The arena was buzzing with excitement during the finals, and the game inside was no less intense.
During the break, both coaches quickly explained their strategies to their players, and the reserves were all ears. However, one player from the Lakers had wandered over to the Cavaliers' side.
Fisher, pretending to take a drink, casually strolled over.
At first, Tang Long and the others were focused on listening to Mike Brown's instructions and didn't notice Fisher stretching his neck to eavesdrop on the Cavaliers' offensive and defensive tactics.
"Derek, come over here, you can hear better from this side."
It was then that the Cavaliers players, including Mike Brown, all turned to look at Fisher.
"What are you saying? I don't understand."
Fisher, a veteran of the league, without batting an eye, faced them and said, "I came to tell you to take it seriously. We won't be holding back in the fourth quarter."
Larry Hughes immediately got fired up upon hearing this.
"Who said we were holding back?"
Tang Long quickly held back Larry Hughes. Old Fish clearly just found an excuse, and getting angry over such a flimsy excuse would be falling right into Old Fish's trap.
"Derek, don't worry, we'll be absolutely serious. We guarantee you'll feel just how serious we are!"
"Okay, I'll pass on your words to my teammates."
With that, Fisher turned and sprinted back to the Lakers' huddle.
He had no choice but to run. Tang Long's stare was too terrifying, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
Of course, Fisher wouldn't actually relay all of this to his teammates.
When both teams' players returned to the court, the Lakers felt that the Cavaliers players were exceptionally fierce!
Tang Long played with exceptional toughness from the start.
Previously, when Gasol and Pavlovic double-teamed Tang Long, he would pass the ball to the perimeter, and then James or Larry Hughes would initiate the offense from there.
This time, however, Gasol was surprised to find that even against a double-team, Tang Long managed to push him aside and then make a hook shot off the glass from under the basket.
James was similar. Facing iron-clad defense, he drove aggressively and dunked over the defender!
Besides these two, the other three players were also exceptionally ferocious!
Previously, they would essentially stand and wait, but now Drew Gooden was switching between the left and right sides.
After a pick-and-roll, Pau Gasol drove straight to the baseline, drawing the defender's attention, and then quietly returned to the top of the arc to wait for the pass.
The fierce Cavaliers left the Lakers scrambling.
Even Kobe was struggling a bit, and he had a feeling that these guys had been saving their strength, all for this comeback!
If they continued playing at this pace, they might not be able to defeat the Cavaliers.
While the Lakers players were still in a daze, the Cavaliers' offense came again.
James received a pass from Larry Hughes beyond the three-point line and subtly signaled for Tang Long to come out from the paint for a pick-and-roll.
Tang Long immediately understood James's intention and came out from the three-second zone to set a screen for James.
As James drove towards the basket, Fisher came to help and crashed directly into Tang Long.
Thump!
Fisher felt like he had collided with a brick wall and was sent flying backward, landing squarely on his backside.
The referee was standing nearby and didn't blow the whistle. In a flash, James had already driven to the basket in three steps!
Kobe and Odom double-teamed him. 138Reading.com
James's shot was a bit off, but the ball bounced off the rim a couple of times before falling into the net.
83-88.
The Cavaliers were incredibly resilient at this point, now leading the Lakers by five points.
From trailing by twenty-one points to now taking the lead, the Cavaliers' performance truly made the Lakers feel an abnormal sense of dread.
Fisher's expression was priceless.
If his teammates found out that the Cavaliers' current performance was spurred by him, they would probably skin him alive.
Moreover, after playing for these few minutes, Fisher felt more tired than he had in the first three quarters.
Beep!
The Zen Master quickly called a timeout. This time, Phil Jackson called a long timeout.
Besides the players' sluggish performance, their stamina also worried Phil Jackson.
His players weren't playing with any excitement, which was a disaster. If they couldn't ignite their hormones and enter an excited state, they would naturally become more fatigued as the game progressed.
"Look back, look at the fans' eyes, look at yourselves in the fans' eyes."
As soon as the Lakers players returned, Phil Jackson unleashed his "hair dryer" treatment!
...
"From trailing to leading, and then to taking the lead, this game is almost a microcosm of the Cavaliers' season. We've also seen a spirit of resilience from the Cavaliers!"
Because it was a long timeout, after two commercials, the camera switched back to the broadcast booth. Yang Yi's face was slightly flushed.
He was simply too excited.
He thought this away game was a sure loss, but he never expected the Cavaliers to mount a desperate counterattack!
"After this long timeout, the Lakers will definitely attack fiercely. If the Cavaliers can withstand this wave of offense, then this game is basically in the bag!"
Coach Zhang's eyes also gleamed.
If they could win this away game and maintain their performance back at their home court, the championship this season would definitely belong to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If the Cavaliers could indeed win the championship this season, it would be of great significance not only to the Cavaliers but also to players from Long Country!
It wasn't that no players had achieved honors with teams overseas, but they were basically reserves or water carriers.
Tang Long would be the first player to win a championship in a major overseas league as the core player, something that had never happened in Long Country before.
It would even be crucial for domestic sports media professionals, as they would no longer need to resort to clickbait to praise domestic players.
Instead, they would be genuinely formidable!
Fans would no longer have to see headlines like "Wolfsburg wins 4-0 against their opponent, Zhang Xizhe scores a hat-trick," where Wolfsburg did win, but Zhang Xizhe was sitting on the bench wearing a hat.
"I believe in the Cavaliers' players, and I believe Tang Long can withstand the pressure. They are only one step away from the championship!"
...
Beep!
As the referee's whistle sounded, both teams' players returned to the court.
Vujacic hadn't played particularly well in this game, so Phil Jackson didn't make a substitution, and Marc Gasol remained on the court.
The Lakers players, who had just returned to the court, also displayed tenacious fighting spirit. As soon as they came back, Gasol almost blocked Drew Gooden's shot.
Fortunately, Tang Long rotated to cover and managed to tip it in, making the put-back.
Following that, the Lakers' offense came.
Kobe and Odom executed a play, drawing Tang Long out. Tang Long expected Kobe to pass to Gasol at the last moment and was a little slow to react. Kobe then drove to the basket for a dunk!
On the other end, Larry Hughes's pass was a beat late, and Kobe directly stole the ball!