"Why wasn't that a foul? Wasn't that a foul?"
Tang Long waved his arm in front of the linesman, but was ignored again.
Not only that, because Tang Long didn't participate in the defense, James stepped forward to block Liu Yi's breakthrough.
As a result, Liu Yi was very cunning. After attracting James, he passed the basketball to Howard.
Howard dunked, reigniting the enthusiasm of the Amway Arena!
From leading by nine points to only leading by three, the Magic had directly scored a 6:0 run against the Cavaliers.
"This home court advantage is too much! Several times they didn't call it."
"The league is so shameless for the sake of viewership and earning more ticket money!"
"This is too dog-like, do they really think everyone is blind? The Magic play dirty, they're just a bunch of dirty players!"
The Dragon Country fan forum had exploded.
The Cavaliers' advantage of a nine-point lead had been erased by the Magic, and the team had become agitated due to two controversial calls. If it continued like this, they definitely wouldn't win this game!
"If you can't win, you can't win. Don't find reasons in the game. Isn't it okay to say you're not as skilled?"
"Six-step Lang dares to talk about others?"
"You Cavaliers haven't been favored by the referees much, why didn't you say anything when it was Deli's turn?"
As the condemnation of the Magic grew, the Magic fans launched a counterattack, and the two sides clashed on forums, each finding evidence and screenshots to prove that the other side had received preferential treatment.
Gradually, the fans' initial arguments escalated into personal attacks. Some people began to discuss that because Tang Long was from Dragon Country, the league definitely couldn't let the Cavaliers reach the finals.
As fans attacked each other, the commentators in the broadcast booth were also embarrassed at this moment.
Because most fouls sometimes had slow-motion replays, but these two calls had no slow-motion, and the commentators couldn't be sure if Nelson had fouled or not.
"Tang Long held up his arm to show the referee, it must have been Nelson who hit him, but the referee didn't call it. Clearly, he thought Nelson's actions didn't constitute a foul. There wasn't even a slow-motion replay to see if Nelson committed a foul!"
"The Cavaliers players' mentality shouldn't be so anxious at this time! They must stay calm!"
Coach Zhang took over from Yang Yi and analyzed, "Playing with this mentality will easily lead to more fouls, which is very unfavorable for the Cavaliers. After all, the Cavaliers are still leading... Oh, Lewis's shot is beautiful, another three-pointer, the Magic have tied the score!"
With the three-pointer made, there was finally a slow-motion replay.
When the Cavaliers were attacking, Drew Gooden came up to set a screen for James.
James drove to the basket, facing the blocks from Howard and Turkoglu. Not only did he miss the shot, but Howard also grabbed the defensive rebound.
At the same time, Lewis, who was still near the three-point line, received a pass from Howard and had already crossed half-court in the blink of an eye. By the time Pavlovic and Larry Hughes chased past half-court, he had already shot.
The two teams were tied with three minutes left in the fourth quarter!
Beep!!
Mike Brown called a timeout at this moment.
"Damn it, this game is so frustrating. Did this referee grow up eating dog shit? Is he blind?"
James angrily threw his towel on the ground.
He rarely got angry because of the referee, but the referee today was truly blind.
Such calls happened several times, reducing the Cavaliers' lead to a tie.
"The referee today is indeed a bit blind!"
Tang Long initially tried to persuade James to calm down, but then he also became agitated. After being targeted twice, both he and James's mentality had changed, and their actions became more aggressive.
"Don't dwell on the referee, we still need to do our job."
Mike Brown didn't even take out the tactical board. He looked at his players and comforted them, "Don't let two calls affect your mentality. There's still time in the game. As long as we are united and put the damn ball in the basket! We can win this game. We'll protest to the league after the game!"
"Okay, Coach Brown, we understand."
Tang Long and James exchanged glances. The timeout was indeed called at a timely moment, and their anxious states of mind had slowly calmed down.
Returning to the court...
The Cavaliers launched an offense, and James dribbled the ball at a steady pace.
Tang Long and Howard vied for position. Everyone's attention was on Tang Long and James. Although Drew Gooden in the post was guarded by Nelson, Nelson's attention was also on James.
Sensing this, James drove to the basket, drawing Lewis and Nelson. He immediately passed the ball to Drew Gooden, who shot from the post.
Clang!
The ball hit the rim.
Tang Long and Howard jumped almost simultaneously, but Tang Long's vertical leap was clearly better. Howard, trailing in the air, subtly elbowed Tang Long the moment their bodies made contact.
Tang Long fell directly to the ground!
"Fuck, are you playing basketball or fighting?"
James rushed over and pushed Howard away.
"Tang, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, it's nothing!"
Tang Long stood up, clutching his chest, his eyes fixed on Howard.
There was no problem with falling, but Howard's elbow had hurt him badly. If Howard hadn't extended that elbow, the rebound would have been his.
Beep!
The referee blew his whistle, and a jump ball ensued.
"Fuck, are you blind? Can't you see Howard's cheap shot?"
James could no longer contain himself and roared at the referee. The other Cavaliers players also rushed over to surround the referee, and players from the bench stood up and shouted in dissatisfaction.
The crowd also erupted in boos and curses directed at the referee and Howard.
"I'm innocent, this was just a normal play."
Howard was still shrinking his neck and explaining.
It was better if he hadn't said anything. His words directly ignited Tang Long's rage.
Not only did the guy play dirty, but he also dared to act tough!
"Tang, calm down!"
It was Pavlovic who held Tang Long back. If he hadn't, Tang Long would have charged over to teach Howard a lesson.
Seeing that the tension between the players was escalating, the referee gave James and Howard a technical foul each.
...
"Howard's elbow really pissed off Tang Long. It looks like the Magic are really desperate! If they lose this game to the Cavaliers, the Magic might also be eliminated in the playoffs!"
"I was just worried that Tang Long wouldn't be able to hold back and would get into a physical altercation with Howard on the court."
Yang Yi chuckled, "Tang Long must not be impulsive at this time. If the Cavaliers win this game, they'll have match point. Once they make a mistake, they'll just hand the win to the Magic!"