The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 129 Referee, you should give him CPR.

"Uh uh..."

Sure enough, Leonardo struggled a couple of times with his strong body, but Tang Bei held him firmly in place, and he immediately began to fall into a semi-conscious state, his struggles quickly diminishing.

"Beep beep..." The referee rushed over.

“Sir, this guy thinks this is the NFL. I don’t think he’s suited to play basketball.”

Tang Bei casually tossed Leonardo onto the floor; he didn't want to kill him and get into a murder case.

"Buzzing..."

The noise in the stadium was like the roar of a hundred aircraft engines.

"do you died?"

"How about I buy another five hundred pairs of Tang Generation 1 shoes?"

When O'Neal saw Leonardo's convulsing body, his heart rate jumped to 200.

"This guy actually dared to kill someone?"

"Comatose?"

Karl Malone and Larry Johnson were also panicked.

The referee was also annoyed. When conflicts occurred on the field, his ability to control the game would be questioned, which would be detrimental to his job.

"Why did you faint?"

He checked on Leonardo and found that, apart from his collapsed nose and blood all over his face, he had fallen into a semi-conscious state in just two seconds. He looked up at Tang Bei in surprise.

Tang Bei squatted down to the side and said, "He might be too excited and unable to breathe. Referee, you should give him CPR."

The referee glared at Tang. "Is that my job?"
"asshole!"

Before the Bulls' team doctor could even get up, Leonardo's body was indeed strong, and he began to regain his senses, immediately launching into a tirade of insults.

He was a little confused, not knowing what had happened or why he had suddenly woken up from his dream.
"Di!"

The referee wasn't going to let him get away with it, even though it was the Bulls' home court. He called a technical foul and pointed towards the players' tunnel, ejecting him from the game.

As for Tang Bei, he was called for an offensive foul for elbowing Leonardo, but the subsequent fight was not called.

His actions were later deemed self-defense by the referee. The referee knew how low the viewership of Game 1 was, and if he dared to send Tang Bei off, making the game a foregone conclusion, David Stern would certainly not let him off the hook.

"You damn bastard..."

At this moment, Leonardo realized that he didn't know how he had been counter-killed, knocked unconscious, and now he had been expelled. He was so angry that his face turned black, and he cursed as he charged towards Tang Bei again.

"Is this idiot all muscle in his head?"

Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, Phil Jackson was actually furious.

General Manager Jerry Krause didn't look too good either. This was the meat shield he brought in, how could he act like he had no brains?
Tang Bei wasn't going to put up with Leonardo. After dodging one of his punches, he slid back a step to create distance and then delivered two heavy swings, each weighing several hundred pounds, to Leonardo's face.

"Asshole!"

Leonardo lay down again, but his neck was thick enough to withstand the blows, and he was fine; he actually got up again.

However, as soon as I stood up, I felt dizzy and fell down again.

He had just been subdued by the guillotine, and his brain was already showing signs of semi-shock. After taking two heavy punches, he really couldn't take it anymore.

"Take him away."

Enraged, the referee called another technical foul and then yelled towards the Bulls' bench.

"Sir, why are these thugs allowed into the NBA?" Tang Bei asked curiously.

The referee couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Tang, when it comes to thugs, if you say you're second, I doubt anyone would dare to challenge you for first place!"
"Get out of my way, I can walk."

Several Bulls staff members rushed onto the court and helped Leonardo to the sidelines. Just as he was about to head towards the players' tunnel, Leonardo pushed them away.

"Damn country bumpkin, this isn't over."

"Damn the NBA, it really is a league only for women..."

He recovered somewhat, realizing he was no match for Tang Bei. After saying something to save face, he grumbled and walked toward the players' tunnel.

In the NBC studio, Bill Walton laughed and said, "It seems the NFL players aren't quite used to the NBA; the styles are too different."

Bill Russell said, "In the NFL, this level of conflict is commonplace, and he really doesn't fit into the NBA style."

The Smiling Assassin's attention wasn't on that; instead, he asked with great interest, "What technique did that kid in Tang's uniform use just now?"

Bill Russell shook his head and said, "Perhaps Kareem Abdul-Jabbar knows, but how could we, who have never practiced kung fu, possibly know?"

"Give him a call and ask."

Bill Walton had his assistant bring the phone over.

