The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 172 Taunts from the NFL

15:10, Bulls attack.

"Bang!"

Pippen backed down Glen Rice, but his turnaround jump shot missed.

Luke Longley hugged Tang Bei from behind, and Rodman seized the opportunity to grab the offensive rebound over Grant Long's head.

Whenever an opponent commits a foul and the referee doesn't call it, Tang Bei shows no mercy. He delivers a sneaky elbow strike, causing Luke Longley to cry out in pain and let go, before rushing behind Rodman in one step.

"what?"

Rodman jumped for a second layup, and a large hand suddenly appeared above his head, slamming the basketball onto the backboard.

"A nailed hat, beautiful!" Zhang Heli exclaimed excitedly.

"boom!"

Glen Rice launched a fast break, received a pass from Tang Bei, drove to the basket, and slammed it home with a powerful dunk.

Bill Walton said, "After Rodman grabbed a rebound in the backcourt, his passing ability was not good enough. He would usually pass to the playmaker Pippen first, and then to the finisher Jordan."

"Tang's first pass ability is obviously better because he is taller, has a wider field of vision, and is more resistant to interference. He can pass the ball to the finisher of the fast break and launch a faster fast attack."

Bill Russell said, "The Bulls' current starting lineup has a very weak interior offense, far inferior to the combination of Cobra Grant and Cartwright."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "Although the rebounding and defense are stronger, we are now relying entirely on the outside offense. It has its advantages and disadvantages. If the outside offense can't get going, it will be troublesome."

Ewing then stammered, "The outside offense of Jordan, Pippen, and Armstrong, plus their second-chance points inside, is enough to beat most strong teams, but against the Heat, their weakness in low-post offense will be exposed."

Bill Russell said, "Yes, with insufficient low-post offense, the Heat's interior defense will focus more on helping and assisting the Bulls' perimeter defense."

Bill Walton said, "Phil Jackson certainly knew that, but that's just the roster. Without a strong inside presence, you can't fundamentally solve the problem."

The game continues, 17-10, Bulls attack.

"brush!"

Armstrong makes a wide-open mid-range jumper.

17:12, Heat on offense.

“Huh!”

During the transition between offense and defense, Phil Jackson sucked on two pinky fingers and blew sharply. After the Bulls players looked over, he made a tactical gesture indicating a half-court press.

"Pull away!"

Avery Johnson, near the center line, confidently made a move to create space.

Armstrong quickly pressed forward, but Avery Johnson dribbled behind his back, made a strong drive from the left, knocked Armstrong aside, and drove straight for the top of the key.

Both weigh 79 kilograms, but Avery Johnson is 10 centimeters shorter, which gives him a lower stance, a higher muscle mass, greater strength, and better fighting ability.

The Bulls could only rotate quickly, but Jordan and Pippen couldn't be filled because Glen Rice and Steve Smith were both very accurate three-point shooters.

Rodman, positioned on the right side of the midfield, quickly moved up and stood at the free-throw line ahead of time.

Avery Johnson didn't take a three-pointer, so he accelerated and changed direction to break through from the right elbow area, then continued to drive downwards.

The Bulls' interior defense was drawn to the basket, and Luke Longley moved to the underside, while Rodman moved down to the side.

"It's over!"

Bill Walton suddenly said.

Just then, Avery Johnson, who had broken into the low right wing, pulled up the ball and, in his jump, tossed it high into the air along the backboard.

Luke Longley jumped to block the shot, but realized something was wrong; the ball was too high.

"boom!"

As he landed, a loud banging sound suddenly rang out above his head.

The next instant, a fierce impact hit him, causing him to stumble forward and fall to the ground.

Zhang Heli said happily, "It's another alley-oop dunk. Avery Johnson and Tang's teamwork is very easy and natural, which shows that Avery Johnson is very relaxed."

Sun Zhenping said, "The Heat are indeed in better form today than in Game 1. In Game 1, they couldn't play freely, and their outside shots were all wild attempts, and they couldn't even make open shots."

19:12, Bulls attack.

