The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 222 The Postman: He Wants to Kill Us
After entering the game, Tang Bei warmed up for three minutes.

As the number one player in basketball and the best active player in the NBA, every shot and dunk by him elicits cheers from countless fans at the scene.

After leaving the court, as he passed the US team's bench, he shouted to the opponents:

"Hey, you defeated guys, I'm going to have this Olympic gold medal. Anyone who dares to stand in my way will not be spared."

"Tang, bring it on!" Barkley shouted.

"Who is speaking?"

Tang Beiping stared at the sky above Barkley's head, refusing to look down.

Barkley jumped up in anger and shouted, "Don, we're all guys who swept Michael to win the championship, you're nothing special, we're on the same level."

"damn it!"

Upon hearing this, Michael Jordan, who was behind the bench, immediately became furious. He stood up, lifted his leg over the back of the bench chair, and was about to pass between David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon.

"Michael, calm down."

David Robinson quickly got up, hugged Jordan, and tried to persuade him.

"Don't do that, Michael, Charles wasn't lying."

Hakeem Olajuwon had no interest in persuading Jordan; the Lakers had deceived him, and his friendship with Jordan was shattered.

"what?"

David Robinson was stunned when he heard what Hakeem Olajuwon said.

Jordan glared at Olajuwon, feeling both embarrassed and frustrated. He was caught in a dilemma, his legs straddling the back of the chair, one in front of the other.

Pippen then added fuel to the fire, saying, "Michael, why don't you just go back to the Bulls? You're going to get swept anyway."

"Ha ha……"

Tang Bei was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle and laughed heartily.

"God, is Michael going to join the Dream Team III?"

"I think you're looking for someone with a severe phobia to fight?"

"Can he defeat someone with severe phobia?"

"God, what are they doing?"

"What else could it be? Internal strife, Jordan went after Barkley."

Aren't they good friends?

"They've turned on each other again. It's happened all the time ever since Barkley swept Jordan to win the championship."

More than 70,000 fans at the scene were watching this, wondering what had happened, and were discussing it among themselves.

The competition began at 8:30.

USA Starting Lineup: Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Reggie Miller, John Stockton
China's starting lineup: Tang Bei, Gong Xiaobin, Sun Jun, Hu Weidong, Li Xiaoyong

The final was broadcast live across the United States by NBC, with commentators including Mav Albert, Bill Walton, and Bill Russell.

Bill Russell said, "Without O'Neal, the Dream Team's interior height is not as good as the Chinese team's. Neither of the two starting interior players is 210 cm tall."

Bill Walton said, "No, Hakeem Olajuwon was 213 centimeters."

Mr. Albert chuckled, picked up the water glass beside him, and asked, "Gentlemen, what's in this glass?"

"water."

The other two said in unison.

"Ha ha……"

The three of them burst into laughter.

Tang Bei and Olajuwon jump for the ball, and the Chinese team attacks.

Hakeem Olajuwon closely followed Don Bei, Karl Malone was active nearby, and the others began to press the entire court.

Wilkens' defensive tactics were simple: to use his strong full-strength lineup to exploit the weakness of the Chinese team's poor ball control in the backcourt and implement a full-field pressing tactic all day long.

All twelve players on the Dream Team III could be starters, ensuring an advantage in physical fitness and a strong bench.

After receiving the ball, Li Xiaoyong was immediately pressured by John Stockton and looked somewhat disheveled.

Fortunately, the Chinese team was prepared. Hu Weidong was nearby to receive the ball and then passed it to Tang Bei, who was positioned high up to receive it.

Hakeem Olajuwon was positioned below, and Karl Malone nearby also double-teamed him, completing a high double-team as soon as Tang Beigang received the ball.

At this moment, Gong Xiaobin, who was left open by the mailman, quickly cut inside to the basket. Tang Bei jumped and passed the ball under double-team, and Gong Xiaobin received the ball and made a layup. Pippen, who was helping to defend the basket, blocked the shot and hit the backboard, which was then grabbed by Olajuwon.

