The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 108 Betting on the Main Competition
"What nonsense!"

Tang Bei impatiently stepped forward and quickly unleashed a double punch, using his left jab to draw the defense away and his right straight punch to strike the face.

"Oh!"

Karl Malone was just a muscle-bound guy who lifted weights every day, but he had never trained in combat sports or boxing. He didn't know how to defend or dodge, and when this fast and powerful punch hit his chin, he was knocked to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth.

Before the postman fainted, he had one last thought: "My iron elbow hasn't been used yet!"

When the two members of the "atmosphere duo" saw that Dr. Iron Elbow Karl Malone had fallen again, even worse than Barkley, their courage vanished instantly, and they were dumbfounded.

Tang Bei glanced at the unconscious postman and felt that the victory was somewhat unfair. Putting everything else aside, just in terms of his ability to withstand blows, he was far inferior to Larry Johnson. Last time, Larry Johnson had punched him several times before he was only half-conscious.

He then looked up at the two duo.

"what……"

Seeing that Tang Bei was staring at them as if they were being watched by a ghost, the two of them were so frightened that they gasped and trembled like minions. They immediately covered their heads and squatted down, almost kneeling down.

"Who's calling?"

Wilkins, who was pressed against the door, asked, "That voice is a bit strange. Could there be a woman hiding in Don's room?"

"This voice sounds familiar."

"I'm listening in," Jordan said, sounding a little puzzled.

"Looks familiar? That's Pippen," Wilkins said with a sudden realization.

Da Meng said, "The other one should be O'Neal. Last time I faked him out, he also yelled like that. His voice was so high-pitched that it made me feel a little nauseous."

"I understand, they were yelling because Tang beat them up."

Isaiah Thomas suddenly realized, and asked expectantly, "But why hasn't the postman called yet?"

“And Barkley didn’t call either,” Joe Dumas said.

Inside the room, the mailman was already awake, Barkley had already sat up in bed, while O'Neal and Pippen were still squatting on the floor with their heads in their hands.

After Tang Bei knocked the mailman unconscious with one punch, and after Pippen and O'Neal squatted down to surrender, he did not make another move.

Although he is not a professional fighter, he is a professional martial artist. Fighting these ordinary people would not show his skills and would indeed be considered bullying. He would generally not make a move if the other party surrendered and did not fight back.

"Tang, what do you want?"

Barkley got up and went to the postman, asking in a bravado but inwardly cowardly tone.

"Are you admitting defeat?" Tang Bei asked.

Barkley looked wronged and said, "Don, I didn't do anything, but you beat me up twice."

"Fat pig, you started this last time, and you didn't want to beat me up, so how were you able to come in just now?" Tang Bei said disdainfully.

Barkley said with a wry smile, "Okay, I give up. When your shoes come out, I'll buy a hundred pairs and donate them to charity."

"A hundred pairs, how much are they worth?" Tang Bei said dismissively.

Five hundred pairs.

A pair of shoes costs $100, which is $50,000, no small sum, but Barkley could only swallow his pride and bear it.

Tang Bei looked at O'Neal again, and O'Neal said with a bitter face, "From now on, we're brothers."

"You piece of shit, you're not even worth a penny, brother," Tang Bei cursed.

"I'll buy five hundred pairs too."

Before Tang Bei could finish cursing, O'Neal hurriedly said.

Tang Bei then looked at Pippen, who said with a distressed expression, "I'll also buy five hundred pairs."

At this moment, Karl Malone sat up, still feeling a little dizzy. He touched his mouth, gasped in pain, glared at Tang Bei, and mumbled:
"Kid, I admit defeat. Let's put an end to the past now. From now on, anything that happens on the court will be settled on the court."

"Don't think you're an exception. Five hundred pairs of shoes," Tang Bei warned.

"OK."

Karl Malone was so angry that he slammed his fist on the floor, wincing in pain. But a wise man knows when to back down. If he got beaten up again, he wouldn't be able to participate in the All-Star game, and the playoffs might be in trouble. So he had no choice but to grit his teeth and nod in defeat.

