The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 180 A Great Dream, Please Be a Little Stronger

A reporter caught up with Hakeem Olajuwon as he returned to the locker room and asked, "Hakeem, your shooting percentage tonight was only slightly over 30%. What caused such inefficiency? Do you think the loss was due to your inefficient offense?"

"Feel sorry."

He impatiently declined the interview and hurried away with his head down.

"Tang, with a 2-1 lead, do you think the Heat have a chance to win the championship at home?" an NBC reporter asked during a live interview.

"Of course it's possible, but we can't be careless," Tang Bei said excitedly.

The reporter then asked, "Don, here's a question. You used a technique from Bruce Lee during the match..."

"Bruce Lee?"

It took Tang Bei a while to understand, and he explained simply, "I did use some Wing Chun turning horse techniques, some techniques of exchanging feints and real attacks."

With Game 3 won, there are still two home games left. Winning just one more game would put them on match point, and the entire Miami metropolitan area is filled with excitement and anticipation.

The Heat's management has also begun quietly preparing for post-championship celebrations, but has not disclosed them to the public.

Owner Mickey Arison promised that if they won the championship, he would invite the entire team and their families to a three-day luxury cruise to celebrate.

This promise immediately inspired everyone on the Heat, from management to coaching staff, from sparring partners to players, all eagerly anticipating the moment of victory.

On the 9th, the media widely increased the Heat's chances of winning the championship.

ESPN predicts the Rockets have only an 8% chance of winning the championship, the most pessimistic prediction among all mainstream media outlets.

ESPN's report points out that the reason they are not optimistic about the Rockets is that Tang Bei holds an absolutely dominant position in the competition for the lower positions, and even shows a crushing advantage over Olajuwon.

Magic Johnson said in a media interview: "The key reason why the Rockets were on the back foot in the series was not the tactics, but the lack of competitiveness at the center position."

"Both teams are centered around a superstar center, with strong inside offense and defense, and good three-point shooting. The team lineups are very similar."

"Even in areas like three-point shooting, perimeter defense, ball-handling penetration, and attacking the paint, the Rockets have a competitive advantage."

"It is precisely because the Rockets are not competitive enough at the center position that they are at a disadvantage in both offensive and defensive tactics."

"Super center Tang Bei delivered a dominant performance in the Finals, but Hakeem Olajuwon was unable to replicate that performance."

The magician didn't explain how to change the situation, but the problem he raised received widespread recognition from many media outlets.

This statement made Hakeem Olajuwon very unhappy, but he also knew his own limitations and knew that he couldn't beat Tang Bei.

His offense can't get close to the basket, and his defense can't stop Tang Bei from getting close to the basket. This is his current problem, and it's also the fatal problem the Rockets are facing.

To solve this problem, aside from tactics, the only solution is for him to gain weight to the same level as Tang Bei while maintaining his current athletic ability.

That's impossible unless he becomes a Martian. Otherwise, a 135-kilogram Hakeem Olajuwon would be as slow as an 80-year-old grandmother, and his knees would be crushed by his own weight.

At noon, Tang Bei and Jia Bao had lunch together.

“Wet Tiger, the financing negotiations with Walmart have failed. They are short of money, but they won’t accept our funding,” Garbo said, somewhat dejectedly.

"Why not accept them?" Tang Bei asked.

Garbo said, "First, we don't want the Walmart family's stake to be diluted, and second, our funds are not attractive to them because we don't control the resources they need."

She then added, "Although Tangjia Electronics can provide the best home appliances currently available, they have their own supplier channels, and we can only be a supplement at most."

"Will our current products be affected?" Tang Bei asked hurriedly.

Garbo chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Our production is still so small right now. Even if we increase production several times over, it won't be affected. Our retail channels in the United States can still handle the demand."

However, without the support of major overseas retailers, our products can only be sold in the United States and cannot reach the world. Tangjia Electronics wants to expand rapidly, so in the future, we can only focus on the domestic market.

Tang Bei didn't understand at all. After thinking for a moment, he said, "FILA from the United States is doing so well in our country now, and there is a shortage of home appliances in China. So let's develop the domestic home appliance market."

At this point, he asked curiously, "By the way, Jiabao, I don't think I've seen any Walmart supermarkets in China. Have you seen any?"

"Domestic? Walmart?"

Upon hearing Tang Bei's next words, Jia Bao felt her mind explode.

In the afternoon, the Rockets held a tactical meeting.

Head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and his three assistant coaches all had dark circles under their eyes and looked exhausted, clearly having not slept much the night before.

"The main problem now is that we can't make three-pointers."

