"I think he should take a good look at what happened to Yao, another Dragon Country player, when he was mismatched defensively against me in his rookie season. Maybe then he wouldn't have said that."
Yao Ming was still adapting to the NBA rhythm in his rookie season, and being tripped by Marbury led to a lot of mockery.
His statement now clearly showed he wasn't taking Tang Long seriously.
But this reporter was also quite sly.
Marbury had been through a lot in the NBA over the past few years, arguing with team management, trading barbs with Garnett from afar, and his relationship with fans and media wasn't great either.
The media deliberately interviewing him was obviously to use him to create buzz.
"Stephen, do you have the confidence to end the Cavaliers' winning streak tonight?" the reporter pressed again.
"Absolutely."
Marbury gave a definitive answer and then turned to leave.
The reporter's microphone was still held in mid-air, she had more questions, but Marbury was too lazy to pay attention to her anymore.
On the Cavaliers' side, Mike Brown was drawing up plays for everyone.
They were still using the same strategy that had led to their previous winning streak: find Tang Long in the paint, and when Tang Long was double-teamed, LeBron would step up to take over the game.
But the Knicks' center was slightly different from those of the Kings and Pacers.
The Knicks' center was also named Curry, Eddie Curry, not Stephen Curry. In 2007, the 'little professor' had not yet entered the league.
This man was 2.13 meters tall and weighed 133.8 kilograms, a bulldozer of a center weighing nearly 270 pounds!
Tang Long glanced at Eddie Curry, who looked like a small mountain, as if even his footsteps would make a thudding sound. He was truly a colossal figure!
"Hi... my dear Tang!"
Hearing someone call him, Tang Long noticed someone in the front row of the stands waving at him.
It was Scarlett Johansson and Gal Gadot.
Beside them sat a young girl with sapphire blue eyes and skin as smooth as cream.
Her features were as exquisite as a meticulously carved work of art. Her cool, elegant style, though slightly masking her youth, also added a touch of wildness!
Tang Long raised an eyebrow.
Swift Taylor?
At this time, Swift Taylor had just released her first digital album, which had sold millions of copies, and she was at the peak of her popularity!
"Hi Scarlett, Gadot, you're both here."
Tang Long walked over to greet them.
The Knicks were indeed a rather enigmatic team in the NBA. The team's last championship dated back to the 1970s.
In recent years, their performance had consistently hovered outside the playoffs, often finishing in the bottom two.
But if one were to ask which team was the most profitable and attracted the most celebrities, it was undoubtedly the Knicks.
This place was not only a sea of stars but also had the most expensive tickets.
Someone once calculated that the average Knicks fan spent 1000 yuan in US dollars.
This was already very high in 2007, with the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Dragon Country Yuan still around 1:8.
In other words, Knicks fans spent about 8,000 yuan to watch a game!
New York indeed had many wealthy people, and the fans' mindset was different from those of other teams. A large part of the reason for coming to Madison Square Garden was to potentially encounter celebrities.
Therefore, Knicks fans were also known throughout the league as the group with the best fan mentality.
"We just happened to have some free time, so we came to watch your game. I forgot to tell you, we live in New York."
Scarlett gave Tang Long a warm smile, then nudged Taylor with her chin: "Tang, let me introduce you to Swift Taylor. Doesn't she look a little familiar?"
"Uh, indeed, I know Miss Taylor, and I really like her songs!"
Tang Long politely extended his hand.
Taylor, however, raised her eyes and gazed intently at Tang Long's handsome features.
As their eyes met, Tang Long felt a subtle shift in his own demeanor.
In the past, he would have been somewhat excited upon meeting a celebrity of Taylor's caliber.
But now, his heart was as calm as still water. Especially seeing the slightly youthful Taylor Swift, his inner peace grew even stronger.
"Hello, Tang."
Even if Knicks fans didn't pay much attention to their performance, basketball enthusiasts would know about the recent news surrounding Tang Long.
With the NBA's heavy promotion, Tang Long's personal conduct, including his character, was being broadcast on news media.
In later terms, Tang Long had broken out.
Not only in the sports world, but even among other sports enthusiasts and even casual observers, this Dragon Country player had garnered goodwill.
"Taylor, Tang is a very interesting guy. You'll know once you get to know him better!"
Scarlett had also benefited from the NBA's promotion of Tang Long that day, and she was naturally happy about it, which made her view Tang Long even more favorably.
"Is that so?"
Taylor blinked her sapphire blue eyes, curiously observing Tang Long.
Scarlett had many admirers, and she had never seen Scarlett so appreciative of a man before, which made her even more curious about Tang Long.
"Tang, if you win this game, it'll be twenty-one consecutive wins. You have to treat us to dinner after the game!"
Gal Gadot smiled sweetly. Unwilling to let Tang Long be monopolized by other women, she suddenly felt a deep sense of crisis and decided to take the initiative.
"No problem," Tang Long readily agreed.
Gal Gadot was wearing a deep V-neck halter dress today, exuding an aura of mysterious wildness and sexiness!
"What do you mean? Just the two of you eating, and you won't take us?" Scarlett immediately looked displeased.
"Uh..."
Tang Long felt quite awkward. He realized he had made a simple mistake.
How could he have only agreed to Gal Gadot and overlooked Scarlett and Taylor?
So, Tang Long reacted quickly and hastily corrected himself: "What I mean is... it would be my honor as Tang Long to be able to invite three beautiful ladies to dinner!"
"Hee hee... that's more like it."
Scarlett and Taylor nodded with satisfaction.
Gal Gadot glared irritably at Scarlett, unhappy: "Oh! Damn it, woman, Tang clearly wanted to invite me to dinner, why are you joining in?"
"Invite me? Do you have hearing problems? Tang clearly said he invited all three of us."
"Tang, you tell us, were you inviting me? Or were you inviting them?"
Gal Gadot looked at Tang Long, and at this moment, Scarlett and Taylor were also staring intently at Tang Long.
Frankly speaking, being the focus of three beautiful women made him feel a bit elated, but being questioned with a deathly question by three beautiful women was quite troublesome.
Tang Long paused for a moment and said solemnly, "Eating is a happy occasion. If you guys mess around like this, you'll all miss out on dinner."
With that, he turned and returned to the Cavaliers' bench, leaving Scarlett and the other two in a daze.
They had never encountered a man who spoke to them like this before.
Taylor's eyes sparkled even brighter.
This Dragon Country man was truly quite interesting.
She was already looking forward to the game ending quickly so they could fast-forward to tonight's dinner.
Tang Long was unaware of Taylor's thoughts. As soon as he returned to the bench, he was surrounded by LeBron and the others.
"Tang, spill it, how did you meet Swift?"
"I don't know her. Scarlett just introduced us. Look at you guys, like you've never seen the world before."
Tang Long looked at LeBron in confusion.
"LeBron, you're a top-tier player in the NBA, and yet you're also a lovesick man. This is very disappointing!"
...