Yao Ming's earlier interference also characterized this game, as he was currently in blazing form.
And just as everyone had anticipated, this was a neck-and-neck contest where neither side yielded an inch.
With three minutes left in the first quarter, the score stood at 25-23.
The Cavaliers held a slim two-point lead.
As McGrady sank an outside pull-up three-pointer, the Rockets once again took the lead, with the score becoming 25-26.
This pattern of trading the lead had persisted for the entire quarter.
In the first half, the Rockets had held the lead over the Cavaliers at least seven times.
And in response, the Cavaliers had managed to come back and overtake the Rockets multiple times.
Such an intense game earned praise from all the spectators, including the commentators.
With three minutes remaining on the game clock.
It was the Cavaliers' possession.
Larry Hughes dribbled the ball up to the top of the arc and passed it directly to LeBron James, who had been waiting patiently.
In the first quarter, James's performance could only be described as mediocre.
Not only had he failed to effectively organize the Cavaliers' offense, but he had also been repeatedly penetrated by McGrady on defense.
Although, in this game, James's interior defense had been very solid.
His rebounding numbers were excellent; as of this moment, he had already grabbed six rebounds.
Three of these were offensive rebounds, providing the Cavaliers with second-chance opportunities.
It's worth noting that he had snatched these three offensive rebounds right from under Yao Ming.
However, even with these contributions, it couldn't overshadow his sluggish performance in the first quarter.
The biggest contributor for the Cavaliers in the first quarter was undoubtedly Tang Long.
In this game, Tang Long had contributed a game-high 15 points.
In just one quarter, he had amassed 15 points.
Crucially, he also had 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
He had perfectly organized the team's offense and effectively protected the basket.
His direct opponent, Yao Ming, was equally formidable, scoring the second-highest 12 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
If nothing unexpected happened, Yao Ming would likely achieve a double-double within the first quarter.
This achievement was truly remarkable.
Yet, despite this, the score remained incredibly tight.
This was primarily due to Tang Long; while James's performance was average, Tang Long had led the Cavaliers players to perform exceptionally well.
Larry Hughes, who wasn't known for his shooting, had surprisingly made two three-pointers in this game!
This was also a reason they were able to keep the score so close.
The game continued.
James, with the ball, looked at McGrady defending him.
After a moment of thought, he lofted the ball to Tang Long in the paint.
His form was average, and McGrady's defense was equally effective.
If he were to drive hard against McGrady's defense, he would likely face not only a double-team but also a potential steal.
In such a situation, the steady James chose to pass to Tang Long, who was currently in excellent form.
In his eyes, Tang Long was undoubtedly his best brother.
In this game, Tang Long definitely had the capability to carry the Cavaliers' situation.
And James's pass, while arguably a form of deferral, was also very sensible.
When one's shooting touch is off, it's natural to pass the ball to a teammate who can score.
Rather than attempting a solo drive and putting the team in a passive position.
Facing Yao Ming's defense, Tang Long pondered for a moment and decided to continue with a post-up.
His post-up skills were extremely seasoned; for a defensive stalwart like Yao Ming, post-up was undoubtedly his most reliable technique.
However, this time, the Rockets were prepared!
As soon as Tang Long initiated his post-up move, Shane Battier immediately closed in from the side, preparing to double-team Tang Long.
This defensive adjustment by the Rockets truly caught Tang Long by surprise.
If he continued to post up, he would face the defense of multiple players.
Although Battier's interference wouldn't be significant, caution was still necessary, as Battier was a well-known help-defense specialist.
And if he didn't attack, the situation wouldn't be much better.
Apart from Tang Long, the rest of the Cavaliers players were not in great form.
Including James.
As of now, he had only scored two points.
For a team's star player, this was undoubtedly a very substandard performance!
But Tang Long understood; the Rockets' interior defense was formidable, and even for him, scoring would be difficult.
Let alone for James, whose shooting ability was not outstanding.
With this thought, Tang Long could only pass the ball out to the perimeter for James to orchestrate the offense again.
However, he had still been somewhat too complacent.
The moment he prepared to pass the ball to the perimeter, Shane Battier, with lightning speed, immediately extended his hand to get to the ball.
"Damn it!"
Tang Long shouted, "To/"
By the end of the first half, the Rockets had established a lead of nearly 10 points over the Cavaliers.
It was hard to imagine what had transpired in the last three minutes of the first quarter.
And it all began with that fast break by the Rockets.
After McGrady's fast break and subsequent basket.
The Rockets seemed to have found the Cavaliers' weakness.
On defense, they repeatedly deployed Shane Battier in conjunction with Yao Ming.
Their task was to double-team Tang Long.
Even though Tang Long reacted incredibly quickly and his passes were precise.
However, apart from Tang Long, no other Cavaliers player could score!
Even James's form in this game had plummeted.
Three consecutive missed shots had made him doubt his confidence in shooting.
Meanwhile, the Rockets' offense was not idle; they capitalized on the Cavaliers' offensive drought.
In the last three minutes, with three-pointers from McGrady and Battier, they had widened the score gap to over 10 points!
As the buzzer sounded.
The first quarter concluded.
There was a full ten-point difference between the two teams.
But the Cavaliers remained unfazed. A mere ten points; they had experienced such large-stage comebacks recently.
Was it difficult to beat the Lakers?
Weren't they still overturned by the Cavaliers?
In the final quarter, Tang Long transformed into the "King of the Fourth Quarter" and took over the game.
At Staples Center, they defeated Kobe Bryant's Lakers!
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