The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 173 Is this guy trying to beat me up?

After Tang Bei's interview was made public, a very famous NCAA football star in the United States said in an interview.

At 2 p.m., the Heat and the Bulls arrived in Miami one after the other.

A local reporter interviewed him at the airport and asked, "Don, Dwayne Johnson, the University of Miami football star, said he can teach you how to play American football. Would you be willing?"

"Is Dwayne Johnson the one who wrestles?" Tang Bei asked.

Dwayne Johnson won the national championship in 91. He was not only famous in Miami, but also a popular star throughout the United States. He frequently appeared in mainstream media reports and on television. I have seen some of the news.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, I don't have time right now."

That night, the Rockets won 99-104, securing their second consecutive victory at home.

When Tang Bei watched the game, he felt anxious for the Jazz as the Rockets kept taking the rebounds.

The Jazz lost 23-42, missing 19 rebounds. Their loss was entirely justified; if they had grabbed just 5 more rebounds, the Rockets wouldn't have won.

In terms of shooting, the Jazz have a slightly higher field goal percentage and fewer turnovers. Apart from rebounding, their free throw percentage and three-point percentage are also lower than the Rockets'.

Tang Bei has become more wary of the Rockets' three-point shooting.

本场三分球19投8中，命中率高达42.1%，比爵士多扔进5个三分，爵士11投仅3中。

Without such a strong three-point shot, the Rockets wouldn't have been able to beat the Jazz.

Although the Heat's perimeter defense is stronger than last season, can they stop the Rockets' three-point barrage?

He calculated that with a 42.1% three-point shooting percentage, his two-point shooting percentage would be over 60%.

This immediately raised his vigilance towards the Rockets to the same level as that towards the Bulls.

Even higher, because the Bulls don't have such a strong three-point shot, and their interior defense isn't as powerful as the Rockets'.

The Bulls' strength lies in Jordan, but his scoring and offensive efficiency are even greater than Jordan's. As long as his teammates perform well, the Heat have a chance to beat the Bulls.

However, the Olajuwon-Thorpe frontcourt duo is definitely stronger offensively than Ewing-Okley, and their defense and rebounding are no weaker.

The Rockets' interior duo can compress the Heat's defense through offense, maximizing the space for their outside shooters and allowing the league's best three-point shooting ability to be utilized.

They can also suppress his offense with strong defense, thereby reducing the Heat's overall offensive efficiency.

With this in mind, his vigilance towards the Rockets immediately rose to its peak, even surpassing that towards the Bulls.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals will be held on the 26th.

"Wet Tiger, the first batch of goods will be loaded onto the ship on June 8th, heading directly to Los Angeles, and will arrive on the 23rd," Garbo said during lunch.

"So fast?" Tang Bei was taken aback.

"Fifty thousand color TVs and seventy thousand washing machines—that's 90% of our production in May," Jia Bao said.

With Garbo's parents both present, Leo Nemur quickly asked, "Elena, what's the gross profit margin?"

Garbo smiled smugly, "The tariffs on home appliances aren't high, and we have most-favored-nation status. The tariffs on washing machines and color TVs are probably below 8%, while our labor costs are only 3% of those in the United States..."

"How many?"

The Nemurs thought they had misheard.

"3%."

Jia Bao raised three slender white fingers and said with a smile, "The current wage gap between Chinese and American manufacturing is 65 times. Our company's compensation is considered high in China."

"God!"

At that moment, Leo Nemur couldn't wait to go to China to investigate in person.

With such low labor costs, initial capital can be accumulated in the shortest possible time.

Once they dispose of most of their current assets, they can free up at least two billion US dollars in cash. They can leverage their financial advantage to rapidly expand production capacity and seize market share.

Garbo continued, "Currently, in the multi-tiered distribution chain in the United States, the gross profit margin for home appliances can reach up to 30%."

However, since we go directly into the sales network, we can keep that portion of the profit ourselves, while the end retailers only need to retain 8% to 15% of the profit.

"How much exactly?" Tang Bei couldn't help but ask.

“Gross profit margin of 40% to 55%, and net profit margin of 20% to 35%,” Jia Bao said.

