The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 126 A Force

Back in Phoenix, the Suns had just returned to the locker room after defeating the Spurs when they received news of an on-court brawl between the Heat and the Knicks.

"A single hair can have far-reaching consequences." Upon hearing this, Charles Barkley paused for a few seconds, then suddenly jumped up excitedly and shouted:
"It's over, it's over, it's over, Tang Bei is going to be suspended. Damn Knicks, they must be in cahoots with Michael."

Kevin Johnson's face was also grim. He had thought that the Heat's advancement to the Eastern Conference Finals would be a blow to the Bulls, meaning that even if the Bulls made it to the NBA Finals, they would be a depleted force. But now...

At 11 p.m., Ewing lay in his hospital bed, lost in thought.

He was punched by Tang Bei and knocked unconscious. He woke up on the way to the hospital. After examination, there were no major problems, but he had to stay in the hospital for observation for a day.

Oakley was on the bed next to me, and Mason was in the next room.

Mason Jr. had 25 stitches in his face and suffered a mild concussion.

Oakley was punched in the chin, suffered a moderate concussion, lost six teeth, fractured jawbone, torn muscles requiring 32 stitches, and was punched in the abdomen, resulting in external bruising and swelling.

"Hey, Michael."

Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Michael's call, so he quickly answered.

"Patrick, well done! Leave the rest to me. I'll avenge you!" Jordan said excitedly.

Ewing gave a bitter smile, completely in no mood to speak.

"How is Charles?" Jordan asked again.

Oakley felt dizzy but couldn't sleep because the anesthesia had worn off, and his mouth, jaw, and teeth were aching all over. Painkillers didn't help.

His mouth and chin hurt terribly when he spoke, but he still managed to ask indistinctly through his lisping mouth, "Whose phone call was that?"

“Michael, he sends his regards,” Ewing said.

"Tell Michael to take down the Heat, take down that damn kid, don't let them live."

Charles Oakley said with great resentment that just thinking about Tang Bei made his head spin and his jaw ache.

After Ewing relayed Oakley's words, Jordan shouted, "That's for sure, Charles. Don't worry, leave the rest to me. I'll humiliate him with points."

At this point, he suddenly remembered the game in the regular season where he scored 42 points but lost, and immediately changed his tune, saying, "No, it was about humiliating him by winning and making it to the finals."

Hearing "Finals," Ewing's heart nearly broke. It was a sad eight seasons, and he still hadn't reached the Finals.

At this point, Shaffer Lewis received a message from his assistant that a reporter had poked him out of Eric Anderson, a minimum-salary player for the Knicks.

Anderson was an undrafted player who had just entered the league with a salary of $140,000 per year. He only played 16 regular season games, averaging 2.8 minutes, 1.3 points, and 0.9 rebounds per game. He was a fringe player among fringe players and did not make the 12-man roster. His NBA career could end at any time.

"But sir, the player was very wary and requested that no recordings or photos be taken, so the reporter did not obtain any evidence."

On the morning of the 19th, David Stern arrived at the office.

On his desk were the Heat's appeal documents and the Knicks' appeal documents.

He watched the game last night and researched it thoroughly. He knew everything about it. He casually flipped through the materials, put them aside, and started thinking about what to do.

Meanwhile, reports from various media outlets about last night's conflict had already begun.

ESPN reports: "The beneficiary of the Madison Square Garden clash will undoubtedly be the Bulls, and Michael Jordan will realize his dream of achieving a three-peat dynasty."

FOX reports: "Tang Bei must be suspended; his violence is sending shivers down the spines of the entire NBA."

TNT reports: "If Tang Bei is suspended, the Heat will lose 80% of their competitiveness, which is not conducive to the fairness of the Eastern Conference Finals. Even if the Bulls make it to the Finals and eventually achieve a three-peat, the value of the championship will not be high. It is recommended that Tang Bei not be suspended."

Other media reports were relatively normal, but a tabloid in New York suddenly broke a big story.

