The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 118 Our tactic is to give the ball to Tang.
Taking the private elevator to the top floor, Tang Bei stepped into the 2,000-square-meter penthouse and felt it was too luxurious; the little girl actually lived in such a big place all by herself.

"Wet Tiger, isn't my home beautiful?"

"Pretty!"

"Whee!"

Jia Bao led Tang Bei on a tour of her private territory, turning to the section for cold weapons. She opened it and said:
"Wet Tiger, these are some Chinese swords I've recently collected. Some are modern, and some are ancient. Don't you think they're beautiful?"

When Tang Bei went inside, he was astonished to find at least a hundred swords.

There were several large wooden crates on the floor. He asked, "Are there swords in these too?"

"Whee!"

Elena Garbo laughed and said, "These are Japanese swords. We don't need them anymore. We can deal with them when we have time."

Tang Bei grabbed a Tang-style ring-pommel sword, drew it from its sheath, and discovered it was a modernly crafted weapon. It was even sharpened, making it appear extremely sharp, and the patterns on it were also very beautiful.

Then he grabbed a Longquan sword from the side. Good heavens, it was actually a bronze sword. It might even be an ancient sword. I wonder where this girl got it from.

By the time he finished looking at the swords, lunch had been served. The table was full of Chinese dishes, just enough for his appetite.

After learning swordsmanship from him, Jia Bao was exposed to Chinese culture, and her eating habits became increasingly Chinese. She even hired a chef from the capital.

While eating, Tang Bei asked, "Jiabao, I currently have over twenty million US dollars in funds. Do you have any ideas on how to make money?"

Greta immediately beamed with joy, her big eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

Wet Tiger, this isn't my fault! You were the one who was going to hand over all your money to me. I really didn't mean to lie to you!

"Ahem, Wet Tiger, I'll build you a world-class asset management team, guaranteeing returns far exceeding bank interest rates."

"It would be best to invest in China."

"That's it..."

Jia Bao blinked and said, "The Chinese market is currently relatively closed. It has not yet joined the WTO, so foreign capital cannot enter freely. The management is very strict. Many industries cannot be invested in, and the industries that are allowed to be invested in generally require joint ventures or joint operations."

"Then let me help you set up an investment team in China. That way, there will be no restrictions, and you can thoroughly investigate projects before deciding on investments."

"it is good."

Tang Bei nodded happily.

Jia Bao frowned. If Wet Tiger takes all the money back to China to invest, I won't be able to swindle any more of his money. What should I do?

Tang Bei then said, "How about this, my English is fine now, we don't need John Liu anymore. When the investment team goes to China, let him be the translator?"

"OK."

Garbo agreed, and Tang Bei then notified John Liu.

John Liu was overjoyed. The Heat were paying him very little, and he had been trying to curry favor with Don Bei and Miss Garbo, hoping to find a more promising job. Now his wish had come true.

In the afternoon, Tang Bei returned to the villa, where Zhang Heli was chatting with John Liu.

"When did Coach Zhang arrive?" he asked.

"I had lunch here at your place. Xiao Liu's cooking is pretty good, haha!" Zhang Heli said with a smile.

"John? I don't eat his food anymore."

Tang Bei shook his head in disdain and said, "Jiabao hired a top-notch chef from the capital. He can cook many different cuisines, and the taste is absolutely authentic."

"Tang, take me out for a meal. I haven't had authentic Chinese food that I've been craving for so long," John Liu pleaded.

Tang Bei said, "Go to the Monica Hotel to make a reservation yourself. They only have three tables a day. First come, first served."

"How much per table?" John Liu asked.

"At least two thousand US dollars, depending on the dishes ordered. It could be tens of thousands for a table," Tang Bei said.

"hiss!"

John Liu clutched his pocket tightly; he only earned a little over a thousand dollars a month, so he figured he might as well skip this authentic Chinese food.

Tang Bei's English is now perfectly fine, only his reading and writing skills are slightly weak. He no longer travels to away games and only teaches English at home, earning less money than before.

Speaking of Chinese food, Tang Bei admired Jia Bao's business acumen. She hired a chef from China at a high price and then created a luxurious Chinese restaurant. The money she made from three tables a day was enough to hire ten chefs from China. She truly deserved her IQ of 140. This was also why he asked Jia Bao for advice on how to make money.

"Tang Bei, there's something I want to talk to you about." Zhang Heli sat down and said somewhat cautiously.

“Coach Zhang, please speak,” Tang Bei said.

