The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 190 Future Warrior
On the afternoon of the 3rd, the Jazz arrived in Miami.

On the 4th, the 94/95 NBA regular season kicked off.

There are a total of twelve opening games, including the Heat hosting the Jazz.

By 7 p.m., the Miami Arena was already packed.

There were four Chinese billboards at the venue, one of which featured Tangjia Electronics, with Tang Bei himself as the spokesperson.

The best spot for courtside advertising, especially for a top team like the Heat, costs $50 to $100 million a year. Mid-sized teams pay $30 to $60, and smaller teams pay $10 to $30.

Tangjia Electronics' billboard is placed in a prime location, behind the basketball hoop, the best prime location, with media seating on both sides.

The media seating at both ends was further marginalized, given up to advertising space, and moved to fixed positions on both sides of the baseline, maintaining a greater safe distance from the backboard.

The Heat management took Tang Bei's situation into consideration and offered him certain concessions, including a playoff contract of $42 per season.

Florida, especially the Miami metropolitan area, is the region with the greatest influence of Tangjia Electronics and is the main sales area for Tangjia Electronics' color TVs and washing machines.

Although Tangjia Electronics became an appliance supplier for Walmart, it was not able to supply Walmart with large quantities of goods in the short term.

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

Jazz: Felton Spencer, Karl Malone, David Bennott, Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Kevin Willis, Glen Rice, Kendall Gill, Avery Johnson

CCTV cameras constantly switch between the live broadcast studio in the CCTV building in Beijing and the front lines; having their own satellite signal is certainly convenient.

"Ladies and gentlemen, look at that billboard..."

Zhang Heli pointed the camera at the back of the basketball hoop and said with a smile, "Tangjia Electronics is an enterprise invested by Tangbei. It produces home appliances and has several thousand workers in Tianjing. In the future, it will have tens of thousands of workers, which will solve a great employment problem for the local area."

His company specializes in exporting goods to earn foreign exchange, making a significant contribution to the country. It is the largest home appliance manufacturer in China and is poised to become the country's largest electrical appliance exporter.

The advertisement was so good that all three commentators in the live broadcast room laughed, but the director didn't cut back until Zhang Heli finished the advertisement before switching back to the live broadcast room.

At this moment, at Gree's headquarters in Zhuhai, Ms. Dong, who had just been unanimously elected as the deputy director of the operations department yesterday, has transitioned from frontline to management.

This year, Gree is facing a very difficult situation. Some key business personnel have been poached and resigned en masse. She rejected the poaching offers from competitors and chose to stay at Gree.

Gree's senior management has already spoken with her, and she will soon become the head of the operations department.

Although the head of the operations department has not yet entered Gree's core decision-making level, it will soon.

At this moment, she looked at the television in the office and said to her subordinates with an envious expression:
"If Gree had a Tang Bei who could get CCTV to advertise for him, I would definitely take over the entire North American market."

"I heard that Tangjia Electronics' appliances go directly into the US retail market, and their profits are at least 20 to 30 percent higher than ours."

"It's not exactly direct; it goes through an import company in the US, but that import/export company is also a subsidiary of Tangjia Investment."

Several of her subordinates started discussing it amongst themselves, their envy no less than that of Miss Dong.

"Director Dong, do you think we could use their channels?" someone suggested.

Dong Xiaozu shook his head and said, "I've worked in sales on the front lines for so many years, and I can tell you very clearly that in the future sales market, distribution channels will be king. Why would we use other people's channels? Unless they swallow us up."

At this point, she said with some helplessness, "Among those who poached our key personnel was Tangjia Electronics, and we are their competitors."

"Tangjia Electronics' current investment scale has reached 4 billion yuan, while our Gree's market value is at most a little over 1 billion yuan. They are also planning to introduce an air conditioner production line, which will become our biggest competitor in the future."

“We mainly produce air conditioners now, and our product range is not as extensive as Tangjia Electronics'. Our production lines are also not as advanced as theirs. Chairman Dong, do you think we can withstand their impact?”

Seeing the panic among her subordinates, Ms. Dong immediately said with a firm expression, "Although we are not as large as them, we also have our own advantages."

"They all use imported production lines and don't have their own R&D capabilities. Well, they just poached a large number of our R&D personnel, and other home appliance companies must have been poached as well. They will soon develop their own R&D capabilities."

"However, they have overseas sales channels and mainly export. We can focus on the domestic market, which has not been too competitive in recent years. We can first establish a solid domestic foundation and then increase our R&D efforts to enhance our competitiveness."

After her reassurance, her subordinates calmed down a bit.

However, Ms. Dong herself was very nervous because Tangjia Electronics had increased its investment too much this time. As its production scale expands in the next few years, if overseas sales are not ideal, it will definitely develop the domestic market. At that time, Gree will have to fight Tangjia to the death.

