The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 85 Is it wrong for me to want to climb to the top by stepping on Ewing?
In the afternoon, the Heat practiced at Madison Square Garden.

As the bus pulled outside, Tang Bei saw the huge Knicks advertisement and couldn't help but think of the treasure chest.

The treasure chest suddenly appeared when he saw this painting. I wonder if there is any connection between the two?

This thing doesn't seem to help him improve his physical fitness or basketball skills; it can only provide some auxiliary benefits.

But this is already very good for him. Technique can be improved, and his physical fitness is already good enough.

The bus then drove into Madison Square Garden and entered the underground parking lot, where a group of reporters were waiting. As soon as they saw the bus arrive, they rushed forward.

"Glen, will Tang's addition affect your position on the team?" a reporter asked.

Glen Rice paused for a moment, then walked five or six steps with his backpack before replying, "Don has made the Heat stronger, and our record is improving. I'm very happy to see this change."

"Tang, are you planning to compete for the Heat's leadership?" a reporter asked.

Tang Bei chuckled and said, "I'm the core inside player, and Glenn is the core outside player. As for who's the leader, that's not important. We're very united."

Glenn Rice laughed when he heard this. He liked the atmosphere and was happy that Tang Bei would say such a thing.

"Tang, you'll be facing Ewing tonight. What kind of performance do you think you'll deliver?" another reporter asked.

Tang Bei asked curiously, "How did O'Neal and Mourning perform when they matched up against Ewing?"

那记者如数家珍地道：“奥尼尔第一次打尤因得到18分17篮板，命中率38.9%，尤因15分9篮板，命中率43.8%。

阿朗佐莫宁是22分17篮板，命中率36.8%，尤因是28分9篮板，50%的命中率。”

At this point, the reporter added, "Both of these games were played at the Knicks' home court, and the Knicks won both of them."

Tang Bei was taken aback and somewhat puzzled. Was Ewing's rebounding ability really that bad?

However, in terms of shooting percentage, Ewing's defensive ability was very strong, holding O'Neal and Mourning to shooting percentages of less than 40%.

Ewing's offensive ability is indeed very strong; even Alonzo Mourning couldn't keep his shooting percentage below 50%.

He thought about it and realized he definitely couldn't lose to O'Neal and Mourning.

However, his highest single-game rebounding total so far is only 17, so he needs to put more effort into rebounding tonight.

Actually, he overlooked other factors, which is why he thought Ewing's rebounding was poor.

Ewing's rebounding ability is not outstanding among the three super centers. His ability to jump repeatedly is the worst, and this quality is one of the keys to grabbing rebounds.

One important factor contributing to Ewing's poor performance was that he had a power forward, Oakley, who averaged 9.5 rebounds per game, alongside him, which to some extent took away Ewing's rebounding opportunities.

"Don?"

Seeing that Tang Bei did not answer, the reporter urged him.

John Liu, standing nearby, reminded him in Mandarin: "Tang, this is Madison Square Garden, the holy land of American basketball. There is a lot of media attention here, and all NBA players hope to have a great performance here."

"is it?"

Tang Bei was taken aback, and said to the reporter, "To be modest, my performance will definitely be better than O'Neal and Mourning."

The reporters were dumbfounded. Should they not be modest and say so?

A reporter immediately asked, "Tang, what if you're not being modest?"

Tang Bei got excited. He wanted to create some hype before the match and gain more attention, so he said, "I'm not being modest. I hope to crush Patrick Ewing tonight."

Although he wanted to create a buzz, he wasn't entirely mindless.

While Ewing is physically strong, he's certainly not as physically imposing as David Robinson. He can only shoot from outside like David Robinson, so his offensive efficiency won't be very high.

Given his current ability to score in the low post, even if Ewing's defense is better than David Robinson's, it's impossible for him not to score.

Simply put, both O'Neal and Mourning were able to put up good numbers against Ewing, so what about him?
"Oh!"

Upon hearing Tang Bei's words, the audience gasped in surprise.

