The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 215 Shaquille O'Neal is still a little sardine.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Jump ball, Heat attack.

Tang Bei quickly ran towards the basket, and O'Neal used a pulling defense. The two of them ended up on the left wing low post during the entanglement.

O'Neal is now bigger, just a little weaker, and this pulling defense makes it difficult for him to move, preventing him from quickly getting rid of his opponent.

He didn't intend to force a fight against O'Neal. O'Neal's athleticism was no longer as good as his, for example, in terms of movement. He didn't need to use a tiring, stationary style of play. It would be easier for him to get away from O'Neal while moving.

So as soon as he got to the low post, he ran up to the high post to set a screen for Avery Johnson, and O'Neal could only struggle to catch up.

The next moment, a high pick-and-roll was set up, Avery Johnson drove into the paint, and Tang Bei immediately turned and cut to the basket.

"boom!"

Avery Johnson passed the ball to Tang Bei, who completed an alley-oop dunk.

Horace Grant, the Cobra, could only defend with his eyes when he returned to the basket; he didn't have the courage to stand in front of Tang Bei.

Tom Tolbert said, "But O'Neal was willing to sacrifice his athleticism to gain weight in order to increase his physical strength. If Tang continues to use this kind of athletic style of playing where he pulls out and then drives in, O'Neal's weight gain will be in vain."

Larry Bird joked, "Is it possible that he gained weight from eating too much? His body fat percentage is too high; it looks like all the weight gain is fat."

"Ha ha……"

The other two were taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

O'Neal came to the left low post and squeezed in forcefully, trying to use his size to see if he could get a deep post position.

He gained weight from 130 kg to 150 kg, all for this day.

creak creak...

The intense confrontation between the two behemoths began, their muscles and bones seemingly straining against each other.

Tang Bei felt it was more strenuous than before, and he had to defend with all his might to hold off O'Neal.

"Why can't I squeeze in? How can this bastard be so strong? God, give me spinach!"

The next moment, before O'Neal could even move Tang Bei, Hardaway passed the ball down, and at that moment Tang Bei suddenly did a Tai Chi turn.

"Oops!"

As O'Neal was pushing his way in, he suddenly noticed Tang Bei turn his body, and the force that had been holding him back and preventing him from moving forward suddenly disappeared, so he lunged inward.

Tang Bei did not use the center of gravity disruption technique. Now that O'Neal's weight has lost its balance, there is no way to regain it immediately, so there is no need to use the center of gravity disruption technique.

He turned and caught the ball that Hardaway had passed to him, then immediately started a fast break. Amid cheers from the fans, the Heat's counterattack began.

O'Neal stumbled two steps toward the paint, but managed to regain his balance by bracing himself with his left hand on the floor, preventing him from falling.

"Damn it, he's using that trick again! Go ahead and fight me if you dare..."

But by the time he got up, Tang Bei was already almost at the center line. He was too lazy to go back to defend, so he put his hands on his hips and grumbled as he watched the basket.

Tang Bei entered the basket, and Cobra Grant ran to his side, but he didn't bother to pay attention to him. He just stared at the basketball being passed in from outside, then adjusted his feet and jumped.

"boom!"

The next moment, he was hanging on the rim.

Xu Jicheng said happily, "With O'Neal gone, even the Magic's remaining four players combined can't stop Tang Bei under the basket."

Sun Zhenping laughed and said, "Even with O'Neal on the team, we might not be able to stop them."

"Ha ha!"

Han Qiaosheng promptly contributed a laugh.

"Sardine, did you go to the restroom just now?"

Tang Bei returned to the backcourt, curiously asking Shaq O'Neal, who was half a step ahead under the basket, while pushing him outwards with force.

"Yes, I pulled you out and flushed you down the drain."

Shaquille O'Neal trash-talked back, trying to stay in position under the basket.

"You're just a pile of shit," Tang Bei retorted.

The two engaged in a high-level battle under the basket, both giving it their all.

Although O'Neal was larger, Tang Bei had greater absolute strength and a more stable lower body. His power originated from the ground and was generated more fully, giving him an advantage in the confrontation. O'Neal lost his footing and was pushed around.

However, Tang Bei was unable to push Shaq out of the paint within the three-second shot clock.

With O'Neal now weighing 150 kilograms, Tang Bei's advantage in physical confrontations was greatly diminished, and he could only force O'Neal off the rim through strong physical play.

From this perspective, O'Neal's weight gain achieved some of his goals.