"The reason why the three-point shot strategy is not working is that the Heat are man-to-man defense and do not switch, but we can create open opportunities by using pick-and-roll and back-cutting."

“We did well in Game 2, and we also did well in Game 3 last night, getting a lot of open shots.”

"It's just that we didn't make those shots. Our shooting percentage was 14% lower than the Heat's, which is really low."

"So breaking the Heat's perimeter defense isn't the problem; the problem is how to improve our shooting touch and make those open shots."

The Rockets' shooters all nodded in agreement, but the issue of shooting touch is something that God controls; it comes and goes, and there's nothing they can do about it.

Tomjanovich then said seriously, "The second question is the fundamental one, and I think everyone knows what it is. Yes, it's how to restrict Tang Bei."

This sentence quickly silenced the business conference room, because everyone thought of that behemoth that could wreak havoc in both penalty areas and launch constant fast breaks and quick defensive retreats.

The thought of Tang Bei, including Olajuwon, filled them with a sense of powerlessness, quickly turning the atmosphere of the tactical meeting into a deathly silence.

“Let’s discuss this together. We need to pool everyone’s wisdom to solve this problem,” Tomjanovich said.

Over the next few minutes, there was some discussion in the meeting room, but no one publicly expressed their thoughts or offered any suggestions.

“Hakim…”

At this point, Del Harris, the Rockets' assistant coach who had coached the Rockets for four seasons and the Bucks for five seasons, directly called him out.

He said, "You are the one who personally dealt with Tang Bei and know him best. Tell me, what kind of help do you need?"

This assistant coach was too highly qualified, so Olajuwon had no choice but to speak up, stammering:

"I think I need pick-and-roll in the low post. I need to be close to the basket, and pick-and-roll can help me reduce physical contact and save a lot of energy."

Another assistant coach, Rockets legend Carroll Deerson, then said:

"The Heat play like us, with one inside and four outside players, and the other four spread out. If they use Thorpe's pick and roll, then Grant Lang will get a wide-open shot."

“Carroll, what do you mean?” Tomjanovich asked.

“I think using pick-and-roll in the low post is less effective than double-teaming without the ball,” Carroll Dawson said.

Tomjanovich nodded and looked at the third assistant coach, Andy Esturic.

Esturridge, the Rockets' youngest and least experienced assistant coach, focuses on data analysis and refining technical details, but is not good at tactical application, so he shook his head and did not say anything.

“Hakim, what do you think?” Tomjanovich asked.

Hakeem Olajuwon said, "The Bulls also used off-ball double teams, but Tang Bei has a high mid-range shot, and he can break through by going up to the high post to facilitate, so it wasn't very effective."

Carroll Dawson, who suggested double-teaming off the ball, nodded helplessly and said, "That's true, let's think about it some more."

Del Harrison then said, "Avery Johnson is also a tough opponent, and with Tang Bei's high-post playmaking, the Bulls can't cut off their passing lanes, and neither can we."

“Basically, the Bulls have tried every tactic imaginable,” Carroll Dawson said with a wry smile.

At this point, assistant coach Andy Esturridge said, "Statistically, our perimeter defense is not as good as the Bulls'."

"Therefore, the Heat's perimeter offense in the first three games was better than in the Heat-Bulls series, and Tang Bei's average points per game in the Finals were lower than in the Bulls series, but his assists were higher."

Tomjanovich nodded and said, "It seems we still need to leverage our inside game advantage on both offense and defense. Let's think about it some more."

Meanwhile, the Heat also held a tactical meeting at their headquarters.

With the team in the lead and two more home games to go, head coach Kevin Longley, along with assistant coaches Alvin Gentry and Tony Fiorentino, were in a relaxed mood, as was the atmosphere of the meeting.

Of the three coaches, head coach Lengley excels at building defensive systems.

He not only led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals, but also made it to the NBA Finals this year. In the Finals, his defensive tactics successfully put the Heat up 2-1 against the Rockets.

Therefore, his status in the team has been rising day by day, and his position as head coach is very stable. President Billy Cunningham and General Manager Lewis Shaffer had previously wanted to find a better head coach, but they have temporarily abandoned that idea.

At this point, he said with some confidence, "Guys, let's play the same way we always have in Game 4. The Rockets won't be able to break through our defensive tactics."

"Our man-to-man defense without switching tactics are not perfect. They can get a lot of open shots through pick-and-roll and reverse cuts."

"But so what? As long as we don't let them get wide open shots, that's enough. Their small open shots won't kill us. I absolutely don't believe they'll have a hot hand every game."

