The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 21 Negative Impact
This conflict immediately had a negative impact on Tang Bei.

As a Chinese person, wanting to enter the NBA, a league dominated by blacks and whites, is inherently subject to exclusion, let alone offending the NBA's iconic figures.
Starting in the afternoon, negative news about Tang Bei appeared in many media outlets.

In particular, the Los Angeles media, in order to protect Lakers legend Jerry West, hyped up negative news about Tang Bei.

At this point, someone stepped forward and tearfully recounted Tang Bei's violence to the Los Angeles Times. He was Chris Ander, a former backup power forward for the CBA Haidai team.

"That damn guy hurt me while trying to take my spot, so I lost my position and was abandoned by the seaweed team. This is extremely unfair to me..."

Another person stepped forward and gave interviews to media outlets such as the Chicago Sun-Times, and his influence was a hundred times that of Chris Under.

That's Kristen Laettner, the top pick in the NBA draft, who was even more popular than Shaquille O'Neal in the NCAA and was selected for the national team.

"He's a bastard. He didn't say a word when we met, he just punched me."

"Yes, he punched me for no reason, and I did nothing. I suspect he has violent tendencies."

"I wasn't on guard at all, otherwise I would have made him pay."

“I suspect he hit me to injure me so that he could get a higher ranking. He is a despicable person.”

Christine Lightner's interview made the front page of several media outlets and was subsequently reprinted by numerous other media outlets.

As a Chinese person, to go to the United States and beat up two white people, one of whom is a well-known NCAA superstar, is unacceptable to many Americans.

Suddenly, the rumors spread like wildfire. Tang Bei, who was virtually unknown in the United States, suddenly became a hundred times more famous overnight, seemingly becoming a public enemy of Americans.

Eric Fleischer became somewhat anxious upon seeing these news reports.

Although being labeled as "black and red" is still "red," it will definitely affect Tang Bei's prospects in the talent show, and this impact will most likely be negative, so it needs to be clarified immediately.

He quickly called a journalist he knew to clarify these negative news stories.

However, his influence cannot be compared to that of Jerry West or Christine Lightner, so clarifying his actions had little effect.

Even if he said that Lightner used racially discriminatory language towards Tang Bei, it had no effect, because Lightner's racial discrimination had been reported by the media before and was nothing new.

Tonight's game is Game 5 of the second round between the Bulls and the Knicks at the Bulls' home court. The first four games are tied 2-2, making this game crucial.

In front of the hotel, Tang Bei boarded the bus and stopped next to Christine Lightner.

"What do you want to do?"

When Lightner saw Tang Bei's fierce eyes and felt immense pressure, he was terrified, fearing that Tang Bei would slap him. He screamed and squeezed towards Robert Horry next to him, almost sitting on his lap.

"Hey, young man, don't cause trouble, quickly find a seat." A staff member came over and urged.

"Tang, don't let him affect your audition."

John Liu quickly translated and offered another word of advice, after which Tang Bei finally found a seat.

At this moment, Christine Lightner was already terrified.

"Hey, move over a bit."

Robert Horry gave the human-shaped pendant on his body a disgusted look.

"Fake!"

Leitner cursed under his breath. If this were Duke University's locker room, he would have already started yelling at Robert Horry.

Upon arriving at the Chicago Stadium again and seeing the stands packed with fans, Tang Bei became excited.

He felt that playing in front of so many fans must be a very enjoyable experience.

At 7:40, they started the game.

Tang Bei spotted the Knicks' superstar center, Ewing the Gorilla.

Then I saw the current number one player in the NBA, Michael Jordan.

Last season, Jordan finally overcame the Pistons and led the Bulls to their first championship, officially becoming the best player in the league. At this time, he was in high spirits, dominating the world, ambitious, and determined to defend his title. He exuded strong confidence, and his every move seemed to generate a kingly aura.

Tang Bei sensed a powerful spirit from Jordan.

Such people, once they reach their physical peak, will have exceptionally abundant energy.

He himself is only 19 years old and his physical fitness has not yet reached its peak, while Jordan is very obviously at his peak.

The Bulls won the game 88-96, a margin of 8 points.

Jordan scored 37 points with a field goal percentage of 51.7%.

Ewing scored 25 points, but as a superstar center, his 45% field goal percentage was worse than Jordan's, so his loss was understandable.

Tang Bei experienced a completely different competitive atmosphere from CBA games during this match.

The first thing is the level of confrontation.

The CBA league is competitive, but it's nowhere near as competitive as the NBA. This game was a pure physical battle in the paint.

Jordan was repeatedly fouled after driving into the paint.

That Knicks player number 34 took a really heavy shot, like he was in a fight. Every time he played defense, it seemed like he was going for the player, not the ball.

If any Bulls player dared to drive in for a dunk, even Jordan could be knocked down by his elbow.

Then there's talent.

CBA players are indeed mostly those rejected or looked down upon by the NBA; their talent is simply incomparable, while NBA players all seem to have a style of play that involves flying and diving.

There are also technical and tactical systems.

The technical level and tactical systems displayed by both teams in this game, from offense to defense, are simply unmatched by the CBA.

If the sea kelp team encounters either of these two teams, they will be utterly defeated.

Michael Jordan, in particular, saw that the Knicks had implemented a very strong double-team strategy against him, but still could not stop him from scoring. He scored 37 points, with a shooting percentage higher than that of super center Ewing. His strength truly deserves to be called the best player in the current NBA.

After the game, several rookies went down to the court to greet Jordan.

One of them was Kristen Leitner, who called out with a touch of arrogance, "Hey Michael, I'm Kristen Leitner, and I'll be your teammate soon."

"Take it safe."

Jordan scrutinized Laettner with a critical eye, chewed his gum a few times, and casually tossed him a towel to wipe his sweat.

Christine Lightner took the towel, only to be met with a pungent smell of sweat, which made her very uncomfortable, but she dared not show it.

"Hey kid, I heard you got beaten up?"

Jordan has so much energy. Even in the crucial Game 5 of the second-round series, it didn't stop him from doing other things, including gambling, playing golf, etc. I just saw some news about it not long ago.

Lightner's face quickly darkened, and he said aggrievedly, "I never expected him to make a move. Really, he's a lunatic."

"hehe!"

Jordan looked across the stands and quickly spotted the outlier Tang Bei among a group of rookies.

Tang Bei and Jordan's eyes met, and a spark seemed to fly between the two energetic and spirited individuals.

"Kid, stop complaining, you should fight back."

Seemingly sensing the opponent's toughness, Jordan, with an intensely strong competitive spirit, glared at Tang Bei before looking away and speaking.

"I will."

Lightner glared venomously at Tang Bei. He had never been slapped in the face before, and he was determined to get his revenge sooner or later.

(End of this chapter)