Xu Jicheng said, "The American team uses man-to-man defense, and immediately collapses into the paint after the ball enters the box, showing very strict control over the rebounds."

Sun Zhenping said, "After the first attack failed, I think Tang Bei will have to stay in a low position."

Han Qiaosheng said, "When he goes straight to the low post, he can't receive the ball from the outside. The US team is playing full-court press, which is causing some trouble for the outside players."

Xu Jicheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The men's basketball team was still no match for the American team, relying solely on Tang Bei to carry the team.

The US team did not engage in fast breaks because Wilkens was well aware that the Dream Team's inside speed was not as good as Tang Bei's, and their outside speed was not much faster either, so they had no advantage in fast breaks.

In positional warfare, in accordance with offensive tactics, Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone both held low positions on the left flank and did not move up.

Their role is to keep Tang Bei in the low post, creating space for the outside offense.

Originally, one person would have been enough, but Wilkens was worried that Da Meng alone would not be able to keep Tang Bei in check.

In the starting lineup of the Dream Team III, the playmaker was not Pippen, but John Stockton, a veteran All-Star point guard who had won the assist title for nine consecutive years.

However, because the Mailman was positioned in the low post, the pick-and-roll tactics that the Black and White Duo were best at couldn't be executed, so Stockton started to drive to the basket with the ball.

He dribbled with his right hand and broke through, stepping on Li Xiaoyong's left foot with one foot, then thrusting his left elbow forward to get past him.

"Di!"

The referee wasn't blind; he immediately blew his whistle.

"What the hell."

Li Xiaoyong was kicked so badly he jumped up and down, cursing and swearing.

"Fuck him!"

Tang Bei, looking fierce and menacing, raised his fist, as big as an iron bowl, and shouted loudly in English.

John Stockton's expression changed, and he quickly ran towards Karl Malone.

The postman quickly said, "Don, calm down, John didn't do it on purpose."

The referee then ruled that John Stockton had committed an offensive foul, and possession of the ball was changed.

When the Chinese team attacks, Tang Bei still moves to the high post to receive outside shots.

John Stockton was intimidated by Tang Bei and loosened his full-court press on Li Xiaoyong a little, allowing the ball to advance smoothly into the attacking third and be passed to Tang Bei.

The US team still uses high-post double-teaming, with other positions using three-on-four defense and rotations to help on defense.

However, there are still some issues with the teamwork among these star players, since they are usually opponents, not teammates.

This time, Gong Xiaobin, who was open, cut inside to the basket again. When Pippen was helping to defend the basket, Tang Bei passed the ball to Hu Weidong on the left wing three-point line.

Hu Weidong received the ball and shot, but John Stockton, who was responsible for covering the left wing from the top of the arc, was a step too slow and failed to get into position.

"brush!"

As the water splashed, China's Jordan swiftly sank a three-pointer, opening the scoring for the Chinese team.

"Infiltrate."

"US team, attack!" Wilkens shouted.

He was an assistant coach for the Dream Team II and knew that without an inside offense, no matter how strong the Dream Team III's outside offense was, they might not be able to beat the Chinese team.

He now has two super centers and two super power forwards, so he must penetrate and launch high-quality inside attacks to have a chance to beat his opponent.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone were both calling for the ball in the low post, and John Stockton passed the ball to his good friend Karl Malone.

Karl Malone received the ball, backed down Gong Xiaobin, and then used his strength to push the defense away, creating space before turning and shooting a jump shot.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the basket and then rolled in.

"Xiaoyao Wang, since you can't stop him anyway, just let him in. I'll strangle him under the basket," Tang Bei said to Gong Xiaobin.

The proud and arrogant Gong Xiaobin nodded dejectedly, while touching the sore spot on his right elbow.

He is shorter than Karl Malone and weighs almost 20 kilograms less, making him far less capable in combat; he just took an elbow strike.

3-2, China attacks.

