With a bang, McGrady's drive to the basket was blocked from behind by Tang Long.
This kind of chase-down block was something James was adept at, thanks to his explosive physical attributes.
In later years, James was often seen delivering chase-down blocks.
But at this moment, McGrady was taught a lesson by Tang Long. After the block, the ball bounced off the backboard, and was coincidentally picked up by Varejão nearby.
"Give me the ball!"
James, with sharp eyes, immediately roared at Varejão, who promptly passed the ball to him.
James's bulldozer-like layup attempt was unsuccessful, resulting in a foul by the Rockets.
Stepping onto the free-throw line, James made both shots, giving the Cavaliers a four-point lead over the Rockets.
The momentum had begun to tilt towards the Cavaliers. They had been suppressed by the Rockets for most of the game, and now it was finally time for the Cavaliers to counterattack.
"LeBron makes both free throws, extending the lead. The Cavaliers are now up by four against the Rockets."
"Let's see how the Rockets respond next."
As the commentator finished speaking, the Rockets committed another turnover.
Brooks dribbled to the top of the arc, looking to connect with McGrady.
However, his pass was too careless and was intercepted by Delonte West.
Mike Brown saw this as another opportunity.
"Quickly, let's play our fast-break defense."
Delonte West, having just come on the court, had plenty of energy and ran incredibly fast.
Despite his frail appearance, West was quite capable in 2007.
He drove for a layup, adding another two points for the Cavaliers.
The Rockets were starting to falter. What was going on?
They had led the Cavaliers by as much as seventeen points at their peak.
Yet, in the fourth quarter, they were now trailing by six.
"Damn it!"
Head coach Van Gundy cursed, his face grim.
He then looked at Yao Ming, who was resting on the bench, and paused before saying, "Yao, get ready to go back in and blow past that Tang fellow!"
Yao Ming smiled wryly. Blowing past Tang Long was not that simple.
As the fourth quarter reached 10:52, Yao Ming re-entered the game.
In reality, it was of little consequence, as the Cavaliers were already leading the Rockets by eight points.
With just over a minute left in the game.
Yao Ming's return did little to help. Van Gundy's strategy was to go for three-pointers, with Yao Ming securing offensive rebounds in the paint.
In truth, Yao Ming could not compete with Tang Long in rebounding.
Tang Long possessed the [Absolute Rebound] skill, allowing him to predict the trajectory of rebounds in advance.
Yao Ming's positioning for rebounds was sometimes incorrect. The rebound would bounce to the right, but he would be positioned on the left, rendering his efforts futile.
On another rebound, Yao Ming had indeed secured a good position. However, before he could even jump, Tang Long directly stepped over him, passed the ball from above Yao Ming's head, and after a second jump, cleanly secured the rebound.
In this game, Tang Long had contributed 17 rebounds.
What did that mean?
Even the peak Dennis Rodman wasn't this dominant, and Tang Long made rebounding look even easier.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers defeated the Rockets with a score of 111:104, maintaining their sixteen-game winning streak!
The Rockets had played well in the first three quarters, but they crumbled in the fourth. The winners of this game were, once again, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Congratulations to the Cleveland Cavaliers for their tenacious victory over the Houston Rockets, maintaining their sixteen-game winning streak. It's truly incredible. This game was simply spectacular."
"Thanks to Tang and Yao, their matchup in the paint was absolutely thrilling!"
The Cavaliers' commentator was beaming with joy.
Post-game statistics showed Tang Long with 39 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks, and 1 steal.
These were the stats of a top-tier big man.
Yao Ming was also impressive, but he didn't play as many minutes as Tang Long.
He finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks.
Compared to the anomaly that was Tang Long, Yao Ming was somewhat underwhelming tonight.
James recorded 23 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
McGrady scored a team-high 27 points for the Rockets, along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
The statistics of other players were not individually listed, as the victory was a collective effort from every player.
During the post-game handshake, Tang Long walked towards Yao Ming, about to say something, when he suddenly heard a system notification.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to defeat the Houston Rockets and maintain a sixteen-game winning streak. A Level Two store has now been unlocked. Please check it.]
Hearing this voice, Tang Long became extremely excited.
The Level Two store was unlocked?
He vaguely recalled that after unlocking the Level Two store, he could purchase certain potions.
These potions could quickly treat athletic injuries.
In addition, during the recent winning streak, the Cavaliers had earned quite a bit of points.
Opening the system interface, Tang Long's eyes lit up with joy.
He had accumulated over 200 points. He hadn't spent any in the store recently.
The only time he had used points was when playing against the Bucks and encountering Yi Jianlian, where he gifted Yi Jianlian a jersey to improve his stamina and physical confrontation.
Browsing the Level Two store, Tang Long was quite surprised.
Most of the items in the Level Two store were related to treating injuries.
Leg injuries, foot injuries, back injuries, shoulder injuries, spinal injuries, etc...
Any injury could be treated with different medications.
In the Level Two store, Tang Long found a potion called "Bone Regeneration Potion." This potion was very effective in repairing bone structures.
For some reason, Tang Long's gaze drifted to Yao Ming's large feet.
How many years had Yao Ming's foot injuries been severe?
The injury that eventually led to his retirement was a stress fracture in his left foot.
What was a stress fracture?
It meant that the soles of his feet could not withstand Yao Ming's massive frame, coupled with the high intensity of the games and a packed schedule.
Moreover, Yao Ming had to participate in various international competitions. Someone had once jokingly remarked.
Other NBA players only had to carry a city on their backs!
In contrast, Yao Ming's shoulders bore not only the burden of Houston but also the entire Dragon Country behind him.
This resulted in Yao Ming, at just thirty years old, suffering a stress fracture in his left foot due to overexertion, forcing him to retire and bid farewell to his NBA career!
Recalling the future events, Tang Long immediately smiled and said, "Brother Yao, how are your foot injuries doing now?"
Huh?
Hearing Tang Long's out-of-the-blue question, Yao Ming was completely bewildered.
However, he still answered truthfully, "It's a bit uncomfortable, especially when I enter high-intensity games. It hurts terribly, a piercing pain. When you were battling me earlier, every time you pushed me, my feet had to exert pressure, and the pain caused me to perform below par!"
Yao Ming shook his head, a look of helplessness on his face.
Tang Long continued, "Brother Yao, don't worry. I can help you treat this injury. I'll give you a bottle of medicine later. It's an heirloom from my family that was flown to me. It works very well. After you use it, I hope your foot injury will be cured!"