Leo Nemo's hands trembled again, because a net profit margin of 10% is the highest for American home appliance brands, while the net profit margin of general manufacturing companies is usually below 10%.

"How much profit do other domestic home appliances make when they export to the United States?" Tang Bei asked hurriedly.

“They have to go through multiple layers of distributors, resulting in a gross profit margin of less than 15% and a net profit margin of 5%, which is even lower than the profit margin in China,” Jia Bao said.

"Then why are they still selling to the United States?" Tang Bei asked.

"Wet Tiger is an idiot. Of course, it's because the country needs foreign exchange! Besides, there are export tax rebates, which are tax policies that the country uses to reward and encourage exports."

Jia Bao made a face at Tang Bei, then added, "A Midea microwave oven sells for $80 in the US, with a $6 tariff, leaving a net profit of only $4. Of course, this doesn't include domestic export tax rebates."

Basically, Chinese home appliances in the US, including Tangjia Electronics, are priced at most 50% of local brands, making them very competitive.

Leo Nemur's hand trembled slightly, but he said firmly, "It seems we need to increase our investment in retail outlets."

Jia Bao nodded quickly. Compared with other Chinese home appliance brands, apart from technological advantages, Tangjia Electronics' biggest advantage in exporting to the United States is that its products can directly enter the terminal sales stage, allowing it to retain an additional 15 to 30% gross profit.

The reason they were able to directly enter the end-sales stage is because they have made many investments in the US sales industry and have some say in it.

However, if we don't increase investment and further enhance our bargaining power, these end-user retailers aren't fools and will likely demand higher profits.

Jia Bao said, "The original expectation for Tangjia Electronics was to recoup the investment in two years, but now it seems that the timeframe can be set at 18 months."

"What if we expand production capacity?" Tang Bei asked.

Jia Bao's eyes lit up immediately, and she said excitedly, "Doubling the production capacity can reduce the time by about six months, and we can break even in a year."

Tang Bei shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we can't expand now."

Jia Bao nodded. Tangjia Electronics didn't have that many skilled workers, that many engineers, or that good management team yet.

Expanding production capacity also requires optimizing production lines, but the current production lines are already world-class and difficult to optimize.

Gree Electric Appliances was able to increase its production capacity sixfold last year, which was the result of a series of optimization measures, including the transformation of old production lines.

Tangjia Electronics currently operates on a two-shift system. If it were to operate on a three-shift system, it could expand its production capacity by up to 40%, but this would require more skilled workers, engineers, and a management team.

Given Tangjia Electronics' growth rate, it can train enough skilled workers and engineers next year to increase production capacity by 40%, but doubling it is almost impossible.

Jia Bao said, "Although three shifts can increase production capacity, the wear and tear on machines is also very large, and the reliance on manpower will be greater, unless the production line is fully automated."

Leo Nemur shook his head and said, "The production line we've brought in this time is already the best; 30% of the processes are already automated."

Currently, home appliance production lines worldwide are not yet fully automated, and breakthroughs in many electronic and sensing technologies are still lacking.

At this point, he looked at Tang Bei and said with a smile, "Tang, after you and Elena get married, we will also go to China for an inspection."

"Wow, that's fantastic!"

"Sir, Madam, Garbo and I will be your guides."

Jia Bao cheered first, and then Tang Bei expressed his welcome.

That evening, the Miami Arena was packed to capacity.

The NBC live broadcast hadn't started yet; the three commentators and guests were chatting in the studio.

Bill Walton said, "This Eastern Conference Finals should not be affected by too much."

Bill Russell said, "There's no question of a three-peat. Tang's popularity is also quite high, second only to Michael. The league won't allow another scandal."

David Robinson, speaking tonight, said, "Last year in the Eastern Conference Finals, the league's attitude should have been biased towards the Bulls."

“Of course, and with the support of sponsors, it almost caused a major incident,” Bill Walton said.

The three chatted until 7:25, when it was time for the live stream to start.

"Severe phobia! Severe phobia..."

