The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 210 Contradictions
After learning the news, Eric Fleischer made another call to Tang Bei.

"Did Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson get into a fight?" Tang Bei chuckled.

"Tang, you're focusing on the wrong thing."

Eric Fleischer gave a wry smile and said, "Matt Geiger is gone, you have no substitute, and you still have to compete with Mourning for territory in the penalty area."

Tang Bei's tone was extremely disdainful: "Him? I'm better than him in the low post, better in the mid-range, better at rebounding, better at defense. Does he think he can compete with me with his head?"

“Don, he’s supposed to be the guy Pat Riley traded in to replace you next season,” Eric Fleischer said.

"At most, he can replace one of my arms and half a leg," Tang Bei said coldly.

Eric Fleischer said, "Pat Riley places great importance on defense, and I suspect he'll trade Glen Rice."

Tang Bei said coldly, "Keep an eye on this. If I don't win a three-peat next season, I'll keep an eye on his team for the rest of my life."

Tang Bei continued his vacation and stopped paying attention to the NBA.

As October progressed, on the 3rd, Jia Bao received an invitation to become a doctoral student at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

On the 5th, Tang Bei and Jia Bao arrived in Los Angeles and were surrounded by reporters at the airport.

"Tang, what are your thoughts on Pat Riley taking charge of the Heat?"

"I'm not familiar with him, so I don't have any opinion yet."

Will you leave the Heat when your contract expires next year?

Let's talk about it next year.

"The Heat offered you a contract extension with an average annual salary of $1500 million. I'd like to know how big a contract the Knicks offered you?"

"Didn't the Knicks say anything?"

"No."

"Then I can't tell you."

What are your thoughts on "one person, one city"?

There's an old Chinese saying: "If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it well. Don't expect it to be loyal to you after you've eaten it all."

"what does that mean?"

"Go and research it yourself."

On the 6th, the two went to San Francisco and stayed there for three days.

On the afternoon of the 10th, the two returned to Miami, and when they left Miami Airport, a large number of fans rushed to the airport to welcome them.

At four o'clock that afternoon, Tang Bei arrived at the Heat's headquarters with two bodyguards.

Boss Mickey Arison, along with Pat Riley and Lewis Shaffer, arrived with dozens of managers, all wearing smiles in an effort to ease tensions.

"Tang, I really hope you can stay with the Heat forever."

After the hug, holding Tang Bei's hand, Mickey Arison spoke with the utmost sincerity and warmth.

Tang Bei smiled and said, "Mickey, I hope so too."

"Tang, welcome back to the Heat."

Pat Riley extended his right hand, maintaining the most gentlemanly smile on his face.

Tang Bei shook hands with Riley and said, "Coach Riley, did you trade Alonzo Mourning to implement a twin-tower strategy?"

“Yes, I think that’s a good option,” Pat Riley said calmly.

Tang Bei said, "But I think Alonzo Mourning is too short. We can't play a twin-tower game. He can only be my substitute."

This statement silenced the room, and everyone understood Tang Bei's implication.

Tang Bei's words were telling Pat Riley: Alonzo Mourning, whom you used to replace me, is only good enough to be my backup.

Pat Riley's expression was grim, but he couldn't afford to lose his temper. He could only give an awkward smile and say, "Don, trust me, I'll have the tactics figured out."

Then, wanting to regain control, he said, "Tang, a team must be disciplined. I will implement quasi-military management in this team. You are the core of this team's interior, and I hope you will support me."

Tang Bei chuckled and said, "I'm here to play basketball, not to join the army in the United States. Besides, before you came, without your quasi-military management, we would have already won two consecutive championships."

"you?"

When Pat Riley was humiliated, he finally lost control of his emotions, and his face turned ashen.

Tang Bei not only had no liking for Pat Riley, but actually harbored a strong aversion to him, simply because the old guy didn't want him to complete a three-peat with the Heat.

Since he was leaving anyway next year, he had no qualms and immediately turned hostile, continuing:

"I want to know now, Mr. Pat Riley, even if I'm willing to sign and trade next year, you insist on trading me this offseason. Is it because you don't want to see the Heat win a three-peat, or simply because you don't want to see me complete a three-peat with the Heat?"

"you?"

