Stepping on Heads to Teach You a Lesson

Instantly, the MIC Center erupted in gasps!

"Oh my God! Please tell me, who is that tall Asian guy?"

"Is he from Japan? Or Korea?"

To many Americans, people from Japan, Korea, and China all looked the same. They couldn't tell the difference.

"Sorry... I don't know where he's from. Maybe Japanese?"

"Damn, Japanese people are usually short. How is he so tall?"

"You should ask his parents, not me."

The Wizards fans were buzzing, speculating about Tang Long's origins.

"OMG! The Cavaliers sent out an Asian kid in their starting lineup. I've seen his name before. It's China Tang!"

"That's right, China Tang is from the dragon country. He came to the NBA after last year's World Championships. He's currently the Cavaliers' backup center. Tonight, in his first game, China Tang showed his dominance with a dunk over Haywood!"

"Is this young Chinese center a genius?"

The commentator spoke up, and through his words, the Washington fans realized that Tang Long was from China, the second center to emerge from the dragon country after Yao Ming!

"Damn, we were wrong. He's not Japanese. He's Chinese, from the same country as Yao. That makes sense. Yao is so tall, and this China Tang seems to have eaten his vegetables, with excellent static attributes!"

"Look at his wingspan. It's much longer than Haywood's."

"Yeah, this guy is impressive. He just dunked on Haywood."

"Damn, Haywood, step up! Don't let a Chinese center dominate you. Show him this is America, this is Washington!"

The Wizards fans shouted, and Haywood, hearing all this, looked extremely uncomfortable.

Being dunked on by a rookie center was humiliating for anyone.

"Hey! You're China Tang? From the dragon country?" Haywood asked with a forced smile.

"Yes, do you have any questions?" Tang Long replied, realizing his English was quite good, thanks to his predecessor's memories.

"Next time, be careful. I'll take you down in the low post!" Haywood挑衅道.

"Sure, I look forward to your performance," Tang Long replied dismissively, not taking Haywood seriously.

If it were Yao Ming or Dwight Howard, or even prime Shaq, Tang Long would be more cautious.

But Haywood? His low post skills were too rough. What could he possibly do to Tang Long?

The game transitioned to offense, and the Wizards began their attack.

Gilbert Arenas brought the ball up, and at the top of the key, Haywood set a screen for him.

After the pick, Haywood rolled to the basket, but the Cavaliers' defense recovered quickly, preventing a mismatch.

In the paint, it was still Tang Long versus Haywood.

Haywood caught the ball from Arenas and faced Tang Long.

Looking at Tang Long, who was taller and stronger, Haywood hesitated.

He didn't have many low post moves, and facing a behemoth like Tang Long in the paint made him nervous.

"Haywood, weren't you going to teach me a lesson? Now it's just you and me. Show me what you've got!" Tang Long taunted.

"Damn it, watch this..." Haywood, provoked by Tang Long, tried to back him down.

But he quickly realized his mistake. Tang Long's lower body was like a rock!

No matter how hard Haywood pushed, Tang Long didn't budge an inch!

Joking aside, with 100% fusion with Atsushi Murasakibara, Tang Long's physical attributes were monstrous!

With Haywood's mediocre skills, trying to score on Atsushi Murasakibara was impossible.

Bang!

Haywood was met with a big block.

Unable to move Tang Long, Haywood forced up a shot, only to have it swatted away by Tang Long's massive hand.

Smack!

The ball flew out of bounds, and Haywood was utterly embarrassed.

Being blocked by a rookie was humiliating.

"Secure the ball!" Tang Long shouted after blocking Haywood.

LeBron reacted quickly, seeing Tang Long's block, and immediately grabbed the loose ball, leading to a fast break.

"Tang! You're amazing! We underestimated you. Have you been holding back all this time?" LeBron exclaimed, realizing they had found a gem.

Tang Long's performance on both ends of the court was reminiscent of a superstar.

The Cavaliers capitalized on the fast break, taking a 4-0 lead over the Wizards.

Although the lead was small, Tang Long's performance was astonishing.

With Big Z injured, many thought the Cavaliers' interior would be weak.

But no one expected this young Chinese center to be even more dominant than Big Z on both ends of the court!

"Damn, who is this Chinese kid? What's his relationship with Yao? Why does he seem more dominant in the paint than Big Z?" Wizards coach Eddie Jordan was baffled, staring at Tang Long on the court, his mind blank.

The bench players were also shocked!

This kid didn't play like a rookie at all. His confidence on the court was overwhelming.

Even LeBron rarely showed such confidence.

"Haha... Tang, you played great. Keep it up. You've given me a big surprise tonight!" Unlike Eddie Jordan, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was delighted.

Earlier in the locker room, when LeBron suggested starting Tang Long, Brown had been a bit worried about whether Tang Long could handle the starting role.

He had agreed to give Tang Long a chance, thinking that if he underperformed, he could be benched in the second quarter, and Big Z's backup could take over.

But in reality, LeBron had a keen eye for talent!

Recommending Tang Long as a temporary starter had paid off. Tang Long was showing dominance.

In just two possessions, one on offense and one on defense, Tang Long looked like a star.

Of course, it was still early to say too much. Rookie performances could be inconsistent. It remained to be seen how Tang Long would perform in the rest of the game.

When the first quarter reached 7:22, Tang Long got another chance to shine.

At the top of the key, he set a screen for LeBron.

After creating space, LeBron took a three-pointer.

Unfortunately, the shot missed. In his early years, LeBron's shooting was still developing.

His three-point shooting was inconsistent, and Tang Long had expected the miss.

Before his transmigration, Tang Long had been a die-hard NBA fan, familiar with all the league's superstars.

LeBron's strengths were his driving and passing; his shooting wasn't great.

This missed three-pointer was no surprise to Tang Long.

After setting the screen, Tang Long quickly cut to the basket.

Haywood and Antawn Jamison were still boxing out, waiting for the rebound.

In the next second, they became Tang Long's backdrop.

Tang Long, coming from the perimeter without a good position, decided to go for a putback dunk!

Right over Jamison's head, Tang Long slammed the ball home with a thunderous dunk!

A spectacular putback dunk over Jamison, cleaning up LeBron's missed three.

Instantly, the MIC Center erupted in gasps once again!!!