Zhang Heli said with a smile, "It's about the national team you mentioned last time."

"Oh, you've heard something?" Tang Bei asked hurriedly.

Zhang Heli said, "The opinion in China is that if you only want to compete in the Olympics, it might be difficult."

Tang Bei said with some disappointment, "Coach Zhang, you know how many games I play in the NBA. If I play every game for the national team, I'm afraid my body won't be able to handle it."

"I know that."

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "The main issue we're considering domestically is that other team members have worked so hard to qualify for the Olympics, but giving up a spot to you will definitely cause internal conflicts."

“Picking fruit doesn’t seem right; we men shouldn’t do that.”

Tang Bei scratched his head. That's right. If it were him, let alone a conflict, they might even fight.

Seeing that Tang Bei's attitude was alright, Zhang Heli quickly added, "If we could have made it into the top eight in the 94 World Championships, we could have secured our Olympic qualification early. But our men's basketball team has never made it into the top eight in the World Championships."

Tang Bei, the prevailing opinion in China is that if you can participate in next year's World Championships and reach the top eight, you'll have absolutely no problem qualifying for the 96 Olympics, and nobody can say anything against it.

Tang Bei was taken aback and said, "No, Coach Zhang, didn't I already say that I can play in the World Championships and the Olympics? I just won't participate in the warm-up matches and Asian competitions."

Zhang Heli was stunned when he heard this, and asked in surprise, "Tang Bei, did you say you wanted to play in the World Championships?"

"Said."

Tang Bei thought about it and realized that he must have said it. That was his thinking at the time. Whether he actually said it or not, he couldn't remember now.

"You didn't say that, did you? You only mentioned the Olympics, and that's what I relayed back to the country."

Zhang Heli wiped the sweat from his forehead. The matter had dragged on for several months, and he really couldn't take the blame for it!
"Didn't you say that?"

Tang Bei thought about it carefully and shook his head, saying, "I might have forgotten to mention the World Championships."

"You must have let something slip."

Zhang He thought to himself, "I can't take the blame for this. Tang Bei, you're bigger, you take the blame."

"Then please relay this message back to the people back home," Tang Bei said nonchalantly.

"Okay, I'll use your phone to make the call; landlines are cheaper."

Zhang Heli grabbed the landline phone next to the sofa and started dialing Liu Yumin's number.

"Ring...ring..."

The phone rang for a long time without being answered. Then he realized that it was the middle of the night in China, so it would be strange if anyone answered the phone in Liu Yumin's office.

In Beijing, Liu Yumin was suddenly awakened by the ringing of the telephone by his bedside.

"Hello, who is it?"

"Director Liu, it's me, Zhang Heli."

"Oh, it's Instructor Zhang? It's the middle of the night, you have good news?"

"Hey, if there's no good news, can I wake you up in the middle of the night?"

"Okay, go ahead, I'm listening."

"That's how it is. Tang Bei originally meant that he could play in the World Championships, but he forgot to mention it last time and only mentioned the Olympics."

After hearing Zhang Heli's words, Liu Yumin was speechless. So, the headache we've been having for months was something you forgot to mention?

However, the news was indeed good news, and she couldn't help but feel relieved. She began to imagine how she could break into the top eight of the World Championships in 94 and make history.

The next morning, Liu Yumin rushed to his workplace and reported to Yang Boyong, the leader of the Second Division.

Because Tang Bei played in the NBA and was skilled enough, his case was reported through the ranks, eventually reaching Deputy Director Yuan, who was in charge of competitive sports.

At nine o'clock, after receiving the report, Deputy Director Yuan immediately called Yang Boyong and Liu Yumin over for a short meeting.

"What's the current men's basketball roster?" he asked first.

"Director Yuan, this is the roster for this year's men's basketball team." Liu Yumin quickly handed over the list.

The men's basketball team roster assembled for the 94 World Championships included two centers: Shan Tao and Ji Shangmin, both of whom were among the best centers in China at the time.

After looking at it, Deputy Director Yuan asked, "Which one are you planning to remove?"

Liu Yumin glanced at Yang Boyong, who said, "Yumin and I have discussed it. Anyway, the World Championships are next year, so let's keep them for now and see which one pairs better with Tang Bei."

According to her, Shan Tao must stay, because Shan Tao is from the Beijing team, which is the local team she is in charge of.

Deputy Director Yuan thought for a moment and nodded.

He then reminded them, "If Tang Bei only plays in the World Championships and the Olympics, there will definitely be some people who have objections. You need to do a good job of internal ideological work and prioritize the overall situation." "Yes, Director Yuan," Yang and Liu replied hurriedly.

