The next day, Tang Long slept until the afternoon, the game against the Lakers had indeed consumed too much physical strength.
He, who usually went to bed and got up early, couldn't hold on either.
As soon as he woke up, the system's prompt sound came.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for activating Murasakibara Atsushi's absolute defense skill, defense capability greatly improved.]
Tang Long rejoiced, he had finally unlocked absolute defense.
What he had shown on the court before was only a small part, not the complete form.
This time, after entering zone mode, he had finally successfully activated the [Absolute Defense] skill.
From now on, his defensive ability would be raised another level.
Truly becoming the man who defended from the basket to the three-point line.
Exiting the system, Tang Long found a few text messages on his phone.
They were from Scarlett and Gal Gadot.
Scarlett: "I saw your team's upcoming schedule, your next game will be in Charlotte against the Bobcats, and I happen to have something to do there, so I'll come to watch your game!"
Gal Gadot: "Rest well? I'll be in Los Angeles for a while, want to come visit me?"
Tang Long replied to them one by one. For Scarlett, he simply replied "Okay."
For Gal Gadot, he replied at length: "I'm still an NBA rookie, I need to focus on training, the team has no immediate plans to play in Los Angeles."
Between Scarlett and Gal Gadot, Tang Long still preferred Scarlett.
Besides the "Black Widow" bonus, Scarlett's figure also better fit Tang Long's aesthetic.
After all, who doesn't like a beautiful woman with a great figure?
Although Gal Gadot's figure was also hot, it was slightly inferior to Scarlett's.
Of course, figure was only one aspect, liking someone couldn't be explained by words.
Scarlett had already taken the bait, and with a few more warming interactions, she could be easily won over!
Many media outlets were still quite unscrupulous. Even though Tang Long stated at the post-game press conference that he had no relationship with the two beauties, the media still published eye-catching headlines in their news!
[Tang Long's rumored underground girlfriend, the two chatted intimately after the game.]
[The combination of an NBA supernova and a Hollywood supernova, a blend of the sports and entertainment circles.]
[Golden Boy and Jade Girl! The two are truly a perfect match!]
[Tang Long playing the field? Tang Long entangled with two women after the game.]
...
Looking at the news, Tang Long felt like hitting someone. The media would do anything for clicks.
His explanation was useless.
However, these media outlets did not affect Tang Long's normal training and life. It was just that Drew Gooden kept calling him "Brother Tang," which left the other teammates bewildered.
Drew Gooden, who was much older, actually called Tang Long "Brother Tang"?
Was he convinced by Tang Long's terrifying performance?
The NBA was a place where seniority was determined by strength, so this explanation made sense.
However, the secret between Drew Gooden and Tang Long was known only to the two of them.
Due to the high intensity of the game against the Lakers and only two days separating it from the game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Mike Brown had not arranged any training sessions.
Early on the third day, the Cavaliers set off for Charlotte.
The Charlotte Bobcats were not a strong team, ranking at the bottom of the league.
Of course, it was still a team that generated a lot of buzz.
Because the owner of the team was Michael Jordan.
As legendary as Jordan's playing career was, his career as an owner was equally unsuccessful.
His judgment of people was truly beyond flattering, which was why the Charlotte Bobcats were consistently one of the bottom teams in the league.
Bust after bust in high draft picks, and no trade assets, they could only continue to tank for the top pick.
Before the game, Jordan directly announced that he would attend the match, wanting to witness firsthand how terrifying Tang Long's strength was.
This added much more interesting talking points to the game.
The number of fans and reporters at the scene increased exponentially. It was known that previously, not many fans bought tickets to watch Bobcats games.
At the pre-game press conference, the Charlotte Arena was filled with many fans and media reporters.
"Tang, we spotted Scarlett in the stands. Does this mean you two have gone public?"
Tang Long shook his head with a helpless expression, "Nothing has happened between her and me yet, so how can we go public?"
Tang Long directly refused to answer any further questions on this matter.
"Tang, Michael will also be present at the game today. Meeting the GOAT for the first time, will you be a little nervous? Do you have confidence in showing off in front of him today?"
Tang Long shook his head, "Damn... there's nothing to be nervous about. It's just a bit of a regret that I wasn't born earlier, otherwise I would have given Michael a taste of my big chase-down block!"
"As for showing off, judging by my performance in previous games, reaching the average line would be considered showing off!"
After speaking, Tang Long left the pre-game press conference and went to the court to warm up.
Scarlett was indeed sitting by the sidelines.
"Tang! I'm here to watch your game again. Gal Gadot had a commercial endorsement to attend to, so she couldn't make it."
Tang Long nodded, "It's okay, as long as you're here."
These words made Scarlett's heart flutter.
Since she was a child, men had always pursued her. She had never known what it felt like to be moved.
But now she was experiencing it. For a moment, Scarlett even blushed slightly.
Tang Long clearly handled it perfectly, making Scarlett fall deeper.
"Go for it, play well! Defeat the opponents!"
After cheering for Tang Long, Scarlett sat back down.
"Kid, you came to Charlotte and didn't even say hello to me first, but instead went to chat with the pretty girl?"
From the side, Jordan's voice came.
The basketball god was wearing a handsome suit, a cigar in his mouth, and looked relaxed.
"Hahaha, Mr. Michael, it's finally a pleasure to meet the basketball god!"
Tang Long laughed heartily and turned to look at Jordan.
Jordan had clearly filled out a bit after retiring, but his eyes were still sharp, making one feel that he was not to be trifled with at a glance.
"I saw the pre-game press conference. What, you want to block me right away?"
"Of course, who wouldn't want to take down the basketball god?"
"You're an ambitious young man. Have you considered coming to our Charlotte Bobcats? I'll find you some strong reinforcements!"
"Forget it, who doesn't know how poor Michael's judgment is? Am I coming to find bust draft picks with you?"
Jordan chuckled awkwardly. This statement was not wrong; his draft judgment was indeed not flattering.
"You brat, I'll see how you perform on the court later. Don't let us pull off an upset!"
Tang Long continued to needle him, "Even the basketball god predicts that a Bobcats win would be an upset. It seems like winning this game is a sure thing!"
Jordan was speechless again.
This guy had a really sharp tongue. His trash-talking skills were much more advanced than when he was young!
...