He feigned a couple of moves earlier, intending to make Tang Long jump and become the league's "Jumping Man."
However, his feints had no effect on Tang Long.
He didn't fall for the trick at all. Seeing this, Perkins had no choice but to force his way in.
But facing Tang Long's forceful drive, one could imagine the outcome.
"Slap!!"
A massive block, another humiliation for Perkins.
As soon as he prepared to force his way in, Tang Long unleashed his "Godly Block" skill, waiting for him.
With a powerful swat, much like a prime Dwight Howard, he sent Perkins' layup flying far away.
This didn't feel like basketball; it was more like volleyball.
"Inside the paint, Perkins drives strongly, only to be emphatically blocked by China's Tang!"
"Visually, China Tang's block resembled a volleyball spike. Perkins' expression is grim, but there's still a chance to recover."
"The ball went out of bounds after the block, still possession for the Celtics."
The commentators on the technical table said this as the Celtics inbounded the ball from the sideline.
Rondo was the receiver and Perkins passed him the ball.
Upon receiving the ball, Rondo didn't pass it immediately; instead, he chose to drive.
Tang Long's repeated dominance in the paint had gotten on Rondo's nerves.
The young Rondo had a fiery temper.
He recalled a later game, a confrontation between Rondo and Kobe. Rondo dared to challenge Kobe, pointing his finger at him and exchanging trash talk.
Kobe, as a top league star, didn't indulge Rondo, who was then a junior, and also pointed his finger at Rondo, telling him to behave.
Garnett and Ray Allen, among others, intervened to pull Kobe and Rondo apart, preventing the conflict from escalating further.
This demonstrated that Rondo was not one to back down from trouble. If anyone made him unhappy, he'd confront them directly, never showing weakness.
Tonight, Tang Long had angered him. Rondo drove to the basket, attempting to deceive Tang Long with a series of fake moves and then score with a layup, aiming to curb Tang Long's momentum!
However, his signature hook layup, which usually worked, couldn't trick Tang Long into jumping.
Seeing that Tang Long wasn't fooled, Rondo simply jumped forcefully, trying to draw a foul from Tang Long in mid-air.
But Tang Long was cunning and used a subtle move to foil Rondo's plan.
As a result, Rondo missed his layup and fell flat on his face.
"Fuck..."
This made Rondo explode. He got up and went straight to confront Tang Long.
Taking advantage of the slow-motion replay on the jumbotron, Rondo shoved Tang Long hard.
Fortunately, Tang Long had a stable base and didn't fall. An average person would have been knocked down by Rondo's push.
"Damn it, are you looking for trouble!"
Tang Long was furious. How could he tolerate Rondo acting out against him?
Whether he was "Coach Rondo" or "Coach Lang," Tang Long would never back down if treated this way.
The word "retreat" was not in his vocabulary!
"Bang!"
In his anger, Tang Long shoved Rondo back forcefully. Rondo, with his small frame, couldn't withstand Tang Long's angry push.
Rondo was sent sprawling onto the floor.
"Stop, all of you, stop!"
The referee rushed over, swiftly halting the confrontation.
Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Larry Hughes also rushed in, preventing the conflict from escalating!
Rondo got up from the floor, still babbling at Tang Long.
He implied that this was Boston, this was the FleetCenter, not Tang Long's small town of Cleveland, and told Tang Long to stop showing off.
He also spouted nonsense about the NBA not being suitable for Chinese players, saying Tang Long might be arrogant now but would struggle to move forward later.
Tang Long found it ridiculous and paid him no mind.
If you want to fight, fight; why waste words?
Fighting, who's afraid of whom?
You think you can fight with a basketball, Rondo?
As he was contemplating this, a system notification suddenly chimed, startling the angry Tang Long.
Hearing this sound meant the system had more good news and rewards for him.
[Congratulations to the Host for activating the new skill: Fighting With A Ball]
"What the heck? There's actually such a magical skill?"
Tang Long was instantly dumbfounded.
He had encountered a conflict with Rondo and unexpectedly activated the "Fighting With A Ball" skill.
This was great. With this skill, would he be the best at fighting in the entire league from now on?
Immediately, Tang Long quickly checked his skill tab and found that the "Fighting With A Ball" skill had indeed been added.
Unlike other skills, this one could be upgraded.
The highest level was SSS, and it was currently only at S grade.
To go from S to SS, he needed to get into five fights in a single season, and he couldn't lose any of them.
If he lost to someone, upgrading would be impossible.
After a general overview of the skill description, Tang Long was both bewildered and delighted.
If he could upgrade the "Fighting With A Ball" skill to SSS grade, who would dare provoke him in the future?
The skill tab clearly stated that once the skill reached SSS grade, even the league's notorious troublemakers would have to respectfully call him "Brother Long"!
League troublemakers?
Tang Long immediately thought of Artest, Barnes, "Captain Jack" Wallace, and Ben Wallace.
These guys were undoubtedly the bad boys of the league at that time.
If he could upgrade "Fighting With A Ball" to SSS grade, Artest, Barnes, and Ben Wallace would all have to stand straight and behave properly in front of him.
"Damn, System, this skill is awesome!"
Tang Long was overjoyed. He actually enjoyed playing basketball and fighting at the same time; that's where the passion lay!
While Tang Long was secretly observing his new skill, Rondo once again tried to confront him and argue.
However, his two attempts were both blocked by the referee and his teammates.
Tang Long thought, "Are you pushing your luck?"
If I don't show you some color, will you ever know why the flowers are so red?
"Rondo, if you really want to fight, we'll do it outside after the game. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're satisfied!"
Tang Long's tone was icy. After activating the "Fighting With A Ball" skill, he felt a subtle change in his aura.
His words caused everyone in the arena to gasp in amazement.
Why had this Chinese kid changed so much in just a few dozen seconds?
His eyes seemed to carry a killing intent. In this peaceful era, such killing intent immediately brought to mind mercenaries!
Even Rondo froze, looking at Tang Long with a bewildered expression.
"What are you looking at? If you have the guts, let's fight after the game, or if you're capable, arrange a boxing match, I'll accept it. But please don't act tough in front of me. We Chinese people don't seek trouble, but we absolutely are not afraid of it!"
Swish!!
As Tang Long spoke, the arena fell silent.
"We Chinese people don't seek trouble, but we absolutely are not afraid of it?"
Rondo's heart suddenly felt a chill. It wasn't the words "Chinese people" that shocked him.
It was the killing intent in Tang Long's eyes and tone at that moment, which sent shivers down his spine!
With his teammates holding him back, Rondo stopped showing off and chose to de-escalate, no longer confronting Tang Long head-on!