"One Star, Four Shooters!"
"The Cavaliers are deploying a one-star, four-shooter lineup, with James at the top of the arc for isolation, and the other four players spread along the perimeter!"
"The most crucial element of this lineup is James's individual ability. If he can't score one-on-one, then it's completely ineffective!"
"However, it looks like Walton will have a hard time defending James. It all depends on Phil Jackson's defensive strategy!"
"The Cavaliers are currently down by twelve points, and it's only been half a minute into the second quarter. There's still plenty of suspense."
"Let's hope the Cavaliers can make a comeback just like in the previous game."
Zhang Weiping and Su Qun watched the game intently.
Earlier, James broke through and passed to Larry Hughes, whose three-pointer missed. Now it's the Lakers' turn to attack. 138 Reading Network.
Odom, with the ball at the top of the arc, used Kobe's screen to easily get past Drew Gooden and went for a mid-range jumper.
Pavlovic couldn't recover in time and could only watch Odom shoot.
But just as the ball left Odom's hand, Tang Long suddenly appeared.
[Divine Block]
Tang Long, with his superior leaping ability and speed, delivered a thunderous block to Odom.
The ball's trajectory was forced to change, flying upwards.
Tang Long jumped again and successfully secured possession.
James, with his sharp instincts, smelled an opportunity for a fast break and was already sprinting towards the Lakers' half.
Tang Long tossed the ball with his left hand, a long pass to James.
James then unleashed a tomahawk dunk!
A classic move!
With Tang Long on the team, James averages two tomahawk dunks per game.
This is the kind of presence a top center brings.
35:25
The score gap narrowed to ten.
Tang Long smiled and extended his right hand, high-fiving James to celebrate again.
Lakers' possession. Fisher was about to call a play when he saw Kobe signal for the ball.
How could the team leader's request be denied? He passed it without hesitation.
Kobe signaled for everyone to space out, wanting to break the Cavaliers' momentum.
Pavlovic couldn't stop Kobe at all, easily faked out by a move.
Kobe drove to the post and smoothly pulled up for a jumper.
He had made countless shots with this move throughout his career.
And just as Kobe was about to shoot, Tang Long appeared in front of him again.
How was this guy so quick on his help defense?
Kobe glanced at him in mid-air. Bynum, that big oaf, was still under the basket fighting for position, completely unaware that Tang Long had come to help.
Looking at the difference between his center and the opposing center, Kobe was speechless.
Fortunately, he was Kobe. He managed a last-second fadeaway jumper with extreme body control, and Tang Long only managed to brush the fingertips of the ball.
The shot was clearly short. Tang Long had already anticipated where the rebound would land and snatched the ball from above Bynum's head.
Kobe couldn't help but be speechless again.
What was the point of Bynum's positioning if he couldn't even get the rebound?
What a terrible teammate!
James sprinted to the Lakers' half and received a long pass from Tang Long.
Derek Fisher reacted quickly and was in position defensively, but against a fast-breaking James, there wasn't much he could do.
James faked a step to the left and then quickly changed direction, easily scoring an layup from the right side.
35:27
The score gap was brought back down to single digits!
Phil Jackson, with a poker face, called a timeout.
"The Cavaliers have once again used their signature fast break to force a timeout from their opponent!"
"Tang Long's defensive dominance is simply terrifying. If this continues, almost every star player will be sent packing for a block!"
"James's fast break instincts are incredibly sharp; he's always the first one to reach the frontcourt."
"The combination of 'Zhan Long' is incredibly potent. Besides James, who else would go for a fast break when Kobe is about to shoot?"
"James has absolute faith in Tang Long's defensive ability, and Tang Long has never let him down."
The tension that Zhang Weiping and Su Qun felt had largely dissipated.
When the Cavaliers were on a fast break, it was time to launch a counterattack.
The timeout ended quickly, and the Lakers returned to the court.
Still, it was Kobe isolating. All other players moved to the left side, with Bynum at the left corner. This way, if Tang Long came to help, he would have to cover the furthest distance.
This time difference was enough for Kobe to go one-on-one.
Despite knowing Kobe would drive from the right, Pavlovic couldn't stop him and could only try his best to keep up.
Driving to his familiar post position, Kobe shot a jumper again.
This time, without Tang Long's interference, the ball smoothly went in.
Possession changed. The Cavaliers still ran the one-star, four-shooter offense.
James had an easy time driving past Walton, but once he entered the three-point line, Fisher would immediately abandon Larry Hughes to double-team him.
This made things very difficult for James. In this possession, James couldn't do anything and passed the ball to Larry Hughes.
Hughes adjusted for a second before attempting a shot.
The ball bounced around the rim three times before rolling out.
James was about to curse. Two wide-open looks missed in a row.
Bynum and Odom established positions on either side, preparing to easily grab the rebound.
Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared out of nowhere and forcefully snatched the ball away.
It was Tang Long's "step-on-head" board again!
Still in the air, Tang Long didn't land. He used his core strength in mid-air and leaped again.
He soared through the air, folding his body, and slammed the ball into the basket with a powerful dunk!
Bynum was sent flying into the basket stanchion by the immense force. He took a moment to recover.
He had just been dunked on?
And an incredibly arrogant put-back dunk at that!
Even the Lakers' home DJ couldn't help but exclaim.
"Oh my god!!! China Tang with the put-back dunk!"
"It was an alley-oop dunk, and Andrew is completely stunned!"
"This Dragon Countryman's physical talent is truly terrifying. Who said Dragon Countrymen have poor physical condition? This is a complete slap in the face!"
"Bynum really needs to train harder; the gap in strength is just too large!"
The fans were also whispering amongst themselves. "Is this even human? I think he's like a giant Eastern tiger!"
"I never thought Dragon Country had someone with such explosive talent. I thought they would be like Yao Ming, with excellent static talent at best."
"This has truly expanded my horizons. It seems the online rumors about Dragon Countrymen knowing martial arts are true."
"I feel like Tang is about to devour Bynum!"
Scarlett, sitting in the innermost row of the audience, overheard these whispers.
She was also stunned by Tang Long, this fast and powerful Dragon Countryman.
His help defense was as swift as a phantom, appearing in front of the opponent in the blink of an eye.
And that final put-back dunk, his athleticism was outrageously incredible.
Scarlett had watched many NBA games and had never seen such an explosive player.
Most importantly, he had a powerfully built physique, with almost no excess fat, and even his face was ruggedly handsome.
He was practically her ideal type.
For some reason, Scarlett suddenly felt that Tang Long wasn't so annoying anymore.
...