Chapter 51 You Soft Egg Who Only Knows How to Shoot

Yes, the backboard was indeed shattered by Tang Long!

The immense power was too much for the hoop stand to withstand Tang Long's assault, and it broke into pieces.

Those under the basket quickly ducked for cover, covering their heads!

After all, this was a 2007 backboard, not the quality of the boards during Shaq's rookie years!

Could Tang Long's strength be even more terrifying than Shaq's back then?!

Wallace was also stunned, staring blankly at Tang Long, his mouth agape.

No wonder he couldn't budge him; his core strength was truly terrifying!

The Pistons fans were in disbelief, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.

"Are you even human? Are you really not a monster?"

The Pistons' power forward asked Tang Long, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had completely forgotten he was still on the court, only wanting to figure out if Tang Long was a monster.

Tang Long himself couldn't react immediately, not expecting such poor backboard quality.

It was completely inferior to Chinese manufacturing!

"Is 'China Tang' paying tribute to Shaq with this display of athleticism?"

"This strength is astounding! The backboards in the NBA are reinforced now!"

"It seems like any Chinese players coming to the NBA are monsters – Yao's height, Tang's strength!"

The commentators, witnessing the unexpected incident on the court, exclaimed in shock.

They had been commentating for over a decade and had never seen a player with such exaggerated strength.

The referee had no choice but to call a timeout, leaving the situation to the arena staff to handle.

Billups brought the ball upcourt. This time, Wallace didn't proactively demand the ball; he knew he couldn't guard Tang Long.

Billups signaled for everyone to spread out; he was going to take on his man.

Unlike the centers Tang Long had encountered before, Rasheed Wallace had shooting ability, so everyone spread out to the three-point line.

Larry Hughes lowered his stance, focusing intently on Billups.

Billups pushed the ball forward on the right side, then suddenly pulled it back, causing Larry Hughes to lose his balance.

He immediately accelerated forward again, easily getting past Larry Hughes.

Seeing the paint empty, Tang Long had to rotate back to help defend.

Billups had been waiting for Tang Long, and with a quick change of hand movements, he passed the ball to Wallace in the corner.

The pass was incredibly fast; if not for their perfect chemistry, they likely wouldn't have caught it.

Wallace caught the ball in the corner and hit a three-pointer!

This three-pointer ignited the enthusiasm of the Pistons fans!

They chanted Wallace's name, cheering him on.

"Tang! Did you see that! This is a top-tier center! He has shooting ability, do you?"

"Go back to the training court and practice! Don't think you can do whatever you want with just a little bit of crude low-post skill!"

"Youngster! Keep practicing! The NBA isn't played like that."

Tang Long heard the fans' boos, his expression calm, as he simply wagged his index finger.

Although only Big Ben could do this gesture, since Tang Long wasn't doing it *to* the players, the referees turned a blind eye.

And given the Pistons fans' provocation, it was understandable.

Wallace looked at Tang Long with immense pride, having regained his confidence.

"Brother, you're an old player in the NBA, why are you so excited after making one basket like a rookie?"

Larry Hughes couldn't stand it and said to Wallace helplessly.

Wallace's face flushed slightly, and he ignored Larry Hughes, returning to the half-court for defense.

On the Cavaliers' side, James still had possession of the ball. He raised his left hand, signaling for a play.

Tang Long and Drew Gooden immediately moved to the three-point line, setting screens for Pavlovic.

Hamilton tried his best to navigate through the screens, wanting to keep up with Pavlovic.

This play was very similar to the Pistons' previous one, so Hamilton could still somewhat keep pace.

Pavlovic skillfully moved to the 45-degree right wing and received a pass from James.

Seeing this, Hamilton immediately lunged at him.

"Kid! You won't get rid of my defense!"

He said, preparing to block Pavlovic's shot.

But the latter suddenly passed the ball diagonally downwards to Tang Long, who was cutting to the basket.

Wallace had lost his bearings in the dazzling series of off-ball screens.

Tang Long easily caught the ball and dunked!

Adding another two points for the Cavaliers!

"The Cavaliers' play is excellent! It looks like it was designed for Pavlovic, but the real star is 'China Tang'!"

"Rasheed and Hamilton were both fooled! An incredibly brilliant coordination!"

"If Hamilton hadn't kept up with Pavlovic, I think he would have shot it himself!"

The commentators couldn't help but praise the play.

On the sidelines, Mike Brown nodded in approval. This was indeed a play specifically designed for Tang Long before the game.

Because Hamilton's ability to move off the ball was outstanding, it was hard to shake him off.

That's why they chose to have Tang Long finish the play.

The results proved their strategy.

The ball possession shifted to Billups, who continued to bring it up.

He again used his speed advantage to drive past Larry Hughes and made a short scoop shot.

It had to be said that the scoop shot was one of the best ways for smaller guards to deal with centers. Even a strong defender like Tang Long found it difficult to handle.

Especially if he stepped up to help defend, Wallace would take advantage of the opportunity to score.

The game had turned into an exchange of blows. Both teams showcased individual skills and team plays, and the score remained very close.

The first quarter ended with the Cavaliers and Pistons tied at 29:29.

This was even with both teams shooting well; if one side had a colder shooting touch, the score might have been in the teens.

This was the characteristic of that era: a collision of tough guys!

During the break between quarters, both coaches were re-strategizing.

"Rasheed, your performance in the latter half of this quarter was excellent, continue to leverage your shooting advantage!"

"Billups' ability to drive one-on-one is very evident, and it's hard for them to provide help defense!"

"Just keep playing at this pace!"

The Pistons' head coach, Flip Saunders, was pleased with the way they played in the latter half of the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Mike Brown was somewhat dissatisfied.

Larry Hughes' defense was a complete sieve!

Tang Long couldn't be everywhere at once, unable to be at the basket and on the perimeter simultaneously.

As the head coach, he couldn't rashly gamble on Wallace's outside shooting percentage; what if he got hot?

While contemplating, Tang Long spoke up: "Let Drew Gooden defend Wallace on the perimeter. Mike Sweetney doesn't have outstanding shooting ability. I'll be responsible for guarding the inside."

"If Wallace comes inside to bully Drew, I'll let him feel my power!"

Mike Brown nodded slightly. This was the only viable option for now.

However, this defensive assignment would make Tang Long very tired.

The break ended, and the second quarter began.

It was the Nuggets' possession. Wallace looked at Drew Gooden in front of him and couldn't help but sneer: "Is that Chinese kid scared? He's letting you guard me, can you stop me?"

Tang Long, hearing this from the other side, turned his head and retorted provocatively: "You can keep being a softie on the outside who only shoots, or you can come inside and try!"