Chapter 57: Ruthless Showdown! Tang Lei’s Showoff

The fourth quarter began, and Tang Lei returned to the court! With Leonard resting, the Raptors switched his primary defender to Norman Powell. Although Powell wasn't as tall, his athleticism made him a solid choice to limit Tang Lei for a few minutes—or so Nurse thought.

But was that really the case?

The answer was a resounding no.

Fully rested and energized, Tang Lei exploded right from the start, showcasing his full arsenal: three-pointers, pull-ups, drives, and a coast-to-coast fast break. In a flurry of moves, he widened the score gap to 86-96, putting the Warriors up by ten points.

Seeing this, Nurse quickly subbed Leonard back in to take over defensive duties. Facing Leonard and his renowned "death grip," Tang Lei chose not to force his shot and instead assisted Curry, who promptly drained a three-pointer, extending the lead to 13. Leonard responded with a three of his own. Curry attempted another but missed, and the Raptors seized the chance for a fast break. Leonard powered through Iguodala's defense with a dunk and drew a foul, converting the and-one to bring the score to 92-99.

In the next possession, Klay Thompson was stripped of the ball, leading to another fast break and two more points for the Raptors.

94-99.

The crowd was on fire.

"Beep beep!"

Sensing the shift in momentum, Kerr called a timeout.

"Tang, you need to step up and shut down their momentum!" Kerr urged Tang Lei during the break.

Though Tang Lei had already played brilliantly, the Raptors had only grown more resilient, buoyed by Leonard's presence. As long as Leonard was on the court, they believed they could contain Tang Lei. Why fear a player who could be shut down?

"Yes, Coach, I got u!" Tang Lei nodded firmly. He knew he had missed a few chances to crush their confidence, but in this critical fourth quarter, he had to make his mark.

Kerr devised a strategy around Tang Lei, recognizing his pivotal role. In a tense game like this, Tang Lei's ability to break through could be decisive—not just in scoring but in shattering the opponent's confidence.

With five minutes left, both teams put their starting lineups back on the court.

Warriors' possession.

Draymond Green brought the ball up, surveying the court. At the three-point line, Tang Lei spun past Leonard and cut into the paint. Leonard, refusing to lose him, stuck close, but Tang Lei maneuvered around the Raptors' center, using his screen to create some separation.

Iguodala stepped in to shield Tang Lei, and Leonard had to move around, giving Tang Lei enough time to reach the corner and receive Green's pass.

Without hesitation, Tang Lei lifted the ball as if to shoot. Leonard, about a meter and a half away, immediately jumped to block it. He thought he had Tang Lei's shooting rhythm down; it reminded him of LeBron's unpredictable three-point stabs.

But just as Leonard soared into the air, he realized Tang Lei hadn't actually jumped. The familiar shooting rhythm was a fake!

Watching Leonard mid-air, Tang Lei calmly shrugged, locked onto the basket, and waited until Leonard began to descend before taking his shot.

"Swish~"

The ball arced perfectly, as if guided by a homing device, sinking through the net with a satisfying swish.

94-102!

Instantly, the Tencent live stream exploded with comments.

"Whoa!! Did you see that? Thunder King shrugged at Leonard right in his face!"

"What a taunt! This guy's ruthless—I love it!"

"He's giving me Trae Young vibes, haha! Only one Thunder King—bring it on, Leonard or anyone else!"

"Go, Thunder King! Swing for the fences, don't hold back!"

"Tang Lei is amazing! I'm a fan of life! Count me in as one of the 'Candy Clan'—Thunder King, you're my idol!"

"Man, I'm so jealous of Thunder King! He's got female fans now too!"