"Insider information: this conflict was a premeditated trade plot by Knicks players, orchestrated by Oakley and executed by Mason. Neither Ewing nor Oakley were involved in the plan..."

When the report came out, Ewing, who was preparing to be discharged from the hospital, felt like the sky was falling. Even with his usually sullen personality, he immediately burst out cursing, "Damn it, who betrayed us? Who was it?"

Oakley was stunned. After realizing what had happened, he angrily cursed, "There must be a traitor in the locker room. Damn it, find him! Find him!"

"boom!"

When David Stern saw this news, he smashed his coffee cup.

This was a huge scandal for the NBA, and he was so angry he almost had a stroke.

"Immediately inform the Knicks to shut Oakley and his team up and forbid them from giving any media interviews."

"Have the referee committee immediately investigate Oakley and his team."

"Notify the public relations department to deny this matter; absolutely do not admit that this was premeditated."

"Have the public relations department notify the media that the official decision will be announced at 1 p.m.

After issuing a series of orders, he began to consider how to handle the matter.

If it was indeed orchestrated by Oakley and his team, even if it has nothing to do with the Knicks or the NBA, it certainly cannot be admitted, otherwise the negative impact would be too great.

Therefore, Tang Bei's punishment cannot be too severe, otherwise it would cause a lot of trouble if the Heat team made a fuss.

The Heat were overjoyed when they received the news at the hotel.

Shaffer Lewis acted swiftly, immediately holding a press conference.

"I demand that the Alliance punish these despicable bastards severely. They can't beat us, so they resort to these dirty tricks. They've crossed the line of morality; it's utterly shameful! At the same time, I request that the Alliance not pursue further punishment against Tang..."

The Suns, SuperSonics, and Rockets also held press conferences to strongly condemn the Knicks, demand that the league severely punish Oakley and his teammates, and earnestly request that the league not pursue further punishment against Tang Bei.

After seeing the news of the press conferences held by the Suns' three teams, Jordan laughed in anger and cursed:
"Three bastard trash teams, you've angered me. Even if you make it to the Finals, I'll crush you."

He called Barkley on the phone and taunted, "Charles, when did you become so concerned about that guy? Did he really not punch you on All-Star day?"

"Michael, did Patrick team up with you to take down Don?" Barkley mocked.

"Charles, you can't even make it to the Western Conference Finals, so don't even think about the NBA Finals," Jordan continued to mock, neither of them responding to the other's comment.

"See you in the Finals," Barkley snapped.

"Hakeem, do you think the Heat can eliminate the Bulls with their strength alone? I can only say you're too naive, haha!"

After mocking Barkley, Jordan called Hakeem Olajuwon and continued his mocking spree.

“Michael, you guys are filthy,” Olajuwon retorted sarcastically.

"Bullshit."

Jordan's defenses crumbled at those words.

The Heat originally planned to depart in the morning, but changed their minds and will leave at 1:30 pm.

After lunch, everyone gathered in Tang Bei's room to await the alliance's decision.

At 1:00 PM, NBC broadcast the NBA's press conference live, where David Stern personally announced the penalty decision.

"I'm so sorry this happened."

"Mr. Stern, was it indeed Oakley and Ewing who premeditated this?" a reporter interrupted David Stern.

David Stern, having anticipated this, smiled politely and said, "There is currently no evidence to suggest this was a premeditated incident; it's just hearsay written by reporters."

"I knew this would happen," some reporters muttered to themselves.

David Stern then announced the disciplinary decision.

Anthony Mason Jr. received an additional technical foul, a $10,000 fine, and a two-game suspension.

Ewing made a boxing motion, resulting in an additional technical foul, a $10,000 fine, and a one-game suspension.

Tang Bei punched Oakley and Ewing, kicked Mason, received an additional technical foul, a $30,000 fine, and a one-game suspension.

This was a decision David Stern carefully considered, leaving the Heat with a glimmer of hope rather than annihilating them.

He didn't think Tang Bei's punishment was excessive; in fact, it was excessively lenient.

Injuring three people is going too far. We cannot ignore this act of violence just because it was premeditated by Oakley and his group.

