The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 166 Defeating the Heat and Destroying Everything

In the morning, the Heat had free time at the hotel. Tang Bei practiced standing meditation for an hour, swam for a while, shot hoops for an hour, and then practiced Tai Chi for an hour, getting his body into its best condition.

Actually, this year's situation is better than last year's, because last year they played the Knicks in the second round, but this time they played the Pacers.

The Pacers are all lightweight centers, so their physical strength is generally low. Rick Schmitz avoids contact with them.

Throughout the five-game series, he hardly ate any pork knuckle, and of course, in return, he himself hardly ate any pork knuckle either.

The Knicks' interior physicality is arguably the best in the league; their elbows can be incredibly painful, and their physical exertion far exceeds that of playing against other teams.

Conversely, the Bulls face a tougher challenge this year than last year, as they will be facing the Knicks in the second round.

He vividly remembers being suspended for Game 1 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals, which led to the Heat's loss.

Just like last year, the Heat only have three home games this year, while the Bulls have four. So, according to the coaching staff, it would be best to win one of the first two away games.

Last year, they won Game 2 on the road, and he agreed with the coaching staff's idea that they must win this time, preferably a winning start, and crush the Bulls in Game 1 to dampen their spirits and morale.

In the evening, countless Chicagoans flocked to Chicago Stadium.

Next to this old stadium, a brand new, larger, multi-functional stadium has been built and will be put into use this August.

The new arena is sponsored by United Airlines, so it is named United Center Arena and will be home to the NBA's Chicago Bulls and the NHL's Blackhawks (ice hockey league).

At the competition venue, before seven o'clock, the venue was already packed, with many celebrities, tycoons, and politicians sitting in the front row.

Will Smith, a moderately famous singer and actor, is a huge fan of Michael Jordan and considers him his role model. He sits in the seat closest to the Bulls' bench.

Lakers fan Jack Nicholson, a longtime friend of Jordan, also came to the stadium to show his support.

Next to Nicholson sat a young Black man in his early thirties, dressed in a suit and exuding the spirit of a contemporary elite.

"Hey sir, are you a supporter of the Bulls or Michael?" Jack Nicholson asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Of course it's Michael."

The young man was very clever. Upon hearing this, he immediately realized that the big star was a Jordan fan and that he admired Jordan. He then went along with the other person's words.

He then extended his right hand and said, “Mr. Nicholson, I am Oh Bama, a constitutional law lecturer at the University of Chicago, and I am currently running for Illinois State Senator. I hope to have your support.”

Nicholson shook O'Bama's right hand and said with a smile, "Oh, future Senator, as long as you continue to support Michael Jordan, I will support you."

Many NBA stars also came, but one person attracted the most attention: Barkley.

"Charles, you're Michael's good friend, are you here to support him?"

As Barkley walked onto the court, a reporter immediately came up to interview him.

“Of course, would I support Don?” Barkley said, shaking his bald head.

The reporter then asked, "Charles, was your elimination in the second round due to a lack of skill, or did you not want to make it to the finals and get swept by Michael?"

"You're so annoying!"

Barkley mumbled something indistinctly.

"What did you say?" The reporter didn't hear clearly.

I said it was an accident.

Barkley replied curtly, then signaled the interview was over.

"That damn guy dares to come here again?"

In the home team's locker room, Jordan saw Barkley on the TV screen and wanted to call Barkley in and beat him up—no, to yell at him, since he couldn't beat him in a fight.

The NBA's television broadcaster was CBS from 73 to 90, and then NBC switched in 90.

To mitigate risk, NBC distributed some games to other networks, but kept the important games in its own hands.

For example, the Eastern Conference Finals, the Western Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals—these three series consistently had the highest viewership, and were always dominated by NBC.

The commentators for the Eastern Conference Finals were Bill Russell and Bill Walton, with superstar Moses Malone as the guest.

39-year-old veteran Moses Malone played for the 76ers this season but missed the playoffs, and plans to play another year next season.

The live stream hadn't started yet. After putting on makeup, the three of them came to the live stream room and chatted while preparing.

Bill Walton didn't immediately get into the topic of the game, but instead said:

"NBC's four-year television broadcasting rights expire after the playoffs, and I heard they're interested in renewing them. Is that true?"

