The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 161 Promoting a Luxury Tax?
Strangely, on this day, the media's focus was not on the MVP.

"Hey, West, it's that time of year again to snag a bargain!"

Renowned basketball commentator and analyst Mav Albert published an article with this title in the Los Angeles Times.

After the article was published, it was immediately reprinted by a large number of media outlets, and several television stations, including ESPN, analyzed it.

ESPN reports: "Whichever team makes it to the Finals – the Heat, the Bulls, or the Knicks – will be severely weakened. Mr. Albert is right; the West will indeed have another chance to pick up the scraps."

TNT reports: "We even suspect that Malbert is being too conservative, and the West may once again have the opportunity to sweep the championship in the Finals."

NBC reports: "We have a slightly different view. If the Knicks or Bulls make it to the Finals, there is a real possibility that they will be severely weakened and could be swept."

However, we believe that if the Heat make it to the Finals, the chances of the Western Conference picking up a weaker opponent will be very low, at best 50-50.

ABC News reported: "After Michael Jordan's two consecutive championships, we thought the NBA was about to enter the era of the Air Jordan."

But everyone was wrong. A behemoth emerged out of nowhere, changing the landscape of the league, ending the Bulls' three-peat, and allowing the Suns to sweep the competition.

Therefore, this will be good news for Western Conference teams; you no longer have to face the powerful and invincible Bulls and Michael Jordan.

"Fuck you, you think I'll get swept aside?"

After seeing the TNT news report, Michael Jordan decided that he would never give an exclusive interview to the television station again.

Soon, a familiar reporter called to interview him, asking, "Michael, what do you think the chances are of finding a bargain in the West or even a sweeping bargain?"

"No, they don't even have a 1% chance."

This was like stabbing Jordan in the heart. After hanging up the phone, he immediately blocked the reporter and turned off his phone.

Tang Bei naturally paid attention to these news reports. He thought they made a lot of sense because no matter which team beat the Heat to get into the Finals, they wouldn't be unscathed.

He liked NBC's report the most, but he thought it was a bit conservative, because none of the four Western Conference teams that make it to the Finals are a match for the Heat.

"Hey Tang, do you agree with what these media outlets are saying about finding bargains in the West?" A reporter from The New York Times asked in a phone interview.

"If you keep picking up bargains every year, then they're no longer bargains. Tell those dreaming Western teams to wake up," Tang Bei said sarcastically.

These news stories angered several strong Eastern Conference teams, such as the Heat, but excited several Western Conference teams, such as the Suns, who had a chance to reach the NBA Finals.

Charles Barkley said excitedly in a media interview:
"I'm ready, and we hope to defend our title again with a sweep. We will have the opportunity to become the first team to win the title twice with a sweep."

In an interview, Hakeem Olajuwon said, "Houston is ready, and we will do everything we can to make it to the Finals."

During a live interview with FOX, Mailman Karl Malone said enthusiastically, "It's time for us Jazz to get results, and I hope to face the Bulls in the Finals."

"Fuck you!"

Just then, Jordan switched the channel to FOX. Upon hearing this, he roared angrily, rushed over, and kicked the TV over.

"Everyone wants to sweep us aside, everyone wants to step on me and take advantage of the situation, humph!"

At this moment, Jordan's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he had an impulse and aura of killing gods.

At this time, the atmosphere at the Lakers headquarters was very somber, because the topic of sweeping and picking up scraps would only make the Lakers feel pain.

First, the Lakers have lost their competitiveness and can't even make the playoffs, so picking up scraps is not their thing.

Secondly, in NBA history, there have been six sweeps to win the championship, with the Lakers being the backdrop three times.

In 59, the Celtics swept the Lakers to win the championship; in 83, the 76ers swept the Lakers to win the championship; and in 89, the Pistons swept the Lakers to win the championship.

Therefore, when it comes to sweeping championships, the Lakers are the most deeply hurt victims.

In Old Buss's office, he looked across at Jerry West and suddenly asked:
"Jerry, if the Heat fail to make it to the Finals again, or if his rookie contract expires, is it possible that we could trade for Tang?"

Jerry West gave a wry smile. The conflict he had with Tang Bei during the draft had become a source of deep regret and a stain on his reputation.

"Boston, the Hornets traded Tang for several reasons. Team management, pressure from Larry Johnson, pressure from sponsors, etc."

