The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 191 Weighing After Eating
On the afternoon of the 9th, the Heat returned to Miami.

That night, the Bulls completed their fourth consecutive win, the Spurs won their third consecutive win, while the Rockets lost on the road, finishing with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss.

They're all broadcast live across the US. I switched between several channels to watch them, and it seems like all these teams are pretty strong this season.

Meanwhile, the Magic defeated the Hornets 11-9 in overtime on the road, with the score being 130-128.

O'Neal scored 46 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, shooting an impressive 62.5% from the field.

After acquiring Mourning, the Hornets suffered two consecutive losses, and this loss marks their third consecutive defeat at the start of the season.

Mourning had 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks, but his field goal percentage was only 44%.

Larry Johnson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, with a field goal percentage of 56.3%.

The Hornets lost by two points at home, falling short on offensive rebounds, 12-26, 14 fewer than the Magic.

Tang Bei also followed the game and noticed a problem: the Hornets' management had made another wrong choice.

The same issues that Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson had previously faced have resurfaced: both players are vying for low-post space and are not compatible.

After the Hornets suffered three consecutive losses, the media began to criticize the management's trades.

Renowned basketball commentator Mav Albert said, "Centers are born to be in the low post under the basket. The Hornets' management has lost their minds. First, they chose to keep Larry Johnson, whose mid-range shot is garbage, and then traded away Tang Bei, the best center in the league. This trade is one of the worst in history."

Now they're putting Mourning and Larry Johnson in a low-post competition. I bet there will be conflict between them, and one of them will leave in the future. Management is repeating the same mistake they made last time.

ESPN also commented on the Hornets: "Mourning's main offensive methods currently rely on low-post back-to-the-basket moves and second-chance opportunities; mid-range shots are not his primary offensive weapon."

The presence of Larry Johnson forced Mourning to leave the paint and rely more on mid-range shots for offense.

We believe a center like Ronnie Sekkali is a better fit for Larry Johnson than Alonzo Mourning.

On the evening of the 12th, the Heat welcomed the Bullets to the Miami Arena.

The Bullets finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last season with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss, a decent start to the season.

The management is currently negotiating with the Warriors in hopes of trading Chris Webber, but the Warriors' asking price is too high and no agreement has been reached yet.

In this game, Tang Bei scored 40 points again, marking his fourth consecutive game with 40+ points, leading his team to a four-game winning streak.

On Sunday the 13th, the NBA officially announced the Player of the Week, and Tang Bei won the honor with a perfect record and four consecutive games with 40+ points.

On the 15th, the Heat defeated the Mavericks at home, and after a five-game winning streak, they faced the 76ers on the road on the 16th in a back-to-back game.

The 76ers had a record of 1 win and 6 losses, and were currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and second to last in the entire league. The Clippers were last in the entire league with 6 losses.

In a back-to-back game, Tang Bei didn't go all out. He scored 31 points in the first three quarters, and the Heat led the 76ers by 16 points. He didn't play in the final quarter, and the 76ers had no chance to turn the game around.

With a six-game winning streak, the Heat are tied with the Bulls for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Rockets started the season with a 6-1 record, ranking first in the Western Conference.

On the 17th, a transaction took place.

The long-awaited Chris Webber trade has finally been completed. The Washington Bullets traded Tom Gugliotta (6th overall pick in 1992), the Orlando Magic's 1996 first-round pick, and a 1998 first-round pick (under the terms of the trade, the Warriors had the right to choose the best of the three teams' 1998 first-round picks) plus a top-three protected 2000 Warriors first-round pick (if the Warriors' first-round pick was in the top three, it would be rolled over to 2001) in exchange for Chris Webber.

In 93, the Warriors traded Anfernee Hardaway and three first-round picks to acquire Chris Webber from the Magic.

Now, through the Webber trade, we've finally gotten back three first-round picks. The only difference is that we traded Hardaway for Gugliotta, so it's not a complete loss.

Webber's trade involved three first-round picks, so its implications are far-reaching.

The Warriors, who have chosen to rebuild, are focused on long-term rules, while the Bullets are focused on short-term gains. It is currently unknown who will ultimately emerge as the winner.

That night, the Bulls lost to the Rockets on the road, and the Heat, who had won six straight games, took the opportunity to seize the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Next, the Heat defeated the Celtics at home, and on the 21st, they faced the Magic on the road.

The Magic had a 5-2 record and were on a three-game winning streak, so their morale was high. In addition, O'Neal was injured by Tang Bei in the World Championship and was eager to defeat Tang Bei to prove himself. Therefore, the Magic were determined to win this home game.

"I'm not afraid of him..."

In the evening, upon arriving at the Orlando arena, O'Neal told reporters, "We will definitely win this game."

"Shaq, what's your weight? Can you withstand the impact of severe fear?" a reporter asked.

O'Neal patted his broad chest and said, "I weigh 140 kilograms now, the same as him, so I can definitely handle him."

"Was the 140 kilograms measured after you had eaten, or was it measured when you woke up in the morning?" the reporter asked.