At noon on the 7th, the basketball department officially announced internally and externally that the men's basketball team would call up Tang Bei.

This news caused a sensation both outside and inside.

In the afternoon, a large group of people came to Tang Bei's house. The director of the Municipal Sports Bureau was there, as well as a deputy county head in charge of the economy and the president of the county's People's Bank.

Tang Bei remitted a total of $300,000 home, which was a rare source of foreign exchange for the county.

Last year, the country's total foreign exchange reserves were only US$194 billion. The current foreign exchange system is concentrated at the central and provincial levels, with counties receiving very little direct foreign exchange. Foreign exchange is mainly indirectly contributed by remittances from overseas Chinese, foreign trade exports, and foreign investment inflows; counties have virtually no foreign exchange income.

Therefore, the county had been keeping an eye on the Tang family for a long time, hoping to get more foreign exchange from them.

Tang Bei also received a notification from Zhang Heli that the country had agreed to his conditions. He only needed to participate in the World Championships and the Olympics. As for whether to participate in the warm-up matches for these two major competitions, that was up to him.

"Coach Zhang, please give Eric's contact information to the people in China so they can contact Eric directly in the future," he said.

"OK."

Zhang Heli was very happy. The men's basketball team was good in all other positions, but lacked a super center. Now that Tang Bei has joined, their strength will definitely soar, and they have a good chance of making it into the top eight in the World Championship.

At 9 a.m. on the 8th, the NBA officially announced the MVP winner via live television broadcast.

Tang Bei also paid close attention to the MVP selection, after all, he was ranked fourth on the MVP leaderboard, and as a result, he ranked fourth in the media's scores.

Charles Barkley, the Phoenix Suns' star center with the best record in the league, received this honor for the first time in his career.

Michael Jordan, whose stats were better, did not win the MVP award and even finished third, scoring less than Hakeem Olajuwon. He was very disappointed and frustrated.

"I am very disappointed with this result."

In a media interview, he spoke frankly, but that was all; he did not publicly respond with any further comments.

Generally speaking, he doesn't make grand pronouncements before taking action; he only expresses his attitude with facts after the action is taken.

"You can take the MVP, but I will take the championship."

In Michael Jordan's mind, this is his attitude.

All first-round series have concluded, and the second-round matchups have been determined.

In the East, the Knicks will face the Heat on the 9th, and the Bulls will play the Cavaliers on the 11th. The Knicks have home-court advantage.

In the Western Conference, the Suns will face the Spurs on the 11th, and the Rockets will play the SuperSonics on the 10th. The Suns have home-court advantage.

The first game of the second round will receive the most attention, firstly because it will be held at Madison Square Garden, and secondly because it is the only game of its kind.

ESPN reports: "The two teams are tied in the regular season. Analyzing the strength of both teams and various factors, we favor the Knicks. They have a 58% chance of advancing."

While the Heat are a decent team, they lack depth at positions other than center. Their second-leading scorer, Glenn Lay, had an inconsistent and low-efficiency performance in the first-round series, which will impact the Heat's path to the next round.

The Heat's biggest problem lies in their perimeter defense, a weakness that was magnified to the extreme throughout the series, especially against defensively strong teams like the Knicks and Bulls.

TNT reports: "Between the Heat and the Knicks, we believe the Heat will be eliminated in the second round, with a chance of advancing of no more than 40%."

The playoffs are different from the regular season. Tang could single-handedly carry the Heat into the playoffs during the regular season, but he can't do that in a series. Even Wilt Chamberlain couldn't.

Tang Bei also saw these reports. Although he was not convinced, the media was not wrong. When Glen Rice was not in good form, he struggled to play.

Moreover, the team's perimeter defense is really bad, and the team has not built a defensive system. Although his help defense is now close to the top level, one person's energy is limited, and he can't make up for it.

So even though he swept the Celtics in the first round, he didn't think the second round series would be a smooth ride.

However, the Heat have a good chance. Although the Knicks' defense is strong, it mainly refers to their interior defense. While their perimeter defense is also good, it is not as strong as the Bulls'.

Jordan and Pippen were both top-tier perimeter defenders, but the Knicks didn't have a single top-tier perimeter defender, or even a first-rate one.

Around 9 o'clock, Tang Bei received an email from China.

Several months ago, he asked his family to send some medicinal oil he used for martial arts practice, but they haven't been able to send it yet. The procedures are too complicated, requiring him to know English, report the drug ingredients, and so on. His family simply can't handle it.

