The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 111 National War?

Upon arriving at the Monica Hotel and ordering breakfast, the girl rubbed her fingers together and asked with a smile, "Wet Tiger, want to make some money?"

"You really want to set up a dojo? No way, I simply don't have the time," Tang Bei asked.

“The dojo will be built later. We agreed that I would take 70% and you would take 30%, so you’re not allowed to go back on your word, Shy Tiger,” Elena Garbo said seriously.

Tang Bei smiled. This Jia Bao was just like him, with extraordinary energy. She was always bored and either messing around with this or that.

He asked, "So what do you mean by making money?"

Elena Garma immediately said, "This is Miyazaki Masahiro's chance to challenge you. You demand that all the television broadcasting rights be yours, or you will not accept his challenge."

"Television broadcasting rights?" Tang Bei was taken aback.

He suddenly remembered that before challenging the Tianxin Dojo, ESPN had indeed wanted to buy the television broadcasting rights and offered $150 million.

Unfortunately, Steven Siegel turned down ESPN, so he didn't make that money. Otherwise, if they had split it, each of them would have received $750,000.

"Yup!"

Eric Fleischer was also taken aback, and suddenly realized that this was indeed a great opportunity to make money. Why hadn't he thought of it?

John Liu praised, "It's a good idea. Miss Garbo is so clever; she almost missed it."

Tang Bei couldn't help but glance at John Liu, never expecting that this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes would also want to climb the social ladder.
Elena Garbo laughed and said, "Hehe, Wet Tiger, he's under a lot of pressure in Japan right now. If he doesn't challenge you soon, he might be forced to commit seppuku."

"Jiabao, isn't he your idol?" Tang Bei asked curiously.

“Wet Tiger, this is business, it has nothing to do with him being my idol,” Elena Garbo said matter-of-factly.

"Go on," Tang Bei said.

Elena Garbo said, "Wet Tiger, your current fame far exceeds what it was before your challenge. The television broadcasting rights are definitely worth a lot of money. Give them to me, and I can help you sell them for a high price."

"but……"

She rubbed her fingers together and said with a grin, "Wet Tiger, how about we split it 30/70?"

"Jiabao, you're always thinking of ways to make money off your master. Don't you have any filial piety?" Tang Bei said irritably.

Elena Garbo said with a look of disdain, "Wet Tiger, business is business, and public and private matters should be kept separate."

Tang Bei said irritably, "Say what? I'm not a businessman. If you ever talk to me about business again, go cool off somewhere else."

Elena Garbo said with a wronged expression, "Fine, consider this my way of showing filial piety. Last time I helped you assemble a negotiation team for free, and this time I'll help you again for free."

After saying that, she looked pitiful and said, "Wet Tiger, I've been so good to you, you must teach me the real way of the sword."

"Don't worry, Jia Bao, I'll definitely teach you real skills, that's what you're practicing now," Tang Bei quickly assured him, patting his chest.

"We have a deal."

Elena Garbo, pleased, added, "Wet Tiger, I can forgo a share of the profits, but you'll have to pay for the promotional expenses yourself."

"What promotional expenses?" Tang Bei asked.

Elena Gabor said, "Famous professional boxers need promotion for their matches in order to generate more revenue."

Your kendo challenge with Masahiro Miyazaki can also be promoted worldwide, such as in East Asia and Southeast Asia, which is heavily influenced by Japan. Japanese kendo culture has a market in Southeast Asia.

With proper promotion, you can reap greater financial rewards, from television broadcasting rights to sponsorship and advertising revenue. Winning the challenge will significantly boost your fame.

"Promotion?"

Tang Bei nodded thoughtfully and asked, "How much will it cost?"

Elena Garbo said, "To advertise in those areas would cost at least three million dollars."

"what?"

Tang Bei was startled; he only had seven million US dollars in his hands.

“Wet Tiger, television broadcasting rights can sell for a lot of money; you’re sure to make a fortune,” Elena Garbo said.

At this point, her eyes darted around, and she added, "Wet Tiger, why don't you sell me the television broadcasting rights? I'll offer three million US dollars."

"Really?"

Tang Bei was delighted. Rather than risking three million, it was better to keep the three million in his pocket.

"of course it's true."