The call connected quickly, and Jabbar said, "That's called a guillotine. It's a submission technique that's used in mixed martial arts, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. It's a very dangerous technique."

"Even Leonardo DiCaprio's thick neck got his head cut off?" Bill Walton asked in surprise.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explained, "It's not a real decapitation. The guillotine compresses the carotid artery. The upper arm holds the opponent down to prevent escape, while the lower arm doesn't need much strength. It just needs to expand the muscles to compress the carotid arteries on both sides. No matter how thick the neck is, it can't escape the guillotine."

Leonardo's outburst dampened the Bulls' morale, while the Heat's morale soared, and Glen Rice and his teammates improved their performance.

At halftime, the score was 51-42, with the Bulls trailing by 9 points at home.

Han Qiaosheng said, "Tang Bei scored 24 points in the first half with a shooting percentage of over 80%. The others combined for 27 points, which is not bad."

Sun Zhenping said, "Jordan scored 16 points with a shooting percentage of just over 40%, so his performance was average. The others combined for 26 points, which was also a decent performance."

Dan Tao said, "The Bulls' main problem is that they don't have enough inside offense. The Heat's problem is that their perimeter defense can't stop the Bulls from scoring from the outside."

Sun Zhenping said with a smile, "It's already quite good that they can play like this. The Heat's perimeter defense is hardly any strong."

In the NBC studio, Bill Russell said, "The Bulls can't stop Tang from scoring if they can't break down his high pick-and-roll."

Bill Walton said, "How do you break the pick-and-roll? Tang is so strong and heavy, he's like a mountain. Defenders can't push him, they can't break it."

The Smiling Assassin chuckled and said, "I was right, wasn't I? The most important thing for the Heat is to keep the connection between the inside and outside lines open."

"Let's see how the Bulls play in the second half," Bill Walton said.

Bill Russell said, "Actually, the Bulls' defense isn't that bad. If they can't stop Tang, they can't stop him. They just need to shut down the others."

Their defense against other players in the first half was mediocre, allowing them to score 27 points. They need to improve in the second half.

Soon after halftime, the third quarter began.

The Bulls deployed their strongest perimeter defense, effectively limiting the Heat's outside offense and reducing the offensive efficiency of players like Glen Rice.

However, they still couldn't do anything about Tang Bei's high pick-and-roll tactics. Tang Bei's scoring increased step by step, single-handedly lifting up the Heat's offense.

Meanwhile, the Bulls were at a disadvantage on the boards. Although Jordan and Pippen tried their best to fight for rebounds, they were outmaneuvered in the paint, and Tang Bei controlled the boards.

Fortunately, the Bulls made some good steals, forcing the Heat into frequent turnovers.

Overall, the two teams had roughly the same number of shot attempts.

After the third quarter, the score was 73-67, with the Bulls closing the gap by three points but still trailing by six.

Jordan scored 12 points in a single quarter and 28 points in three quarters, with a field goal percentage of just over 40%. Although he scored a lot, he wasted a lot of shots and his offensive efficiency was not high enough.

Tang Bei scored 13 points in a single quarter and 37 points in three quarters, with his shooting percentage dropping from over 80% to 70%.

After the start of the final quarter, Jordan took a lot of shots, but his touch remained off. He made 5 of 12 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws in the quarter, drawing two fouls from Tang Bei and scoring 14 points in the quarter.

However, Tang Bei was suspended for one game and wanted to vent his frustration on the Bulls. He played very enthusiastically on both offense and defense and continued to perform brilliantly in the final quarter.

He made 6 of 8 field goals and 3 of 4 free throws, scoring another 15 points and blocking Michael Jordan twice.

Ultimately, the Bulls couldn't come back, losing Game 2 98-93, losing a home game, and tying the series 1-1 with the Heat.

Sun Zhenping said excitedly, "Tang Bei played so well! Winning an away game has given them control of the series." Shan Tao said excitedly, "That's right. Next are the Heat's two home games. If they win both, they'll have match point. Winning one will tie the series."

Han Qiaosheng took the data sheet handed to him by Su Qun, glanced at it, and read aloud: "Tang Bei played 42 minutes and scored 52 points. Wow, 50+ points in a single game in the Eastern Conference Finals?"

Sun Zhenping quickly said, "I remember he only scored 50+ once in the regular season. He played really hard today. He was motivated by being suspended."