Later, he contacted Lin Xiaoyan, a Xinhua News Agency reporter who had been transferred back to China, and asked her for help. It took him nearly two months to complete the task.

At 10 a.m., the Heat departed for New York and arrived at their hotel at 3 p.m.

"Don, Oakley has said he wants to take back what's rightfully his. What do you think he means?" a reporter asked after they got off the bus.

"Basketball hoop?"

Tang Bei immediately thought of the thing he had thrown away somewhere, probably already discarded as trash.

And that basket belonging to the Bulls, I don't know where it went.

"So are you willing to return it?" the reporter pressed.

"I'm afraid that won't work," Tang Bei said, shaking his head.

"why?"

The reporter, determined to get to the bottom of things, pressed for an answer.

"Maybe, just maybe, I threw that basketball hoop away as trash, and I haven't seen it in a long time," Tang Bei said.

Several local reporters rolled their eyes in frustration upon hearing this. "You stole our basket and don't even appreciate it. Are you sick in the head?"

"Tang, who do you think has a better chance of advancing, the Heat or the Knicks?" a reporter asked.

“Of course it’s us,” Tang Bei said without hesitation.

"why?"

"Because Ewing's performance in the playoffs was inconsistent, and his offensive efficiency was very low."

"what?"

"Shet!"

The Knicks had just finished their tactical meeting when Oakley came out of the meeting room and learned from the team's reporters that Tang Bei had thrown the basket away. He was so angry that he cursed.

Pat Riley immediately called Oakley back into the conference room, his expression stern, and said:

"Alright, Charles, I hope you stay completely calm. If you cause the series to fall..."

He smiled at this point and didn't continue.

Seeing the cold smile on Pat Riley's face, Oakley felt a chill run down his spine and quickly nodded.

Pat Riley wasn't stopping Oakley from fighting; he was mainly considering the consequences of losing, which the Knicks simply couldn't afford.

Then another situation arose outside. A reporter asked Ewing, "Patrick, Don said your offensive efficiency was low in the playoffs. Do you have anything to say in response?"

"That kid is too arrogant!"

Yu Yin disliked reporters and hated Tang Bei even more, so she was furious when she heard this.

Pat Riley quickly stepped in and said, "Patrick, you're not a newbie anymore. Just ignore this trash talk, okay?"

"I know."

Yu Yin gave a sullen reply, then turned and left.

Pat Riley shook his head, agreeing that Tang Bei was right; Ewing's performance in crucial moments was indeed quite inconsistent.

In particular, in several regular season games where he faced Tang Bei, his offensive efficiency was indeed not good enough, and his defense against Tang Bei was also not good enough.

But he is still confident about the series.

After dinner, the Heat held a tactical meeting at the hotel.

Kevin Longley's weaknesses are his lack of tactical ability and average coaching ability.

Especially in the playoffs, not counting this time, he had led the team to the playoffs seven times before, but was eliminated in the first round all time, with a record of 4 wins and 18 losses, a winning percentage of only 18%.

This Heat advancement marks the first time in his career that he has led a team into the second round, a historic breakthrough.

So he was very nervous, and coupled with his poor tactical ability, he only came up with one tactic: "Guys, listen up, pass the ball to Tang..."

If this were during the Hornets' era, Tang Bei would have been overjoyed to hear this tactic, but now, he just wanted to scratch his head.

After hearing Longley's tactics, General Manager Lewis Shaffer was eager to contact Pat Riley again.

The roster was bad, and the head coach was bad too; he felt things couldn't continue like this.

It would be best to find a better head coach during the offseason, such as a strategist or Phil Jackson.

As for the roster, he felt it was actually not bad, not as bad as the media made it out to be.

Glen Rice is a good shooter. Even though his efficiency is not as good as last season, his field goal percentage has improved from 44% to 45.6% since Tang Bei came. His three-point field goal percentage is as high as 38.6%.

Sophomore Steve Smith's jump shot is also excellent, and his three-point shooting is even better, with a 40% three-point shooting percentage this season.

Moreover, Smith is different from Glen Rice; he is not a pure shooter but an all-around swingman who can shoot, drive, and organize.

More importantly, Steve Smith has a better defensive attitude than Rice, but his defensive skills are still a bit raw.

If this lineup has any flaws, it's either because the perimeter ball-handling offense is weak, the perimeter penetration ability is insufficient, or the perimeter defense is terrible.

(End of this chapter)