"Remember, don't buy it secretly. If I don't see it in the media, I won't acknowledge it," Tang Bei said.

"OK."

Barkley and the other two readily agreed.

The mailman tacitly agreed, but he couldn't save face; he couldn't be as shameless as Barkley and his two companions.

"Who's winning?"

"Tang, you won?"

Tang Bei opened the door, and a group of All-Stars looked at him, then looked behind him.

"My God, Tang actually won against four opponents?"

"The postman got injured again. Has his iron elbow been sitting idle lately?"

"It's not that I eat vegetarian food, it's that I only eat vegetarian food in front of Tang. In front of you and me, I still eat meat."

"Strange, only the postman was injured?"

"Pippen and O'Neal were screaming nonstop just now. Could it be that after Don left them..."

Then, when the four dejected people came into view, especially when they saw the postman, all their doubts vanished.

Tang Bei glanced at the four henchmen behind him, then turned to Jordan and the others and said, "Guys, we just had a friendly talk and decided to keep the peace, so we didn't make a move."

They all think my sneakers are great, and each of them promised to buy 500 pairs. I think it's a great idea, and I fully support them. What do you guys think?

Jordan and his group of All-Stars stared dumbfounded at Tang Bei, who was blatantly lying, and then at the four mailmen who were bowing their heads and expressionless. They were speechless and fearful.

After breakfast, the alliance members gave a joint interview to the media.

CCTV sent a camera crew to work with Zhang Heli to broadcast the Salt Lake City All-Star Game live.

Tang Bei and Zhang Heli chatted and agreed to do an exclusive interview.

After the interview, all the All-Stars gathered together to sign one hundred basketballs and one hundred postcards.

The postman wasn't there, and my chin was a little swollen. I claimed I slipped and fell in the bathroom, so I asked for leave to ice it in my room.

"Hey Tang, have you ever considered going into professional fighting? Like professional boxing?" Jordan asked as he signed the papers.

"boxing?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Bei immediately thought of Catherine on the Fantasy, because that girl had also suggested that he take up professional boxing.

"You do not dare?"

Seeing that Tang Bei did not respond, Jordan went on to provoke him.

Tang Bei glanced at Jordan. He was certain that this black man didn't like him and definitely had malicious intentions.

The biggest evidence is that when Jordan challenged Steven Seagal, he supported him and had no animosity towards him, so he would never have gone to that stadium.

Jordan went there to see him lose, to see him get beaten up, to see him ruined. It was a blatant and obvious act of hostility.

So when Jordan asked him if he would do professional fighting, he was hoping he would go into boxing and get beaten up by those professional boxers.

"Your uncle!"

He cursed under his breath and said expressionlessly, "Jordan, do you remember that Japanese swordsman Masahiro Miyazaki you met at the Tenshin Dojo last time?"

"remember."

Jordan was a little confused.

The other All-Stars also looked over, full of curiosity.

Tang Bei continued, "He's Japan's God of War and Sword, and to restore the reputation of Japanese Bushido, he'll challenge me sooner or later. And I've heard you're the NBA's God of Gamblers..."

"Pfft!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, some people couldn't help but laugh, and more than one of them did.

Being teased like this made Jordan's face darken.

Tang Bei continued, "How about we make a bet? If he loses, you lose; if he wins, you win?"

Miyazaki Masahiro didn't dare to fight him back then, and he hasn't issued a challenge in recent days, which tells him that this Japanese man lacks the confidence to compete with him. With his talent and swordsmanship skills, even if he lacks practical experience, it's impossible for him to lack confidence in fighting someone like him.

His previous victory over Siegel with three swords gave him immense confidence.

But the key to defeating Siegel is the source of his confidence.

The key point is that no matter how good the opponent's swordsmanship is or how rich their experience is, as long as you surpass the opponent in sword speed and sword power, the possibility of losing is very low.

Given his talent and swordsmanship skills, it's impossible for Miyazaki Masahiro to be faster or stronger than him; it's absolutely impossible.

"A bet is a win-win situation," Jordan thought, and began to consider who had a better chance of winning this round.