Oakley and his group were wrong, but Tang Bei was also wrong; he went too far.

Of course, from a personal perspective, he also understood why Tang Bei used such drastic measures.

If Oakley and Ewing had stayed on the court after Tang Bei left, the Knicks would have won Game 5.

If Tang Bei were suspended for a few games, the Knicks' chances of a comeback would be close to 100%. Considering other factors, he showed leniency, suspending him for only one game; otherwise, he could have been suspended for dozens of games.

As for Oakley and Ewing, considering the negative impact, we can only let them off lightly this time and deal with them later.

"One?"

Eric Fleischer said with a laugh, "It seems that President David Stern doesn't have high hopes for the Heat, so he only banned them for one game. He probably hopes the Heat can hold on for two more games."

Shaffer Lewis knew that his efforts had been in vain. Even if Oakley and his team's scheme hadn't been exposed, David Stern would probably have dealt with it the same way.

Kevin Longley said happily, "A one-game suspension is fine. We don't have much of a chance on the road. We just need to try our best to play well at home."

Glen Rice and others nodded in agreement; they didn't believe the Heat had a chance to beat the Bulls, so they were all very relaxed.

Tang Bei stood up, picked up his suitcase, and followed his teammates outside, saying, "Eric, do you think we have a chance to beat the Bulls?"

Eric Fleischer was stunned for a moment, and said without thinking, "Impossible. In the last two regular season games, the Bulls' interior defense didn't compete with you, so you couldn't exert your offensive power. The Bulls won against the Heat just by relying on their perimeter defense."

Glen Rice, who was standing next to him, also said, "We're afraid it will be very difficult for us to beat the Bulls in this series. Their perimeter defense will be even stronger in the Eastern Conference Finals."

Tang Bei nodded helplessly and didn't ask any more questions.

Eric Fleischer comforted him, saying, "Don, it's good that you're aiming for the Finals, but the Heat's roster isn't good enough right now."

He spoke with Shaffer Lewis yesterday, hoping the Heat would strengthen their roster during the offseason, and Lewis has agreed.

However, strengthening the team isn't something you can do just because you want to; it depends on opportunity and luck. The Heat's salary cap is already full, so it's not easy to strengthen the team.

Jordan stayed with the Bulls for several seasons before starting to contend for the championship, after Pippen and others had developed.

Hakeem Olajuwon played for the Rockets for many seasons, and David Robinson spent his entire career with the Spurs.

The same goes for Ewing. Does the Knicks lack the money to strengthen their roster? The current lineup has been built up over many seasons.

The NBA's decision to impose penalties has drawn criticism from some media outlets.

They believed that if Oakley and his group hadn't planned this, then Tang Bei's punishment was too lenient.

The NBA simply ignored these voices and played dead; the media's concerns were replaced by new hot topics overnight.

After the Heat returned to Miami, each player received a check for $33,000, and the team was temporarily disbanded.

That evening, Tang Bei enjoyed another sumptuous Chinese meal at Jia Bao's place.

"Wet Tiger, I lose my appetite if I don't eat Chinese food for a day. Am I poisoned by Chinese food?"

"When you even switch to Chinese food for breakfast, that's when you're really poisoned."

"Wet Tiger, after the Eastern Conference Finals, how about we take a cruise around the world?"

"It's after the finals."

"Hehe, okay, Wet Tiger makes it to the finals, beats Michael Jordan, wins the championship and FMVP, signs endorsements for ten top global brands, and has a lot of Hollywood actresses throwing themselves at him. Wow, what a beautiful dream! Wet Tiger, you should wake up, it's not time to sleep yet."

“Uh, Garbo, you’re becoming more and more disrespectful to your master.”

"Where is it?"

"Alright, but I'm disembarking in Tianjing. What about you?"

"Well, I'll disembark in Tianjing too. I'm going to China for fun."

"Okay, I'll show you around Beijing, including the Forbidden City, Yonghe Temple, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven. That should keep you entertained for ten days or half a month."