As the Heat's home arena, highlights of Heat's star player Tang Bei were displayed on the overhead screen from time to time, and the stadium was filled with thunderous, earth-shattering, and uniform cheers.

"The Heat's home court atmosphere is getting stronger; it's about to evolve into a devil's home court," Bill Russell laughed.

"I'm really looking forward to the Bulls' performance today," Bill Walton said.

David Robinson said, "The Heat have a better chance of winning at home."

"David, between the Bulls and the Heat, who would you rather make it to the Finals?" Bill Russell asked.

"...Bull, I guess."

David Robinson opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

Jordan has already won two consecutive championships and almost won three, while I still can't see any hope of winning another championship. I haven't even reached the Western Conference Finals yet. I don't want to see Jordan win another championship. The gap is too big.

But compared to that, he would rather not see the Heat make it to the Finals.

Even this veteran center has never reached the Western Conference Finals, while Tang Bei reached the Eastern Conference Finals in his rookie season and has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals again this year. If they make it to the NBA Finals again, these three super centers will definitely lose face.

At least he and Ewing are outmatched by Don Bei, because Hakeem Olajuwon has a chance to make it to the Finals this time.

Therefore, compared to the Bulls, he would rather the Heat make it to the Finals.

“Why not the Heat?” Bill Walton asked.

David Robinson said, "Because Michael is an opponent I greatly respect."

"Isn't Tang a worthy opponent?" Bill Russell asked.

David Robinson explained, "Oh, he's too young. We're not from the same generation, so we don't have much in common."

"Does his ability warrant your respect?" Bill Russell asked.

David Robinson shrugged and nodded. "Of course."

"I don't want his respect," Tang Bei said in the home team's locker room.

"So what do you want from him?" Glenn Rice asked curiously.

"Get his body?" John Selye asked.

"Ha ha……"

The entire locker room erupted in laughter.

Tang Bei laughed as he gave the old man the middle finger and shouted, "I want to earn his fear of me."

"Ooh ho!"

Strange screams and shouts suddenly erupted in the locker room.

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, Steve Smith, Avery Johnson

Bill Russell said, "After last year's Eastern Conference Finals, and then Will Perdo's season-ending injury in the last game, the Bulls' interior players should be terrified of Tang."

“Bill, do you think the Bulls’ defensive strategy against Tang will lean towards non-contact?” David Robinson said.

Bill Russell nodded and said, "Last year, the Bulls made it to the Finals with a broken roster and were then swept by the Suns. It was a huge humiliation for Michael Jordan. Does he want to experience that again?"

“Barkley didn’t show up for Game 2. He and Michael might have… had a falling out,” David Robinson said.

“It shouldn’t come to a complete falling out; the two have a good relationship, but Michael definitely wants to beat Charles up,” Bill Walton said.

"Ha ha……"

The other two burst into laughter.

“Hey, Don, this is Dwayne Johnson, playing defensive tackle.”

After Tang Bei appeared, a young man came over to greet him.

"Hello, Dawn."

When shaking hands, Tang Bei sized up Dwayne Johnson. He was about 1.9 meters tall, with a maximum height of 195 centimeters, but he was exceptionally strong, with muscles all over his body, and his weight was likely close to 120 kilograms.

At 195 cm tall, he's a bit short for the shooting guard position in the NBA, and his weight is generally below 95 kg or even 90 kg. Dwayne Johnson looks two or three sizes bigger than NBA shooting guards.

"This guy's muscles are too strong, is he using performance-enhancing drugs?"

He was somewhat skeptical because doping is so common in American sports, and it's hard to guarantee that no one in the NBA does it.

"Is a defensive tackle specifically designed to ram people?" he asked.

"Yes, we are the strongest players on the field, responsible for the central collision zone, dealing with the attacking team's offensive guards, and using our bodies to block the attacks."

"Tang, you're interested in American football? We can play together." "Oh, I don't have time right now."

"I can wrestle too, shall we try sometime?"

"OK."

Tang Bei nodded and asked, "I'm more interested in boxing and plan to participate in professional boxing matches. Do you want to give it a try?"

Dwayne Johnson was taken aback, then quickly shook his head and said, "I'm not very good at boxing."

