The Lakers, leveraging their home-court advantage and excellent team performance, defeated the Jazz 111-104 to take the match point!
In this game, Odom scored 22 points personally, and Kobe dropped 26 points.
Although Deron Williams scored a game-high 27 points, compared to the Lakers' starters, Okur was clearly outmatched by Gasol, and Kirilenko didn't perform as well as Odom.
Through this game, Tang Long gained a deeper understanding of the Lakers as a whole.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs' inability to defeat the Lakers was clearly due to their overall strength not being as good as the Lakers'.
This year's NBA Finals will be against the Lakers!
Tang Long was confident about one-on-one matchups against Gasol, and LeBron was not weaker than Kobe.
However, with Odom, Fisher, and Radmanovic, the Cavaliers' lineup appeared somewhat thin.
He still needed to find a way to address this...
After watching the game, Tang Long, Guo Qiang, and Jonas did not enter the Lakers' locker room. They waited for Sun Yue outside the stadium.
Before long, Sun Yue emerged from the stadium. This was his first private meeting with Tang Long.
After a brief greeting to Jonas and Guo Qiang, Sun Yue turned his attention to Tang Long.
"Tang Long, this is our first time meeting privately, isn't it?"
The appearance of Tang Long and the other two clearly indicated it was about the national team. Although he was benched for the Lakers, his experience made him a key player for the national team.
As the two were talking, a voice from behind them said, "Tang, hello, I'm Jeanie Buss."
"Hello, Miss Jeanie!" Tang Long replied with a smile.
"I didn't expect Mr. Tang to be here. You should have informed me in advance so I could welcome you."
Since taking over the Lakers' operations, Jeanie had been reluctant to manage daily affairs, which had led to criticism from fans and the team.
She understood business well, tightly controlling the rights to trade and re-sign the Lakers' star players. Coming from a business family, she clearly knew where the core power lay.
During the first half of the regular season when Kobe was having temper tantrums, the Lakers' scouts had considered acquiring Tang Long, but Cavaliers owner Gilbert had understood Tang Long's value too well.
The Lakers could only seek other centers, which led to the acquisition of Gasol.
"I just came to see a friend and watch the game. Sorry to have disturbed the beautiful owner."
"Tang, can you understand me? Are you complimenting me?"
"Of course, everyone says that Jeanie might not be a good manager, but everyone would definitely want to marry her."
Jeanie Buss shot Tang Long a playful glare.
She had heard these jokes before, but coming from Tang Long's mouth, the air inexplicably felt charged with a sense of enchantment and ambiguity.
Moreover, Westerners were generally bold. Jeanie blinked her large eyes and gazed into Tang Long's, asking, "Then, Mr. Tang, would you be willing to marry me?"
This...
Tang Long was instantly dumbfounded.
This beautiful owner was too formidable!
"Alright, I won't disturb you. Next time you come to see our Lakers, be sure to call me."
With that, Jeanie Buss handed Tang Long her business card.
Tang Long felt helpless. He had only intended to watch a game and communicate with his national teammates. Who would have thought he would meet the Lakers owner, and a beautiful one at that.
A formidable beauty of Los Angeles!
"You're something else!"
Sun Yue couldn't help but give Tang Long a thumbs up.
As a star from Cleveland, even the beautiful owner of the Lakers was throwing him an invitation.
"Should I be modest, or should I be proud?"
"Of course, you should be proud," Guo Qiang patted Tang Long's shoulder. "Young man, you're bringing honor to our country!"
The three men exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat something good."
They were all from Long Guo. Meeting in a foreign land naturally called for the person who brought them to treat.
Sun Yue took Tang Long and the other two to a Chinese restaurant, where they ordered characteristic American-Chinese cuisine and chatted about everything under the sun.
Seeing that the three of them were not getting to the point after a long time, Jonas couldn't help but interrupt, "We came here to get to know each other better so we can cooperate better in the national team in the future!"
Sun Yue's speed and penetration were commendable. As a tall point guard, Sun Yue was a versatile player.
The reason Guo Qiang had called Tang Long was naturally to have Sun Yue and Tang Long coordinate more with inside cuts on the court.
"Cooperation won't be a problem. I've watched most of Tang Long's games. To be honest, he really makes us Long Guo people proud! But I've also been wondering, if Yao Ge plays another position, it might be a waste of his talent and limit his performance. Will Tang Long feel unfamiliar playing power forward?"
"No problem. Yao Ge can play center. As for me, I still have the NBA Finals to play, and everyone can get to know me better through the Finals."
Tang Long now realized that the template of Daiki Aomine might appear more due to the Olympics. After all, he was always a center for the Cavaliers and had the ability to change the game.
However, his position would need to be adjusted during the Olympics, and at that time, Daiki's template would come in handy.
"Oh?"
Jonas looked at Tang Long suspiciously, not understanding why he was so confident.
Having a suitable position was something many players pursued their entire lives. Tang Long's performance as a center was undeniable.
However, changing positions abruptly not only required adaptation but also talent and a new playstyle.
"I am Tang Long, nothing is impossible!"
Tang Long shrugged with a nonchalant attitude. The main reason was that he wanted to convey a message to Jonas: It was fine for Yao Ming to play center, and he could play other positions.
However, in Jonas's eyes, Tang Long seemed a bit too arrogant.
After eating and drinking, everyone prepared to depart.
Upon returning from Salt Lake City, Tang Long joined the team for training, preparing for the Eastern Conference Finals!
The Celtics and the Pistons battled to a seventh game to decide the winner, with the Game 7 being particularly grueling.
Garnett played 41 minutes, and Pierce played even more at 43 minutes, essentially playing the entire game.
In the Western Conference, after losing two games, the Lakers changed their playstyle and eventually defeated the Jazz 4-2.
The Spurs were similar to the Celtics; both teams played very hard. In their Game 7, Parker and Ginobili played over forty minutes, and Tim Duncan played thirty-nine minutes.
Although they defeated the Hornets in Game 7, for the Spurs, fatigue would directly impact the subsequent games.
After a few days of adjustment, both teams finally welcomed their respective finals.
In the East, it was the Cavaliers vs. the Celtics.
In the West, it was the Lakers vs. the Spurs.
Before the games, the media widely predicted which of these four teams would eventually meet on the Finals stage!