The current score difference between the two sides is 11 points.
Tang Long has performed commendably, but the team is at a considerable disadvantage.
This time, the Rockets still opt for a fast-paced attack.
Without any hesitation, McGrady directly chooses to drive past LeBron James.
James's lateral movement is very fast, and he immediately blocks McGrady's drive.
Seeing no opening for a breakthrough, McGrady passes the ball to Alston on the perimeter, intending to reorganize the offense.
Alston calls for a pick-and-roll, preparing to drive to the paint after the screen.
Hayes in the paint understands the plan and pulls out from the paint, creating space for "The Streetball King" to drive.
Seeing his defender initiate a perimeter screen, Tang Long also follows him out.
After the pick-and-roll, they switch defenders.
Tang Long switches with Larry Hughes and is now guarding Alston.
However, the title of "The Streetball King" is not for show.
Alston's drive is incredibly swift, and he seizes opportunities effectively.
Facing Tang Long's absolute defense, Alston first executes a series of between-the-legs dribbles.
He protects the ball well and makes it impossible for Tang Long to guess his direction of attack.
Then, with a beautiful crossover and spin, he attempts to blow past Tang Long in one step.
But how could Tang Long, possessing Murasakibara Atsushi's absolute defense, be easily fooled by Alston?
Tang Long adjusts his footwork and once again blocks Alston's path.
With the shot clock running down, Alston is forced to throw the ball to McGrady.
With only three seconds left on the shot clock, there isn't enough time to reorganize the offense.
McGrady, on the perimeter, has no choice but to take a hurried pull-up jumper.
The Cavaliers' defense is quite strong this time, effectively limiting the Rockets' offensive rhythm.
They almost forced a 24-second violation, but McGrady's shooting touch is red-hot today.
Even with such a bailout pass, McGrady manages to make the shot.
Another three-pointer!
The score difference is now 14 points.
It must be said, McGrady's performance in this game is truly phenomenal.
His consecutive, seemingly unstoppable three-pointers have put the Cavaliers in a difficult position.
McGrady's sudden explosion caught everyone off guard.
After all, in the first quarter, McGrady was 0 for 3 from three-point range.
But suddenly, his three-point shooting has been reborn.
Two consecutive three-pointers are truly exasperating.
Even more importantly, Yao Ming is still resting on the sidelines.
At this moment, the Rockets are not playing with their strongest lineup.
The Rockets' strongest lineup undoubtedly involves the synchronized performance of their inside and outside players.
When the Yao-McGrady combination takes the court together, they possess the capability to contend for a championship.
McGrady playing as the sole leader has not been as effective as imagined.
Yet, they are still suppressing the Cavaliers' performance and gradually widening their lead.
It's clear that the Rockets are in an exceptionally hot state in this game.
On the other hand, all the Cavaliers players, except for Tang Long, have frigid shooting.
After two more rounds of fruitless offense, the score difference between the two sides has significantly widened.
The Cavaliers, including LeBron James, are all in a slump, their shots clanging off the rim.
The basket seems to have an extra layer of lid on it for them.
Under these circumstances, their shooting percentage is extremely low.
With the whistle, a timeout is called for the second quarter.
As of now, 7 minutes have passed in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers are already trailing by 16 points.
In the last 5 minutes, the Rockets have gone on a 12-4 run!
While James's defense has significantly limited McGrady, McGrady's hot hand is still a force.
He has completely dominated the game's rhythm in the second quarter.
On offense, he alone has scored 6 points, effectively filling the scoring void left by Yao Ming's absence.
On the Cavaliers' side, Tang Long has stubbornly chipped in 4 points on offense.
The score difference has widened to over 15 points.
As the referee blows the whistle, Yao Ming returns to the court.
At this moment, almost all Cavaliers fans have lost hope.
The Cavaliers were already trailing by more than 15 points when Yao Ming was off the court.
Now that Yao Ming is on the court, won't the Cavaliers' deficit only increase?
This is the thought of some Cavaliers players and, indeed, all Cavaliers fans.
Yao Ming is undoubtedly the premier center in the league today.
With his presence on the court, the Rockets' half-court offense will become even more dominant.
Under these circumstances, even Tang Long will find it somewhat challenging.
Tang Long's face shows no smile; the current deficit is so substantial that even he feels it's a tricky situation.
Yao Ming looks at Tang Long and says with a smile, "You guys don't really have much of a chance in this game anymore."
"No chance?"
Tang Long raises an eyebrow and says seriously, "The game isn't over yet. Isn't it a bit too early to say there's no chance!"
Yao Ming is indeed correct.
Although a 15-point deficit in future NBA games might not be insurmountable, for the NBA of this era, 15 points is a significant margin.
After all, teams' three-point shooting capabilities are not as outlandish as they are today.
To close a 15-point gap solely through mid-range jumpers, pounding the ball possession after possession, would take a considerable amount of time.
Not to mention the Cavaliers' three-point shooting is truly mediocre.
Aside from a few unreliable shooters on the perimeter, there are no consistent scoring threats from outside.
Under these circumstances, the difficulty for the Cavaliers to make a comeback is excessively high.
However, such a definitive pronouncement is not something Tang Long can accept.
Despite being down by 15 points, Tang Long has never believed the Cavaliers would lose this game.
Especially at this historical juncture!
The Cavaliers have achieved a 15-game winning streak and are steadily marching towards the top ten all-time winning streaks.
Tang Long is absolutely certain that the Rockets are not the team that will stand in the way of their winning streak.
"Sixteen straight wins, I'm taking it!"
The Rockets are on offense, and Yao Ming is posting up Tang Long.
This time, Yao Ming demonstrates his refined post-up game, using his shoulders and back to test Tang Long's strength.
Tang Long's physique is very robust, making it not easy to score on him in isolation.
Yao Ming has his own methods against such powerful interior players.
Yao Ming immediately opts for a turnaround fadeaway jumper. Although the fadeaway is not very exaggerated, it's truly difficult to block this type of shot.
Even with Tang Long jumping to his maximum height, he still feels somewhat powerless against Yao Ming's release.
Yao Ming smoothly makes the mid-range shot, and the score difference widens to 17 points.
Tang Long shakes his head with a smile; Yao Ming's turnaround fadeaway is indeed difficult to block.
It seems that without activating the "Zone" state and enhancing the [Absolute Defense] skill, it will be impossible to get a big block on Yao Ming!