Coach Zhang couldn't help but chuckle, recalling the past few days. The Cavaliers' fan forum had been incredibly lively, attracting media reporters, guest commentators, and many well-known figures from the basketball circle.
Naturally, upon hearing that the entire Cavaliers team had made an appearance on the forum, Coach Zhang registered an account and quietly logged in to lurk.
He had originally intended to register his own name, but all the good IDs were taken. So, he decided to follow LeBron's example and registered an ID that read "I am truly Zhang Weiping."
To his surprise, Coach Zhang found himself seeing his own name on the forum, interacting and chatting with fans.
"Yang Yi, did you go?"
Coach Zhang looked at Yang Yi again.
"Yeah, I did," Yang Yi admitted readily, a barely concealed excitement on his face. "Not only did I get to see news that the media hadn't reported, but I also got Tang Long's phone number."
"Huh?"
Coach Zhang looked at Yang Yi, puzzled. How could he get Tang Long's phone number?
It wasn't that he doubted Tang Long wouldn't give it to them; he was simply curious how Yang Yi had managed to contact Tang Long through the forum.
"Sent him a private message," Yang Yi replied.
"There's a function like that?"
Coach Zhang didn't usually frequent forums and wasn't very familiar with such features. Hearing Yang Yi say this, he realized users could actually send private messages to chat with each other.
Regret washed over him!
If he had known about this feature, he could have sent Tang Long a private message too.
If Yang Yi could get Tang Long's phone number, then he could have too.
The outside world said Tang Long was not only humble but also down-to-earth. To support domestic sports brands, his endorsement fees were practically given away for free.
What kind of person could dominate on the court yet maintain such humility off it?
Both Coach Zhang and Yang Yi couldn't help but admire Tang Long's character and approach to life!
"Gentlemen, the game, focus on the game,"
The head of the sports channel reminded them through their earpieces with a sigh.
He was mainly envious of Yang Yi.
He, too, had secretly joined the forum, but by then Tang Long had already focused on training and rarely replied to forum users.
Meanwhile, inside the Quicken Loans Arena, Tang Long and Gasol met in the air. Their hands almost touched the basketball, but due to their mutual interaction, the ball went out of bounds.
Gasol was surprised. Although neither of them had gained an advantage in this contest, Tang Long was in the frontcourt, with only Gasol himself at the basket.
And at the Lakers' basket, there wasn't just Gasol, but also Mannoch and Odom.
To be able to hold his own against three defenders and fight to a draw, Gasol finally understood how truly formidable Tang Long was!
His surprise lasted only a few seconds. After all, he was a professional player and quickly refocused on defense.
The Cavaliers inbounded the ball. Drew Gooden looked around. The Lakers were pressing tightly, and most players were receiving the ball with their backs to the basket.
At this moment, Tang Long ran out from the basket to receive the pass.
Seeing this, Gasol quickly followed him out.
Almost the instant Gasol moved, Drew Gooden made the pass.
The ball landed in Tang Long's hands, and the next second, Tang Long passed it to a rapidly moving LeBron James.
When Gasol came out from under the basket, only Mannoch was left to defend it.
LeBron James, of course, didn't hesitate. He drove to the basket for a powerful slam dunk!
"LeBron, great job."
Tang Long excitedly high-fived James, and the other players came to cheer.
"Come on, guys, let's take down the Lakers."
"Hey, LeBron, don't talk big,"
Kobe, standing near half-court, retorted to James.
"Oh really? Then let's wait and see,"
James shrugged at Kobe and backed away towards the other basket.
"This makes me so mad!"
Kobe was furious seeing LeBron's smug expression. This guy was just too annoying.
No, he had to crush him!
Kobe received a pass from Fisher and suddenly accelerated, driving from mid-court.
Lateral movement.
Drive.
Stop.
Shoot.
Airball.
*Clang!*
The ball bounced off the rim.
Tang Long grabbed the rebound and, with momentum, passed it to Larry Hughes, who was nearby. The Cavaliers attacked the Lakers' basket, and Tang Long received the ball, turning to back-down and face Gasol.
Gasol, of course, wasn't a pushover. Tang Long faced a considerable challenge backing down against him.
Tang Long tried dribbling a couple of times but couldn't dislodge Gasol. Odom also came to help defend.
If he continued, he would be double-teamed.
Tang Long scanned the court and saw Pavlovic at the top of the arc.
He was open. As Odom moved to help, Tang Long lofted the ball high to Pavlovic, who immediately shot.
A three-pointer.
He couldn't make his own layup and then got a three-pointer hit against him. As the Lakers' leader, how could Kobe swallow this?
A team leader must act like one. He had to step up at crucial moments!
After the re-tip, as Fisher brought the ball up, Kobe immediately outstretched his hand to demand the ball.
James was guarding him, only half a step away, making the pass risky and prone to a steal.
Fisher hesitated for a moment and passed the ball to Odom in the elbow area.
Odom made a beautiful mid-range shot for two points.
"Kobe, Lamar was in a better position,"
Fisher explained as he retreated on defense.
"I know,"
Kobe replied with a dark expression, clearly displeased.
This wasn't directed at Fisher, but rather at the frustrating feeling of falling behind.
Being outplayed was one thing, but the way they were caught off guard at the start of the game really irked him. How could he not be angry?
No, he still had to blow them away!
Driving to the basket, that had a higher success rate and could draw fouls!
As a superstar in the league, Kobe's individual skills were undeniable. Even if someone wanted to defend him, they might not be able to.
However, facing Tang Long's defense under the basket was proving to be quite a headache for Kobe.
He drove to the basket three times and only made one shot.
One shot went wide of the rim under Tang Long's influence, and another resulted in Tang Long committing a foul. Although he made both free throws, it was close to Tang Long blocking the shot.
"At crucial moments, you still have to count on Kobe," commented Coach Zhang in the Chinese broadcast room, his voice filled with admiration.
They had caught the Lakers off guard at the start of the game, but as the game progressed, Kobe gradually adapted to the rhythm, and the Lakers quickly closed the gap.
Yang Yi chimed in, "That last shot was just unreasonable. It's tough for the Cavaliers to defend, but fortunately, their offense is still top-notch. As long as their offense doesn't falter, they can still win this game."
Yang Yi's words, however, proved to be premature.
In the final minutes of the first quarter, both teams were missing shots. Fortunately, their scoring abilities had declined significantly. Relying on their early advantage, the Cavaliers ended the first quarter leading by two points, 23-21.
For the Lakers, Kobe alone scored 10 points, shooting 5-for-10 from the field, a decent percentage!
Of the Cavaliers' 23 points, Tang Long and James accounted for 16, with both scoring 8 points!