The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 200 My heart is completely cold.
On June 7, 1995, the final series began.

Evening at Miami Arena.

Because of Tang Bei, the entire arena, inside and out, is decorated with many Chinese elements.

The square outside was brightly lit and packed with people.

In addition to local fans, countless others drove dozens or even hundreds of miles from outside Miami to come here.

At 6:15, an 8-seater luxury Mercedes-Benz V-Class arrived at the arena.

The driver was Tang Bei's bodyguard. The car had been modified; excluding the driver's and passenger's seats, there were only three seats in the back.

It provided him with ample space, and the vehicle was equipped with advanced entertainment and lifestyle systems as well as advanced safety equipment.

He had already contacted the stadium in advance, and many security guards and police officers came to clear the way for his car. After the shouts of "severe fear" rang out, he rolled down his car window to greet the fans.

The stadium was already packed.

Each seat is equipped with a championship gift bag, which includes a special championship jersey that has been worn by countless Heat fans.

There were many Chinese faces in the audience, more than in last year's finals, and many young Chinese were even holding Chinese flags.

Tang Bei sat in the locker room and looked at the young Chinese people holding national flags. He felt that they were all international students, and immigrants would not hold national flags.

"At least two or three hundred people."

He was a little surprised; did the University of Miami have so many Chinese students?
During the interview, the camera switched to the front lines, where Sun Zhenping in the live broadcast studio asked, "Coach Zhang, Coach Zhang?"

"Hello, Teacher Sun," he replied quickly.

Sun Zhenping said, "There are many Chinese people here today, and many five-star red flags. Are there so many international students in Miami now?"

He hurriedly said, "As far as I know, there aren't many Chinese students at the University of Miami right now. I just interviewed a few people, and they all came from other cities to watch the finals."

"I see," Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

At 7:30, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Rockets: Hakeem Olajuwon, Pete Chilcarter, Robert Horry, Clyde Drexler, Kenny Smith

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Kevin Willis, Glen Rice, Kendall Gill, Avery Johnson

The Finals were also broadcast live on NBC, Bill Russell said:
"The Rockets' former starting shooting guard, Mad Max, was seriously injured, and then they brought in Drexler after the All-Star break, but their interior strength was weakened. I don't know what the management was thinking."

Bill Walton said, "That's understandable. Last year in the Finals, the Olajuwon-Thorpe combination was blown out by the Severe Fear of the Heat. So why not just strengthen the perimeter and use shooting to overwhelm the Heat? That would be a unique lineup configuration."

The guest, Charles Barkley, the star player of the Phoenix Suns who was eliminated by the Rockets in the second round, said:
"When they're on fire, this Rockets team can dominate any team, including the Heat. But when they're off fire, the Spurs can beat them on the road."

Bill Russell nodded and said, "Teams that rely on outside shooting are indeed inconsistent and depend on luck. Against a team like the Heat, whose inside game is extremely consistent, they're going to have a tough time."

Bill Walton said, "With Tang Bei and Kevin Willis, this frontcourt combination is the best in the league on offense, so the Rockets' choice is understandable."

At this point, he added, "Bill, Charles, what do you think of what Tang Bei said? Putting the General and Da Meng on the same team."

"Arrogant!" Barkley said indignantly.

"Haha!" The Bill brothers burst into laughter.

After laughing, Bill Walton said, "Yesterday Tang Bei said he was looking forward to a sweep to win the championship. Do you think that's likely?"

Barkley immediately yelled, "He's dreaming! Does he think the Rockets are the Bulls?"

"Pfft!"

The other two burst out laughing.

After realizing what he had said, Barkley awkwardly stammered to the camera, "Uh, sorry, Michael, I wasn't talking about you."

In the living room of Jordan's mansion at No. 23 Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago, in front of the television, Jordan cursed, "Go to hell!"

Bill Russell said, "In last year's Finals, the Heat used man-to-man defense and didn't switch, which shut down the Rockets' three-point shooting. I don't know how they'll defend this time."

"Severe phobia!"

When Tang Bei appeared, a deafening roar of cheers erupted.

He waved to the fans, and the international students waving their national flags waved even more vigorously.