"Of course I weigh myself after I've eaten. Who gets up to weigh themselves? I'm not on a diet," O'Neal said.

The reporters were speechless. It seemed that O'Neal had not only eaten a lot before weighing himself, but he was also definitely wearing clothes. His actual weight was probably around 130 kilograms.

"O'Neal's weight is a mystery."

"There is at least a 5 to 8 kilogram weight difference, no wonder he couldn't carry Tang."

"But judging from his physique, he's no smaller than Tang, yet their weights are so different?"

"His body fat percentage is much higher than Tang's. Although their physiques look similar, Tang Bei's muscle mass is definitely higher, so his strength and fighting ability are quite different."

"I think his way of gaining weight is through eating, not through strength training to gain weight and increase strength. No wonder he can't beat someone with severe fear."

"Looks like the sardines are going to be ravaged by severe fear again tonight."

A group of reporters were talking about it after O'Neal left.

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

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

Orlando Magic: Shaquille O'Neal, Horace Grant, Donald Loyer, Nick Anderson, Anfernee Hardaway

"Hey, sardine, is your injury healed?"

As Tang Bei turned the corner and saw O'Neal, he called out to him loudly.

O'Neal snorted angrily, sized up Tang Bei, and said, "Tang, you can't hurt me. I'm stronger than you now."

"just you?"

Tang Bei sized up O'Neal. His physique was still good, with fat covering his muscles, not very bulky, and he looked like he was full of explosive power. However, his body fat percentage was definitely higher than last season, and he must have gained some weight.

He has lost 1.5 kilograms compared to last season, weighing only 136 kilograms.

Garbo didn't like his physique being too large, so in terms of strength training, he focused on muscle speed training, with absolute strength slightly reduced and explosive power slightly improved.

The opponent's low-post double-teaming tactics have changed his playing style somewhat. He has reduced the intensity of his low-post attacks, strengthened his high-post support, and increased his off-ball movement tactics.

Strengthening muscle speed training to further increase speed, agility, and explosiveness is also in line with this playing style and can better break through the opponent's off-ball double-teaming.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Jump ball, Heat attack.

Tang Bei first came to the low post, without double-teaming him in advance, so he immediately started to call for position and the ball in the low post.

Anfernee Hardaway attempted to cut off Avery Johnson's downward passing lane, but Johnson, being 23 centimeters shorter, used his advantage to his advantage, changing direction to the left, accelerating past the defender, and immediately passing the ball down.

When Tang Bei received the ball, he noticed that Cobra Grant in the low post on the right wing had already moved behind him and was double-teaming him on the weak side of the baseline, just one step away, and his help defense was very fast.

He suddenly turned upwards, using his left elbow to block O'Neal, and then threw a powerful pass with his right hand to Kevin Willis in the right paint. The Magic's shooting guard, Nick Anderson, had already moved down a step in advance to quickly cover for Tang Bei as he passed the ball.

Facing Anderson's rotation and help defense, Kevin Willis didn't react much. After receiving the ball, he immediately stood up and faked a shot. Then Anderson flew past him, and he calmly jumped up and released the shot, making a wide-open mid-range jumper.

In the TNT live broadcast studio, commentator Hubie Brown said, "Kevin Willis' mid-range shot is very consistent, and he also has height, so the shooting guards are not very effective at helping on defense."

Teammate Bob Neal said, "Tang improved his playmaking and passing last season, and whether in the low post or the high post, double-teaming him off the ball was ineffective."

The same applies to weak-side double-teams. With his current passing ability, he can accurately identify his teammates' open spaces and quickly pass the ball before the double-team is complete.

Hubie Brown nodded and said, "Since the start of the new season, Tang has rarely used the Tornado in the low post. In six games, no opponent has been injured by him. It should be said that the new traveling rule has also limited his offensive power."

Bob Neal laughed and said, "Hubi, you have to be careful about something else. Even Shaq, that monster, got injured by him in the World Championships. He didn't hurt a single opponent in six games. One reason is that his opponents no longer dared to stop him from attacking the basket."

“That makes sense,” Hubie Brown nodded helplessly.

On the right wing in the low post, O'Neal tried hard to get into position, but Tang Bei defended him with all his might. After a series of confrontations, O'Neal still couldn't squeeze into the paint.

Although Tang Bei's absolute strength has weakened, it is still as high as 98, and has not been downgraded, which shows that the reduction is very limited.

Given his lower body stability, O'Neal couldn't move his center of gravity.

On the right wing beyond the three-point line, Anfernee Hardaway saw that O'Neal still couldn't get into the deep post, so he decided to take a shot himself.

In front of him was Kendall Gill, not Avery Johnson.

He dribbled between his legs repeatedly, then suddenly stepped out with his right foot, making a breakthrough move from the outside. After shaking off Gil, he immediately pulled back and then took off with the ball.

Kendall Gill jumped quickly to block the shot, but his height was slightly off, which affected Hardaway's shot attempt.

“Right.”

Under the basket, Tang Bei quickly anticipated the move and positioned himself to tightly block Shaquille O'Neal behind him.

