"Roar!"
This powerful dunk showed everyone Tang Long's ferocity!
The Cavaliers fans were completely ignited, their cheers and shouts echoing to the heavens.
The point difference had been narrowed to five points, and more importantly, the Cavaliers' spirit had returned. The five players on the court were roaring like beasts.
"Tang, what a spectacular dunk! We have you!" LeBron James leaped up and high-fived Tang Long.
"Oh my god, did you see that? The Cavaliers are only five points behind the Nets!" J.A.O., a Cavaliers legend in the broadcast booth, finally looked proud.
"Jason, how are your teeth holding up? Don't worry, if you find the taste too bland, I can prepare some ketchup for you, or salt and pepper." Commentator Jason was internally panicking, but stubbornly said, "The Cavaliers are still trailing the Nets by five points, not leading by five. Are you celebrating too early?"
Jason's stubbornness angered the Cavaliers fans watching the game. Many fans flocked to the ESPN broadcast comments section to leave messages.
"Jason, I'm a famous dentist in Cleveland. If your teeth can't bite through a table, you can come to me."
"Eat the table, you stubborn guy!"
"This host doesn't understand basketball at all. Why did ESPN invite him as a guest?"
Seeing the "friendly greetings" from the Cleveland fans, Jason was infuriated.
"The Cavaliers simply can't win. I'll put it out there tonight: if the Cavaliers win, I will eat a table. Otherwise, I'll quit the basketball world." Jason, in a fit of anger and flushed with adrenaline, uttered words that even surprised himself. But with millions of fans watching live, Jason couldn't back down, especially since the Nets were currently leading.
"Moore, you can't keep going head-to-head with that Tang. He's another Yao from China." As the Cavaliers' deficit continued to shrink, the Nets called a long timeout to regroup and strategize.
Coach Frank grabbed Mikki Moore and pointed at the whiteboard, scolding him, "Tang's mid-range shooting and explosiveness are excellent. You can't let him get easy balls in the paint. If necessary, foul him to prevent him from dunking again!"
"Vince Carter, the Cavaliers have clearly made adjustments targeting you. You draw their attention, and Jefferson and Boone drive to the basket. Whoever draws Tang's attention, pass the ball to the other person."
"Understood, Coach." Jefferson and Josh Boone nodded repeatedly.
"The Cavaliers want to extend their winning streak to seventeen against us. What do we do?"
"Crush them!" The Nets players' morale also surged. Both teams were at each other's throats, lining up for a tough, head-on confrontation!
The timeout ended. The Nets immediately struck back at the Cavaliers. Mikki Moore received a pass from Kidd, faked out Tang Long in the paint, and executed a powerful dunk. The point difference widened to seven points again. The Cavaliers retaliated. LeBron James hit a pull-up jump shot, an unarguable two points against Jefferson's defense.
The Nets inbounded the ball. Kidd brought it across half-court and passed to Carter. James stepped up to defend closely, and Carter passed the ball back to Kidd. James was too late to recover, and Gooden came to double-team Carter, also a half-step too slow. Kidd leaped from beyond the three-point line and calmly sank a three-pointer.
"It's okay. The Nets are a bunch of old guys. We'll run fast breaks and exhaust them. Once their stamina is gone, they won't be this accurate."
"You're right, that's what I was thinking too." LeBron James fully agreed with Tang Long's words.
The next few minutes were a back-and-forth affair, with the scores changing rapidly. With one minute left in the third quarter, the score was 80-85. Although the Nets still held a five-point lead, it wasn't a substantial advantage anymore, especially with the Cavaliers having possession.
Larry Hughes dribbled to half-court, drawing Kidd to defend. As soon as Kidd rushed over, the ball went to LeBron James. Jefferson and Carter both double-teamed James. Just as they had seemingly sealed off all of James's passing lanes, James took a step back and casually shot the ball. Swish! The three-pointer smoothly dropped into the basket.
"This is impossible..." Jefferson's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at LeBron James. He had made a three-pointer while being double-teamed at the three-point line. It was just too unreasonable. Was this what a superstar was?
"Jefferson, focus." Carter patted Jefferson on the shoulder. He had seen such scenes many times before, and he himself often made seemingly impossible shots in the past. "Stay calm, we can definitely win!" Jefferson nodded, but his face was no longer as relaxed as before.
The other Nets players also began to show signs of anxiety. Kidd brought the ball to the basket, and both sides engaged in one-on-one isolation plays. Moore drove into Tang Long, but Tang Long had activated [Absolute Defense]. Mikki felt like he was fighting a mountain! Unable to score, Mikki could only attempt a mid-range shot. As the ball left his hands, Tang Long's large hand reached it.
Kostić felt his vision blur, the sky seemed to darken, and a massive figure obscured his sight. *Smack!* It was the [Heavenly God's Block] skill again. Tang Long violently batted the ball away. The speed was too fast! Kostić looked at the ball flying out of bounds in a daze, completely stunned.
"China Tang... Oh my god, you are the god of the Cavaliers!" Tang Long's name echoed through the Quicken Loans Arena, and the fans rose to their feet to cheer him on.
"Well done." The Cavaliers players high-fived Tang Long. Although the ball was still with the Nets, everyone could see that the Cavaliers' morale had soared, and tying the score was only a matter of time.
"Calm down, stay steady, we're still leading." Carter stood on the sideline, cheering on his teammates. At this moment, Carter felt he had to step up and set an example. Receiving the pass from Mikki, Carter moved like an agile leopard, faking out LeBron James and Drew Gooden, and drove to the basket with lightning speed.
"Tremble, Cavaliers!" Carter leaped high, executing a perfect windmill dunk.
"Oh my god, what did I just see? Carter's signature dunk! It's like time has gone back several years!"
"This game is totally worth it." *Slap!* However, before the Nets' bench could celebrate for too long, the ball was firmly pressed against the backboard, unable to move an inch. Tang Long pinned the ball against the backboard with one hand, a textbook chase-down block teaching Carter a lesson!
*Boom!!* Both players landed. Carter stared in bewilderment at the basketball slowly falling from the backboard. "This... impossible?!" Tang Long had blocked his signature dunk with one hand. Carter was lost. Was he old now? If it were a few years ago, no, even a year ago, this Tang probably wouldn't have been able to see the taillights of his career. Now, he had delivered a crushing block!
"Carter, you can't dunk without my permission!" Tang Long winked playfully, seemingly teasing Carter.