The fact that the point guard couldn't defend his man and stop the Heat's offensive playmaker made Phil Jackson frown.

It's not that Tang Bei can't score, but with Avery Johnson on the team, scoring will be much easier for Tang Bei, and he'll expend very little energy. If they continue playing like this, it will be quite disadvantageous for the Bulls.

Of course, this also benefits the Bulls, as it greatly reduces the competition in the paint.

In contrast, as long as a situation like last year's Eastern Conference Finals, where three big men were injured, he would prefer to see Tang Bei's stamina significantly depleted.

"Bang!"

Jordan took a shot from the right elbow area, surrounded by Smith and Avery Johnson, and missed +1.

Tang Bei grabbed another rebound in the backcourt, and the Heat launched an attack.

"Bang!"

At the 1-degree angle on the right wing, Steve Smith pulled up for a three-pointer in front of Jordan, but missed again.

"mine."

Rodman leaped high into the air, his legs swinging wildly in the air like a crab baring its fangs and claws.

Tang Bei had already pushed past Luke Longley, quickly moved behind Rodman, leaped up, gained a slight height advantage, and lobbed the ball back into the air before Rodman could grab it.

"Fuck you!"

Rodman cursed under his breath, getting a little anxious.

He's a player who relies on rebounding for his livelihood. If he can't get rebounds, his value on the court is reduced to just defense, which is less than half of his former value.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei jumped a second time and managed to take the ball off his head.

Rodman, who also attempted a second jump, was bounced off in mid-air, demonstrating that his aerial combat ability was far inferior to Tang Bei's.

The next moment, Tang Bei held the ball in front of his chest with both hands and suddenly turned to the left in a Tai Chi style.

Rodman, in a fit of rage, charged forward to steal the ball, but a massive elbow swept past him with a whoosh, startling him so much that he braked abruptly and leaned back.

After the Tai Chi turn, Tang Bei suddenly attacked the basket, but Luke Longley jumped up to block it.

"boom!"

"Di!"

As Luke Longley was dunked on, the referee blew his whistle, and the Bulls' basket was slammed open once again.

At 21:12, the Bulls called another timeout.

张合理说道：“唐北5投5中，4篮板2助攻2盖帽，状态非常好。”

Sun Zhenping said, "More importantly, his teammates also played well. Steve Smith took three shots, all of which were three-pointers, and he made two of them for six points."

Han Qiaosheng nodded and said, "Glen Rice also scored five points with two of his two shots, one a three-pointer and the other a fast break two points."

Zhang Heli said with certainty and confidence: "As long as the Heat's outside shooting can open up, it doesn't have to be too good, just average performance is fine, as long as they can score, and with Tang Bei on the team, they can beat the Bulls."

Sun Zhenping said, "Avery Johnson was indeed a great player for the Heat. Once the Bulls spread out, they had a hard time shutting him down. If the Heat had had him in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, they would definitely have made it to the NBA Finals."

Zhang Heli said, "The Heat's roster last season was really strong, and this season it's even stronger."

Han Qiaosheng said, "Let's not talk about Tang Bei. Grant Lang is actually not bad either. He can score, rebound, and defend. He averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game in the regular season."

The team boasts a top-tier outside shooter in Glen Rice, along with the incredibly accurate three-point shooter Steve Smith. Off the bench, they have Dell Curry, Kevin Edwards, and John Salley.

Zhang Heli said, "Last season, our perimeter defense was weak. We strengthened it by adding Avery Johnson, and Smith's defense has also improved. We've made up for our weaknesses."

"Rebounds, especially defensive rebounds, must be protected."

Phil Jackson was sweating. Offensive rebounds aside, if they lose too many defensive rebounds, what's the point of playing? Tang Bei's second-chance points after grabbing an offensive rebound are enough to crush the Bulls.

On offense, he demanded that the perimeter players attack the basket to improve offensive efficiency and stop taking wild shots from the outside, as they had already missed several shots.

After the timeout, both sides made substitutions.

For the Heat, Kevin Edwards replaced Steve Smith, John Salley replaced Grant Long, and Dell Curry replaced Glen Rice, leaving only Tang Bei and Avery Johnson among the five starters.

