The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 138 Crawford's Whistle

"Eric, yesterday's refereeing must have been biased."

Before breakfast, Tang Bei called Eric Fleischer to discuss the officiating in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals last night.

Eric Fleischer thought for a moment and said, "Don, first of all, you have to understand that the NBA is a business league, not a purely sporting event."

"So last night was the result of official manipulation?" Tang Bei cursed.

Eric Fleischer shook his head and said, "If you're talking about David Stern, my father told me that David Stern only controls the NBA league on a macro level, so last night's game probably had nothing to do with him."

If you're referring to the league's top management, then last night's game was definitely related to some of the executives, including the referee committee.

They want to see the Suns reach the Finals because the SuperSonics' chances of getting high viewership wouldn't be high, which would allow the Suns to maximize their profits.

Tang Bei remained silent for a while before saying, "Isn't it said that NBA owners are team owners? Doesn't the SuperSonics owner have any objections?"

Eric Fleischer laughed and said, "The interests of team owners and the league are largely aligned."

Of course, the SuperSonics would earn significantly more by reaching the Finals than by being eliminated, but the SuperSonics alone cannot oppose the other owners in the league.

Tang Bei said indignantly, "So according to you, my match tonight will also be ruined, and I won't have a chance to enter the finals or win the championship in the future?"

Eric Fleischer shook his head and said, "The SuperSonics' advancement to the Finals won't maximize their profits. The fundamental problem is that the team doesn't have a superstar, resulting in low viewership, low ticket sales, and low sponsorship revenue."

The SuperSonics' style of play doesn't emphasize the role of star players; this season's scoring leader, Ricky Pierce, only averages 18.2 points per game.

How can such ordinary, unremarkable statistics, devoid of any star power, attract fans' attention in the Finals, entice them to buy tickets, and attract sponsors?

At this point, he looked at Tang Bei with an admiring gaze and said:
"And you are a superstar, averaging 29.2 points and 14.2 rebounds per game in the regular season, and even more incredible numbers in the playoffs, averaging a terrifying 40+20 in the five Eastern Conference Finals series."

The last person to put up these numbers was Wilt Chamberlain, and he could only do that in the regular season. You're putting up these numbers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

A player like you is far superior to any of the SuperSonics players. Even though you are Chinese, you are a dazzling superstar.

Tang Bei was flattered and immediately became happy, asking, "You mean, the league won't pull any tricks in tonight's game?"

Eric Fleischer shook his head and said, "But this time your opponent is the Bulls, Michael Jordan, and this is a crucial moment for Jordan's three-peat."

You have to understand, Jordan who won three consecutive championships and Jordan who didn't are on completely different levels, so whether anyone is targeting you and the Heat, I can't say for sure.

"What the hell!"

Tang Bei cursed again in frustration.

He understood Eric's underlying meaning: the league definitely wanted Jordan to win three consecutive championships to drive the development of the NBA.

Eric Fleischer said, "Leaving aside the league officials, at least Nike, the company behind Michael Jordan, certainly doesn't want the Heat to make it to the Finals. Sponsors have a huge influence."

Tang Bei was stunned, then slapped his thigh and cursed, "Damn sponsors!"

After he came to his senses, he said thoughtfully, "I remember, Barkley's shoe sponsor is also Nike?"

At this point, he suddenly realized and said, "Eric, you mean Nike is behind this?"

"Barkley and Jordan are both on their team; Nike's profits are maximized when they both make the playoffs."

"It's all the work of capital, not the actions of any one person. It's a systemic operation, and it's impossible to leave any evidence. Only God knows the truth."

Eric Fleischer said thoughtfully, then continued:
"All I know is that the Oscars are a public relations competition every year; whoever does the best public relations has a chance to win."

"Don't I also have sponsors?" Tang Bei asked.

Eric Fleischer said with a wry smile, "Can Fila in the US compare to Nike? You are Fila's first basketball shoe ambassador in the US. Fila has just entered the basketball shoe field, and its influence is far inferior."

After breakfast, Tang Bei gave an interview to the media.

"Tang, do you think there's a problem with Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals?" a reporter asked preemptively.

