Anthony pulled the ball back and drove in from the right, sticking close to Tang Long's shoulder. Arlene and Yao Ming were stationed near the paint, but Anthony showed no fear, rising up for a shot.
65-73.
Even though Tang Long had blocked Anthony's shots several times, he couldn't help but admire Anthony's layup. The Nuggets' twin guns indeed had some serious skills.
Of course, Tang Long would never allow such an exceptional player to exist on the court.
On the ensuing possession, Tang Long, with the ball in hand, accelerated through the gap between Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard as they converged, driving past them at super-high speed. Yao Ming quickly vacated the post, and Tang Long, with both hands raised, slammed the ball forcefully into the basket.
67-73.
Kobe, sitting on the sidelines, twitched.
This was precisely what made Tang Long so difficult to deal with.
Despite the vast disparity in strength between Long Country and Hua Qi Country, Tang Long always seemed to step up at crucial moments when Hua Qi Country was on the verge of crushing Long Country's morale.
The proud players of Hua Qi Country were naturally eager to retaliate.
After the change of possession, Anthony once again signaled for the ball. Seeing this, Tang Long immediately pressed him. If they were to create distance, it would be difficult to defend Anthony once he started his drive. However, by staying close, Tang Long could limit Anthony's initial burst of speed.
Upon seeing Tang Long close in, Kidd passed the ball to Wade. The Flash and Deron executed a pick-and-roll, easily reaching the basket. At this moment, Tang Long was still at the three-point line with Anthony. Wade effortlessly sank the layup.
67-75.
The possession switched, and Anthony pressed Tang Long as well, denying him space to initiate his drive. They battled near the three-point line for a few seconds. Then, Deron came out to double-team. Tang Long immediately passed the ball to Da Zhi, who had already cut to the baseline.
Da Zhi hesitated slightly upon receiving the ball. Kidd defended him well, forcing him to pass to Yao Ming in the paint. The pass was a bit slow. Howard, already anticipating the play, turned with a subtle spin past Yao Ming and then tapped the ball to Wade.
Wade drove for a slam dunk, a full-court offense.
67-77.
The score difference widened to ten points. This deficit could have been reduced to single digits earlier, but Long Country's outside shooting had faltered, and Arlene missed a mid-range jumper. Deron followed up with his own basket, making the score 67-79.
Then, Yao Ming posted up Howard in the paint, but his shot missed, drawing a foul on Howard. He made one of two free throws.
68-79.
On the other end, Howard dunked over Yao Ming.
68-81.
"Play steady, don't rush."
After inbounding the ball, Yao Ming specifically reminded Sun Yue, who was playing point guard, not to rush the offense and to make more passes. An opportunity arose, but the shot clanked off the rim again.
Hua Qi Country then launched a fast break.
68-83.
Just a few minutes into the third quarter, Hua Qi Country had established a fifteen-point lead. This lineup was playing exceptionally well, and their relentless fast breaks were taking a toll on Yao Ming.
Tang Long glanced at coach Jonas on the sidelines. He didn't seem to be calling a timeout yet, so the players had to grit their teeth and continue playing.
After the restart, Sun Yue passed the ball to Tang Long as soon as he crossed half-court. Sun Yue was hesitant to shoot and could only rely on Tang Long.
Anthony stepped up to defend. Tang Long attempted a drive, and Anthony suddenly extended his hand, nearly stealing the ball.
Even Tang Long broke out in a cold sweat.
Time ticked away. In the twentieth second, Anthony couldn't hold back and pressured Tang Long. Seizing this opportunity, Tang Long drove inside the three-point line and then took a shot.
70-83.
"Fuck!"
Anthony couldn't help but curse.
He was supposed to wait for Tang Long to break through out of impatience, but he himself became impatient.
In a high-stakes duel, missing one attack meant giving the opponent an opportunity.
Enraged, Anthony drove directly at Tang Long again. They battled at the top of the arc for a few possessions before Anthony stepped back for a pull-up three-pointer.
Clang.
The shot missed.
Howard followed up with a put-back and scored.
70-85.
Tang Long was furious.
Now even Howard was getting cocky.
However, the true disparity in strength between the teams was evident. When Tang Long couldn't score, the others were largely ineffective, forced to play on the perimeter.
After a series of missed shots, midway through the third quarter, the deficit had ballooned to twenty points.
70-90.
"See? This is the normal score."
"Keep playing, beat the Long Country players soundly."
The Hua Qi Country spectators in the stands began to mock them freely. The cameras on the broadcast panned to them, these guys making exaggerated gestures, looking incredibly happy and even giving the camera the universally understood middle finger.
Beep.
Jonas finally called a timeout.
"Tang Long, if you have the guts, keep attacking."
Dwight Howard finally felt vindicated. As he walked off the court, he couldn't resist yelling at Tang Long.
With a twenty-point lead, Hua Qi Country had completely suppressed Long Country's momentum. If they could still make a comeback, Howard vowed to perform a headstand while washing his hair.
"Dwight."
LeBron James hurried over to pull Howard away.
Howard waved it off dismissively, "What, you still worried Long Country can come back? If they can, I'll do a headstand and wash my hair."
Howard was ecstatic.
With Kobe and LeBron off the court, Hua Qi Country had built a twenty-point lead. It was clear who was holding Hua Qi Country back.
Howard was getting arrogant.
The Long Country players were enraged.
Even the spectators in the arena erupted with boos.
With the lead, Howard became even more excited by the jeers.
In this vast Long Country, all they could muster were loud boos.
But what did it matter?
They were the ones with the twenty-point lead.
Coach K frowned but, ultimately holding the advantage, didn't stop Howard from provoking the crowd.
Moreover, Howard's provocation of the Long Country audience was met with enthusiastic cheers from the Hua Qi Country fans.
"/
"This Hua Qi Country lineup has shut down the connection between Tang Long and Yao Ming," Coach Zhang stated directly. "I think Yao Ming should step out a bit more, so they can establish that connection."
"Then the offensive rebounds will essentially belong to Hua Qi Country."
"The problem is we're not getting many offensive rebounds even now. It has nothing to do with Yao Ming; it's mainly that they can't score. If they can't get shots off, how can they get offensive rebounds?"
As the game progressed, the commentators became anxious. Despite the live broadcast, their opinions were divided, and neither side would back down, unable to convince the other.
Even with hundreds of millions of viewers in the broadcast room, the commentators had gotten carried away, unwilling to concede their respective viewpoints.