The Bulls substituted Luke Longley for Will Perdo, a physical presence on the court.

The Bulls were on offense. Pippen was posting up Glen Rice on the strong side, and Will Perdo moved up to the high post.

"Should we pass directly to Jordan, or should Perdo facilitate and distribute the ball?"

Tang Bei, who had followed Jordan to the next step of the free-throw line, glanced at Jordan, who was making an off-ball run on the weak side, and became more vigilant.

If Pippen shoots from outside, I won't interfere. If he makes the shot, that's his skill. Anyway, he's not very dangerous, unless he comes in from outside.

Even if he passes it to Perdo, he won't care, because Perdo currently has no mid-range shooting ability.

So at this moment, his defensive focus was entirely on Jordan.

Just then, Jordan suddenly made a reverse run, shaking off Steve Smith, and then quickly cut into the paint.

Pippen suddenly gathered the ball, pushed it towards Luke Longley at the high post with both hands as if to pass it, and then in the next instant, gathered the ball and pushed it hard towards Jordan who was cutting to the basket.

In the next instant, Tang Bei suddenly exerted all his strength, performed a Tai Chi turn, and lunged towards the basket.

He took a step and saw Jordan catch the ball and jump. He immediately exerted his strength and sprang up, as swift as a cheetah.

"Damn it, I was careless!"

Jordan received the ball on the left side of the basket and then attempted a reverse layup, but Tang Bei slapped the ball onto the backboard.

"Tang's turnaround speed is too fast. Compared to Michael Jordan, his turnaround speed is not slow at all," Bill Walton exclaimed.

On the sidelines, Phil Jackson looked very disappointed. He shook his head and turned to sit back on the bench.

The victory in Game 1 seemed to have made Michael complacent. He made a layup so carelessly under Tang Bei's basket, wasn't that just giving away a block?
"brush!"

The Heat launched a counterattack, with Dell Curry starting a fast break from beyond the three-point line, receiving a pass from Kevin Edwards and easily scoring a layup.

23-12, the Heat lead by 11 points on the road, Bulls attack.

"brush!"

The Bulls launched a fast break, and Jordan pulled up for a jump shot in the right elbow area, hitting a mid-range jumper to stop the bleeding for the Bulls and bring the point difference back to single digits.

23:14, Heat on offense.

Both teams missed a shot each, and forty seconds later, the Heat went on offense.

Tang Bei saw Avery Johnson move to the left wing and set a screen with Dell Curry, and felt that an offensive opportunity had arrived.

He immediately began to position himself on the left wing, backing down Perdo to receive the ball, and forcefully squeezed into the penalty area. The 130-kilogram shield couldn't withstand him at all.

The ball was passed over, and the next moment, he dribbled and pushed back half a step with a thud.

Rodman anticipated that Tang Bei would break through from the top, so he attacked from the top side.

The next moment, noticing Rodman's weak-side double-team, Tang Bei suddenly dribbled and turned, taking a step back to face the basket, while simultaneously widening the distance between himself and the two.

"What does Tang Bei want to do?" Zhang Heli asked quickly.

Rodman quickly moved in to steal the ball, denying Tang Bei a chance to shoot, while Perdo remained still, and the two failed to form a coordinated double-team.

"squeak!"

After Rodman made the tackle, Tang Bei suddenly stepped forward with his right foot while dribbling with his right hand.

"breakthrough!"

Rodman braked quickly, reacting with lightning speed, and simultaneously reached out to poke the ball.

But in the next instant, with a thud, Tang Bei dribbled between his legs, pulled the ball up with his left hand, and then broke past Rodman.

"not good!"

When Will Perdo saw Tang Bei charging towards him aggressively, he instantly recalled spitting at Tang Bei during Game 7 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals, which led to Tang Bei's ejection and the Heat's elimination. At that moment, he wanted to get out of the way.

At that moment, with all his strength bursting forth, Tang Bei took off like a tiger, pouncing towards the basket and also towards Will Perdo.

At that moment, his explosive power combined with his weight created a terrifying impact.

