The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 128 The Guillotine

He ran straight to the high post, out of the arc, set a screen, and Coles took the opportunity to get rid of Armstrong and drive down from the arc.

At this moment, Tang Bei quickly turned around and went down, and Bill Cartwright, who had blocked Coles from the high position, quickly turned around and followed.

But how could he keep up with Tang Bei's speed?
Cobra Grant, positioned on the right side of the basket, moved faster and got back to the rim to defend first.

After being blocked, Coles moved to the left wing, glanced at Tang Bei's position, and suddenly passed the ball high in the air in front of the basket.

Tang Bei glanced at the basketball and suddenly sprang into action.

"damn it!"

Grant, who was under the basket, cursed and retreated to the side.

He didn't dare to block, even if it could draw an offensive foul from Tang Bei, because he would definitely be knocked away, which was too much of a loss.

Moreover, the Bulls' interior defense strategy was to avoid physical confrontations with Tang Bei, letting him score the points he deserved.

"boom!"

With a loud thud, Tang Bei completed an alley-oop dunk.

"Shh!"

The loud boos suddenly stopped, then rose again.

"Bimbo, that was a fantastic pass!" Tang Bei exclaimed encouragingly.

Bimbo Coles smiled happily, feeling much less pressure after providing an assist.

In the NBC studio, Isiah Thomas, the "Smiling Assassin," said, "Just play like this, use high pick-and-rolls to connect the inside and outside."

"Let's see how Tang Bei defends," Bill Russell said.

In the Bulls' frontcourt, Jordan made an off-ball run, quickly shaking off Steve Smith and creating an open space to receive the ball in the right elbow area.

Bimbo Coles also tried to block Armstrong's passing lanes, but it was too difficult. Jordan was calling for the ball on the right wing, Pippen was calling for the ball on the left wing, and the ball was calling for the ball in the low post. One person simply couldn't block it.

Armstrong only needed to block the passing angle between him and Tang Bei, which made things much easier.

Armstrong made a quick change of direction and passed the ball to Jordan in the right elbow area.

When Armstrong made the crossover pass, Tang Bei quickly moved to the right elbow area under the basket, leaving Cartwright, who was in the left waist position, wide open.

He can't be in two places at once; he can't possibly cover both wings by himself. Instead of focusing solely on Carterwhite, he should help defend Jordan, which is also what the coaching staff wants.

In the right elbow area, Jordan received the ball and immediately turned to shoot. Catching the ball and shooting is his specialty, and the rhythm is very fast with almost no delay.

After being shaken off, Steve Smith tried to catch up, but he was already a step too late.

Just then, Tang Bei's reinforcements arrived.

Leaping from two meters away, like a tiger pouncing on its prey, it suddenly appeared above Jordan just as he turned and jumped, about to release his shot.

"Tang Bei!"

A glint flashed in Jordan's eyes, and with the arrow already on the bowstring, he slightly adjusted the shooting angle at the moment of release, but still completed the shot without hesitation.

Tang Bei flew very high, and his wingspan was long enough. This time he jumped with all his might, and the height reached an astonishing 3.8 meters, or even 3.85 meters.

If the effective lifting height of the fingertips (including the upward extension of the body, including the upper limb joints) is included, it can even reach an astonishing 3.9 meters.

However, Jordan's jumping ability is also a top advantage. Coupled with his 2.69-meter standing reach, his shot is a shoulder shot, with his arm fully extended and his fingertips effectively raised, making his outside shooting height very high.

When Jordan's vertical jump reaches 7 to 90 centimeters, his release height can usually reach 3.5 to 3.8 meters.

Given the height the basketball travels, blocking his shot after he releases it becomes extremely difficult, almost impossible.

There is no chance unless the shot is blocked at the moment he takes the shot or before he takes it, or unless he doesn't jump with full force.

His outside jump shot is a prime example of how difficult it is to block; interference is the limit, but blocking it is even harder, and his record of being blocked is extremely rare.

Jordan was fully prepared. This time he jumped with all his might, and his vertical jump height should have reached 90 centimeters, with his release height approaching 3.8 meters.