Moreover, Tangjia Electronics has a huge financial advantage and has recently been poaching employees from various home appliance companies. It also has an advantage in terms of technology and production line upgrades.

She believes that in three or five years, Tangjia Electronics will focus on the domestic market, and these few years are Gree's last chance for development.

Moreover, what she just said was only her own idea, but she is not even in the core decision-making group, so there is no possibility that her ideas will be realized.

"Severe phobia!"

When Tang Bei entered the game at the Miami Arena, a deafening roar erupted.

Next, the championship rings were awarded, and Tang Bei received his second career championship ring and his first NBA championship ring.

Jia Bao was also there for today's opening match, and Tang Bei put on his ring and took a few photos with her.

CCTV's camera switched to the front line, where Zhang Heli excitedly exclaimed, "Congratulations to Tang Bei, the first Chinese to enter the NBA, the first Chinese to win an NBA championship, and the first Chinese to win a championship as the core and leader of a team."

The two onlookers, the Black and White Duo, were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, especially the postman, Carl Malone, who stared at Tang Bei, wanting to take his place.

"Dad, I want to win a championship like Uncle Tang someday," Curry Jr. said to his father, Curry Sr., as he ran to the bench.

"If you keep playing center, you'll never have any hope," Curry said helplessly.

After thinking for a moment, Seth Curry made a difficult decision and said, "Okay, Dad, I'll switch to guard."

"That's more like it. With your physique, wouldn't you get trampled to death if you played center?" Old Curry said with satisfaction.

"Di!"

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

After the jump ball, the Heat went on offense.

Mailman Carl Malone was pulled to the right waist by Kevin Willis.

Willis possesses excellent low-post scoring and finishing ability under the basket, as well as a very stable mid-range shot. His role on offense is to open up the paint and create one-on-one opportunities for Tang Bei.

Tang Bei positioned himself low on the left wing to receive the ball.

The Jazz assigned Spencer to defend Tang Bei one-on-one, with his defensive positioning slightly low, primarily guarding Tang Bei's right shoulder and preventing him from turning and sliding to the baseline.

In the low-post double-team tactic devised by head coach Jerry Sloan, he defended the post, while the Mailman helped defend the upper side.

At that moment, Kendall Gill suddenly ran to the top of the penalty area, passed behind Avery Johnson, received the pass, and suddenly changed direction downwards, rushing straight into the penalty area.

His breakthrough position was on the left wing, forcing Spencer to retreat to defend the basket. At that moment, Kendall Gill tossed the ball behind Spencer in the air.

"boom!"

After cutting in, Tang Bei leaped into the air, caught the ball with his left hand in mid-air, and then delivered a powerful tomahawk dunk.

"Beautiful! Kendall Gill broke through and passed the ball to Tang Bei, who completed an alley-oop dunk," commentator Su Qun said.

Sun Zhenping said, "He is much faster than Steve Smith before, and also faster than Kevin Edwards."

Han Qiaosheng said, "With Kendall Gill, the Heat's outside penetration speed has reached a first-class level, and their impact on the paint is also stronger."

Su Qun smiled and said, "He and Tang Bei are old teammates, and their teamwork is indeed quite good."

On the field, the Mailman received the ball in the low post on the right wing and attacked, with Kevin Willis defending him.

Willis is a practical defensive shield, not a shot-blocking machine. His rim protection is passable, but his defensive stats are not impressive.

His core defensive value lies in defensive rebounding. He has good physical strength and can withstand opponents' back-to-the-basket attacks, forcing opponents to shoot away from the basket or choose difficult shots.

After receiving the ball, Mailman dribbled past Kevin Willis, bumping him twice before getting close to the basket by about a foot. The contact was intense, and his attack wasn't going very smoothly. To avoid being double-teamed by Tang Bei, he opted for a turnaround jump shot.

"Snapped!"

But just then, Tang Bei appeared from behind Kevin Willis and swatted the ball high into the air.

After landing, Tang Bei looked up at the ball high in the sky while using his strength to move and block the Mailman, squeezing him aside and trapping him behind him. Then Kevin Willis seized the opportunity to steal the ball.

"At this time last year, Tang Bei weighed 137 kilograms. Does anyone know what his weight is now?" Han Qiaosheng suddenly asked.

"Ask Coach Zhang, he was with Tang Bei the whole time during the World Championships," Su Qun said.

The director immediately switched the camera, and after Han Qiaosheng asked, Zhang Heli said:

"Pretty much. Tang Bei hasn't gained any weight since entering the league. The reason he gained two kilograms in the first two seasons was because his body was maturing."

He's almost 22 now, and with his body maturing, he should be stronger and more capable of fighting.

"brush!"

On the court, Kevin Willis made a wide-open mid-range jumper.

