The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 145 A Lifetime of Shame
Avery Johnson received the ball and launched a fast break, but Hardaway and Magic shooting guard Nick Anderson quickly returned to defense. The fast break failed, so they switched to a half-court offense.

Tang Bei moved to the high post, with O'Neal below. At that moment, Avery Johnson broke through the wall, leaving Hardaway behind.

"boom!"

O'Neal took a small step to the side to block Avery Johnson, and Tang Bei seized the opportunity to quickly turn and cut to the basket, receiving Johnson's pass. With a jump and a swing of his wrist, he delivered a tomahawk dunk.

Zhang Heli praised, "The pick-and-roll play was executed well. Avery Johnson's passing was very steady and accurate. Tang Bei received the ball at chest level and didn't need to adjust."

0:2, Magic on offense.

"brush!"

This time, Hardaway learned from his previous mistake, driving to within a step of the three-point line before pulling up for a jump shot and making the basket.

Zhang Heli analyzed, "That position is actually within Tang Bei's defensive coverage area; he can even cover the three-point line."

But there's really no need to work so hard in the regular season. If one person does everything, the teammates will have nothing to do.

We need to get all our teammates working. They need to do the work; otherwise, we won't be reliable in the playoffs.

"Yep."

Han Qiaosheng and Sun Zhenping echoed this.

2:2, Heat on offense.

"The Magic are still using man-to-man defense and haven't double-teamed Tang Bei off the ball," Sun Zhenping said.

“With O’Neal on the team, the Magic probably won’t double-team Tang Bei early,” Zhang Heli said.

Tang Bei called for the ball in the low post on the left wing, and Avery Johnson passed the ball to Glen Rice on the left three-point line, who lobbed the ball in.

Tang Bei began to fight O'Neal one-on-one, but instead of using the most aggressive, close-range attack, he applied the Wing Chun turning stance technique.

The horse turned right, then left, then right again. O'Neal's center of gravity had already been shaken, and Tang Bei took advantage of the situation to turn and slide to the bottom.

Cobra Grant, who has extensive experience defending Tang Bei, had already taken up his defensive position. Tang Bei tapped the ball with his foot, jumped, and made a close-range floater, scoring the ball.

He could have gotten up and dunked right away, but the distance was nearly 1.5 meters, and he would have definitely bumped into Grant first. Even though it was a home game, he might have been called for an offensive foul, so he didn't do that.

2:4, Magic on offense.

Hardaway had the ball on the right wing, and O'Neal ran to the low post on the right wing to ask for the ball.

And he was a little anxious because he hadn't touched the ball after several rounds, while Tang Bei had already scored two goals.

The leader called for the ball, and Hardaway immediately passed it in. O'Neal received the ball and immediately began to attack Tang Bei one-on-one.

Tang Bei didn't launch a strong attack, but O'Neal wanted to test the power of his increased weight, so he went straight for a strong attack, using a side-step post-up.

"Oh!"

Tang Bei withstood the impact, his feet didn't move, but his upper body swayed backward, deflecting O'Neal's force.

The next instant, O'Neal followed up with a second post-up.

He remembered his lesson and didn't dare to fight with all his might, because he was afraid that Tang Bei would use his center-of-gravity disruption technique on him again, a technique that was hard to defend against.

Even if he attacked with all his might, he might not be able to shift Tang Bei's center of gravity, let alone without going all out.

"Oh!"

Tang Bei's upper body swayed backward again, dissipating the force.

At that moment, O'Neal took the opportunity to turn around and make a hook shot.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the basket and rolled in.

Zhang Heli said, "Not bad. O'Neal made a hook shot that was close to two points without Tang Bei losing his position."

"Everyone's in good form today, and their success rate is very high. It's just that Tang Bei managed to get a hat on Hardaway," Sun Zhenping said in surprise.

4:4, Heat on offense.

Tang Bei received the ball in the low position on the left wing. This time, he was going to launch a strong attack to see if the sardines' defense had improved at all.

"Oh!"

Under the fierce back-and-forth attack, Tang Bei's left shoulder slammed heavily into O'Neal's chest, and O'Neal's feet shifted slightly.