Most of the people present were local reporters. Ewing could even be called the King of New York, with a huge influence. Tang Bei's words undoubtedly made these reporters quite dissatisfied.

"Tang, do you have a conflict with Ewing?" a reporter asked loudly.

Tang Bei said, "No, I recognized him from a TV broadcast when I was still in China, but I haven't met him yet, and we have no conflict."

"You're so confident you can beat King Kong? I think you're just creating hype to climb over Patrick and get ahead," a reporter who was a fan of Ewing said angrily.

Tang Bei chuckled and said, "Is it wrong for me to step on Ewing to get to the top? If he's so capable, then let him not let me step on him. Besides, I'm a rookie, so if I lose, I lose. I can afford to lose."

The reporters were speechless, but Tang Bei was right. Everyone wanted to climb to the top by stepping on their seniors, and he could indeed lose, because losing would definitely be embarrassing.

Just like David Robinson, he didn't lose out statistically and even won the game, but he was knocked down by Tang Bei four times and fell at Tang Bei's feet eight times, which made him lose face and become Tang Bei's background.

One reporter angrily said, "Tang, you are too arrogant!"

Tang Bei immediately replied, "No, I was just expressing my true feelings according to your American customs, and there's nothing wrong with that!"

"Patrick will beat you to a pulp."

"Yes, that's incredibly arrogant!"

A group of journalists with somewhat biased views began to shout.

Tang Bei didn't care about this. If he wasn't arrogant when he was young, why would he wait until he was old to be arrogant?

Besides, with his talent, he has the right to be arrogant even against the three super centers, and David Robinson gave him that confidence.

Before long, Tang Bei achieved his goal. His words were quickly reported by the media and even appeared on several afternoon television news programs.

At this moment, Tang Bei was training.

The Heat's trainer devised a series of training programs for him, including a physical conditioning plan.

When he practiced martial arts, he did not have separate physical training, such as endurance running. Although his physical fitness was good, it was only first-rate.

His playing style requires a lot of physical exertion, so he needs better stamina and physical training is essential.

There is also training in basic skills such as shooting, hook shot, floater, and dribbling. The most important offensive technique training is low post back-to-the-basket play.

Incorporating the feinting movements of Wing Chun's turning stance into a tornado-style turn and attack the basket is his main training goal recently.

When he played against the Suns, he didn't use his spin move. The opponent was too weak, and he could easily defeat them with his talent alone, so there was no need to use it.

But tonight's opponents are the defensively strong super centers Ewing and Oakley, and he made some boastful remarks before the game, so he'll probably have to resort to his signature spin move.

Ewing is known for his tough defense, and Oakley is the same, but he also has quick help defense and a fast break technique, which can add some advantages.

After practicing low-post back-to-the-basket moves for a while, he started practicing defense.

Trainer Riolocchi held up a ball and said to him, "Don Ewing is good at bunny hops. He's very experienced and can predict your defensive direction, so he can turn and attack to the other side. I'll simulate his attack now, and you'll defend."

"Okay." He nodded.

In the following training session, he became somewhat passive because Riolocci made accurate judgments based on his defensive reactions on several occasions.

For example, he judged that Riolocchi was turning to the left, but just as he was defending the left shoulder, Riolocchi suddenly turned to the right and jumped to shoot.

This is mainly because he lacks defensive experience, having only played a little over a month of regular season games.

"It's okay, just practice more," Riolocchi encouraged.

"I lack defensive experience. Are there other ways I can increase my defensive advantage?"

Tang Bei is a person who likes to use his brain. For example, he incorporates some martial arts techniques into his basketball game, which he developed on his own.

He then thought of the center of gravity disruption technique, but this technique was not very effective against Ewing, because Ewing's back-to-the-basket game was not like O'Neal's, which involved pushing inwards. Ewing relied on technique, and since he couldn't use force, he couldn't apply the technique of using minimal force to deflect a great force.

