James looked at Tang Long.
To be honest, he was a bit worried about Tang Long volunteering.
This guy's stamina was truly enviable.
Could it be the legendary Dragon Country Qigong?
While James was lost in thought, Tang Long had already sat down beside him.
"James, I think we should still use our strengths and attack the inside more later."
"No problem."
James was thrilled that Tang Long was willing to take the initiative to attack.
"Tang, I've decided. I'm also going to participate in this year's men's basketball Olympics."
Tang Long looked at James in surprise. "Are you sure? Didn't you say you weren't interested in these things?"
"That was before." James happily put his arm around Tang Long's shoulder. "We've always been teammates, and we haven't played a game together yet. I think it will be a lot of fun to meet each other in the Olympics."
Tang Long was completely bewildered.
Frankly, this guy's thought process was quite novel.
Tang Long called himself careless.
"LeBron, let me tell you, you know Balotelli in soccer, right? That guy opened the door to a new world and couldn't stop afterward."
"What are you talking about?"
James gave Tang Long a playful glare.
"I just think it will be a lot of fun for us to face each other as opponents in the Olympics."
Then, James nudged Tang Long's shoulder with his own. "If we meet, who do you think will win?"
That was hard to say.
The Dream Team's strength was obvious. If James and Kobe played together, no team could compete with the Dream Team.
However, the Dragon Country national team had Yao Ming, and with himself and other teammates, it wasn't impossible to defeat the Dream Team.
Of course, the difficulty would be significant.
"It's hard to say, but if you guys don't play seriously, then victory will definitely belong to us."
"Tch..."
While the two were chatting, Mike Brown called a timeout, and Tang Long and James returned to the court.
The substitutes played reasonably well in the third quarter, but the score difference wasn't widened much. Mike Brown didn't dare to be careless and only had the reserves play for less than four minutes.
After Tang Long and James came on, the Cavaliers adopted a zone defense strategy, allowing the Hawks some outside shots.
Josh Childress, unwilling to believe it, drove to the basket. When he was only about a meter away from Tang Long, he suddenly changed direction and drove around the basket, followed by a hook shot.
*Swish.*
Tang Long could have caught the ball directly, but he swatted it away. This clearly ignited the passion of the entire crowd, who stood up and applauded in support.
"Again."
Tang Long nodded at Josh Childress with a rather cheeky expression.
Josh Childress was completely infuriated by Tang Long's disrespectful action.
"Kid, I'll make you pay."
Tang Long shrugged, further angering Josh Childress.
After the Hawks inbounded the ball, Joe Johnson tried to drive inside, but he was stopped by a combined effort from Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.
Twenty seconds had passed, and Joe Johnson had no choice but to take a shot himself.
*Clang!!*
The ball hit the backboard, and Tang Long easily grabbed the rebound.
"The Cavaliers' zone defense is effective. The Hawks players can't break through to the basket and can only attempt outside shots. We've seen in previous games that when the Hawks rely on outside shooting, their accuracy is a big problem."
In the broadcast booth, Coach Zhang pointed out the Hawks' current weakness in an organized manner.
"Josh Childress, who played well in the last game, scored in the third quarter. This shows that the Hawks desperately need a scoring option, and the ball must be taken to the basket."
"The Hawks have tried several times, but Tang Long has blocked them back every time," Yang Yi said with a chuckle. "I wonder if the Hawks regret provoking Tang Long before the game."
"Although Joe Johnson made three three-pointers in this game, his 3-of-10 shooting percentage reflects the Hawks' current predicament."
Yu Jia agreed with Coach Zhang's assessment.
The Hawks' current offensive core is Joe Johnson, but they can't penetrate the inside, so they have to rely on outside shooting. With such a low accuracy rate, the Hawks were very passive in the third quarter.
"Tang Long probably has around 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists by now. He's likely to get another double-double this game. It's hard for Hawks players to defend Tang Long one-on-one, and they have to worry about LeBron on the Cavaliers when they're drawn to the basket. In comparison, the Cavaliers' strategy of shutting down Joe Johnson has been very successful."
While the commentators were speaking, the Cavaliers launched another offense. Before the Hawks players could surround Tang Long, he was already shooting a hook shot in the three-second area.
Another 2 points.
The Cavaliers scored thirty points in the third quarter, while the Hawks only scored fifteen, widening the gap to fifteen points by the end of the quarter.
With two minutes left in the game, Mike Brown made another personnel adjustment, substituting James, Tang Long, and Larry Hughes.
After the reserves came on, the Hawks had lost their fighting spirit and were playing somewhat listlessly. In the last two minutes of the third quarter, they only scored two points, while the Cavaliers scored five.
At the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers outscored the Hawks 35-17, leading by nearly thirty points after three quarters.
Mike Brown's decision to substitute Tang Long and James was clearly to prepare for future opponents.
The two teams played a tight game in the fourth quarter, but with the reserves on the court, Mike Brown emphasized defense more, preventing the Hawks from picking up the pace.
Big Z and Varejão finally stabilized their performance in the fourth quarter. Big Z scored 5 points, and Varejão scored 7 points. Ultimately, with an outstanding performance, the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks at home 99-65 and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Thus, all the first-round playoff games in the Eastern Conference concluded.
The Celtics defeated the 76ers 4-2, the Pistons defeated the Raptors 4-1, and the Magic defeated the Wizards 4-2.
Next, the Cavaliers will face the Magic, and the Celtics will face the Pistons.
In the Western Conference, the Lakers easily swept the Nuggets 4-0, the Hornets defeated the Mavericks 4-1, the Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns 4-1, and the Jazz defeated the Rockets 4-2.
Although Yao Ming could play in the playoffs after taking the potion given by Tang Long, the Rockets still had no good way to deal with the frontcourt defense.
Afterward, the Lakers will face the Jazz, and the Hornets will face the Spurs.
After defeating the Hawks, a reporter interviewed Josh Childress. He played for more than two quarters in this game but only scored 6 points. He deeply regretted provoking Tang Long before the game. The reporter was pushed away by him, and he walked back to the locker room with a dark expression.
After defeating the Hawks, Mike Brown learned from his previous lessons. The second round of games would start in two days, so he only gave the players half a day off, allowing them to sleep well, and they would continue training in the afternoon.