Larry Bird exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect Tang to be so strong. Even O'Neal, who weighs 150 kilograms, couldn't stand up."

On the court, Anfernee Hardaway saw O'Neal getting deep into the paint and quickly passed the ball to him.

Avery Johnson's limited height prevented him from stopping Hardaway's passes.

O'Neal received the ball 1.3 meters from the basket, then suddenly turned to the left with his right foot as the pivot, and then turned again.

Tang Bei moved quickly, first taking a step to the left, and then quickly taking a step down as O'Neal turned around.

At that moment, O'Neal jumped from the left side of the basket, unleashing tremendous explosive power, and slashed the ball towards the basket with his left hand.

Tang Bei also jumped up, raising his hands high to block the shot.

"Damn it!"

As he unleashed a powerful dunk, O'Neal suddenly realized he was shorter than usual.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei used his two extremely thick forearms to complete the sealing.

"Oh!"

The next moment, their bodies collided in mid-air.

O'Neal's massive weight, combined with his terrifying explosive power, generated terrifying kinetic energy, making this aerial confrontation reach the impact level of a small car at 40-50 yards.

Tang Bei was knocked off balance by O'Neal's terrifying impact and took two small steps back after landing before regaining his center of gravity.

However, O'Neal was in a similar situation, taking two small steps back and nearly falling.

"WOW!"

A gasp erupted from the Miami Arena.

Tang Bei reacted even faster, taking a big step forward and grabbing the basketball that had fallen to the floor, successfully defending the ball.

Michael Breen exclaimed excitedly, "The battle between the two giants under the basket is over! The Severe Fear successfully defended the Big Shaq one-on-one!"

Tom Tolbert said with great surprise, "O'Neal doesn't seem to have suffered much; the aerial duel was a draw."

At this moment, the Heat's counterattack had reached the frontcourt. Avery Johnson drove to the basket with the ball, but Hardaway chased after him from behind, so he didn't shoot and instead pulled away to the left wing.

"squeak!"

Glen Rice, who was on a fast break, stopped abruptly a step inside the three-point line on the left wing. After receiving the ball, defender Dennis Scott stepped in front of him.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

He immediately dribbled towards the inside, but it was a fake drive followed by a real shot. After shaking off his opponent, he immediately dribbled back and then jumped to shoot.

"brush!"

The water splashed, and the two points from afar hit the target.

"Wow, that was a beautiful shot! Has Glen Rice's ball-handling and offensive skills improved?" Xu Jicheng exclaimed in surprise.

Han Qiaosheng laughed and said, "Now it's 0-6. The Magic have failed all three of their offensive attempts, and the Heat have executed two fast breaks."

Sun Zhenping said with great pleasure: "Tang Bei made both of his first two shots, and had a steal and a block. His performance on both offense and defense was very strong."

The Magic then served the ball and called a timeout.

Xu Jicheng said, "Judging from the performance in these three offensive and defensive rounds, even if O'Neal gains weight to 150 kilograms, he is still no match for Tang Bei."

"Although the aerial battle seemed to be evenly matched, O'Neal's strong attack under the basket ultimately failed, which shows that he is still a little lacking."

Sun Zhenping said, "The weight gain was successful. When he faces Tang Bei, his disadvantage has been reduced. If he continues to gain weight, he may actually be able to confront Tang Bei head-on."

Xu Jicheng said, "His talent is indeed formidable. American media believe that he and Tang Bei are both tall players who are rare to find in decades."

Han Qiaosheng said, "But O'Neal is no match for Tang Bei. If he can't beat him, then the Magic have little chance."

Xu Jicheng said, "The Magic's outside offensive capabilities are still very strong. Hardaway, Scott, and Anderson all have three-point shooting ability. The Heat should be careful and not let themselves be caught off guard."

The other two nodded in agreement. He added, "In terms of the inside game, that's basically it. O'Neal can't beat Tang Bei on offense, and Tang Bei can dominate O'Neal whether he's sitting down or playing in the open."

"Moreover, although Kurt Thomas is a rookie and his offense isn't great, his performance on the defensive end and in rebounding is still commendable. He can hold off the Cobra."

The timeout ended, and the Magic launched their attack.

On the right wing, Anfernee Hardaway spread out and isolated Avery Johnson, faking a drive and then shooting a three-pointer.

"Shh!"

A huge chorus of boos erupted at Miami Arena.

The moment he made his move, Haddaway's hand trembled.

"Oops."

