The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 182 The Champion

On the sidelines, David Stern looked somewhat disappointed.

His regret was that Hakeem Olajuwon was crushed by Don Bei in the Finals, which made the Finals series less suspenseful and resulted in lower viewership than the Eastern Conference Finals.

Fortunately, it's much better than last season. Even with Michael Jordan in the Finals last year, the ratings were still very poor.

In addition, he plans to send someone to China to talk to CCTV. Currently, CCTV is reporting very low viewership ratings, and he wonders if there are any problems with the promotion in China, and perhaps some additional advertising funds are needed.

"Okay, just promote Tang Bei and Michael Jordan. The 21st century is almost here, so design their competition as a showdown between two giants of the century."

"It's a pity they're all in the east. It would be great if one of them went to the west."

Then his thoughts wandered, and he thought of a Warner Bros. movie project.

Two years ago, Warner Bros. had a plan to make a movie that combined live-action basketball stars with animated characters.

The idea originated from a series of Bugs Bunny and Jordan commercials launched by Nike, which Warner Bros. hoped to expand into feature films.

The script is now half complete, but with the appearance of Tang Bei, Warner Bros. has another idea: to add Tang Bei to the script.

However, Nike has explicitly opposed Tang Bei joining "Sky Dunk," so the scenario is currently at a standstill.

The game continued, and the Heat maintained firm control of the situation. No matter how Hakeem Olajuwon played, he couldn't stop Tang Bei's overwhelming performance against him.

In the 4th minute of the second quarter, Tang Bei received the ball in the low position on the left wing, and Olajuwon defended against it.

Hakeem Olajuwon has always played with his front line, but he has been losing games and is almost eliminated. So tonight he used more of his top defense in hopes of salvaging the situation.

After noticing Thorpe's help defense on the weak side, Tang Bei suddenly swung his right hand, pretending to pass the ball to the weak side.

"squeak!"

Thorpe slammed on the brakes as he took the first step.

"Oh!"

At this moment, Tang Bei took the opportunity to dribble and push against Da Meng, knocking him back half a step with the first blow.

The next moment, Thorpe, realizing he had been tricked, lunged forward again, and the weak-side help defense began once more.

But then Tang Bei launched his second attack, unleashing his full power.

The terrifying explosive power combined with the enormous weight, when used in skillful close-quarters combat, creates an unparalleled ferocity.

"Oh!"

Hakeem Olajuwon felt as if he had been hit by a heavy truck, and was sent flying backward.

"Oh!"

A huge cheer suddenly erupted in Miami Arena, like a massive TNT explosion, creating a shockwave that swept across the entire stadium.

"what?"

Just as he took a step, Thorpe, who was helping defend under the basket, saw Hakeem take flight and was startled. Hearing the incredibly loud cheers, he couldn't help but tremble.

"squeak!"

At that moment, Tang Bei completed the ball combination, instantly performed a Tai Chi downward turn, transformed into a tiger pouncing on its prey, and leaped towards the basket.

"Oops!"

Thorpe was terrified.

"boom!"

"Oh!"

With a loud thud, the massive basket sank downwards, and Thorpe, standing beneath it, fell backwards like a log felled by a giant axe.

"WOW!"

The cheers in Miami Arena suddenly surged and rose even higher.

On the sidelines, Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the behemoth on the court, a sense of invincibility rising in his mind.

David Stern stared at Tang Bei on the field, pondering what kind of rules he should devise to limit Tang Bei's lethality and balance the power.

The NBC studio was completely silent; even Barkley remained silent, everyone stunned by Tang Bei's attack.

"Haha, he knocked down two at once, Tang Bei is unstoppable!"

"They're so strong! I can't wait to watch the World Championships, haha!"

"I'm more looking forward to the 96 Olympics."

In the CCTV live broadcast studio, Zhang Heli and two others cheered non-stop.

Tang Bei once again confirmed a rumor about him: that his offensive power was largely borne by his defensive teammates.

