The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 33: The Era of Flying Men Begins?
For the next two weeks, the NBA playoffs continued, and Tang Bei's tryout journey also continued.

He demonstrated a strong advantage under the basket during the trial, but also exposed many of his shortcomings.

Opinions about him vary among teams and media outlets, ranging from praise to criticism.

Media predictions about his draft prospects vary widely, with some believing he should be in the top five and others thinking he's only worth a last pick on the show.

In Eric Fleischer's words, you can't trust what these teams and media outlets say; many of them are just smokescreens. Everything will only be clear after the draft.

On May 28, the Trail Blazers defeated the Jazz 4-2 to advance to the NBA Finals.

The following day, the Bulls defeated the Cavaliers by the same large margin, advancing to the NBA Finals to face the Trail Blazers.

On June 2nd, Tang Bei ended his trial period and returned to New York.

The Rockets and Heat have committed to selecting Tang Bei with their 11th and 12th picks. These two late lottery picks are a safety net for Tang Bei.

On June 3rd, the Bulls began their title defense, crushing the Trail Blazers 89-122 at home.

Jordan racked up 39 points and 11 assists, with a field goal percentage of 59%.

On the defensive end, he and Pippen teamed up to hold Clyde Drexler to just 5 of 14 shots, scoring only 16 points.

On the morning of the 4th, Tang Bei was training at the private training facility arranged by Fleischer when Fleischer suddenly strode in.

He shouted, "Tang, a sneaker brand has contacted you."

John Liu stared at Tang Bei with envy and said, "Tang, you're going to make a fortune! A sneaker brand wants you to be their spokesperson."

"real or fake?"

Tang Bei was practicing dribbling while moving with a defender on him when he heard this, and thought it was a joke.

"Don't get too excited, it's just a sponsorship contract with Nike," Fleischer immediately poured cold water on the idea.

"Sponsorship contract?"

John Liu is a basketball fan and knows a lot about shoe contracts; he believes sponsorship contracts are the worst type of shoe contract.

He said to Tang Bei apologetically, "Tang, it's just a sponsorship contract, which means they'll provide you with sneakers for free. There might be some sponsorship fees, but not much."

"How much?" Tang Bei asked.

After Fleischer spoke, John Liu said, "Don, $10 a season in sponsorship fees. Mr. Fleischer said that this is the standard treatment for role players and rookies."

$10?

Tang Bei's eyes instantly lit up like a 100-watt light bulb.

Even if he pays half the taxes, he'll still have $50,000 left, which is more than 280,000 RMB. He can take that home and build several two-story villas. He's really going to make a fortune.

If he takes this money back and piles it up in front of his house, even if he eats a hundred big meat buns with soybean paste in one meal, no bastard will dare to call him Tang the glutton.

Just as he was getting excited, Fleischer immediately struck him down, saying:

“I’ve already turned it down. You could easily get a sponsorship deal like that if you win the draft, even if you’re just a last-minute lottery pick.”

"You refused?"

Tang Bei was very disappointed, but then he thought about it and realized that Eric was right. The draft was the most important thing, and one should not be too short-sighted.

He then continued to train diligently, focusing on basic skills, advanced techniques, physical conditioning, and spending some time practicing martial arts and combat techniques.

He sleeps little and spends three or four hours a day studying English and NBA rules and basic tactics.

He is also learning to drive; in the United States, you can't get around without a car.

On June 14th, in Game 6 of the Finals, Jordan scored 33 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals, leading his team to defeat the Trail Blazers and defend their championship title.

Tang Bei watched Michael Jordan defend his NBA championship on TV, enjoying the grand spectacle of thousands cheering and idolizing him, and he felt a pang of envy. Compared to the NBA championship, his CBA title was nothing; it brought him almost no benefit.

"Michael Jordan, the true number one player in the league, has been born!" - The New York Times.

"The era of the speedster has arrived!" - The Washington Post.

"Michael Jordan will usher in a new era for the Bulls!" - Los Angeles Times.

After the Finals, Michael Jordan received widespread praise from the media and became the true number one player in the NBA, and his status in American sports began to rise significantly.

With the end of the Finals, the 91/92 season officially came to a close. The NBA not only welcomed a new champion but also the offseason and the annual draft.

On the 21st, at the Magic's enthusiastic invitation, O'Neal and his family finally boarded a private plane bound for Orlando.

However, some issues arose during the visit.

For example, O'Neal and his brother Jamal were not satisfied with the food provided by the Magic team, and they threw bread rolls at each other at the table. Their poor table manners displeased the Magic's management.

Moreover, before and after leaving Orlando, neither O'Neal, his family, nor his agent expressed any intention to play for the Magic, which left the Magic's management somewhat hesitant and in a dilemma.

Suddenly, the Magic's final decision became somewhat unclear.

On the 22nd, at 4 PM, Xu Jicheng arrived in New York.

He obtained Tang Bei's phone number from Xinhua News Agency and had already contacted Tang Bei before coming here.

Tang Bei hasn't gotten his driver's license yet, but he has already passed the written test.

The United States offers written tests in multiple languages, including Chinese.

Now that he was able to drive, he had the experienced driver John Liu sit in the passenger seat while he drove a Fleischer pickup truck to pick people up from the airport.

"Hello, Tang Bei."

As soon as Xu Jicheng came out pushing his suitcase, he spotted Tang Bei at first glance. He was so easy to recognize, being a head taller than Tang Bei.

"Hello, Mr. Xu," Tang Bei waved and called out.

"Just call me Lao Xu, I'm only a cycle older than you," Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

"Then I'll call you Teacher Xu," Tang Bei said with a smile.

“That works too,” Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

After Tang Bei introduced John Liu, the three of them headed towards the parking lot.

"Tang Bei, what's your ranking?" Xu Jicheng asked impatiently.

Tang Bei shook his head and said, "It's uncertain, but it should be in the lottery section."

"Lotto zone?"

Xu Jicheng immediately became excited.

In previous years, Song Tao was selected in the third round. If Tang Bei were to be selected in the lottery, the significance would be entirely different.

Xu Jicheng did not stay in a hotel; his accommodation had been arranged long ago. He stayed in the Xinhua News Agency's dormitory in New York, without spending a penny.

"squeak!"

Tang Bei slammed on the brakes and stopped the car in front of the dormitory.

Xu Jicheng's face was a little pale. After getting out of the car, he couldn't help but say, "Tang Bei, you drive pretty well, but your braking is a bit too sudden."

John Liu, sitting in the passenger seat, nodded in agreement, while Tang Bei chuckled.

(End of this chapter)