"Fuck..."
Joel Anthony cursed angrily as he realized the ball had been stolen from his hands.
Fortunately, Dwyane Wade managed to secure the ball and then pulled up for a shot, but it fell short.
"Rebound! Watch the offensive board!"
Head coach Pat Riley shouted, hoping the Miami Heat would regain possession.
This was Shawne Marion's chance to shine. In the Heat's lineup, he was undoubtedly the rebounding king!
However, he soon discovered that grabbing rebounds against Tang Long wasn't that easy.
Tang Long's height and weight completely overpowered him. He used his body to box Marion out, making it difficult for him to even jump for the ball.
"These are my rebounds, you're still too green!"
Tang Long declared, and his jump was so high that Marion couldn't even reach it.
Tang Long effortlessly grabbed the rebound, steadied himself, and passed the ball to Larry Hughes, who had come to receive it.
One offense, one defense, one rebound – Tang Long was shining brightly in the American Airlines Arena.
The Heat fans were incredulous. "This young man from China is actually this badass?"
He had completely outplayed Joel Anthony on both offense and defense, and had made Shawne Marion look like a mere bystander on the boards.
"Damn, that Chinese center seems really good. Why haven't we seen him start before?"
The Heat fans were indignant. "Are we going to lose again?"
The Heat's record this new season was already bad enough.
Just as the Heat fans were murmuring, a crisp electronic synthesized voice sounded.
Tang Long’s anticipation grew. He knew that once the system’s voice chimed, it meant good news was coming.
[Host has grabbed fifteen rebounds in this game and will receive a new skill. Host, please continue to strive for new achievements.]
Tang Long was overjoyed.
"As expected, is this a temporary dungeon mission assigned by the system?"
"If I grab fifteen rebounds by the end of this game, I'll unlock a new skill?"
"What about blocks?"
As everyone knew, a center guarding the paint needed not only to practice post moves but also to be proficient in rebounding and blocking.
A dominant center should control the game on both ends of the court.
Only by performing excellently on both offense and defense could one be considered a legendary center with absolute dominance!
The system seemed to sense Tang Long's thoughts, and another prompt sounded.
[If the host achieves 7+ blocks in this game, a new skill will be unlocked: Godly Block!]
"What the heck? Godly Block?"
Suddenly, Tang Long became even more excited.
"7+ blocks, that's a bit fierce!"
"After all, the league's block leader averages only two or three per game."
"Seven blocks in a single game is definitely tank-level defensive solidity."
"There's only fun in a challenge if it's difficult."
Tang Long unhesitatingly accepted the two dungeon missions, aiming to achieve seven blocks and unlock Murasakibara Atsushi's Godly Block skill!
*Swish!!*
The game on the court changed in an instant, and it was a new round of offense.
Dwyane Wade held the ball and passed it to Marion at the small forward position.
Marion had been outplayed by Tang Long for rebounds earlier and was filled with anger.
Upon receiving the pass from Wade, Marion charged into the paint like a battering ram, determined to score over Tang Long.
LeBron James's defense had a lapse, and Marion easily drove past him.
"Hey! Tang… my good brother, it's up to you now!"
Seeing that he couldn't catch up to Marion, LeBron James placed his hopes on Tang Long.
He had a feeling that Tang Long, guarding the paint, wouldn't let Marion score so easily.
And indeed, that was the case. After fusing with Murasakibara Atsushi, Tang Long was the absolute defensive anchor for the Cavaliers.
His interior footwork was quick, and his defensive coverage was immense.
When LeBron James made a defensive mistake and was beaten by Marion, Tang Long moved to his left with great awareness.
The left elbow area was precisely where Marion had started his drive past LeBron James.
"Here comes the 'tiezi'?"
Facing Marion's three-step layup, Tang Long was relaxed. He moved to the left side of the basket and even greeted him.
The term "tiezi" translated into English sounded inexplicably humorous.
As a future transmigrator, Tang Long's use of later internet slang would confuse not only these Americans but even Chinese fans.
Marion was bewildered by Tang Long's "tiezi" comment. In that very instant, Tang Long's thunderous block arrived.
With a swift slap, he disrupted Marion's three-step layup.
The force of the block was so immense that it sent Marion tumbling to the ground.
The basketball whistled out of bounds, hitting a cute white girl sitting by the sideline.
"Ahhh!"
The white girl cried out in pain and glared angrily at Tang Long.
Tang Long gave her an apologetic smile, a smile filled with both regret and concern.
This smile, however, made the white girl laugh.
"Damn it, Tang, you hurt me! You owe me a meal after the game, okay?"
"Okay, okay, I'll definitely treat you. Sorry!"
Tang Long smiled kindly again.
Seeing Tang Long's sincere apology, the white girl didn't press the issue further.
Meanwhile, Marion, who had fallen, took a long time to get up. It wasn't because he was injured, but rather because he had lost all face being blocked by Tang Long like that.
The referee put the ball back in play. The inbound pass was still for the Heat.
Two blocks down, five more to go to reach seven.
He glanced at the clock. The first quarter was nearing its end.
After the Heat inbounded the ball, the Cavaliers would have one more possession before the first quarter concluded.
As time ticked away, the first quarter ended.
The score wasn't far apart, with the Cavaliers leading the Heat by five points.
28:23, they had easily handled the Heat.
Entering the second quarter, the starters went to the bench for a rest. Mike Brown fielded the reserve lineup.
The Miami Heat did the same, and neither team played their starters until the end of the second quarter.
Tang Long's contribution in the first quarter was evident.
His efficiency and plus/minus were strong. He had scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds, recorded two blocks, and two assists.
Otherwise, he would have had a steal, but Wade had picked up the ball after Tang Long had swatted it away from Joel Anthony.
His stats were good, making him the absolute inside core of the Cavaliers!
Tang Long continued to play in the third quarter.
He immediately gave the Heat a taste of his power.
He received an alley-oop opportunity in the paint and connected with LeBron James for a spectacular dunk!
This play stunned countless fans in the arena.
Just as there was the "LeBron-Wade connection" in the future, there was now the "LeBron-Tang connection"!
"Oh my god! The Cavaliers are playing more and more easily. LeBron drives and dishes, and China Tang gets the alley-oop dunk."
"This dunk is so powerful and dominant. From now on, I'll call this the LeBron-Tang Connection!"
The arena announcer gave it an elegant name.
There were also Cavaliers fans in the American Airlines Arena. Hearing the announcer, they immediately became energized.
"Oh my god! Yes, that's right, it's the LeBron-Tang Connection, so dominant! Guys, I absolutely love this duo of LeBron and Tang!"
"Yes, I like and am optimistic about it too. I hope with China Tang's rise this year, LeBron can lead our Cavaliers back to the pinnacle of the NBA Finals!"
...