Pau Gasol had never hated anyone so much, not even when people called him soft on the court, he'd forgive them.
But Pau Gasol decided he wouldn't forgive Tang Long.
Gasol thought bitterly to himself, and this directly improved his free-throw accuracy.
The second shot finally went in.
91:94.
"Tang, you just wait for me."
Gasol said after making the free throw.
He'd decided to stick to this guy every step of the way, absolutely not giving him any chance to shoot.
"Paul, you're too naive!"
Gasol's composure instantly shattered.
It felt like he was a rookie facing a formidable opponent, only to be defeated. Then, after ten years of rigorous training, he finally descended the mountain to find his nemesis.
And this guy tells him: "What? You trained for ten years? That's ten years! What else could you have done in those ten years? That was your youth!"
Can you blame him for losing it?
At this moment, Gasol felt a sense of helplessness, like punching cotton.
"Alright Paul, don't throw a tantrum. Focus on playing."
The Lakers players started to console the angry Gasol.
"This guy is really as childish as a kid. He needs his teammates to comfort him while playing? Hilarious!"
Tang Long looked innocently at LeBron James.
James turned his head away, his face twitching.
Honestly, James was starting to sympathize with Gasol.
After all, they would be matched up again soon.
"Tang, I advise you to be kind, or someone might play dirty and mess with you!"
"Don't worry, Gasol isn't that kind of person."
Tang Long added, "Besides, even if he were, I have a million ways to deal with him!"
"Gasol's wife?"
James looked at Tang Long suspiciously.
He didn't quite understand why Tang Long referred to Gasol as his brother's wife.
"Isn't his brother the one on the Grizzlies?"
This time, Tang Long was the one whose composure broke.
"Shut up and play."
Tang Long glared at James, then went to the free-throw line and passed the ball to him. "I don't need to tell you, right?"
"You don't need to say anything. Don't I know how to manage the clock?"
With less than a minute left in the game, the Lakers had tried to defend this possession and then score themselves, at least to tie or take the lead.
Unexpectedly, as soon as LeBron James brought the ball past half-court, he started circling around, a couple of steps away from the three-point line.
Time ticked by second by second. Fifteen seconds passed, and the Lakers players were still debating whether to foul.
After all, fouling at this point would be like giving away two free points.
This indecision also affected the Lakers' overall mindset.
It wasn't until twenty seconds later that LeBron James suddenly drove to the basket.
At least three Lakers players doubled-teamed him, and Kobe also swarmed in.
In such a critical situation, the Cavaliers would definitely not pass the ball to a role player casually.
Only the star players had the right to shoot.
The Lakers' strategy was actually sound.
But in a flash, James threw the ball towards the basket.
"Damn it!"
Kobe cursed, suddenly remembering Tang Long was still under the basket.
LeBron James had drawn their attention from the perimeter, and the players were already on edge, focused on the ball.
Tang Long had been quiet under the basket, causing the Lakers players to overlook him. When James passed the ball out, Kobe suddenly realized Tang Long was still there.
Kobe stretched his neck, watching the ball's trajectory, holding his breath.
"Thank goodness!"
Gasol was at the basket, matched up against Tang Long.
He hated Tang so much; he certainly wouldn't let Tang score easily.
Gasol thought the same.
As an experienced center, someone who could compete for the league's top interior players, Gasol saw LeBron's pass trajectory and knew he and Tang Long were going for an alley-oop!
Gasol spread his arms, blocking Tang Long behind him, his eyes locked on the flying basketball.
"Gasol's positioning is clever; he's got Tang Long blocked behind him."
"The Cavaliers might be a bit overconfident on this play. If the Lakers defend this, they'll still have a chance to shoot a three-pointer or a two-pointer... Oh my god... What do I see?!"
"Tang Long leaped from behind Gasol, jumping more than half his body past him, almost shoulder-to-shoulder!"
"Clearly, Gasol didn't expect Tang to still catch the ball after he'd squeezed him into the corner!"
"The ball is in! Tang Long slammed it home over Gasol!"
"Gasol was too careless. He didn't expect Tang Long's vertical leap to be that strong, to successfully catch and dunk in such a difficult situation!"
The commentators slapped their chests. They thought if the Lakers had defended this, they'd have another possession.
But who would have thought that with only a few seconds left, Tang Long and LeBron would execute a precise play and score!
91:96.
"The Cavaliers' lead has extended to five points. With thirty seconds left, the Lakers need two possessions to tie the game. This is going to be tough."
"If the Lakers lose this game, the Cavaliers will have match point. More importantly, if the Lakers lose at home, it will be even more difficult to win on the road at the Cavaliers' court!"
The commentators sighed regretfully.
Being there live, he could see the expressions of the players more clearly. The Lakers' momentum was clearly lower than the Cavaliers'.
"There's still time, don't rush. Give me the ball!"
At this critical moment, Kobe stepped up to stabilize the team.
"We're going for a three-pointer. If this shot goes in, we need to try to steal the inbound pass immediately. If Tang Long is inbounding, he'll definitely pass to Larry Hughes or LeBron!"
"So, Derek Fisher, you disrupt Tang's inbound pass. Lamar and I will defend the other two."
"This is Staples Center, come on everyone!"
The Lakers initiated a fast break, but the Cavaliers applied full-court pressure. Fisher, who had just started dribbling, was forced to stop and wait for his teammates to get open for a pass.
With that pause, five or six seconds passed.
By the time the ball reached Kobe, he was already eight seconds into his possession. He stood at the three-point line, double-teamed by Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.
Kobe feigned a drive, but facing a double-team, his breakthrough wasn't very effective. Time continued to tick away.
No more time, he had to shoot!
"Damn it, get out of my way!"
Kobe adjusted his stance and shot a fadeaway jumper.
"Bang!"
The ball hit the outermost rim and bounced out. Tang Long and Gasol simultaneously judged the rebound's trajectory, and both sprinted towards the ball still in mid-air.
"Tang, you're slower this time. This rebound is mine!"
Gasol extended his arms and swatted the ball towards his teammate's side.