On both sides of the passageway stood teammates, Heat owner Alki, management and coaching staff, several Hollywood stars they knew, including Stallone, as well as some celebrities, politicians and businessmen from Miami, all exchanging fist bumps.

"Hello!"

He then shook hands with Zhang Heli, waved to other domestic reporters, and greeted the CCTV cameras.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

After the jump ball, the Heat went on offense.

Tang Bei entered the frontcourt and moved directly down from the free-throw line. Olajuwon immediately closed in on him, and a fierce confrontation ensued.

But with a 20-kilogram weight difference, Olajuwon's top defense was useless, and he was immediately pushed to the side, whereupon he switched to a frontal approach.

Kenny Smith is pressing hard, trying to cut off the passing lane between Avery Johnson and Don Bei within three seconds of the attack.

However, Avery Johnson was prepared, and after pulling the ball sideways, he passed it towards the basket.

The Rockets immediately tightened their defense, with power forward Chilcarter and small forward Robert Horry both rushing towards the basket.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei jumped up early to receive the basketball, but was interfered with by Olajuwon in the air and failed to complete the dunk. When he landed, he was immediately surrounded by three people.

The three men double-teaming the basket felt like they were surrounded not by a person, but by a ferocious beast. In an instant, the beast broke free of their encirclement and flew onto the rim.

"Di!"

"boom!"

As the referee blew his whistle, Tang Bei's hands were hanging over the rim, with Robert Horry and Hakeem Olajuwon knocked over at his feet.

"Great, one against three, and a three-point play! We're invincible under the basket!" Xu Jicheng exclaimed excitedly.

"We called a foul on Chilcarter for pulling him down," Sun Zhenping said.

"Actually, all three of them committed fouls, but the call was made against the least important role player," Han Qiaosheng said.

"brush!"

Tang Beijia's penalty hit.

0-3, Rockets on offense.

"The Heat are still playing man-to-man defense," Bill Russell said.

"I just don't know if they'll switch defensively," Bill Walton said.

Hakeem Olajuwon held a low position on the left wing. Although he couldn't squeeze in or get around the defense, he firmly restricted Tang Bei in the low position, preventing him from helping defend other positions.

Drexler ran to the top of the right arc to receive the ball and used Kenny Smith's screen to get a small open shot, taking the opportunity to shoot a three-pointer.

At this point, Tang Bei couldn't stay below the free-throw line like he did against the Bulls. He was dragged into the low post by Da Meng and couldn't provide timely help defense.

"Bang!"

Fortunately, the shot missed, and Tang Bei grabbed the rebound.

Bill Walton quickly said, "The Heat are still using man-to-man defense without switching, just like their tactics in last year's Finals."

Bill Russell said, "The Rockets' outside shooting positions don't need to be as far away from the paint as the Bulls' outside shooting positions."

When Tang Bei is kept in a low position by Olajuwon, he can move closer to the penalty area, or even enter the penalty area, before taking a shot.

Bill Walton also said, "A team like the Rockets, which relies on outside shooting, must do everything possible to improve their offensive efficiency in order to have a chance to win against a team like the Heat, which is dominated by its inside game."

Tang Bei went straight to the basket to establish position and receive the ball. The Rockets had no physical defenders, so no one could stop him from getting to the basket.

Hakeem Olajuwon was two sizes smaller than Tang Bei, and even though he had his arms wrapped around Tang Bei's body, Tang Bei easily pushed him aside with an elbow.

When Avery Johnson passed the ball in, the Rockets' collapsing defense began again.

"boom!"

"WOW!"

This time, Tang Bei broke through multiple defenders and completed an alley-oop dunk, earning a standing ovation.

On the sidelines, Rockets head coach Tomjanovich appeared calm.

He had already decided to use this tight defense to wear down Tang Bei's stamina, attacking the basket while carrying two or three people each time, to see how long Tang Bei could hold out.

Bill Russell said, "Chilcart was knocked over, but there was no foul this time."

Bill Walton said, "The Rockets probably wanted to use a fouling strategy. Although Tang's free throw percentage is 70%, his dunk percentage is even higher."

“There was no chance. His explosiveness was too great. Even if you fouled him, you couldn’t stop him from attacking the basket,” Bill Russell said.

