A fan who had just gone to the restroom returned and rubbed their eyes, thinking they had misread the scoreboard.
Not only were the Cavaliers leading, but they were also playing with an unstoppable momentum. Even when the Magic's starters came back, they had no answer for Tang Long and LeBron James.
"Are these guys on drugs! They looked like they were out of gas just a moment ago, how are they so full of energy now!"
"Who's their strength and conditioning coach? I think we should offer a lot of money to poach him, he's amazing!"
The Magic players grumbled, and more importantly, they realized their stamina seemed to be worse than the Cavaliers, who had already played three quarters.
"Focus, we're still trailing."
Hedo Türkoğlu couldn't help but remind his teammates.
"Fortunately, the Cavaliers' scoring relies mostly on Tang and LeBron. As long as we stop these two, the others are nothing to fear."
"J.J. and I will double-team Tang!" Al Harrington stepped forward.
"I'll help with LeBron!" Jameer Nelson added.
"I'll defend the perimeter!"
Türkoğlu nodded at his teammates. With a double-team strategy, he didn't believe they couldn't stop Tang Long and LeBron James.
As the Cavaliers inbounded the ball, Tang Long noticed the Magic's defense had become much more determined.
Previously, Dwight Howard had been mindful of fouls, but now Howard and Harrington, who had come to double-team, were very aggressive. They were sticking closer than before, and as soon as Tang Long got the ball, they would immediately swarm him, leaving him no space to shoot.
Tang Long tried to push Howard away with his shoulder, but Howard's stance was incredibly solid, and Harrington kept slapping at the ball. It wasn't impossible to force a shot, but the effect was clearly not good.
With no other choice, Tang Long passed the ball back to James!
James was in a similar situation. As soon as he received the ball, Nelson doubled down, blocking his driving lanes. He also had to pass the ball.
At this point, the performance of the other Cavaliers players became crucial.
When Larry Hughes received the pass from James, he felt a dark shadow lunging at him. Türkoğlu had been watching James's passing lanes.
The ball was batted away by Türkoğlu.
Fortunately, Sasha Pavlović was also sufficiently focused and managed to recover the ball. Taking advantage of the open space, he quickly drove to the basket and made an easy layup.
With those two points, the Cavaliers had extended their lead to ten.
Türkoğlu frowned.
That play should have resulted in a steal, but not only did they fail to steal it, it also gave the Cavaliers offensive space.
Now trailing by ten, this game was going to be tough.
How could these guys have so much energy?
It wasn't just Türkoğlu who was curious; even the other Cavaliers players felt less fatigued than usual today, seeming to get more energized as the game progressed.
They didn't overthink it, attributing it to the excitement of being on the court!
"What's going on? We were leading, and now suddenly we're trailing!"
Dwight Howard stood at the free-throw line, his face dark with anger.
The Magic had been leading, but in the blink of an eye, they were down by ten.
"Give me that damn ball later!"
Türkoğlu glanced at Howard, opened his mouth, and then swallowed his words.
When leading, it was fine, but when trailing, he feared his teammates' mindsets might change, making it difficult to unite. After all, basketball was a team sport.
He looked at the Cavaliers side with a hint of envy.
After Pavlović made the shot, Tang Long and James excitedly rushed to embrace each other. The Cavaliers hadn't complained when they were trailing. A team like this was hard not to win with.
Grateful that there was still time, Türkoğlu steadied himself and began to organize the next offense.
...
"Where are they?"
"Don't know."
"A bunch of useless people!"
Several men in suits observed their surroundings. With people coming and going, they didn't dare to make too much noise.
"You guys watch the stadium, I'll go back and report to the boss."
After these men left, Lin Xiaotian, who had been hiding in a corner, slowly emerged.
Initially, he had intended to find Tang Long directly to tell him about this matter. However, along the way, Tang Long's unique nature had ignited his stubbornness to dig deeper.
The more he dug, the more meticulously he researched, and he had also attracted the attention of the bookmaking organizations.
His trip to Florida wasn't just to gather insider information; he also wanted to warn Tang Long. He hadn't expected them to track him down.
Hearing that these people were preparing to stake out the stadium, Lin Xiaotian thought for a moment and decided on a surprise move, opting to wait for Tang Long at the Cavaliers' hotel.
...
*Beep!*
On the court, James received a pass from Larry Hughes. With a fake, he faked out Hedo Türkoğlu and drove straight to the basket.
However, Jameer Nelson came to help defend, and the two collided. Nelson couldn't withstand James's mass and was knocked to the ground.
James, holding the ball, was ready to shoot free throws.
But the referee called an offensive foul on James.
"What the hell?"
James stared with disbelief.
"How did you see that? He was blocking me, how could it be a foul on me?"
James was furious.
The referee was right there; how could he call it like that?
The referee ignored James and signaled for a Magic ball possession.
This greatly displeased James, who shouted at the referee, "Can't you ref? It was clearly a blocking foul on him!"
*Beep!*
The referee blew his whistle again.
James received a technical foul.
"Fuck, I..."
Tang Long quickly stepped in to hold James back.
"LeBron, don't be impulsive."
Tang Long was worried that James might argue with the referee further, potentially leading to more fouls. After all, the Cavaliers were still leading by nine points.
James looked at Tang Long. Although very annoyed, he nodded obediently.
He was willing to listen to Tang Long's words.
Nelson made the free throw, and the Magic regained possession, which re-energized the team's flagging morale.
After Türkoğlu brought the ball past half-court, he passed it directly to Lewis for the offense. Lewis dribbled once, moved a step, and shot from behind the three-point line.
James rushed to defend and jumped.
*Swish!*
Three-pointer made.
*Beep!*
James fouled again.
Lewis was awarded an additional free throw.
A three-point play.
There was nothing to say about this play; James had become a bit impatient, fouling Lewis by hitting his arm while blocking.
Tang Long looked at the grim-faced James, hesitated for a moment, and swallowed his words.
The Cavaliers drove to the Magic's basket again. As Tang Long received the pass from Larry Hughes, Nelson slapped at the ball.
"Fuck! Damn..."
Nelson hit the ball, but his fingernails grazed Tang Long's arm, drawing several blood streaks.
Tang Long held the ball and looked at the referee.
The referee showed no reaction. In that moment of stunned pause, Nelson directly snatched the ball from Tang Long's hands!