The Celtics initiated their offense. After crossing half-court, Pierce passed the ball directly to Garnett. All players immediately spread out, creating space for Garnett to single-handedly guard James.
James constantly used subtle tactics to disrupt Garnett. The latter attempted a drive, but James stuck to his steps. Garnett seemed to have no offensive solution and feigned a pass to Ray Allen at the top of the arc.
James also believed Garnett was going to pass, so his gaze began to shift.
At that moment, Garnett suddenly exerted force, driving to the basket in two steps. Facing Tang Long's defense, he raised his knee as he jumped.
Tang Long was startled. In the brief moment of hesitation, Garnett decisively shot.
Two points made.
2:2.
After the opening, it was the main stars of both teams choosing to attack. Compared to James's offensive style, Garnett's was truly annoying, and the fans didn't hesitate to voice their boos.
The Wolf King was accustomed to the boos and paid no mind, even taking the opportunity to taunt Tang Long.
"Why aren't you coming to block anymore? Aren't you good at blocking? So you're a softie too. I really don't know how you racked up those stats!"
"What are you talking about? Watch your mouth!"
Larry Hughes rushed over, ready to argue with Garnett. The guy looked relaxed, raising his hands and shaking his shoulders, pretending to be innocent.
His expression was incredibly irritating!
"Tang, we're on your side, support you in teaching him a lesson."
Pavlovic and Drew Gooden chimed in.
James patted his chest, "You know, I'm always on your side!"
"Let's play the game first."
Tang Long clearly knew Garnett was intentionally provoking him to draw fouls.
After all, he had accumulated too many fouls in the previous quarters. Mike Brown, considering the overall rhythm of the game, would have to substitute him for Big Z to prevent him from fouling out.
Damn it… trying to draw fouls on me.
He must be out of his mind.
Let's see how I blow you up!
Tang Long snorted, inbounded the ball, passed it to Larry Hughes, and then rushed to the opponent's half.
To everyone's surprise, after a pick-and-roll between Tang Long and James, Tang Long didn't immediately settle into position. He stood at the elbow, waiting for James to drive to the basket.
When the ball was passed back to Tang Long, people realized that in such a dangerous position, no one was defending Tang Long?
Perkins and Garnett doubled him almost simultaneously.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew; Garnett was called for a foul.
Instantly, Garnett's face turned dark.
Perkins was in a better position and was the closest player to charge towards Tang Long.
However, Tang Long managed to hang in the air for a moment, using his arm to push against Garnett as he shot.
The shot missed, but it resulted in Garnett's foul.
"KG, you've got a foul!"
Tang Long wagged a finger in front of Garnett's face. James and the other Cavaliers players covered their faces.
They couldn't bear to watch.
Tang Long's revenge was always swift; he never let grudges fester.
Garnett tried to draw a foul on him, but Tang Long didn't fall for it and instead drew a foul on him.
Although this was just the first foul of the game, for Garnett, picking up a foul so early meant he would have to be more careful in his subsequent actions.
Moreover, seeing Tang Long's smug look, he really wanted to punch him.
While thinking this, Garnett slowly calmed down.
He couldn't fall for this guy's tricks!
After taking a few deep breaths, he managed to suppress his impulsive urge!
The Celtics regrouped. Larry Hughes defended Pierce.
Pierce dribbled, probing, his shaking shoulders ready to transform into a cheetah lunging towards the Cavaliers' basket.
However, Larry Hughes had learned his lesson and maintained a small half-step distance from Pierce, allowing him space to step up and block, yet not allowing Pierce to suddenly break through to the basket.
This made Pierce uncomfortable. He dribbled between his legs, took a step back, and passed the ball to Perkins.
"Big Baby" Perkins found it difficult to post up and back down Tang Long, so after a brief probe, he passed the ball back to Pierce.
As Pierce received the ball, he quickly drove to the basket. By the time Tang Long stepped up to defend, he had already shot.
Another solid two points!
4:4.
The game was fiery from the start, with Pierce and Garnett each taking one shot.
"This game is very exciting. Both teams are top players in the league, and they aren't taking blind shots on offense. Every shot is a killing blow. This is a duel of masters!"
In the Chinese broadcast room, Yang Yi and Yu Jia were commentating on the game.
Yang Yi was now Tang Long's biggest fan. As a basketball enthusiast, he felt his life was complete to witness such a spectacular matchup.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but the tension between the two teams seems to be quite high!"
Yu Jia remarked, "When the camera switched just now, did you notice that Tang Long and Garnett seemed to be in a standoff!"
"I saw it too," Yang Yi chuckled. "It's probably the All-Star game. After the All-Star game, Doc Rivers was heavily criticized by the media. For several games, assistant coaches attended the press conferences.
"When these two meet in this game, it's hard not to expect fireworks… Oh, Tang Long seems to have made a mistake here. Garnett is only one step away from Tang Long."
Yang Yi's excited voice was still echoing in the broadcast room as Garnett charged towards Tang Long.
Tang Long had been distracted while passing, and the ball seemed to slip from his grasp. Garnett, just a step away, immediately rushed forward. However, Tang Long quickly pulled the ball back.
"Sorry, made you run for nothing."
Tang Long's playful expression was akin to a king losing a game with toxic teammates, only for the enemy's support to make a bye-bye emote.
At that moment, he felt like beating the opponent to a pulp!
Garnett was having a similar thought.
Tang Long also saw something in Garnett's eyes and smirked, an expression that made people want to punch him. He immediately stepped forward and shot.
Garnett instinctively jumped to defend, but as he swung his arm, he exclaimed.
"Fuck."
He had been tricked.
Sure enough… Tang Long shot towards his arm again.
Beep!
The shot went in, and he also drew another foul on Garnett.
"Ref, he intentionally bumped into my arm. How can that be my foul? I demand a replay."
The referee gave Garnett a cold glance and signaled for the game to continue.
"Kevin, calm down."
Pierce came over and pulled him back.
"This is Cleveland. When we get back to Boston, we'll let them taste the home-court advantage!"