Hakeem Olajuwon, who was defending, was not injured and continued to fight from the spot. Even if he was knocked away, his strength was limited.

Thorpe, who was helping to defend, was injured. Tang Bei's impact was too terrifying; being hit by him was no different than being hit by a small car.

"Four ribs on the right side of the chest are broken; the two in the front were broken by impact, and the two in the back were broken by a fall."

The Rockets' team doctor spoke with a trembling voice and a look of fear on his face.

"Shet!"

Even the refined Rudy Tomjanovich couldn't help but swear.

After the substitution, the game continued.

In the 6th minute of the third quarter, Mad Max made a breakthrough on the right wing, attracting Tang Bei's defensive attention, and Olajuwon took the opportunity to cut in from the weak side.

"Snapped!"

Maxwell passed the ball across the box, and Tang Bei instantly turned around to defend, leaping up and delivering a powerful block, swatting away Olajuwon's drive and dunk.

"what!"

Hakeem Olajuwon lost his balance, landed awkwardly, and collapsed to the floor with a cry of pain.

"It's over!"

Barkley shook his head.

"Poor Hakim!"

Bill Walton shook his head and sighed.

"When Thorpe got injured, the Rockets were finished," Barkley said.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "Hakeem Olajuwon was really unlucky. He couldn't make it out of the West for a long time. Now that he and his team have finally reached their peak, he has run into a monster, a monster even more terrifying than Michael Jordan."

Bill Russell looked at Barkley and said with a smile, "Charles is still the luckiest."

Barkley laughed and said, "That was skill, not luck. Can you say that sweeping Michael to win the championship was by luck? Haha!"

"Clap clap clap..."

The other three rolled their eyes and then applauded Barkley's shamelessness.

With Hakeem Olajuwon injured and forced to leave the game, the Rockets completely collapsed, and the Miami Heat ushered in their ultimate championship moment.

"Di Di!"

The final whistle blew.

"WOW!"

Miami Arena erupted in a frenzy, like a volcanic eruption, with thousands cheering and countless colorful fragments raining down from the sky as the song "I Am the Champion" played.

On the field, Tang Bei was carried up by his teammates, enjoying the fans' adoration.

In the CCTV live broadcast studio, Zhang Heli excitedly said, "Congratulations to Tang Bei for reaching the pinnacle of the NBA in his second season as the absolute core of his team and winning the NBA championship!"

Sun Zhenping excitedly said, "Congratulations, Tang Bei, you're definitely the MVP of the Finals."

Han Qiaosheng laughed and said, "Dear viewers, just now, Tang Bei, a famous basketball superstar in our country, led the Miami Heat to defeat the Houston Rockets and win the NBA championship."

NBC直播室，比尔·拉塞尔说道：“G5战唐北轰下44分16篮板，五场系列赛场均41分14.2篮板4.2助攻2抢断4.2盖帽，顶尖攻防一体的表现，神一样的表现。”

Bill Walton said, "By acquiring Tang Bei, you broke the NBA Finals record. Elgin Baylor averaged 40.6 points per game in the seven Finals games in 1962, and you averaged 41 points per game, the highest individual scoring average in the Finals."

Barkley chuckled and said, "No matter how many points you score, it's not as good as me, because I swept to the championship."

Bill Walton gave him a thumbs-up with admiration and said, "Charles, you really aren't afraid of getting beaten to death by Michael!"

"Afraid of him? I could take him down with one hand," Barkley said smugly.

Far away in Chicago, Jordan gave the middle finger to the television.

He's not angry anymore, because he's had enough. He'll just kill Charles Barkley next time he sees him and explode every time.

Hearing Barkley's smug words, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scoffed:

"What's so special about sweeping the Finals to win the championship? There have been six such instances in NBA history, and you're just one of those six."

Barkley's smile vanished, replaced by an awkward laugh.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said with a smug look, "In NBA history, there have been two teams that swept the playoffs to win the championship. I'm talking about sweeping the four rounds starting from the first round."

