"Basket's in! We can see Tang Long jumping, and Diop followed suit. It ended up hitting Tang Long's hand. Another 2+1."
Yang Yi looked excitedly at Zhang Weiping. "Coach Zhang, have you noticed that 2+1 is almost becoming Tang Long's signature move? Especially when the team is chasing points or the score is close, his 2+1 always changes the game's momentum."
"I've noticed that too. There have been several games where the opponent was starting to build momentum, and then Tang Long would get a dunk or a 2+1, knocking the wind out of their sails."
"This Diop looks big, but his leaping ability isn't as good as Tang Long's. As long as he jumps, Tang Long can not only shoot the ball but also draw a foul on him."
"It seems there's a reason Diop is on the bench. If Dampier were defending, and Tang Long jumped to shoot, he would be more focused on protecting the defensive rebound, or he would try to block Tang Long's shot in advance. If you let Tang Long jump and then try to block him, there's probably no one in the league who can do that right now."
The two commentators were discussing Tang Long in the broadcast booth, and the fans at the Quicken Loans Arena were cheering for him.
The Cavaliers' starting five appearing on the court together further excited everyone.
Tang Long also relished the fans' enthusiastic cheers, which filled him with motivation and a desire to perform.
If China's reserved demeanor were displayed on the court, it would be difficult to stir up the fans' emotions.
On the court, one must exhibit an unparalleled dominance, like Mourinho, who believes God comes first and he comes second.
Arrogance combined with success earned Mourinho a large following.
*Boom!*
At this moment, Tang Long received a pass from Varejão at the free-throw line. He then leaped high, like an eagle spreading its wings, and swooped down at Diop.
Diop, the big man, didn't dare to resist head-on this time and slightly shifted his body to evade.
Tang Long delivered a powerful windmill dunk, scoring another two points. With his exceptional performance, the Cavaliers went on a scoring run, now leading the Mavericks by five points, 90-85.
*Beep!*
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the Mavericks' head coach immediately called a timeout. Nowitzki and the others reappeared on the sidelines.
Upon seeing this, Mike Brown instructed LeBron James and Larry Hughes to replace the players in the second unit.
The starting lineups for both teams returned to the court.
It was the Mavericks' ball possession.
Nowitzki stood under the basket with the basketball, glanced at his teammates, and said,
"That Tang has been playing for fourteen consecutive minutes. His stamina must be low. Let's stick to the coach's plan and battle him hard under the basket. We'll wear him down, and when his stamina is depleted, that will be our signal to launch a counterattack!"
With that, Nowitzki passed the ball to Devin Harris, who brought it past half-court.
Dampier had already surged to the Cavaliers' basket, sticking close to Tang Long, wherever Tang Long went, he followed.
As soon as Tang Long made a move to protect the rebound, Dampier started to wrestle with him, occasionally giving him a subtle shove.
The key was that Dampier wasn't the only one from the Mavericks.
On the next offensive play, it was Howard who battled Tang Long. They were jostling under the basket. Tang Long jumped, and Howard followed suit, shoving his body against Tang Long to impede him.
Even if Tang Long managed to secure the rebound, he had been significantly drained by these Mavericks players.
"Drew Gooden, go help Tang."
Mike Brown clearly saw through the Mavericks' strategy and yelled anxiously to Drew Gooden from the sideline.
"Coach Brown, no need. I'm not tired yet."
Mike Brown frowned as he looked at Tang Long.
It wasn't just Mike Brown; the other Mavericks players were also eyeing Tang Long with interest.
Although Tang Long claimed he wasn't tired, his footwork clearly seemed to have slowed considerably. He was no longer battling Dampier under the basket but was instead taking mid-range shots for the past two possessions.
It was obvious he was just trying to tough it out.
"Guys, this Chinese kid's stamina is almost gone. Let's push harder and take him down!"
Harris whispered, dribbling past and driving to the basket.
Tang Long moved to block his drive, but Harris executed a dazzling crossover dribble in mid-air, moving so fast it was blinding. By the time Tang Long reacted, the ball had already been passed to Josh Howard.
Howard immediately slammed home a dunk.
The basket shook, and it seemed to emit a buzzing sound.
"Kid, you're out of energy, aren't you?"
Josh Howard taunted Tang Long.
Back in their own defensive end, Howard continued to contest Tang Long for position. They were grappling under the basket. Pavlovic missed his shot, and the rebound fell into Dampier's hands.
The Mavericks then launched a fast break. By the time Tang Long crossed half-court, Devin Harris had already driven to the basket and scored with a two-step layup. The Mavericks added another two points.
90-89.
The score had tightened again.
By now, everyone could see that Tang Long's movements had significantly slowed.
Mike Brown frowned, hesitating whether to substitute Tang Long.
Just as he was undecided, James followed up with a beautiful three-pointer.
This three-pointer was a huge morale boost. Facing a double-team, James calmly jumped and executed a clean, elegant shot.
"LeBron, who says you can't shoot jump shots? Shoot them down, use your accurate threes to blow them away!"
Tang Long rushed over and high-fived James. Larry Hughes and Gooden also ran over to celebrate.
During the brief respite, Tang Long went to the bench for a drink of water.
Of course, this was just a diversion.
The stamina potion he had redeemed was inside the water bottle.
After drinking the stamina potion, Tang Long felt the fatigue instantly vanish.
A warm current flowed through his body, like a surging volcano on the verge of eruption!
"Everyone stay calm. Just stick to our game plan. That Tang has no stamina left."
Nowitzki patted Howard's shoulder. "Dampier, dunk over this guy and show him who the number one center is."
"Don't worry, I'll teach that Chinese guy what a real dunk looks like."
Dampier was full of confidence now.
To support Dampier, Harris brought the ball past half-court and passed it directly to him.
Upon receiving the ball, Dampier didn't hesitate. While the ball was still in the air, he leaped and prepared to execute a thunderous dunk over Tang Long!
*Bang!!*
The moment Dampier securely caught the basketball, he saw a massive hand swipe at him.
Murasaki Ibara's [Absolute Defense] + [Divine Block]
"Get down! Don't you know Cleveland's paint is a no-fly zone?"
Tang Long roared, slapping Dampier's face with immense force.
The basketball was violently knocked away by Tang Long!
What the heck?
Dampier was stunned!
How could this guy still jump so high? Didn't he have no stamina left?