The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 157 The Treasure Chest Exploded

Before the game, Tang Bei was to receive the scoring champion trophy.

However, this is not an official award trophy. The only officially awarded individual awards are MVP, DPOY, FMVP, AMVP, Best Sixth Man, Most Improved Player, etc.

The "Top Five Statistical Kings" is a statistical honor, based on league statistics, but it is not awarded separately. The trophy is presented by the players' union and is made of transparent glass or plastic.

He didn't win the statistics title last season, but he made the All-NBA First Team. The All-NBA Team is an official honor and he has received a reward of the "Treasure Chest". But it's unknown whether he will receive the reward of the "Treasure Chest" for this scoring title.

He was really looking forward to it. He had acquired many treasures last season, but hadn't gotten a single one this season.

Fortunately, I received five pairs of insoles as a prize last time, so I have some to exchange. The other items, like elbow pads, aren't worn out much, so I can continue using them for now.

But he's out of heart-nourishing pills, and the more of those things the better. Fortunately, his heart function is excellent now, and his physical fitness has reached level 95.

"Tang Bei, the first scoring champion of the Miami Heat!"

As the player received the transparent trophy from NBA officials and raised it high, MC Wensco Thomas's enthusiastic voice rang out, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Severe phobia..."

The cheers in the Miami Arena grew louder and louder, and the Heat's morale soared.

"The host has achieved the title of top scorer..."

The moment he received the trophy, the panel opened automatically, which made him extremely happy.

"...Reward items: When items such as wrist guards, knee pads, waist supports, ankle supports, elbow pads, and insoles are worn down by 10%, new items of the same type will be automatically awarded."

"Haha, this is a huge hit."

Tang Bei immediately checked the space in the treasure chest. He had been rewarded with one wristband and other items, but not the insoles, because he already had two new pairs of insoles stored inside.

Despite his joy, he was still somewhat disappointed because the heart-nourishing pills he wanted most were not available.

"Damn it, I'm definitely going to win the blocks title and rebounding title next season. Oh, and the MVP too."

"He should be able to make the All-Defensive Team this season. Even if he doesn't make the First Team, he should at least make the Second Team and receive a reward."

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Jump ball, Magic offense.

"A three-two joint defense, primarily defending the outside line."

Upon seeing the Heat's defensive formation, Zhang Heli immediately commented in the CCTV live broadcast studio.

Anfernee Harwell dribbled the ball close to the right wing three-point line, where Kevin Edwards was on defense. O'Neal also ran to the right wing low post to call for the ball, with Tang Bei behind him.

Being a rookie, he immediately lobbed the ball in when he saw O'Neal reach out for it.

When Hardaway lobbed the ball, Avery Johnson, who was playing high post defense, immediately turned down and began to double-team him.

As soon as O'Neal received the ball, he was double-teamed and had no chance to shoot, so he had to force the ball to Nick Anderson at the top of the key.

Glen Rice on the left wing ran towards the top of the key to cover, and his attitude in covering was much more proactive than last season.

Grant Long, who had moved to the left wing, stepped up to immediately help defend Dennis Scott, the Magic's small forward on the three-point line.

At this point, he was defending against two opponents while also keeping an eye on Cobra Grant.

At the top of the key, Magic shooting guard Nick Anderson received the ball, and Glen Rice lunged to his left. Instead of passing, he immediately took a jump shot.

"Three-pointer from the top of the arc!" Sun Zhenping shouted.

"Bang!"

The basketball bounced off the rim and went wide, but Tang Bei, who had turned around, grabbed it, and the Heat launched an attack.

Zhang Heli said happily, "The Heat's first defensive play was very successful. They double-teamed O'Neal in the low post, forcing him to pass the ball, and Nick Anderson's three-point accuracy wasn't very high, so he missed a wide-open shot."

Avery Johnson used Glen Rice's screen on the left wing to drive into the paint, drawing O'Neal's defensive attention before passing the ball to Tang Bei, who was cutting in behind him.

After receiving the ball, Tang Bei took a step behind O'Neal and leaped up to deliver a ferocious two-handed dunk.

"boom!"

As he slammed the ball into the basket, his body slammed heavily into O'Neal's back with tremendous force.

"Damn it!"

Shaquille O'Neal, caught off guard, was knocked face-first into the dirt, his large face landing directly on the floor, looking utterly pathetic.

"Back cut? Beautiful! That was a really beautiful play, Tang Bei dunked on O'Neal!" Han Qiaosheng exclaimed.