"Oh!"

The next instant, a second, even more ferocious, close-range attack followed.

Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't put in this much effort to defend others, but when he defended Tang Bei, he practically gave 200% effort.

He gritted his teeth and withstood Tang Bei's second attack, only taking a small step back.

Tang Bei's two post-up plays were very well connected, preventing Cobra Grant, who was responsible for weak-side help defense, from completing the double-team before the second post-up play.

The next instant, Grant emerged from the bottom side near the baseline, forming a pincer attack on Tang Bei.

However, Tang Bei had already noticed Grant's weak-side help defense. After the second post-up, taking advantage of O'Neal being knocked back a small step, he immediately turned around, avoided the double team, and attacked into the paint.

"boom!"

He drove into the paint and delivered a powerful one-handed dunk.

“The Magic’s weak-side help defense didn’t double-team in advance, so they definitely couldn’t stop Tang Bei,” Sun Zhenping said.

Han Qiaosheng said, "Grant is supposed to be very experienced in defending against Tang Bei, right?"

Zhang Heli analyzed: "In the regular season, they may not have gone all out. If they had double-teamed earlier, the double-teaming speed would have been faster."

Without double-teaming off the ball, with O'Neal on top and Grant helping, I think that should create some obstacles for Tang Bei's low-post offense.

Next, Magic head coach Brian Hill gave instructions to the players on the court, telling Cobra Grant to speed up the help defense.

Tang Bei's game against O'Neal was definitely not as easy as it was against other players. When Grant double-teamed him early, it limited his offense to a certain extent.

However, he quickly broke through the Magic's weak-side double-team defense by passing the ball to Grant Long and Glen Rice respectively.

With the addition of Hardaway and Cobra Grant, the Magic's strength has indeed improved a lot, and they have been able to go toe-to-toe with the Heat, with the score fluctuating back and forth.

Moreover, the Magic did not use off-ball double-teams against Tang Bei throughout the game; it was always Shaquille O'Neal and Tang Bei going one-on-one.

哈达威展现了自己在一号位的强大优势，在数据上遥遥领先于艾弗里·约翰逊，全场轰下21分5篮板8助攻1抢断3失误的数据。

Although Avery Johnson's stats weren't impressive, he demonstrated his value through solid playmaking and tenacious defense, racking up 9 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover.

O'Neal scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds with a field goal percentage of 49.5%, his best performance in all his matches against Tang Bei.

Tang Bei scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds with a field goal percentage of 54.5%, maintaining the upper hand.

Although the two had a past conflict, they were both much more mature than last season. They didn't cause any more trouble, nor did they go all out; instead, they played more cautiously.

In addition, several pitchers were in good form today, with Tang Bei contributing 6 assists, breaking his personal assist record.

Ultimately, the Heat defeated the Magic 99-108 at home, securing a winning start to the new season.

Zhang Heli analyzed after the game: "O'Neal's strength is still a step below Tang Bei's, but in the whole league, he is one of the best performers against Tang Bei, and he is about the same as the three super centers."

Sun Zhenping said, "His weight has increased to 140 kilograms, but his strength is still not as good as Tang Bei's. He cannot easily get close to the basket, and his offensive efficiency has decreased due to the reduced proportion of his attacks under the basket."

Han Qiaosheng said, "But Tang Bei's offensive efficiency has also decreased, which shows that O'Neal's defense against him is also quite good."

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "Yes, but it's also possible that Tang Bei intentionally increased his mid-range and close-to-two-point shots. I've talked to him about it, and he's always had this idea."

I think this idea is also correct. Reducing physical exertion and increasing the number of shots can enhance his scoring ability. When his teammates cannot score, he can step up and get more points.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Glen Rice and Steve Smith were effectively shut down by Pippen and Jordan; that's exactly what he did, almost single-handedly carrying the Heat into the NBA Finals.

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "Grant Long played well today, making 6 of 10 shots and 2 of 3 free throws, scoring 14 points."

Zhang Heli said, "Tang Bei actually provided 6 assists, 2 of which were to Grant Long, 3 to Glen Rice, and 1 to Dell Curry."