Barkley shook his head and said, "I don't quite understand why the Rockets don't prepare any physical defenders. They just let him drive straight to the basket every time, it's too easy for him."

Hakeem Olajuwon received the ball in the low post on the left wing, preparing to take on Tang Bei one-on-one.

After a series of sleek and dreamlike footwork, he faked out Tang Bei and got a small open shot, then quickly jumped and shot.

"brush!"

Tang Bei tried to cover it up in time, but the attacker still succeeded.

"Hakeem Olajuwon made two points, he was lucky," Bill Walton said.

“They were really lucky; they even had to adjust their shooting angle,” Bill Russell said.

Barkley bluntly stated, "If Hakim could only shoot jump shots, the Rockets wouldn't have been able to beat the Heat, and they almost lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals."

2:5, Heat on offense.

Tang Bei entered the basket again, but this time he did not shoot because the position where he received the ball was more than a meter away from the basket.

Upon receiving the ball, he tossed it with both hands, passing it to Glen Rice at the 45-degree angle of the right three-point line.

"brush!"

Glen Rice calmly took the shot and made a three-pointer.

"Good pass! Excellent pass," Xu Jicheng praised.

Sun Zhenping said, "I'll take two myself and pass one to the opponent, then we can take a break."

Han Qiaosheng said, "The score is now 2:8. The Heat have made all three of their offensive possessions, while the Rockets have only made one of their two shots."

"Shh!"

A deafening chorus of boos erupted from the Miami Arena as the Rockets attacked. "Bang!"

In this situation, Kenny Smith missed a three-pointer, Tang Bei grabbed the rebound, and the Heat went on offense.

"The Rockets only made one of three shots; their jump shot is completely dependent on luck," Han Qiaosheng said.

Xu Jicheng joked, "In this era where the inside is king, inside offense is considered high-class, while outside jump shots are considered poor, short, and ugly."

"Ha ha!"

The other two burst into laughter, and countless fans watching on television laughed even harder.

After 4 minutes, the score was 6-12, and the Rockets were down by half, so they called a timeout.

Bill Russell said, "The Rockets still rely on jump shots as always. I have to say, among the four super teams, only Hakeem Olajuwon relies on jump shots the most, and his offensive power is the weakest."

Bill Walton smiled and said, "In terms of career free throws, he averages 6.9 per game, and 7.5 this season."

“帕特里克分别是6.78和7.1次，大卫·罗宾逊是9.9和10.5次，奥尼尔是10次和10.8次。”

“Where’s Tang?” Bill Russell asked.

Bill Walton glanced at the stats and said, "Tang has 12.7 and 10.9 free throws per game. He is the most offensive and has the most free throws in the league."

Bill Russell said, "He has the fewest free throw attempts in three seasons this season because he rarely uses the Tornado in the regular season and has reduced his low-post offense."

"Tonight we are playing away, and everyone's shooting touch is not very good. We need to strengthen our low post and basket offense."

"Pay attention to those on the perimeter; be decisive when you shoot and don't waste opportunities."

On the Rockets' bench, Tomjanovich instructed Kenny Smith and Drexler to increase their penetration and run drive-and-kick plays.

He was also instructed to get into the paint in time when Don Bei was helping to defend Drexler.

The timeout ended quickly, and the Rockets launched their attack.

Kenny Smith called for a high pick-and-roll from Chilcart at the top of the key, then drove into the paint using the wall, drawing Tang Bei's help defense.

At this moment, Hakeem Olajuwon took the opportunity to cut to the basket, and Kenny Smith caught the ball and faked a move with both hands.

However, Tang Bei, with his absolute height advantage, would never jump first to block a shot from a smaller player.

So when he saw Kenny Smith dart upwards but not jump, he knew something was up, so he didn't jump to block either, but just raised his hands high.

Kenny Smith originally intended to fake out Tang Bei and then make a bounce pass to Da Meng under the basket, but Tang Bei didn't fall for the fake. Instead, Avery Johnson seized the opportunity and slapped the ball away from him.

Tang Bei quickly grabbed the ball, and Avery Johnson immediately started his fast break after receiving it.

"here."

Kendall Gill, running on the wing, was in the lead. As he crossed the center line, he received a pass from Avery Johnson and successfully made a layup.

6-14, Rockets on offense.

