"Tang Long is so cool! He actually blocked Kobe!"
"You know that was Kobe! It's terrifying!"
"I'm a Kobe fan, but I'm not upset at all!"
"Dragon Country can actually produce a player with this kind of physique!"
"I think Tang Long can play not only center but also small forward!"
"Indeed, this speed is no less than that of a regular small forward!"
"Have you ever seen a small forward post up a center?"
"I'm LeBron. I'm already panicking! I'm going to be a substitute!"
"..."
The Dragon Country fans were discussing wildly on the forum.
On the court.
The ball was blocked out of bounds by Tang Long, and it was still the Lakers' possession.
Kobe shook off Pavlovic with a backdoor cut and successfully received the ball.
Stubborn as he was, he wanted to go one-on-one. Naturally, everyone else spread out.
"Keep going! Defend him with all your might. If he scores one, I'll block him!"
Tang Long cheered up Pavlovic again. Blocking Kobe made him feel energized!
Kobe's eyes were fierce as he met Tang Long's gaze.
Tang Long naturally didn't back down and stared back.
The atmosphere on the court immediately became tense, and all the fans could feel the palpable tension.
Kobe and Tang Long were at it!
With a left-hand crossover to fake out Pavlovic, Kobe drove inside.
Tang Long stepped up to defend him without hesitation. His exaggerated wingspan gave Kobe no chance to drive to the basket.
But Kobe had no intention of going forward. Instead, he retreated to the perimeter.
Tang Long naturally followed, completely enveloping Kobe.
"Spread out! All of you, spread out!"
Kobe shouted, lowering his center of gravity and carefully observing Tang Long's footwork.
He pushed the ball forward with his right hand, then quickly pulled it back.
After two fakes, Tang Long's feet were already in an alternating stance.
For a penetrator, the defender's lead foot indicates which side to drive.
Kobe naturally understood this. He feigned another push forward on the right side, but it was a change of direction!
With a cross-over between his hands, he successfully faked out Tang Long!
This is Kobe for you!
Although his speed was no longer at its peak, he was full of experience, and his fakes were too realistic. Even Tang Long couldn't react in time!
As he drove past Tang Long, Kobe bumped him with his body and then attacked the basket!
The Cavaliers' paint was empty at this point, and it was easy for Kobe to score!
Tang Long recovered quickly!
After being faked out, he adjusted his body rapidly and sprinted towards the paint.
As for Kobe's physical contact, it was useless against Tang Long, who had fused with Murasakibara Atsushi!
Kobe jumped, and Tang Long followed closely!
Kobe grabbed the ball with one hand, preparing to dunk!
Tang Long's hand came from the side, swatting the ball away!
Another huge block!
Their bodies didn't even make contact in the air. It was an absolutely spectacular block!
There wasn't even a hint of a foul!
Although Phil Jackson complained repeatedly, the referees upheld their original call after confirming with the scorekeeper.
The ball went out of bounds off the Cavaliers, Lakers' ball, no foul.
Phil Jackson had no choice but to call a timeout.
Kobe was getting worked up.
"Coach, let me go one-on-one with him! I'll definitely teach him a lesson!"
"I was careless this time. I can definitely beat him! I'm going to score on him!"
Phil Jackson sternly stopped Kobe.
"Kobe! This is a game! Not a practice court! You're no longer the rookie looking for one-on-one challenges!"
"Only by winning the game is victory! You need to play in a way that's best for the team!"
"I know you can score on him, but not now!"
After scolding Kobe, Phil Jackson turned his attention to the other players.
"Next, we'll run a play! It's our usual play number two!"
"Focus on outside shooting, reduce one-on-one! Tang is in the zone!"
"On defense, wear him down as much as possible! On offense, choose outside shooting!"
"Of course, if there's an opportunity, we can also attack the paint and try to draw fouls!"
"Once this period passes, his momentum won't be so hot!"
"Remember, we are leading right now. Don't give them any chances!"
Phil Jackson, who rarely managed to control Kobe, calmed him down within the short minute of the timeout.
The team's victory must be put first!
Soon, the timeout ended, and the game resumed.
The Lakers ran play number two as Phil Jackson had instructed.
Unfortunately, Walton's shot was off, and the ball bounced off the rim.
Tang Long, with his "Absolute Rebound" ability, easily collected the rebound and passed it to Larry Hughes to advance.
The Cavaliers' strategy remained unchanged. Tang Long received the ball in the low post and backed down Bynum.
As soon as Tang Long got the ball, Walton and Fisher immediately double-teamed him!
A three-person double-team!
This is not a treatment most star players receive!
Tang Long had trouble even passing the ball in the tight space, let alone dribbling!
There was nothing Tang Long could do but throw the ball outwards as much as possible.
Fortunately, luck was on their side, and LeBron received the ball.
Just as he was about to pass it back to Tang Long, he noticed Fisher and Walton lurking.
As soon as Tang Long got the ball, they would double-team him!
There was no other option, so LeBron signaled for the others to spread out and he went for a solo attack!
This time, Larry Hughes was smarter. He ran to the baseline himself, making it harder for Fisher to double-team LeBron.
Tang Long moved to the forty-five-degree angle beyond the three-point line, preparing to receive a pass from LeBron.
LeBron successfully drove to his right, drawing Bynum's attention, and passed to Tang Long.
The latter stepped in again just beyond the three-point line and shot!
The ball arced beautifully through the air and accurately landed in the basket!
"Swish!"
An empty net!
"Tang Long has a hot hand from outside today! He's made all three mid-range jumpers from beyond the three-point line!"
"His range is much further than Yao Ming's! I really don't know when he developed this shot!"
"NBA centers with explosive physical abilities usually don't have good shooting skills, like Shaq, like the Stormin' Norman, like Howard."
"But Tang Long is simply an exception! I really don't know how he possesses top-tier physical abilities and shooting skills at the same time!"
"Phil Jackson is in trouble now! His double-team strategy might be ineffective!"
"Tang Long's shooting has completely disrupted his plan!"
Zhang Heli analyzed calmly. He was very happy to see Phil Jackson frowning, as it meant the Cavaliers were causing big trouble!
39:36!
The score difference was only 3 points!
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson was indeed frowning. He called another timeout to the referees.
In a short period, Phil Jackson had already used two timeouts!
This was enough to show the impact Tang Long was having on the Lakers!