Chapter 2 Section 2
The moment the second quarter began, LeBron immediately adopted a tight man-to-man defense on Lewis.
Stars are stars, after all.
Beyond their exceptional talent, judgment is also a star player's prowess.
Previously, Lewis could easily create space when driving past Larry Hughes or Pavlovic, but this time, his drives were not as easy.
Often, after he faked, LeBron had already anticipated his direction of penetration and was waiting for him at his next landing spot.
Lewis had no choice but to pass the ball to Turkoglu, letting him re-initiate the offense.
However, at the start of the second quarter, Tang Long was off the court. Big Z was clearly no match for Howard, let alone the aerial alley-oop specialty between Turkoglu and Howard.
Lewis drew LeBron in, then passed the ball to Turkoglu. Turkoglu initially moved slowly, then, when no one was paying attention, tossed the ball towards the backboard.
By the time Big Z reacted, Howard had already leaped up.
His jumping ability was indeed superb; even though Big Z jumped first, he was still a step behind Howard.
Howard extended his long arms and immediately executed a tomahawk dunk.
The Magic fans erupted with excitement. This was the Magic's signature offensive move, full of power and capable of igniting the crowd's fighting spirit.
Coupled with Howard's elegant movements and highly spectacular dunking style, it was hard for the fans not to be thrilled.
"This is why the Magic are ranked in the top four in the Eastern Conference this season. He and Turkoglu specialize in this kind of play. It looks somewhat unconventional, but ordinary players just can't defend it."
Even though the Cavaliers had Tang Long, Coach Zhang was still willing to praise the Magic's exquisite coordination.
"Turkoglu also played a very important role in this play," Yang Yi added. "It was Turkoglu who drew everyone's attention and then launched a surprise attack with the pass to Howard, which gave Howard the opportunity for an easy dunk."
"Big Z clearly can't defend him. I wonder if Mike Brown will substitute Tang Long back in now."
Soon.
The two in the broadcast booth learned that Mike Brown would not be putting Tang Long back on the court for the time being, as Tang Long was still sitting steadily on the bench. When the camera panned over, Mike Brown was explaining tactics to Varejao and Gibson. If he intended to put Tang Long on the court, he should have been explaining the strategy to Tang Long now.
This was also why Mike Brown was often teased. Many times, the established tactics had a vast difference from the situation on the court. Normally, a good coach in the moment would adjust their strategy, but Mike Brown often stuck to the original plan, perhaps just a few minutes earlier.
Fortunately, LeBron was on the court. After all, LeBron was a top-tier star. He had led the Cavaliers, with a lineup of half starters and half reserves, for over five minutes, maintaining a one-point lead.
More than half of the second quarter's five minutes had passed when Mike Brown finally substituted Tang Long in.
The Magic, with full energy in the first two quarters, maintained their performance on both ends of the court. By the end of the second quarter, the Magic had scored 20 points, trailing the Cavaliers by only one point.
During the break, the assistant coach whispered a few words in Mike Brown's ear. Mike Brown glanced at Tang Long and then, holding the tactical board, began to outline the strategy for him.
"Tang, in the third quarter, the Magic will likely start with their reserves. This is our opportunity, but LeBron and Larry Hughes will need to rest. So, you need to lead the team. You need to create more chances in the paint, and then Gibson and Pavlovic will pass you the ball. You score. Can you do it?"
"No problem."
Tang Long readily agreed.
"Also, if you have too many scoring opportunities and Gortat can't defend you, they will definitely send Howard in. You need to draw a few more fouls from him, preferably two more like in the first quarter, so he also has to sit on the bench in the third quarter."
Tang Long gave Mike Brown a helpless glance and said, "Coach, I can only say, I'll try my best."
Howard seemed to be showing some signs of maturity. In the past, he would have had constant "sick plays," but in this game, Howard was clearly not being too flashy.
"Not 'try my best,' it's 'all out',"
Mike Brown glared at Tang Long impatiently.
Soon, the third quarter began.
The Magic's reserve lineup consisted mostly of blue-collar players, and their strength was a notch below the Cavaliers' semi-starter lineup. Furthermore, with Tang Long at center, the Magic had a difficult start.
Mike Brown's instructions were effective. Before Howard could even come on, Tang Long had already drawn two more fouls from Gortat.
The Cavaliers players were all excited.
Especially Varejao and Gibson.
Playing with Tang Long on the court was indeed a very comfortable experience.
"You cunning Dragon Countryman, your behavior is too despicable!"
To be honest, ever since Tang Long became the Cavaliers' second star and the league started paying significant attention to him, he had rarely encountered personal attacks.
Trash talk was usually meant to disrupt the opponent's mindset, focusing purely on skill. But escalating to racial slurs was almost unheard of. He hadn't expected to encounter this.
Tang Long casually glanced at Gortat and said, "You will absolutely not win two games in this finals. If you win one, it's because I'm letting you. I said it, you piece of shit..."
Tang Long extended his little finger.
"Fuck."
Gortat, muttering curses, prepared to swing his fist at Tang Long. However, Turkoglu was quicker and directly restrained him.
Tang Long stood his ground, unmoving.
A smirk lingered on his lips.
Gortat couldn't stand it. Even though Turkoglu was holding him back, he continued to yell defiantly.
Tang Long remained still and even gestured for Turkoglu to let Gortat go.
LeBron and the rest of the Cavaliers teammates rushed over. As the tension between the two sides escalated, the referee blew his whistle, and both Tang Long and Gortat received a technical foul.
"Remember what I said."
In the Dragon Country broadcast booth, Coach Zhang and Yang Yi exchanged bewildered glances.
Tang Long had a good reputation in the league, and there had never been such a heated game. The two were stunned for a few seconds before Yang Yi reacted quickly.
"Coach Zhang, it's rare for us to see Tang Long get angry."
Coach Zhang nodded. "I could still vaguely hear Gortat speaking obscenities earlier. I heard words that included 'Dragon Country.' While Tang Long has a good temper, he wouldn't tolerate something like that."
"This is much more serious than provoking Tang Long. It's highly likely Tang Long is going to lock him down in this game."
"I wonder how many points Howard will score in this game. Howard was very low-key during interviews before, but Gortat really managed to enrage Tang Long!"