"Ouch, O'Neal's nose is bleeding, he hit the floor," Zhang Heli laughed.

"This series will definitely prove who the best player in the 92 draft was," Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

“If we were to re-select, Tang Bei would definitely be the top pick,” Zhang Heli chuckled.

On the court, O'Neal was substituted out and replaced by backup center Terry Rollins, a 39-year-old veteran who is 216 cm tall and weighs 107 kg.

Michael Breen said, "Terry Rollins was a rookie in '77, this is his 17th season, a very hard-working veteran, his salary has always been low, but he takes the game seriously when he's on the court."

“I hope he gets off the field safely,” Tom Tolbert said.

"O'Neal should be back on the court soon after treatment," Magic Johnson said.

The Magic checked O'Neal's nose; it was bleeding from a ruptured capillary in his left nasal cavity. It wasn't a big problem, and they sprayed some hemostatic powder on it.

"Bang!"

On the court, Hardaway used his 10-centimeter height advantage to attack Kevin Edwards, but missed the shot.

After Tang Bei grabbed the rebound, the Heat launched a counterattack. Glen Rice received a pass from Avery Johnson and hit a three-pointer from the left wing.

"Pretty!"

Michael Brin praised, "He made the first three-pointer. It was a wide-open shot. Glen Rice's shooting touch shouldn't be bad today."

"If the Heat's outside shooting gets going, they can beat any team in the league," Tom Tolbert said expectantly.

Magic Johnson suddenly said, "Right now, the media's predictions for the Heat and Magic to advance are mostly biased towards the Heat. Do you think there won't be any upsets?"

The other two were taken aback, and Tom Tolbert retorted, "Irwin, do you actually think there will be an upset?"

Anfernee Hardaway then drove past Kevin Edwards with the ball, but was double-teamed by Avery Johnson in the right elbow area.

Edwards made a steal and assisted Avery Johnson on the fast break, who scored a layup.

Magic Johnson shook his head and said, "I just think the Magic have a chance. They are a rising playoff team with a very good roster, but their outside shooting is a bit inexperienced and Hardaway lacks experience."

Tom Tolbert was very pessimistic about Tang Bei when he was drafted in 92, but now he has become a die-hard fan of Tang Bei.

After hearing Magic Johnson's words, he said very firmly, "If O'Neal can beat Tang, the Magic have a chance. If he can't handle Tang, the Magic have no chance."

"Can he handle Tang? I think absolutely not! His talent and work ethic are both inferior to Tang's. His current skills aren't better than Tang's either, and his attitude towards defense is far worse." "Haha..."

The other two laughed, but did not refute it.

At this moment, O'Neal, with cotton balls stuffed in his nostrils, was substituted onto the court and grumbled to Tang Bei, "Let's play again."

"If your artery ruptures, go to the hospital for emergency treatment. If it's not ruptured, why are you stuffing that thing in there? Are you trying to disgust me?" Tang Bei said.

O'Neal was so angry that cotton balls flew out of his nostrils, and the referee saw this and quickly kicked him away.

0:7, Magic on offense.

O'Neal was calling for the ball in the low post on the right wing, desperately trying to squeeze in and get into the deep post.

His strength and weight have increased compared to last season, but it was still not enough to push Tang Bei away. Tang Bei took the initiative to step back a little, allowing him to step into the paint.

On the right wing, beyond the three-point line, Hardaway was matched up against Kevin Edwards, and his height advantage ensured the quality of his passes.

The Heat immediately began double-teaming, and when O'Neal received the ball, Avery Johnson was already next to him at the high post.

The first attack was the same; he passed the ball, but this time he didn't pass it again. Instead, he forced a shot, suddenly turned around, and hit a side hook with his right hand.

"I want to eat shit!"

Tang Bei, who was closely guarding Tang Bei, jumped with all his might and swatted the ball into the air, where it was caught by Kevin Edwards who came down.

"Tang Bei jumped really high!" Sun Zhenping exclaimed.

"O'Neal has gained weight and can't jump as high as he used to."

Zhang Heli said something, then thought for a moment and added, "I've heard that his weight is 140 kilograms, but nobody knows for sure."

Anyway, there are only two official records: he weighed 125 kg when he registered for the draft, and 135 kg during the draft, meaning he gained 10 kg in six months.

“I think his physique is similar to Tang Bei’s. Tang Bei is 137 cm tall now, right?” Han Qiaosheng said.

Zhang Heli said, "Yes, he gained one kilogram during the offseason. He's only 21 years old, so this is natural growth. His physical functions are approaching their peak."

