In the CCTV-5 studio in Dragon Country.
"Tang Long with a post-up, using sheer strength to shove Wallace away!"
"Wallace's strength is like a child's compared to Tang Long!"
"Whoa! Tang Long goes for a turnaround jump shot? Are you kidding me, centers playing like this?"
"Wallace was completely caught off guard by Tang Long's move, frozen in place!"
"And it's a fadeaway jumper! Tang Long is on fire, playing like a guard!"
"Tang Long's score reminds me of Yao Ming!"
"The moves of the two Dragon Country players so far away in the NBA are so similar!"
"Wallace can't defend this kind of offense at all!"
"He's used to Tang Long's brute force, he didn't expect Tang Long to have this in his arsenal!"
Zhang Weiping commentated at breakneck speed.
Even Yao Ming hadn't put on such a wild performance in the NBA!
Apart from height, the most striking difference was Tang Long's low post isolation game!
He could dominate with physical strength, or toy with his opponent using skill!
When did Dragon Country ever produce a center like this!
Zhang Weiping found Tang Long's emergence utterly unreasonable!
On the court.
Tang Long easily scored two points and went back on defense.
38:36!
The Cavaliers regain the lead.
On the Pistons' side, Wallace has little independent offensive ability.
The Pistons' bench is comparable to the Cavaliers' bench, with few opportunities for breakthroughs.
Tang Long naturally has it easier, able to guard Wallace easily on the perimeter.
Wallace is feeling stifled now, unable to get the ball on the perimeter and unwilling to go inside.
As a starter, his offense is worse than a reserve's, all because he's facing Tang Long.
The Pistons miss their perimeter shot, and Tang Long activates his [Absolute Rebound] skill, easily securing the rebound.
Soon, the game becomes one-sided.
The reserves on both sides are similar, if one misses, the other misses too.
It all comes down to the performance of the only starters.
And how could Wallace possibly be a match for Tang Long.
His complete invisibility on offense and utter uselessness on defense quickly put the Pistons behind.
Coach Flip Saunders paced anxiously, looking at his still panting starters and unable to put them back on the court, forcing him to let the reserves hold on a bit longer.
"The Pistons can't withstand China Tang's rampage! He's like a demon king wreaking havoc!"
"He either attacks aggressively himself or draws double teams and passes to open shooters on the perimeter."
"Under China Tang's leadership, the Cavaliers are playing with much more discipline!"
"Soon, the second quarter ends, Cavaliers 55:45 Pistons."
"Cleveland enters the second half with a double-digit advantage."
Inside the Cavaliers' locker room.
Mike Brown didn't hold back his praise, lavishing compliments on Tang Long.
"Well done! Tang, you're our savior!"
"Continue this style of play in the second half! Keep wreaking havoc inside."
"As long as we hold onto this lead, victory will be ours."
The other Cavaliers players also gave Tang Long a thumbs-up, commending his exceptional performance.
Tang Long had single-handedly secured a ten-point lead!
Meanwhile, Flip Saunders wore a troubled expression.
The Pistons were a team built on defense, their offense not considered top-tier in the league, with an offensive efficiency that didn't even crack the top ten.
Their defensive efficiency, however, consistently ranked first in the league!
Dragging the opponent into their tempo had always been the Pistons' formula for winning.
Chasing points was not something the Pistons excelled at.
Flip Saunders was at a loss when Chauncey Billups spoke up: "Coach, double-team Tang. Instead of letting him score at will, let's gamble on the role players' shooting percentage!"
"Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic's three-pointers aren't great, LeBron's is average, and Drew Gooden has none."
"Prince's defense on LeBron today has been excellent. As long as we shut down Tang as an offensive threat, the Cavaliers won't make much of a splash."
Flip Saunders nodded slightly. The reason he hadn't chosen to double-team Tang Long was that Larry Hughes and others seemed to have good touch today.
With no other viable options, he had to do this.
Billups continued, "As for offense, leave it to me! I'll drive the team's offense."
Flip Saunders nodded again.
As the team's strategic mastermind, Billups was fully capable of bearing this responsibility, and it was what he had always done.
Soon, the halftime break ended, and the game resumed.
Pistons' possession.
Billups certainly didn't break his promise.
After a beautiful pick-and-roll with Wallace, he drove to the basket, drawing LeBron's help defense, and then passed to Prince on the perimeter.
Little Prince, Prince, didn't hesitate, rising up and easily sinking the three-pointer.
55:48
The Pistons hit a three-pointer right out of the gate.
This ignited the atmosphere of the crowd, who all stood up to cheer for their home team.
However, twenty seconds later, the fans' cheers cooled down.
Prince fronted Tang Long, and Tang Long passed to James on the perimeter.
James also rose up and, with another shot, extended the lead back into double digits!
58:48
After all, Prince was just a little prince, while James was the genuine Emperor.
Seeing LeBron hit the three-pointer, Flip Saunders' heart sank.
Fortunately, Billups' performance remained steady, using his speed advantage to drive and take a little floater.
The ball bounced on the rim a few times before finally falling in.
Although the Pistons' offense was performing well, the Cavaliers' perimeter shooting was equally potent.
Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic both hit threes, and LeBron made three consecutive three-pointers.
This usually absent shooting touch surprised even himself.
Tang Long was raking in assists, quickly reaching nine.
Just one more assist and he would solidify a triple-double.
This would be Tang Long's first career triple-double!
Cavaliers' possession.
Larry Hughes brought the ball up the court and signaled for Tang Long to set a screen.
Billups was screened out by Tang Long's massive frame, making it impossible for him to contest Larry Hughes' shot.
There was no choice but for Wallace to rotate and defend.
Larry Hughes was very smart, immediately lobbing the ball up, precisely in the direction Tang Long was cutting.
Wallace quickly rotated back to defend Tang Long, trying to prevent him from catching the ball.
Billups also used all his might to box out Tang Long, not wanting him to get the ball.
But how could Tang Long be held back by the two of them? He exploded upwards, throwing the ball towards the three-point line in mid-air.
Wallace and Billups were both startled, having completely not expected Tang Long to make this choice.
Larry Hughes on the perimeter caught the ball with ease and, with no defender in sight, rose up and sank another three-pointer.
This alley-oop assist from Tang Long earned him his first triple-double in the NBA!