"They can't kill us with their shots, but we have the ultimate weapon to kill them. They can't compete with it. The Bulls can't, Michael Jordan can't, the Rockets can't, and Hakeem Olajuwon can't either."

"I think Tang is an unparalleled super center. He can use his defense to reduce Olajuwon's offensive efficiency and his offense to kill the Rockets. He is our trump card, our big weapon, and the key to our championship."

Even though Tang Bei wasn't shy, he still felt a little embarrassed after being showered with praise by the head coach.

However, the enthusiastic applause that immediately broke out in the meeting room calmed him down, and he felt that the head coach had made a good point.

Next, assistant coach Alvin Gentry explained the offensive tactics.

He joined the Heat as an assistant coach in 91, where he was responsible for developing offensive tactics and was skilled at coaching perimeter offense. Glen Rice and others developed the three-point tactics under his guidance.

Another assistant coach is responsible for basic training and psychological counseling. He joined the team when it was founded and is one of the team's founding members.

June 10th, Game 4 of the finals.

In the evening, a large number of police officers were maintaining order. At least 30,000 people had gathered outside the Miami Arena, and at least 90% of the fans were wearing Tang Bei's number 88 jersey.

"The champion..."

When the Heat's bus arrived, the shouts were deafening.

"Severe phobia! Severe phobia..."

Tang Bei drove himself there, and when his Hummer H1 appeared, a unified shout swept across the arena for several kilometers.

"Shh!"

When the Rockets' team bus arrived, they were greeted with endless boos.

Hakeem Olajuwon sat in the front seat, not looking out the window, his mind still somewhat blank.

The tactical meeting in the morning ultimately failed to reach a tactical plan that he thought was good. The team repeatedly emphasized that they hoped he would deliver a dominant performance on both offense and defense to help the team tie the score.

He was facing the beast of severe fear, and the team's attitude pushed his psychological pressure to its peak, making him feel as if he were carrying a mountain on his shoulders.

The only saving grace is that no one on the team has been injured by Tang Bei yet. If they can tie the score tonight, they still have a chance in the finals.

Of course, this is also related to defensive tactics. He always went around to defend, and Thorpe was also smart and paid attention to the way he helped defend, rarely blocking Tang Bei's attacks on the basket head-on.

Another important reason is that Tang Bei frequently moves to higher positions to provide support, which correspondingly reduces the number of intense low-position confrontations.

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

Rockets: Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe, Robert Horry, Vernon Maxwell, Kenny Smith

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Grant Lang, Glen Rice, Steve Smith, Avery Johnson

"The starting lineups for both sides remain unchanged."

Bill Russell said, "The Rockets are hoping to tie the series tonight. If they lose, they will be down 1-3 in the Finals, and there is no precedent for a comeback in NBA history, so this is a do-or-die game."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "ESPN thinks the Rockets only have an 8% chance of winning the championship, which is a bit low, but it makes some sense. If Hakeem Olajuwon can't upset Tang Bei, this prediction might actually come true."

At this point, Barkley chuckled and exclaimed, "Hakeem Olajuwon is missing one crucial factor to his championship."

"What's missing?" Jabbar asked curiously.

“We’re missing a great Charles Barkley,” Barkley exclaimed.

The other three were taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Barkley suddenly stopped smiling and said seriously, "I agree with Elvin. If Hakim can play a dominant role in the upcoming series, the Rockets will have a chance to win the championship."

"Gentlemen, what I mean is..."

At this point, he emphasized, "He must demonstrate that he rules Tangbei, not be ruled by Tangbei."

"Severe phobia..."

A huge roar erupted from the crowd as Tang Bei made his entrance. The match began at 8:00 AM.

After the jump ball, the Rockets went on offense.

"brush!"

After several pick-and-rolls and passes, Robert Horry got a wide-open shot at the 45-degree angle of the three-point line, received the ball, and made a long two-pointer.

"The Heat still won't switch on defense, preferring to give Horry a small open shot rather than a mismatch or a wide-open one," Zhang Heli said.

Sun Zhenping said, "Glen Rice's marking was a little slow just now."

The Heat were on offense, but the Rockets continued with their zone defense.

Tang Bei received the ball on the left wing in a low position, facing upwards, and noticed that Thorpe had already come to help defend Olajuwon behind him, only a step away.

On the weak right wing, Mad Max has moved to a position not far from Grant Long in the right blocking area, ready to cover at any time and at most give Grant Long a small open shot.

If the ball is passed to Steve Smith on the right wing three-point line, Maxwell can still get back on defense, and at most it will be a small open shot.

"Whoosh!"

He still made the pass, passing it to Grant Long in the right blocker's area before Thorpe's double team arrived.

