Augustin's bewildered expression quickly turned to delight as he received an accidental assist from Pavlovic.
A steal, just like that!
But as Augustin lifted the ball to pass to a teammate, Tang Long's hand reached from behind and snatched the ball cleanly.
Immediately, Tang Long executed a powerful dunk!
With a steal and a dunk, Tang Long's playoff stats became even more impressive.
Augustin glared at Tang Long, his face darkening.
This guy was indeed as annoying as Gortat had said.
"Is the Magic going to send in their starters? They're lacking offensive players in the frontcourt, and they can't defend Tang Long's drives in the backcourt. Their bench unit is no match for the Cavaliers."
"Look, he's been stripped again..."
While the commentators debated whether the Magic should make a substitution, Kenyon Doolin passed the ball to Augustin.
However, as Augustin caught the ball, Tang Long reached from behind, his arm going around Augustin's waist, and poked the ball away.
Drew Gooden caught the loose ball and immediately passed it to James.
James drove quickly to the basket, delivering a signature dunk over two Magic players.
The Magic fans fell silent, their earlier cheers gone.
"Stay calm, we're still up by ten."
Kenyon Doolin reassured Augustin before inbounding the ball.
Keith Bogans attempted to set a screen for Kenyon Doolin, but Larry Hughes saw through it. Doolin pulled back and took a pull-up jumper from beyond the arc, but the ball hit the backboard again.
Tang Long grabbed the rebound and passed to a teammate. As they crossed into the opponent's half, James leaped up for a shot and answered with a three-pointer.
The shot was good!
The Magic's bench morale plummeted, directly affecting their offense.
The Cavaliers seized the opportunity, capitalizing on turnovers to score consecutive points.
"BEEP!"
Van Gundy quickly called a timeout.
In the meantime, the Cavaliers had erased an eleven-point deficit, and the advantage they had built in the first quarter was now just five points early in the second.
"Let's stick to the first quarter's rhythm."
Van Gundy called a short timeout and said only a few words before the referee's whistle blew.
The Magic's starters returned to the court.
"Van Gundy's substitutions were too slow. If he had brought in the starters earlier, the team wouldn't have lost its big lead and be back to square one, even if they're still ahead by five."
"But the ball is still with the Cavaliers. If they score on this possession, the lead will be cut to just one basket!"
A five-point lead, with more than two quarters left, was hardly a significant advantage.
The commentators seemed puzzled by Van Gundy's actions, as if he could have substituted earlier but kept delaying it.
After both teams resumed play, Howard was once again guarding Tang Long.
Although Howard was often the subject of jokes, his skill among active centers in the league was undoubtedly top-three.
Receiving a pass from James, Howard guarded Tang Long closely. Tang Long tried to use his shoulder to push Howard, who had already planted himself firmly under the basket.
Unable to get any closer, Tang Long could only attempt a hook shot.
Howard seemed to anticipate Tang Long's move and shifted his body, reaching out to block the shot.
Fortunately, Tang Long's move was quicker. As Howard rose, Tang Long flicked his wrist, pushing the ball up.
Tang Long had narrowly avoided a block from Howard.
"Damn, that was close!"
Tang Long breathed a sigh of relief, having been startled. A block by Howard at this crucial juncture would have severely impacted the team's morale.
Fortunately, the shot went in, and the deficit was reduced to three points.
The Cavaliers' offense followed their usual pattern, with Teletovic controlling the tempo.
Evans and Nelson moved out wide. After Lewis drew the Cavaliers' defense, he took a shot.
Having played exceptionally well in the first quarter, Lewis had found his shooting touch and was frequently taking shots in the second. In the first five minutes, he had made all six of his attempts for twelve points.
With the final possession of the second quarter, the Cavaliers attacked. The score was 65-61, with the Magic still leading by four.
Tang Long went up for another hook shot in the paint and successfully scored 2 more points.
At the end of the second quarter, the Magic led 65-63, but their advantage was razor-thin.
During the halftime break, the cheerleaders performed enthusiastically on the court. Meanwhile, the camera cut back to the domestic broadcast booth.
"Coach Zhang, the Cavaliers are having a very tough game. What are your thoughts on this?"
"The Cavaliers are still missing a reliable scorer!"
Coach Zhang took over the conversation. "This game also highlights that once James and Tang Long are contained, the Cavaliers' offensive options become limited. If they rely solely on James' drives and Tang Long's play in the paint, NBA coaches will quickly devise strategies to counter such one-dimensional tactics!"
Coach Zhang paused and continued, "And this is just the Magic. Against a team like the Spurs, a tactical coach like Popovich would quickly exploit this weakness to attack the Cavaliers. Therefore, the Cavaliers really need to develop new scoring threats!"
"Besides, James and Tang Long command too much possession, which can cause other players' shooting touch to decline. In this regard, the Cavaliers need to give their teammates more opportunities."
"The key issue is that even with opportunities, their scoring ability is somewhat lacking," Yang Yi interjected. "After playing several playoff games, we can see they have talent, but they lack the big-heart factor. They're not decisive enough when taking crucial shots!"
Coach Zhang nodded. "This is indeed a problem the Cavaliers are facing. It remains to be seen how Mike Brown will resolve it."
...
"Larry Hughes, you need to drive to the basket more. You can't just stay on the perimeter waiting for passes; you need to take offensive responsibility!"
"And you, Gooden, you need to share the pressure under the basket with Tang. If you're just standing by, how can the offense function?"
Mike Brown unleashed a barrage of criticism at the Cavaliers' players.
He was extremely dissatisfied with some of the other players in this game. Tang Long and James were drawing at least three defenders from the Magic.
The Cavaliers had plenty of scoring opportunities, but these players weren't aggressive enough on the court, making it increasingly difficult for Tang Long and James to play.
Larry Hughes and the others hung their heads in dejection after being scolded.
After going up 2-0, they had indeed become somewhat complacent, which was the reason for falling behind by double digits in the first quarter.
"Big Z, Gibson, Varejão, you'll start in the third quarter."
The Cavaliers' starting five had played two full quarters consecutively. Although they were still trailing the Magic, Mike Brown had to give Tang Long and James some rest!