Barkley swallowed hard and gave a dry laugh.

Bill Russell laughed and said, "In '89, the Pistons' Bad Boys swept the Celtics in the first round, the Bucks in the second round, the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Lakers in the Finals to win the championship. That Bad Boys team was really strong, their iron-blooded defense swept the entire league."

Barkley quickly added, "So Michael, you should get used to being swept."

"Pfft!"

Bill Walton and others burst out laughing.

"Fuck you!"

Jordan, watching on TV, couldn't help but swear.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar laughed and said, "The second team to sweep the playoffs to win the championship was the Bucks. In the 71 playoffs, the Bucks swept the Warriors in the first round, swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and swept the Baltimore Bullets in the Finals, winning the championship with an undefeated record."

Bill Walton said enviously, "That Bucks team was a super team led by Kareem and Oscar Robertson."

"Ha ha……"

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar glanced sideways at Barkley and laughed triumphantly.

Barkley quickly changed the subject: "Alright, guys, enough chit-chat, let's start awarding the trophies. Let's take a look at the footage. Director, cut over there, stop pointing at us."

"Ha ha!"

The other three burst into laughter.

"Congratulations to the Miami Heat on winning the 93/94 NBA championship."

David Stern, beaming with joy, handed the championship trophy to Heat owner Mickey Arison.

"WOW!"

Mickey Arison excitedly raised the trophy, followed by a frenzy of cheers that swept through the entire Miami Arena and the whole of Miami.

"Mr. Allison, what do you want to say right now?" an NBC reporter asked.

"Thank you everyone..."

Mickey Arison, holding the trophy, excitedly thanked a large group of people, finally saying, "I am most grateful to Don."

"We were lucky enough to get Tang, and then we got it."

He raised the trophy high once again, and Miami Arena erupted in wild cheers once more.

"WOW!"

At the Miami Arena, when Tang Bei raised the championship trophy, the deafening cheers almost shattered his diaphragm.

"Severe phobia! Severe phobia..."

The shouts gradually coalesced, transforming into a massive wave of sound that resounded throughout Miami.

"Crack, click, click..."

The flashes blinded Tang Bei, and the media took pictures for five minutes straight, continuing to take photos.

After all the players had received their trophies, he took the trophy back, ran to Gabor, and patted it for a few more minutes until the Finals MVP vote was announced.

"WOW!"

Soon, Tang Bei was unanimously elected FMVP, and when the trophy was raised, the Miami Arena erupted in cheers once again.

"Host has achieved the NBA championship and Finals MVP achievements and has obtained three treasures: 1. 500 Dongwang Qingxue Pills; 2. 500 Dongwang Bushen Pills (strengthens the kidneys and reduces the risk of kidney disease; after taking 1500 pills, it produces an anti-aging effect); 3. Two natural seven-star rubies (cut, each weighing 38 carats)."

Tang Bei was celebrating and had no time to look at the panel. He closed it as soon as he came out, and by the time he was in the mood to look at it, it was already a day later.

That evening, the Heat celebrated with fans at the arena for an hour before heading to a nightclub to continue the celebrations.

On the 13th, news of the Heat winning the championship was featured on CCTV's midday news and later on the 7:30 news program.

The Los Angeles Times: "After crushing Hakeem Olajuwon in the Finals, Tang Bei is now the de facto best center in the NBA."

"Tang Bei from China, the world's number one center who instills severe fear and makes the entire NBA tremble." - Asahi Shimbun. "Among the NBA's four super centers, Tang Bei, the instilled severe fear, should be in a class of his own." - NBC.

"The current number one player, Tang Bei, who suffers from severe phobia." Miami Pioneer.

With numerous media outlets praising him, Tang Bei has become the best active center in the NBA, a claim that few people disagree with.

However, many media outlets disagree with the claim that he is the best active player in the NBA and the best center in the world.

