The game ended.
On the other side of the ocean in Long Country, national fans witnessed Tang Long's phenomenal performance.
"Holy crap! Tang Long is amazing. He was just a young player back home, and now he's so badass in Flower Country!"
"In today's game, it feels like Tang Long completely outplayed Garnett and Perkins!"
"Haha, what's the psychological shadow area for Garnett and Perkins!"
"What's there to ask? Garnett and Perkins must hate Tang Long to death right now, being shut down by him!"
All major forums and websites in Long Country were discussing today's game.
Hupu and Tianya forums were particularly lively. In this era, the sports sections attracted many fans posting and discussing.
Initially, no one in Long Country paid attention to Tang Long, this young player.
Everyone's attention was focused on Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, as they had high draft picks and immense popularity at home.
One was a No. 1 pick, the other was 6th in the first round.
As for Tang Long, he didn't get many opportunities to play in the World Championships.
It was only in the last few minutes that he showed his potential, attracting the attention of NBA scouts who saw his promise and brought him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Who would have thought that Tang Long would seize this simple stepping stone?
Now he's making a strong rise, leading the Cavaliers to overpower the Celtics' Big Three.
In terms of rebounds, he completely dominated Garnett and Perkins.
"Awesome! I predict Tang Long's future achievements will not be much worse than Yao Ming's. Let's wait and see!"
Another fan posted on the forum, expressing great optimism about Tang Long's future development.
"Bro, I agree with you. Tang Long's growth is too fast. He was a bench player not long ago, and only got a starting chance because Big Z was injured."
"Once he got playing time, he became unstoppable. If Tang Long doesn't rise, it would be an injustice!"
Someone on the forum uttered this phrase, and it caught on.
If Tang Long doesn't rise, it would be an injustice!
In the broadcast studio, Su Qun and Yang Yi were also watching the interactive messages from fans.
A significant portion of the content was about Tang Long, with very little discussion about LeBron James.
Usually, when CCTV-5 broadcasted Cavaliers games, many Long Country fans would discuss LeBron James, as both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James had a massive fan base in Long Country.
Now, with Tang Long's rise in the Cavaliers and his superb performances, no one was discussing LeBron James anymore.
The screen was filled with Tang Long's name.
Su Qun looked at it and said with a smile, "It's quite obvious, Tang Long is going to be huge in Long Country. Look at the enthusiasm, his name is all over the screen."
Yang Yi smiled and said, "This is great. Next year, 2008, the Olympics will be held in our own country. By then, Tang Long will have fully developed, and his participation in the national team to compete for an Olympic ranking will be extremely important!"
"We can't always rely on Big Yao alone. Big Yao is not a machine, he gets tired. Since Tang Long also plays center, the national team will definitely improve its combat power with Tang Long's addition."
"Then we can go toe-to-toe with the Redeem Team and the Spanish team!"
Su Qun couldn't help but laugh at this.
Next year, 2008, the Olympics would be held in their own country.
The Long Country men's basketball team absolutely had to achieve a good ranking on home soil, otherwise, it would be a huge disappointment to countless national fans.
"Exactly, that's what I'm thinking too. With Tang Long, Big Yao, and A Lian, I believe the performance of the Olympic men's basketball team will not be too bad!"
As the two of them set the tone in the studio, the fans sending messages became even more enthusiastic.
In 2007, almost every person in Long Country was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Olympics.
Tang Long leading the Long Country men's basketball team with Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu, and Wang Zhizhi to achieve an Olympic ranking, what could be more exciting than that?
In an instant, paid text messages poured in, almost filling the screen.
Meanwhile, in Boston, Flower Country, Tang Long was warmly received by various media outlets.
When a Long Country player performs well in the NBA, it represents the opportunity for further market expansion.
Look at the Rockets, how much money did owner Alexander make relying on Yao Ming?
Now, with a talented center emerging in the Cavaliers, one can imagine the treatment Tang Long would receive in Cleveland.
The media enthusiastically interviewing Tang Long were mostly from Cleveland.
They had followed the team to the FleetCenter in Boston.
This interview lasted for half an hour.
Tonight, LeBron James would also attend the press conference with Tang Long.
After the interviews, they both returned to the locker room. LeBron James told Tang Long that he had helped find him an agent.
Bill Duffy and Rich Paul, Tang Long could choose one from them.
After some thought, Tang Long decided on Bill Duffy.
For no other reason than the fact that he was Yao Ming's agent.
If there was an opportunity to meet Yao Ming, he could ask about Bill Duffy's business capabilities.
LeBron James nodded and said, "Okay Tang, I'll introduce you to Bill Duffy. He'll come to Cleveland to meet you when it's time for your contract extension."
Tang Long smiled and said, "LeBron, thank you. After signing a big contract extension, I'll treat you to a meal."
"Haha, if you say that, then I won't be polite," James replied.
"We're brothers, what's there to be polite about?"
Tang Long's words almost made LeBron James break down.
How did this kid know he loved playing "brotherhood basketball"?
In later life, LeBron James moved to Miami on the South Beach precisely for brotherhood basketball.
In this life, LeBron James didn't need to go to Miami; he could play brotherhood basketball with Tang Long in Cleveland.
...
Time flew by, and soon it was approaching the day of Tang Long's contract extension.
In the interim, the Cavaliers played three more games.
They faced the Atlanta Hawks, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the New York Knicks, respectively.
The Cavaliers won all three games without much trouble, extending their winning streak to six.
And today is December 1st, 2007, the day Tang Long is scheduled to sign his contract extension with the Cavaliers.
Tang Long woke up early and went to the management office, accompanied by LeBron James.
The chosen agent, Bill Duffy, also flew to Cleveland. The previous night, Tang Long had specifically called Yao Ming.
He asked Yao Ming how Bill Duffy was as a person.
Yao Ming told Tang Long that Bill Duffy was good, with average business skills but a decent personality.
Thus, after an hour-long conversation with Yao Ming, Tang Long decided to have Bill Duffy as his agent.
For contract negotiations, Tang Long only needed to sign. All other trivial matters would be handled by Bill Duffy.
Of course, hiring an agent in the NBA was not free. A 4% commission of the total contract salary had to be paid to the agency.
In addition, there were federal taxes, state taxes, league escrow funds, and so on...
After all sorts of deductions, the net amount received was only 39% of the total contract salary.
This was the case for every NBA player, not just Tang Long.
Even superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan received only 39% of their total contract salary when they got paid.
With this in mind, Tang Long strode forward, entering the Cavaliers' management office with LeBron James, Bill Duffy, and others.
...