Mad Max lunged forward, but after glancing at the onrushing Maxwell, Grant Long wasn't entirely confident and opted to pass the ball.

However, Maxwell was positioned between him and Steve Smith, so he had to be hoisted over.

When Steve Smith received the ball, Kenny Smith at the high post had already rushed over, while Avery Johnson at the top of the arc was open but didn't have a three-point shot, so he decided to take it himself.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, his shooting touch was off, missing one three-pointer.

Hakeem Olajuwon desperately tried to block Tang Bei, allowing Thorpe to grab the defensive rebound and the Rockets could then attack.

Mad Max suddenly made a counter-run on the right wing, quickly moving towards the top of the arc.

He ran past Kenny Smith and received the pass, then immediately pulled up and jumped to shoot a three-pointer from Kenny Smith's left side.

Steve Smith was behind Maxwell and could only jump hastily from the right rear to block the shot, which was not very effective.

Avery Johnson stuck to his strategy of not switching on defense, watching helplessly as Mad Max completed his shot from a meter away.

"brush!"

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

"yeah!"

Maxwell was very excited after succeeding and raised his fist, roaring fiercely at Steve Smith.

Barkley said, "If Avery Johnson had switched on defense just now, even if he couldn't stop the shot, he should have been able to influence Maxwell's shot."

Bill Russell, however, said: "No tactic is perfect on the basketball court; every tactic has its strengths and weaknesses."

"For example, zone defense can prevent penetration, but passing and three-pointers can break through zone defense, while man-to-man defense is not very effective at preventing penetration, but it can prevent three-pointers and passing."

Bill Walton said, "Maxwell averages 5.1 assists per game this season. If Avery Johnson had just helped him, he would have been very likely to pass back to Kenny Smith, who has a 40.5% three-point shooting percentage this season."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "Kevin Longley's man-to-man defense without switching was specifically designed for the Rockets' three-point shooting strategy."

"It has a very rigid side, and the Rockets will definitely seize many opportunities, but it also has its unique advantages, namely that the Rockets' three-point shooting tactics have indeed been limited."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "So the Rockets also have a chance; it just depends on whether they can seize the opportunity the Heat have given them."

Bill Russell said, "The Rockets' performance tonight will be crucial in determining who comes out on top in this series."

The game continued, and after the score was 5-0, Tang Bei decided to play one himself.

On the left wing, low post, facing upwards, he began to call for position and the ball.

Hakeem Olajuwon's defensive positioning is a bit high, mainly guarding his upper side, so Thorpe will most likely be helping him along the baseline.

His gaze met that of Avery Johnson, who had advanced two steps to the outside of the arc, and his left thumb, raised high as if calling for the ball, suddenly pointed towards the basket.

In the next instant, the two reacted almost simultaneously.

Tang Bei suddenly did a Tai Chi-like turn, using his left elbow to block Hakeem Olajuwon, who was positioned slightly above him, and then cut into the front of the basket in two steps.

Olajuwon was caught off guard and blocked by Tang Bei's single arm, unable to move in time and falling behind.

"Whoosh!"

Avery Johnson suddenly pulled to the left, finishing the ball before Kenny Smith could close in again, and then pushed the ball towards the basket with both hands.

Tang Bei leaped up, grabbed the basketball with both hands in mid-air, straightened his waist and abdomen, and pulled his upper body sharply towards the rim, his body momentarily suspended in mid-air.

"boom!"

The next instant, a loud bang of the basket exploding rang out.

"WOW!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted in Miami Arena.

"An alley-oop dunk, what a fantastic passing and cutting move!" Bill Walton exclaimed.

"Thorpe didn't even have a chance to help defend, and Hakeem's reaction was a beat too slow," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said.

Bill Russell said, "Thorpe helps defend, and Tang Bei might pass the ball to Grant Long. The Rockets' rotation speed is actually not as fast as the Bulls'. They can't stop the Heat by relying on rotation."

Barkley chuckled and said, "That's for sure. The Bulls have Michael and Scottie on the perimeter, but who do the Rockets have?"

Bill Russell said with a serious expression, "So the Rockets' current tactics for defending Tang Bei are actually useless. Olajuwon will be blown out of Tang Bei when defending him one-on-one, and Thorpe's help defense is also ineffective."

“Bill, do you have any suggestions?” Barkley asked.

Bill Russell shook his head and said, "I have no advice. Although the Rockets' interior offense and defense are far superior to the Bulls', their perimeter defense is weaker than the Bulls', and their overall strength should also be weaker than the Bulls'."