He knew the ball was unlikely to hit, so he quickly retreated to defend.

"Bang!"

Sure enough, the basketball bounced off the rim the next moment.

Kurt Thomas grabbed the rebound and immediately passed it to Avery Johnson, but Hardaway was in front of him, preventing the fast break from going ahead.

Tang Bei arrived at the left wing low post and found Cobra Grant fronting him for defense, with O'Neal guarding him. Surprisingly, the Magic double-teamed him early.

"Kurt Thomas is open, cut inside..."

Larry Bird shouted as Kurt Thomas, unmarked, ran from the right wing toward the penalty area.

Unfortunately, Hardaway blocked Avery Johnson's passing angle below, and Johnson, being too short, missed the opportunity.

At this moment, Tang Bei suddenly moved up to the high post, O'Neal couldn't keep up and fell behind by a step, while Cobra Grant stayed under the basket.

Avery Johnson broke through the wall, Tang Bei turned and cut to the basket, the two of them going left and right at the same time, bypassing the approaching O'Neal, and then passing the ball across the box.

Tang Bei received the ball and sprang up, while Cobra Grant under the basket retreated in panic.

"boom!"

The Magic's rim exploded in the next instant.

Michael Breen said, "The tactic of double-teaming Tang Bei has long been proven useless. Moving to the high post can easily break this tactic." "If the Cobras follow up with the high post and continue the off-ball double-team, Kurt Thomas can cut to the basket again, and Tang Bei can pass the ball from the high post, making the offense easy to complete."

"Now that Cobra is staying under the basket, O'Neal alone at the high post absolutely cannot defend Tang Bei, and the off-ball double-team will break through."

Tom Tolbert said, "Tang Bei is just too agile. His turning speed and movement speed are too fast."

Larry Bird said, "In mobile play, no one can stop Tang Bei. And in this kind of positional play, once Tang Bei gets moving, no one can stop him one-on-one, not even O'Neal."

"brush!"

At this moment, Magic small forward Dennis Scott used his movement to get past Glen Rice, received the ball, and shot a three-pointer.

Xu Jicheng flipped through the data sheet and said, "Scott was the Magic's fourth overall pick in the first round in 1990. He is the Magic's third-leading scorer this season, specializing in three-pointers, but his other offensive methods are not very consistent."

"His three-point shooting percentage in the regular season was as high as 42.5%, averaging 7.7 three-point attempts and 3.3 made per game. His three-point shooting is truly terrifying."

"In the playoffs, he was the fifth-leading scorer, averaging 5.7 three-point attempts per game, making 2.2 for a 37.7% success rate."

"Ball! Give me the ball!"

On Magic's offense, O'Neal relentlessly tried to post up, showing great aggression.

Although his attack was blocked by Tang Bei, he also saw an opportunity.

Although his strength was not as great as Tang Bei's, the impact force generated by his tonnage and explosive power allowed him to knock Tang Bei away in mid-air, which was impossible before, so his confidence immediately soared.

But he didn't dare to go all out for position; he still vividly remembers the time he was almost knocked over by a fake.

In this situation, his attempt to get into position was unsuccessful; he only managed to get into the penalty area with his left foot, without managing to get a deep position.

After the ball was passed down, the shark immediately turned around.

Tang Bei defended O'Neal with all his might, not giving him any space to turn around, which made O'Neal's turn around less successful and too slow.

After O'Neal turned around, he found himself blocked again and unable to drive in. He could only manage a hook shot, which wasn't blocked, but it was clear he wouldn't make it.

Kurt Thomas seized the rebound and the Heat went on offense.

Michael Breen analyzed, "This time O'Neal was further away from the basket, and his turn to attack the basket did not give his huge weight a terrifying impact. He couldn't move Tang Bei, so his strong attack failed."

Tom Tolbert said, "If O'Neal can't convert his weight advantage into a kinetic advantage, he's not as good as Tang Bei in a stationary position."

Tang Bei called for the ball in the low post on the left wing, preparing to make a strong attack on O'Neal.

O'Neal kept attacking him in the low post, and if he didn't respond, the sardine would think he was invincible. So he had to make O'Neal understand through strong attacks that 150 kilograms really wasn't enough.

This time there was no off-ball double-team. After receiving the ball, Cobra Grant's weak-side double-team moved along the baseline behind him.

The next moment, he suddenly turned to face the basket and dribbled back a step.

After breaking free from the double team, he immediately dribbled and broke through from the outside. His first step was very fast and explosive, forcing O'Neal and Grant to retreat to the basket.