Tang Bei said, "Sir, you think there's a problem? Well, after hearing what you said, I'm now very worried that there might be a problem with the Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 as well."

"..."

The reporter was dumbfounded. What happened to the stereotype of someone being muscular but simple-minded?

At this moment, Tang Bei coughed and said seriously, "I sympathize with the SuperSonics, but I absolutely cannot let the Heat become the next SuperSonics."

As he said this, a murderous glint seemed to flash in his eyes, and he said in a chilling tone, "I mean what I say. Defeat me with your strength, or else..."

He stopped there and ended the brief interview.

Shortly after Tang Bei's interview, the NBA officially announced the three-person refereeing team for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, with the head referee named Joseph Joey Crawford.

The list immediately sparked media discussion after it was released.

The New York Times reported: "Joey Crawford is a veteran referee in the NBA who began his NBA officiating career in 1977 and has served 16 seasons to date."

His officiating style is strict; he called Barkley technical fouls several times during this year's regular season, which ultimately led to Barkley chasing after him.

This year, he was investigated by the IRS for inflating airline ticket prices, which involved a tax fraud case. He was ultimately sentenced to probation and temporary resignation.

"A fraudster? The league is letting this kind of trash blow our Game 7?"

Tang Bei couldn't believe it and angrily said, "Isn't everyone saying the IRS is powerful? Aren't they saying the IRS will block the door with machine guns to collect taxes? Why didn't they kill this guy?"

At 5 p.m., the Bulls finally announced that their starting power forward, Horace Grant, would miss Game 7 due to injury.

This news excited the entire city of Miami and Florida, and correspondingly increased the Heat's chances of advancing.

However, the improvement is limited. Overall, major mainstream media outlets still believe that the Jordan + Pippen combination has a greater chance of advancing.

Eric Fleischer told Tang Bei, "Don't pay attention to what the media says. They all have capital behind them, and the media often doesn't represent the truth."

"Who represents the truth?" Tang Bei asked.

Eric Fleischer thought for a moment and said, "Even history is like a little girl who can be dressed up however you like, so Don, don't worry about the truth."

Even Michael Jordan took six seasons to reach his peak, and it wasn't until his seventh season that he truly matured. Once you've accumulated enough skill, resources will work for you.

"This is fucking ridiculous, is this even a sports competition?" Tang Bei cursed.

“Tang, even the Olympics aren’t clean, do you believe that?” Eric Fleischer said with a smile.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Tang Bei was dumbfounded.

He simply couldn't understand how the sacred Olympic Games could be unclean.
In an interview, renowned commentator and commentator Mav Albert stated:
"If Jordan and Pippen can execute an impactful drive, the Bulls will pick up two fouls in the first quarter and he will only get 20 minutes of playing time. Coupled with the Heat's terrible perimeter defense, the Bulls' chances of advancing will be as high as 99%."

I think the only 1% chance of something going wrong is that they'll completely enrage Tang, leading to a world-shaking, epic battle.

"What is this bastard implying?"

In the locker room of the training facility, Jordan saw the news on TV and angrily cursed.

Pippen said, "I know he's implying that the referee will stick the whistle on Tang tonight, and it will go off at the slightest movement."

"Haha..." Laughter erupted in the locker room.

Jordan fell silent.

Of course he could see that there was something wrong with Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Even a blind man could see it. Over sixty free throws in one game, they really dared to hype it up!

"What if, what if it really turns out like Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Tang will admit defeat like the SuperSonics did?" Grant, dressed in a suit, suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, and recalling Tang Bei's violence—even someone as strong as Leonardo only lasted two seconds—everyone couldn't help but shudder.

Cobra Grant suddenly felt somewhat relieved that he was injured and unable to play.

He had no ambition for a third championship, and besides, his relationship with Jordan was terrible, so well, he thought the result was pretty good.

On June 6, 1993, the Chicago Stadium was exceptionally bright, filled with celebrities, models, and wealthy businessmen.

"The Grand Finals!"

"MJ! MJ! MJ..."

The unified shouts, one after another, showed that the Bulls' home crowd was in extremely high spirits.

