The final quarter saw both teams battling fiercely.
Neither side yielded an inch, nor backed down from the other, fighting for every possession.
Every time the Cavaliers scored, the Rockets had to answer back.
This heavily tested the stamina of the players on the court, and Yao Ming was the first to show signs of fatigue.
His natural athletic ability couldn't compare to that of black players.
Although Tang Long wasn't black, he was an anomaly. Having transmigrated from 2022 and equipped with a system,
playing the entire game was still manageable for Tang Long.
As for Yao Ming, he was struggling even to run.
Therefore, when going head-to-head with Tang Long under the basket, Yao Ming found himself lacking the strength.
Tang Long's fierce low-post play reminded Yao Ming of Shaquille O'Neal when he first entered the league.
He had once likened O'Neal to a rhinoceros on the basketball court!
Now, in his eyes, Tang Long was that rhinoceros.
With his explosive core strength and backdown game, Yao Ming was finding it difficult.
"BEEP!"
At this moment, the referee's whistle signaled a timeout. The Rockets' head coach, Van Gundy, called for a timeout to set up offensive and defensive plays, and also to substitute Yao Ming.
This was a protective strategy for Yao Ming, who was the Rockets' cash cow. Owner Alexander and General Manager Morey could not stand by and watch Yao Ming be worn down.
After the timeout, Van Gundy brought in Dikembe Mutombo.
In the twilight of his career, Mutombo rarely participated in offense; his strength lay in defense.
The hope was that he could limit Tang Long's effectiveness and improve the situation.
While the Rockets were making substitutions, the Cavaliers also made adjustments.
Shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic took a break, and Delonte West came into the game.
LeBron James had already rested in the second quarter, so he chose to be on the court with his teammates for the crucial fourth quarter.
Power forward Drew Gooden took a short rest, and Anderson Varejão entered the game.
Varejão had some skill, possessing good rebounding ability, but his offensive game wasn't as strong as Drew Gooden's.
His free-throw percentage was also much lower, only around a poor 60%.
Drew Gooden's free-throw percentage was close to 70%.
The difference in their abilities was clear.
However, players weren't made of iron; they needed rest.
After Varejão entered the game, he diligently set screens for James, allowing James to drive to the basket for an alley-oop dunk with Tang Long.
Mutombo tried to block Tang Long, but with his physique, he clearly couldn't keep up with the younger players.
Tang Long executed a divine slam dunk over Mutombo's head!
He slammed the ball hard into the basket, and Tang Long also performed a subtle move, waggling his fingers at Mutombo.
This was Mutombo's signature move.
Whenever he blocked an opponent, Mutombo liked to taunt them in this way.
The league didn't intervene, and other players didn't have Mutombo's privilege.
Because Mutombo came from distant Africa and was known as the "African mountain," his gestures were considered friendly towards opponents.
Of course, this was his own explanation, and the league management actually believed it.
Thus, a peculiar situation arose in the NBA:
Other players would receive a technical foul for wagging their fingers, but Mutombo would get away with it scot-free.
Now, Tang Long, after an alley-oop dunk on Mutombo, waggled his fingers at him.
Mutombo saw this and immediately chuckled.
He didn't complain to the referee but returned Tang Long's finger wagging gesture.
"Haha... this is interesting. Something very amusing just happened on the court."
"Tang Long completed an alley-oop dunk from James and wagged his fingers at Mutombo, and then Mutombo returned the gesture."
"Is Tang Long greeting Mutombo with the African finger-wagging gesture?"
In the Chinese broadcast studio, commentators Yang Yi and Zhang Weiping both laughed.
On the big screen, many fans sent in messages saying Tang Long was stirring up trouble, wagging his fingers at Mutombo.
Didn't he know that was his signature move?
At the Quicken Loans Arena, the Rockets had possession.
Mutombo inbounded the ball from the baseline to Aaron Brooks.
Streetball King Rafer Alston was resting, and rookie Aaron Brooks was playing.
In 2007, Brooks was in his rookie year and possessed the fearless spirit of a newcomer.
Despite his small and slender frame, he was fearless in his drives to the basket.
Larry Hughes was almost shaken off his feet. Brooks changed direction and accelerated, gaining a step, and then made a decisive jump shot.
"SWISH!"
A solid shot. His first field goal of the game was a solo play against Larry Hughes.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Brooks is a surprise weapon for the Houston Rockets. He's very fast and immediately took on Larry Hughes."
"Damn it, Larry, you need to get back up!"
The Cavaliers' commentators teased Larry Hughes.
Suddenly, he felt humiliated. On the next possession, he took control of the ball himself, determined to regain his pride on offense.
"Larry Hughes is not willing to be taken down by Brooks. Let's see how Larry Hughes attacks this possession."
"He uses a strong-side post-up, followed by a spin move, stepping into the mid-range area, and Larry takes a decisive shot."
"This ball..."
"NICE... Larry has regained his pride and also takes down Brooks on the offensive end!"
The Cavaliers' commentators were very passionate. Larry Hughes was not someone to be triford with.
After being taken down by Brooks last possession, he had to regain his lost dignity on the next offensive play.
James and Tang Long walked over and patted Larry Hughes' head. This kid was good; he avenged himself immediately without holding a grudge!
"Larry, well done. We need you to step up!"
James smiled and looked up at the scoreboard. The Cavaliers were still trailing.
This game was proving to be very difficult.
The Cavaliers had been consistently suppressed by the Rockets.
With 5:33 left in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers retook the lead.
Delonte West proved to be a surprise weapon, hitting both of his three-point attempts.
"Delonte stepped up and hit both three-pointers, helping the Cavaliers take the lead."
"It's now 95-93, Cavaliers leading by two points."
"If the Rockets miss this next offensive possession, things will get difficult."
On the offensive end, the Rockets ran a pick-and-roll, with Mutombo setting a screen for Tracy McGrady.
West, guarding McGrady, was screened out and couldn't recover in time.
Tang Long saw this and quickly rotated to cover, forcing the Rockets into a mismatch.
He would guard McGrady, and McGrady wouldn't get an easy shot.
"Hey! T-Mac, why bother with the pick-and-roll? I'll guard you now, and you won't score this basket."
Tang Long crouched low, intently guarding McGrady, not conceding an inch in rhythm or speed.
McGrady, hearing Tang Long's provocation, remained unfazed.
He shook off the big man and drove into the paint for a dunk, which was McGrady's specialty.
He didn't believe Tang Long could keep up with his speed on a drive.
"Tang... I will definitely drive past you this time!"
McGrady made a bold statement. The next second, he moved, his speed truly like a gust of wind as he zipped past Tang Long.
With a few powerful strides, he entered the paint and was about to slam the ball down on the Cavaliers' rim.
How could Tang Long allow McGrady to be so arrogant in front of him? He immediately shouted, "T-Mac, don't you know? Our Cavaliers' paint is a no-fly zone. Get down!"
...