The United States attacked, Howard inbounded the ball, Wade shifted to point guard.
The others waited around the half-court line for Wade to bring the ball up.
Wade didn't pay much attention when he saw Tang Long approach him from a short distance.
The moment the ball left Howard's hands, Tang Long quickly closed in on Wade.
Wade was quite confident in his ball-handling skills; stealing the ball from him was a pipe dream, a fool's errand.
Wade moved slowly, controlling the ball with his body sideways, while Tang Long retreated step by step.
About three or four steps from the half-court line, Tang Long made his move, stepping forward to swipe the ball.
Wade was waiting for this very moment.
He tapped the ball with his left hand, pushed it forward with his right, and shot off like lightning.
"You're the one!"
Tang Long shouted, retracting his forward step and initiating an ultra-fast dribble before Wade's right hand could even touch the ball.
At this instant, Tang Long and the bouncing ball seemed to synchronize. The extremely fast drop point now felt slow, like a sluggish, old man.
*Bang.*
In a flash, the mismatch occurred, and Tang Long knocked the ball away.
"Oh, for f-,"
Wade cursed and chased after him. Under the high-speed dribble, Tang Long was just a blur.
But as he went for the layup, Wade saw Tang Long slow down. Wade jumped and swatted at the ball.
"Dwyane, you fell for it."
Tang Long switched the ball from his left hand to his right and made the shot.
Wade, in his shock, committed a foul.
And gave Tang Long a free throw.
67-83.
This crucial steal not only succeeded but also resulted in a 2+1.
Forty seconds remained in the third quarter.
The United States was leading, and their players hadn't taken Tang Long, who appeared on their frontcourt, seriously.
So, while Wade was already cautious seeing Tang Long, the others still didn't come to help.
After all, Wade was the one handling the ball; could Tang Long steal it again after already doing so once?
After Howard inbounded the ball, Tang Long immediately closed in.
This time, he didn't give Wade a chance to dribble. He pressed up directly, expecting that after one mistake, Wade wouldn't continue dribbling but would instead pass to Howard, who was coming from the perimeter, and then Howard would pass.
He was gambling.
He gambled that Wade would pass to Howard.
So, as he pressed closer, his eyes were locked onto Wade's hands.
The moment Wade's hands released the ball after receiving it, Tang Long sprung forward like a coiled spring towards Howard.
"What the f-!"
"Too g-,"
Tang Long moved.
The instant Wade made his pass, Tang Long, like a cheetah in full sprint, intercepted the ball, tapped it, spun 360 degrees, and slammed it home with a dunk.
71-83.
Wade was stunned.
Even Howard stared at Tang Long, who was celebrating with his arms raised, as if he had seen a ghost.
Coach K glanced at the clock.
Twenty seconds left.
"I'll endure!
As long as we hold on for twenty more seconds, we'll adjust our tactics in the fourth quarter and blow these Dragon Country guys away."
The American players were thinking the same.
Even as Howard stepped up to the free-throw line, the other three were still near the half-court line.
When Tang Long once again stealthily positioned himself not far from Wade, Wade's face turned green.
The audience erupted in laughter, like pigs squealing.
It was truly a heart-wrenching move, yet so lovable.
"Tang, have you no shame?"
Wade yelled, furious.
"Why do I have no shame?" When it came to this, Tang Long had something to say: "You agreed to one-on-one, but you ambushed me. How dare you talk about me? Who's the one with no shame?"
"All's fair in war, and I learned that from you guys."
"So you're not good enough," Tang Long shrugged, with a provoking expression. "Stop bragging in the future, I'm embarrassed for you."
"You..." Wade was so angry he paused for a moment before saying, "Oh my god, if you act like this, I don't want to be your teammate."
"Then I'll dominate you on the court."
"F-k."
This time, Wade was truly angered. He waved his hand, signaling Howard to inbound the ball.
The moment the ball reached Wade's hands, Wade faked a move to shake Tang Long. Tang Long followed, but then Wade accelerated again. Tang Long was a step slow, and Wade seized the opportunity to drive past him with a crossover, bursting through Tang Long's defense.
Tang Long instinctively reached for the ball, hitting Wade's hand.
Foul!
Wade sank both free throws.
71-85.
With only twenty seconds left in the game, it was Dragon Country's offense.
Wade and LeBron swapped positions, with Wade sticking tight to Tang Long.
He was so aggressive that the moment Tang Long showed any sign of receiving the ball, Wade would reach out early.
Sun Yue, who controlled the ball, had to play on the other side.
Fortunately, the ball was delivered to Yao Ming. Facing Howard, Yao Ming scored another two points.
73-85.
At this moment, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the third quarter.
Trailing by twelve points.
One quarter left.
More importantly, everyone's mentality seemed to have shifted.
In the first two quarters, the mindset was more about Dragon Country playing well, but the skill gap was too obvious; losing by a small margin was acceptable.
But as the game progressed, they suddenly realized they might still have a chance.
With Tang Long's scoring spree, some fans began to fantasize about the possibility of defeating the United States in the fourth quarter.
During the break, not a single spectator left their seat. Everyone sat quietly, their eyes eagerly fixed on Tang Long, afraid that the slightest sound would disturb his rest!