Masahiro Miyazaki is Japan's God of War and Sword, so his strength is definitely great. He has a lot of practical experience in competitions, which is far beyond what that idiot Siegel, who has never participated in any competitive matches, can compare to.

Tang Bei reportedly has little practical combat experience; media reports have stated that he has never participated in any combat sports competitions.

Of course, he believed that Tang Bei must have some strength, as he could win against four opponents at once.

But that's fighting. Isn't swordsmanship about comparing swords?
Well, hopefully that Japanese swordsman won't be too useless. This match is still worth the gamble, at least it's 50/50. I'll just bet a small amount.

How much are you willing to bet?

After thinking it over, he stared at Tang Bei and asked.

Tang Bei stared at Jordan and said with even greater force, "Two hundred thousand dollars."

"You're scaring me?"

Jordan was furious. He thought that betting a few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars would be enough, but Tang Bei directly asked for two hundred thousand, which made him instinctively feel that he was being intimidated and that he dared not accept the challenge.

I've seen this trick too many times at the poker table. I've fallen for it many times before. Even with a good hand, I'm scared into folding my cards. Will he still fall for it?
Tang Bei deliberately looked away, but said less confidently, "I'm confident I can beat him. If you don't dare to bet, then admit defeat."

"This guy was just trying to scare me. Humph! I admit defeat? No way! I'm going to gamble this time."

Seeing that Tang Bei dared not meet his gaze, Michael Jordan, driven by his strong competitive spirit, immediately gained confidence and said, "Two hundred thousand it is, I'll bet."

Tang Bei couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.

"Are these two crazy to bet such a huge amount?"

"They've really gone mad."

The group of All-Stars immediately started discussing it.

Michael Jordan didn't stop there. He addressed the other All-Stars, saying, "Guys, I'm the host. Anyone interested?"

“I, I’ll bet ten thousand dollars on Tang to win,” Isaiah Thomas shouted immediately.

"OK."

Jordan was furious, but he had no choice but to accept the Smiling Assassin's bet.

Once someone takes the lead, other All-Stars follow suit, spending anywhere from tens to hundreds of dollars. For them, it's just a game, something to have fun.

The bet quickly spread, making headlines in major media outlets and even appearing on the news channels of several television stations.

There are many Japanese journalists in the United States, and this news quickly spread to Japan, causing the pressure on Masahiro Miyazaki to increase tenfold.

Previously, it was only the martial arts world that was under pressure; this time, it's the entire Japanese society.

He couldn't bear the immense pressure alone, nor could his family. His daughter was immediately subjected to school violence.

He could only accept a television interview with TV Tokyo, announcing live to the entire nation and the world that he would immediately send someone to the United States to issue a challenge to Tang Bei.

“Wet Tiger, Masahiro Miyazaki challenges you.”

Elena Garbo, who had been following the matter closely, immediately called Tang Bei after seeing the news, sounding very excited.

"Jiabao, why are you so happy?" Tang Bei asked irritably.

“Wet Tiger, what do you mean? I’m worried, what if you lose?” Elena Garbo said with a grin.

Tang Beiqi said, "You've been using the 'wet tiger' sound every day. After studying Chinese for so long, you should roll your tongue when you pronounce 'shi' (师)."

"Wet Tiger, don't be angry. I hope you win."

I think it's quite the opposite.

"No no."

The news that Masahiro Miyazaki was going to challenge Tang Bei quickly spread in the United States, and since it was All-Star Weekend, Tang Bei received even more attention.

February 21, Delta Center, All-Star Game Day.

In the Eastern Conference locker room, a group of Eastern Conference All-Stars are changing their clothes.

Tang Bei's integration into the locker room was not great, and his skin color was a major reason for this.

Another reason is that he injured many people during the game, and these All-Stars are almost all the core players or leaders of their respective teams, so their relationships are naturally not good.

Another important reason is that the All-Stars follow Jordan's lead, and Jordan doesn't like him and doesn't talk to him much, and the others don't talk to him much either.