Pat Riley's expression changed drastically.

Tang Bei's words caused everyone present to change color, and they all looked at Pat Riley with questioning eyes.

"Does Mr. Riley really not want us to achieve a three-peat?"

"Tang agreed to sign first and then exchange, so why didn't he agree?"

Hearing the whispers among some executives, Pat Riley's face turned ashen; he knew his authority within the Heat had suffered a severe blow.

Mickey Arison sighed inwardly, knowing that Pat Riley was now in a difficult position with the Heat.

He now regrets bringing Pat Riley over; he paid such a high price, only to make a mess of it all.

But he also became increasingly dissatisfied with Tang Bei, who not only demanded too high a price for the contract renewal, but was also too arrogant, showing no respect whatsoever to Pat Riley, whom he had acquired through the trade.

It would be better to trade such a player next year, otherwise he won't know whether the team belongs to Alisson or Tang.

"OK OK……"

Lewis Shaffer quickly stepped between the two to smooth things over, saying, "Don, the preseason starts tomorrow, are you going to participate?"

“The lineup has changed drastically, of course I want to participate.” Tang Bei nodded and said, “I need to take a look at the lineup list now.”

“Let’s go to my office,” Mickey Arison said.

"OK."

With the boss involved, Tang Bei still had to give him some face, while Pat Riley was eager to leave the scene that had made him lose face.

After sitting down in Mickey Arison's office, Pat Riley handed the list to his assistant coach Stan Van Gundy, indicating that he should give it to Tang Bei.

He came to the Heat from the Knicks, originally intending to bring Jeff Van Gundy with him, but the Knicks refused, so he approached Jeff Van Gundy's brother.

He also brought a second assistant coach with him, Randy Finder, who was his assistant coach with the Lakers.

"Thank you!"

Tang Bei took the list and glanced at it.

Center: Tang Bei (5), Alonzo Mourning (5), Stacey King (5, 4)

Forwards: Kurt Thomas (4), Mark Strickland (4, 3), Glen Rice (3, 2), Keith Askins (3, 2)

Guards: Avery Johnson (1), Dale Curry (2), Rex Chapman (2, 1), Kevin Jamber (2, 3), Bimbo Coles (1)

Stan Van Gundy cautiously introduced, "Don, the starting lineup is you, Alonzo, Glen Rice, Rex Chapman, and Avery Johnson."

Tang Bei said, "Larry Johnson and I weren't a good match on the Hornets, so I left. Mourning and Larry Johnson weren't a good match on the Hornets either, so Mourning came to the Heat."

At this point, he looked at Pat Riley and asked, "Now, if I were to team up with Mourning, Coach Riley, do you think he's a good match for me?"

"Damn Chinamen!"

Pat Riley cursed under his breath, but he couldn't openly say that Mourning was the person to replace Tang Bei next season.

Now he had to find a good excuse, no, an explanation, and said:

"Tang, you and Alonzo both have mid-range shots, and you can especially play high post playmaking. I think you two will work together very well."

Tang Bei said, "So you mean I should give up the low post for him? Do you think his low post offense is stronger than mine?"

Pat Riley was extremely displeased. He was a very strong-willed, domineering, and ruthless person, so how could he possibly put up with Tang Bei's temper again and again?

Upon hearing this, he immediately frowned and said, "Tang, you are a player, and I am the head coach. In this team, I have the final say in everything."

"You decide?"

Tang Bei's face also turned cold, and he said in a cold voice, "Then let me tell you, once we're on the field, everything is up to me."

"you?"

Pat Riley was furious.

He has coached superstars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Patrick Ewing, but he has never seen such an unruly player.

Their first meeting ended badly. On the 11th, Tang Bei arrived at headquarters with his luggage and met his teammates in the locker room.

"Boss."

"Don."

When the crowd saw him, they all called out to him.

Mo Ning's feelings were quite complicated, and she didn't say anything.

Having participated in the draft together, Tang Bei has already won two consecutive championships by defeating Michael Jordan and a host of other super centers. Now, this arrogant young man has been traded to become Tang Bei's underling.

Pat Riley has already explained to him that Tang Bei will be traded away next year, and he will be the core of this team's interior defense.

"Hello."

