"Clang!"
The sound of blacksmithing immediately made the Cavaliers fans exclaim, followed by cheers.
Tang Long and Gasol made a judgment on the trajectory of the rebound almost simultaneously. The former was faster and grabbed the rebound first.
Gasol was still not giving up, blocking Tang Long, his hands still flying back and forth in front of Tang Long's eyes, both to prevent the Cavaliers' fast break and to try to steal the ball.
"Paul, don't you feel ashamed? You are a contender for the league's top center with me, how can you do this kind of thing? It's beneath you!"
Tang Long sighed with feigned distress.
It felt as if Gasol was originally a saintly figure, and it was unexpected that he would fall so low at this moment.
"Shut up, don't talk so much nonsense!"
Gasol had learned his lesson. He would never compete with Tang Long in verbal sparring. Ignoring him was the best approach. Only by speaking with strength could he make this guy completely submit.
"Paul, to be honest, who do you think is the league's number one center?"
"Definitely not you. How can you be so shameless?"
Gasol roared at Tang Long. However, as he looked up, the Cavaliers had already reached the Lakers' basket.
Gasol was still lingering behind, easily allowing James to make a simple layup.
27-35.
Seeing this, the Lakers players had dark expressions.
"Paul, you know this guy isn't a good person, please don't bother with him, okay?"
Kobe was speechless. He had never seen someone so bad at playing but so fond of playing.
"Kobe, don't worry, I will definitely defend Tang to death!"
Gasol also felt that his actions were somewhat inappropriate. He puffed out his chest and guaranteed it to his teammate.
Kobe glanced at him, said nothing, and restarted the offense.
This time, Kobe took the ball himself. After crossing half-court, he faced Drew Gooden's defense. He faked a crossover dribble as if to drive, then pulled the ball back, and then a between-the-legs dribble to break through from the right.
Kobe's moves were very deceptive, so much so that Drew Gooden didn't react in time. He moved back and forth and ended up sitting on the floor.
"Hahaha..."
The Cavaliers fans erupted in mockery.
Looking at Kobe again, he had already broken through to the three-second zone.
Tang Long, who was still fighting for position with Gasol, immediately judged that Kobe would not pass the ball this time, so he directly came out from under the basket to double-team Kobe.
Kobe still wanted to try the same trick, feigning a light tap with his fake move, planning to use his speed to create the illusion of a drive, and then, when Tang Long shifted, pull the ball back and go around the other side.
As Tang Long moved, he saw a slight change in Kobe's shoulder. He knew it was a fake move and didn't follow with a big step.
"Kid, you're interesting!"
Kobe's lips curled up. He didn't pause at all because Tang Long had seen through his next move. He immediately accelerated and drove towards the basket.
"Oh my god! A dunk from the Black Mamba! This score is absolutely spectacular. The Mamba even made Drew Gooden fall. Drew Gooden will be frustrated for a long time as a background prop in the Finals!"
The commentator couldn't help but cheer for this play.
Tang Long walked to the sideline with the ball. He was indeed a superstar!
Although he initially planned to use his speed to drive and then change direction, seeing that he had been seen through, Kobe immediately continued his previous move to drive.
The incredible flexibility and agility of his body were truly impossible to defend against.
If Kobe continued to drive to the basket, it would be a serious threat to the Cavaliers!
No way!
He absolutely couldn't let Kobe drive to the basket so easily.
Kobe who shoots is a good Kobe. When he drives, the defender is helpless.
"No, I still need to shrink my defensive range a bit."
After this wave of successful drives to the basket by the Cavaliers, the defense tightened its formation. When Kobe tried to drive in again, two players immediately came to double-team him.
He had no choice but to pull back and shoot. He made another two-point shot.
29-39.
"Tang, this isn't working either!"
Larry Hughes looked at Tang Long helplessly.
When the defense was tightened, it gave Kobe an opportunity to shoot from the perimeter.
Although the driving space was blocked, it also gave Kobe the chance to shoot from the outside.
For a superstar like Kobe, even a slight opportunity is enough.
"A superstar like Kobe, you can't defend every shot. Don't be discouraged."
"That's true!"
Larry Hughes nodded, took the pass from Tang Long, and headed straight for the Lakers' basket.
Odom came up to defend. Facing his aggressive defense, Tang Long intended to set a screen for Larry Hughes to give him a chance to drive.
Just as the screen was about to be successful, Odom surprisingly managed to get around it.
Odom had played averagely in the first two games. Now, after playing a few more games and becoming more familiar with the Cavaliers players, Odom's performance was improving.
As Larry Hughes broke out of the screen, he ran right into the charging Odom, and he had no choice but to pass the ball.
Odom was already prepared for Larry Hughes to pass.
As soon as the ball was passed, Odom's hand was already reaching for the ball.
"Whoosh!"
The crowd at the Q Arena gasped, and then Odom intercepted the ball.
His acceleration was extremely fast. Before Larry Hughes and the Cavaliers players could react, Odom had already grabbed the ball and was speeding up.
In almost the blink of an eye, Odom had reached the free-throw line.
He made a tomahawk dunk, and the Lakers' lead extended to twelve points.
29-41.
"Lamar, great job!"
"Yeah, that's right, take them down!"
The Lakers players high-fived Odom to celebrate, while the Cavaliers players hung their heads, especially Larry Hughes, who looked full of guilt.
"It's okay, it's only the second quarter, we still have a chance."
Tang Long patted Larry Hughes' shoulder to comfort him.
"Tang, I'm sorry, I was careless on that play!"
"It's nothing, everyone makes mistakes. We've been behind by this much before, and we still won, haven't we?"
"Tang is right, Larry. It was just two points given to the opponent. We'll just hit a three-pointer back."
LeBron also came over to comfort Larry Hughes.
With both of the team's stars saying this, Larry Hughes' spirits finally lifted a bit.
As LeBron said, he received a pass at the three-point line and immediately shot.
Unfortunately, the ball hit the rim and bounced high out.
Gasol and Tang Long vied for the rebound. The former intended to tip the ball away, and his fingers touched the basketball. However, the moment he exerted force, Tang Long had already grabbed the ball with both hands and dunked it directly!
31-41.
Seeing this, Gasol felt a sense of "Why was there only one Yu to my Liang!"
Why did he have to be matched against this guy? Why was this damn guy a center?!