Seeing Rondo stunned by his aura, Tang Long was quite satisfied.
He activated the [Ball is Life] skill, and an intimidating aura emanated from him, making Rondo afraid to confront him directly.
Even if he did, would Tang Long be afraid of Rondo with his small frame?
One swipe of his forearm and Rondo would likely be hospitalized.
"Tang... never mind, he's just a kid and doesn't know any better. Don't take it personally."
Alexander walked over and said to Tang Long.
Currently, everyone on the Cavaliers liked Tang Long.
Firstly, Tang Long had a good personality and got along well with everyone on the team.
Secondly, Tang Long's sudden rise had earned him the respect of the Cavaliers.
Even the team leader, LeBron James, respected Tang Long, let alone Alexander and Larry Hughes.
"Tang... don't fall for their trick. We're here to win, not to fight. Besides, fighting is bad for young people."
James said, signaling Tang Long not to get impulsive.
"Okay, for everyone's sake, I won't bother with someone like him. Let's get back to playing."
The conflict didn't escalate, and the referees didn't eject anyone. They only gave Tang Long and Rondo each a technical foul.
After the little drama, the game resumed normally.
The possession belonged to the Cavaliers. Since Rondo had initiated the trouble, the referee awarded the ball to the Cavaliers.
Tang Long's anger, ignited by Rondo, had not entirely dissipated.
Approaching the basket, facing Perkins' defense, Tang Long was still full of vigor.
He made various solo drives and dunks, and Perkins alone couldn't stop him.
By the end of the second quarter, in just a few minutes, Tang Long had scored eight points with a hundred percent shooting accuracy, dominating Perkins and Garnett in the low post.
With Tang Long's outstanding performance, the Cavaliers, who had been trailing by four points, took the lead back from the Celtics.
At halftime, the score was 53:47, with the Cavaliers leading the Celtics by six points.
After a short break, both teams resumed the third quarter.
The Celtics were trailing by six points. Coach Rivers instructed Pierce to shoot more and initiate iso plays.
Rivers had realized that Garnett and Perkins didn't seem to be in their element in this game.
Pierce played exceptionally well, scoring six consecutive points under pressure, all of them mid-range jumpers.
On one play, he was double-teamed and passed to Ray Allen.
Upon receiving the ball, Ray Allen quickly shot, jumping high and making an accurate three-pointer, tying the score.
The Cavaliers saw that things were not looking good and Mike Brown called a timeout.
Upon returning from the timeout, James responded with a three-pointer of his own.
The battle was extremely fierce. Ray Allen attempted another three-pointer but was contested and missed.
James shouted, "Tang... he missed, pay attention to the defensive rebound."
Tang Long replied, "Don't worry, leave the rebounds to me."
He immediately activated the [Absolute Rebound] skill and saw that Ray Allen's three-pointer was short.
The ball hit the front rim, a front-rim vertical bounce.
The landing spot of such rebounds was relatively easy to predict.
Even Garnett and Perkins saw it, but they jumped too late.
Tang Long quickly snatched this front-rim vertical rebound and threw a pinpoint pass, assisting Larry Hughes on a fast break.
"Well done, Tang! With you here, we'll be champions this year!"
Larry Hughes, after the fast break, looked very excited.
Waving to Tang Long, he said that with Tang Long, the Cavaliers would win the championship this year!
The Celtics fans were not happy. They had assembled their "Big Three" precisely to win the championship, so how could they let the Cavaliers snatch it away?
"Heh... what a joke. With your team's market and your player configuration, you think you can win the championship? You must be dreaming!"
"Go to bed quickly. In your dreams, you can have anything."
The Celtics fans were truly harsh, belittling the Cavaliers completely.
Thinking about it, what they said wasn't entirely wrong.
In terms of market, the small city of Cleveland couldn't compare to Boston.
In terms of player configuration, they weren't as eye-catching as the Celtics' "Big Three."
However, none of that mattered. In 2004, the Pistons, with their "Fab Five," had defeated the dominant Lakers "F4."
What was the point of having a good player configuration?
Tang Long sneered, ignored the Boston fans, and focused on defense.
It must be said that Tang Long, when serious, was terrifying.
With him anchoring the paint, no one could break through the Cavaliers' iron defense.
Pierce was unconvinced and drove into the paint, attempting a layup, but Tang Long blocked him again with a powerful rejection.
Tang Long already had four blocks in this game.
Converting the block into possession, Tang Long stabilized the tempo and passed to James.
James pushed the ball forward, his "tank-like" play crushing through, and he dunked over Perkins.
James was James. Once he got going, few in the league could stop him.
"LeBron drives into the paint and dunks over Perkins. The Cavaliers are playing with increasing confidence. They've already taken a ten-point lead over the Celtics."
"No one expected before the game that, with just a kid from China and LeBron, they could have pushed the Celtics' Big Three this hard."
"It seems that the biggest enemy for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs this year will be this Cavaliers team?"
The commentators mused, feeling that the Cavaliers would be the true obstacle for the Celtics' "Big Three."
The "Big Three" were not convinced.
Ray Allen stepped up, received a pass from Rondo, took one dribble, and then drifted sideways for a pull-up jumper.
The shot was released from a high point. Alexander, defending Ray Allen, tried to contest the shot but missed, fouling Ray Allen on a three-point play.
Alexander was frustrated and looked displeased.
James and Tang Long both comforted him, saying it was okay. They were still leading, and giving up a three-point play wasn't a big deal.
Ray Allen was a sharpshooter, and his free throws were certainly accurate.
He stepped to the line and calmly made the free throw.
On the ensuing possession, the Cavaliers attacked. To make up for his mistake, Alexander drove to the basket, creating half a step of separation from Ray Allen, and decisively took the shot.
Suddenly, with a swish, Alexander, under pressure, sank the ball. The young man was indeed spirited.
"Good shot!"
James and Tang Long shouted, and then returned to the defensive end.
And so, in a battle that was almost a physical brawl, the Celtics and Cavaliers finished the third quarter.
The Celtics had clawed back some of the deficit. The score was now 72:66, with the Celtics trailing the Cavaliers by six points.
The game was still undecided, and the Celtics had a chance to come back.
In the final quarter, they could capitalize on Cavaliers turnovers and score two fast-break points to easily close the gap.
As the fourth quarter began, the Celtics indeed seized an opportunity.
James committed a turnover, and Rondo quickly stole the ball.
He then led a fast break and scored two points.
Seeing this, James immediately went to argue with the referee, believing Rondo had fouled him by hitting his wrist while stealing the ball!