Kevin Willis, on the right side of the basket, did the same, blocking Cobra Grant behind him and occupying the best position under the basket with Tang Bei.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei didn't go for the rebound. After Willis grabbed the rebound, he immediately turned around and ran to the frontcourt to start a fast break.

"Don't even think about turning it into a fast break."

As soon as O'Neal saw this, he took off chasing after him.

He doesn't have such a good defensive attitude, not in positional warfare, and even less so in quick counter-attacks, but the opponent is Tang Bei, so it's different.

The two behemoths ran at full speed on the court, like two fast horses. The guards from both the Magic and the Heat scrambled to the side, afraid of being hit.

“Those two guys are really fast!” Hubie Brown exclaimed.

Tang Bei ran across the center line and had already left O'Neal a big step behind, a distance of 1.5 meters. At this point, he had fully accelerated and left O'Neal half a step behind after two more steps.

After the gap between the two exceeded two meters, O'Neal had no choice but to give up the chase and began to slow down.

"ball!"

Avery Johnson used Kevin Willis's screen to get rid of Hardaway's pressure, yelled, and passed the ball from the backcourt.

"Long pass!" Bob Neil shouted.

"boom!"

Tang Bei slowed down at the free-throw line, received the ball, took off, and smashed the Magic's rim with a tomahawk dunk, completing this defensive counterattack.

Hubie Brown said, "Back in the draft, O'Neal's speed should have been able to keep up with Tang's, but now he's a bit behind."

Bob Neil laughed and said, "Whether it's talent or training attitude, Tang Bei is better than Shaquille O'Neal."

Hubie Brown said, "As O'Neal and Hardaway have grown, the Magic's roster has become more mature and stronger, but they have a very obvious weakness against the Heat, which puts the Magic at a great disadvantage in terms of tactical usage, making it difficult for them to beat the Heat."

“Hubi, what’s the weakness?” Bob Neil asked cooperatively.

Hubie Brown said, "The Heat defended O'Neal by using Tang to guard him one-on-one, so that no one else would be open."

Bob Neal immediately nodded and said, "That's right. The Magic's defense against Tang Bei is either double-teaming him off the ball or helping on the weak side, which will give other positions open shots and mismatches."

Hubie Brown said, "That's what happened on the Heat's first possession, and Kevin Willis got his chance because of it."

Bob Neal said, "Tang Bei can defend O'Neal one-on-one, which greatly limits his offense, while O'Neal can't defend Tang Bei one-on-one. This is the Magic's weakness and also the Heat's opportunity against the Magic."

Hubie Brown said, "It's not a chance for the Heat against the Magic, it's a chance for the Heat against every team. Nobody can guard Tang one-on-one."

"Oh!"

On the right wing in the low post, O'Neal dribbled the ball and pushed against Tang Bei. Despite the heavy impact, Tang Bei's lower body remained completely still, while his upper body swayed slightly backward, dissipating the force of the impact.

"Shet!"

O'Neal cursed under his breath and suddenly turned and slid down the slope.

However, without disrupting the opponent's balance, O'Neal had very little space and time to turn around.

Tang Bei immediately reacted defensively, moving even faster to once again get in front of O'Neal.

"Di!"

As O'Neal crashed into Tang Bei, Tang Bei took a step back, and the referee blew his whistle.

“Charging foul, O’Neal, offensive foul,” Hubie Brown said.

Bob Neal said, "There are only two giants of the same type. O'Neal was also unlucky and was completely suppressed by Tang. Throughout his career, it is unknown whether he will ever be able to make it."

Hubie Brown said, "If they're always in the East, it'll be hard for Ewing and O'Neal to get an All-Star starter spot."

As for other honors, he is even less competitive than Tang. After Tang won the championship and Finals MVP, he has surpassed him by a significant margin.

Bob Neal nodded and said, "Among the four super centers, Tang's strength is a level above others, belonging to a class of its own. This statement has been recognized by the media."

Hubie Brown said, "This season, Tang should have the ability to compete for both All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team selections."

The Heat ultimately emerged victorious in this game, dominating both offense and defense thanks to Tang Bei's dominance over O'Neal.

The Heat won by a whopping 40 points, 82-122.

In addition to Tang Bei's 30 points, Kevin Willis also scored 22 points, Kendall Gill 22 points, Glen Rice 16 points, and Dell Curry 18 points. Five players scored in double figures, and three of them scored 20+ points, making their offensive firepower unparalleled.

Tang Bei played only 29 minutes in three quarters, and O'Neal fouled him too quickly, so he only played 32 minutes.

Hubie Brown said with surprise, "The Heat's starting lineup is too strong this season. Tang, Kevin Willis, Glen Rice, and Kendall Gill all have the ability to score 20+ points."

At this point, he shook his head and said, "Piling up too much offensive firepower in the main lineup will definitely be a waste."

Especially with a low-post offensive weapon like Tang Bei, the offensive capabilities of others will definitely be suppressed.

Bob Neal suggested, "Their bench is much weaker than last season. I think it would be better to remove one of the four starters to strengthen the bench and make it more balanced."

Hubie Brown nodded and said, "That's what I think too."

(End of this chapter)