"Clang!"
The sound of hammering iron again.
Pierce covered his head in frustration. If this shot went in, the Celtics would still have a chance. If it missed, it meant the Celtics had virtually no hope.
The two sides fought for the ball under the basket, no longer holding back their actions.
In the blink of an eye, the game had descended into chaos. Tang Long, who was in the corner, managed to grab the rebound under the basket.
Garnett rushed over and hugged Tang Long, deciding to employ the fouling strategy.
Normally, he would have just held Tang Long and waited for the referee's whistle. However, the game was incredibly intense at this moment.
With the Celtics trailing by three, they were forced to foul again. The moment Garnett hugged Tang Long, he used all his strength to try and slam Tang Long to the floor.
Although Tang Long's reaction speed was quick, he was almost thrown down. He stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance.
"Damn it, KG, do you know you're playing with fire?"
Tang Long was truly enraged now.
Garnett's move was clearly intentional and aimed at him. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he might have been taken down by Garnett.
"Tang, I am playing with fire. What are you going to do about it?"
Garnett, refusing to back down, unleashed trash talk at Tang Long.
Tang Long was thoroughly infuriated!
This was the first time since his rise in the NBA that he felt so resentful.
Garnett in front of him gave him a splitting headache. It felt as if every cell in his body was slightly opening, urging him to make this guy pay!
After playing four quarters, Tang Long not only felt no fatigue but was actually entering a state of excitement.
This state was different from taking a stamina potion.
Taking a stamina potion restored his physical strength, and he could clearly sense his control over his power.
But at this moment, Tang Long felt a surging power boiling within him, urging him to destroy Garnett before him.
[Playing the game with a ball.]
Entering the zone state, Tang Long's cosmic energy was always on the verge of explosion!
Larry Hughes and James, who were holding him back, couldn't stop him even with all their might. They hung onto him, and he still walked forward step by step.
Garnett was completely flustered at the sight.
Because Tang Long at this moment looked like a man-eating beast, flailing his arms wildly, seemingly intent on devouring him!
Although he was terrified inside, he couldn't back down in front of his teammates and tens of thousands of spectators. Doing so would surely lead to ridicule until he retired.
Garnett, stiffening his neck, provoked Tang Long again: "Come on then! LeBron, let him go. The more you hold him, the more fired up he gets!"
"Let go, or my name is written backward!"
"BEEP!"
The referee quickly blew his whistle, looking at the two with annoyance and shouting, "Calm down, both of you."
Both sides were heated, and the referee's intervention had little effect.
Seeing that the two were about to clash, the referee roared, "Play ball! Anyone else causes trouble, I'm giving them a T!"
Surprisingly, the referee's shout immediately calmed down both teams.
They were still glaring at each other, but neither dared to escalate the situation further.
The current score difference was only three points. If Tang Long made these free throws, he could further extend their lead.
Stepping up to the free-throw line, Tang Long bounced the ball to get a feel for it. He took a deep breath and calmly sank the first free throw.
Garnett, seeing this, wanted to say a few more taunts but was pulled aside by Ray Allen and the others.
Experienced fans knew that Ray Allen was a man of good temper, and it was rare to see him arguing or clashing with others on the court.
He was calm and tried to get Garnett to calm down as well.
"This damn Tang, one day I'll make him kneel before me and then slam him hard!"
Garnett kept muttering, but no one bothered to pay attention to him.
In the Quicken Loans Arena, many fans began to jeer, booing Garnett.
In Cleveland, he dared to be arrogant?
It's worth noting that the Cleveland fans now considered Tang Long their basketball emperor.
In the hearts of some fans, Tang Long's status on the Cavaliers surpassed LeBron James'.
"Tang, make that damn ball go in! As long as this ball goes in, they won't have any complaints. The Finals stage is ours, not theirs!"
Hearing the fans' encouraging shouts, Tang Long smiled slightly. He shot the ball, and it swished through the net again.
"Well done, Tang! You're the most reliable player on this planet, unlike some guy who gets dominated and only throws a tantrum."
The Cavaliers fans were sarcastic, clearly implying something.
They were referring to Garnett, who was throwing a helpless tantrum and could only resort to a violent foul to stop Tang Long after being dominated by him.
"Alright, Tang Long has been awarded two free throws and has made both of them. The Cavaliers now lead the Celtics by five points."
"And now it's the fourth quarter with just over five minutes left. In these five minutes, if the Celtics don't find a good rhythm to catch up, they will undoubtedly lose to the Cavaliers today."
"If they lose to the Cavaliers, they will bid farewell to this stage, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals!"
In the Dragon Country broadcast studio, Yang Yi and Zhang Zhidao were filled with excitement.
For both emotional and rational reasons, they were more supportive of the Cavaliers, and the reason was simple: the Cavaliers had Tang Long.
Next, it was the Celtics' turn to attack.
Head coach Doc Rivers did not call a timeout, instead gesturing and shouting from the sidelines.
This possession could be a three-pointer or a two-pointer, but the crucial thing was to make the shot and avoid further misses.
"Rajon, run a pick-and-roll with KG. You must make this shot!"
Doc Rivers' shout prompted Rajon Rondo to exchange a look with Garnett.
He would set a pick for him in the high post, creating a mismatch, or Rajon Rondo would use his elusive footwork to drive into the Cavaliers' paint and calmly score a two-pointer.
Rajon Rondo and Garnett were very proficient at these high-low pick-and-roll plays.
Larry Hughes, who was originally defending Rajon Rondo, was firmly screened out by Garnett.
At this point, someone had to switch and defend for Larry Hughes, otherwise, Rajon Rondo could freely drive to the Cavaliers' basket.
Drew Gooden, with his keen awareness, immediately rushed to switch with Larry Hughes.
He would block Rajon Rondo's drive, while Garnett would be defended by Larry Hughes.
"Rajon, pass the ball!"
Garnett was filled with anger and desperately needed an outlet.
Larry Hughes was just a guard. Wouldn't it be easy to drive past such a small guy?
Rajon Rondo thought the same. Since a mismatch had been created, he decisively passed the ball to Garnett to isolate and attack Larry Hughes.
"Fuck, I'll shoot over you!"
Garnett ignored everything else, caught the ball, jumped, and directly shot over Larry Hughes.