"boom!"

"Oh!"

With a powerful slam of his hands down, and a tremendous bang as the basket exploded, Will Perdo was sent flying two meters backward before crashing onto the floor and sliding backward.

"Oh!"

A huge gasp erupted in the Chicago stadium.

"Creak! Bang bang..."

The terrifying impact instantly pulled the basket backboard down, causing it to sway left and right and up and down as if it were about to collapse. At the same time, it strained the connection between the basket and the backboard, emitting a piercing metallic groan.

Tang Bei landed and looked at the basketball hoop still swaying above him. The backboard wasn't broken, but the rim was severely deformed and needed to be replaced.

He glanced down at Perdo again, snorted inwardly, and turned away.

Throughout this process, the Chicago stadium remained deathly silent, devoid of the boos and noise that had just erupted.

Countless fans stared in shock at Perdo, who remained motionless on the floor, as if they had been transported back to last year's Eastern Conference Finals, where they were gripped by fear.

The referee signaled that the two points were valid, then brought the Bulls' team doctor onto the court, and had the arena staff replace the basketball hoop.

“Fear, this is deep fear. Don is finally starting to show his lethality,” Bill Walton said excitedly.

Ewing spoke before the Lord of the Rings could, saying, "If Tang makes it to the Finals by attacking the Bulls' interior, will the league introduce some kind of new rule in the offseason?"

"possible."

Bill Russell paused for a moment, then said, "George Mikan's presence has allowed the league to expand the three-second zone from 6 feet to 12 feet."

Chamberlain's presence led the league to expand the three-second zone from 12 to 16 feet, and he also introduced the goaltending rule and the free-throw line dunk rule.

His presence also prompted the league to reconsider spacing, and ultimately, after his retirement, the three-point line was introduced in 79.

Because Michael Jordan's one-on-one ability was so extraordinary, the league introduced anti-isolation rules.

Bill Walton chimed in, "When a superstar becomes too powerful and disrupts the balance, he has to be limited, otherwise the game becomes unplayable."

Ewing considered, "Do you think some kind of rule should be introduced?"

Bill Russell considered: "Within a certain range under the basket, when the offensive team violates the defender's cylinder, an offensive foul is triggered."

Bill Walton thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "This rule is too favorable to the defense under the basket. If it is implemented, it will definitely suppress the offense. Who will dare to rush in from the outside?"
Furthermore, we cannot use rules to suppress Tang too much; we can only suppress him appropriately, and the goal is to maintain balance.

Bill Russell himself nodded in agreement, saying, "Moreover, the current trend in the league is to encourage offense, so this rule really won't work."

Ewing, however, said, "Besides balance, there should be another purpose, which is to protect the players. Too many players have been injured by Tang, and their health should be protected by the rules."

Upon examination, it was found that Will Perdo had three broken ribs, two of which were dislocated. He was carried away on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.

Zhang Heli said, "Sure enough, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. The Bone Crusher truly lives up to its name!"

Sun Zhenping suddenly said, "Will Perdo is the guy who caused Tang Bei to be ejected in Game 7 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals."

“Yes, that’s him,” Han Qiaosheng said hurriedly.

At this point, the Bulls' bench was in a very low mood because Perdo was out for the season due to injury, and they were all thinking about last year's Eastern Conference Finals.

Phil Jackson appeared calm and composed, like a Zen master, but he was actually somewhat bewildered inside.

With Will Perdo, the team's defensive anchor, out for the season, how will they proceed? Will the situation from last year's Eastern Conference Finals repeat itself?

After much deliberation, he decided that he could only double-team the enemy from the start.

By double-teaming Tang Bei in advance and limiting his ability to receive the ball, we can also limit his offensive power and scoring ability.

With other positions requiring three players to defend four, whether the Bulls can get past the Heat this year really depends on home-court advantage and luck.

The game restarted fifteen minutes later.

The Bulls began to double-team Tang Bei early, but Tang Bei, with his experience, immediately moved to a high position to provide support and connect directly with the outside players.

His shot from the free-throw line area is good, and he's extremely threatening when setting pick-and-rolls there.