At 7:30, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Chicago Bulls: Bill Cartwright, Scottie Williams, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, BJ Armstrong

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Grant Lang, Glen Rice, Steve Smith, Bimbo Coles
Bill Russell said, "I think we should be careful. Mulf Albert is right. Tonight's Game 7 is a game that will be watched by the world. The referees must be careful with their calls and not let it turn into an uncontrollable situation."

Bill Walton chuckled and interrupted, "Okay, back to the game itself. The Bulls will probably play a drive-and-kick offense tonight, while also attacking the Heat's paint."

For the Bulls, who lack interior strength, this tactic is likely the most effective offensive strategy. It can both weaken the opponent and boost the Bulls' low-post offense, increasing offensive efficiency, while also facilitating offensive rebounding and second-chance opportunities.

Tonight's guest is quite interesting; it's none other than Gary Payton, the "Glove," who just lost the Western Conference Finals. This was the result of careful consideration by NBC.

Payton is not an All-Star yet. This season, he is averaging only 13.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, which is not considered a top-tier point guard. He has little status in the NBA.

So after losing the Western Conference Finals last night, he could only swallow his anger and leave without uttering a sound.

But his trash-talking skills were already honed before he entered the NBA, honed on his younger brother Kidd who hadn't even entered the NBA yet. Kidd was often verbally abused by him on the street.

Gary Payton, who had been holding back for a day and a night, finally couldn't take it anymore and blurted out:
"That was a piece of crap, a drive-and-dish play. They were just giving the referees one chance to blow the whistle. With that kind of call, even Barkley's grandma could beat us. And if Michael Jordan's grandma had been on the court today, she probably could have beaten the Bone Crusher."

"Pfft!"

The other two burst out laughing, completely unable to control themselves.

Players meet in the tunnel, the starting lineup.

The Heat's starters arrived first. When Tang Bei saw the Bulls' starters coming out from around the corner, he shouted, "Mr. Jordan, you'd better pray that tonight is a fair game."

These words sent a chill down the spines of all five Bulls starters.

Jordan said dejectedly, "Don, how the referees call the calls has nothing to do with us. You don't think we can manipulate the game, do you?"

"You can't, but your supporters can. I don't care if it's Nike or the league; I can only hold you accountable," Tang Bei said coldly.

"Fuck you!" Jordan cursed angrily.

"Fuck you!" Tang Bei retorted.

"Shh!"

When the Heat's starters entered the game, they were met with the most intense boos in history. The voices of the 300 Heat fans who had traveled from afar were completely drowned out, not even a single bubble was raised.

"MJ! MJ! MJ..."

When it was the Bulls' turn, especially when Jordan came on, the deafening roars almost broke through the roof of the stadium.

"The Bulls' home crowd is too strong; hopefully, the Heat won't be too bothered by it," Sun Zhenping said worriedly.

Xu Jicheng said, "It will definitely have an impact. After all, there are 20,000 people booing them. The psychological pressure is too great. Generally speaking, away games are not as good as home games."

After Tang Bei came out, he glanced at the referee for the night, Joey Crawford, a bald white man in his early forties.

Crawford noticed his gaze and looked over with a cold expression.

"Damn it, he doesn't look like a good person," he muttered.

"brush!"

"brush!"

"brush!"

During warm-up, Jordan hit three consecutive three-pointers.

Bill Walton said, "Michael made 6 of 13 three-pointers in the first round, a 46.2% success rate, and he was in excellent form."

However, in the second round, he only made 2 of 9 three-point attempts, with a dismal shooting percentage of 22.2%.

In the six Eastern Conference Finals games so far, he has made 9 of 19 three-point attempts, a remarkable 47.4% shooting percentage.

Bill Russell said, "Michael took a lot of three-pointers, and his three-point percentage in the playoffs was higher than in the regular season. I think he took as many as nine three-pointers in one game in the Eastern Conference Finals."

Gary Payton said, "The Heat's perimeter defense is terrible, so it's normal for Michael Jordan to take more three-point shots."

At this point, he said seriously, "If I were to play point guard for the Heat, the Heat wouldn't even need to play a Game 7 against the Bulls; they would have already advanced."

"Haha..." The other two burst into laughter.

