"You and Tang are just ordinary friends, and you're introducing him to people. If they didn't know better, they'd think you were Tang's girlfriend!"
"Gal Gadot, are you angry?"
Scarlett Johansson wasn't annoyed. She spoke to Gal Gadot as if basking in the spring breeze, "If you want, I can introduce you to other friends too."
"No need..." Gal Gadot huffed softly.
When it came to arguing, Gal Gadot was clearly no match for Scarlett.
But Gal Gadot was also a smart girl. She simply stood up and waved at Tang Long.
"Tang, keep it up, you're the coolest man I've ever met!"
With that, Gal Gadot blew him a kiss.
The thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden erupted.
They came here at most to see celebrities, never expecting to see a celebrity openly declare her affection for a player.
This sent the gossip-loving fans into a frenzy of cheers, and a few rowdy guys even whistled publicly.
The reporters at the scene raised their long lenses and cameras, snapping away at Gal Gadot and Tang Long. They were even thinking up headlines as they shot.
Supermodel Gal Gadot Shows Affection to NBA Star Publicly, What Exactly Attracts So Many Female Stars to China Tang?
The Knicks players were now completely fed up.
What was the meaning of this?
Flirting with their girl on their home court?
"Guys, we have to teach that China Tang a lesson, he's too arrogant. This is our home court."
Nate Robinson said furiously.
He had already been a backdrop for Tang Long's dominance; who could stand that?
What's more, Gal Gadot blowing a kiss to Tang Long in public made the players even more jealous.
"That's right, Eddie, you need to stick to that guy like glue. Whether it's offensive or defensive rebounds, don't leave a single one for him."
Randolph joined the chorus of complaints against Tang Long.
He and Robinson had been executing a smooth play for the previous dunk. If it had gone in, it would have been a top-five play of the day.
Maybe that kiss was meant for him.
"I want to, but that damn guy isn't like a rookie; he's very cunning."
"Eddie, don't worry, I'll help you."
Jamal Crawford stepped forward and patted Eddie Curry on the shoulder.
"The two of us will double-team him. I don't believe that damn Tang is really that good."
At this moment, Quentin Richardson looked at his teammates and frowned, "Are we all mistaken? LeBron is the Cavaliers' star player. Is this China Tang worth all your attention?"
"What are you saying? This is China Tang openly declaring war on us."
"Yes, this is no longer a personal feud; it's about the honor of the New York Knicks."
"Defeat Tang, and we'll walk out of Madison Square Garden with our heads held high."
The Knicks players shouted slogans, their voices not that quiet, causing the Cavaliers players to exchange glances and then turn their attention to Tang Long.
The implication was clear: does this guy have a grudge against the Knicks? Otherwise, why would they be shouting slogans to defeat him?
James patted Tang Long on the shoulder and smiled, "Tang, you've got trouble. Those stingy guys might be angry!"
Tang Long found it inexplicable. When did the Knicks players start valuing honor so much?
Didn't they always like to tank?
But soon, Tang Long realized that the Knicks players weren't just shouting slogans.
On the offensive end, Eddy Curry stuck to him like glue, his 260-pound frame pinning him down, making it difficult to even turn around.
As soon as he turned, Crawford would come to help, completely disregarding other players. This also gave the other Cavaliers players opportunities to shoot.
Drew Gooden made a two-pointer, followed by Pavlović hitting a three-pointer. The Cavaliers' perimeter offense was in full swing.
The Knicks players seemed to ignore these players, fixating solely on Tang Long, determined not to let him score easily in the paint.
When it came to offensive rebounds, Eddy Curry barely participated in the offense, just positioning himself to grab rebounds.
However, even with his positioning for rebounds, he was still completely dominated by Tang Long in the rebounding statistics.
Then, with a whistle from the referee, the first quarter ended.
Tang Long had 8 points and 7 rebounds. He hadn't shot much, mostly passing to his teammates to help them find their rhythm.
Larry Hughes and Gooden had 5 points and 6 points respectively, James had 7 points, and Pavlović had 3 points.
At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks trailed the Cavaliers by ten points, 15-25.
"Tang, you can rest for a bit in the second quarter. Let Big Z come on."
As soon as he returned to the bench, Mike Brown had already prepared the substitution.
Big Z replaced Tang Long, Varejão replaced James, and Gibson replaced Larry Hughes.
The Knicks also made substitutions, bringing in reserves David Lee, Wilson Chandler, and Marbury.
Old Ma, full of frustration from the first quarter, immediately hit an open three-pointer.
Swish!
The ball went in cleanly.
Following that, the Cavaliers counter-attacked, but Varejão's hook shot missed. Chandler grabbed the rebound, and David Lee brought the ball up the court, faked past the defender Pavlović, and directly laid it up.
Two points!
The Cavaliers' bench players seemed a bit rushed, especially Varejão, who was still developing.
Not only was his performance inconsistent, but he was also a bit erratic. He drove aggressively in the paint against Chandler and ended up getting blocked. David Lee retrieved the ball and immediately passed it to Marbury.
Old Ma drove to the basket, used a right-hand to left-hand dribble to deceive the defender, and dunked for another two points.
The Knicks started the second quarter with a small run, narrowing the score to 22-25, only trailing the Cavaliers by three points.
Fortunately, Varejão hit a mid-range shot for two points at a crucial moment, stabilizing the situation again.
Both teams' bench units were playing quite openly. On the boards, with Big Z on the floor, the Cavaliers protected their defensive rebounds fairly well, preventing the score from widening too much.
After five minutes, Mike Brown called a timeout and brought the starting lineup back in.
At this point, the score was 40-45, with the Knicks trailing by five points.
The Cavaliers' starters were on the court, and the ball was with the Knicks.
Marbury grinned when he saw the Cavaliers' starting lineup appear. David Lee brought the ball up the court and passed it to him.
He initially wanted Marbury to catch it and attract defenders, but to his surprise, Marbury shot directly after receiving the ball.
Swish!
The basketball cleanly went in again.
On the offensive transition, James attempted a jump shot, but it clanged off the rim.
The ball hit the rim and bounced out to the other side, where Wilson Chandler calmly caught it.
Without hesitation, he passed to David Lee and ran towards the frontcourt. After the latter passed him the ball, they executed a pick-and-roll.
David Lee used the screen to break through to the basket, but his driving lane was blocked by Big Z. He immediately passed the ball back to Marbury, who had made an off-ball cut.
Old Ma received the ball and decisively shot again, another clean three-pointer.
It had to be said, Old Ma had a hot hand tonight. Perhaps the presence of beautiful women on the sidelines had greatly stimulated his individual combat effectiveness.
At this moment, the Knicks led the Cavaliers by one point, 46-45.
...