Disrupting an opponent's balance on defense was a tactic he had used many times before on O'Neal, with great success, leaving the equally talented player in a very difficult position. However, the same method, which worked on rookie O'Neal, was not necessarily effective against the extremely experienced Ewing.

Even after learning from his mistakes, O'Neal may not be able to use the same methods against him now.

However, another idea came to his mind. Even if he couldn't borrow strength and couldn't use minimal force to deflect a greater force, he could still disrupt his opponent's balance.

"I am strong and good at physical confrontation, so why not use these advantages to strengthen my physical confrontation and disrupt the opponent's center of gravity when they are making technical moves?"

"Once I disrupt the opponent's balance, I can break their offensive rhythm, or at the very least slow it down. Wouldn't that make it easier for me to defend?"

"We can continue to use the method of disrupting the opponent's center of gravity, but we need to think of more ways to do it. We can't make it as simple as my attacking style, which is easy for the opponent to defend against."

He made some changes in the subsequent defensive drills.

Instead of trying to predict the attacker's turning direction, he used his superior physical strength to intensify his confrontation with Riolocchi.

This method is a strategy of winning by striking later.

If the opponent turns to attack the basket, then his defensive position is inside, and with his Tai Chi turn, he can also keep up with the offensive rhythm, creating a situation where he can strike first after the opponent has turned around.

If the opponent uses a turnaround jump shot, or even a turnaround step-back jump shot, we will be at a disadvantage and our defensive rhythm will be half a beat slower.

In this process, no center of gravity disruption technique was used. Instead, the opponent's center of gravity was affected by the confrontation, which interrupted or slowed down the opponent's offensive rhythm, thus laying the foundation for the subsequent defense and reducing the difficulty of defense.

Sure enough, after trying it a few times, the method worked.

Riolocci's physical strength is not as good as Tang Bei's. When he turned and swayed, his center of gravity was slightly shifted, which affected his subsequent technical movements and reduced the quality of his attack.

"Alright, let's run through the tactics now." Head coach Kevin Longley shouted, clapping his hands.

After all the players had arrived, he solemnly said, "Gentlemen, after discussions between the management and the coach, starting today, the Heat's offense will begin from the inside out."

Upon hearing this, all the players, including Glen Rice, looked towards Tang Bei.

The meaning behind the head coach's words is very simple.

Center Tang Bei will be the Heat's primary offensive option, holding the greatest tactical importance and offensive priority. If he doesn't play, then it will be the turn of others, including last season's scoring champion Glen Rice.

However, this did not cause any controversy, because Tang Bei's offensive and defensive performance in the few games after joining the Heat was the best and most consistent on the team.

Even Glenn Rice, though somewhat uncomfortable, didn't say anything.

He also knew his weaknesses. As a pitcher, it was very difficult to gain a core tactical position, and his tactical position was naturally inferior to Tang Bei's.

In the NBA, even with the emergence of several outstanding historical guards like Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan, these three even swept the championships for the last six seasons.

However, in the NBA, it is still the era of traditional centers, and centers are still the most valued players in the draft, which has never changed.

Teams with an All-Star caliber center generally attack from the inside out, which is the only reason why Tang Bei's tactical status and offensive priority naturally surpassed Glen Rice's in the Heat.

This kind of treatment was something he didn't receive with the Hornets.

Hearing the head coach's words, he took a deep breath and felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

In the evening, in Madison Square Garden, the luxurious home team locker room was filled with anger.

Ewing sat there expressionless, and no one could tell what he was thinking, while the other Knicks players seemed very angry.

Locker room leader Charles Oakley stood in the center, clenching his fist and roaring, "Guys, we're going to teach that damn rookie a lesson!"

Anthony Mason, his muscles bulging, immediately jumped in to chime in, waving his fist and shouting, "Boss, I'm rooting for you!"

John Stackhouse yelled, "A rookie is trying to put Patrick on his head. If we don't teach him a lesson this time, the Knicks will lose face."

"That's it."

"Dougraves said with a fierce look on his face."

The other players also joined in the commotion, filling the locker room with a restless atmosphere.