Tang Bei glanced at his teammates; there were eight newcomers, three of whom did not have contracts.

"Hey Glenn, you're in great shape."

"Of course."

"Dale, do you need me to teach Stephen how to shoot?"

"Haha, Tang, I'll teach him myself."

“Avery…”

He greeted Glenn Rice and other elderly people, exchanging a few words with each of them.

Then he looked at the starting shooting guard, Rex Chapman, a white man with a bald head.

He rarely saw white people with shaved heads, so he asked curiously, "Why are you shaving your head?"

Rex Chapman said somewhat awkwardly, "I've been losing a lot of hair these past few years, so I just shaved my head."

"Haha, your method is great, it's worth promoting to everyone with hair loss," Tang Bei laughed.

"Haha..." The players burst into laughter.

“Alonzo…”

Tang Bei moved to stand in front of Mo Ning, looked down at her, and said, "I noticed you didn't greet me just now. Did you think I should have greeted you first?"

"Cheapskate."

Mo Ning cursed under his breath, and said awkwardly, "Hello, Tang."

Tang Bei said coldly, "I don't care what Coach Pat Riley said to you, but you have to remember one thing: in the Heat's locker room, as long as I'm still here, I'm the one who calls the shots."

At this point, he raised his fist and said coldly, "I'm trying to reason with you now as the team leader, but if you dare to challenge my authority, I don't mind using my fists to talk to you."

Mo Ning's face darkened, and he clenched his fists. But he didn't dare to be reckless, because he knew he was no match for Tang Bei.

Tang Bei then looked at the other players, waved a black briefcase he had brought, and said, "This is a gift for everyone."

"Tang, what is it?"

"Tang, is there a share for everyone?"

When everyone heard that there were gifts to be won, they happily gathered around.

Tang Bei opened his briefcase, inside which were more than a dozen luxurious and elegant Cartier men's watches that he endorsed.

This watch costs over $20,000 in the United States. It was Garbo's idea to bribe his teammates and increase his strength to counter Pat Riley.

Wow, Cartier?

"Tang, are these really ours?"

Everyone was overjoyed, but the gift was too valuable for them to accept.

Tang Bei laughed and said, "One for each of you, take it."

"awesome!"

"This piece is mine."

Everyone rushed forward, each picking one and putting it on their wrist.

The three fringe players without contracts were ecstatic, because they could leave the Heat at any time, yet they received such a valuable gift.

Only Mourning didn't take it, and Tang Bei ignored him. His other teammates all supported him, so one Mourning couldn't cause any trouble.

He continued, "You should also know some things. I will be leaving next year. I want to win the championship in the new season, a three-peat, so I hope you can help me."

"Tang, don't worry, we'll help you."

"Tang, count me in."

Glen Rice, Dell Curry, Avery Johnson, and others quickly spoke up, and the others echoed their sentiments.

"Thank you!"

Tang Bei nodded and said, "You should also know that my relationship with Pat Riley is terrible because he didn't want me to complete a three-peat with the Heat, which is why I hate him."

The players then realized that Tang Bei and Pat Riley's relationship had deteriorated to this extent.

Having received valuable gifts and being fellow players, everyone except Mourning sided with Tang Bei.

In particular, the veterans also hope to win a three-peat. Even if they are not the core players, a three-peat is a rare honor that can be a significant milestone in their careers.

With the locker room stabilized, Tang Bei breathed a sigh of relief and felt more confident in his ability to compete with Pat Riley.

He wouldn't make things difficult for Pat Riley; he just wanted to ensure his position in the locker room as much as possible.

This year, the Heat's preseason games will mainly be held in New York. As the team with the most influential superstar in the league, Tang Bei's Heat team will also need to play two games overseas.

The two overseas games are scheduled for Paris, France, against the New York Knicks, so I have to fly to Paris today.

Not long after, the management and coaching staff arrived, exchanged a few words, and then set off.

Mourning found an opportunity to tell assistant coach Stan Van Gundy what had happened in the locker room, and Van Gundy then told Pat Riley.

Pat Riley's expression was rather unpleasant. What was he trying to do by giving away such an expensive gift worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?
At 10 a.m., the Heat's private plane took off from Miami International Airport and arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport at noon in Paris after an 8-hour flight.