Isaiah Thomas was the friendliest to Tang Bei because Tang Bei beat up the postman again.

As a result, the two people who had a bad relationship with Jordan became even less popular in the Eastern Conference All-Star locker room.

Tang Bei didn't care. Ever since Hai led the team, he knew that this was not a world for Chinese people, and being ostracized was the most normal thing for him.

At 8 o'clock, the All-Star starters will take the field.

Salt Lake City takes the All-Star Game very seriously, considering it a top priority and an opportunity to showcase themselves.

The opening ceremony was very lively, and some Hollywood stars and singers were invited to the event, including several who were guest performers during the intermission.

The Eastern Conference All-Star head coach is Pat Riley of the Knicks, who are currently the top seed in the East.

The head coach of the Western Conference All-Star team is Paul Westphal of the Phoenix Suns, who are currently ranked first in the Western Conference.

The game was broadcast live across the United States and around the world by NBC. More than 200 television stations of all sizes around the world, including CCTV, purchased NBC's satellite television broadcast signal.

NBA TV also fielded a strong commentary team, with commentators Bill Russell (Lord of the Rings) and Bill Walton (The Red Giant), and guest commentators Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson.

During the All-Star warm-up, Bill Walton said, "This All-Star Game is really star-studded and has a lot to offer."

Bill Russell said, "Yes, Karl Malone and Barkley are on the same team. I'd love to see what kind of sparks they'll create."

"Ha ha……"

The other three burst into laughter.

Bill Walton said, "Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas are on the same team, with Isiah Thomas facing off against John Stockton. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of sparks they'll create."

Chamberlain said, "This is another good opportunity for the two flying men to settle their scores."

The group burst into laughter again, and then Magic Johnson said, "Don and O'Neal are on the same team, and Don and Ewing are on the same team. It's going to be quite a spectacle."

Bill Russell said, "Don's enemies include the Mailman, Barkley, Larry Johnson, oh, and many more. They have a lot of grudges against each other, and this is a good opportunity to settle them."

Bill Walton quipped, "Since Tang entered the NBA, although he has injured at least twenty people per game, as the media has said, at least twenty people have been injured because of him. His enemies are spread throughout the entire league."

The group burst into laughter again. After the jokes subsided, Chamberlain, who hadn't had a chance to speak until now, said:
"Tonight's All-Star Game is going to be very intense. The Mailman will definitely give it his all. This is his home court, and he and Tang might just end up spitting out their brains."

The group laughed again, and then Bill Walton said, "Yes, David Robinson and Olajuwon will also go all out, because there are two behemoths waiting for them in the East."

The match time has arrived, and the starting lineup is on the field.

Eastern Conference: North End, Larry Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Isaiah Thomas
Western Conference: David Robinson, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton

David Stern was delighted to see Tang Bei live for the first time. He was excited because of this talented young man, CCTV began broadcasting regular season games live, and the promotion of the NBA in China entered a new phase.

But this young man also gave him a headache. Firstly, there was the issue of violence; his playing style on the court was too aggressive, injuring many players. Secondly, there was the problem of violence.

The violence issue isn't too bad, since it's not like they fight every day. Tang Bei rarely gets technical fouls; usually, it's his opponents who start the trouble.

The way he played was actually more of a headache for him. Although Tang Bei gained a lot of fans with this style of play and it was also beneficial to the development of the league, it was too physically damaging to his opponents.

Thirdly, he hopes the Bulls will win three consecutive championships, allowing Jordan to become a legendary superstar. However, given the current situation, if the Heat face the Bulls in the series, Tang Bei will have a destructive impact on the Bulls' interior defense.

To this end, he and the management have discussed and will introduce a series of rules during the offseason to limit Tang Bei's tornado and reduce its destructive power, in order to balance and protect the players.

However, in this year's playoffs, the Bulls must face Tang Bei's impact and destructive power. Whether they can overcome this challenge depends on the abilities of the Bulls and Jordan.

As far as he knows, the Bulls are not having an easy time finding a defensive anchor, and the trade window is about to close.

(End of this chapter)