"We can see that after Tang Long's absence from the interior, the Cavaliers' offense has been greatly reduced. Da Z, after recovering from his injury, seems to have not yet found his rhythm in the game."
Yang Yi sighed.
The Cavaliers' 30-game winning streak was broken just like that.
They originally thought the Cavaliers would achieve even greater winning streaks.
However, due to the absence of Tang Long and James, their streak was ended by the Memphis Grizzlies.
"This is where Tang Long's value lies. With him, the Cavaliers' offense comes alive."
"The key is that if either James or Tang Long had played today, the Cavaliers wouldn't have struggled so much."
"We'll have to see what Mike Brown says in the post-game interview."
...
"Mike, may I ask why Tang Long and James did not appear in this game?"
"Some say that offshore bookmakers bribed you, so you kept Tang Long and James in Cleveland. Do you have any response to this?"
"I have no comment."
Mike Brown snorted and abruptly ended the press conference, simultaneously ordering the relevant players and staff not to accept any interviews.
He returned to the locker room in a huff, only to see Tang Long and James inside.
In addition to them, there were also Swift, Scarlett, and Gal Gadot.
"You must give me a reasonable explanation."
Although the team's lawyer had gone to Texas, Mike Brown did not know much. He only knew that the last time he went to Texas, Tang Long had privately attended a party and then had a conflict with some people at the farm.
Tang Long was understandable.
What angered Mike Brown the most was James.
If James had been on the court, they might not have lost today.
However, Mike Brown couldn't directly vent his anger at James. Instead, he turned his furious gaze to Larry Hughes: "What about you? What's your reason?"
Mike Brown's anger startled Larry Hughes.
"I..."
Larry Hughes opened his mouth, truly not knowing what to say.
If he argued with the coach at this point, the coach might not dare to send down James and Tang Long, but sending him down to the Development League would be no burden at all.
"Coach Brown, Larry was just concerned about me."
Tang Long then briefly explained what had happened earlier and recounted their encounter with the Texas police outside the police station to Mike Brown.
The furious Mike Brown's expression finally softened a bit after listening to Tang Long's explanation.
Although they lost this game, the winning streak was only broken.
With the team united, they would fight to the end in any difficult battle in the playoffs. From this perspective, it could be considered a gain.
"Although you all have valid reasons, because of your actions, the team's winning streak has been broken, and your fans have been disappointed. Therefore, the team still has to punish you."
Hearing Mike Brown utter the word "punish," Larry Hughes's heart tightened, and he looked at Mike Brown with apprehension.
If there was a punishment, he would definitely take the blame.
"Each of you will train an extra day and clean the training facility."
"Thank you, Coach."
The few of them breathed a sigh of relief.
This punishment was actually quite considerable for star players. As the team's top star and second-in-command, cleaning the training facility was somewhat undignified, not to mention how large the facility was. If only the three of them cleaned it, it would take at least a day.
Despite this, Larry Hughes was still relieved, as it was merely extra training and cleaning.
"Don't celebrate too early. You've passed the team's hurdle, but the fans' hurdle is another matter."
Mike Brown glanced at the three of them: "Listen to yourselves. Outside, there are voices condemning you. I'm even wondering if we should leave through the back door later."
"It's just losing one game, these fans are too crazy. After all, the championship is our ultimate goal."
Mike Brown shook his head. "The fans today were indeed a bit crazy. The Grizzlies' home attendance has always been low, but today it was almost full. I checked, and most of them are not our usual fans, but they are very enthusiastic."
"What's going on?"
The three of them also weren't quite clear what was happening. After all, they had rushed to Memphis from the Texas police station, and only arrived at the locker room after the game ended.
...
"I just saw Tang Long and James in the locker room." Catherine thought for a moment and nodded affirmatively. "I'm sure I wasn't mistaken. It was Tang Long and James, and Larry Hughes, the three players who didn't play for the Cavaliers."
At this moment, Catherine was pointing her camera at the player tunnel, holding a phone in her other hand, talking to her editor about the explosive scoop she had just uncovered.
"I also found that the underground betting syndicates are particularly active today. Many people at the Grizzlies' home game are here because of this match. If it can be confirmed that Tang Long and James are cooperating with these syndicates, then this news will definitely become the top trending topic tomorrow."
As she said this, Catherine herself was getting excited.
If she could really get her hands on such a scoop, perhaps she would win the Pulitzer Prize this year.
"Okay, you keep an eye on it. I'll send a team to assist you."
The editor hesitated for a moment before quickly making a decision.
...
"Mike, a lot of out-of-control fans have surrounded our bus. Their angry demeanor is truly frightening. I think we should let the players leave through the back door."
"Should we call the police?"
The defensive coach looked at Mike Brown, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.
Just losing one game, who would have thought it would cause such a disturbance.
"Alright, let's leave first, or more and more people will gather."
Mike Brown quickly made a decision.
The players were led out of the locker room by staff members and went through a different exit. This scene was captured by Catherine.
"OYeah."
Catherine was so excited she was about to jump when she captured Tang Long, James, and Larry Hughes leaving the locker room.
Tang.
Finally, I've got you.
At this moment, Catherine also received data from her editor.
In the Cavaliers vs. Grizzlies game, there was over a billion U.S. dollars in circulation in offshore betting.
With this, Catherine had enough material for a highly popular segment.
"It's not our fault, so why do we have to sneak out the back door?"
As the Cavaliers一行 sneaked onto the bus through the back door, some bench players couldn't help but complain.
"Shut up."
Mike Brown glared at the bench player and exchanged a look with his assistant coach.
The team's cohesion had just begun to form, and the team would not tolerate discordant voices.
"Although we lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, this is just a regular season game. As long as we win the championship, we will still be everyone's heroes."