"Bang!"

This time it was Drexler's turn to drive to the basket, but Kendall Gill made a precise anticipation and kept up with his pace, forcing him to hastily stop and shoot a three-pointer, which missed.

Kevin Willis grabs the rebound, and the Heat launch an attack.

“Apart from Tang, the Heat’s other four positions didn’t double-team, they all used one-on-one defense,” Bill Russell suddenly said.

"really?"

Bill Walton was somewhat surprised; he hadn't noticed this.

“There was no switching between man-to-man defense,” Barkley said.

On the court, Avery Johnson broke through to the left elbow area on the left wing using Glen Rice's screen.

At this moment, Tang Bei had squeezed himself to a position just over a meter away from the basket, with Hakeem Olajuwon behind him as he called for the ball from Avery Johnson.

Avery Johnson quickly passed the ball, and Tang Bei immediately turned and slammed it down with a powerful dunk. His turn was as fierce as a tiger, and Chilcarter, who came to double-team him, was instantly knocked down.

"boom!"

"Di!"

In the next instant, as Tang Bei sprang into action, Hakeem Olajuwon was knocked down, and the referee's whistle and the loud thud of the rim hitting the basket rang out simultaneously.

"it is good!"

Xu Jicheng excitedly said, "Olajuwon committed a foul, plus one."

Sun Zhenping laughed and said, "Hakeem Olajuwon's defense is very good. He has three blocks titles, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and five All-Defensive First Team selections, but he just can't stop Tang Bei. Even with help defense, he can't stop him."

Han Qiaosheng laughed and said, "Tang Bei's low-post offense is all about overwhelming force and crushing everything in his path. Moreover, he not only has strength, but also the skills of a tornado."

Xu Jicheng said, "To put it this way, you can think of Tang Bei as a larger version of Hakeem Olajuwon, no, two sizes larger. Tang Bei is 20 kilograms heavier."

"Not only is he two sizes bigger, but Tang Bei is also better than Olajuwon in terms of athleticism, completely dominating him. How could Olajuwon possibly defend against someone like that?"

"Haha!" The three laughed triumphantly.

"brush!"

Tang Bei made the free throw, making it 6-17, and the Heat were now leading by 11 points.

"brush!"

Drexler drove to the basket, got to within two meters of the three-point line, and then suddenly stopped and jumped to shoot, finally making a mid-range jumper.

8:17, Heat on offense.

The two teams then each missed a shot, and it was the Heat's turn to attack.

On the left wing, Tang Bei didn't aggressively establish position or enter the paint, but he still passed the ball down. The Rockets continued their weak-side help defense, and he took the opportunity to pass the ball to an open player.

Kevin Willis received the ball in the low post on the right wing, took a step forward, and then shot. Drexler's help defense was not in place.

"brush!"

Water splashes, two points hit.

"8:19."

Bill Russell said, "The Heat focus on inside offense, have a much higher shooting percentage, and also have an advantage in rebounds. If they continue playing like this, the Rockets have no hope of winning."

Bill Walton said, "During the timeout, the Rockets increased their ball-handling and penetration, but it hasn't been very effective so far."

Barkley said, "Avery Johnson and Kendall Gill are both good one-on-one defenders, and with Tang guarding the paint, the penetration effect is definitely not good."

Bill Russell aptly stated, "The Rockets' interior defense is ineffective, so the Heat's perimeter defense doesn't need to consider collapsing, which makes them very effective against the Rockets' perimeter defense."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "In other words, if the Rockets' inside offense can't get going, it will affect the quality of their outside offense. The inside and outside are always interconnected."

On the left wing, in a low position, Olajuwon couldn't squeeze into the penalty area, so he received the ball outside and then unleashed his dream footwork, spinning up and down, then back up, and then down again.

After moving around a few times, Tang Bei decided he didn't want to play any more of a dream walk with Olajuwon, so he simply took a half step back.

Hakeem Olajuwon immediately turned and jumped to shoot, but Tang Bei immediately took a step and jumped to block the shot. With an amazing height, he slapped the ball high into the air.

The ball landed behind Hakeem Olajuwon. Tang Bei landed and immediately moved to block the shot, using his speed advantage to grab the basketball first.