In the backfield, John Stockton intensified his pressure on Li Xiaoyong.

Hu Weidong was entangled by Reggie Miller, and Sun Jun quickly ran back to receive the ball, but after receiving it, he was then entangled by Pippen.

"Snapped!"

Reggie Miller seized the opportunity to double-team Sun Jun, fiercely knocking the ball away, and then immediately launched a fast break from the backcourt, scoring a layup.

"The US team's defense is too strong. Apart from Reggie Miller, the other four starters are all top-notch defensive players," Xu Jicheng said with unease.

He had a feeling that this time it was different from the World Championships two years ago. That Dream Team II was far less powerful than this Dream Team III, and the final was a bit uncertain.

Sun Zhenping said, "We're still missing a top-notch point guard."

3-4, China attacks.

This time, even power forward Gong Xiaobin stayed in the backcourt to receive the ball, while only Tang Bei crossed the midcourt line first to receive the ball at the high post.

The US team only had three players pressing in their own half, while Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone double-teamed Tang Bei in the frontcourt without the ball.

Based on the position of the ball in the backcourt, Tang Bei immediately moved to prevent the two players from trapping him.

In the backcourt, with four players assisting, the ball barely crossed the center line and was handed to Tang Bei, who had just moved to the left elbow area.

The moment Tang Bei received the ball, Hakeem Olajuwon caught up to him, but Karl Malone was a little slower, and the double-team didn't get in place.

Hakeem Olajuwon's defensive positioning was very strategic. He primarily guarded Tang Bei's right shoulder, leaving his left shoulder for Karl Malone.

"squeak!"

In the next instant, Tang Bei suddenly made a Tai Chi left turn and made a strong breakthrough between the two defenders.

"Bang!" Karl Malone was a step too slow, leaving a gap in the middle. Tang Bei turned around frantically and crashed into the gap, using the force of the volcanic eruption to smash it open.

Hakeem Olajuwon was hit in the left shoulder and staggered.

Karl Malone was hit in the right shoulder and nearly fell over.

"boom!"

The next moment, Tang Bei paused, his old strength dissipated, and accelerated again, bursting through the two of them and delivering a powerful slam.

"WOW!"

A cheer immediately erupted from the Chinese team's side.

"That was amazing! Tang Bei took on two opponents, drove hard to the basket, and slammed it home!" Xu Jicheng exclaimed excitedly.

"The postman was a step too slow."

Wilkens shook his head. If even two superstar big men couldn't stop Severe Fear, then he didn't have any good solutions.

At this point, he felt it was a great pity that Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone were still too small. If O'Neal hadn't been injured, his size, combined with that of another super center, would have been enough to double-team Tang Bei.

Regardless, with the defense of the Dream Team III, they can compete with this Chinese team. The key to winning is tight pressing defense.

5:4, Team USA attacks.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone were still calling for the ball in the low post, and then John Stockton drove to the basket.

The Chinese team adopted a 3-2 zone defense, a defensive tactic arranged after consulting with Tang Bei, primarily aimed at preventing outside penetration.

When John Stockton broke through on the right wing, Li Xiaoyong was bypassed, but he and Hu Weidong immediately formed a pincer movement to block from the front and chase from the back.

John Stockton's individual finishing ability is not a threat, which is a major weakness of the Jazz and also a weakness of the US team's roster.

So when Reggie Miller and Pippen weren't open, John Stockton, who was double-teamed, didn't dare to shoot himself and could only pass to the two big men.

With two big men in the paint, he passed the ball to Karl Malone in the low post on the right wing.

Before John Stockton passed the ball, Tang Bei made an accurate prediction based on his rich experience, and the assist king would most likely pass it to the Mailman.

So the instant the ball was passed, he reacted swiftly, turning and lunging at Karl Malone, and double-teaming him as Malone received the ball.

"Di!"

The referee blew the whistle for a jump ball between Tang Bei and Karl Malone.

"Tangbei's support defense is really fast; they've been there in the blink of an eye," Xu Jicheng praised.