Tang Bei didn't have time to block Jordan's shot when he first released it. He stretched out his arms in mid-air and flicked the basketball as it flew upwards.

Unfortunately, the basketball missed his fingertips by a centimeter or two.

"rebound!"

But Jordan wasn't confident he could make the shot, and he shouted loudly as soon as he landed.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, because the release height was adjusted and was a little too short, the basketball bounced off the rim.

Grant Long has returned to the basket and is battling Cartwright for the rebound.

Although Cartwright had a height advantage, he was getting old, and the ball bounced towards Grant Long, who managed to steal it.

2:0, Heat on offense.

"Shh!"

The boos from the stadium intensified once again.

Bill Russell said, "Tang's help defense was excellent. The Heat's perimeter defense was a mess, and it was all thanks to his help defense."

Tang Bei jogged to the frontcourt, didn't go down to the low post, but landed directly at the top of the key, standing next to BJ Armstrong.

Bimbo Coles immediately broke through the wall, and Tang Bei also turned around and went down.

When Tang Bei set a screen, Cartwright didn't stop but ran straight to the basket. He knew he was too slow and didn't choose to stay with the defender.

At the same time, Grant also tracked back to defend the penalty area, leaving Grant Long unmarked.

When Coles drove to the free-throw line, he was met with Grant's help defense. He suddenly passed the ball across the court to Grant Long, who was positioned outside the right midfield.

At the same time, Tang Bei shoved Grant aside and entered the penalty area.

As soon as Grant Lang saw Tang Bei go in, he knew the offensive rebound was secure and he was open, so he was about to shoot.

But just then, Jordan came down from above, forcing Grant Long to almost make a mistake and only be able to throw the ball toward the basket.

"boom!"

"Di!"

The next moment, with the referee's whistle, Tang Bei was hanging on the rim.

Cartwright under the basket raised his right hand to indicate that he had committed a foul, and the referee also made a hand-checking foul gesture.

"Grant, good pass!" Tang Bei shouted loudly to encourage him.

Bill Walton said, "Both of the Heat's offensive plays were high pick-and-roll plays, which broke the Bulls' attempt to cut off the Heat's inside and outside game. The play was very effective."

"If the Bulls can't break up the Heat's inside-outside connection, I can say with certainty that no matter how many points Michael Jordan scores, he won't win," said Isiah Thomas.

Bill Walton shook his head and said, "You can't say that. Jordan can average 40+ points per game and 50+ points in a single game, but Tang can't. The inside game takes much more energy than the outside game."

Furthermore, the performance of Glen Rice and his teammates against the Bulls' defense will be crucial, as their offensive efficiency is too low.

"Don't rely on his scoring alone to win the game. Even if he wins one or two games, he can't win the series. Chamberlain is the best example of that."

Bill Russell smiled and nodded, saying, "Tang's defense is also very demanding, and he probably can't compete with Michael in the series."

Tang Beijia made the free throw, making it 5-0, and the Bulls went on offense.

In the CCTV live broadcast room, Han Qiaosheng said, "The Bulls' offense was weak at the start. I think the Heat can try to play fast breaks. The Bulls' center is far slower than Tang Bei."

"Yep."

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "Power forward Grant is not as fast as Tang Bei."

"brush!"

This time, Jordan received the ball in the far two-point area and made the shot.

"Last time he shot from the right elbow area, it was too close to the paint. This time, Jordan learned his lesson," Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

Han Qiaosheng said, "I often watch Tang Bei's games and know that he is capable of defending the far two-point area, but I suggest not defending that far."

"Why?" Sun Zhenping asked.

Han Qiaosheng said, "Because once he goes out, the paint will be open. Jordan is bound to get the points he deserves. Tang Bei just needs to prevent him from entering the paint or getting close to it to shoot."

“That makes sense,” Sun Zhenping nodded.

Han Qiaosheng smiled. He had communicated with Coach Jiang Xinquan before going on the show, and this was what Coach Jiang said.

On the scene, Phil Jackson racked his brains, trying to figure out how to break the Heat's high pick-and-roll tactics.

In terms of defensive tactics, his ability is actually average. The Bulls' defense mainly relies on two top perimeter defenders, plus Grant's interior defensive anchor, forming a formidable trio.