Bill Russell immediately nodded and said, "Yes, I have inside information. The previous contract was $600 million for four years. This time, it might be $900 million for another four years. Some media outlets have already leaked this information."

Moses Malone said, "Michael Jordan has been on a roll these past few years, winning two championships in a row. The NBA's popularity has soared, and viewership ratings have hit new highs, surpassing the NHL. It's certain that television broadcasting fees will increase. Even if it doesn't reach 900 million, 700 or 800 million is definitely possible."

Bill Russell suddenly laughed and said, "What a pity. If the Bulls had won the championship last year and created the first three-peat dynasty in modern basketball, the $900 million would definitely have been secured."

Bill Walton laughed and said, "Last year's Finals were one-sided, and the ratings were terrible, far worse than the Eastern Conference Finals. Hopefully, this year won't be like last year."

Moses Malone said, "Last year's Finals were Nike vs. Nike, and Nike stole the show, but the ratings were too low, which affected the interests of the NBA, NBC, and other sponsors, and Nike also got into trouble."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "They probably won't dare to do it like last year. If they do it again, let's not talk about how the other sponsors and NBC will react, or how the league will react, let's just talk about Tang."

"Don might cripple Michael Jordan in his anger, Nike would collapse by at least half, and Adidas and Reebok would be ecstatic."

“Given Tang’s personality, it’s quite possible,” Bill Russell said.

Moses Malone said with a smile, "Hollywood A-list action star Seagal and that Japanese swordsman have been completely wiped out by Tang."

Bill Russell said, "To be honest, I just want to maintain a normal playing environment. Home-court advantage is enough."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "The Bulls have an extra home game, that's their advantage. If the Rockets hadn't had home-court advantage in Game 7, they might not have lost to the Suns. The same goes for the Jazz."

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

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

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

Beijing, CCTV live broadcast studio.

Zhang Heli said, "The Bulls and the Heat were evenly matched in the regular season, and the Bulls have the home-court advantage, so the Heat can't be careless."

Sun Zhenping said, "Coach Zhang, Coach Han, what do you think of this year's Bulls roster? Compared to last year, who is stronger?"

Han Qiaosheng said, "Judging from the regular season record, the Bulls are stronger this season. They didn't have 60 wins last season."

"Yes, the Bulls are stronger this season."

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "Unexpectedly, Rodman is very suitable for the triangle offense. The Bulls probably didn't expect this either."

The younger Luke Longley, like Cobra Grant, also has playmaking ability, and the Bulls were really good to trade for him.

And then there's Toni Kukoc, who's a big surprise for the Bulls, even more versatile than Grant the Cobra.

Sun Zhenping said, "Rodman is indeed strong. He has been the rebounding champion for three consecutive years. With him and Luke Longley, the Bulls' rebounding is no worse than the Heat's."

After glancing at the data on the table, Zhang Heli said, "The average number of rebounds per game for all NBA teams this season is 42.1. The Bulls have 44.6 rebounds, ranking third in the league, the Heat have 45, ranking second in the league, and the Knicks have 45.3, which is not much different."

"Shh!"

Tang Bei strolled onto the field, bumping fists with his teammates, coaching staff, and management, as a deafening chorus of boos erupted from the Chicago stadium.

"The boos from the opponents are a welcome to the strong," Zhang Heli said excitedly.

“The strong are always tolerant of the weak, but when they encounter an even stronger opponent, they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals,” Sun Zhenping echoed.

When the home team entered the stadium and Jordan came out, the stadium erupted in the loudest cheers.

"Hey, Michael."

Hey, Will.

Will Smith greeted him with a big smile, and the two hugged, clearly having known each other for a long time.

"Hey, Michael."

Hey, Jack.

“Michael, this is Ohbama, the future senator.”

"Hi Michael, I'm a fan of yours."

"Hello, Mr. Oh-hachi."

Jack Nicholson also hugged Jordan and then introduced him to Jordan.

"Charles..."

Then Jordan saw a chubby face with dark circles under his eyes appear in front of him, and at that moment he wanted to punch it flat.

"Hey Michael, I'm here to support you."