"I can teach you, and we can play together sometime."

Tang Bei patted Johnson on the shoulder and went to warm up.

"Is this guy trying to beat me up?"

Dwayne Johnson muttered, "Who's afraid of who?"

He wasn't afraid of Tang Bei either, because wrestling was one of the most powerful fighting techniques. If he got beaten up in the boxing ring, he could just throw himself back.

The competition officially began at eight o'clock.

After the jump ball, the Heat went on offense, and the Bulls retreated on defense.

"Let's see how the Bulls defend," Zhang Heli said expectantly.

"It's still man-to-man surveillance," Sun Zhenping said at this moment.

Zhang Heli said, "The Heat have two three-point shooters in their starting lineup, and two others with mid-range shots. As long as they improve their passing and receiving, zone defense really can't stop them. Man-to-man defense is more suitable."

Han Qiaosheng nodded and said, "Yes, the zone defense is mainly aimed at outside penetration, but the Heat's outside penetration ability is average, so there is no need to play zone defense."

"boom!"

At this moment, Tang Bei received the ball in the low post, performed a Tai Chi spin and slid to the bottom, knocked down Rodman who was helping to defend, and then slammed the ball down for a dunk.

"Di!"

The referee blew his whistle and called a foul on Rodman for hitting a hand.

Rodman got up and shouted, "Charging! That's an offensive foul!"

However, the referee ignored it because it was the Heat's home court, and Rodman had not fully established his defensive position beforehand. Therefore, in the absence of an accurate determination of whether it was a charging foul, the call should be made in favor of the home team.

The first call today didn't make Phil Jackson feel too good, because the calls against the Bulls in last year's Eastern Conference Finals away game weren't this harsh.

This means that the league is no longer biased between the Bulls and the Heat. The home-court advantage that the Heat deserve and the star advantage that Tang Bei deserve will both be there.

Bill Walton said, "Last year's Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 still had an impact. In Game 2, Chuck Thom's calls were very calm, but he just got fewer free throws."

David Robinson said, "Don will get a lot of free throws today. Rodman's foul just now was debatable. If this were an away game, Don might have been called for an offensive foul."

"brush!"

Tang Beijia's penalty hit.

0:3, Bulls attack.

Turning back, Jordan made an off-ball movement, set a screen with Rodman on the right wing, cut to the outside, received the ball at the 45-degree three-point line, and before Steve Smith could return, threw up a wide-open three-pointer.

"brush!"

Splashes of water, and a three-pointer goes in.

"Michael's first shot today was a three-pointer. Was he influenced by the Rockets last night?" Bill Russell asked in surprise.

“Possibly,” Bill Walton said.

David Robinson said, "The Rockets' three-point attempts accounted for a whopping 23.75% last night, exceeding their regular season average of 19.12%, which is insane!"

3:3, Heat on offense.

Glen Rice tried everything on the left wing – rhythm runs, reverse runs, pick-and-roll cuts – but Pippen kept him pinned down and he couldn't get open. Even when he did manage to get open, Pippen would quickly close in.

Steve Smith on the right wing was also tightly marked by Jordan.

Luke Longley and Rodman double-teamed Tang Bei early, while Armstrong did his best to cut off Avery Johnson's passing angle to Tang Bei.

Following the strategy employed in the G2 match, Tang Bei immediately moved up to a higher position.

However, Avery Johnson had already passed the ball to Grant Long, who was wide open and calling for the ball.

But just as the ball was being passed, Michael Jordan, who was a step inside the three-point line, quickly turned around and cut into the passing lane, stealing the ball.

"Oh dear, we only missed Grant Long. The chances of him passing the ball were too high. Jordan made a predictive steal," Zhang Heli said.

"boom!"

Pippen runs down the court, receives a pass from Jordan, and dunks the ball.

Sun Zhenping said, "By pressing the defense on other positions and double-teaming Tang Bei off the ball, the only receiver left was Grant Long. This pass was obvious; Jordan was just waiting to steal the ball."

Han Qiaosheng said, "But we can't not pass the ball. We can't waste that open space. We need to double-team Tang Bei in advance, and then it will be four against three for the other positions."

