The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 133 The Tactical Damage Inflicted by Leonardo

"Snapped!"

A huge figure came into view; it was Tang Bei flying out of the penalty area, blocking the ball and sending it flying into the air.

"Oh!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

"Shet!"

The careless Jordan was so angry that his eyes blazed with murderous intent.

Tang Bei landed and rose again, swatting the basketball over Jordan's head, and the Heat launched an attack.

"Seven blocks in Game 3, let's see how many in this game."

Zhang Heli excitedly told the photographer Lao Chen beside him, but Lao Chen didn't have time to pay attention to him. The Heat were on a fast break, and the camera was pointed at Tang Bei.

Tang Bei charged towards the paint from the left arc, and Coles, who had driven to the basket, threw the ball into the air and leaped into the air.

"boom!"

A powerful one-handed dunk shattered the Bulls' rim and ignited the Miami Arena.

Bill Walton said, "Leonardo is a sword without a hilt; when he stabs his opponent, he also hurts his own hand."

He can't leave the paint open, while Tang can stay there around the clock, covering a larger area for help defense; his elbows are within Tang's help defense range.

Magic Johnson said, "You can also take shots in the middle two-point area, but you have to watch out for Tang's help defense. When Tang comes out to help, you need to cut in on the weak side in time."

If Leonardo or Pippen cuts to the basket in time, Michael's passing ability and court vision are excellent; he'll see his teammates cutting in from the weak side.

0:5, Bulls attack.

Bill Walton said, "Defensively, the Heat were essentially playing five against four, and the Bulls had a lot of offensive plays that they couldn't execute well because of Leonard."

Bill Russell said, "He's been with the Bulls for three months now. His tactics should be fine; it's probably his offensive skills that are lacking."

Magic Johnson said, "He's too short to be a focal point in the low post and he has no playmaking ability."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "So with Leonard on the court, the Bulls' triangle offense is actually incomplete."

However, the Heat failed to capitalize on this, indicating a lack of competence on the part of their coaching staff.

In front of the television, Pat Riley nodded, agreeing with Bill Walton's words: the Heat's head coach had a long tenure, but his coaching ability was still mediocre.

If he were the Heat's head coach, he would have Tang Bei guard the paint on the defensive end, as defending outside would waste a lot of his energy.

Even if he occasionally manages to contribute a couple of impressive blocks, it's simply not worth it. He just turns the paint into an impenetrable wall, forcing the Bulls to shoot from the outside. How high can their shooting percentage be?

With Tang Bei in the paint, Leonardo can be ignored on offense. He can double-team Jordan when the opportunity arises, while the remaining three players will defend him one-on-one. Even Pippen, the strongest of the three, doesn't have the ability to score explosively. How many points can he get?
In Game 3, the Bulls forced the Heat's point guard to take a lot of shots. In fact, the Heat could have forced Pippen, BJ, and Grant to increase their shot attempts by having Tang Bei anchor the paint and double-teaming Jordan.

None of these three people have the ability to tackle tough challenges.

If Jordan dares to take a lot of shots when double-teamed, then Tang Bei can keep a close eye on him, provide appropriate help defense, and force Jordan to pass the ball.

"Ugh!"

Thinking about this, he sighed. It was such a pity that the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat this time.

"Perhaps it would be more effective if we reduced the amount of physical contact between Patrick and Charles, like the Bulls did?"

Thinking about this, he felt a wave of confusion wash over him again.

The Knicks have one of the strongest frontcourt combinations in the league, but they still lost to Tang Bei. It's true that the young man's ability to break through defenses is too strong.

He then thought of the Bulls. In fact, the Bulls were not much stronger than the Knicks. If the Knicks could make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they might have a chance to fight for the NBA Finals.

“Scottie…”

Phil Jackson shouted loudly, and Pippen looked over. He then pointed to the basket, and Pippen immediately understood and nodded.

Jordan moved to the right wing and began to make runs.

After BJ passed the ball to Pippen, he lurked in the left corner, with Coles marking him. This left the high post undefended.

However, Grant immediately moved up to the high post, forming a high pivot in the triangle offense.

Pippen backed down Glen Rice on the left wing. Because Leonardo in the low post didn't draw much defensive attention, the strong-side triangle was effectively limited to only two corners, greatly reducing tactical options.

He either takes the shot himself, passes to BJ in the left corner, or makes a cross pass to Grant, who is supporting from the high post.

