"Larry, can you get a block on him? Block him!"
Tang Long stood under the basket, waiting for the rebound.
He had a feeling that Garnett wouldn't make this shot.
Although Larry Hughes was shorter than Garnett, his vertical leap was impressive.
The moment Garnett jumped to shoot, Hughes jumped with him, not intending to block Garnett's shot, but stretching out his arm and placing his hand over Garnett's eyes.
This 'eye-blocking' defensive move was clearly learned from Battier.
As everyone knows, Battier was very good at the eye-blocking technique, often using it when defending players like Kobe Bryant one-on-one.
"Good job, Larry, a perfect score for this eye-blocking move!"
James also shouted from the side.
"KG, this shot is going to be bricks."
"Bang!"
Amidst countless sarcastic remarks, Garnett's mid-range shot actually missed.
The ball's arc was clearly off, and it even fell short. Tang Long, guarding the paint, immediately activated his [Absolute Rebound] skill. Seeing the wrong trajectory, he quickly adjusted his position to secure the most advantageous rebounding spot.
Before Perkins could react, he had already firmly grabbed the rebound.
"Little kid, I said you wouldn't make it, and you didn't. What else would you call yourself if not trash?"
After securing the defensive rebound, Tang Long dribbled the ball up the court, not forgetting to taunt Garnett.
"You damn guy, I'll make you pay for provoking me sooner or later!"
Garnett was furious. He was always the one bullying others on the court, and he had never been bullied before.
Tang Long's actions were clearly slapping him in the face.
"Tang, over here, pass the ball!"
On the other side, James was stunned when he saw Tang Long grab the defensive rebound and dribble the ball upcourt by himself.
Tang Long was a center, yet his dribbling skills were so amazing?
He really couldn't understand how this guy managed it.
However, they had no idea that Tang Long had activated Aomine Daiki's [Super High-Speed Dribble] and sprinted to the Celtics' basket in just a few steps.
When James looked up, he saw Tang Long tossing the ball high into the air, waiting for him to jump and catch it!
In later generations, the LeBron-Dwyane combination reigned supreme.
But in this era, the LeBron-Tang combination was just as explosive in the Quicken Loans Arena.
The next second, James instinctively jumped high, caught Tang Long's alley-oop pass, and slammed the ball fiercely into the basket!
"Clang!"
The reverberations of a powerful dunk echoed endlessly in the Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers were now up by seven points, with a clear advantage over the Celtics.
And this alley-oop play had thoroughly entertained the Cavaliers fans.
They all stood up, and some young men even took off their shirts and danced in the arena.
Gal Gadot, Scarlett Johansson, and Taylor Swift, all stood up excitedly, cheering for the perfect alley-oop!
"Wow! Tang, you're amazing, what incredible court vision! I think Tang could be a great point guard even if he didn't play center."
"That pass was so smooth! LeBron had just looked up, and Tang's pass was already at his head."
"Tang, you are such a cool man."
"Of course, and LeBron, you are also a shining star in this arena!"
The women screamed, completely overshadowing the men.
Tang Long and James's collaboration had completely ignited the passion of the Quicken Loans Arena.
On the Celtics' side, they were dejected. Being so thoroughly dominated by the Cavaliers was something they had never anticipated.
"Cheer up, it's only a seven-point deficit. We still have a chance to tie it. Don't get discouraged, give it your all and keep fighting!"
In their most difficult moment, Pierce stepped forward.
After all, he was the soul of the Celtics. Although Ray Allen and Garnett were also All-Stars, Pierce had always been the team's true leader.
His words carried weight.
"Raja, give me the ball once we cross half-court. I'll lead the comeback and bring us home."
Pierce walked up to Rajon Rondo and whispered.
Rondo at this time was just a sidekick to the Big Three, unlike his later self, whom fans affectionately called "Coach Rondo" for his fiery temper.
Rondo dared not disobey Pierce's instructions and nodded, slowly dribbling the ball past half-court.
At the top of the arc, Pierce received the ball with his back to the basket.
James was guarding him. It was crucial for James to step up in such critical moments.
After all, Pierce had strong individual scoring skills, and his "ground game" prowess had always been outstanding in the NBA.
After successfully receiving the ball, Pierce didn't rush his attack. Instead, he backed down James once, then drove to the strong side.
With just one step of separation, he pulled up for a fadeaway jumper. This rhythm was comfortable and something Pierce excelled at.
"Swish!"
The ball arced beautifully through the air. Pierce's mid-range jumper was perfectly executed.
James had tried his best to block or contest the shot, but it was no use. When a player is in the zone, shots like these are bound to go in.
Furthermore, Pierce was a player who could handle pressure. He knew he had to make this shot.
If they missed this possession, the Celtics would truly be in deep trouble.
"Oh my God!"
"Paul is on fire! He's completely unleashed against LeBron. That was a textbook fadeaway jumper. Even with LeBron's physical advantages, he couldn't stop Paul."
"This shot is crucial, adding two points for the Celtics."
The Cavaliers' commentators at the scorer's table were even cheering for Pierce.
The camera zoomed in on Pierce, and he smugly wiggled his fingers at James.
The message was clear: he was telling James that he wasn't good enough to defend him.
"Tang, you have to avenge me! Paul is mocking me!"
James walked to the basket and nudged Tang Long, saying.
"LeBron, don't worry. The next possession is mine. When I post up, pass me the ball, and I'll dunk on those two idiots until they're shut down!"
"Okay, that's the Tang we like! We love your fearless confidence!"
James smiled faintly and signaled Larry Hughes to give him the ball.
After bringing the ball past half-court and seeing Tang Long successfully post up, he immediately passed the ball to Tang Long in the paint, letting him go one-on-one against Perkins.
"Fatty Two, are you ready for the storm? I'm going to dunk over you on this play. Watch closely!"
Tang Long spoke in a way that was meant to provoke, threatening to dunk on Perkins at any moment.
He even called him "Fatty Two," which was indeed Perkins' nickname.
Hearing Tang Long taunt him like this, Perkins' face turned green with anger. He retorted, "Tang, don't push your luck too far. You think you can dunk on me? Bring it on. If I don't block this shot out of bounds, then I'm not saying my name!"