Seeing the Cavaliers call a timeout, George Karl guessed that Mike Brown was about to bring in the starters, and decisively subbed out the reserves.
Upon seeing the Nuggets' alignment, Mike Brown once again cursed inwardly, having been outmaneuvered by George Karl!
Their own guard play was already weak, and this move made it even weaker!
James also spotted the problem and switched positions with Larry Hughes, continuing to guard Anthony.
It was the Nuggets' possession, with Iverson bringing the ball up. Larry Hughes was now defending him.
However, for Iverson, it made little difference who was guarding him.
He immediately executed a spectacular crossover, creating space, and pulled up for a jump shot.
It swished through the net!
57:62
In the five minutes of the reserves playing against reserves, the score had been reversed.
Now, the Nuggets were leading by five points!
James's brow furrowed as he dribbled the ball upcourt.
"LeBron! Go for it yourself! I'll set a screen for you!"
Tang Long called out, stepping up to set the screen.
James nodded and, as usual, drove from his strong right side.
A burst of speed left Marcus Camby behind, and he easily dunked for two points!
59:62!
James stared at the scoreboard, calculating the points.
The Nuggets still had Iverson with the ball. J.R. Smith came up with Pavlovic to double-team, denying Iverson any space to dribble.
Iverson reacted quickly, passing to J.R. Smith, who was lurking in the corner.
J.R. shot it without hesitation, sinking a three-pointer!
"Sigh! The Nuggets' shooting touch today is just too hot!"
"Whether it's Allen and Carmelo, or the role players, they can all hit the basket!"
"On the other hand, for the Cavaliers, it's basically only Tang and LeBron scoring! It's too tough!"
Joe Tette was frowning. He hated seeing the Cavaliers lose.
Possession changed hands, and James still had the ball for the Cavaliers.
Upon reaching the frontcourt, he heard Tang Long calling for the ball again.
Without hesitation, he bounced a pass to him.
The moment Tang Long received the ball, Kenyon Martin was already there to double-team.
This left Drew Gooden open in the corner.
But Drew Gooden was a power forward with no shooting ability, only capable of rebounding and finishing plays.
Tang Long had to take it himself!
He then dribbled with his back to the basket, pushing backward with all his might!
Marcus Camby couldn't hold his ground, retreating step by step until they were near the three-second key.
Tang Long didn't hesitate and drove to the basket, going up strong despite the double coverage!
Kenyon Martin put his hand on Tang Long's arm, and the referee blew his whistle for a foul.
Tang Long's free throws were steady, easily scoring two points.
It was the Nuggets' possession, and their strategy was clear: Iverson with the ball again, and after being double-teamed, he passed to J.R. in the corner.
Just like the previous possession, J.R. was preparing to shoot a three-pointer!
Tang Long burst from under the basket, swatting the ball away!
"It's China Tang again! He stepped up when the team was in trouble!"
"His help defense is always so timely! J.R. was too careless! He underestimated Tang's speed!"
"That's right, Tang has added another block to his tally!"
Joe Tette clenched his fist tightly. That block was a huge morale booster!
J.R. was furious for a moment. How could this kid be so fast on help defense?
"Relax, J.R. It's just one block, you'll hit another three later!"
Iverson patted him on the shoulder, offering comfort.
The Nuggets inbounded the ball, with Marcus Camby taking the throw.
Tang Long's tall frame stood in front of him, blocking his passing lane.
Tang Long's arms were so long that there was very little space to pass.
As the shot clock wound down, Marcus Camby quickly passed to the nearest player, Iverson.
The moment the ball left his hands, Tang Long's fingertips grazed it.
The ball changed its trajectory, bounced once on the floor, and was picked up by James.
"LeBron! Here!"
James looked up, and Tang Long had already sprinted to the other half of the court, launching a two-handed long pass.
Tang Long caught the ball and easily dunked!
63:65
The deficit was down to just two points!
James gave Tang Long a thumbs-up. Although the steal was credited to James, Tang Long deserved most of the credit!
"Grit your teeth and surpass them in one go!"
Tang Long shouted to his teammates, boosting their morale.
The Nuggets clearly weren't having it. Facing a double-team, Iverson went through a flurry of fancy dribbles and shot out from between them!
A beautiful pass through the defense!
Kobe was adept at using this move to break double-teams, and Iverson was one of its masters!
After getting past two defenders, Iverson only had Tang Long in front of him!
Tang Long feigned a jump, pretending to prepare for a block.
Iverson flinched and immediately passed to Marcus Camby, who was cutting to the basket.
However, Tang Long's move was just a fake; he anticipated Iverson's pass and swatted it away.
The ball bounced around and was picked up by Larry Hughes, who threw a long pass to James, streaking down the court on the fast break.
James executed his signature tomahawk dunk!
The score was tied!
"Wow!! LeBron! King!!"
"These two fast breaks were amazing! This is the Cavaliers' favorite way to score!"
"These six points came so fast! The Nuggets couldn't react!"
"We're tied!"
Joe Hart roared excitedly, energizing the entire arena!
"LeBron! China Tang!"
"LeBron! China Tang!"
"King of the Cavaliers!"
The Cavaliers fans spontaneously started the wave to cheer for their home team.
George Karl called another timeout.
"J.R.! You have to seize the opportunity. If Tang comes to help defend, pass the ball; if he doesn't, shoot it yourself!"
"You have the best opportunities on the team, and sometimes you can go one-on-one!"
"We're giving you these chances, so make the most of them!"
J.R. nodded solemnly.
"Also, try to slow down their transition game! Don't let them get too many easy fast breaks!"
"If we can't stop their fast breaks, we'll lose!"
The timeout ended quickly, and both teams returned to the court.
The game resumed, with Iverson passing the ball to J.R. in the backcourt, letting him go one-on-one.
"Pavlovic! Don't get discouraged, defend him!"
James cheered his teammate on from behind.
Pavlovic nodded and moved in to play tight defense.
J.R. was a pure shooter, and handling the ball wasn't his forte, so tight defense was the most effective strategy.
However, J.R. played well this time, stumbling past Pavlovic with a series of dribbles. As he was about to go for a layup, he suddenly saw Tang Long smiling in front of him.
J.R. knew he was in trouble. He was about to pass to Marcus Camby under the basket.
But Tang Long was faster, snatching the ball directly from J.R.'s hands!
James smelled another fast break opportunity, receiving Tang Long's long pass.
Tomahawk slam dunk!
67:65!
The lead had changed hands!
"LeBron brought us the go-ahead basket! We're leading again!"
"Tang's steal on that play wasn't a steal, it was a robbery!"
"Look at J.R.'s weak and helpless expression; he's run into a monster!"
Joe Tette swayed happily.
On the sideline, George Karl angrily threw his whiteboard to the ground.
"Another fast break! Shit!!"
Mike Brown, who happened to see this, was so amused he was close to tears!