BJ was being closely watched by Coles and had no chance, so he actually only had two options.

Tang Bei was below the free-throw line when Jordan quietly cut into the paint from the right corner, which Tang Bei noticed.

He predicted that if Pippen chose to pass the ball, he would only pass it to Grant in the high post, and then Grant would pass it to Jordan.

Grant's passing opportunity came the moment Jordan drove into the paint.

Sure enough, the next moment, Pippen suddenly passed the ball across to Grant.

Approaching the baseline, Jordan drove into the paint, his eyes simultaneously fixed on Grant above him.

"Whoosh!"

With his height advantage, Cobra Grant threw the ball over Grant Long's head with both hands.

Just then, Tang Bei suddenly moved a step to the left, stretched out his left hand, and with a snap, intercepted the ball.

"Oh, Tang intercepted the ball! He made an accurate prediction..." Bill Russell exclaimed in surprise.

On the field, the offense and defense switched, and everyone ran towards the other side.

Tang Bei was no exception, and he ran very fast, shaking off Leonardo and catching up with Grant, who was returning to defend from the high post, at the mid-line.

Steve Smith had the ball and stayed behind, then passed it to Coles, who came over to receive it, as Jordan pressed him.

"ball!"

At this moment, Tang Bei had already entered the penalty area. Coles shouted and threw the ball from the backfield.

"boom!"

A little over a second later, Tang Bei's hands were hanging on the rim, and Grant and the others could only look up helplessly below.

0-7, the Bulls are on offense, and Phil Jackson calls a timeout.

Sun Zhenping excitedly said, "The Heat played really well at the start. They let the Bulls start Game 3 with an 8-2 run, but they paid back today with a 7-0 run."

徐计成笑道：“唐北3投3中，1罚1中，得7分1抢断1盖帽，一个人包揽了全部得分。”

Han Qiaosheng said, "I feel that the Bulls and the Heat are locked in a battle between Tang Bei and Jordan. The more points Tang Bei scores, the greater their chance of winning."

Xu Jicheng laughed and said, "That's true, but there's a difference. The Bulls have perimeter defense, but the Heat don't, so Tang Bei's offense is even more important."

Han Qiaosheng added, "Leonardo's speed is still not as good as Tang Bei's; he's a bit behind, by two or three meters."

Xu Jicheng said, "He weighs 145 kilograms, had a serious injury to his left knee, and didn't have systematic training for two years. His athletic ability has been greatly reduced. Before the injury, he was indeed very talented. No wonder he was selected in the second round of the NFL draft. I heard that the NFL draft has more than ten rounds."

In the NBC studio, Bill Walton complained, "The Bulls started much worse than they did in Game 3; their offense was a complete failure."

Magic Johnson said, "The Bulls failed to score on both possessions, once blocked by Tang and once stolen by Tang."

Tang was able to make the block and steal because he read the Bulls' offense and made accurate and correct predictions.

In other words, the Bulls now need to increase the variety of their offensive tactics, but unfortunately, with Leonard on the court, many of these tactical variations are unable to be executed.

Bill Russell asked, "Then why did Game 3 turn out well?"

Magic Johnson shook his head and said, "The Bulls didn't make many tactical changes in Game 3. The reason they won Game 3 was because the Bulls played top-notch perimeter defense, and the Heat didn't play well."

Bill Walton asked, "Irwin, what do you think the Bulls should do? They haven't scored yet today."

Magic Johnson said, "Leonardo definitely has a positive side on the court, and the Bulls should continue to use him."

But how to mitigate the tactical damage Leonardo brings, I don't know how Phil Jackson will do, but here's what I'm thinking.

After a pause, he continued, "Put Leonardo on Michael's side, he can set screens for Michael."

“Hmm, this change seems pretty good,” Bill Walton said.

The timeout ends, and the Bulls launch an attack.

Leonard did set a screen, but not for Jordan; he set a screen for Pippen, who then drove to the basket.

Tang Bei didn't follow him out, only guarding the area below the left side of the free throw line. Pippen didn't dare to go in, but instead made a wide-open mid-range jumper.

2:7, Heat on offense.

This time, Steve Smith and Bimbo Coles switched positions through a pick-and-roll, with Smith receiving the ball at the top of the key.

Jordan and BJ did not switch on defense either, and followed the player to the top of the key.

Tang Bei moved up to the high post and stood to Jordan's right. At that moment, Smith immediately moved to the side and took a three-pointer with a small open shot.