Garbo was secretly delighted. Given Japan's attitude towards this duel, the television broadcasting rights should easily sell for tens of millions of dollars, and she was about to make a fortune.

"Don't."

Eric Fleischer, being a businessman by trade, hurriedly tried to dissuade him, saying, "Don, how about we make an investment?"

Elena Garbo glared at Fleischer and sneered, "You ruined my plans. I'll cut you into pieces and feed you to little Monica."

"Really want to invest three million? That's three million US dollars, not three million yen." Tang Bei hesitated.

Elena Garbo looked at Tang Bei and thought, "Wet Tiger, although your IQ is higher than mine, I will definitely swindle you out of all your money and turn your little money into my little money, hmph!"
In the end, Tang Bei gritted his teeth and took out three million US dollars, with Eric Fleischer and Elena Garbo in charge of promotion.

“Don’t worry, Tang, the Japanese side will definitely be willing to pay a high price,” Eric Fleischer said.

“Yes, Eric, you need to keep a close eye on the money. Garbo is rich and used to spending money lavishly. Don’t let her squander my money.”

Tang Bei knew that Japan attached great importance to this matter, but three million US dollars was, after all, a large sum of money.

Elena Garbo sneered at Tang Bei, reaffirming her determination to swindle all of Tang Bei's money from her in the future.

In reality, although Eric Fleischer was the nominal promoter, he didn't know how to promote the products; the main work was handled by Garbo's people.

Garbo owns a business company in Miami that specializes in providing services such as business negotiation consulting and IPO listing. The negotiation team assembled last time was provided by this company.

Tang Bei asked curiously, "Jiabao, how come all these companies and hotels are under your name? You're still so young, where are your parents?"

Hearing this, the usually cheerful Elena Garbo's eyes flashed with sadness, and she said, "After Christmas, they abandoned me..."

"Please accept our condolences," Tang Bei and the other two said hastily.

"What condolences?

Elena Garbo said indignantly, "They went on a world tour. Those two selfish people left me to go have fun, and they even left the company to me. It's too much."

"..."

After breakfast, Eric Fleischer went to negotiate with the Japanese.

Masahiro Miyazaki is in a hotel in Miami. He could no longer bear the pressure in his home country and had fled here with his family.

"idiot!"

"Tang Bei is shameless!"

"He actually tried to sell a sacred sword duel for money. He has absolutely no sense of Bushido and has defiled the way of the sword!"

Upon learning that Tang Bei demanded 100% ownership of the television broadcasting rights, Miyazaki Masahiro knew exactly what he wanted to do. What else could he do besides sell it for money? He was so angry that he wanted to draw his sword and kill someone.

Ultimately, however, he had no choice but to accept Tang Bei's conditions and relinquish the television broadcasting rights.

The challenge will take place on Friday, March 19th, at 3 PM.

The reason for choosing this date is that the Heat's previous game was an away game on the 16th, and their next game was a home game on the 20th, leaving a three-day break between games.

Because Tang Bei also opened the Tang Family Martial Arts School, although it was private and he did not publicly teach students, it was still a challenge to another school.

Because the copyright is being sold this time, the challengers must also sign a contract; otherwise, if anyone breaches the contract and doesn't fight, the sold copyright will be in trouble.

In addition, this kendo duel also involves the dojos of both sides; whoever loses will have all their dojos closed.

This is quite advantageous for Tang Bei, since he only has one private martial arts school, so closing it down is no big deal.

Masahiro Miyazaki owns eight Tenmadodoku (magic dojos) in Japan, which are his main source of income. If they were all closed, the losses would be enormous.

On the night of the 24th, the Heat defeated the Trail Blazers, securing their 31st victory.

On the morning of the 25th, Tang Bei and Masahiro Miyazaki signed a challenge agreement.

"Mr. Tang Bei..." Upon meeting, Miyazaki Masahiro immediately tried to intimidate Tang Bei with his imposing manner and gain a psychological advantage over him.

He shouted in a very angry and stern tone, "You've gone too far! You're treating sword duels as a way to make money. You've tarnished the way of the sword."

Are you afraid of losing?

"you?"

Tang Bei's very straightforward sentence completely shattered Miyazaki Masahiro's show of force, leaving him speechless and ashen-faced.

