Chandler was quite frustrated by this situation.
Despite having studied Tang Long and restricted his driving space, he still managed to score.
Chandler was envious; this shooting ability was precisely what he lacked.
As a top blue-collar player, Chandler clearly understood his role.
Offensive rebounds. If he could grab just one more offensive rebound, his team could score more points.
Paul brought the ball past half-court, and Chandler smoothly set a screen for him before rushing into the paint.
With a clear line of sight, Paul didn't hesitate and calmly secured two points.
"Paul's touch is great today. The Cavaliers need to be careful." 138 Reading Network.
For the Cavaliers' 30-game winning streak, the broadcast booth had three guests today.
Director Zhang, Yu Jia, and Yang Yi.
This showed how seriously the officials regarded this game.
"Chandler and Paul are also cooperating well, but don't forget, the Hornets also have West. If the Cavaliers only focus on Paul, West will surely strike unexpectedly!"
"The Hornets' scoring ability is undeniable, with threats both inside and outside. Such a team is difficult to defend against with a specific strategy. It all depends on whether the Cavaliers choose to defend the inside or the perimeter."
...
The three guests in the broadcast booth were discussing heatedly, while domestic fans were enthusiastic, and the refresh rates of forums and tieba once again broke records.
"Can Tang Long surpass Yao Ming to become the league's number one center?"
"Let's consider, we currently only have James and Tang Long as stars. If another superstar joins, won't we take off!"
"We're still a bit short at point guard. Why doesn't management bring Paul to the Cavaliers? We can form a Big Three and surely sweep other teams."
Posts were flying by, and fans were full of imagination for the Cavaliers' future, with less focus on the current game. Many new fans had joined the Cavaliers' fan base.
"New here, can someone tell me Tang Long's current status in the Cavaliers?"
"Let's rationally analyze why the synergy between James and Tang Long results in more than the sum of their parts."
Tieba was lively, and the court was no less so.
Once again, Chandler screened for Paul, and the ball went to West.
The clever Chandler established position against Tang Long, blocking Tang Long behind him, and then West leaped for a dunk.
"David, well done! Teach that guy a lesson."
The Hornets' bench applauded and cheered for West's dunk. Apart from the team's brilliant cooperation, few teams could dunk under Tang Long's defense now, indicating that the Hornets had figured out how to attack the Cavaliers' tactics.
By locking Tang Long behind them, not only could the power forwards dunk, but shooters could also use their accurate mid-range jumpers to break down the Cavaliers' defense.
"Tang, it seems having too many women you know is directly affecting your performance?"
Larry Hughes wasn't taking it seriously at this point and continued to tease Tang Long.
However, as the Hornets continued with more pick-and-rolls, creating space for West to layup, Larry Hughes' expression also turned serious.
The score difference wasn't significant, with the Cavaliers trailing by just one point at home, 14-15, and possessing the ball.
But if the Hornets continued this way, and the Cavaliers committed more turnovers, the gap would quickly widen.
"Drew, go help defend West. We absolutely cannot let him get an easy layup!"
"Tang, what are you spacing out for? This is a game, how can you be continuously screened by Chandler?"
Mike Brown shouted from the sidelines.
On the other side, Hornets' head coach Byron Scott taunted, "Mike, if West could be easily defended, others would have already contained him. How else would he be averaging close to a double-double?"
"Hmph, Byron, don't get too smug. If you lose later, don't make it hard for your players."
Mike Brown had also been learning in the area of verbal sparring recently.
"I'm fine. I'm just wondering if you'll increase your players' training volume after we end your winning streak?"
Byron Scott shrugged nonchalantly, infuriating Mike Brown to call a timeout.
As soon as the Cavaliers players got off the court, Mike Brown angrily asked, "Tang, what's going on? How could you let Chandler score repeatedly against you?"
If Tang Long were a slow-witted player, Mike Brown might not have been so angry.
Tang Long was a player with a tough style of play but was also very intelligent. Making such a mistake once was understandable, but making it repeatedly was unacceptable.
"Coach Brown, this guy Chandler..."
Tang Long was about to offer an explanation but then swallowed his words and nodded earnestly, "Don't worry, Coach, I won't let Chandler get position on me like that again."
Tang Long was also frustrated.
He hadn't quite figured out Chandler's movements at first, which led to the successful consecutive plays by Chandler and West.
After thinking it over, Tang Long had come up with a way to deal with Chandler.
"LeBron, you need to put in some effort on defense too. Even though this is a regular season game, we have to take down these damn Hornets!"
"Yes, Coach Brown."
Mike Brown's serious expression startled James.
It was rare for him to be so serious.
Once Mike Brown put on a stern face, it meant he was truly angry.
Beeeep!
The referee's whistle blew, and both teams returned to the court.
The Hornets still wanted to try the same trick, but the Cavaliers wouldn't make the same mistake.
During their pick-and-roll, James had already come to help defend. Including Larry Hughes encountering someone from the other side, Paul could only pass the ball to West.
Chandler and Tang Long vied for position, and West drove directly to the basket.
He jumped, he shot.
Slap!
West, who had leaped high, felt a massive and robust figure engulf him. The rising basketball was directly swatted down by those large hands.
The Hornets players were stunned.
Chandler, in particular, felt like Tang Long was going head-to-head with him. How did he suddenly slip past him and block West!
"LeBron, catch!"
Tang Long shouted and quickly passed the ball to James.
By the time the Hornets players reacted and chased, James was already leaping from the free-throw line, slamming the ball towards the basket like a cannonball!
"Crash!"
The powerful dunk sent the Cleveland fans into a frenzy!
The Hornets fans had been very arrogant earlier, with some even mocking Tang Long. Now, the Cleveland fans finally had reason to cheer.
"Tang, you got another assist."
"That's also thanks to your good teamwork."
Tang Long and James high-fived, with Tang Long even winking at Chandler, a clear sign of provocation.
Little kid, you want to try again?
See if I won't block you!