The game continued with the Rockets on offense.
The score stood at 4-2, with the Rockets trailing by two points.
Streetball king Artest dribbled the ball past half-court.
Seeing Tracy McGrady signaling for the ball on the side, Artest directly passed it to him.
This was also Coach Van Gundy's strategic thinking; Yao Ming's stamina made it difficult to sustain constant offense throughout the game.
It was precisely for this reason that McGrady needed to take over the game as much as possible.
Although the Yao-McGrady combination didn't play many minutes together.
Due to their respective injuries.
Especially in the later stages of Yao Ming's career, the Yao-McGrady combination often struggled to be on the court simultaneously.
But it had to be said, during the moments they were both on the court.
The Rockets were undeniably a team with the capability to contend for a championship.
Tracy McGrady, throughout his NBA career, was a top-tier scorer comparable to Iverson and Kobe Bryant!
He had achieved two scoring titles. This achievement alone placed him among the historical top ten scoring champions.
Possessing such potent offensive firepower, McGrady's skill was formidable, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary players to defend.
Looking at LeBron James, who was guarding him.
McGrady showed no hesitation, directly using his speed to drive past James.
Although James was also fast, he was still outmatched by McGrady.
McGrady squeezed past James's right side. At this stage, James's physical prowess was strong, but his technical skill had not yet reached its peak.
Seeing that he could no longer keep up with McGrady, James roared towards the paint, "Help me with the rotation!"
Witnessing McGrady charging towards him, Tang Long made no move to retreat.
Instead, he stood his ground, his eyes locked onto the unstoppable McGrady.
Tang Long possessed Murasakibara Atsushi's defensive ability, making it not difficult to defend McGrady driving to the paint.
As expected, McGrady's initial intention was to drive to the paint.
He directly attacked Tang Long's position, then leaped high, intending to dunk on Tang Long.
Tang Long did not hesitate, immediately activating Murasakibara Atsushi's [Absolute Defense] skill.
He raised his right hand high and forcefully swatted the ball out of McGrady's hands.
"Get down! This is not a place for you to score!"
Tang Long roared. The Cleveland paint was a no-fly zone.
Murasakibara Atsushi's strength erupted, imbuing Tang Long's right hand with immense power, sending not only the ball but also McGrady crashing to the floor.
Lying on the ground, he quickly used his hands to absorb the impact, simultaneously protecting his waist and back.
Even so, he could still feel a dull ache in his posterior.
This demonstrated the immense strength Tang Long possessed. McGrady looked up at Tang Long with surprise.
Not only was he able to block the ball against McGrady's drive, but he had also sent McGrady himself tumbling to the ground.
Such formidable strength was incomparable to that of ordinary players!
In an instant, the Quicken Loans Arena erupted.
Cavaliers fans offered Tang Long excited cheers.
"That block was so fierce! Tang!"
"Beast mode! Dragon Country Giant!"
"Well done, that's how you play, let's take down the Houston Rockets in one go."
"Just how strong is Tang Long? He can even block McGrady?"
LeBron James, watching from the sidelines, was taken aback.
He had never expected Tang Long to block McGrady.
More importantly, just how powerful was Tang Long? He had sent the entire McGrady tumbling to the ground!
If he had driven to the basket, he probably couldn't have done any better than McGrady.
"Such great strength!"
James felt a surge of apprehension, then let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, such a defensive player was his teammate, not his opponent.
If he were an opponent, then for James, who excelled at driving, the offensive pressure would be unimaginable.
Yao Ming and Shane Battier, along with other Rockets players, quickly helped McGrady up from the floor.
Although there was contact in the air during this play, there was no foul.
McGrady's strength was simply no match for Tang Long's.
Therefore, the referee did not blow his whistle and instead called for an out-of-bounds.
It remained Rockets ball. Yao Ming inbounded the ball.
The Rockets players immediately spread out, preparing to receive the pass.
Coach Van Gundy chose to have Yao Ming inbound the ball mainly because of Yao's considerable height and excellent passing vision.
Yao Ming passed the ball to McGrady, who received it and suddenly stood still, not moving.
James, who was guarding him, was confused. McGrady was completely stationary.
This was uncharacteristic of McGrady's usual performance.
After all, McGrady was an offensive-minded player.
How could he freeze in place?
However, this was a hidden strategy McGrady had prepared. Looking at James, who had closed in on him.
McGrady, without any hesitation, directly threw the basketball towards the basket.
"Is it a pass?"
James turned his head to look at the basketball in the air.
"No! It's an alley-oop!"
It was only then that James realized McGrady's true intention.
If the ball was thrown from this position and it wasn't a shot, there was only one possibility: an alley-oop!
And at this moment, Yao Ming happened to be running in from the perimeter.
He raised his right hand high, charging towards the basket. Reaching the paint, Yao Ming simply leaped lightly.
He caught the ball with one hand and directly slammed it through the hoop.
The Chinese spectators at the venue were once again excited, about to leap from their seats.
They thought the opportunity for offense was gone, but they never expected the Yao-McGrady combination to execute such a play.
They had completed an alley-oop in this situation.
Of course, this play was mainly due to the lack of help defense from the Cavaliers' interior.
Tang Long was only one person, after all.
Even the strongest fists cannot fend off four hands.
It was normal to be unable to cover everything.
In other words, without the interior defense provided by Tang Long.
The Cavaliers' defensive problems would have been further amplified.
The momentum of the game changed drastically, and the score was tied once again.
Yao Ming and McGrady's classic connection earned fervent cheers from Zhang Weiping's commentary.
"Oh, what a beautiful play, that pass was truly exquisite!"
Zhang Weiping exclaimed with satisfaction.
Yang Yi, sitting beside him, nodded in agreement, "The Cavaliers' interior defense relies too heavily on Tang Long's performance. We can see that once Tang Long is not in the paint, their interior defense is like a scattered mess!"
Yang Yi meticulously analyzed the Cavaliers' defensive loopholes, then changed the topic.
"However, Yao Ming's performance in this game has been truly excellent. This is likely the game with the strongest offensive desire from Yao Ming!"
Zhang Weiping laughed heartily, "It seems that because of Tang Long, Big Yao has become more motivated!"
"That's for sure, they rise to the challenge when facing strong opponents. I think that's just the kind of person Big Yao is. Big Yao must know now that hundreds of millions of fans in the Dragon Country are watching their spectacular performance!"
Yang Yi smiled slightly, seemingly able to fathom Yao Ming's inner thoughts.