Han Qiaosheng said, "Glen Rice scored 22 points today, making four three-pointers. He had a great shooting touch."

In games where their outside shooting is off, Tang Bei struggles to get assists.

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "After Tang Bei attracted double teams in the low post, he consciously increased his passing, which is a change."

He had a lot more touches of the ball today than ever before. If this is a long-term change, his tactical role with the Heat will be transformed and strengthened.

Sun Zhenping said, "Last season, the Heat didn't lack offensive scorers. This season, they added Dell Curry, making their firepower even stronger."

Zhang Heli smiled and said, "The Heat's only weakness last season was their perimeter defense. After Edwards got injured, their ball-handling offense weakened a bit, even though his one-on-one ball-handling ability was the strongest on the perimeter. The Heat will definitely be stronger this season. Their perimeter defense is stronger, Kevin Edwards and Avery Johnson can improve their ball-handling offense, and they also have Glen Rice, Steve Smith, and Dell Curry as shooters."

Sun Zhenping said, "The perimeter still lacks a core player who can handle the ball and attack. Edwards is far from being a star player and cannot attract double teams. Glen Rice, as a shooter, also cannot attract double teams. The perimeter lacks the strength to create defensive space for Tang Bei."

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "Grant Long is a bit weak, but actually this lineup is already pretty good."

After playing the Magic at home, the Miami Heat flew to Chicago overnight for a back-to-back game against their arch-rivals, the Chicago Bulls, the following night.

Major media outlets have made predictions for this regular season game, with most believing that the Bulls will have the upper hand.

On the evening of the 6th, at the Chicago Stadium.

Next to this old stadium, a new stadium is under construction. The main structure has been completed and is currently being renovated. It is expected to be put into use next season.

This stadium will now become a parking lot for the new stadium.

"Michael, can we win tonight?"

When Jordan entered the arena carrying a backpack, a reporter approached him and asked him a question.

"Can you win?"

Jordan looked at the reporter with a puzzled expression, then said in the most certain tone, "Of course."

Jordan was accompanied by his family: his parents, four siblings, his wife Juanita, and two sons.

Just then, the Heat arrived. When Tang Bei saw Jordan, he shouted loudly:

"Hey, Mr. Jordan, you really are Barkley's good brother. You even gave him the championship, and in a sweeping fashion."

Upon hearing this, the reporters immediately perked up.

Jordan's face was ashen. Being swept in the Finals was a lifelong humiliation for him, one that was hard to erase. He turned around and stared at Tang Bei with murderous intent in his eyes.

Tang Bei went over and said, "Are these your family members? Hello, it's great to see you. I also have many family members, but unfortunately they don't have the chance to watch me play."

"Hello, Tang."

"Hey, Tang."

Jordan's family members greeted Tang Bei warmly.

Jordan's expression improved somewhat, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Tang Bei was still one of murderous intent.

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

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Grant Lang, Glen Rice, Kevin Edwards, Avery Johnson

Chicago Bulls: Luke Longley, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, BJ Armstrong

The game was broadcast live nationwide by NBC. Commentator Bill Russell said:

"More than four months after the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls and Heat, Tang and Michael, faced off again on the court, with some changes to the starting lineups of both sides."

They are both championship-caliber teams; we'll know who's stronger in a little over two hours.

Bill Walton said, "The Bulls have improved their rebounding and interior defense with Rodman, while the Heat have improved their backcourt defense. Both teams are stronger than last season."

In the player tunnel, Tang Bei curiously observed Rodman.

He wasn't very familiar with Rodman, but the guy had changed a bit in appearance compared to last season; he had dyed his hair blonde and looked like a golden retriever that had just had a haircut.

Rodman stroked his blond hair and said with a touch of triumph:
"Tang, you can give it a try too. Everyone should have their own personality and the courage to try to change themselves."

Tang Bei nodded. Although he had no opinion on hair dyeing, Rodman was absolutely right. It seemed that Rodman was a guy with a very strong personality.

"Shh!"

When he came out, he was met with the loudest boos; the boos from 20,000 people made the entire stadium tremble.

