Tang Long takes a mid-range jump shot.
4:2.
After drawing the attention of Tang Long and Sun Yue, Kobe makes a lightning-fast pass to Anthony at the baseline.
Anthony attempts a three-pointer.
4:5.
Anthony is also working hard this game. Coupled with his strong physique, despite the defender Da Zhi giving his all, he's still a step slower than Anthony.
Yao Ming's subsequent jump shot misses. Tang Long is blocked by James, and the rebound falls to Howard. Kobe drives to the basket and dunks with a wrist flick.
4:7.
The Dragon Country team reorganizes their offense. Sun Yue brings the ball to half-court and passes it to Tang Long. As Tang Long enters the three-second zone with the ball, James and Anthony double-team him.
These two are already strong, and their pincer move stops Tang Long in his tracks. Tang Long can only pass the ball back to Sun Yue.
Sun Yue's shot misses. Yao Ming secures the rebound in the paint. At this moment, a gap appears in the human wall formed by James and Anthony. Tang Long skillfully slips in, and Yao Ming's hook shot goes in.
6:7.
Howard's expression turns grim.
He was a bit distracted earlier.
Seeing Tang Long charge in, he focused most of his attention on him. It's only after Yao Ming's shot goes in that Howard realizes.
Not to mention Tang Long, even Yao Ming in front of him is a handful.
His skill is inferior to both of them. If he hesitates now, he won't be able to defend either of them.
After the ball is inbounded again, James receives the pass outside the three-point line. Yi Lian is defending him. Facing James, Yi Lian plays very cautiously, never giving James an opening to drive.
Perhaps it's because the game has just started, James is playing somewhat casually. His drive is unsuccessful, so he directly pulls up for a three-pointer.
Clang!
The ball hits the rim. Howard grabs the rebound.
The ball is quickly transferred to Kidd, who attempts a shot, but with Da Zhi's influence, it also misses.
Tang Long snatches the rebound.
This defensive stand by Dragon Country is very successful, limiting the Huāqí Nation's scoring opportunities twice in a row.
It's a shame that when the ball is driven to the Huāqí Nation's basket, Sun Yue passes to Da Zhi. Da Zhi steps on the three-point line and misses the shot. Fortunately, on defense, everyone works together and stops James's shot again!
Then, Tang Long steps up. With extremely fast dribbling, he breaks through the gap between James and Anthony's double-team, drives to the basket, and faces Howard guarding the paint, he dunks forcefully.
8:7.
Dragon Country takes the lead again.
"Dwight, I told you, you're not good enough."
Howard is furious, but he just got dunked on by Tang Long.
James, still siding with Tang Long, chimes in, "Dwight, I told you a long time ago, but you wouldn't listen."
Howard is enraged.
"LeBron, which team are you on?" Howard glares at James angrily. "You have the nerve to talk about me? Look at how poorly you're playing. If you had made just one of those first two shots, we wouldn't be trailing."
"It's just about making shots."
James snorts.
As Huāqí Nation restarts their offense, Kidd orchestrates, using Kobe to draw defenders and then passing the ball to James at the top of the arc.
James catches and shoots.
8:10.
"Dwight, how's it going?"
Howard is anxious. "LeBron, which side are you on?"
"Sorry, I forgot."
James shrugs. He's so used to sparring with Howard that he forgot they are teammates now.
As Dragon Country goes on offense, Da Zhi misses a shot. Yao Ming fouls while going for the rebound.
Fortunately, it's only his first foul. Huāqí Nation capitalizes on this opportunity, and Anthony sinks the free throw steadily.
8:12.
Trailing by four points, the situation is becoming passive, making several Dragon Country players anxious. At a crucial moment, Yi Lian makes a mistake. While passing to Yao Ming, James intercepts the ball again.
Huāqí Nation launches another fast break.
Even better, James drives solo and successfully scores two points with a 360-degree layup.
8:14.
...
"The current situation is a bit passive. The key is that our players are getting anxious. Everyone needs to calm down. This is just the first quarter; there are still plenty of opportunities."
Old Bai, as a fan, has some unique insights.
"The main issue is our speed can't keep up," says Coach Zhang. "Coach Krzyzewski's strategy is very clear: speed up the game first, then have James and Anthony double-team Tang Long inside the three-point line, let Howard go one-on-one with Yao Ming, and have Kidd and Kobe defend the others. This strategy is very sound and effective."
"Huāqí Nation wants to play fast, but we can't follow their pace. We need to stabilize our own rhythm first, especially on offense. Yao Ming's skill is not inferior to Howard's, and he even plays better than Howard. We can absolutely exploit Yao Ming's advantage on offense."
In fact, the players are doing just that.
After Tang Long is double-teamed several times, Coach Jonas on the sidelines reacts quickly.
Da Zhi and Sun Yue run actively, providing support. Tang Long draws the attention of Anthony and James near the three-second zone, and then the ball is passed to Yao Ming.
Both players are confident and go for one-on-one.
After receiving the ball, Yao Ming executes a rare between-the-legs dribble, fakes out Howard, and then dunks forcefully.
This basket excites Yao Ming, who waves his fist.
"Brother Yao, well done."
"It's mainly because you drew James and Anthony's attention."
Yao Ming understands Tang Long's contribution.
With Tang Long tying up two of Huāqí Nation's top players, it created an opportunity for him and Howard to go one-on-one.
10:14.
Hearing the thunderous applause from the fans, the Dream Eight players frown.
No team has dared to be so audacious in front of them.
Even though it's the home court of Dragon Country, it's unacceptable.
The Huāqí Nation players, now fully engaged, run through several plays, and Kidd attempts a three-pointer.
10:17.
Kidd's crucial three-pointer extends the lead to seven points.
"Stay calm, it's no big deal."
Tang Long first consoles his teammates. On offense, he drives into the paint and dunks directly through the double-team of James and Anthony.
Whistle.
The referee's whistle blows at this moment.
The two-point shot is good, and Tang Long also draws a foul on Howard.
He makes the free throw.
13:17.
Following that, Kobe, facing Sun Yue's defense, easily breaks through to the basket, switching from his left to his right hand, and scores with a phantom-like shot, widening the gap again.
13:19.
Tang Long is not to be outdone. He scores despite being triple-teamed in the paint.
Facing Tang Long's unstoppable scoring style, the three players in the paint are stunned, especially James, who finds it incredible!