This trio is a formidable force on both the offensive and defensive ends.

However, this trio was unable to break Tang Bei's high pick-and-roll tactics.

Of course, he wasn't worried. Even if they couldn't crack the code, and Tang Bei scored 40 or 50 points in a game, the Bulls still had Jordan. As long as they limited the offense of the other Heat players, their chances of winning would be even greater.

5:2, Heat are on offense, Tang Bei is still setting screens at the high post.

Bill Walton said, "The pick-and-roll is the simplest and most effective offensive tactic. When executed well, it is better than any other tactic."

When Coles drove to the free-throw line, he passed the ball to Glen Rice on the left wing.

Glen Rice temporarily got rid of Pippen by making repeated off-the-ball runs, creating a small open space for him.

"Bang!"

But his shot was still affected by Pippen's block, and it hit the rim.

"All the offensive rebounds are mine."

Tang Bei had already entered the paint, and with a roar in his heart, he snatched the offensive rebound over Carterwhite and Grant.

"boom!"

He slammed the ball in a second burst, knocking Grant down as he did so, while Cartwright was also knocked off balance.

"Tang Bei's dominance under the basket is too strong; the Bulls don't even need to defend under the basket anymore," Sun Zhenping joked with a smile.

"Let's play one ball!" Jordan shouted.

He was mentally prepared that the Bulls couldn't stop Tang Bei. Being temporarily behind in the score wasn't important; sticking to the game would be the Bulls' chance.

Pippen took over the ball on the left wing; he was the Bulls' playmaker.

He dribbled towards Glen Rice, then made a quick breakthrough, jumping up at the left elbow area.

Tang Bei came to the rescue, but at that moment, Jordan, who was making off-ball movement on the right wing, took the opportunity to cut inside to the basket. Pippen passed the ball to Jordan, who easily made a layup.

7:4, Heat on offense.

Six minutes into the first quarter, with the score at 16-12, the Bulls were down by 4 points and called a timeout.

Phil Jackson called a timeout to make a substitution, not because he thought there was a problem with the tactics.

He replaced pseudo-starting center Cartwright with tanky Houston Leonard.

Bill Russell immediately said, "Houston Leonard is a white man, 25 years old, 201 cm tall, and weighs 320 pounds (145 kg), which is nearly 10 kg more than Tang Bei's current weight."

He played basketball and football in high school, and in the NCAA he played football as a defensive end. He was very strong and known for his volatile temper.

He is 10 centimeters shorter and 10 kilograms heavier than Tang Bei, so his muscle ratio is definitely much higher. His maximum bench press reaches an astonishing 620 pounds (280 kilograms), which is 50 kilograms more than Tang Bei's, and is also very high in the NFL.

He hasn't had systematic training for nearly two years, and has recently been doing recovery training, but his strength and explosiveness are definitely not what they used to be.

Bill Walton, holding up the data, said: "Larry Allen, a famous NCAA football star and one of the greatest offensive linebackers in the NCAA, is currently 191 cm tall and weighs 140 kg. His maximum bench press is 640 pounds and 290 kg."

“God, even if his opponent is wearing armor, he could still kill them by running them over,” Thomas the Smiling Assassin said, shaking his head.

Bill Russell then read Leonardo's profile, saying, "He entered both the NFL and NBA drafts in 1990 and was selected in the second round of the NFL draft. He was very talented."

However, near the end of his rookie season, he had a racially charged conflict with a Black teammate in the locker room, which escalated into a large-scale racial clash. He suffered a severe knee injury during the conflict, leading to his retirement.

After more than a year of recovery from his injury, his knee had healed somewhat, but he would never be able to return to the NFL. Knowing that the NBA lacked physical presence, his agent, in order to make money, submitted his application to the Bulls.

"They come to the NBA to make money."

Bill Walton shrugged and said, "These are the jobs that Tang created for them."

"Haha..." The other two burst into laughter.

After the timeout, seeing Leonardo come on, Bill Walton exclaimed in amazement:
"This guy is really strong. His muscles are even stronger than Tang's. No wonder he's an NFL defensive end."