In the eyes of Bulls fans, the reason why they failed to defend their three-peat was because of Tang Bei, who has become the biggest enemy of the Chicago arena.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Tang Bei and Luke Longley jump for the ball, and the Heat go on offense.

"Di!"

On the first low post attack, Tang Bei received the ball on the left wing, quickly performed a Tai Chi spin, and then knocked Rodman away. Rodman slid several meters on the floor and was called for an offensive foul.

Rodman got up with a grin. When he was hit, he leaned back and looked like he was thrown into the air, but he was fine.

Bill Russell said, "The Bulls didn't double-team Tang earlier, and Rodman's weak-side help defense was excellent, drawing an offensive foul from Tang."

Bill Walton said, "Last night, the Magic didn't double-team Tang early or play zone defense."

Bill Russell said, "Avery Johnson has some ball-handling offensive ability, but it's only second-rate. The Heat still don't have any first-rate ball-handling penetration ability on the perimeter, so they don't need a zone defense at all."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "O'Neal is playing very hard against Tang, so the Magic don't need to double-team him early."

On the sidelines, Jerry Krause nodded when he saw Rodman successfully draw an offensive foul from Tang Bei.

He made a difficult decision to give up on Cobra Grant, one of the "Big Three," and choose Rodman instead. Judging from this defensive play, Rodman was more effective at defending against the "Bone Crusher."

In the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Crawford's biased calls only resulted in two offensive fouls against Tang Bei, suggesting that Rodman could be just as effective as Crawford.

The Bulls are on offense, with Michael Jordan matched up against Kevin Edwards.

Edwards' defense is better than Steve Smith's, and the Heat chose to re-sign him because they value his defense.

But his defense still couldn't stop Jordan. After receiving the ball, Jordan would fake a move with one hand, then immediately break through from the outside, and after getting a step inside the three-point line, he would immediately stop and shoot.

"brush!"

Water splashes, two points hit.

0-2, Heat offense, Tang Bei once again calls for the ball in the low post on the left wing.

Avery Johnson dribbled from the top of the key and broke through to the left elbow area. Seeing Tang Bei moving into the deep post, he immediately passed the ball and then ran to the left wing.

BJ Armstrong, who was chasing him, chose to go down and double-team Tang Bei, trying to steal the ball.

At the same time, Rodman started to double-team Tang Bei along the baseline, which would soon form a three-on-one situation against him.

After receiving the ball, Tang Bei raised it high and attacked. When three players came to double-team him, he suddenly threw the ball back to Avery Johnson.

"brush!"

Avery Johnson, who was in an open position, received the ball and made a jump shot, scoring two points.

"Ugh!"

Phil Jackson sighed, his eyes shining as he looked at Tang Bei.

He dreams of having a super center like Tornado, who has incredible low-post dominance and is also a great passer, perfect for the triangle offense.

2:2, Bulls attack.

Pippen singled out Glen Rice on the left wing, initiating a triangle offense on the strong side.

Previously, Grant provided high-post support, but Rodman's height was insufficient, rendering this tactical advantage useless.

After Pippen pushed his way in, he saw Jordan running out of position on the weak side and quickly passed the ball.

But after Jordan received the ball, Grant Long and Kevin Edwards quickly double-teamed him.

"Bang!"

Jordan forced a shot while being double-teamed, but it went too short.

"mine."

With his superior anticipation compared to Tang Bei, Dennis Rodman moved ahead to box out and grab the offensive rebound.

"brush!"

Pippen took the ball and organized another attack. This time, BJ Armstrong, who was lurking in the left corner, took a three-pointer and made it.

Bill Walton said, "The Bulls are also working on and experimenting with tactics. Rodman is taking on the tactical role that Cobra Grant used to play, but because of the difference in ability, the tactical role will definitely be different."

Indeed, Phil Jackson is still studying Dennis Rodman's role in the triangle offense.

The perfect triangle offense should be played by a center like Tang Bei who has strong low-post dominance. Cobra Grant is not the most suitable low-post player for the triangle offense, and Rodman, whose offense is weak, is even less so.

Therefore, exploring Rodman's role in the triangle offense is also a form of innovation for him.

(End of this chapter)