The next day was a grand parade and celebration, with the whole of Miami participating, making it ten times more lively than Christmas.

That evening, Tang Bei was soaking in the bathtub when he finally saw the reward information from the treasure chest.

"Anti-aging effect?"

The second treasure stunned him; this thing would absolutely drive that little girl, Garbo, crazy.

Unfortunately, based on my experience with Buxin Pills, I doubt I can come up with a formula for this either.

However, it's still necessary to give it a try. The blood-clearing pills also need to be tested. What if we can find out the formula? Maybe we can even win a Nobel Prize.

If that doesn't work, then I'll just have to win more championships in the future and try to get more Dongwang Kidney Tonifying Pills from the treasure chest.

"Could this be a chemical?"

He took one out and found that it was different from the Buxin Pill and Qingxue Pill. Those two pills were traditional Chinese medicine, but the Bushen Pill was not, and it had no smell.

He wasn't overly excited about this, because he didn't really need it; unlike his heart, his kidneys were already very strong.

His extraordinary energy, far exceeding that of ordinary people, is a manifestation of his powerful kidney function.

These 500 Chu Shen Wan pills can be shared with Jia Bao.

With the huge surprise of the kidney-tonifying pills already in the bag, the third treasure didn't excite him as much.

The two dazzling rubies in front of me are exactly the same, and they're already cut; just two settings and they'll be rings.

Slightly smaller than his thumb, each one was estimated to be two cubic centimeters in volume, and each weighed about the same as the two rubies he had previously been engaged to.

Moreover, the quality is even better. Under the light, the two pure rubies are as dazzling as two red suns that have just risen from the sea.

The most amazing thing is that between the two rubies, there are seven gold stars twinkling, arranged like the Big Dipper, which is incredibly mysterious.

He leaned closer to look, and the seven golden stars resembled seven golden planets. Under the dazzling light, the stars seemed to be rotating.

"I wonder how much these two things will sell for. I heard that the most expensive top-quality rubies cost over a million dollars per carat."

He plans to have the two rubies made into a pair of wedding rings, but he doesn't know if it will be too late.

"You've brought out the treasure chest and the ruby, but couldn't you have gotten two sandalwood boxes?" he couldn't help but complain.

After three days of celebration, Tang Bei has become Miami's most influential superstar in sports, and the Heat have become Miami's most successful professional sports team.

On the morning of the 16th, after having breakfast at Garbo's place, he returned and was preparing to pack his luggage when Eric Fleischer came to his door with a series of endorsement contracts.

He excitedly said, "Tang, there are five contracts in total, all of them are endorsements for Fortune 500 companies, and all of them are global brand endorsements."

"Two three-year contracts and three one- or two-year contracts. If you sign them, you can earn $2900 million in pre-tax endorsement fees every year."

"The quality of these five endorsements is slightly lower than that of Hollywood's top stars, reaching the middle level of first-class stars."

Tang Bei was very curious and asked, "Do all these brands have violent elements?"

Eric Fleischer chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Things are different now. You haven't been in a fight in a long time."

Tang Bei smiled and asked, "What about the three contracts from last year?"

“It’s still a while, but the $400 million endorsement fee should arrive within two weeks,” Eric Fleischer said.

He then added, "Those three endorsements won't be renewed when they expire. They're not global, multi-brand endorsements. Although they're top-tier brands, the contract quality isn't high. We can renew them."

"it is good."

Tang Bei smiled.

He paid a large sum of taxes in April, 2900 million, plus the 400 million that was about to arrive, totaling 3300 million, which made his pockets bulge again.

“I’ve arranged to sign the contract tomorrow, right here in Miami,” Eric Fleischer said.

"OK."

Around noon, Garbo and Nemur arrived at Tangbei's villa, where they had arranged to go out for a French meal.

The family affairs have been officially settled, and some shares in non-core businesses, amounting to several hundred million US dollars, have been retained.

