After halftime, the Celtics intensified their defense on Tang Long. During this period, Drew Gooden patiently found his spots, moving back and forth in the paint to draw attention from opposing players.
Receiving a pass from Larry Hughes, Gooden turned and shot.
Two points!
52-48.
On the next possession, Garnett of the Celtics received the ball at the high post and returned the favor, but his shot was taken just inside the three-point line, counting as two points.
54-48.
Then Tang Long received a pass from Larry Hughes. Perkins and Garnett doubled-teamed him. Tang Long played patiently and, finding no opportunity to shoot, passed the ball to James.
The latter leaped high, caught the ball, and drove to the basket. Pierce wasn't able to keep up, and James easily made a layup.
54-50.
Immediately after, Ray Allen of the Celtics attempted a three-pointer.
57-50.
"This won't do, if we keep playing like this, we'll still be trailing. We need to increase our defensive intensity!"
Everyone was shooting well right now. If their shooting percentage dropped later, and they couldn't ramp up their defense, the Celtics would end up with the lead.
"Everyone is already doing their best!"
James knew what Tang Long was saying, but they were already very focused on defense.
After all, the Celtics had their Big Three. You couldn't just guarantee stopping these guys by simply giving your best effort.
If it were that easy, there wouldn't be superstars.
"I think we need to provoke KG a bit."
James was flustered and gave a sympathetic glance at the spirited Garnett.
He probably didn't realize that Tang Long was already scheming against him again. When Tang Long stirred him up later, he would likely become stubborn again.
James patted Tang Long on the shoulder: "Alright, I'll cooperate with you!"
The two of them would work together to draw fouls from Garnett. It was likely that Garnett's temper was always on the verge of exploding.
Garnett felt a chill down his spine as he saw James and Tang Long standing together, chattering and occasionally glancing in his direction.
But Pierce was guarding James, and he was only assisting Tang Long. What more could these two guys want?
Garnett soon found out.
When the Cavaliers initiated their offense, Drew Gooden came up to set a screen for James. Old James drove in from the right. Although there was an open player on the left, he deliberately drove towards Garnett's side.
Garnett was taken aback but had to defend.
James drove to the basket, and Garnett followed him. Old James switched hands in mid-air and slammed the ball in with his left hand!
"Hey! KG, your footwork is a bit too slow!"
After scoring the dunk, he didn't forget to taunt Garnett. Garnett glared at James angrily.
"Kevin, calm down. This guy is doing it on purpose."
Pierce came over to console Garnett.
He knew the Wolf King too well. When things were going smoothly, he was unstoppable. But if an opponent managed to get under his skin, he could become a bit reckless and less composed.
However, more often than not, Garnett was the one trash-talking and subtly bothering his opponents, so he usually enjoyed getting under their skin.
"I know..."
He wasn't fooled by the little tricks of James and Tang Long.
But knowing it didn't stop him from getting angry when provoked like this by two guys.
When the Celtics scored, James used the same tactic, specifically targeting Garnett.
This time, Garnett directly blocked James's shot. The two met in the air like two advanced fighter jets. In the brief moment of space, James shot, and Garnett went for the block.
Ultimately, James had an easier time on offense. He shot over Garnett's outstretched hand.
Two points!
Garnett's hand in mid-air didn't swing forward, but as he landed, he subtly tried to interfere with James.
"That smells awful. What's wrong, LeBron? Do you not shower? No wonder it stinks. You're disgusting."
"What the f— are you talking about?"
James and Garnett immediately confronted each other again.
The referee was startled and rushed to get between them: "LeBron, Kevin, both of you, get back!"
By this point in the game, the referee had a pretty good idea of what was happening. Fortunately, the Celtics were leading. If the Celtics were behind, the tension between the teams would have already erupted.
Stern had emphasized that the viewership for the playoffs so far had surpassed hockey and baseball, and was chasing football.
Even games featuring Tang Long had viewership comparable to NFL playoff games.
If the finals could rival the Super Bowl, Stern would consider himself the greatest commissioner in the United States!
What's more, following the reports about Lin Xiaotian, Stern was highly concerned about factors that could affect the viewing experience.
The referees who had acted inappropriately before, while not facing legal consequences, were demoted to the development league. They would likely only officiate games in that league for the rest of their careers. This was a significant financial loss.
After all, referees earned the bulk of their income from game bonuses. A bonus for officiating a finals game could be equivalent to an entire regular season. He didn't want to see anyone get into trouble at this juncture.
"Damn it, you saw that just now, KG started the name-calling."
"What's it to you? Get back."
The referee glared at Tang Long impatiently. Had it been anyone else, he might have given him a technical foul.
But the referee didn't dare to easily T up Tang Long. Since the league's inception, he hadn't seen the league place such importance on a foreign player.
Yao Ming was very popular in the early years, but referees didn't hesitate to call fouls against him when necessary, and the league didn't say much.
However, referees who made bad calls against Tang Long were demoted the next day.
The league convened a meeting, and the Referees Committee specifically instructed that Tang Long should be treated with the same respect as superstars like James and Kobe. Anyone who messed around would be sent to the development league immediately.
So, the referee merely glared at Tang Long, telling him to mind his own business.
Tang Long sheepishly ducked his head and went to high-five James.
This scene was naturally observed by Doc Rivers on the sidelines. He angrily approached Mike Brown: "Mike, control your player. You can't be this shameless."
Mike Brown retorted, unwilling to be outdone: "Doug, get your facts straight. KG was the one cursing first. If anyone needs to control their player, it's you. You haven't cleaned up your own act, and you have the nerve to talk about others?"
"Hmph, we'll see!"
"Tch..."
Mike Brown snorted dismissively, clearly not taking Doc Rivers' threat seriously. He turned his gaze back to the court.
Since they started targeting Garnett, the Cavaliers' offense had become significantly smoother. The score was now 60-58, and the Cavaliers had erased the deficit!
It was now the Celtics' possession. If they could defend this possession, and then score on their next one, the Cavaliers would regain the initiative!