"You guys, how is this guy still jumping so high? Was he faking it just now? Pretending he had no stamina?"
Dampier expressed his doubts, and also felt very dejected.
It was well into the fourth quarter, and while he wouldn't say he was exhausted, it was impossible for him to muster the explosive power he had in the earlier quarters.
Who would have thought this guy, Tang Long, could still jump so high? He was practically a human spring.
"This guy's strength seems endless."
Josh Howard echoed Dampier's sentiment.
He had been matched up against Tang Long under the basket earlier, and as his stamina waned, even if his mind could conceive of a blocking move, his limbs wouldn't obey.
This was also why he had committed so many fouls in the fourth quarter – his body couldn't keep up with his mind.
"I think it's just because you big guys have poor stamina that you're saying that. Do people from Longguo even know how to play basketball? Look at all of you, you're embarrassing us. Just watch me!"
Devin Harris scoffed, received a pass from Nowitzki, and drove all the way to the basket.
This guy was actually quite clever.
Knowing that forcing his way against Tang Long was likely to result in a block, he planned to use his agility advantage as a smaller player to trick a defender. With lightning speed, he rushed to the basket.
Just as Tang Long reached out to snatch the ball, Harris executed a beautiful spin move and drove past Tang Long.
Huh?
Harris thought he had broken through. But the next second, as soon as he shot the ball, Tang Long had already come flying back.
*Slap!*
The ball was directly swatted away.
Another [Divine Block]!
Harris stared incredulously at the arc of the ball as it was sent flying, momentarily stunned into a daze.
He wasn't unused to being blocked, but to be so thoroughly rejected like this was simply incredible.
It was utterly unscientific.
"Hey, stop zoning out. Are we playing or not? Go home and daydream, alright?"
Tang Long's taunt instantly angered Harris.
Unwilling to give up, he attacked again, dribbling the ball around, drawing the Mavericks players to double-team him.
He didn't believe Tang Long could block him every time.
Moreover, how could this kid, after playing for almost two consecutive quarters, still have so much energy?
He must be forcing himself.
He had very little stamina left; this was all just a deliberate attempt to scare him.
Harris thought his analysis was quite sound.
Just as Drew Gooden was about to move in for help defense, Dampier blocked Gooden's path. Seeing this, Harris circled around the wall built by Dampier and drove to the basket again.
He gathered the ball and took a jump shot.
About one step away from Tang Long, Harris chose to pull up for a jumper.
*Slap!*
Another spectacular block, teaching Harris a lesson.
This time, Tang Long directly slapped the ball to James. James then charged down the court like a gust of wind towards the Mavericks' basket, followed by a thunderous dunk!
"Oh my god, the Zhan-Long combination is just amazing."
"LeBron, I love you."
"Oh my god, did you see that? LeBron almost ripped the rim down. Only he could pull off such a big move, others probably couldn't."
"That was also Tang's assist."
Tang Long's fanbase was slowly growing. Hearing LeBron's fans exclusively praising him, they chimed in: "LeBron could make such an easy and comfortable dunk thanks in large part to Tang."
"Hey, what are you guys talking about? They're teammates, and good friends too. Aren't you embarrassed talking like this?"
A fan with a more balanced perspective jumped in to criticize the others for their inappropriate remarks.
This also had something to do with the Cavaliers' current lead. At this point, the Cavaliers were ahead 106:99, a seven-point advantage.
More importantly, Tang Long was like a killing god right now. Except for outside shots, where he couldn't move quickly, any player who drove to the basket found it difficult to score, let alone get a shot blocked.
As the game progressed, the Mavericks decided they couldn't continue to go head-to-head with the Cavaliers.
Before long, the Mavericks coach subbed out Nowitzki.
After Nowitzki left the court, the Mavericks' offense became even more stagnant. When they failed to score, the Cavaliers would continuously extend their lead.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the Cavaliers had defeated the Mavericks 117:105, a twelve-point lead.
The game ended, and Nowitzki, without even bothering to wipe his hair, grabbed a towel and walked towards the Cavaliers' bench.
"Tang, good job. Want to come to Dallas?"
Dampier was a skilled player when he was focused, but he always liked to stir up trouble.
He caused so much frustration for the Mavericks both on and off the court, and it was no secret that the Mavericks were planning to replace their center.
"Hey, aren't you going a bit too far?"
James stood up and blocked Nowitzki, glaring at him with displeasure.
"Let me tell you, Tang is not for sale to the Cavaliers."
Nowitzki angled his body to look at Tang Long: "Tang, I can convince the owner, and I can give you a maximum contract."
"No need, I'm very happy with the Cavaliers. If you want to play against me, I think we should just compete on the court," Tang Long said with a smile.
"What competition? Crush him!"
James glared fiercely at Nowitzki.
This guy was truly annoying, trying to poach players with a maximum contract.
"Tang, this guy is just trying to deliberately undermine us. You can't fall for it."
"Don't worry, I know," Tang Long patted James's shoulder, giving him a reassuring look.
Tang Long wasn't that foolish. If the Mavericks really wanted to poach him, they would have contacted his agent directly after the game.
At the very least, the Mavericks' manager would have approached him off the court. For Nowitzki to offer him a high salary right after the game ended was suspicious.
Let alone if he had impulsively agreed, even if he hadn't, he would have been branded as greedy in the eyes of the fans, and his future fan base would be ruined.
This guy was truly cunning.
Tang Long pouted. Just as he was about to follow his team back to the locker room, a beautiful reporter from ESPN approached him with a microphone.
"Tang, excuse me, I..."
"Since you know it's an interruption, why don't you just disappear?"
Tang Long shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away.
However, after only a few steps, another reporter with a microphone approached him. This reporter looked like an intern, their hand holding the microphone trembling slightly.
"Tang, hello, may I interview you?"
With the Cavaliers on a 23-game winning streak, they were bound to receive more attention on and off the court. Coupled with Tang Long's impolite rejection of the beautiful reporter, Catherine, this made the intern even more nervous.
"Yes." Tang Long stopped with a cheerful smile. "Don't be nervous, I'm not a man-eating tiger. Besides, how could such a beautiful and charming young lady like you be eaten?"
*Pfft!*
Xiao Gen, a reporter from Fox Sports, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Immediately after, she realized her behavior was unprofessional and quickly composed herself to begin the interview with Tang Long.
Tang Long had originally just not wanted to be interviewed by Catherine. He never expected that his unintentional gesture would deeply move the intern, Xiao Gen, who then wrote a lengthy article describing the interview.
Of course, the report was filled with positive portrayals of Tang Long, unlike those tricky reporters who enjoyed digging up Tang Long's gossip.
One had to admit, this young lady was quite good. At least when it came to Tang Long, she showed him great respect.
...