The shares of the core business have been transferred to the family, which means that their family has officially lost its core position.

It's not just about family status; the Nemoir family's companies in the United States can influence hundreds of billions of dollars in assets, which represents a huge social influence.

Losing their core position in the family means that their family has also lost influence over these assets and their enormous social influence. The changes during this period can be described as a complete downfall.

However, the three of them were in good spirits, after all, they had found a direction for development.

Leo Nemo and Gerber reached an agreement to expand their investment in China, and significant progress has also been made in their investment in Walmart.

"Garbo, look what this is!"

Tang Bei pulled a crumpled white tissue from his pocket and placed it on the glass coffee table in front of Jia Bao.

"Wet Tiger, what is this?"

Greta smiled and casually rummaged around, and two dazzling seven-star rubies rolled out.

"..."

Her eyes widened instantly.

The Nemurs, sitting to the side, were in the same boat.

Jia Bao stared at the two enormous rubies for a good ten seconds before snapping out of her daze. She looked at Tang Bei and asked blankly, "Wet Tiger, what are these?"

"The Seven-Star Ruby."

Tang Bei said, "There are the Big Dipper constellations in all of these, but that's the Chinese name for them. I don't know what they're called in other countries."

“In America, it’s called the Big Spoon, or the Big Dipper. In India, it’s called the Seven Sages, and in England, it’s called the Pear,” Leo Nemur murmured, staring at the gem.

Garbo looked at the two gems on the coffee table again, and asked blankly once more, "Are they man-made?"

At this moment, the Nemurs sat down, especially Mrs. Leslie, whose eyes were shining as she stared at the two rubies.

"Natural".

Tang Bei casually said, "This is a family heirloom of my Tang family. It has been passed down for tens of thousands of years before it came into my hands. It was passed down from our ancestor, Emperor Yao."

"What our ancestors left me?"

Jiabao looked at the two rubies, and then at the ball of paper towels next to them. They were so mismatched that she suddenly wanted to beat dear Shihu.

"A priceless treasure!"

Lady Leslie reached out her right hand to touch the two rubies.

But Garbo was faster. She reached out and pressed the ruby ​​down with her little hands, then held it in her hand and looked at her old mother warily.

"Elena, let me... take a look, my dear. I'll just look and admire it for a moment before returning it to you," Mrs. Leslie said angrily.

"Mom, you can't take mine. This is mine, left to me by my ancestor, the founder of the Tang family," Jia Bao said with utmost seriousness.

Leo Nemur sighed. No woman wouldn't want such a priceless treasure. The day when mother and daughter turned against each other was probably coming soon.

"Mom, this one has thirty-six cabochons, how about that one?" Jia Bao asked.

“Mine is too,” Mrs. Leslie said.

“Mommy, they’re mine, both of them are mine,” Jia Bao said.

At that moment, Mrs. Leslie suddenly had the idea of ​​putting that brat Garbo back into her womb. It was just a jewel; couldn't she just give it to her mother?
"Sir, how much are these two gems worth?" Tang Bei asked.

Leo Nemur thought for a moment and said, "Currently, the finest rubies cost about one million dollars per carat..."

Tang Bei said, "I weighed both of them, and they're both 38 carats. That one is worth thirty or forty million US dollars?"

Leo Nemur stared at the ruby ​​in Lady Leslie's hand and shook his head, saying:
"These are rubies unlike any other ever seen. Not only are they extremely clear and incredibly vibrant in color, but more importantly, they also have seven gold stars, and they are a perfect pair. Their value is immeasurable."

Leslie gazed at the ruby ​​in her palm with fascination, murmuring, "If it were auctioned, I would be willing to pay a hundred million dollars, or even two hundred million dollars, for it."

"Two hundred million for one? Four hundred million for two?" Tang Bei was stunned.

"Two pills worth four hundred million?"

Leslie's eyes suddenly cleared as Garbo snatched the ruby ​​from her hand.