Payton was puzzled by their laughter, but he was also a smart man. Thinking of his Game 7, he immediately realized that even if he was on the Heat, the Heat could be stronger than the referees.

At 8:00 AM, the decisive Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals officially began.

"It finally begins."

Far away in Phoenix, Barkley sat down.

He's thought it through and now hopes to face the Bulls in the Finals. If the Heat make it to the Finals, as an inside player, he'll definitely have to face Tang Bei, and if he doesn't perform well, the media will definitely criticize him.

At the Chicago Stadium, Tang Bei and Cartwright jumped for the ball. Tang Bei got the ball first, but Bimbo Coles seemed a little nervous and didn't catch it well. The ball was stolen by BJ Armstrong, and the Bulls went on the offensive first.

Without Horace Grant's central playmaking, Phil Jackson still runs the triangle offense.

Pippen received the ball on the strong side left wing and went one-on-one, forming a strong side triangle with Cartwright in the low post on the left wing and BJ in the corner.

Michael Jordan made off-ball runs on the weak side, while Scott Williams, who has a mid-range shot, facilitated the play from the high post.

Pippen backed down Glen Rice, arched his way to the left elbow area, and suddenly jumped to pass the ball.

But instead of passing to Scott Williams, who was responsible for high-post playmaking, the pass went straight to Jordan, who was cutting into the paint along the baseline.

Tang Bei kept one eye on Jordan and immediately turned to defend the basket, but Jordan easily made a close-range jump shot.

0:2, Heat on offense.

What's the Bulls up to?

Tang Bei moved to the low post on the left wing, and Cartwright, who usually didn't engage in strong confrontations with him, surprisingly began to defend him aggressively.

Soon, he understood.

After receiving the ball, Cartwright was knocked down with a side-step post-up move, and referee Crawford blew his whistle and pointed forcefully at him, indicating an offensive foul.

He laughed in anger. They weren't even putting on an act anymore. Less than 30 seconds into the game, they called an offensive foul on him. Were they trying to send the Bulls to the Finals?

"The officiating style is exactly the same as the Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. It's impossible that there wasn't something fishy going on," Xu Jicheng said angrily.

But then something even more astonishing happened.

Seeing Tang Bei smile at him, referee Crawford once again made the call, giving Tang Bei a technical foul and awarding him one free throw.

"Oh!"

Even the home fans were quite surprised by the call; there were so many of them that they erupted in gasps of astonishment.

"My God, what is he bragging about Tang Bei for?" Sun Zhenping exclaimed in astonishment.

On the scene, Jordan and the others looked at the referee in surprise, wondering what the call was. In any case, when they saw Tang Bei's ashen face, they felt a chill run down their spines.

What are you bragging about me about?

Tang Bei looked down at Crawford, his voice icy cold.

Crawford wasn't afraid of Tang Bei at all. With the entire referee committee standing behind him, even David Stern wasn't too intimidated, let alone a Chinese player.
Besides the referee committee, there was a behemoth standing behind him, so he was even less afraid of Tang Bei.

Upon hearing Tang Bei's question, he said coldly, "Number 88, your smile is disrespectful to me. You are mocking me. If you think my ruling is wrong, you can file a complaint against me after the game."

Tang Bei took a deep breath, wanting to punch the bald guy in front of him to death.

Jordan and his teammates exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this answer.

The media reporters behind the line all wore the same expression.

"You bastard! You idiot, are you going to throw me out of here...?"

At that moment, Kevin Longley erupted in front of the Heat's bench, yelling insults at Crawford.

Crawford simply looked down on Kevin Longley and pretended not to hear.

The reporter on the scene informed the studio, and Bill Russell sighed upon hearing the news, saying, "This technical foul was really, really avoidable."

"Coach Zhang, what did the technical foul player blow this time?" CCTV's camera switched to the front line, and Han Qiaosheng asked.

Zhang Heli said indignantly, "Teacher Han, this is absurd! The referee blew Tang Bei's laugh because he thought Tang Bei's laugh was disrespectful to him."

"..."

Han Qiaosheng and the other two were stunned when they heard this.

Upon hearing this, countless fans in China erupted in insults.

(End of this chapter)