The Smiling Assassin, who also played rugby in high school and college, said with a serious expression:
"The guys who play defensive end in the NFL are a bunch of monsters who combine strength, power, speed and explosiveness, and jumping ability."

Bill Russell said, "Their primary function is to sack quarterbacks. Besides strength and power, they certainly won't be able to do it if they lack athleticism."

However, Leonardo's knee injury is severe, and his speed and jumping ability are certainly not what they used to be. He should only have strength and power left. He also played basketball in his school days, so he is the most suitable person to guard Tang Bei.

Tang Bei and Leonardo looked at each other, their eyes filled with hostility.

“Houston, remember, this isn’t the NFL, so control your temper and absolutely do not resort to violence,” Phil Jackson warned.

Leonardo nodded, but didn't seem to care about what the head coach said.

He lost count of how many fights he had been in during his football career, from junior high to the NFL, until he was seriously injured and forced to retire.

If he could go back to the NFL, he would never have come to the NBA. He came here just to make money. In reality, he looks down on the weak NBA.

In the NFL, the NBA is considered effeminate, and even the toughest players in the NBA have to keep a low profile if they go to the NFL.

The Bulls attack.

Tang Bei left Leonardo open and anchored the paint.

Leonardo, who had been recovering from an injury for almost three years, returned to the field. Although it wasn't the NFL, he was still incredibly excited, with all his energy pent up.

Looking at his opponent Tang Bei, he felt a surge of violence and had an urge to tackle and kill him.

He rushed forward and used his shoulder to block Tang Bei, shoving him while spewing trash talk: "You son of a bitch, you country bumpkin..."

Upon hearing these words, Tang Bei instantly performed a Tai Chi turn, and as his body spun violently, his right elbow struck Leonardo's face.

"what!"

Leonardo screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his face.

"Di!"

The referee stopped the game and ran over.

"Excuse me, Mr. Referee, I just happened to touch his face when I turned around. This is normal physical contact."

He explained to the referee, then yelled at Leonardo on the floor, "Hey buddy, stand up and prove you're not a pushover."

"Fuck you!"

Leonardo, whose nose had been broken and bleeding from the elbow, was consumed by rage and completely forgot what Phil Jackson had just told him. In a fit of rage, he got up and pounced on Jackson like a wild beast.

Just like when he tackled the quarterback, at this moment, he vowed to cripple this damn bastard in front of him with a tack.

“Houston!” his agent shouted.

"Oh!"

Tang Bei quickly covered his chest with his arms, and Houston Leonardo headbutted him, the heavy impact making one's teeth ache.

"how is this possible?"

Leonardo was very surprised to find that he had not been able to knock Tang Bei down, but only pushed him back a step. Tackling is an essential skill in rugby, and with his explosive power, he had not been able to push Tang Bei back even a step?
But Tang Bei was also very surprised. Since entering the NBA, this was the first time he had been at a disadvantage in terms of strength and had been knocked back.

"Di Di..."

The referee's whistle rang out shrilly.

"damn it!"

Phil Jackson swore.

"This idiot, is he just offering himself up for Tang?"

"Everyone, step back a bit to avoid getting involved. Tang is a madman."

Jordan and the others frowned, not only showing no intention of helping, but instead taking two steps back.

"go to hell!"

Houston Leonard wrapped his arms around Tang Bei's waist; once he had a hold, he could unleash his signature takedown technique.

In the next instant, Tang Bei quickly slid backward, immediately creating distance between himself and Leonardo, breaking free from Leonardo's takedown attempt while simultaneously pulling Leonardo's body towards the ground.

At the same time, he tucked his opponent's head under his right armpit, his right arm bent into a V-shape under the opponent's neck.

Then, he pressed down on the back of Leonardo's neck with his left forearm, and with the momentum of the slide, he pressed down hard, and with the up and down movement, he suddenly formed a guillotine on Leonardo.

The moment the guillotine is formed, the forearm and upper arm of the right arm exert force simultaneously, and as the muscles expand, they immediately begin to compress the opponent's carotid artery.

Compression of arteries is more damaging than compression of the trachea; within just three to five seconds, the brain will be deprived of oxygen, and the person will fall into shock.

(End of this chapter)