The Bulls only dared to double-team Tang Bei in the low post, never in the high post, because that would leave the paint open and the Heat's wing players would definitely take the opportunity to cut in.

Incomplete early double-teaming, where one person defends while another prepares to double-team and protect the rim in the paint, has proven to be ineffective.

However, the referee became harsher on the Heat, not on Tang Bei, but on everyone else.

Even so, under Tang Bei's leadership, the Heat still won Game 2 on the road with a score of 106-101, tying the series one-one.

比尔·拉塞尔说道：“唐上场43分钟，27投22中，命中率81.5%，7罚5中，得到49分17篮板7助攻2抢断6盖帽2失误4犯规的数据。

Seven assists is his highest single-game assist record in the playoffs, and one of the key reasons for today's victory over the Bulls.

Bill Walton said, "Glen Rice has 20 points, Steve Smith has 16 points, and three Heat players have scored in double figures."

Bill Russell added, "The Bulls also had three players scoring in double figures: Jordan with 42 points, Pippen with 18 points, and Armstrong with 12 points."

However, Jordan was double-teamed by the Heat, including help defense from Tang, and his shooting percentage was only 42.4%. His lower efficiency compared to Tang was a major reason for the Bulls' loss.

Bill Walton said, "The Heat had eight more rebounds than the Bulls and a 6% higher field goal percentage, but they had five more turnovers and 14 more fouls."

"In terms of free throws, the Bulls had 35, while the Heat only had 20. Steals and blocks were evenly matched between the two teams."

Bill Russell summarized, "The Bulls double-teamed Tang earlier, but it turned out that this tactic was not very effective."

Tang is very agile, fast, and strong. He can force his way into the basket to establish position and also move to the high post to facilitate pick-and-rolls.

His powerful drives to the basket were unstoppable. After injuring Will Perdo, under the influence of severe fear, no one in the Bulls' interior dared to stop him.

Whether it's a high-post dunk, a high-post mid-range jumper, or a pass to an open player, he can break down the early double-team strategy.

Bill Walton said, "It had some effect, but there was no way to really limit Tang's performance, that's for sure."

Bill Russell said, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, this Eastern Conference Finals is tied one to one, just like last year."

Just as Tang hoped, the Heat won a road game, regaining the initiative. If they can then hold onto their two home games and take a 3-1 lead, the Bulls will be in trouble.

Ewing then suddenly said, "The Bulls have to win an away game, otherwise there's no way to win. I don't think any team can come back from a 3-1 lead against this Heat team, not even Michael's Bulls."

“But how do we win?” Bill Walton asked.

Both men looked at the Lord of the Rings, and Bill Russell said, "It's simple, just cut off the passing chain to Tang and shut down the other four players."

I would even venture to say that if the Bulls could achieve just one of those two things, they could easily eliminate the Heat and advance to the NBA Finals.

In a post-game interview, an NBC reporter asked, "Don, Glen Rice and his team had a very efficient offense tonight. How would you rate their performance?"

"Without their excellent performance, we couldn't have won the game," Tang Bei immediately gave a very positive assessment.

"Now that the Heat have won an away game, what are their next goals?" the reporter asked again.

"Back on home turf, let's try to take it all," Tang Bei said with a smile.

"What's your opinion on Will Perdo's injury?" the reporter asked again.

"When you can't stop me, you should leave your defensive position, or you should bear the consequences," Tang Bei said.

"Okay, one last question, Tang, how confident are you about advancing to the finals?" the reporter asked.

Tang Bei immediately asked, "Destroy everything."

The atmosphere in the home team's locker room wasn't good.

Losing Game 2 again, coupled with Will Perdo's season-ending injury, left Jordan in a very bad mood.

“Phil?” he asked.

Phil Jackson stood behind the door, leaning against the wall, staring at the ceiling in thought. Upon hearing this, he said:

"Tang shut down the paint on the defensive end, preventing our offense from entering the paint and making multiple passes out of the paint. He also double-teamed and covered for you four times, which greatly reduced our offensive efficiency. As a result, our shooting percentage was not as good as theirs tonight."