5:3, Heat on offense.

This time, the Bulls played the same defense as before, and Grant Long got another wide-open shot.

But Jordan was still watching closely from above, able to cut off Grant Long and Avery Johnson's passing lanes.

Grant Long didn't ask for the ball again, but instead lurked in the right blocking area, a step inside the right bottom corner.

Avery Johnson calmly waited for Tang Bei to move up to the high post, then used a screen to break through. When Rodman helped defend, he passed the ball to Tang Bei and then pulled towards the left wing.

Tang Bei caught the ball and threw it with both hands, sending the basketball flying straight toward Grant Long.

This time, Jordan couldn't steal the ball. Tang Bei's passing speed was too fast, and he was in a high position, so the passing lane was too far from Jordan's.

"brush!"

Grant Long received the ball, had a wide-open jump shot, and made it.

5:5, Bulls attack.

"Hey, Tang Bei needs to be in the high post to facilitate and distribute the ball. That's the only way to play reasonably and it's less likely to get the ball stolen," Zhang Heli said.

“We also need to improve our support to break the Bulls’ early double-teaming,” Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

Zhang Heli analyzed: "The reason why Tang Bei can break the off-ball double team by moving to the high post is because he has the skills, and the Heat also have the conditions."

"Coach Zhang, what are the techniques and conditions?" Han Qiaosheng asked.

"First, Tang Bei has a good mid-range shot when he is at a high position."

"Without a mid-range shot, he poses no threat in the high post. The Bulls won't double-team him in the high post, or even need a single defender; they can leave him wide open."

"Secondly, Tang Bei has good vision and mid-to-long-range passing skills, as evidenced by his 4.6 assists per game in the regular season. Moreover, he often delivers long-range first pass assists."

"Without vision, he wouldn't be able to spot his teammates' open positions so quickly, especially when the Bulls are making fast rotations and switching positions, where open positions aren't fixed."

"Without mid-to-long-range passing skills, he can't pass the ball quickly. So, like Jordan's steal just now, it would give the Bulls an opportunity to anticipate and steal the ball. Jordan just made an anticipatory steal."

"Third, the Heat have very good mid-range and three-point shooting abilities in their other four positions. When they spread out, the Bulls' rotations can't be as quick, especially when they're playing three against four, which makes it easy for wide-open shots to appear."

"If the Heat don't have very good shooting ability from the outside, and the Bulls collapse their defense, Tang Bei will not be able to break the off-ball double-team tactics well even if he moves to the high post."

"Not bad."

Han Qiaosheng nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Heli smiled and said, "So in Game 2, Tang Bei was double-teamed off the ball, and using the high post was enough to break this tactic."

His assists skyrocketed, and he scored 49 points. The Bulls' off-ball double-teaming strategy simply couldn't stop him from receiving the ball or limit his shot attempts.

The game continued, and with home-court advantage, the Heat executed the right offensive tactics, while the Bulls' defensive tactics failed, and the situation gradually turned in the Heat's favor.

With six minutes left in the second quarter, Jordan scored a basket, and the Heat were still leading by 5 points.

The Bulls no longer double-teamed Tang Bei off the ball. He received the ball in the low post on the left wing and backed down Luke Longley. It wasn't a straight pass, which caused Rodman to come to his side to help defend when he received the ball.

"boom!"

The next moment, he suddenly turned around in a Tai Chi style, avoiding Rodman's double-team, and with the force of the turn, he knocked Luke Longley down with his left shoulder, then drove into the paint and slammed it into the basket with a powerful dunk.

“Oh, Luke Longley is clutching his left ankle, looks like he’s hurt it,” Bill Russell said.

Bill Walton said, "Although I was knocked down, the intensity of the impact wasn't very high. However, sometimes lower limb joints can be injured even without physical contact."

“The Bulls have made a change of leadership,” David Robinson said.

The Bulls replaced Luke Longley with a sprained left ankle, and he will need to rest for at least two or three days before they decide whether he can play.

"No problem, I can get the injection."

As the first Australian to enter the NBA, Luke Longley didn't want to disappoint his countrymen because of a minor injury.

