Facing the Heat, Looking to Limit Wade

"F***!"

Joel Anthony cursed loudly as he realized the ball had been stolen from him.

Luckily, Dwyane Wade managed to recover the ball, but his jump shot fell short and didn't go in.

"Rebound! Focus on the offensive rebound!"

Coach Pat Riley shouted, hoping the Heat could secure the second chance.

This was Shawn Marion's moment to shine. He was, after all, the Heat's undisputed rebounding king!

However, he quickly found out that grabbing rebounds over Tang Long wasn't going to be easy.

Tang's height and weight completely overpowered him, using his positioning to box out Marion and make it difficult for him to even jump for the ball.

"This rebound is mine. You're still too green!"

Tang Long said, leaping to a height that left Marion in the dust.

Tang easily grabbed the rebound, steadied himself, and passed it to Larry Hughes, who was ready to push the ball up the court.

One possession, one defensive stop, and one rebound—Tang Long was making a splash at the American Airlines Arena.

The Heat fans were in disbelief. How was this Chinese kid so dominant?

He was outplaying Joel Anthony on both ends of the floor and making Marion look like a background player on the boards.

"Dammit, that Chinese center seems really good. Why haven't we seen him starting before?"

The Heat fans were frustrated. Were they about to lose again?

This season had already been rough for the Heat.

As the fans were grumbling, a crisp electronic sound echoed in Tang Long's mind.

Tang perked up. He knew that whenever the system's electronic voice chimed in, something good was about to happen.

**[Host, if you grab 15 rebounds in this game, you will unlock a new skill. Keep up the good work and strive to activate it!]**

Tang Long was thrilled.

As expected, this was a side quest from the system, right?

If he grabbed 15 rebounds by the end of the game, he'd unlock a new skill?

What about blocks?

As everyone knew, for a dominant center, mastering post moves was crucial, but rebounds and blocks were equally important.

A truly dominant center had to control the game on both ends of the floor.

Only by excelling on both offense and defense could one be considered a legendary center with absolute dominance!

Perhaps sensing Tang's thoughts, the system chimed in again.

**[If the host records 7+ blocks in this game, a new skill will be unlocked: Heavenly Block!]**

"What? Heavenly Block?"

Tang Long was even more excited now.

Seven blocks in one game? That's insane!

Block leaders usually averaged only two or three blocks per game.

Recording seven blocks in a single game was tank-level defense.

The greater the challenge, the more fun it was.

Tang Long accepted both quests without hesitation. Seven blocks to unlock Murasakibara Atsushi's Heavenly Block skill!

Swish!!

The game moved quickly, and another offensive possession began.

Wade had the ball and passed it to Marion at the three-point line.

Marion, still frustrated from being outrebounded by Tang, was determined to score over him this time.

He charged into the paint like a freight train, ready to put up points over Tang Long.

LeBron James made a defensive mistake, allowing Marion to blow past him easily.

"Hey, Tang... my man, it's your time to shine!"

LeBron, realizing he couldn't catch up to Marion, put his faith in Tang Long.

He had a feeling that Tang, guarding the paint, wouldn't let Marion score easily.

And he was right. With Murasakibara's abilities fused into him, Tang was the Cavaliers' ultimate defensive anchor.

His lateral movement in the paint was quick, and his defensive coverage was massive.

When LeBron made the defensive mistake and Marion blew past him, Tang instinctively drifted toward the left side of the paint.

That was where Marion had started his drive.

"Coming at me, buddy?"

Facing Marion's layup attempt, Tang looked relaxed as he moved to the left side of the rim, even greeting Marion casually.

The term "buddy," translated into English, had a humorous ring to it.

As someone from the future, Tang's use of modern slang left not only the Americans but even Chinese fans scratching their heads.

Marion was momentarily confused by Tang's casual greeting, and in that split second, Tang's block came crashing down.

With a swift, powerful swat, Tang disrupted Marion's layup.

The block was so forceful that it sent Marion tumbling to the floor.

The ball flew out of bounds and even hit a cute white girl sitting courtside.

"Ouch!"

The girl cried out in pain, glaring at Tang.

Tang gave her an apologetic smile, his expression filled with regret and concern.

That smile, however, made the girl laugh.

"Damn you, Tang! That hurt! You owe me dinner after the game, got it?"

"Okay, okay, I'll treat you. My bad!"

Tang flashed another friendly smile.

The girl, seeing his sincere apology, decided not to press the matter further.

Meanwhile, Marion took his time getting up. It wasn't that he was injured—he was just embarrassed by Tang's block.

The referee signaled for a jump ball, and possession went back to the Heat.

Two blocks down, five more to go.

Tang glanced at the clock. The first quarter was winding down.

After the Heat's inbound play, the Cavaliers would get one more possession before the quarter ended.

As time ticked away, the first quarter came to a close.

The score wasn't lopsided, with the Cavaliers leading the Heat by five points.

28-23. The Cavaliers were in control.

The second quarter began, and both teams subbed out their starters for the bench players.

The Heat did the same, and the second quarter passed without either team bringing their starters back in.

Tang's contributions in the first quarter were undeniable.

His efficiency and plus-minus were off the charts: eight points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two assists.

He could've had a steal too, but the ball he poked away from Joel Anthony was picked up by Wade.

His stats were solid, proving he was the Cavaliers' interior anchor.

By the third quarter, Tang was back on the court.

Right from the start, he made his presence felt.

He got an easy bucket inside, connecting with LeBron for a spectacular alley-oop dunk!

The play stunned the crowd.

If there was the iconic "LeBron-Wade connection" in the future, now there was the "LeBron-Tang connection"!

"Oh my God! The Cavaliers are making it look easy. LeBron drives and kicks it out to China Tang for the alley-oop!"

"That dunk was absolutely ferocious! From now on, I'm calling this the 'LeBron-Tang Connection'!"

The commentator coined an elegant name for the play.

Even the Heat fans at the American Airlines Arena couldn't help but get excited.

"Oh my God! Yes, that's it! The LeBron-Tang Connection! So dominant! I love this duo!"

"Same here! I really hope that with China Tang's rise, LeBron can lead the Cavaliers back to the Finals this year!"

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