The next instant, Tang Beihe, who was rushing forward, suddenly attacked the basket.

"I'm not afraid of you!"

The previous aerial duel ended in a draw, filling O'Neal with confidence. This time, he jumped with all his might, determined to block Tang Bei.

"Oh!"

The two men collided again in mid-air, with Tang Bei towering over O'Neal by almost a head, creating a downward dive.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle blew immediately, and because O'Neal was shorter in the air, his block hit Tang Bei's wrist.

This time, O'Neal was knocked over in mid-air, his center of gravity was completely lost, and he almost lay half-lying in the air when he fell.

"how is this possible?"

He couldn't believe it; how could he have lost this time?

Tang Bei's body paused briefly upon impact, but he did not lose much of his center of gravity; his upper body only leaned slightly backward.

The next moment, he exerted force a second time in mid-air. With the burst of powerful core strength, his body straightened up in the air, and his upper body instantly pulled closer to the basket.

"boom!"

As O'Neal crashed to the ground, a loud thud echoed overhead.

"WOW!"

"Clap clap clap..."

The Miami Arena erupted in cheers and thunderous applause.

"A complete victory!"

Xu Jicheng shouted excitedly, "Tang Bei dribbled in and dunked on O'Neal. This time, he completely defeated O'Neal in the air."

Sun Zhenping said excitedly, "This shows that Tang Bei's impact is stronger than O'Neal's, and his explosiveness is more powerful."

After landing, O'Neal's upper body slammed directly onto the floor. He didn't even have time to brace himself with his hands; his buttocks, waist, and back all took the impact of Mother Earth.

His fat cushioned his fall, preventing serious injury, but he still grimaced and didn't get up immediately.

This defensive play finally made him realize that there was still a gap between him and Tang Bei; his size was not enough to stop Tang Bei's powerful attacks.

Next, he continued to try to take on Tang Bei one-on-one in the low post.

However, under Tang Bei's strong defense, they did not gain any advantage. Instead, the Magic fell behind the Heat after a series of failed inside attacks.

With their inside offense failing to find its footing, the Magic had no choice but to shift their offense to the perimeter, hoping to use their powerful outside shooting to keep the score close.

This also exploited the Heat's weakness in perimeter defense, and the effect was quite good. In the following games, the Heat's perimeter defense was repeatedly breached.

However, the Heat have always relied on their inside offense. Tang Bei's average points per game this season is a career high, and his offense is the Heat's anchor.

No matter how powerful the Magic's perimeter offense was, it was not as efficient as Tang Bei's inside offense, and therefore they could never shake the Heat.

In addition, although the Heat's outside offense is not as good as last season, it is not bad either.

Glen Rice is a top-tier outside scorer than Scott, and Rex Chapman is also quite good as long as he is healthy. In addition, with Avery Johnson's consistent performance, their performance at home is no worse than the Magic's three main outside scorers.

In this situation, the Heat steadily continued to widen the score gap, while the Magic, seeing that they could not catch up, became anxious and their shooting touch worsened, causing the score gap to widen even further.

In the end, the Heat won a resounding 85-123 victory at home, by 38 points.

唐北36分钟24投19中，命中率高达79.2%，9罚7中，轰下45分14篮板3抢断6盖帽。

His offensive style has always been consistent: to attack O'Neal in motion, coupled with fast breaks. O'Neal couldn't keep up with his offensive pace, so his offensive efficiency was extremely high.

Under his defense, O'Neal made only 7 of 17 shots, a shooting percentage of 41.2%, was blocked 3 times by Tang Bei, and had the ball stolen from him twice. In addition, he made 3 of 6 free throws, scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Glen Rice scored 22 points, Mourning 21, Chapman 11, and Dell Curry 10, bringing the Heat's total to five players in double figures.

After the game, Larry Bird said, "The Magic's interior offense is far inferior, but their perimeter offense is about on par with the Heat."

Tom Tolbert said, "When Tang Bei guarded O'Neal one-on-one, he was too strong for O'Neal to handle. When he went around him, O'Neal often couldn't get the ball."

Michael Breen said, "It's O'Neal's bad luck to run into Tang Bei. If this continues, he might have a bad time for his entire career."

Tom Tolbert said, "There were previous reports in the media that Tang Bei might suffer injuries prematurely due to his high-intensity playing style."

"It now appears that O'Neal has missed 28 games this season due to injury, and a total of 33 games over four seasons."