"It's not time for Luke to play with painkillers yet, you should rest for a game," Phil Jackson said, shaking his head.

With another player injured, the Bulls' morale plummeted further.

At the end of the game, the Heat defeated the Bulls 93-107, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Despite Jordan's relentless offensive efforts, racking up 44 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, the game was still not won.

Tang Bei contributed 8 assists, breaking his personal playoff single-game assist record, while also scoring 40 points with a field goal percentage of 75%, along with 7 blocks and 16 rebounds, including 7 offensive rebounds.

An hour later, at the Bulls' press conference, both Phil Jackson and Jordan faced sharp questions from reporters.

A reporter from The New York Times asked, "Coach Jackson, the Bulls' playing style was no different from Game 2. The tactic of double-teaming Tang again failed. Is this the reason for the Bulls' two consecutive losses?"

Phil Jackson thought for a moment and said, "We've done our best to defend Tang, but his skill and technique make our defensive tactics look full of holes."

"So you admit it was a tactical failure?" the reporter pressed.

Phil Jackson said, "When we double-team Tang in the low post without the ball, he quickly moves up to the high post, and at that point we have no way to deal with his threat in the high post."

If you don't double-team him at the high post, he can take a mid-range shot, roll to the basket for a dunk, or even attack the basket from the high post.

Yes, he has those skills and uses them well, so no matter which option we choose, we can't stop him with one person.

If we double-team him at the high post, the other Heat players will be in the paint and in the restricted area, and our rim will be blown apart.

What's more troublesome is that he can pass the ball to any open teammate from the high post, and the Heat have outside shooting, especially from three-point range. Our defenders are spread out, which slows down our rotations, and the Heat often get wide-open shots.

At this point, he shook his head and said in a helpless tone, "You could say the tactics failed, but we did what we could."

"Michael, do you think the Bulls have played at 100%?" The next question came from a reporter from the Los Angeles Times.

"We've done our best, and no one has slacked off," Jordan said expressionlessly.

"Do you think there's still hope for advancing?" the reporter pressed.

"Of course, we have a chance when we get back to our home court," Jordan said.

The reporter immediately seized on Jordan's slip-up and pressed further: "So, you think the Bulls weren't good enough to beat the Heat on the road, but the Heat beat you at the Bulls' home court? Are you trying to say that the Bulls are weaker than the Heat?"

"Damn bastards!"

Jordan's face turned ashen. He cursed under his breath and said, "What I mean is, we have a better chance at home, but we still have a chance to beat the Heat on the road."

"I understand," the reporter said with a smile.

"You don't understand anything."

Jordan cursed inwardly, certain that the reporter would write something completely nonsensical.

"Michael, do you think Don is the best player in the league right now?" The next question came from a local Miami reporter.

Jordan scoffed and said, "Don't ask me that kind of question, because I've never said I'm the best player in the league right now."

On the side of the press conference hall, Bulls general manager Jerry Krause stood against the wall, thinking about the team's future.

After failing to achieve a three-peat last year, he began to believe that the Bulls, who had won two consecutive championships, had already fulfilled their historical mission.

With the Eastern Conference Finals now tied 1-2, he's even more convinced that the Bulls have reached a point where change is needed.

Of course, he doesn't think a rebuild is necessary; the Bulls remain one of the top and most competitive championship-caliber teams.

Jordan is currently on an 8-year, $2500 million rookie contract that will not end until the summer of 96.

Pippen was also under a child labor contract, which ended in the summer of 98.

Both of them are currently considered cheap child laborers, and they are in their prime. Jordan, in particular, is still the most popular player in the league, so they are naturally untouchable.

However, we should make significant changes to other positions, trying to trade for a top-five draft pick to try and select a talented center.

We cannot trade for excellent centers, such as O'Neal, Mourning, and Mutombo, the three super centers, because we lack the cap space. These players have substantial contracts, and the feasibility of trading them is extremely low.

He believes in his abilities. He was able to build the Bulls into a two-time champion in the past, and he can also develop another excellent young center through the draft.

(End of this chapter)