Chapter 396 Never Fight a Battle Without Confidence

"Scared of you? Come on, whoever doesn't come is a piece of dog shit."

Skitsenitis didn't take Tang Long seriously at all.

Maybe Tang Long was better at playing ball, but he could knock him flying with one punch.

He wanted to knock him flying on home court.

"Okay."

Tang Long walked straight towards the stands.

Everyone's eyes snapped to Tang Long.

The audience was stunned, what was he doing?

Weren't they playing a game?

The coach was also bewildered, why did he automatically leave the court? This wasn't the NBA, where players could call timeouts themselves.

In international games, players couldn't call timeouts on their own.

The most nervous was probably the C5 broadcast room. The game suddenly paused, and no one knew what was happening.

Especially the director and producer, who were breaking out in a cold sweat, unsure whether to cut back to the studio.

Everyone stared intently at the screen.

"To our viewers at home, please don't leave after the game. The Greek player Skitsenitis and I will present a spectacular and unique program for you."

Tang Long looked around, paused, and continued, "We two will have a man-to-man duel. Whoever loses will have to do five push-ups every time they see the other on the court."

Tang Long then looked at Skitsenitis, "Skitsenitis, what do you think?"

"Five is too little, it should be at least fifty."

Tang Long shrugged, "No problem."

He then raised the microphone again, "You heard it, whoever loses, every time they see the other on the court, they will automatically do fifty push-ups. This is a man's duel, and I ask the audience to bear witness to our duel."

Wow.

As soon as Tang Long finished speaking, the stadium erupted in an uproar.

They only knew about duels after games in ice hockey, but they didn't expect basketball to have duels too.

And it was between Tang Long and Skitsenitis, this three-hundred-pound fatty, a mobile tank.

The crowd started to murmur, and countless people held their breath for Tang Long.

"Tang Long looks strong, but there's at least a hundred-pound weight difference between them. The skill gap is too large."

"How can he possibly win? They're not even in the same weight class."

"I don't know what Tang Long is thinking. He could be bringing glory to the country on the court. If he loses, won't it be a disgrace to us?"

"Tang Long, go get him, we all support you."

"Yeah, go get him, we've disliked this guy for a long time. Beat him up!"

There was more discussion, and even more excited fans.

This was something you might not get to see even if you paid for it.

Moreover, this was practically a VIP package.

A duel, between two power-type basketball players, it was bound to be exciting.

The cheers from the audience grew louder and louder.

The whistles and cheers were even more enthusiastic than during the Dream Team games.

...

While the audience was jumping for joy, the director, producer, and all the staff in the broadcast room had beads of sweat on their foreheads.

Everyone looked at the producer, as he was the only one with the authority to make the final decision.

The producer looked at the director, and the director quickly turned his head away.

The meaning was clear: you decide this yourself, no need to consult me.

The producer gritted his teeth and decided to switch the signal back to the broadcast room first.

Although he really wanted to continue, C5's status was special, and they couldn't affect the viewers in front of the television.

"Still..."

Just as the producer was about to tell the staff to switch back to the broadcast room, the director suddenly grabbed him, "Look at the ratings!"

Ever since Tang Long announced the post-game duel with Skitsenitis, the ratings had skyrocketed. Originally, there were only over two hundred million viewers, and now it had surged to five hundred million, and this number was still rapidly increasing!

And this was just domestic. The international viewership had also shot up to a straight line.

A sudden, sharp increase.

The producer got excited.

It had broken six hundred million.

Six hundred and ten million...

The numbers were still climbing.

"Producer, are we still switching?"

"Switching for what? He said it's after the game, and it's still during the game, why switch?"

The producer found himself a reasonable excuse.

These ratings were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not to mention if there would be anyone after, but it would take decades for anyone to surpass this moment.

He never thought that C5's sports channel would be chasing the Spring Festival Gala under his leadership.

But ratings were ratings. If Tang Long said anything inappropriate, he would still be panicking. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Keep an eye on it. If Tang Long says anything inappropriate, switch the camera back immediately."

Actually, there was no need to say more. Everyone's hands were already on the switch buttons, a habit formed over years of experience.

Everyone's nerves were taut, staring intently at the screen.

Fortunately, Tang Long didn't say anything inappropriate. At this moment, the Greek coach also called a timeout, and the players on both sides returned to their positions.

"Tang Long, what is this all about?"

As soon as he sat down, Captain Guo started firing off questions like a barrage of cannons.

"What do you think this game is? A duel? You're undisciplined and disorganized. I'm telling you, a few years ago, your behavior would have been punished."

"But the challenge has been issued, Captain Guo, are you asking me to take it back?" Tang Long said helplessly, "I can take it back, but I don't know if our four hundred million countrymen will agree!"

"Don't try that with me."

Captain Guo glared at Tang Long indignantly.

But as Tang Long said, the challenge had been issued, and there was no turning back now. If they took it back, they would lose all face.

"Captain Guo, calm down. The challenge has been issued, and now is not the time to assign blame. We need to win the game first, and then teach this guy a lesson on how to behave. That will show the spirit of our Dragon Country."

"Da Yao, you've changed. You used to be a peace-loving person, such an honest man."

Captain Guo looked at Yao Ming in surprise.

Yao Ming was not a troublemaker. In the past, everyone even felt that Yao Ming lacked a bit of fierceness to rouse the team's morale.

But looking at Yao Ming now, Captain Guo felt a bit unaccustomed.

Yao Ming was also helpless.

Tang Long chuckled along.

"I'm really going to be angered to death by you guys." Guo Qiang glared at the two of them, "What do you suggest we do now? Should we let Tang Long rest more? Otherwise, if he turns into a weakling during the duel, how will he be able to beat Skitsenitis?"

"Haha, Captain Guo, you also find this guy very annoying, right?"

"Annoying, my foot." Captain Guo snorted, "Don't laugh. The challenge has been issued, there's no retreat. This duel must be won, otherwise, we will be sinners of Dragon Country."

"Captain Guo, don't worry, I have it under control. I, Tang Long, never fight a battle I'm not sure of!"