"The others also did a good job on this defense," Han Qiaosheng said.

Next, during the jump ball, Tang Bei jumped high and flicked the ball towards Li Xiaoyong, who caught it and immediately charged forward with the ball.

Karl Malone deliberately wrapped his arm around Tang Bei, who was trying to get down quickly. As the two were entangled, Tang Bei took the opportunity to jab his elbow into Malone's elbow bone.

"hiss!"

He gasped, and his strength vanished instantly.

Tang Bei seized the opportunity to run, but he had already fallen behind Olajuwon and could not keep up with the team's fast break pace.

Li Xiaoyong charged to the frontcourt and, under pressure from John Stockton, couldn't wait for Tang Bei and hastily threw down a three-pointer.

"Bang!"

The ball went wide, bounced off the rim, and was rebounded by Hakeem Olajuwon, who had arrived first.

"Oh dear, Li Xiaoyong's attack is too hasty. Let's wait until Tang Bei arrives before we talk about it," Sun Zhenping said anxiously.

This kind of shot is a waste of possession. Tang Bei was a little annoyed and shouted loudly to Li Xiaoyong: "Rhythm! We can't outrun them, so slow down the pace!"

Wu Lixiaoyong nodded, panting.

"brush!"

Reggie Miller ran into an open space, received the ball, and hit a long two-pointer.

5-6, China attacks.

The US team resumed their backcourt press. Li Xiaoyong made a mistake when passing the ball to Sun Jun, and Pippen stole it. Reggie Miller quickly ran to the basket, Pippen passed the ball to Reggie Miller, who then slammed it home with a dunk.

"The backcourt made another mistake, and Reggie Miller scored five points in a row," Xu Jicheng sighed.

"5:8, down by three points," Han Qiaosheng said.

“Li Xiaoyong made two mistakes, and this is just the beginning. Both times the American team scored on counterattacks,” Sun Zhenping said.

At this point, the Chinese team made a substitution: Li Xiaoyong was replaced by Wu Qinglong.

After Wu Qinglong came on, he played better than Li Xiaoyong against the intense full-court press defense of the American team, advancing the ball to the frontcourt and passing it to Tang Bei in the high position.

Tang Bei received the ball and was immediately double-teamed by the mailman. He passed the ball to Gong Xiaobin, who seized the opportunity and made a mid-range shot.

7:8, Team USA attacks.

Hakeem Olajuwon received the ball in the low post on the left wing, then turned left and then right. His dream-like footwork was difficult to defend, and Tang Bei was shaken off balance by the turn.

Upon realizing that Tang Bei had been shaken, Da Meng immediately turned around, dribbled further, and then jumped up for a powerful dunk.

"Snapped!"

Although Tang Bei's center of gravity was shaken, he did not lose it completely. He quickly caught up with the rhythm using his faster movement speed and blocked the ball from Olajuwon's right rear side.

The two landed and took off again, with Tang Bei gaining the advantage once more. He not only had a height advantage but also a direct advantage in the aerial confrontation, knocking Olajuwon aside and stealing the basketball.

"We still have to rely on Tang Bei," Gong Luming said happily from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, on the bench next to him, Wilkens seemed somewhat lost in thought.

He believes the US team needs to do two things right to win this final, and if they do those things, the US team will definitely win.

First, by using full-court press and aggressive defense, they forced the Chinese team into making numerous mistakes.

Second, we need to strengthen our inside offense. If we can't get inside offense going, we can't beat the Chinese team by relying solely on outside offense.

If the inside game doesn't work, relying solely on the first point isn't as reliable.

"Slow down the pace."

During the transition between offense and defense, Tang Bei shouted and received the ball in the backcourt, without recklessly rushing into the frontcourt.

Wu Qinglong pushed the ball forward and passed it to Hu Weidong.

At this moment, Tang Bei aggressively entered the paint from the free-throw line, forcing Karl Malone to double-team him off the ball. Hu Weidong immediately passed the ball to Gong Xiaobin, who was now open.