She glared at Garbo and said, "No, two rings worth at least a billion dollars each. They will be the most luxurious and prestigious pair of wedding rings on the planet."

"mine."

Garbo held one in each hand tightly, once again asserting her ownership.

Tang Bei nodded and said, "I'm planning to use them to make my and Jia Bao's wedding rings."

"Wet Tiger, I love you so much!"

Jia Bao was overjoyed. These wedding rings would make her the bride that the whole world would envy. She rushed into Tang Bei's arms and kissed him once, and then kissed him several more times.

"Don, did you buy insurance for them?" Leo Nemur suddenly asked.

"Do we still need to buy insurance?" Tang Bei shook his head.

"Oops."

Leo Nemur was getting anxious and hurriedly asked, "Tang, besides us, who else knows about their existence? If the news leaks out, we might already be being watched."

"Jewel thief?"

Garbo panicked. She immediately thought of those Hollywood movies about jewel thieves. This was her priceless treasure. What if those damned thieves stole it?
She suddenly remembered that the two gems were casually pulled out of Shi Hu's pocket, and she felt like she was about to collapse.

No one else knows.

Tang Bei shook his head, thought for a moment and said, "My grandfather passed it on to me secretly. My parents don't know about it. For now, only the four of us know about it."

"call!"

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Leo Nemur warned very seriously, "Listen carefully, this matter must not be leaked, absolutely not."

"What about the wedding ring?" Tang Bei asked.

The Nemur family of three looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

If you want to make wedding rings, you'll definitely have to send the gemstones to top jewelry companies, and the news will naturally get out.

After considering for a moment, Mrs. Leslie said, "I think we should still leak the news and publicly invite the world's top designers to design the wedding rings."

Leo Nemur nodded and said, "These rubies need to be insured first, and then stored in a professional vault. It's definitely not safe to keep them at home."

"Dad, let's get a higher coverage amount," Jia Bao said.

“It must be lifelong protection,” Mrs. Leslie said.

"How much will the premium be?" Tang Bei asked hurriedly.

"Insuring such a top-tier, priceless treasure is extremely complex, and it will definitely involve multiple insurance companies jointly underwriting it to share the risk."

“Simply put, with a coverage amount of $500 million and lifelong protection, and a premium of 1% per year, that’s $50 million per year. The total premium will definitely exceed $300 million in the end,” said Leo Nemur.

"3 billion?"

Tang Bei was startled, as were Jia Bao and Mrs. Leslie.

Tang Bei was reluctant to spend so much money on insurance. He took the two rubies, flipped his hand down, and then showed his palm again. The rubies were gone.

"Where's my baby? Wet Tiger, you owe me my baby."

Garbo's eyes widened instantly, thinking she had dropped it on the floor. She quickly squatted down to look for it, and the Nemurs helped her search as well, but they couldn't find it anywhere.

"here."

Tang Bei cheerfully pulled Jia Bao up, stretched out his large hand in front of Jia Bao, opened his palm, and two gems appeared in his palm. He then clenched and unclenched his hand again, and the gems disappeared.

"Wet Tiger, you can do magic tricks too?" Jia Bao asked in surprise.

"Where is it? Wet Tiger, tell me quickly."

She searched Tang Bei's entire body but couldn't find the gemstone. So she dragged Tang Bei into the bedroom and searched him thoroughly, but still couldn't find it. Instead, she searched herself until she was blushing.

"Wet Tiger, tell me how you did it, and I won't buy insurance anymore," she said unwillingly.

"That won't work. It won't work if I say it. Anyway, no one can take them away from me," Tang Bei said, shaking his head.

He then said, "I think it's too much of a waste to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance premiums for these two stones. I can guarantee that no one can take them from me."

In the end, after some discussion, the group decided not to buy insurance, but to have Tang Bei keep the gemstones safe. Instead, they agreed to rent a safe deposit box at a bank and put the gemstones inside.

(End of this chapter)