"No, I want to go to the Tianshan Desert to visit the White-Haired Witch and follow her to cultivate the way of the sword."

"You've gone mad from reading martial arts novels, why don't you go and become a disciple of Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng?"

Are those two still locked in their final battle atop the Forbidden City?

"No, they've already been arrested and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. Why don't you go find them there?"

At 9 a.m. on the 20th, the NBA announced its All-NBA Team via NBC.

First, Tang Bei still has a chance to be selected for the All-Defensive Team, competing with players such as Olajuwon, Ewing, David Robinson, and Mutombo.

Except for the period when he first joined the Hornets, when his defense wasn't very good, it was good afterward. Although his defensive stats weren't as good as Hakeem Olajuwon's, they were comparable to David Robinson's and better than Ewing's.

His steals are not as good as the Admiral's, but his blocks are better, and he also rebounds better. He has a chance to be on the Second Team.

Unfortunately, the selection was based on a vote by 100 media professionals, and David Robinson was ultimately chosen for the second team, while Hakeem Olajuwon was chosen for the first team.

Next up is the best lineup, which is divided into three teams.

Eric Fleischer said, "Tang, you have the strongest individual stats at center. The All-NBA Team selection is based on individual performance, and team record is just a reference. You have the best chance of being selected for the First Team."

“That’s right, personal data is the core indicator, while battle record is just a hidden bonus.” Zhang Heli nodded in agreement.

Eric Fleischer said, "When individual statistics are overwhelming, you can even ignore the record, although the record may also have a limit."

Tang, your individual stats should easily surpass those of the three top centers. It would be unfair if you weren't selected for the All-NBA First Team.

After being lectured by the two, Tang Bei was full of confidence and genuinely believed that if he wasn't chosen, it would be unfair to the media professionals who participated in the selection process.

The first team announced was the All-NBA Third Team.

"Don't say my name, don't say it..." Tang Bei muttered to himself.

His name wasn't even on the third team, while Ewing was selected.

"No no……"

Next up is the second team. Tang Bei is a little nervous. If there's no second team, then the first team will definitely be his.

"Great, not again."

"Tang, congratulations on making the All-NBA First Team."

"Tang Bei, congratulations."

After the announcement, Hakeem Olajuwon was named as the second-team player, and all three players cheered.

Next, the All-NBA First Team roster was announced, and Tang Bei's name was prominently featured on it.

Besides him, there were Jordan, Barkley, Mark Price, and Karl Malone.

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

"Chels!"

Amidst the laughter, a notification for the treasure chest appeared on the panel.

"Congratulations, host, on completing the All-NBA First Team achievement. Reward: five pairs of custom insoles."

"They're finally here. I've been wearing those for a long time, and they're starting to show signs of wear and tear."

Most star players' custom insoles can only last for two months, or even just a few weeks. His insoles have been worn for a year. Although they are still wearable, new ones are of course better.

Fortunately, this time they rewarded me with five pairs. Each pair can last a year, so five pairs can last for five years.

That evening, Barkley racked up a double-double of 28 points and 21 rebounds on the road, leading his team to a 4-2 victory over David Robinson, who scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

Neither player had a high shooting percentage; Barkley shot only 41.7% and David Robinson only 40%, and the Suns only won by two points.

The Suns won in one key area: Barkley recorded four steals, bringing the team's total to 11 steals, while the Spurs only managed seven. Other statistics were roughly the same.

"Western Conference Finals, here I come!"

After winning the game, Barkley shouted excitedly.

In another game, the Rockets defeated the SuperSonics at home, saving a match point. The two teams are now tied 3-3 and will face off in a decisive Game 7 on the 22nd.

Hakeem Olajuwon was not in good form and did not take many shots, scoring only 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Kenny Smith scored 30 points and was the key player in the victory.

On the 21st, Dave Tvertzke, the general manager of the Charlotte Hornets who personally selected Tang Bei with the second overall pick in the first round, announced his resignation.

"What the hell? They should have traded Larry Johnson away." Tang Bei said unhappily after hearing the news.

(End of this chapter)