韩乔声继续念道：“31投22中，，投篮命中率71%，15罚8中，52分24篮板2助攻1抢断5盖帽3失误5犯规。

His stats were phenomenal; both his points and rebounds were career playoff highs. He scored more than half of the team's total points, single-handedly boosting the Heat's shooting percentage significantly.

接着他又念道：“乔丹打了43分钟，轰下42分8篮板6助攻3抢断1盖帽2失误2犯规，命中率37.5%，状态一般。

His shooting touch in Game 1 was also mediocre. Looking back, if Tang hadn't been suspended, the Bulls might have even lost Game 1. The Bulls were really lucky; they should thank the Knicks.

Dan Tao said, "In a head-to-head matchup, Jordan was great, but his shooting percentage was far too low, and that's where the Bulls lost to him."

If Tang Bei scores about the same as Jordan, or even more, and the rest of the Heat's shooting percentage is significantly lower than the Bulls', then as long as the rest of the Heat score reasonably well, the Heat have a chance to win.

Sun Zhenping laughed and said, "The Bulls' low-post offense is not as good as the Heat's, that's a major weakness. The Heat's outside offense is not as good as the Bulls', that's also a major weakness."

In the NBC studio, Bill Russell commented, "I was actually a little surprised by the Bulls' home loss, really."

He paused for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and then said:

"In my opinion, even if the Bulls' perimeter players don't cut off the Heat's inside-outside connection, as long as they limit the Heat's perimeter offense, Tang's offense alone will not be able to win the game."

Bill Walton laughed and said, "Bill, you're overlooking Don's scoring ability. 52 points in a single game with a 71% field goal percentage is enough for him to beat any opponent, even Michael Jordan."

The Smiling Assassin laughed triumphantly, "I told you, as long as the Heat maintain their connection between the inside and outside, they can beat the Bulls."

Michael Jordan isn't that great unless he drives to the basket the entire game, shooting 50% or even 60% or higher, while the Bulls' outside shooting also holds the Heat's outside shooting percentage to a very low level.

Bill Russell then took the data sheet, looked at it, and said, "The Bulls' perimeter defense is still very strong. Apart from Tang's data, the Heat's other players' shooting percentage is 10 percentage points lower than the Bulls', only 34%."

But their score wasn't less than the rest of the Bulls team excluding Michael, because Don's shooting percentage was so high that the others got more shot attempts.

Bill Walton said, "Including Don, the Heat's shooting percentage is actually two percentage points higher than the Bulls'."

Bill Russell nodded and said, "That's right, so for the Bulls to beat the Heat, in addition to continuing to maintain their perimeter defense and reduce the opponent's efficiency, they need to work on the rebounds, and Michael Jordan also needs to play more efficiently, just like Isaiah said."

At this point, he thought for a moment and added, "There's another point: avoiding strong contact in the paint, while preventing injuries, also made it too easy for Tang to score, which is a major reason why he was able to score so many points tonight."

The Bulls should increase the intensity of their play, both to tire him out and to lower his shooting percentage, thus reducing his scoring.

Bill Walton nodded and said, "For a 136-kilogram heavy center who plays at full strength on both ends of the court, scoring 52 points in a single game without overtime is indeed very rare. The Bulls' lack of intense physical play is an important reason."

Bill Russell remarked, "That's the power of Don. The Bulls had three players injured in one game, and they no longer dared to engage in strong physical confrontations with him."

The Smiling Assassin glanced at the stat sheet and said, "The Heat had 7 more rebounds, but the Bulls had 6 more steals. Everyone took about the same number of shots: the Heat had 76 and the Bulls had 77, one more."

The main problem is that Michael Jordan didn't perform well enough. Scoring a lot doesn't mean anything; it's just a matter of taking too many shots.

The other two laughed. This assassin and the flying man had a blood feud, and of course, the show's producers were happy to see this.

At this point, Bill Russell recalled and said, "In NBA history, there have been very few times in the playoffs where a player scored 50+ points in a single game and the team lost. I counted, and there have only been two such instances."

"Oh, which two games?" Bill Walton asked quickly.

Bill Russell smiled and said with some pride, "The first time was probably Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Round series in 60, but I can't quite remember."

Philadelphia visited the Celtics, and Wiltton seemed to have racked up 50 points and 35 rebounds, but we were the winners; we won by two points.