Barkley grinned and stretched out his arms as if to give him a friendly hug.

Jordan said with a stern face, "You bastard, you dare to come back?"

Barkley withdrew his arms, his smile vanished, and he said with displeasure, "Michael, I came here to support you, and this is how you treat me?"

"Humph!"

"Michael, I didn't lose to that bastard Hakim on purpose. Besides, I swept you with my own strength..."

"What did you say?"

The first half of the sentence sounded alright, but when he heard the second half, Jordan exploded on the spot, glaring at Barkley and yelling:
"The Bulls only have three reserves out of their six big men, and Scottie can't play either. Of our five starters, only BJ and I are left. Charles, how dare you say you can sweep me with your strength?"

At this moment, a group of reporters arrived, drawn by the smell of blood. Jordan and Barkley then stopped talking, some warming up and others returning to their seats.

"Hey, the king of bargain hunting."

At this moment, Tang Bei walked past Barkley, casually tossed out a sentence, and went to warm up.

"Hey, I won the championship with my own skills, why don't you do one too?" Barkley shouted indignantly from behind.

"What makes you think you can do that?"

Jordan heard this and turned around to yell at him angrily.

"Tang, finish off this hard-boiled egg, and I'll support you to the finals."

Barkley amassed four top honors in a single season: MVP, Finals MVP, NBA championship, and All-NBA First Team selection. He felt his status had risen to be similar to Jordan's, but he wasn't intimidated by Jordan, and their friendship quickly soured.

"asshole!"

Jordan glared at Barkley, then turned and went to warm up.

Barkley muttered indignantly, "Damn it, luck is part of skill too. Why do you look down on my championship?"

Around 8 o'clock, the referee signaled that time was up and the players should prepare to enter the field.

"Defeat the Heat!"

All the Bulls players rallied around Jordan, hands clasped together, and Jordan shouted his pre-game pep talk.

This is the Bulls' new mobilization slogan, previously it was "Time to get to work," borrowed from the Celtics' slogan "Beat the Lakers."

"Defeat the Heat!"

The entire Chicago stadium resounded with a deafening roar, a truly awe-inspiring sound.

"Defeat the Heat!"

Outside the stadium, throughout the entire Chicago city and metropolitan area, this voice resonated, with millions of Chicagoans forming a single voice.

"What a terrifying home-field advantage!" Sun Zhenping exclaimed in shock.

Zhang Heli said, "The atmosphere on site is a hundred times more intense. We can't truly feel the atmosphere just by sitting in front of the TV."

Han Qiaosheng nodded and said, "That's the home advantage. The away team players have to bear ten times more psychological pressure than the home team players."

Zhang Heli said, "Therefore, the chance of winning at home is much higher than on the road in a series. This is why after the Suns won the first two away games, everyone thought the Suns would definitely make it to the Western Conference Finals, because winning on the road is really difficult."

"Destroy everything!"

Tang Bei stood in the very center, extended his right hand, and everyone's hands reached out to him. He then shouted the Heat's slogan.

This is the Heat's newly formulated pre-game motivational slogan, which takes Tang Bei's opinion into consideration, and it is also the Heat's rallying cry.

The Heat players, coaching staff, management, and hundreds of Heat fans who had traveled from afar were completely overwhelmed by the 20,000 home fans, leaving no room for any ripples.

Before the game even started, an immense, unbelievable amount of psychological pressure weighed on all the Heat players, forcing them to gasp for breath.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Tang Bei flicked the ball over Luke Longley's head to Avery Johnson, and the Heat went on offense.

The Bulls retreated to half-court, man-to-man defense.

Jordan and Pippen on the perimeter both employed line defense, which involved standing between the ball handler and the defender to cut off their passing lanes.

The Heat's three perimeter players were evenly distributed on the perimeter, with Tang Bei moving into the low post on the left wing and Grant Lang lurking in the right elbow area.

When Tang Bei approached the penalty area, Luke Longley immediately closed in.

Han Qiaosheng said, "The Bulls haven't double-teamed Tang Bei off the ball yet."

"Shh!"

From the moment the Heat started their offense, the boos from the Chicago arena never stopped; the home fans were putting psychological pressure on the visiting players with their boos.

(End of this chapter)