league."
There was nothing Yang Yi could do but resort to this all-purpose answer to resolve the situation.
The commentary booth was stunned.
The fans, however, were ecstatic.
On the Cavaliers' fan forum, supporters were losing their minds.
"There's probably only Tang Long in the league who can mingle so well with other players."
"So cool, he actually ran over to high-five Western Conference players."
"See? Tang Long's popularity in the NBA is just that good. He's skilled, popular, and he'll definitely have a great future in the NBA."
While the commentators and fans were joking and teasing, Doug Rivers' expression was far from pleasant.
Who told Tang Long to run off and high-five Western Conference players? He decided then and there not to let Tang Long play again in the latter half of the fourth quarter.
Of course, he didn't know yet that Doug Rivers had already decided to keep him on the bench. After handling the Western Conference players, Tang Long quietly snuck back.
After all, one shouldn't go too far.
Chauncey Billups sidled up to Tang Long and whispered, "Tang, the coach looks really unhappy. You, man, you should probably apologize to the coach."
"Apologize for what?"
Tang Long frowned slightly.
What was this all about?
Why should he apologize?
It was the coach who didn't let him play, so why should he be the one to apologize?
Chauncey Billups shook his head. Judging by the coach's demeanor, it was highly likely he wouldn't let Tang Long play in the third quarter.
By this time, the Western Conference players had gradually caught up and even overtaken the Eastern Conference All-Stars.
88-90.
The West was now leading by 2 points.
There were still three minutes left in the third quarter.
It was the East's possession.
The game had reached a point where both sides were playing with intense seriousness. Even Kobe and Paul were playing defense with focus. As Kidd brought the ball across half-court and passed to LeBron, he nearly had it stolen by Kobe.
As soon as LeBron received the ball, Anthony was already defending him.
In the post, Garnett called for the ball, but Tim Duncan was defending him from behind, and Yao Ming was already positioned in the paint.
LeBron glanced at Garnett's position and passed the ball to Wade on the baseline.
Wade caught the ball, jumped, and hit a three-pointer, giving the East a 1-point lead.
"Dwight, good job."
Everyone was celebrating, but Garnett walked over and questioned LeBron, "You should have passed me the ball earlier, my position was better."
"Your position was good, but you were being guarded."
LeBron shot Garnett an annoyed look.
"Hmph."
Garnett snorted lightly.
The Western team initiated their offense again. After crossing half-court, Yao Ming set a screen for Kobe.
Kobe immediately drove to the basket from the other side. Kidd was originally defending him, and after the screen, Garnett came to help.
Kidd's positioning was slightly obstructing Garnett's path. Garnett impatiently pushed Kidd aside, muttering, "Have some awareness, man. They're running a play, why are you blocking the way."
Kidd opened his mouth but held back from speaking, though his expression clearly showed his displeasure with Garnett.
Suppressing his anger for one possession, Kidd no longer bothered with Garnett. Upon reaching the basket, he directly passed the ball to Wade. Wade faked out his defender, Paul, with a change of direction and drove straight to the free-throw line.
Kobe came to help, and Wade passed the ball to LeBron. LeBron then passed it back to Kidd. The ball quickly circled around the court, and the defenders' positions became disorganized.
At this point, only Howard and Yao Ming were left in the paint.
Kidd passed the ball directly to Howard. Howard saw the arc of the ball coming his way and immediately jumped, making a spinning motion with his hands.
Clearly, he was anticipating a dunk once the ball reached him.
Just as Howard's fingertips touched the ball, he felt a strong force surge towards him.
Yao Ming's hand had already reached him.
At this moment, Howard was already in the air and unable to react. He instinctively tried to reach back for the ball, but it was just an inch short, and Yao Ming swatted it away.
Howard shook his head in resignation.
He thought that after Shaq retired, he would become the league's top center, but then Yao Ming emerged.
He wasn't as tall as Yao Ming, nor did he have Yao Ming's shooting percentage. After competing with Yao Ming for so long, he finally accepted that being the second-best center wasn't too bad.
Then Tang Long came out of nowhere.
Now, he might not even be able to hold onto second place.
Howard was annoyed. He had wanted to prove himself on the court in this All-Star game, but it looked like Doug Rivers wasn't going to let Tang Long play.
In normal circumstances, Howard would have conceded the play and slowly prepared for offense. However, after Yao Ming stole the ball, Howard was clearly not satisfied. As soon as he landed, he lunged at Kobe, who had caught the ball.
Seeing this, Kobe made a quick move to drive past Howard. Unexpectedly, Howard seemed to have anticipated Kobe's move and positioned himself directly in the path of the drive. If Kobe charged forward, it would be a foul.
Kobe, being Kobe, at the very last moment before his head was about to collide with Howard, executed a sharp stop and whipped the ball out.
Chris Paul was in the direction of Kobe's pass.
The ball landed in Paul's hands, and Paul quickly drove to the basket, taking two steps for a layup.
*Phew.*
People let out a sigh of relief, about to stand up and cheer for this Western All-Star team's offensive play, when LeBron suddenly appeared, jumping high and swatting the ball directly onto the backboard.
"Oh my god, LeBron's block was incredible! He just slammed Paul's shot onto the backboard."
The commentator exclaimed with an elongated voice. The play was spectacular, a true feast for the fans.
LeBron landed, cradling the ball and looking around. His teammates were retreating, Paul was blocking his path forward, and only Garnett was standing near half-court.
LeBron was about to pass to him.
But as soon as he raised the ball, Garnett yelled at LeBron, "Pass the ball, what are you waiting for!"
LeBron's passing motion abruptly stopped. He paused for two seconds before passing the ball to Dwight Wade, who was running back.
However, the distance was too great, and there were Western All-Star players in between. Anthony leaped up with a powerful spring and intercepted the ball, immediately following up with a long-range three-pointer.
The cheering fans were suddenly stunned. Everyone held their breath, their eyes slowly following the trajectory of the basketball.
*Swish.*
The ball dropped steadily.
Three points, the shot was good!