Chapter 167 Falling in Love Only Makes Men Weaker?

Drew Gooden pulls up for a mid-range jumper.

Swish.

Nothing but net.

"Drew, nice shot. I guess I should provoke you more often."

James pats Drew Gooden's shoulder with a chuckle.

You know, his shooting form was quite elegant just now. The key is that he used to rely on passing and assists, rarely shooting himself, mostly playing as a role player. Now, he's stepping up, which is definitely good news for the Cavaliers.

"I just didn't want to steal your thunder."

Drew Gooden shakes his head with a flourish.

Indeed, a confident man looks quite handsome.

"This guy."

James shakes his head helplessly. Against a fast and agile team like the Hornets, as long as they defend the perimeter well, occasional breakthroughs by the opponent in the paint shouldn't be a big problem.

Besides, the paint is Tang Long's territory. How could Tang Long allow anyone to score repeatedly over him?

Just as expected.

The Hornets try to pull the same trick again. After Bobby Jackson drives in, he tries to fake Tang Long into a foul.

*Slap.*

Tang Long cleanly knocks the ball away this time, not forgetting to mock Bobby Jackson, "Showy."

Bobby Jackson's nose almost turns green with anger.

Someone actually described his basketball as showy.

The Hornets still have possession. This time, Bobby Jackson decides to drive again. He wants to show this big simpleton that being tall means being slow.

After West passes the ball to Bobby Jackson, he spreads out, clearly creating an opportunity for Bobby Jackson. At this moment, everyone seems to be watching a show.

Bobby Jackson drives in smoothly. When he's still more than a meter away from Tang Long, Bobby Jackson uses a crossover dribble to draw Tang Long's attention, then plans to drive to the basket from the other side.

Bobby Jackson's speed is just too fast, so fast that it's like seeing only a stretched shadow.

The Hornets fans can't help but cheer for Bobby Jackson's offense.

"Get down here."

As Bobby Jackson goes up for the layup, he feels an immense, surging force pressing down on his airborne body. This force is incredibly strong, like a tidal wave pushing him back. He fumbles the ball in his hands, and it drops to the floor.

"Here."

Just as the ball is about to land, Tang Long snatches it with a swipe and smoothly passes it to Drew Gooden. As soon as Drew Gooden hears Tang Long's voice, his legs kick into gear like a jet plane with its afterburners engaged. The moment he receives the ball, he charges towards the Hornets' basket at full speed.

*Boom.*

A beautiful windmill dunk.

"Drew, well done! The Cavaliers need a hero like you."

"Drew, I won't criticize you anymore."

The Cavaliers fans rise to their feet to cheer for Drew Gooden. However, the fans' cheers make Drew Gooden a little embarrassed.

What are these guys saying?

After this basket, the score becomes 29-32, with the Cavaliers trailing by only 3 points.

After making two consecutive baskets, Drew Gooden's offensive confidence has been boosted, and he's performing well on offense.

Especially with Tang Long creating a huge distraction in the paint, both offensively and defensively for the Hornets, Drew Gooden is playing very smoothly and scoring repeatedly in the frontcourt.

Just three minutes into the second quarter, Drew Gooden has made four consecutive shots, and the score is now 33-32, with the Cavaliers taking the lead.

*Beep.*

The Hornets finally call a timeout.

"The Hornets will definitely bring in their starters next. But I expect West to rest, so the Hornets' scoring options will likely come from Paul and Peja. We need to defend them well."

Mike Brown uses the timeout to strategize.

You know, Mike Brown has some skills when he's serious.

"Tang, Chandler will be all over you. If you have a clear opportunity, you can go one-on-one. But if you don't, pass the ball to Drew. Play for another three minutes, as long as you maintain this score."

As he speaks, the referee blows the whistle again, signaling the resumption of play.

"Tang, keep it up."

"Tang, if you guys can get a 30-game winning streak, I'll let you ask me for one favor."

Swift offers a subtle encouragement to Tang Long. But Gail Gadot is much bolder, throwing this out in front of tens of thousands of people in the stadium.

The Quicken Loans Arena erupts.

The fans whistle enthusiastically.

"Tang, what favor are you going to ask for?"

"You can't embarrass us men!"

"Tang, dating will only make men soft. Your star-filled ocean is on the court; let the women go to hell!"

The fans shout all sorts of things, turning the arena into a sea of joy. The reporters present also turn their cameras towards Gail Gadot.

Clearly, there's a headline for today.

Even as they film Gail Gadot, the reporters have already thought of a title.

"Third-tier Hollywood Star Declares Love at the Arena, Can 'Tough Guy China Tang' Handle the Pressure Against Opponents?"

Everyone is cheering, but Tang Long is so embarrassed he wishes he could dig a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

He shoots Gail Gadot an annoyed glance. Knowing that now is not the time for a conversation, lest these reporters write something even wilder, he can only glumly retreat to the basket, adopting a defensive stance.

"Tang, honestly, I'm a little envious of you now."

James says this with a hint of jealousy.

Although Gail Gadot is only a third-tier Hollywood actress now, her figure is absolutely stunning.

"Envious of what?"

Tang Long snorts, a little annoyed.

But he can't really get angry at James, so he redirects all his frustration onto the court.

Chandler could still grab a few rebounds from Tang Long when he was defending before. But now, forget about rebounds. Tang Long is staring him down. As soon as this guy dares to receive the ball, Tang Long will either block his shot or make his shooting form incredibly awkward.

His shooting percentage was already low. After missing several consecutive shots, the Hornets stop attacking him and start focusing on the perimeter.

With reduced pressure in the paint, Tang Long occasionally goes to the perimeter to disrupt Paul and Peja's shots. In the few minutes of the second quarter, the Hornets' perimeter shooting percentage plummets.

When Mike Brown substitutes all five of the Cavaliers' starters out, the Cavaliers are already leading by seven points, 51-44.

...

"It seems Gail Gadot's encouragement was quite effective. It's been a long time since I've seen Tang Long so fired up on both ends of the court."

In the broadcast booth, Yu Jia and the other two can't help but chuckle.

However, they clearly mistake Gail Gadot's cheers as the motivation for Tang Long's explosive performance on the court, unaware that it's actually Tang Long's annoyance.

"Let's talk about the game."

Yang Yi chuckles for a while before bringing the topic back to the court. "It's clear that the Cavaliers have seized the initiative in this game. Winning the 30-game streak is no longer an issue. What are your thoughts on Tang Long's performance in the second quarter?"