The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 52: Starting today, position 5 will be our key offensive force in the low post.

At noon, the wasps flew to Cleveland.

On the evening of the 8th, at Rich Field Stadium.

In the away team's locker room, General Manager Tverczk came in and said to Tang Bei, "Tang, your jersey sales today have increased by 2000% compared to yesterday."

"Wow?"

"what?"

The players were stunned.

Tang Bei's eye twitched. It seemed like only one item was sold yesterday, which was two thousand percent, or twenty items. Hmm, not bad.

Next, head coach Bristol announced the starting lineup and said, "From this game onwards, the center position will be an important offensive force for us in the low post."

"What do you mean?"

Upon hearing this, Larry Johnson felt a chill run down his spine, and his temples throbbed.

Last season was his rookie season, and the starting center was Kenny Gatsisson, who had no role in the offense and was the one who led the low-post offense.

The meaning behind Bristol's coach's words was very clear: he would no longer be solely responsible for the low-post offense, and his ball possession and shot attempts would be reduced, which made him very dissatisfied.

Unlike Larry Johnson, Tang Bei was very happy because the head coach's words meant he would receive the treatment he deserved.

Kendall Gill felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.

Although the competition for lower positions didn't concern him much, he learned from those words that the team valued and supported Tang Bei.

As for the other players, they all basically understood one thing: there was now another competitor for the position of team core and leader.

At this point, Bristol continued, "If Tang gets position in the low post, the other positions should spread out to create one-on-one opportunities for him, OK?"

"OK."

The other players, including Kendall Gill, responded in unison.

Larry Johnson simply snorted and ignored his coach's words.

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

Hornets: Tang Bei, Larry Johnson, David Wingate, Kendall Gill, Muggsy Bogues
Cavaliers: Brad Doherty, Larry Nance, Gerald Wilkins, Mike Sanders, Mark Price

This game was not broadcast nationally, only on regional television, and the commentators were Rupert Johnson and Phil Mott.

After the live broadcast began, Ruud Johnson started to explain the situation, saying:

"The Cavaliers finished second in the Eastern Conference last season, eliminated the Nets and Celtics in the playoffs, and fell to the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. They were very strong and can be called the first golden age in the history of the Cavaliers."

Philmotel continued, "Their starting center, Brady Doherty, was the number one overall pick in the 86 draft by the Cavaliers. He is 213 cm tall and weighs 111 kg."

He has entered his prime, has been selected to the All-Star reserve team four times, was selected to the All-NBA Third Team last season, and has been in the 20+10 club for two consecutive seasons. He is also good at passing, averaging 4 assists per game, and is the core of the Cavaliers' interior.

Moreover, he is the first player in the Cavaliers' history to join the 20+10 club, making him an absolute top-tier center in the NBA.

Rourke Johnson continued, "The core of our perimeter is All-Star point guard Mark Price, a two-time All-Star reserve and a two-time All-NBA Third Team selection, who is also in his prime."

The Cavaliers' third All-Star, power forward Larry Nance, is a two-time All-Star reserve, a one-time All-Defensive First Team selection, and a one-time All-Defensive Second Team selection. He's 33 years old now, but looks to be still in his prime.

Phil Mott said, "On paper, the Cavaliers have three All-Stars in their prime, while the Hornets don't have a single All-Star. The Cavaliers have a better chance of winning."

At this moment, Rourke Johnson suddenly said seriously, "I want to remind Brad Doherty that although your opponent Don is a rookie, his playing style is very aggressive. He injured the sixth pick, Gugliotta, in the first game."

Phil Motter nodded and said, "Yes, Doherty suffered a serious injury in the 89/90 season, missing 41 games. Although he has now returned to All-Star level, we must be careful." At eight o'clock, the game began.

Tang Bei and Brad Doherty jumped for the ball, with Tang Bei winning easily, and the Hornets went on offense.

After landing, he quickly bypassed Doherty and headed into the penalty area.

Doherty's movement speed was noticeably slower; he couldn't keep up and his pace slowed down.

However, power forward Larrynance quickly stepped back to cover, blocking Tang Bei. Doherty then took the opportunity to get back on defense and positioned himself in front of Tang Bei.

Tang Bei moved to the low left wing, where Doherty positioned himself inside.

The intense confrontation between the two immediately began. Brad Doherty was no match for Tang Bei; the difference in strength and weight was simply too great.
Within a second, Tang Bei exerted his strength continuously, squeezing in three small steps, nearly a meter away, and getting to a very deep position within a deep position, just over a meter away from the basket.

Meanwhile, Larry Johnson was also calling for the ball in the low post on the right wing.

Larry Nance weighs 107 kilograms and is not as strong as Larry Johnson. He was pushed into the paint by about a foot, which is considered a deep position.

The two defenders were almost back-to-back, passively protecting the rim completely.

Seeing this, general manager Tvercz, head coach Bristol, and point guard Muggsy Bogues all had a headache.

With the three-second shot clock about to expire, if the ball isn't passed in, Tang Bei and Larry Johnson's positioning will be rendered ineffective, wasting their energy.

"Fuck you!"

At that moment, Larry Johnson, dissatisfied with Donald's attitude, directly swore.

"Your uncle!"

Tang Bei was equally annoyed and uttered his own catchphrase.

At the last minute, Bogues chose to pass the ball to Larry Johnson, after all, he knew Johnson better, and Johnson was also a core member of the management team.

Although the head coach just said that the center position is an important offensive force in the low post, he is well aware that this does not mean that Larry Johnson's status on the team has been reduced.

Most likely, the proportion of inside offense will increase, reducing offensive opportunities for the other three positions.

As a result, the same thing that happened many times in the previous game happened again: Doherty, who was defending Tang Bei, immediately turned around and quickly double-teamed Larry Johnson.

"Bang!"

Larry Johnson forced a turnaround jump shot while facing a double team, but it missed, and the basketball bounced off the rim.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when two opponents double-teamed Larry Johnson, Tang Bei, who had already entered the paint, secured the best rebounding position.

He leaped high into the air, using his excellent jumping ability to grab the basketball as it bounced out of the crowd, and slammed it into the basket.

"boom!"

An explosive slam rang out, the backboard slammed down and wobbled, silencing the noisy Cavaliers home crowd with this putback dunk.

Larry Johnson's eye twitched. He had missed the shot, but Tang Bei had managed to dunk it on. Wasn't this a slap in the face for him?
"How do we solve this problem?"

Neither of the two young men would back down, and they were locked in a fierce battle, giving Hornets general manager Dave Tvertzke a real headache.

If things continue like this, given their personalities, the conflict will inevitably become public, forcing him to make a deal with one of them, which is definitely not the outcome he wants.

He couldn't bear to part with either of these two young men; it would be painful for him to lose them.

(End of this chapter)