If they use off-ball double-teams, the defense against Tang Bei should be much more effective than the Bulls', but their three-on-four defense in other positions and their perimeter defense are not as good as the Bulls' will put them at a greater disadvantage.

"We could give it a try, what if the Heat's outside shooting isn't working out?" Barkley said with a smile.

Bill Walton said, "Yes, just like the Heat's man-to-man defense without switching, betting on the Rockets' outside shooting, the Rockets can also bet on the Heat's outside shooting."

The game continues on the field.

Tang Bei intensified his low-post offense, and for a time, he and the Rockets were evenly matched.

The Rockets had their best shooting touch in the Finals so far, while the Heat, playing at home, were less effective.

After the first quarter, the score was 28-23, with the Heat trailing by 5 points at home.

In the first quarter, seven Heat players saw action, but only four scored.

Tang Bei was the main attacker, playing the entire game, making 5 of 7 field goals and 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 13 points.

The Rockets, on the other hand, had scoring opportunities from all seven players who took the court.

However, Olajuwon's performance was still poor, scoring only 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting.

Zhang Heli pointed out: "The Rockets had a good shooting touch from the outside in the first quarter, but their inside offense was still not working. So even though the Heat's outside shooting wasn't good, with Tang Bei's efficient offense, the Rockets still couldn't widen the gap."

"Coach Zhang, if the Heat's outside shooting doesn't come back, what should we do?" Sun Zhenping asked.

Zhang Lihe considered the situation and said, "We can only strengthen our inside offense. We need to increase our drives to the basket, improve our rebounding, and reduce turnovers."

Han Qiaosheng continued, "We also need to strengthen our defense on the Rockets' perimeter and reduce their offensive efficiency."

"Correct."

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "The Heat have always used a man-to-man defense without switching, and today the Rockets seized the opportunity. Once they get hot, the weaknesses in the Heat's perimeter defense will be exploited."

In the second quarter, the two sides resumed their battle.

Tang Bei came on from the start. With the team trailing at home, he didn't plan to rest tonight and wanted to give it his all.

Hakeem Olajuwon played the entire first quarter, and upon seeing Don Bei enter the game, he immediately followed suit.

Kevin Edwards, playing point guard, was attacking on the right wing when Tang Bei pulled out of the paint and lurked on the left wing, ready to cut inside at any moment.

Using John Salley's screen to get past Sam Cassell, Kevin Edwards drove into the paint from the right elbow, drawing the defensive attention of Hakeem Olajuwon and Thorpe.

At that moment, Tang Bei took the opportunity to cut inside and get behind Hakeem Olajuwon under the basket.

"boom!"

Kevin Edwards tossed the ball high into the air, and it flew over Thorpe's head.

"Tang Bei!"

Hakeem Olajuwon, positioned under the basket, knew he was in trouble as soon as he saw the ball's trajectory was off.

"boom!"

The next instant, a loud bang of a basket exploding overhead rang out.

He was hit in the back with a huge force, which made him fall to the ground. If he hadn't braced himself with his hands, he would have fallen flat on his face.

"WOW!"

A huge cheer erupted like a tsunami.

"Tang Bei successfully back-cut the ball, another alley-oop dunk, and it was a combination play between the strong and weak sides," Zhang Heli said excitedly.

"The Heat's passing and cutting tactics were quite good today," Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

"We're still down by 3 points. If our outside shooting touch were a bit better, things would be much better," Han Qiaosheng said.

"Shet!"

Hakeem Olajuwon got up and shook his left hand. His wrist was a little sore when he braced himself on the ground, but thankfully it wasn't his right hand.

"brush!"

Twenty-odd seconds later, Rockets shooting guard Maxwell seized an open opportunity and responded with a precise three-pointer.

"31:25, we're down by 6 points," Sun Zhenping said.

"Bang!"

Turning around, Dell Curry missed a wide-open mid-range shot.

"mine."

With his superior strength and size, Tang Bei forcefully pushed past Hakeem Olajuwon, who was trying to block him, and grabbed the offensive rebound over Thorpe's head.

The next instant, a second jump.

"boom!"

"Di!"

"WOW!"

The sound of rim slamming against the rim, the whistle, and the cheers of the home fans rang out simultaneously.

"That was really strong! Tang Bei dunked hard, knocking Thorpe down, and Olajuwon committed a foul." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said excitedly.

"Dream, please get even stronger, so that my championship is even more valuable." Tang Bei trash-talked as he walked toward the free-throw line.

"This bastard!"

Hakeem Olajuwon nearly ground his teeth to powder.

Tang Bei then made the free throw, completing a three-point play.

The Heat are still down by 3 points, 31-28.

(End of this chapter)