"brush!"

A splash of water, and the three-pointer hits.

"yeah!"

Smith excitedly raised his fist and then high-fived Tang Bei in celebration.

Sun Zhenping said happily, "With a 40.2% three-point shooting percentage in the regular season, I hope Steve Smith can help Tang Bei share some of the scoring pressure."

2:10, Bulls attack.

Pippen had the ball on the left wing, but Tang Bei's position under the basket was slightly to the right wing, meaning there were only two defenders on the strong side.

This made Jordan's off-ball movement on the weak side more restricted, such as in the paint and the area near the paint. He keenly sensed that Tang Bei seemed to be preparing to double-team him.

"Huh!" "Watching Jordan?"

On the sidelines, Kevin Longley was puzzled. Tang Bei should have moved to the left wing, the stronger side, instead of the weaker side.

Pippen read the Heat's defense and saw through Tang Bei's intentions, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He backed down Glen Rice, drove in a meter, then suddenly turned and drove to the left elbow area before stopping for a jump shot.

Glen Rice was suddenly caught off guard and, seeing this, quickly jumped from the left to interfere.

"Bang!"

The ball went slightly wide, and Tang Bei, back under the basket, grabbed the rebound.

"interesting."

Pat Riley smiled in front of the television.

On the sidelines, Phil Jackson adjusted his glasses, looking thoughtful.

In the Heat's frontcourt, Glen Rice stopped running pick-and-rolls and ran to the top of the key to ask for the ball from Coles. After Coles passed the ball, he ran to the left wing.

"Is it another high pick-and-roll tactic?"

On several occasions, Phil Jackson noticed that Glen Rice and Steve Smith had changed their shooting positions from the wing to the top of the key, coordinating with Tang Bei tactically.

The threat of this tactic lies in the fact that both players have three-point shooting ability, and Tang Bei is closer to the basket and can get back to the basket faster on defense.

How to crack it? He still needs to think about it.

Steve Smith used Tang Bei's wall again at the top of the arc, but Jordan became more vigilant and forced Smith to make a mistake under close pressure.

Fortunately, Tang Bei squeezed past Jordan and got the ball. Smith received the ball and took a three-pointer, but missed. Cobra Grant grabbed the rebound.

"What is this guy trying to do?"

Jordan arrived at the frontcourt and found that Tang Bei's defensive position was still biased towards his weak side, which compressed his running space.

Entering the penalty area is definitely not useful. Being close to the penalty area is within Tang Bei's defensive support zone, but being far away from the penalty area will reduce the shooting percentage.

Moreover, with a defender named Steve Smith nearby, the smaller the area for off-ball movement, the harder it is to shake off the defender.

At this moment, BJ received a pass from Pippen and took a three-pointer from the left wing at a 30-degree angle.

He suddenly moved up from the bottom left corner, half a step slower than Mbow Coles, gaining a little space.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, the shot missed. Coles came up to defend Armstrong and interfered with his shot.

Tang Bei grabbed the rebound, and the Heat launched their attack.

After a high pick-and-roll, Glen Rice drove into the paint, but was met with Grant's help defense. He immediately passed the ball back to Tang Bei and ran to the left wing.

Tang Bei received the ball at the high post, while the masked man Leonardo stood guard below, trash-talking him.

On the right wing, Grant Long had a small open shot, but Jordan was also there, so the opportunity wasn't very good.

Steve Smith suddenly ran from the right wing to the top of the arc, and Jordan had to follow. Grant Long got a wide-open shot, and Tang Bei immediately passed it to him.

"brush!"

Grant Long took a mid-range shot and made it.

"Well done! Tang Bei provided excellent support from the high position," Xu Jicheng praised.

God knows, Tang Bei's support skill level was only 50, which wasn't even passing.

The so-called "support play" generally refers to the tactical behavior of the inside players in a specific area, with the core of receiving passes and organizing the offense.

After receiving the ball, the playmaker will not attack immediately, but will use their advantage to protect the ball, observe the teammates' positioning, and then organize another attack.

The playmaker needs to have good vision, strong physical strength, and stable ball control. It would be even better if they could pose an offensive threat in a specific area.

Tang Bei possesses all four of these qualities, whether in a high or low position.

However, his playmaking ability is not strong, because playmaking is not his job in the Heat's tactics. His main job is offense, defense, and rebounding.

These tasks were already very demanding, so no support work was assigned to him, and he didn't do much, so his progress was minimal.

