"Tang, not many people favored you to defeat the Lakers, but you won this game by ten points and secured the first victory. What do you have to say about that?"
Xiao Gen, holding the microphone, immediately intercepted Tang Long as he was heading back to the locker room.
"Disappointing everyone, we won."
Tang Long winked playfully at Xiao Gen.
Xiao Gen instinctively covered his head; this guy truly showed no mercy to the doubters.
"Tang, there are many questions about you from the outside world. For example, you're a center, but in recent games, you've displayed different talents!"
"Your speed and offensive style are vastly different from traditional centers. Does Coach Mike have any plans to have you switch positions?"
"You'll have to ask Coach Brown about that."
As Tang Long spoke, he leaned in close to Xiao Gen and whispered, "Let me tell you a secret, just for you, not yet."
Tang Long's breath brushed against her earlobe.
It was warm and ticklish.
Xiao Gen's face immediately flushed red. This guy was too smooth!
Several Cavaliers players who hadn't yet entered the locker room exclaimed, "Learned something!"
"Tang, one more question. Some teams oppose Wade joining the Cavaliers, arguing that star players teaming up is unfair to other teams. What do you have to say about that?"
"I think this question should be directed to the Lakers or the Celtics. They must have something to say. Or perhaps the top eight teams in the Western Conference. Ask them who admits they aren't stars. If everyone believes their strength is exceptional, aren't they also forming superteams?"
Xiao Gen immediately latched onto the key point in Tang Long's statement.
"Tang, so is Wade really coming to the Cavaliers?"
"You guess!"
Tang Long winked playfully at Xiao Gen before finally heading back to the locker room.
Upon reaching the door, he didn't hear the usual boisterous chatter or the players' laughter.
This was clearly unusual. Normally, after a win, his teammates would be engaged in lively conversations, sometimes even singing and dancing. But today, the locker room was unusually quiet.
The team hadn't lost, yet it was so quiet inside.
The answer was obvious.
Tang Long gripped the doorknob, wondering what LeBron and the others were up to.
As he hesitated, the door suddenly swung open, and he saw LeBron leading the players in shaking champagne bottles. Startled, Tang Long instinctively snatched the champagne from LeBron's hand.
Seeing this, LeBron swiftly pushed Larry Hughes forward as a human shield.
Larry Hughes waved his hands repeatedly, "It wasn't my idea."
"I know, but isn't opening the champagne too early? Don't you know about that famous champagne incident in football?"
Although their circles were somewhat different, they were all in the sports world.
The Cavaliers players were certainly aware of the infamous football event where a team celebrated with champagne at halftime only to be crushed in the second half.
Mike Brown took the champagne from Tang Long's hand. "I think Tang is right. The road to the Finals is still long. I believe we should save the champagne until after we win the championship!"
Mike Brown wasn't superstitious. He simply felt that at this crucial stage of the season, if the players became too arrogant, they might underestimate their opponents in upcoming games.
"Coach Brown, the championship will be ours, you're being too of a buzzkill."
Larry Hughes pouted. He had thought they would get to pop champagne, but instead, it was confiscated by Mike Brown.
"A buzzkill?" Mike Brown glanced at him indifferently and said sternly, "Since you think I'm a buzzkill, I'll cancel your vacation tomorrow too. Since you already think I'm ruining things, everyone will train as usual tomorrow."
"Coach Brown, I was just joking, how could you be a buzzkill? Coach Brown is doing this for our own good."
"No need to say more. The vacation is canceled, and we'll have a normal training session tomorrow afternoon."
"Oh my god, this is inhumane!"
The Cavaliers players groaned in unison. Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejão even slammed their fists in frustration.
If it weren't for Larry Hughes challenging Mike Brown, their day off wouldn't have been canceled.
Mike Brown looked at the harmonious locker room and smiled.
With such a great atmosphere, they definitely had the strength to win the championship.
"Tang, we still have half a day off tomorrow. Want to go out and have some fun tonight?"
LeBron came over and slung an arm around Tang Long's shoulder.
Even though the champagne celebration was stopped, Mike Brown understood the players and granted them half a day off to relax.
"Sure, no problem."
"I'm going too."
Larry Hughes, who had just been complaining, ran over.
LeBron turned to his teammates, "We're going out tonight, everyone's coming."
As he spoke, LeBron guiltily glanced at Mike Brown.
"Drink less."
Mike Brown clearly didn't want to dampen their spirits and nodded slightly.
"Coach Brown, I knew you were the best."
The Cavaliers players immediately became excited.
Previously, they would spend a long time in the locker room, with ice baths taking at least half an hour. This time, they all shortened their routines.
The nightclub owner wasn't unaccustomed to seeing celebrities, but the entire Cavaliers team appearing at the nightclub caused quite a stir!
Moreover, the Cavaliers had just won the first game of the Finals, and their popularity could only be described as frenzied.
The nightclub quickly turned into a fan meet-and-greet, with the Cavaliers players becoming the backdrop for fan photos.
Tang Long felt his face go numb after finally dealing with everyone at the nightclub.
Just as he was about to order a drink, a fashionably dressed woman approached him.
"Tang, hello."
"Hello, do you want a photo? No problem."
The woman paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that Tang Long didn't recognize her.
Tang Long assumed she was just overwhelmed with excitement and couldn't help but tease, "You better be quick, there are still many people waiting for photos."
"Okay."
The woman cheerfully walked over to Tang Long. He bent down to pose, but as she adjusted her camera, she casually said, "It seems I still have to work harder. You don't even recognize me after I've been replaced?"
"What are you talking about?"
The nightclub was too dim, and he hadn't noticed earlier, assuming the woman was just a fan seeking a photo. This time, he leaned forward and realized, "Isn't this Emily?"
*Click!*
At that moment, the nightclub lights suddenly flashed on, then returned to normal, indicating someone had taken a photo with flash.
Tang Long paid it no mind, only looking at Emily in surprise.
"Miss Emily, I didn't expect to see you here."
Emily's bright eyes fixed on Tang Long, her dark pupils seeming to speak. She coyly asked, "Would you believe me if I said I came here specifically to find you?"