In the afternoon, apart from Mo Ning, Tang Bei and his group drove around various attractions in Paris in the car arranged by the hotel.

We had two cups of coffee at the top of the Eiffel Tower, then wandered around the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Palace of Versailles. Finally, we couldn't hold it in anymore, but we couldn't find a toilet, and we were too embarrassed to relieve ourselves on a street corner, so we all ran to the Seine and took a leak.

On the morning of the 12th, the Heat arrived at Accor Arena.

This stadium, which can accommodate 15000 people, is located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris and frequently hosts top sporting events such as the Paris Masters.

After the players familiarized themselves with the match venue, they arrived at an attached training ground, where Pat Riley began to arrange today's training.

Holding a piece of paper, he said sternly, "From today onwards, this team will be under quasi-military management. Anyone who disobeys will be placed on the injury list or cut. Do you all understand?"

All the players looked towards Tang Bei, including Mourning.

All the coaches, management, and staff looked at Tang Bei, including Pat Riley.

Tang Bei took a step forward and stood in front of Pat Riley. Pat Riley's heart sank, and his expression immediately darkened further.

Tang Bei looked down at Pat Riley and said, "Coach Riley, I told you, we had already won two consecutive championships before you came."

"Your paramilitary management was a complete failure with the Knicks. Your tough Knicks team didn't even deserve to stand in front of me. In my three seasons with the Heat, it never made it to the Eastern Conference Finals."

"So, Mr. Pat Riley, your paramilitary management is completely unnecessary. It is exacerbating the conflict between the coaching staff and the players, and it is destroying our stable locker room."

When provoked by a player in front of everyone, Pat Riley, as the president and head coach of the Heat, trembled with anger, felt a pain in his chest, and his face turned blood red instantly.

Tang Bei reached out and took the paper from Pat Riley's hand, glanced at it, and read it aloud in a cold voice:

"The first major item is physical training. The first item is a shuttle run from one baseline to the other, which must be done 17 times within one minute, 10 times per set, 5 sets each time, with 2 minutes of rest between sets. Hehe, is this an enhanced version of the deadly 17 runs?"

"God, completing 17 baseline shuttle runs in one minute, and 50 shuttle runs in one training session, isn't this trying to kill us?"

"You're an outside player, so it's a bit better. I'm an inside player. If I keep running like this for a season, I'll be ruined in just a few seasons."

Upon hearing the requirements of the first physical training exercise, everyone started discussing it.

Pat Riley was so angry he was about to vomit blood. He snatched the training materials back from Tang Bei's hands and scolded him sharply, "Tang, you are too rude."

Tang Bei said coldly, "Coach Riley, I can't possibly do your deadly 17 laps. I weigh nearly 140 kilograms now. Are you trying to cripple me by making me do this?"

Since he started taking Qianggu Pills, his bone density has gradually increased, and his weight has also been slowly increasing. It is estimated that after taking 500 pills, his weight may increase to 145 kilograms, which is about 9 to 10 kilograms.

With such a huge weight, even if his ligaments and tendons are very strong and thick, it's impossible for him to train so relentlessly.

The greater the weight, the greater the wear and tear on the lower limb joints. The cartilage tissue in the joints is non-regenerative; once it's worn away, it's gone. If you were to train like Pat Riley, a heavy center like him would be ruined in just a few years.

“They don’t care about our health at all, and I don’t accept that.”

"This is just a physical training exercise. If I trained like this, I would have been ruined after playing for the Heat for a few years. Are you crazy? I wouldn't do that."

“Just 50 shuttle runs along the baseline cover a distance of over 5,000 meters. Even an Ironman would be exhausted from that training. I refuse to do this kind of training.”

With him taking the lead, other players immediately followed suit.

"Coach Riley, why don't you tell me about some other training content?" Tang Bei said.

Pat Riley fell silent, now fully aware of his predicament with the Heat, which was extremely detrimental to his work.

Many people in management dislike him because they believed Tang Bei's words that he didn't want the Heat to win three consecutive championships, which prevented him from getting enough support from management.

Even owner Mickey Arison's trust in him has waned. If things hadn't already reached this point, with Tang Bei's departure from the Heat next year a foregone conclusion, they might have fired him to appease him.