"Coach Zhang, how old was Zhongfeng at his peak?" Sun Zhenping asked.

"If you have good physical talent and train hard during your peak physical period, you can come out at 23 or 24 years old, and normally you can come out at 25. But the outcome is hard to say. Injuries and talent will affect the length of the peak period."

"It's hard to say what the peak of a player's skills will be. Ground-based players rely on technique, brains, and experience to play, so their peak period is actually longer."

"If you rely on talent, once your body breaks down, your peak period is over, and it's usually a straight, precipitous decline, and you'll soon be out of playing."

“A player with such natural talent as Tang Bei, who also values ​​technique and has high basketball IQ, can extend his peak performance even after his physical peak has passed by transitioning to a floor-based style.”

On the court, the Heat started with a 10-0 run, forcing the Magic to call a timeout.

"Glen Rice is really good today, hitting two three-pointers in a row," Michael Breen said excitedly.

Tom Tolbert said, "The Heat played a good zone defense today, especially double-teaming O'Neal, which made him very uncomfortable and he didn't score."

Magic Johnson said, "Tang only scored one dunk and O'Neal only missed one shot, but these are not the main reasons why the Heat are leading by 10 points."

The Heat are playing so well because they suddenly started double-teaming O'Neal today. They've never double-teamed him before; it's always been Don guarding O'Neal one-on-one.

Tom Tolbert nodded quickly and said, "That's right, it's always been Tang Dan to prevent sardines."

"Pfft!"

The other two burst out laughing.

Michael Breen laughed and said, "Tang Dan can make O'Neal very uncomfortable, so when he's double-teamed, he really can't open up the game and hasn't adapted yet."

Magic Johnson said, "The Heat's defense was really good today, especially Avery Johnson's timely help defense."

Tom Tolbert said, "The Heat brought him in for two main reasons: to pass the ball to Tang and to strengthen their perimeter defense."

The timeout ends and the game resumes.

The Magic are on offense. Nick Anderson gets the ball on the left wing and is defended by Glen Rice.

He first dribbled and changed direction repeatedly to shake off the defender, then suddenly stopped and jumped to shoot.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, it still didn't go in. Tang Bei grabbed the rebound, and the Heat went on offense.

Michael Brin said, "Nick Anderson is an '89 rookie. He had a good shooting percentage in the regular season, but this is his first time playing in the playoffs. He lacks experience, so it's understandable that he's nervous."

Tang Bei came to the left wing low post to ask for the ball. After receiving the ball, he turned to face the basket and then suddenly stepped out with his right foot to dribble past the basket from below.

His first step was incredibly fast and explosive, forcing O'Neal to hastily step back to defend.

At this moment, Tang Bei burst into the restricted area, his body leaping up, and from a distance of 1.5 meters from the basket, he directly attacked the basket.

O'Neal jumped up hastily to block the shot.

"Oh!"

With a heavy thud, O'Neal's upper body leaned back as he was knocked to the ground under the basket.

"boom!"

The next instant, a fierce bang of a basket exploding above his head rang out.

"WOW!"

A huge cheer instantly swept through the Miami Arena, with tens of thousands of people raising their arms.

"Severe phobia..."

The cheers turned into unified shouts, constantly boosting the Heat's morale while simultaneously impacting the Magic's.

"That's amazing! Tang Bei faced Shaq one-on-one and completed a dunk over him!" Zhang Heli shouted excitedly.

"The Magic arranged for weak-side help defense, but Tang Bei attacked facing the basket, avoiding the direction of the help defense," Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

"Tang Bei usually uses the back-facing method, I didn't expect his technique with the dough basket to be so good," Han Qiaosheng said.

"His dribbling skills are good, his explosiveness is terrifying, and his footwork is excellent. There's no reason why he shouldn't attack from the sidelines," Zhang Heli said with a smile.

At this point, he added, "But that dunk just now should have involved knocking O'Neal down first. If it were an away game, it might have been called an offensive foul, so be careful."

Down 0-12, the Magic's offense failed again after the timeout, causing their morale to plummet further. The four rookies in the playoffs were starting to panic.

When they reached halftime, the ball was passed around but no one dared to shoot until it was finally passed to Grant.

Cobra Grant was somewhat helpless. With the Bulls, he usually only got his offensive opportunities after Jordan drew the defense.

Now let him have the ball and attack, while the other four just watch. The Heat's defense has locked him down, so how can he play?
(End of this chapter)