"Why isn't Tang Long playing?"
"We came to see Tang Long; if he's not playing, what are we even watching?"
"Tang Long is just a big oaf, what's the point of him playing? Is he going to stop Carter?"
"Our explosiveness is no match for theirs. Tang Long is useless."
The domestic forums were buzzing with comments.
Most Longguo people supported their local players, but there was always a small minority who liked to brand themselves as unique by denigrating their own.
Yao Ming, who dedicated himself to the national team, was still smeared by some keyboard warriors.
Commentator Zhang Weiping adopted a neutral stance: "Kidd's passing is just too intelligent; only someone like Kidd could make such a pass."
"The Cavaliers' morale seems a bit low... Oh dear, how could they give up that ball?"
Yang Yi was helpless. Z was matched up one-on-one in the paint. Larry Hughes dribbled for a good fifteen seconds before casually passing to James.
"The Cavaliers are in trouble. If they keep playing like this, their winning streak might be ended by the Nets."
Yang Yi's voice sounded a little anxious. After all, he had strong principles and wholeheartedly supported the domestic players.
James was already being heavily guarded. As soon as he received the ball, another defender was already closing in.
Facing a double-team, James could only stabilize the ball and look for a passing option.
But the two Nets defenders flailed their hands, blocking James's passing lanes. The situation became a stalemate.
Time ticked by. As a violation loomed, James was forced to push off a defender and take a pull-up jump shot.
Clang!
The sound of the miss made Cavaliers fans gasp.
After the missed shot, the Cavaliers quickly retreated on defense.
Kostić grabbed the rebound and, with a quick glance, spotted his teammates streaking down the court. He then launched a beautiful, arcing pass.
The ball sailed over Larry Hughes and Z's heads, landing directly in Kidd's hands.
James immediately sprinted towards Kidd. Seeing James approaching, a sly grin flickered across Kidd's lips.
"LeBron, the ball's right here."
James reacted quickly, trying to shield Kidd's vision.
The veteran Kidd was incredibly cunning. He seemed to anticipate James extending his arms to block, and the ball slipped through James's armpit, landing securely in Carter's hands.
He rose up, shot!
A three-pointer swished through the net.
0-5.
After the opening two possessions, the Cavaliers were already trailing the New Jersey Nets by five points.
"Dominate them! The Cavaliers' winning streak must end with us."
Josh Boone high-fived his teammates one by one, then planted his feet firmly, eyeing the Cavaliers as they initiated their next offense.
Larry Hughes received the inbound from Z and crossed half-court. Jefferson moved to cut him off.
Seeing this, Larry Hughes passed the ball to James. Almost simultaneously, Kidd had already moved to cut off James's receiving space. This veteran was incredibly elusive.
At the same time, Jefferson also caught up.
Another double-team. James was thoroughly enraged.
But there were no good passing lanes. Kidd had blocked his driving space, leaving him with no good offensive options.
In a flash, James noticed an open Larry Hughes.
He faked a jump shot. Jefferson fell for the bait, rising up to block James's shooting line with a sweeping motion.
This was a common defensive tactic for small forwards.
When a block wasn't possible, they would cover the shooter's eyes to obstruct their vision, avoiding a foul while impacting the shooter's sight.
Little did they know, James wasn't actually shooting. As he jumped, he immediately passed the ball to Larry Hughes.
Larry Hughes pulled up for a three-pointer.
Clang!
Another miss.
Z had already seen the offensive rebound within his reach. But just as he jumped, Kostić, with a later start, swatted the ball away just as Z's right hand touched it.
Kidd caught the ball. Carter's legs galloped like horses across the prairie. In the blink of an eye, he was under the Cavaliers' basket.
A dunk followed as expected.
Boom!
A standard windmill dunk. The Quicken Loans Arena erupted.
Unfortunately, it was the away fans who were roaring.
Carter, like a victorious general, leaped up and clapped shoulders with his teammates. The Nets' bench players jumped up excitedly, waving towels to cheer Carter on.
0-7.
Mike Brown's face turned ashen. Being dominated from the start, if this continued, it would likely be garbage time by the third quarter.
He hesitated for a moment before deciding not to call a timeout, opting to observe a little longer.
But Mike Brown's thoughts were too naive. The Cavaliers, with their morale shattered, kept missing shots from the perimeter after James was double-teamed.
The Nets' strategy was clear: let them shoot from three-point range and deny them easy points in the paint.
Clang!
Pavlolvíc's shot missed. The Cavaliers immediately retreated to their half-court. This time, they dared not let Carter get an alley-oop.
The Nets brought the ball past half-court. Kidd passed to Carter. Carter tried, but couldn't break through James, and passed back to Kidd.
Kidd feigned a drive to attract Larry Hughes, then passed the ball to Kostić under the basket.
Kostić went for a one-on-one, bullying his way against Z.
Z resisted Kostić with all his might, his mental energy focused on the battle. After Kostić shoved Z with his shoulder, he executed a hook shot.
The ball missed, and Z breathed a sigh of relief.
He had a strong position and clutched the ball tightly.
"LeBron..."
He also wanted to initiate a fast break, but the passing lane was too direct. Kostić swatted the ball away with a single hand, sending it flying into the stands.
"Roar!"
Kostić had never felt so exhilarated.
This block was the most satisfying of his career, bar none.
"Isn't Mike Brown going to call a timeout? If this continues, the Cavaliers will be outplayed on both offense and defense."
"What's wrong with LeBron? He should be driving. If the outside shots aren't falling, LeBron needs to step up!"
The Cavaliers' commentators began to complain.
The game was a painful spectacle for the fans.
But the commentators' words clearly didn't influence the head coach's decision. Mike Brown intended to wait and call a timeout around the five-minute mark as planned.
However, the game on the court was unpredictable; nothing could go exactly according to Mike Brown's plan.
After several more possessions, although the Cavaliers managed to score, the Nets scored more.
With only four minutes gone in the first quarter, the Cavaliers were already trailing by six points, 4-11.
Boom!!
It was the Flying God Carter again, calmly sinking a three-pointer.
4-14. The Cavaliers were now trailing by a full ten points.
It seemed the Cavaliers' winning streak was about to be broken!
...