"The Heat don't face any of these pressures. On the contrary, Tang has brought them huge benefits. It's impossible for them to trade Tang. I think it's absolutely impossible."

"As for after the rookie contract ends, I think the chances are quite slim."

"Why? I can offer big contracts, and Los Angeles has ten times the business potential of Miami. Doesn't that appeal to Tang?"

"Boss, the Heat's owner is quite wealthy. Currently, the league hasn't introduced a luxury tax mechanism. Two years from now, Tang will be eligible for a veteran's contract. If the Heat's owner is willing, he can offer Tang a big contract that Tang can't refuse."

"In fact, the benefits that Tang brought to the Heat far exceeded the contract he was paid."

“Is there really no chance?” Jerry Bass asked disappointedly.

Jerry West squinted and thought for a moment, then said, "It's not entirely true."

“Jerry, I knew you had a way. How do we do it?” Jerry Buss’s eyes lit up immediately.

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Jerry West's eyes as he slowly said:

“Boss, use your connections to push the league to introduce a ‘luxury tax’ before Tang’s rookie contract expires.”

"I understand."

Jerry Buss excitedly said, "As long as a luxury tax is implemented, Mickey Arison won't be able to offer Tang a sky-high contract extension. At that time, given the Lakers' appeal to star players, we will have the opportunity to recruit Tang."

Jerry West nodded, but then said helplessly, "But pushing for a luxury tax would be very difficult and would be opposed by the players' union and all the star players."

“This is our only chance, let’s give it a try,” Jerry Buss said.

On the morning of the 8th, the Heat held a tactical meeting.

Although he had played four regular-season games against the Pacers and won three, head coach Kevin Longley first gave an overview of the Pacers' current situation.

"Larry Brown is coaching the Pacers, and their defense ranks fifth in the league, averaging only 97.5 points per game, while we average 100.5 points, so we need to be careful with our offense."

"The starting lineup consists of shooting guard Reggie Miller, small forward Derrick McKay, power forward Dale Davis, center Rick Schmitz, and point guard Haywood Workman. Their defense is solid with few weaknesses."

"On the offensive end, only Reggie Miller's three-point shot is a threat in the starting lineup; the others don't have the ability to shoot three-pointers."

"But we have to be careful on the defensive end because of the Pacers' five starters. Apart from Dale Djokovic's average mid-range shot, the other four all have good mid-range shots." "Tang needs to do a good job on the paint defense. Reggie Miller has good penetration and cutting abilities, and Rick Schmitz's height is also a threat."

"Rick Schmitz is one of the most difficult centers to guard. He has an accurate mid-range shot and often runs pick-and-roll plays with Reggie Miller. The free-throw line is his most accurate area for mid-range shots, and his free-throw percentage this season is as high as 79.3%."

"Tang, you need to be careful. Schmitz's main task with the Pacers is to pull out for mid-range shots, so you need to make a choice between following him out and defending him back. You can't leave him open, but you also can't let the paint get lost."

"His rebounding duties are not heavy. The Pacers' rebounding responsibility is handled by Dale Davis, who doesn't have much of a mid-range shot."

"Given that the Pacers don't have a superstar with the ability to score big, and they don't have any penetrating players on the perimeter, Reggie Miller is good, but he's just good. So in this series, we'll play man-to-man defense. We don't need to collapse the perimeter; we'll just guard our own players tightly, and leave the paint to Tang."

"Tang, you just guard the restricted area; you don't need to worry about the outside."

“Glenn, you’re guarding Reggie Miller. Watch out for his three-pointers; he’s shooting 42.1% from three this season.”

The second round of the series began that evening.

In the Rockets' home game against the Suns, superstar center Hakeem Olajuwon delivered an amazing performance, shooting 16-for-24 (66.7%) and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line, racking up a spectacular stat line of 36 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks.

Meanwhile, the Rockets' overall field goal percentage was 4 percentage points higher than the Suns', and both teams had 46 rebounds. It was also their home game, but the Suns ultimately won.

The Suns won by 4 points, 87-91.

The Rockets played utterly ineffectively, with only three players getting free throws, totaling a mere eight attempts, while the visiting Suns had 16.

In another game, the Bulls defeated the Knicks 90-98 at home.