"brush!"

Reggie Miller's defense was a bit weak, his help defense wasn't in place, and Karl Malone's recovery defense was too late. Gong Xiaobin took his third shot, and it was a wide-open one, which he made.

Xu Jicheng said excitedly, "Let's play like this. As long as the ball gets to the frontcourt, Tang Bei will draw double teams, and other positions will have open opportunities."

Han Qiaosheng said, "It's 9-8 now, we're leading by one point."

Sun Zhenping said, "Four baskets: Hu Weidong with a three-pointer, Gong Xiaobin with two mid-range shots, and Tang Bei with a dunk. He hasn't exerted his offensive effort yet today."

Xu Jicheng said, "That's right. Let the teammates' offense come out first. Only when other positions are in play, especially when open players are in play, will the US team's double-teaming of Tang Bei not be so intense."

"brush!"

Karl Malone received the ball in the low post on the right wing. Knowing that Tang Bei was under the basket, he didn't dare to go in, so he turned around and jumped to shoot, making the basket.

9-10, China attacks.

Tang Bei charged into the penalty area again, but this time, the postman hesitated. Gong Xiaobin made two consecutive open shots, and he couldn't let him go.

Facing Hakeem Olajuwon's one-on-one defense, Tang Bei directly pushed past him and entered the paint.

When the ball got to Hu Weidong's hands, as soon as he saw Tang Bei enter the basket, he didn't care about anything else and lobbed the ball directly towards the hoop.

The US team quickly retreated towards the penalty area. Before the ball arrived, Karl Malone reached Tang Bei's side, and Pippen and Reggie Miller quickly ran towards the penalty area.

Tang Bei used his elbows to brace against Da Meng and the Mailman, jumped with all his might, and caught the ball. When he landed, he was surrounded by four players.

At this moment, he was facing the basket diagonally with his left shoulder, but his position was only one meter in front of and to the right of the basket.

In the next instant, it fought back desperately.

He made a frantic Tai Chi left turn, and with a force like a volcanic eruption, the four defenders surrounding him were swept away by the gale like scarecrows in a hurricane.

"boom!"

"WOW!"

The extremely brutal attacks under the basket, the fierce and endlessly violent slams, instantly turned the Georgia Dome into a boiling ocean of adrenaline.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle blew.

Sun Zhenping shouted excitedly, "Three have fallen! Tang Bei dunked on three defenders, leaving only Reggie Miller, who hadn't gotten close, unharmed! Haha!"

Han Qiaosheng excitedly said, "Dear viewers, this is the strength of the world's number one basketball player. No one can stop him from attacking the basket. No matter how many people there are, they will all fall at his feet."

At this point, the referee made a ruling that Karl Malone had committed a foul by pulling someone, and Tang Bei was awarded a penalty.

"Shet!"

"Damn it, I think I've broken my bones, referee, he elbowed me."

"God, he hit us. According to international rules, he committed a foul, not us."

The three men scrambled to their feet, cursing and complaining to the referee.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone both looked unwell; they had both eaten Tang Bei's braised pork knuckle when they were knocked over.

Pippen felt that he shouldn't be so aggressive when collapsing the defense next time, because with his physique, he was at high risk of being trampled to death under the basket.

The referee ignored them. Although international basketball rules are different from those in the NBA, the four-on-one rule means that Tang Bei could not be on the defensive side unless he committed a clear foul.

"Guys, this is just the beginning." Tang Bei said this meaningfully before walking towards the free throw line.

"What does he want to do?" Hakeem Olajuwon asked.

Karl Malone said irritably, "What else can he do? He wants to kill us."

Pippen grumbled, "He's already won three championships, but he hasn't won an Olympic gold medal yet. He might have to fight tooth and nail tonight."

The other two felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this.

If someone with severe fear tries desperately, what will be the result? Won't they be reduced to ashes?
(End of this chapter)