Carter was momentarily speechless, being teased by a rising star, how could he maintain his demigod status?
Meanwhile, back in China, the internet had exploded.
"Did you guys see Tang Long's monumental block on Carter? His speed was unbelievable, it's hard to imagine such a block coming from a big man, it was incredibly fast, Carter was stunned by Tang Long's block!"
"I feel like Tang Long's block on Carter is so familiar?"
"Now that you mention it, I feel it too!"
Fans were discussing Tang Long's "divine block from the heavens" on Carter. Even Zhang Weiping and Yang Yi in the studio couldn't help but applaud.
"The Cavaliers' interior used to only have Big Z. Although Big Z was twice selected as an All-Star reserve, he was still far from being a star player."
"At critical moments, James was fighting alone, which was why the Cavaliers couldn't go further. Now with Tang Long, the Cavaliers have addressed their interior weakness."
"Coach Zhang is absolutely right."
Yang Yi chimed in, "If the Cavaliers can perform like this all season, and then face a team like the Spurs in the finals, the Cavaliers won't be afraid of playing a half-court game against the Spurs."
"If last year's Finals saw the Cavaliers facing the Spurs, it would have been Tang Long against Duncan, that would have been a real spectacle!"
Zhang Weiping chuckled, his voice conveying the intense rivalry that would erupt if the two met!
"Coach Zhang, do you think the Nets will adjust their tactics in the fourth quarter, or continue to use their zone defense to grind it out with the Cavaliers?"
Zhang Weiping stated directly, "I believe the Nets will definitely opt for a twin-center lineup. It was Tang Long's appearance that changed the Cavaliers' passive situation. Therefore, the Nets will undoubtedly make corresponding deployments against Tang Long in the fourth quarter."
"Mickey and Kostic can maintain their interior advantage and also prevent James from driving to the basket. The Nets will definitely continue to use this tactic, but with the Cavaliers' outside shooting heating up, it makes the Nets very troublesome."
"Regardless, with Tang Long's consecutive victories during this period, our Chinese players are shining in the NBA, which is very beneficial for the upcoming Beijing Olympics."
After Coach Zhang expressed his opinion, the broadcast switched back to the game.
The fourth quarter had begun.
83:85, the Cavaliers were only trailing by two points.
"Oh, we can see that the Nets haven't put their main players on the court at the start of the fourth quarter. They're currently using their reserve players, Swift and Bili as the twin centers. Is the Nets trying to have their reserve centers tangle with Tang Long first? To wear down Tang Long's stamina, and then send in their main players when Tang Long's energy is depleted?"
"A battle of inferior horses against a superior horse?"
Yang Yi blurted out.
A battle of a superior horse against an inferior horse, the key is whether it's a horse at all. The Nets' reserves could at best be donkeys against the Cavaliers' starting five.
This is too risky!
In fact, Zhang Weiping's guess was correct. At the start of the fourth quarter, it was the Cavaliers' possession. As Tang Long entered the paint, Swift was already close to him.
Bili was not too far from Tang Long either, with room to come over for a double-team. As soon as Tang Long received the ball, Bili would rush over to surround Tang Long with Swift, preventing him from passing.
This turned into a slugfest, a half-court battle!
Facing a double-team and tight defense, Tang Long not only lacked space to jump but also had to protect the ball from being stolen at any moment.
He shoved Swift away with his shoulder. Before he could even jump, Bili's hand came down, making a crisp sound that even the fans watching on television could hear.
Tang Long cried out in pain, his arm burning.
This guy was clearly aiming for him.
"Beeeep!!"
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on Bili for hitting Tang Long's arm.
Tang Long stepped up to the free-throw line, while Bili was spewing trash talk from the side, trying to affect Tang Long's free-throw percentage.
Swish!
The first free throw was good. James and Gooden came up to high-five Tang Long.
For the second free throw, the voices of the few Nets supporters grew louder.
Some even made obscene gestures to distract Tang Long.
"Tang, your free-throw form looks like a woman's. Did your free-throw coach happen to be a female team doctor?"
"Tang, you're definitely going to miss this free throw!"
The noisy voices around him greatly annoyed Tang Long, but he also knew that the opposing fans were intentionally trying to disrupt him.
Tang Long took a deep breath and adjusted his free-throw stance.
The second free throw was also made. The score was now 85:85. After trailing by so much, they had tied the game.
"Tang, I love you."
"Tang, you must be sent by God to save the Cavaliers."
The fans in Cleveland were absolutely ecstatic.
Last year's longest winning streak was only sixteen games. With this win, the Cavaliers' winning streak would reach seventeen games.
This was their favorite team, how could the fans not be excited.
Those who had left the arena early were filled with regret, who could have imagined that they could come back from nearly a thirty-point deficit?
Fans were pulling their cars over to the side of the road, tuning into their radios to catch the score.
"Tang, it seems the fans have fallen in love with you. Even I'm a little jealous. I just noticed a very beautiful woman was making eyes at you."
James, at this moment, didn't forget to tease Tang Long.
"LeBron, you better keep up, or my cheers will eventually surpass yours!" Tang Long quipped.
"Haha, that would be great, then I can finally get a championship ring!"
"Alright, we will definitely achieve it!"
Tang Long silently vowed that the Quicken Loans Arena would witness his championship photo with LeBron.
Meanwhile, the Nets' reserve players had grim expressions, especially Bili. He couldn't tolerate that their tactic had no effect on Tang Long.
"Swift, we have to teach that kid a lesson."
"Agreed, I also think that kid is too arrogant."
After communicating with Swift, Bili and Swift headed straight for Tang Long in the paint after crossing half-court.
Tang Long was puzzled. This wasn't defense, it was the Nets' offensive possession. Why were these two sticking to him?
He soon found out.
After Swift received the ball, Drew Gooden came over to double-team. Tang Long's attention was still on Swift. Swift faked a jump, and just as Tang Long jumped to block, the ball went to Bili.
When he got the ball, instead of immediately dunking, he dribbled once before jumping again.
It was the blink of an eye, but for Tang Long, there was still a chance to block, so he jumped without hesitation and swatted at the ball.
Another "Godly Block" + "Absolute Defense" skill was deployed against the ball-handling Bili.