Four Bulls players scored in double figures, with two of them scoring 20+ points: Jordan and Pippen.

Rodman grabbed 17 rebounds, including a staggering 9 offensive rebounds, one more than defensive rebounds. He also grabbed 5 offensive rebounds that he himself had grabbed and put back on, racking up an impressive stat line.

"It's time for us to get results; we need to make it to the Western Conference Finals."

On the afternoon of the 9th, Jazz star Karl Malone said in an interview.

Two hours later, when Mutombo arrived at the airport for an interview, he shook his head and said somewhat smugly:
"We just completed the greatest upset ever, and we are fully confident that we can continue our upset to the end. Although the Jazz are strong, they cannot stop us from reaching the Western Conference Finals."

On the same day, the Pacers held a press conference at their hotel upon arriving in Miami, where their star player Reggie Miller said in an interview:

"We've completed the great Black Seven, and we'll go all the way with the Black Seven."

"Tang, are you going to respond to Reggie Miller?" Shortly after, a reporter from FOX called Tang Bei to interview him.

Tang Bei said, "Congratulations, Mr. Reggie Miller, his mouth is finally clean. I think he can endorse his own toothpaste now."

"Huh?" The reporter was stunned.

Then Tang Bei changed the subject and said, "But I think if he had even a little confidence in beating the Heat, he wouldn't have been so clean-mouthed."

These words quickly reached Reggie Miller's ears through a reporter's telephone interview, infuriating him. However, he really didn't dare to provoke Tang Bei, lest he be beaten up.

On the 10th, the Jazz vs. Nuggets game starts at 8:00 PM, and the Heat vs. Pacers game starts at 7:30 PM, both at the former team's home court.

At 7 p.m., the Heat and Pacers announced their starting lineups.

Pacers: Rick Smits, Dale Davis, Derrick McKay, Reggie Miller, Haywood Workman

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

The game was broadcast live across the United States by TNT, with Hubie Brown and Bob Neal as commentators and Larry Bird as a guest.

The reason Larry Bird was invited is because Indiana is his hometown, and the Pacers are his hometown team.

After the live broadcast started, Hubie Brown asked, "Larry, most media outlets think the Heat have a better chance of advancing, what do you think?"

Larry Bird said, "Based on the regular season standings, that's certainly true."

Hubie Brown knew, of course, that Larry Bird had more to say, and that the next thing he would say was "but," so he remained attentive and listened.

Larry Bird continued, "But the Pacers did a fantastic job in the first round, completing a great upset, which was nothing short of miraculous, so I believe they can continue their miraculous run and go all the way."

Bob Neal asked jokingly, "So Larry, who do you think has a better chance of pulling off a upset: the Nuggets, who came in eighth, or the Pacers, who came in seventh?"

"What kind of damn question is this?"

Larry Bird thought to himself, "They both have a chance, and I really look forward to them meeting in the Finals."

"Ha ha……"

Hubie and Brown burst into laughter.

The competition officially began at eight o'clock.

Tang Bei and 224cm tall Rick Schmitz jumped for the ball. After Tang Bei flicked the ball towards Avery Johnson, he immediately pushed past Rick Schmitz and ran towards the frontcourt.

Dale Davis blocked him at the free-throw line. Tang Bei made a slight change of direction, grazed Davis with his shoulder, and easily bumped past the 114-kilogram Davis, taking the lead into the paint.

Avery Johnson had been observing Tang Bei's movement and quickly passed the ball in.

"boom!"

The next moment, Tang Bei was hanging on the basketball hoop.

Dale Davis looked at Tang Bei, feeling an invincible sense of power.

When he first entered the league in 91, he weighed only 104 kilograms. He gained a total of 5 kilograms in the first two seasons and another 5 kilograms this season. But this weight was no match for the bone crusher.

How can you play if you can't compete in the paint?
"Alley-oop dunk, beautiful!" Zhang Heli exclaimed.

Sun Zhenping said, "The Pacers' interior players don't have any big men. Their starting center is only 120 kilograms and 224 centimeters tall, like a bamboo pole."

"There's no physical contact inside, but there's height, so they still have some ability to protect the rim," Han Qiaosheng said.

“Rick Schmitz only averages 1.1 blocks per game this season, and he might not even dare to go up and block Tang Bei,” Zhang Heli said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)