Tonight, the head coach asked him to play a high-post playmaking role, so he had no choice but to do it.

At 2:12, the Bulls called another timeout.

In the NBC studio, Magic Johnson, looking somewhat serious, said:

"Tang is currently the tallest player on the court. He plays a significant role in facilitating play from the high post, posing a considerable threat to the Bulls and capable of breaking down their perimeter defense to some extent."

Bill Russell said, "With the ball in his hands, it's difficult for the Bulls to press, and the paint is left open, allowing other Heat players to cut to the basket."

Bill Walton said, "The Heat played well on offense today, adding some variety. The Bulls haven't adapted yet, and their defensive tactics haven't changed much."

Magic Johnson joked, "Coach Phil Jackson is probably still thinking about it and hasn't reacted yet."

"Haha..." The other two laughed.

On the Bulls' bench, Jordan looked somewhat serious.

The Bulls were down by 10 points at the start of the game, and one of his shots was blocked, leaving him scoreless, which was unexpected.

Phil Jackson frowned and said, "They've added a three-point shot from the top of the key. Be careful when breaking pick-and-rolls."

He didn't have a very good solution for this simple pick-and-roll tactic; the simpler it is, the harder it is to break.

"In addition, Tang's high-post playmaking makes the rest of the Heat players more threatening, so the rotation defense needs to be strengthened."

Of the Heat's 12 points, Tang Bei scored 7, including one basket under the basket and two fast break points. Did the Heat add fast break tactics?

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head again. Both fast breaks were after the transition between offense and defense, and were not intentionally initiated fast break tactics.

"That's fine on the defensive end. On the offensive end, Jordan and Tang seem to be positioned closer to you defensively, so you don't need to limit your movement to the weak side."

"OK."

After the timeout, the Bulls launched an attack.

"brush!"

After BJ ran to the left corner, Jordan ran from the right wing to the top of the arc, received a pass from Pippen, and shot a three-pointer. Steve Smith was a step too slow in his defense, and the shot went in.

5:12, Heat on offense.

This time, Tang Bei didn't go to the high post, but instead tried to get position and the ball in the low post on the left wing.

Bimbo Coles dribbled the ball to the left wing, preparing to pass the ball to Tang Bei using Glen Rice's screen.

“You scum, you can’t get in.”

Leonardo was very excited. For a while, Tang Bei had been in a high position instead of a low one, and he felt that he was no longer useful.

Tang Bei didn't intend to go in. Although Leonardo's absolute strength was greater than his, he could actually get into the paint and hold his position.

His lower body is very stable, Leonardo can't push him, and he's faster. Leonardo can't stop him from getting into the paint either. Once he gets in, he can stay in position.

But on the other side, there's also Cobra Grant double-teaming. If you go in, it's a double-team, and the player with the ball might not be able to pass it in. If they can't pass it in, they'll just be wasting their energy.

Therefore, in the tactical meeting, he suggested taking more close-to-two shots.

This time, he used Leonardo's back to get position and the ball, instead of going deep into the box.

Leonardo tried to push him further out, but no matter how much he squeezed, he couldn't budge his lower body; he was as if nailed to the floor.

"The lower body is really stable!"

"How did you develop such stability in your lower body?"

"With such a large difference in strength, how can you still stand?"

Superstar centers like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson, watching on television, could only feel envy, each with their own thoughts.

At that moment, Coles passed the ball down through Glen Rice's screen.

Tang Bei received the ball with his back to the defender and suddenly used a Wing Chun turning horse technique.

Left turn, right turn—two consecutive feints, with the shift in weight and the transmission of false power, completely disoriented Houston Leonardo behind him.

During this process, Tang Bei also used his peripheral vision to observe Grant's defensive position, which was blocking his path to the bottom, still trying to draw an offensive foul from him.

In the next instant, Tang Bei executed a Tai Chi turn, then an upward turn, and charged into the penalty area with the ball.

"Oops!"

Cobra Grant quickly moved sideways upwards, while Tang Bei had already leaped into the air.

"Oh!"

"boom!"

Grant felt as if he had been hit by a truck, and he spun around and fell to the floor. Almost at the same time, a loud banging sound rang out above his head.

"Ooh ho!"

A huge cheer erupted in the Miami Arena, with tens of thousands of people celebrating wildly, the sound reaching the heavens.

"Pretty!"

No foul.

Sun Zhenping and others shouted excitedly.

(End of this chapter)