"If we lose to the second to last team, and our opponent is a team that's tanking, then we might as well retire from now on."
James was also cheering on his teammates at this moment.
In the NBA, not many players could earn his respect.
Besides Kobe, O'Neal, and Yao Ming, there were also Wade and Bosh.
Clearly, if he lost to the Knicks, a team composed of All-Star reserves, how would he face the media interviews in the future?
How would he continue to act tough in Cleveland?
"Guys, give me the ball. They're focusing on me right now. Let me draw their fire and create offensive space for you."
At crucial moments, it was still Tang Long who had to step up.
It wasn't that Tang Long was currently better than James, but rather that James was more active on the perimeter.
The Knicks players could deploy an extra defender to limit James's drives and layups, which would put the Cavaliers in a very passive position.
Relying solely on the individual abilities of superstars was like relying on luck; it couldn't guarantee stable output.
The interior was different.
Not only could they form an iron curtain on defense, but a dominant center could also attract double teams on offense, and their scoring ability was more stable than perimeter players.
This was also why in the early years of the NBA, whoever had a dominant center, had the world!
"Okay." James patted Tang Long's shoulder.
Tang Long inbounded the ball, and Larry Hughes drove to the basket. Tang Long reached out for the ball, and Larry passed it to him.
At the same time, Eddy Curry spread his arms to block Tang Long's turn.
At this moment, Tang Long dribbled the ball while shouldering Eddy Curry, trying to force his way in.
After several pushes with no desired effect, Tang Long faked a hook shot.
Upon seeing this, Eddy Curry jumped closely, wanting to cleanly block Tang Long.
And Tang Long was waiting for this opportunity.
The moment Eddy Curry jumped, Tang Long sidestepped his massive frame and, with a graceful and extended posture, easily laid the ball into the basket.
The move was incredibly smooth.
For a tough guy like Tang Long, his body's flexibility was surprisingly good, which was truly astonishing.
The fans at Madison Square Garden were stunned and took a while to react.
"Eddy, how could you let him score so easily?"
Randolph walked over and complained.
"How can this be my personal fault?"
Eddy Curry was also very annoyed at this moment. Tang Long's fake hook shot was too realistic; most people couldn't imitate it.
"Hey, brothers, what are you guys talking about?"
Nate Robinson stopped the two of them: "We need to be united to win."
"I want to win too, but I won't accept criticism from someone else, at least not until he does his own job properly."
Eddy Curry snorted.
Discord within the Knicks team was something Tang Long keenly noticed as a good opportunity to crush them decisively.
"Guys, we have to keep attacking their inside game. This way, they'll start blaming each other and create more opportunities for us."
In fact, Tang Long's words were absolutely correct.
After Eddy Curry and Randolph started arguing, Tang Long only had to face Eddy Curry inside, and the other Knicks players didn't come to double-team, giving Tang Long more room to operate.
Once again, the Cavaliers attacked the Knicks' basket. It was the same matchup, with Tang Long posting up Eddy Curry.
This time, Eddy Curry was fully prepared and absolutely refused to let Tang Long score on him.
"Kid, watch this! This time, I'm definitely blocking your shot!"
"Is that so?"
Eddy Curry's words reminded Tang Long.
His eyes rolled, and he immediately taunted, "Then let's see if you have the ability."
Saying this, Tang Long used a crossover dribble that spun Eddy Curry around, leaving him facing the basket.
He jumped and dunked!
Eddy Curry was smarter this time. As soon as he saw Tang Long leave the ground, he accelerated and jumped, his palm-like hands swatting at the ball in Tang Long's hands.
*Swish!*
Eddy Curry's hand hit Tang Long's wrist, but the ball flew directly towards the basket.
The ball went in.
*Beep!*
The referee's whistle immediately followed.
Foul on the shooting hand.
2+1.
Eddy Curry was utterly frustrated.
How could this happen?
"Eddy, don't speak too soon. Next time, I won't be shooting; I'll be dunking right in front of you."
"This will never happen again."
Eddy Curry glared at Tang Long through gritted teeth.
You want to dunk on me? No way.
"Then we'll see!"
Tang Long quickly ran back to defense, and Nate Robinson brought the ball up court.
Seeing Eddy Curry post up and call for the ball, he hesitated and didn't pass.
Having Eddy Curry post up Tang Long was unlikely to result in a score, especially since Eddy Curry was playing with emotion right now; passing him the ball would waste an offensive opportunity.
He scanned the court and saw Randolph in position at the baseline, so he quickly passed the ball to him.
The big bear caught the ball and shot, but suddenly his vision blurred. A pair of long arms and the rising basketball appeared at almost the same apex.
*Clang!*
[Divine Block]
The basketball was immediately swatted away.
Since the ball was still rising, it went out of bounds.
But the fact that Tang Long had swatted the ball in mid-air immediately made countless fans cheer with his terrifying vertical leap.
Randolph himself was also stunned.
The NBA had no shortage of "springs" with excellent jumping ability, but it was rare to see someone like Tang Long charging from the inside and swatting the ball away with one hand.
Was this Dragon guy also raised on springs?
But as a professional player, Randolph quickly adjusted his mentality.
He received the pass from Nate Robinson and quickly drove to the basket.
This time, he used all his strength, leaped high against Tang Long under the basket, and threw the ball with a lofted shot.
Tang Long jumped in place, his outstretched arm like a soaring eagle, and the spinning basketball was intercepted in mid-air.
Immediately after, the ball landed in Tang Long's arms.
Stumbling to the ground, Randolph hadn't even regained his balance before the ball had crossed half-court. James drove to the Knicks' basket, and Eddy Curry tried to imitate Tang Long's move to stop James's layup.
Unfortunately, he wasn't Tang Long, and James wasn't Randolph.
James paused for a second in mid-air, waiting for Eddy Curry to land before releasing the ball.
Another 2+1, and James's free throw was also calmly made.
"Roar!"
The Cavaliers fans on the bench rose to applaud.
The Knicks players were starting to lose their spirit. Another missed shot, and the Cavaliers broke away on a fast break. Tang Long caught the ball, and three Knicks players came to defend him.
Tang Long, staring down the three defenders, powered his way inside and scored another two points for the Cavaliers!
The game was quickly becoming one-sided. The Cavaliers were unstoppable, while the Knicks seemed to be running out of steam.
...