"The Cavaliers are scoring too easily, we need to tighten our defense."
Popovich shouted from the sidelines. Although both teams were exchanging baskets, the Cavaliers' early scoring spree left Popovich deeply unsatisfied.
"Tim, stop that damn Tang. If you don't think you're as good as that damn guy, get in front of him!"
Having Duncan guard Yao Ming by fronting him was something he could somewhat accept at his peak.
After all, those two were elite centers in the league. Forcing Duncan to front Tang Long felt like Popovich was looking down on him, a humiliation he could barely tolerate!
Of course, this was precisely the effect Popovich desired.
Tim Duncan was a slow-burner; without igniting his temper, he would remain his usual calm and good-natured self.
"Greg, isn't that a bit too shameless?"
Mike Brown was furious.
He rarely got this angry.
Popovich shouting from the sidelines without even calling a timeout was a blatant disregard for the Cavaliers players, and especially for himself standing by the court.
Popovich glanced at Mike Brown twice, snorted dismissively, and returned to his own bench to sit down.
Seeing this, Mike Brown almost exploded with rage.
There was a hierarchy among coaches too. A championship-winning coach like Popovich, with absolute authority within his team, naturally looked down on the widely rumored "puppet" coach Mike Brown.
It was like the academic school of thought looking down on the tutoring school.
"You don't even understand tactics, and you call yourself a coach? You're a disgrace to coaches."
This was the academic school's mindset!
"LeBron, and Tang, go and crush them!"
Mike Brown also yelled from the sidelines, not forgetting to cast a smug glance at Popovich.
To his surprise, Popovich completely ignored him, instead focusing on drawing on the tactical board.
Mike Brown felt rebuffed and sat back down.
Then, mimicking Popovich, he began to meticulously study the tactical board. However, his effort was purely performative; his mind wasn't on tactics at all, but simply on saving face.
Around the midpoint of the first quarter, the Cavaliers led the Spurs by one point, 15-14.
It was the Cavaliers' possession.
Larry Hughes passed the ball to James and ran towards the baseline.
Parker noticed him and followed, while Bowen and Obradovic double-teamed James, blocking his driving lanes and passing options.
James' peripheral vision caught Tang Long breaking out from under the basket. Their long-standing chemistry immediately prompted James to change his plan.
He took a step forward with his left foot. As Obradovic closed in, he changed direction and drove to his left.
Bowen quickly followed, only to run into a wall.
"Hey, be careful."
Bowen glared at Tang Long irritably. He watched as James used the pick-and-roll to drive to the basket. As Tim Duncan stepped up to contest, James hit a mid-range jumper.
Two points.
17-14.
"Damn Bowen, what are you doing? Focus!"
Popovich stood up from the bench and roared at Bowen.
Bowen nodded awkwardly and passed the ball to Tim, who then initiated the play.
"It's rare to see Popovich so angry. It seems the Spurs are taking this game very seriously!"
In the broadcast booth in China, Zhang sighed.
Popovich usually had a grim expression during games, but rarely lost his temper. Today, Popovich was clearly unhappy with the Spurs' defense.
"In last year's Finals, the Cavaliers suffered from a lack of an inside presence. James alone couldn't contend with the team-oriented Spurs. This season, with Tang Long on the Cavaliers, Popovich is visibly surprised!"
Yang Yi beamed with delight.
This indicated that the Cavaliers' offensive firepower this season was even giving a championship coach like Popovich a headache!
"Exactly. If the Cavaliers acquire another star to form a Big Three, they might dominate the league for years to come!"
As the two commentators marveled, the Spurs launched another offensive attack on the Cavaliers' basket. Tony Parker's drives were difficult to contain single-handedly at times.
Larry Hughes, momentarily distracted, allowed Parker to break through to the basket.
Tang Long immediately rotated to help, but the wily Parker maneuvered around him and followed up with a layup.
Two points again!
Tang Long was angered. Parker was being incredibly bold, daring to drive to the basket against him. If he didn't get a block, this kid would think he was just a decoration.
On the Cavaliers' next possession, James pulled up for a three-pointer.
"Clang!!"
It was a miss.
Duncan grabbed the rebound, and Parker initiated a fast break.
"The Spurs' offense is too fast, especially Parker. The Cavaliers' transition defense is slow, Tang Long and James were caught off guard."
In the broadcast booth, Zhang and Yang held their breath, their faces etched with regret. This shot looked like it was going in.
The Spurs fans were already preparing to stand up and cheer.
Parker drove to the basket and, seeing Pavlović blocking his path, passed the ball to Obradovic behind him instead of shooting.
He intended to connect with Obradovic for a continuation play, but then a thunderous sound was heard as the basketball was swatted away.
Tang Long had recovered and cleanly blocked the shot.
"Beautiful!"
Yang Yi shouted excitedly. Cavaliers fans also chanted Tang Long's name.
Parker glared at Tang Long with a dark expression; the block had cost him dearly.
"Defense, defense..."
Cavaliers fans cheered on their team. After the ball was inbounded, Parker dribbled the ball at the three-point line, looking for an opportunity. Larry Hughes switched off Bowen to guard Parker.
Duncan had already anticipated this and set a screen.
Another pick-and-roll. The Spurs had truly mastered this play.
At this point, Tang Long, chasing him, couldn't prevent Parker's shot and could only position himself to secure the rebound.
Swish!
Another two points.
17-18.
The Spurs had taken a one-point lead.
"This Parker is truly a handful."
Tang Long mumbled as he inbounded the ball.
The French point guard had a variety of offensive moves, and the Spurs players were remarkably in sync.
If they continued to play like this, as soon as their shooting touch faltered, the gap could widen. They needed to play more steadily on offense next time.
"Guys, let's play a steady offense, don't give them a chance to pull away!"
Larry Hughes, with the ball, nodded. He brought the ball past half-court and didn't rush the offense.
After observing the available passing lanes, he passed the ball to Pavlović in the corner. Finley moved to defend. The ball then went to Drew Gooden. Gooden drew the defense and passed the ball back to Tang Long under the basket.
Tang Long immediately initiated a post-up, a one-on-one duel against Duncan.
This time, Tang Long had no intention of shooting; he planned to crush Duncan with brute force.
...