Tang Bei delivered an assist, receiving the ball at the high post, turning and dribbling past defenders, drawing the Mailman's double team before passing the ball to Willis.

Jeff Hornacek's rotation wasn't fully in place, leaving Kevin Willis with a small open spot.

The camera switched to the front line, where Zhang Heli said, "The Heat's main inside players are stronger on both offense and defense than last season, and they are also better at rebounding. The Heat's offense is also more focused on the inside, with the outside offense only serving as a supplement and a means of containment."

Su Qun nodded and said, "Kevin Willis is 213 centimeters tall, which increases the Heat's interior height as well."

His partnership with Tang Bei in the paint is arguably one of the strongest in the entire league, both offensively and defensively.

"Snapped!"

One minute later, Kendall Gill made a precise anticipation while defending Jeff Hornacek and successfully intercepted the ball.

After stealing the ball, he launched a counterattack. When he drove to the basket, John Stockton returned to defend, but he was not afraid of physical contact and successfully made a layup despite Stockton's presence.

"Di!"

Two offensive possessions were blocked and one was stolen, and three defensive plays all failed, leaving them down 0-6 at the start of the game. Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan called the first timeout of the first quarter.

Sun Zhenping said, "The Jazz's roster and offensive and defensive systems are mature and they are very strong. I think they have the strength to compete for the championship."

However, the Rockets, Suns, and Spurs are also strong teams in the West, making it difficult for the Jazz to advance. This team currently poses little threat to the Heat.

Han Qiaosheng said casually, "Even if the Jazz make it to the Finals, they won't pose much of a threat to the Heat, right?"

Su Qun analyzed, "The Jazz definitely can't stop Tang Bei's offense. On the defensive end, they can beat the Jazz by just holding the paint. How could the Mailman possibly beat Tang Bei?"

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "To beat this Heat team now, the inside game must be strong enough. We don't have to be able to compete with Tang Bei, but we can't be too far behind. At least we need to be at the level of the three super centers. And the outside game must be able to crush the Heat's outside game."

“Yes.” Su Qun nodded quickly.

Han Qiaosheng said with a smile, "Among the four super centers in the NBA, Tang Bei should be separated and Shaquille O'Neal should be included in the list of the four super centers."

"Haha..." The other two burst into laughter.

Su Qun smiled and said, "One hegemon and four superpowers."

"Ha ha……"

The three of them laughed even louder.

At the end of the first quarter, the Jazz trailed by 14 points, 18-32, on the road.

Under the primary defense of Kevin Willis and the help defense of Tang Bei, the Mailman only made 1 of 5 shots and committed 2 turnovers, which made him extremely frustrated and angered him.

However, when facing Tang Bei, he could only suppress his anger. Although he would occasionally elbow Willis, he dared not use force or attack vital points.

In this game, the Heat ultimately won by a large margin, 85-110, a 25-point victory, achieving a winning start to the new season.

唐北轰下40分15篮板5助攻1抢断5盖帽1失误2犯规的数据，命中率71.5%。

Kevin Willis recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but his field goal percentage was as high as 54.5%, far exceeding his average field goal percentage last season.

He got a lot of open looks on offense and played quite comfortably. However, Tang Bei was the main force in the inside offense, and he took slightly fewer shots than last season.

The Mailman made 7 of 18 field goals (38.9%) and 3 of 5 free throws, scoring 17 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, while getting two blocks from Tang Bei.

After the game, Zhang Heli said to the camera: "In this game, Kevin Willis's ability to pull away was stronger than Grant Lang's, so Tang Bei played relatively easily, and the pressure on offense, defense and rebounding was not as great as last season."

However, there's also a problem: the bench is noticeably weaker than last season. Against teams with strong benches, the starting lineup has to cover for them.

Zhang Heli said, "Coach Zhang is right. Tonight, the Heat's bench only accounted for 22% of the points, while the Jazz accounted for 27%, a difference of five percentage points. The starting lineup has to make up for those five percentage points."

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "Tonight, Tang Bei still rarely dribbles the ball to attack. He mostly cuts to the basket or shoots mid-range shots from the high post. Is he intentionally avoiding the newly introduced traveling rule?"

Han Qiaosheng said, "That's possible."

Su Qun expressed a different opinion, saying, "It's also possible that the Jazz's low-post defense is average. Although Spencer weighs 135 kilograms, his speed and agility are far inferior to Tang Bei's."

Tang Bei didn't need to waste his energy on a direct attack, or even a strong confrontation. Simply pulling him away and then closing in would be enough to get rid of him.

"Yes, that's the style of play we used most today. By using speed to create enough space, we can overcome slowness." Han Qiaosheng nodded.

Sun Zhenping said, "Using the small forward style of play is enough to deal with these tanks; they can't keep up with Tang Bei's speed at all."