Then Tang Bei began to wage psychological warfare, saying, "If you're afraid of losing, don't come. I can tell you for sure that you're just like Steven Seagal; you can't withstand more than a few sword strikes."

"impossible."

There's no way Miyazaki Masahiro could believe that.

He combined all the major schools of Japanese Kendo to create a unique style of Kendo, and also created his own Kendo technique of punching with his left fist and using his right wrist. How could he possibly not be able to withstand a few sword strikes from Tang Bei? Absolutely impossible.

After the verbal sparring, the two signed a pre-agreed contract in the presence of a lawyer.

Anyone who violates the contract terms will be liable for a penalty of up to 20 million US dollars.

Both parties have guarantors. If Tang Bei and Miyazaki Masahiro are unable to pay the penalty for breach of contract, their respective guarantors will be responsible for compensation.

Miyazaki Masahiro's guarantor was the Japan Martial Arts Association, while Tang Bei's guarantors were Eric Fleischer and Lanqiao Business Company, which was a company under Garbo's name.

Each party's $20 million deposit was also deposited into a neutral account.

After signing the contract, taking advantage of Tang Bei's recent rise to All-Star MVP status, Eric Fleischer and Lanqiao Business Company, acting as promoters, immediately began promoting the kendo duel.

Japan's NHK immediately contacted Eric Fleischer, requesting to purchase the television broadcasting rights for the kendo duel.

This television station is Japan's only national television station, similar to CCTV in Japan.

Besides NHK, more than 100 private television stations in Japan, including a dozen or so larger ones, have all come to Miami hoping to purchase television broadcasting rights.

"This will be a national war fought in the form of kendo, and the Yamato Empire will prevail forever!"

On the 26th, the Asahi Shimbun in Japan reported on this topic on its front page with this headline.

"Nation war?"

The Asahi Shimbun report was cited by ESPN, and after seeing the news, Irina Gabor thought it was a good opportunity to ask for a higher price.

At 4 p.m. that day, before the NBA trade window closed, Clippers' starting center Stanley Roberts finally found a new team.

However, the Clippers' idea of ​​getting two lottery picks is impossible, because only championship contenders need physical defenders, and non-playoff teams are unlikely to easily trade away their lottery picks.

Of course, the Clippers were prepared for this; the two lottery picks were just a negotiating tactic.

Ultimately, the deep pockets of the Knicks satisfied the Clippers' greed. The Knicks currently have the best record in the Eastern Conference and the second-best record in the entire league, and their ambition to win the championship is well known.

They offered their unprotected first-round picks from the 93 and 95 classes, plus $100 million in cash, to acquire Roberts.

On the 27th, Elena Garbo informed Tang Bei that his car had set sail and, according to the schedule, would arrive at Tianjing Port on the 21st of next month.

When he was looking for a dealership after buying a car in the US last time, Elena Garbo introduced him to a domestic dealership, which was affiliated with China National Automotive Industry Import & Export Corporation, a subsidiary of China National Machinery Industry Corporation.

With the regular season ending in February, the Heat achieved a record of 33 wins and 20 losses, a winning percentage of 62.3%, surpassing the Celtics and once again moving into the top half of the standings, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference.

However, the Heat's injury problems worsened once again, leaving them with only nine players in their rotation.

Since the beginning of the season, veteran John Salley, who was brought in, suffered a serious injury, and subsequently suffered several more major injuries. The Heat's rotation has remained at ten players, or even only nine, and they have been unable to restore a full rotation.

Now that we're in the second half of the regular season, the roster is still incomplete, the rotation players are under a lot of pressure, which is very detrimental to the playoffs. The Heat's management and coaching staff are really helpless.

Rookie center Matt Geiger tore his ACL during a game, ending his season just like Edwards.

Previously, Matt Geiger averaged nearly 12 minutes of playing time per game, but now that time has to be shared by other big men.

Tang Bei's only substitute is veteran John Salley, leaving only four players available for rotation in the frontcourt.

According to the team doctor, the coaching staff has analyzed the situation and found that backup center Alec Kesler is close to recovery.

Although this player is just a fringe player with little ability, his return can reduce some of the pressure on Tang Bei and share some of his playing time.