The other two chuckled in a congratulatory manner, and then Bill Russell added, "The second time was in the Eastern Conference first round..."

“I remember now, I can’t forget this.”

The Smiling Assassin laughed and said, "In the first round of '86, the Bulls played against the Celtics. In Game 2, Jordan made 18 of 36 shots, a 50% shooting percentage, and scored a career-high 63 points in a playoff game, but they lost the game and were swept."

“This is a disgrace to Michael,” Bill Walton said, barely suppressing a laugh.

Bill Russell nodded and said, "So it's actually very difficult to lose a game with 50+ points in the playoffs. If the Bulls don't make changes on the defensive end, they might have a chance to upset the Bulls."

"Hey, wait a minute."

At the scene, Tang Bei stopped Michael Jordan, who was about to leave, and said:

"Jordan, I remember the first time we played the Bulls, you also scored 42 points and we won. It was the same tonight, so I hope you can score 42 points in the next game. That should be the Heat's lucky number."

Jordan was in a terrible mood. He scored 42 points but still lost the game, which reminded him of his second season in the league when he scored 63 points in a single game but was swept by Larry Bird's Celtics.

In that series, he averaged 43.7 points per game with a field goal percentage of 48.9%, but he lost without any recourse.

Upon hearing Tang Bei's words, his fist clenched and unclenched repeatedly, his eyes twitching. Finally, he leaned close to Tang Bei's ear and whispered, "Fuck you!"

"You have no sportsmanship at all; you deserve to lose."

Tang Bei was about to retort when he saw Jordan had already walked away quickly, and with the NBC reporter nearby, he had no choice but to give up and only mutter a complaint.

Next, he will be interviewed live by NBC after the game.

He was extremely tired. After all, exerting himself on both offense and defense, just grabbing rebounds alone was incredibly physically demanding.

Fortunately, there weren't many intense confrontations, and the intensity of the competition wasn't even as high as in the regular season, which allowed him to score so many points. It was really exhilarating.

"Tang, were you surprised to win G2?"

"No, losing the game would be more surprising to me. Before the game, we should have the determination and confidence to beat all opponents."

Do you think the Heat are stronger than the Bulls?

"Well, we were tied in the regular season, and now we're tied in the Eastern Conference Finals. Besides, I didn't play in Game 1, so the Bulls' victory in Game 1 wasn't very valuable. So do you think I would consider the Heat to be weaker than the Bulls?"

"No, quite the opposite. I think we are stronger than the Bulls. Everyone underestimates us, including ourselves, the Bulls, and of course you."

The reporter was dumbfounded, thinking to himself, "Tang, do you really think the Heat are stronger than the Bulls?"

"Tang Bei, how's your stamina?"

After the on-site interview ended, Zhang Heli came over and asked.

Tang Bei laughed and said, "It's easier than playing against the Knicks."

Zhang Heli reminded him, "That Leonardo is incredibly strong. Be careful when you run into him next time. But he's not as fast as you, so you can use your speed to your advantage. Or you can pull him out of the box first, then cut back into the penalty area; he won't be able to get back."

"it is good."

Tang Bei nodded, feeling that Old Zhang's words made a good point.

"How about that, Jia Bao? Isn't Master amazing?" Tang Bei said proudly on the way back to the locker room.

Jia Bao brandished her sword, asking, "How is it powerful?"

"Were you sleeping? I beat Jordan again," Tang Bei said angrily.

“Beating Jordan is nothing special. He’s not a swordsman. I could kill him with three sword strikes right now,” Garbo said, seemingly rambling on.

"..."

Tang Bei was speechless. This brat had really gone mad with desire.

He sighed and urged them to leave, saying, "Don't wait for me, go back to the hotel with Eric first."

Jia Bao asked, "Wet Tiger, what level of master do you think I am in the martial arts world now? How much of the White-Haired Witch's skill do I possess?"

"Eric, tomorrow we'll get a psychiatrist to give her a good look," Tang Bei said irritably.

"Tch, just kidding, wet tiger. Goodnight! Bye!"

Jiabao waved her little hand and happily skipped away.

"Good night."

Tang Bei waved with a smile. Jia Bao was never unhappy, and being with her made him feel very good too.

"Don, I'll take Miss Garbo back to her hotel first," Eric Fleischer said before quickly following after her.

(End of this chapter)