In the locker room, under Tang Bei's instigation and bribery, most of the players also had many opinions about him and disliked him.

Now, Tang Bei has taken these players hostage to give him a hard time, pushing his anger to its limit.

However, he cannot cut all the players or put them on the injury list.

This feeling of powerlessness and loss of control was something he had never experienced in his coaching career, and it almost drove him, who had an extremely strong desire for control, to lose his mind.

"Coach, I'm willing to follow the training plan."

At this moment when he was extremely angry and embarrassed, a voice rang out.

All eyes turned to Alonzo Mourning.

"I will definitely train this kid well and make him the leader of the Heat."

Having secured the only supporter, Pat Riley's affection for Mourning instantly surged, and he was so moved that he almost "cried," or at least his eyes reddened.

"That traitor."

Glenn Rice muttered to himself.

His knees already have some problems, and if he continues to train at Pat Riley's intensity for another year or two, he might be ruined.

He also hoped to get a big contract with another team after this contract ended, but with Tang Bei leading the way, he would definitely not accept such brutal training content.

He has a longer tenure with the Heat than Tang Bei. The Heat selected him with the 4th overall pick in the first round in the second year of the team's formation. This is his original team. Apart from Tang Bei, his status in the locker room is second only to Tang Bei.

As soon as he muttered something, the others started muttering along with him.

The buzzing of discussions made Mo Ning feel uneasy and also made the atmosphere on the scene tense.

When General Manager Lewis Shaffer saw this, he knew that if he didn't step in and take control of the situation, things would get complicated.

If Tang Bei were to raise an alarm, Mo Ning might get beaten up.

He quickly stepped forward and said to Pat Riley, "Pat, how about we revise the content?"

Upon hearing this, Pat Riley took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his anger, otherwise he was afraid he would lose control and berate the general manager's subordinate.

Lewis Shaffer forcibly pulled Pat Riley into a corner and whispered:
"Mr. Riley, Tang Bei is leaving next season, why bother? What if things really turn sour and he beats you up?"

"He dares!"

"What if?"

"Humph!"

“Mr. Riley, the whole of Miami is supporting Don. Not to mention Don’s influence, he is backed by the Nemoir family, which has a certain status in American high society.”

Pat Riley had been tough his whole life, and even if he could accept Shafir's words, Shafir's next sentence stirred something within him.

"How about this: you appoint Stan Van Gundy or Randy Finder as head coach this season, and then you take over as head coach next season?"

As Pat Riley considered the matter, Lewis Shaffer said, "This is the best option for you, for Don, for the team, and for the owner."

Seeing that Pat Riley did not object, Shaffer quickly said, "How about this, I'll have the two of them lead the training first, and you can go and rest."

As he spoke, he called out to Van Gundy, "Stan, you and Finder will lead the training first. Mr. Riley is having some heart problems, I'll go with him to get checked out."

"Mr. Riley?"

The two of them rushed over.

"Stan, you will be in charge of the training."

Pat Riley opened his mouth, his voice surprisingly hoarse.

“Yes, sir.” Van Gundy nodded quickly.

Soon, with a combination of pulling and pushing from Shaffer, Pat Riley left the training facility.

Tang Bei smiled and said to Van Gundy, "Coach, I'm not against training. In fact, I'm one of the hardest-working people on the Heat. Now you can lead the training."

The two teaching assistants exchanged a glance and nodded somewhat helplessly.

They also knew that Pat Riley had been forced out by Tang Bei, and that Tang Bei was now in charge of the team.

Tang Bei clapped his hands and said to the other players, "Guys, you must take training seriously. I oppose Pat Riley's cruel training methods, but that doesn't mean I will indulge your training attitude. Do you understand?"

"Understood," the group replied.

At 5 p.m., with the consent of Micky Arison, the Heat management announced that Heat President Pat Riley was suspending his duties as head coach due to heart problems.

The position of head coach will be temporarily filled by first assistant coach Stan Van Gundy, with former assistant coach Alvin Gentry taking over as first assistant coach.

This news immediately sparked various speculations in the media, and news of internal strife within the Miami Heat began to circulate widely.

The conflict between Tang Bei and Pat Riley was a major focus of media hype.

(End of this chapter)