"Tang Bei has not had any injury problems in the four seasons and has not missed a game due to injury. His ability to resist injuries is very good."

Larry Bird said, "On the defensive end, O'Neal couldn't stop Tang Bei, allowing Tang Bei to shoot nearly 80% from the field, which was the main reason for the Magic's big loss."

"Our inside game was a complete failure," Michael Breen said.

Larry Bird said, "Judging from this game, Tang Bei completely dominated O'Neal, you could even say he crushed him."

"We have to admit that the center position is dominated by one superpower and four super-powers. Severe Fear is indeed a super-powerful center, a level above the four super-powerful centers."

Michael Breen said, "O'Neal's problem on offense is mainly that he can't get close to the basket and can't play Tang Bei in the low post."

“A 150-kilogram shark still can’t move Tang Bei. What is Tang Bei’s current tonnage?” Larry Bird asked.

Tom Tolbert said, "He reportedly reached 140 kilograms at the beginning of the season, and he has gained weight."

Michael Brin said with some doubt, "Don's physique hasn't changed significantly, and he's much smaller than O'Neal. Has he really gained weight?"

No media outlets captured footage of him weighing himself.

Tom Tolbert shrugged and said, "But on the issue of tonnage, he doesn't seem to have any reason to lie."

Back in the locker room, O'Neal slumped into a chair, looking dejected.

Meanwhile, outside, Magic general manager John Gabriel and owner Richard DeVos were discussing some roster-related issues.

Gabriel replaced former general manager Pat Williams this season as the Magic's general manager in charge of basketball operations.

Pat Williams' decision to pass on Tang Bei and select O'Neal was the most important reason why he lost his general manager position.

Gabriel said, "We can only keep one of Boss, O'Neal and Hardaway, otherwise we won't have enough salary cap space. I mean, keep Hardaway."

"What I mean is, even if you keep O'Neal, he still can't beat Severe Fear. He's never had the upper hand against Severe Fear."

“Anfernee Hardaway is different; he is the next Michael Jordan, and he scored 32 points tonight.”

"Even if he can't beat Severe Fear, his flashy playing style can at least bring in ticket sales for the Magic, something O'Neal couldn't do."

"Hardaway played exceptionally well during the time O'Neal was injured, and the team's record was even better than when O'Neal was playing. I believe he can carry the Magic."

Richard DeWalton was extremely disappointed with the team's performance tonight. It wasn't the loss itself that disappointed him, but the fact that they lost without any fight.

Shaquille O'Neal, the superstar center he had placed high hopes on, completely failed to live up to his superstar status in the face of severe fear, losing so badly that he lost all hope.

But he had some concerns, saying, "What about the fans, John? Have you considered the feelings of Orlando fans?"

"Look at what happened after the Hornets traded Tang. Now the fans have abandoned the Hornets, the sponsors have abandoned the Hornets, the ratings have dropped sharply, and the operating revenue has dropped sharply. I don't want the Magic to become the second Hornets."

Gabriel thought for a moment and said, "Then let's conduct a fan poll to see whether the fans support O'Neal or Hardaway, and let the fans make that decision."

“OK, that’s a good idea, let’s do it that way,” Richard DeVos agreed.

An hour later, at the press conference, a reporter from The New York Times asked:
"Tang, do you think Shaquille O'Neal's current strength poses a threat to you?"

Tang Bei thought for a moment and said, "I will not belittle him, because my strength is far superior to his. The strong have no need to belittle the weak."

His words silenced the room, and everyone waited for him to continue.

He continued, "He is now about 8 kilograms heavier than me, but his body fat percentage is too high, so his absolute strength is still not as good as mine."

"At the same time, due to its large weight, its mobility, turning speed, straight-line speed, and agility are not as good as before."

"Of course, in your eyes, he is still as agile as a shark, still faster than most centers in the league, and still full of explosiveness."

"His physical strength has increased a lot due to his increased weight. He can easily get into the deep post against other defenders' top defense. His body can form a natural defensive barrier on the defensive end."

"At the same time, the increase in weight makes his impact extremely terrifying, far exceeding that before. Apart from me, his low-post attacks can destroy any defender."

"But it depends on who he's competing against. If his opponent is me, then his speed, mobility, absolute strength, explosiveness, impact, and so on—all those terrifying athletic qualities against other opponents—will become his weaknesses."

"In my opinion, the current O'Neal is not strong enough. He is still a small sardine and cannot be called a great shark."

(End of this chapter)