Ewing then said, "No matter what, don't fight. We'll teach him a lesson with basketball."

Oakley respected Ewing and nodded, saying, "Do as Patrick says."

"Yes."

"OK."

Everyone answered in unison.

Glen Rice was very worried in the away team's locker room.

The Knicks are a top-tier team, currently only half a game behind the Bulls in terms of record. They are far stronger than the Heat, and under Pat Riley's coaching, they play a tough, gritty style of play, earning them the nickname "New York Gangsters." It's really irrational for Tang Bei to provoke such a team.

He said, "Tang, we're playing back-to-back away games, so we're probably in trouble tonight."

Tang Bei said nonchalantly, "The worst that can happen is losing one game. You said it yourself, we're playing back-to-back and we're a weak team, what are you afraid of?"

Glen Rice said worriedly, "It's not so much about losing, I'm afraid Oakley and his team will take it out on us. You might not know, but he plays like a fighter."

John Salley, dressed in a suit, also reminded them: "The Knicks have a few good fighters. Besides Oakley, Ewing, and Mason, there are a few smaller guys who are also very fierce, no less than we were back in the day."

The "we" he referred to was the Bad Boys Legion, something that everyone except Tang Bei probably didn't understand.

"fight?"

Tang Bei's spirits lifted, and he said excitedly, "Isn't the Knicks a New York gang? Then if we beat them up, it's like fighting organized crime, hehe!"

Glenn Rice and the others were dumbfounded. Tang, are they going to attack us?

However, the Heat have some good news: interior defensive stalwart John Salley has recovered from his injury and will come off the bench tonight.

At 7 o'clock, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Grant Long, Glen Rice, Kevin Edwards, Bimbokors
Knicks: Ewing, Oakley, Charles Smith, Rolando Blackman, Doc Rivers

This match was broadcast live across the United States by NBC, with commentators including Bill Russell (Lord of the Rings), Muff Albert, and Bill Walton (The Red Giant).

After giving an opening speech, Maverick Albert said, "Don has declared that he will crush Ewing. This is currently the hottest topic in the NBA. What do you think?"

比尔拉塞尔说道：“从数据来看，尤因是24分12篮板0.9抢断2盖帽，投篮命中率50.3%。

而唐是29.2分12.5篮板1.1抢断2.8盖帽，投篮命中率63.2%，数据比尤因更加优秀。”

Bill Walton added, "Of all the starting players in the league, Tang has the highest field goal percentage and the highest percentage of his offense near the basket, with a field goal percentage of 85.5% near the basket."

Only Shaquille O'Neal is comparable to him, with a 56% field goal percentage, 53% of his shots coming in the paint, and a 71.4% field goal percentage in the paint—all lower than Tang's.

Bill Russell added, "O'Neal is averaging 4.2 dunks and 8.8 free throws per game so far, while Don is averaging 8.5, more than double O'Neal's, and 9.5 free throws per game."

In terms of offense under the basket, Donnie is more dominant than Shaquille O'Neal, but his weakness is that his finishing methods are too predictable, and O'Neal is better at shooting close to two points.

Bill Walton nodded and said, "Tang often finishes his attacks with dunks near the basket, making his offensive style more brutal and one-dimensional, but also more physically demanding."

Shaquille O'Neal's finishing methods are easier; his hook shot and floater are quite stylish. He should be more durable and less prone to injury.

At this point, Albert the Muff said with a surprised look, "From what you're saying, you think Don will beat Ewing?"

Bill Russell laughed and said, "Without a doubt, based on the data, Don does have the ability to crush Ewing."

But Patrick Ewing is a superb center; he has more experience and is skilled on both offense and defense, so he also has a chance to dominate Tang.

Bill Walton nodded and said, "It depends on how they perform on the day. Every player wants to play a great game here. That's probably why Tang said he would crush Ewing."

Mave Albert said thoughtfully, "The New York gangsters are not to be trifled with. Oakley is very volatile. Hopefully, a fight won't break out."

(End of this chapter)