At 10 a.m. the next day, Eric Fleischer, who had nothing to do, drove a Grand Cherokee to the Monica Tower and drove Tang Bei to the Heat headquarters.

"That's a nice car, is it new?"

I bought it last week.

After Tang Bei got in the car, he felt that the space was very large and the comfort was better than that of the Hummer H1, which suited him quite well.

On the way, Eric Fleischer chatted casually, "Mark called me last time and said that Hu Weidong can't come to the NBA for the time being."

Tang Bei said, "I know that the domestic A-League will be changed to the CBA professional basketball league next year. Lao Hu definitely can't come. He is the mainstay of their team."

"Tang, the selection of the 50 greatest NBA players started in 1996. You have a very good chance. If you can win another championship and preferably an MVP, it will basically be yours."

"Top 50 Superstars?"

In the afternoon, the Heat arrived in Phoenix.

However, due to Barkley's injury, which will sideline him for at least ten games, the Suns' roster was incomplete, allowing the Heat to secure their second consecutive win.

Tang Bei scored 41 points again. This season, he wants to compete for the MVP. The team needs to have a good record, and his personal statistics also need to be improved.

Barkley's injury was quite bizarre.

While watching a concert by rock star Eric Klap on the 2nd, he rubbed his eyes because of the bright stage lights shining into them, which caused hand lotion to get into his eyes, resulting in a chemical burn to his cornea and causing severe pain. He was immediately taken to the hospital.

……

The next day, the Heat arrived in San Francisco.

At 7:30 pm on the 8th, both teams announced their starting lineups.

Warriors: Ronnie Sekkali, Chris Gatlin, Ricky Pierce, Latrell Sprewell, Tim Hardaway

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Kevin Willis, Glen Rice, Kendall Gill, Avery Johnson

The game was broadcast live across the United States by ESPN. Commentator Michael Brin said:

"The Warriors are currently plagued by internal conflicts. Chris Webber has been benched due to a conflict with head coach Don Nelson."

The main conflict between the two was that Don Nelson wanted Webber to play center, but Chris Webber was only willing to play power forward.

Webber wanted to be traded, and to solve their center problem, the Warriors acquired Ronnie Sekkali from the Timberwolves.

Tom Tolbert continued, "The Timberwolves let Mourning go because they were tanking, and now they're completely tanking."

They traded Ronnie Sekkali for the Warriors' 17th overall pick in the first round, 25-year-old center Victor Alexander, plus the Warriors' second-round pick in 95.

The Warriors, unable to retain Webber, have decided to rebuild again, demanding a future first-round draft pick in exchange for him.

Michael Breen said, "In addition, Warriors leader Chris Mullin suffered a serious injury and will be out for five or six months."

Tom Tolbert said, "He has a double injury, a fracture in his left knee and an ankle, which is quite serious."

Michael Brin asked, "By the way, O'Neal got injured at the World Championships and returned at the beginning of the season, but Rainman hasn't returned yet. It's been almost three months. Has his torn ligament in his left ankle still not healed?"

Tom Tolbert said, "O'Neal's ankle injury is not serious, just a sprain, and his head did not reach the level of a concussion."

However, Rainman suffered a severe ligament tear, and it will take at least three months to recover his walking ability, and even longer to regain his athletic fitness. He might have a chance to return before the All-Star break.

In the player tunnel, Tang Bei sized up Chris Gatlin, the futuristic warrior with a piece of iron on his head.

Although it wasn't his first time playing against Gatlin, he was still quite interested in the iron on Gatlin's head.

Whenever he faced Gatling, he was hesitant to engage in direct confrontation, fearing he might accidentally kill the future warrior.

Seeing Tang Bei staring at his metal frame again, Gatling awkwardly scratched his head.

The metal piece on his head is from when he was 18 years old, when he fell off a covered truck while washing it. He landed headfirst and fractured his skull, so the doctor installed a stainless steel replacement for his skull.

Since he got that piece of metal on his head, resembling a futuristic warrior, he attracts a lot of attention wherever he goes.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

In terms of strength, the Heat are undeniably stronger on paper, but the game was not easy.

When the starters were on the court, the Heat had a big lead, but when the bench came on, the Heat's bench was outplayed by the Warriors' bench, so they had to bring in the starters to fill the gap. They won the game in the final moments, by a narrow margin of 7 points.

The Warriors' four reserves combined for 41 points, with three of them scoring in double figures.

The Heat used a ten-man rotation, with the five substitutes scoring only 21 points in total. The bench lineup was outscored by 20 points, and the Heat only managed to fill the gap thanks to the starters.

唐北轰下45分17篮板3助攻2抢断6盖帽，才率队拿下这个客场，十分力至少拿出了八分。

After a three-game winning streak and a win against the Warriors, the Heat have no games for the next three days. Their next game is at home against the Washington Bullets.

(End of this chapter)