At the same time, he bombarded our paint on offense, forcing us to collapse our defense and giving them too much space on the perimeter.

He scored 49 points with an 81.5% field goal percentage; his scoring and efficiency advantages were too great. Even with home-court advantage, we couldn't overcome those advantages.

Jordan and Pippen were speechless. The interior players simply couldn't suppress Tang Bei's offense. Even with high pick-and-rolls, Tang Bei would still roll down the court and dunk time and time again.

Phil Jackson said, "Also, we didn't rebound as well as them. We let Tang grab too many offensive rebounds, eight, and he made seven of them on second-chance points."

After a few seconds of silence, he looked down at Jordan and said:

"Michael, he is better than you at drawing double teams in the low post, his offensive efficiency is better than yours, and his ability to break double teams is better than yours."

So when we double-team him, and they double-team you, they gain the advantage.

"Then weren't we doomed to lose? How did we win Game 1?" Jordan said defiantly.

Phil Jackson said, "That's because we defended other players, but we didn't tonight. Their outside shooting percentage wasn't lower than ours, and with Tang Bei on the team, their overall shooting percentage was 6 percentage points higher than ours."

Jordan thought for a moment and said, "Phil, tell me why we can't defend their other positions?"

He knew very well that if he couldn't stop the Heat's other players, the Bulls would have a very difficult time in the next two away games.

Phil Jackson thought to himself, “Because our rotations were slower than their passing, they capitalized on a lot of open looks.”

Jordan nodded. Most of the Heat's other baskets came from open shots. In terms of ball-handling offense, the Heat's perimeter game was terrible.

Whether it's Avery Johnson, Steve Smith, or Kevin Edwards, their ball-handling and offensive abilities are all quite average.

He suddenly asked, "What do you think of what Bill Russell just said, Phil?"

Phil Jackson pushed up the nose bridge of his glasses with his middle finger and said, "He's right, but we're not doing a good enough job."

Armstrong lowered his head; he knew he couldn't possibly intercept Avery Johnson's pass to Tang Bei by himself.

Pippen and Jordan also began to review why they weren't fast enough when rotating positions during the game tonight.

"I can't sleep again tonight!"

Phil Jackson also narrowed his eyes, considering how to play Game 3.

The result of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the 25th immediately influenced media predictions about the two teams' chances of advancing, with many lowering the Bulls' chances and raising the Heat's chances.

At 9 p.m., ESPN Sports News broadcast an interview with NFL star and Thuznets Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd.

"The NBA is a game for women, which is why they have introduced rules to protect players. Severe phobia is more suitable for the NFL, which is a man's world."

This is a football star who has just entered the peak of his professional career. He has a fiery temper and often gets into conflicts with others both on and off the field.

In 92, as a rookie, he had just joined the Pittsburgh Steelers when he stabbed a teammate, fracturing his wrist and requiring four months in a cast.

"Hey, Tang, some NFL guy is mocking our NBA..."

Tang Bei didn't see the news, but John Selye did and told him.

"NFL..."

He didn't say anything. He didn't know anything about the NFL. He had seen it on TV, but he couldn't understand the rules of the game, and he hadn't made any special effort to learn about it.

As the Heat left the hotel for the airport, Wenger, a reporter from ABC and also the Heat's beat reporter, asked:
"Don, do you know about Greg Lloyd's interview? It just aired on ESPN."

“I just heard John mention it, what’s up?” he said.

"Do you think, based on his words, that the NBA is really a game only women play?" Wenger asked.

"That's a bit extreme. Everyone has their own rules," Tang Bei said.

"Do you think the NBA should introduce rules to limit your offensive power?" Wenger asked again.

"There's such a thing as legal fighting in ice hockey, so why are there new rules restricting me?" Tang Bei said unhappily.

"Would you go play in the NFL?" Wenger asked again.

"I don't understand American football," Tang Bei said, shaking his head.

“Don doesn’t understand American football, but I can teach him. I can also talk to him about wrestling, because I know he can wrestle.”

(End of this chapter)