Swingman Willie Burton will need another two weeks to return to the court. As a role player, it's impossible to expect him to retain much of his ability after such a serious injury.

General Manager Kevin Longley wanted to bring in a backup center from the free agent market, but at this point, it was impossible to find anyone.

Moreover, the Heat have long since run out of salary cap space, so they can't make any trades.

Injured players Willie Burton and Koestler only earn a few hundred thousand dollars a year, and Matt Geller only earns $17 a year. Buying out their contracts wouldn't free up much cap space.

Lengly's current team-building strategy is to find a better point guard in the offseason and strengthen the power forward position, as Grant Long is too short and lacks rim protection ability.

Unlike the Heat's upward trend, the Hornets have continued to decline, currently sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a winning percentage of just over 50%.

Such a stark difference drew criticism not only from the Hornets' management but also from Larry Johnson, who was accused of driving Tang Bei away.

On March 1st, the Player of the Month for February was awarded to Wilkins.

The Hawks are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, and Wilkins' average stats are also very impressive, scoring nearly 30 points per game, second only to Jordan and Tang Bei.

On March 9th, the Heat faced the Rockets on the road.

They had won all three games in March, bringing their record to 36 wins and 20 losses, but they lost to the Rockets on the road.

Two days later, the Heat will host the Bulls.

All three inside players who were injured by Tang Bei have returned to the court. In addition, the Bulls signed a defensive player from the free market before the trade window closed.

Although the roster has recovered and the interior has been strengthened, the Bulls still play relatively conservatively in the low post, clearly to prevent injuries to their interior players and avoid a direct confrontation with Tang Bei in the regular season.

The player they signed as a defensive anchor never played and was placed on the injury list.

However, the Bulls put on a superb defense on the perimeter, cutting off the passing lanes of the Heat's ball handler and Tang Bei.

Tang Bei only took 13 shots throughout the game, and many of his attempts to get into position were ineffective, which wasted his energy. Although he only took 13 shots, he was more tired than if he had taken 23 shots.

Ultimately, the Bulls won on the road, while the Heat suffered consecutive losses.

With a record of 36 wins and 22 losses, a winning percentage of 62%, the Celtics, despite losing a game, continue to hold a solid fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The fifth-place Celtics have a record of 33 wins and 26 losses, with a winning percentage of 3.5 games.

With the Heat's current strength and record, making the playoffs should be a sure thing, which means they've already achieved their season goal ahead of schedule.

In this situation, the coaching staff and management began to consider the longer-term playoff issue.

Considering the current injury situation and incomplete roster, it is believed that we can put the team on hold for now to avoid players becoming overly fatigued and developing injuries before the playoffs.

Key players like Tang Bei can take this opportunity to get more rest and conserve their energy.

The Heat are most likely to face the Celtics in the first round, and if they make it to the second round, they will have exceeded their season goals.

In the next three games, the Heat defeated the SuperSonics and the Nuggets, but lost to the SuperSonics in a back-to-back away game on the 16th.

With a record of 38 wins and 23 losses, the Heat have no games for the next three days.

During this period, Tang Bei's three million US dollars were completely spent, leaving not a single penny.

But he was very satisfied with the results, and he has been receiving good news these days, making a fortune.

More than ten large private television stations in Japan competed for the broadcasting rights, and Japan regarded this kendo duel as a national war. Taking advantage of these competitive advantages, the television broadcasting rights in Japan were sold to NHK for a sky-high copyright fee of US$1550 million.

South Korea's KBS also acquired the television broadcasting rights for South Korea for US$120 million.

In addition to these two countries, sixteen television stations from seven other Asian countries purchased the broadcasting rights, with a total copyright fee of US$222 million.

CCTV commissioned Zhang Heli to contact Eric Fleischer, but he was only willing to pay two million RMB for the copyright in China. Tang Bei agreed after learning about this.

ESPN acquired the rights to the Americas for $380 million, while Japanese martial arts culture has also spread in Europe, with seven television stations purchasing the rights for a total of $135 million.

In addition to television broadcasting rights revenue, they also received offers from seven Japanese advertisers and three American advertisers, earning a total of $475 million.

Total revenue was $29 million, of which nearly $20 million came from Japan alone.

(End of this chapter)