"Tang Long's performance is as reasonable as ever," Coach Zhang chimed in. "Several times, despite double-teams, he still found shooting space. But after drawing the defenders' attention, he passed to Drew Gooden. This refusal to go it alone, creating opportunities for his teammates, is when the team is at its most comfortable."
"Coach Zhang has a point. Drew Gooden has been particularly strong today, which is rarely seen. We're also very happy to see other Cavaliers players stepping up."
"In the first two quarters, the Cavaliers did a great job of limiting the Hornets' scoring. But the Hornets will definitely make adjustments in the third quarter. Let's see how Mike Brown's adaptability holds up."
"That..."
The three commentators in the broadcast booth exchanged glances, silently agreeing not to press the issue further. Mike Brown's in-game adaptability was clearly mediocre in the league, so much so that the three commentators couldn't find any words to praise his in-game adjustments.
...
*Beep*.
The referee blew the whistle to start the third quarter, and the starting lineups reappeared on the court. The Cavaliers had possession.
Larry Hughes brought the ball past half-court and passed it to Tang Long, who was still at the three-point line.
Tang Long was completely open in front of him. Everyone knew Tang Long played in the paint and had a decent mid-range shot. So, Chandler usually only started defending when Tang Long moved inside the free-throw line, and other players would then converge to help.
Tang Long held the ball. It seemed everyone was waiting for him to pass to someone else. West had even positioned himself between Tang Long and James, ready to intercept if Tang Long dared to pass to James.
*Whoosh*.
Tang Long jumped. The three-pointer swished through the net, untouched.
Everyone was stunned. The Cavaliers players stared at Tang Long in bewilderment. Did this guy have a three-point shot?
After a long moment, the Cavaliers fans reacted. Then, they erupted in cheers.
"Tang, you're amazing!"
"I told you the coach wanted you to catch the ball on the perimeter. So that's why he knew you had a three-point shot," James said, looking at Tang Long in surprise. "When did you learn to shoot threes?"
"Do you believe me if I say it was a fluke?"
"What do you think?"
"Okay, it was the coach who told me to try shooting threes."
This time, Tang Long was telling the truth. Before the game, Mike Brown had pulled Tang Long and Larry Hughes aside, telling him to pass the ball to Tang Long after crossing half-court and that if he had an opportunity at the three-point line, he could shoot.
"The coach trusts you a lot, letting you shoot threes."
"That's right. I just didn't want to show it before." Tang Long admitted generously, without any embarrassment.
"Looks like I need to bring out some of my signature moves too. Even you, a center, dare to shoot threes now." James had many signature moves, but driving to the basket against defenders was undoubtedly one of his specialties. Before Tang Long rose to prominence, it was James who shouldered the burden, driving into the paint. Only after Tang Long emerged and provided a strong presence inside did James's method of charging through defenders decrease. However, back then, it was often out of necessity. As the team's "Little Emperor," he was the star and carried the responsibility, having to carry the entire team forward on his own.
The situation now was different from then. Now, James was more relaxed. With less burden, his movements were more fluid and graceful.
After Paul scored a two-pointer, the Cavaliers launched another attack. Beyond the three-point line, James received the ball. West was defending him, hands raised, initially preparing to guard against James's unreasoning shots. James slowly dribbled the ball between his legs, appearing completely relaxed, showing no intention of shooting. West, who averaged 8.9 rebounds per game, second only to center Chandler, had his own judgment regarding the ball's trajectory, and the same applied to his defense. He watched the player's shoulders, not the ball, as feints and actual shots were clearly distinguishable.
However, West clearly didn't expect Tang Long's three-pointer to completely ignite James's fighting spirit. If even a center was shooting threes, then as a power forward, how could he not play more in the paint? James continuously changed his dribbling steps. Time ticked by. Fifteen seconds... ten seconds... West believed his defense was successful. In a few more seconds, if James didn't want to commit a violation, he'd have to rush a shot, which would undoubtedly have a low success rate. Five seconds. West had already lowered his guard, and the Hornets players were positioning themselves to secure the rebound.
James moved. With a sudden change of direction, James flashed past West, who was caught off guard and left behind. Two steps, and James was already in the three-second area. Hornets players scrambled to double-team, while Chandler held his position, preventing Tang Long from easily jumping for the rebound, clearly assuming that if James missed this shot, the rebound wouldn't go to Tang Long. At this moment, James had already charged in like a bulldozer.
"My goodness, I haven't seen LeBron drive to the basket like this in a long time," Yu Jia exclaimed in the broadcast booth, seeing James power through two defenders to score two points and draw a foul on West.
"This is one of LeBron's signature moves. It seems that for the sake of a 30-game winning streak, even LeBron is starting to fight hard." In the shot, Cavaliers fans were cheering wildly, and the substitute players on the bench were excitedly waving towels. James's 2+1 play was spectacular. Everyone hadn't seen LeBron so determined in a long time. James's basket not only extended the lead again but also crushed the Hornets' momentum as they were preparing to counterattack.
"LeBron, if you had fought this hard earlier, perhaps we wouldn't have had to struggle in some of the previous games."
"I was conserving energy." James, while accepting his teammates' admiration, couldn't resist teasing Tang Long, "Who do you think you are, fighting hard all the time? After all that effort, you still have so much energy left. I suspect you're using some high-tech product."
"I spend most of my time with you guys." Tang Long's tone was less assertive than usual for the first time. Indeed, besides his own hard training, there were many advanced technologies involved. However, these technologies were so advanced, almost bordering on superstition, that no one believed them.
"Alright, I'm just kidding. Let's maintain our current offensive rhythm. It's only the beginning of the third quarter, and we still have nearly two more quarters to play." James and Tang Long high-fived, their expressions filled with a thirst for victory.
"Okay, then I'll try my best to create more opportunities for you to drive to the basket, just like Drew."