"Great! Tang Bei blocked Da Meng's shot and even got possession of the ball," Xu Jicheng exclaimed excitedly.

"Tang Bei's first step is really fast, his lower body explosiveness is too strong," Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

The Heat launched a fast break. Glen Rice received a pass from Tang Bei and ran down the court. Seeing Kendall Gill and Avery Johnson ahead, and with the offensive rebound secured, he stopped abruptly beyond the three-point line on the right wing and calmly launched a wide-open three-pointer.

Robert Horry was far behind, unable to keep up.

"brush!"

A splash of water, and the three-pointer hits.

"A three-pointer? Beautiful! Glen Rice is on fire today, he's hit another open three-pointer." Xu Jicheng cheered.

"At 8:22, if the Heat keep playing like this, they could easily score 40 points in a single quarter," Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

Han Qiaosheng laughed and said, "It's possible, haha!"

The Rockets called another timeout, but the timeout couldn't fundamentally solve their problem because they had no way to deal with Tang Bei.

After the first quarter, Tang Bei drew two fouls on Olajuwon and only allowed him to score two points. After making his first shot, he had one of his next four shots blocked and missed three. Olajuwon also committed two turnovers.

唐北自己10投9中，5罚3中，轰下21分4篮板2助攻1抢断3盖帽。

Glen Rice scored 11 points in the first quarter, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range.

The score in the first quarter was 13-41, with the Rockets trailing by 28 points. They showed no signs of being Western Conference champions and were not on the same level as the Heat.

比尔·拉塞尔拿着数据统计表说道：“第一节，热火有2次抢断3次盖帽2次失误4次犯规，火箭分别是1和2、6、6次。”

"Too many turnovers and fouls, plus three fewer rebounds, resulted in the Rockets taking 12 fewer shots than the Heat. In addition, their offensive efficiency was far below that of the Heat, which is why the gap was 28 points."

Barkley said with a grin, "This is an away game after all. I think the Rockets will perform a level higher when they return to their home court."

Bill Russell said, "The Heat's defense is much better this season than last season. The addition of Kendall Gill, the improvement of Don Bei on the defensive end, and Glen Rice's increased investment in defense are all important reasons. They have become a fierce defensive team, not just the best offensive team in the league."

Bill Walton asked, "Bill, the Rockets' performance is not as good as in last year's Finals. Besides the Heat's improved defense, what other reasons do you think there are?"

Bill Russell said, "Madman Max's season-ending injury is a blow to the Rockets. Although they traded Drexler and have a stronger offensive and defensive presence at the shooting guard position, Thorpe was traded away, which is a serious loss for the Rockets' interior defense."

Barkley exclaimed, "I agree with that. Hakeem and Thorpe were better at defending Tang and rebounding, while Chilcarter didn't contribute much."

Bill Russell said, "The Olajuwon-Thorpe frontcourt duo can support the Rockets' defensive system, and with their solid perimeter defense, the Rockets' defense is one of the strongest in the league."

"But the combination of Olajuwon and Chilcart is okay against most strong teams, and can barely support the defensive system. But against the Heat, this combination is no good. The Rockets' defense was completely destroyed in the first quarter."

Barkley joked, "Looks like Tang was right, it really does take two super centers to deal with him alone."

Bill Walton said, "So the only thing we're interested in in this game is the performance of extreme fear, and the Rockets have become the background."

The other two shrugged. The game was one-sided, and the viewership for the finals had begun to decline, dropping from nearly 30 million to just over 20 million.

In this game, the Heat ultimately won a resounding victory at home, with a score of 65-115, a 50-point blowout.

队友的手感都不错，唐北后三节减少了进攻，全场42分18篮板8助攻4抢断8盖帽，只差一次抢断就能打出生平第一个5*5的数据。

Glen Rice added 26 points, Kendall Gill 18 points, and Kevin Willis 16 points, bringing the Heat's total to four players scoring in double figures.

Only three Rockets players scored in double figures: Hakeem Olajuwon with 11 points, Kenny Smith with 14 points, and Clyde Drexler with 18 points.

When the game ended, the entire Rockets team looked dejected; their morale had been completely shattered.

Hakeem Olajuwon felt a chill in his heart; his desire to win the championship had completely vanished.

(End of this chapter)