Tang Long was about to throw his second punch when James, from behind him, grabbed him tightly. Fearing he might hurt his own teammate, Tang Long had to stop.
On the other side, Wallace was also held back by several people.
Fortunately, apart from Wallace and Tang Long, everyone else was relatively calm, otherwise, it would have escalated into a larger brawl.
That would have been another Malice at the Palace incident.
The referee also appeared in a timely manner, standing between the players of both teams to prevent the situation from escalating further.
James held Tang Long back and whispered, "Tang, that punch you threw was incredible! You really learned kung fu, didn't you? That dodge and counter-attack, so cool!"
Tang Long couldn't help but chuckle; James was quite amusing.
The referee called a timeout and issued a technical foul to both Tang Long and Rasheed Wallace.
Rasheed Wallace for initiating contact, and Tang Long for the severity of his action, a fifty-fifty penalty for each.
This call was deemed rather reasonable.
Although the league would certainly issue a fine, Tang Long was not short of money, especially with his contract worth over ten million dollars. Rasheed Wallace's contract was not even as high as Tang Long's.
Moreover, with Tang Long's current performance, endorsements should be coming soon.
Commercial collaborations and endorsements were the major source of income for NBA players.
Both coaches substituted Tang Long and Wallace, sending them to the sidelines to calm down.
Tang Long didn't need much adjustment. He wouldn't do anything out of line even if he continued playing. Since Mike Brown had spoken, it was fine to rest for a while.
He still needed to show some respect to the head coach.
If a team's head coach loses his authority, the team becomes difficult to manage. Even LeBron James and Tang Long would give Mike Brown some face.
The game resumed. With Wallace, the troublemaker, off the court, the Pistons' offense became noticeably smoother, operating freely under Billups' direction.
Hamilton, through a pick-and-roll with power forward Michael Dantley, managed to get open and easily hit a mid-range jumper after receiving a pass from Billups.
His reputation as the "Mid-Range King" was not just for show.
Having once been a rookie under Jordan's tutelage with the Wizards, Hamilton placed great importance on the mid-range shot, a weapon of the god himself.
Therefore, Hamilton had delved deeply into mastering the mid-range shot. If given an open look, he would not disappoint.
The score on the court became 7:4.
James, with the ball, executed a beautiful pick-and-roll with Drew Gooden, followed by an easy layup.
He extended the lead to five points again.
Returning to the Pistons' offense, Billups used his speed advantage to drive past Larry Hughes and smoothly made a floater from the short corner.
The two teams exchanged blows, playing an exciting game.
With the first quarter past its midpoint, the score was 11:8, a difference of only three points.
Mike Brown put Tang Long back on the court. The trend of the first quarter was crucial, and Tang Long couldn't be kept on the bench for too long.
Tang Long was not only the Cavaliers' starting center but also their primary scorer, often outscoring even LeBron James.
However, James also had to focus on orchestrating the team.
With Tang Long back on the court, the Cavaliers players' morale surged, and they became noticeably more active.
The perimeter players felt they could shoot a bit more freely, knowing that Tang Long's offensive rebounds were always reliable.
James felt he no longer had to carry the team alone.
Drew Gooden could finally slack off a bit on defense, knowing Tang Long was anchoring the paint.
In short, everyone on the Cavaliers was happy.
The Pistons players, on the other hand, looked a bit glum.
On the Pistons' offensive possession, Billups stood at the top of the arc with the ball and executed a beautiful pick-and-roll with Hamilton.
Hamilton, catching the ball on the perimeter, was about to shoot when James suddenly lunged from the right.
Hamilton reacted quickly and passed to Prince in the corner.
Seeing Tang Long lunging at him, Prince quickly bounced the ball to Michael Dantley in the paint.
However, as Dantley was preparing to drive to the basket, Tang Long, having recovered, was already preparing to block the shot.
Dantley, startled, quickly protected the ball with both hands and passed it back to Billups on the perimeter.
After a series of passes by the Pistons, everyone had an open look at some point, but no one could get off a shot.
The Cavaliers' constant switching defense was outstanding.
With time running out, Billups had no choice but to force a shot.
Larry Hughes defended well, and the ball hit the rim and bounced out.
Tang Long activated [Absolute Rebound] and easily secured the defensive rebound.
By this time, James was already close to the opponent's half-court. Without a word, Tang Long threw a long pass.
James caught the ball with ease, took three steps, and slammed it home with a two-handed dunk!
The effortless score was met with boos from many Pistons fans.
James, hearing the boos, didn't care at all!
He high-fived Tang Long to celebrate, thoroughly enjoying the game.
On the sidelines, Mike Brown sat back leisurely.
With both James and Tang Long on the court, he had nothing to worry about.
Seeing that the Pistons players were becoming a bit anxious, Billups slowly dribbled the ball up the court from the backcourt, with his left hand pushing it down, to calm his teammates.
"Relax! The game has just started, don't rush, fellas!"
As expected of the team's floor general, the Pistons players visibly calmed down.
The fans also cheered on their home team, lending them spiritual support.
Hamilton continued to leverage his off-ball movement and seemingly endless stamina, running all over the court.
After a series of off-ball screens, Hamilton finally found himself open again and received a pass from Billups.
Pavlovic immediately closed in, but the masked Hamilton steadily sank the mid-range jumper.
13:10.
The score remained a three-point difference.
The ball went to James, who chose to drive again.
However, Prince's defense was excellent, with quick footwork that made James uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Tang Long immediately stepped up for a pick-and-roll.
This time, James' drive became much easier as he directly attacked the basket.
Michael Dantley, guarding the paint, rotated to defend, and James lofted the ball into the air.
He knew another Cavaliers player would be at that spot.
Indeed, Tang Long appeared out of nowhere, caught the ball in mid-air, and forcefully slammed it into the hoop!
Michael Dantley, unable to evade in time, was called for a blocking foul, giving Tang Long a three-point play.
The Pistons fans fell silent, unable to even boo.
This guy Tang Long was too strange; the louder the boos, the more energetic he became!
During the free-throw opportunity, Flip Saunders substituted Rasheed Wallace back into the game.
Although he couldn't gain an advantage against Tang Long, he could at least put up some resistance.
Tang Long's free-throw shooting was not particularly good, and the subsequent free throw bounced off the rim.
However, Tang Long's reaction was incredibly fast. He immediately leaped up and, unbelievably, grabbed the rebound.
As he landed, he bent his knees and propelled himself again!
He executed a second jump and forcefully threw the ball towards the basket!
The backboard suddenly creaked, and cracks appeared on the glass!
This... was this the precursor to shattering the backboard?!