The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 224 Gold Medal
Barkley then missed a mid-range shot, and Tang Bei grabbed the rebound.

"boom!"

This time, because Wang Zhizhi scored consecutive baskets from the high post, Barkley hesitated in his double-team, and Tang Bei seized the opportunity to score over David Robinson.

With the score at 38-31, the US team was down by 7 points again and unable to narrow the gap further, so Wilkens called the first timeout of the second quarter.

Bill Russell said, "Whether it's Hakeem Olajuwon or David Robinson, Tang Bei can easily get into the paint. The Dream Team's interior defense is hopeless. As long as Tang Bei has the stamina, he can keep scoring."

Bill Walton said, "That number 6 big man on the Chinese team has a good shooting touch and good footwork. He should be taller than Tang and is a big threat in the high post."

Mave Albert, however, said: "No, it was Tang Bei who attracted double teams after receiving the ball in the low post, which made number 6 a threat in the high post."

Bill Russell nodded and said, "His physical strength is not good. Barkley can squeeze him out of his position. Without Tang attracting double teams, although he has height at the high post, he is not much of a threat."

After the timeout, head coach Wilkens brought back Pippen and Grant Hill, with John Stockton at point guard and Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson in the frontcourt.

Of the three perimeter players, Pippen is a top perimeter defender, Stockton was selected to the All-Defensive Second Team four times and can be considered a first-class defender, and Hill is a little less so, but he has good physical attributes and his defense is also among the top in the league, so he can be considered a near-first-class player.

Based on the weaknesses of the Chinese team, he also devised a full-court press tactic. Every time the US team used the full-court press tactic, they would gain an advantage. This was his magic weapon-level defensive tactic for recovering losses.

Just then, Gong Lumin replaced Li Xiaoyong, allowing Wu Qinglong to get off and rest for a bit.

The US team is on offense. David Robinson goes one-on-one against Wang Zhizhi and scores, narrowing the score to five points.

Looking back, Li Xiaoyong ran into the US team's full-court press tactics, and was dispossessed as soon as he entered the game, contributing his fifth turnover.

The US team launched a fast break, and Pippen scored on the fast break, making it 38-35, trailing by only two points.

"Li Xiaoyong was in terrible form today. He made five mistakes in just five minutes on the court. Was he out of focus?" Xu Jicheng said disappointedly.

On the court, Li Xiaoyong was so nervous that he was covered in sweat. With the Olympic championship at stake, he was under immense pressure due to his repeated mistakes. Every muscle in his body was twitching, and his mind was blank.

Tang Bei was also very helpless. He couldn't even get the ball across half-court. Even if he were the god of basketball, he couldn't win this final!

When he served, he stood on the baseline and immediately called a timeout after receiving the ball.

Gong Lumin was taken aback when he saw Tang Bei call a pause.

"Coach, let Lao Wu play; he's in better form," Tang Bei said after coming down from the court.

"it is good."

Tang Bei's status was too high for Gong Lumin to object to. He turned to Wu Qinglong and asked, "Are you physically fit enough?"

"No," Wu Qinglong quickly shook his head.

Gong Lumin regretted it somewhat, as he had only selected two point guards.

He really likes Li Xiaoyong; he can drive, pass, and shoot. Neither Adijiang nor Fan Bing were selected for the 12-man roster, and Wu Qinglong often plays the shooting guard position.

Li Xiaoyong has always been a key player in the Olympic Games, but I didn't expect him to be in such poor form tonight in the final against the American team, making too many mistakes.

After Wu Qinglong went on, the situation improved, and with Tang Bei's all-out attack and defense, the Chinese team continued to maintain its lead.

The advantage wasn't significant, but they maintained a lead until the end of the second quarter, 56-51, a five-point lead. The US team narrowed the gap to one point in the second quarter.

唐北首节20分，次节15分，半场35分8篮板3助攻2抢断4盖帽，命中率高达9成，几乎都是篮下进攻。

Shortly after, the third quarter began, and the Chinese team launched an attack.

Team USA fielded Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Penny Hardaway, and Gary Payton.

The Chinese team fielded Tang Bei, Wang Zhizhi, Sun Jun, Hu Weidong, and Wu Qinglong.

Xu Jicheng said, "Young player Wang Zhizhi performed well in the first half, making 3 of 6 shots and blocking Grant Hill's shot."

Han Qiaosheng said, "His high-low post twin towers tactic with Tang Bei is quite effective."

Sun Zhenping said, "I hope he can relieve some of the pressure on Tang Bei in the second half."

The ball reached the frontcourt, and Tang Bei had already squeezed into the basket. Wang Zhizhi received the ball at the high post and passed it down.

Barkley double-teamed the basket, but Tang Bei didn't shoot. Instead, he passed the ball back to the high post and then stepped forward from under the basket, blocking Barkley and Olajuwon.

Just as Wang Zhizhi was about to make a move, Pippen arrived on the flank to cover, and he quickly passed the ball down to Tang Bei.

"boom!"

After receiving the ball, Tang Bei suddenly turned around and delivered a powerful two-handed dunk to the two players behind him.

Hakeem Olajuwon reacted quickly and wasn't knocked over.

Barkley reacted too slowly and didn't have time to retreat. He was thrown around like he'd been hit by a landmine, falling to the floor and sliding back a meter or two, looking quite disheveled.

"This pervert!"

After panting for a few moments with his mouth open, he slowly sat up, cursing, and was then pulled up by Olajuwon.

"Are you okay?"

Hakeem Olajuwon asked with concern.

"It should be fine."

Barkley stretched a bit before speaking.

Hakeem Olajuwon breathed a sigh of relief. They were going to team up next season, so it was best if they didn't get injured. At their age, if they got injured, they might have to retire.

Turning around, Hakeem Olajuwon used his Dream Shake to shake off Tang Bei, then turned and jumped to shoot.

"Bang!"

Tang Bei rushed in to block the shot but didn't touch the ball, which affected Da Meng's shot attempt, resulting in a missed shot +1.

Wang Zhizhi grabbed the rebound, and the Chinese team attacked.

Tang Bei was in the low post on the left wing. He didn't enter the penalty area to get into position. After receiving the ball, he faced the basket and went one-on-one against Olajuwon.

Wang Zhizhi positioned himself in the high post, and Barkley did not come over to double-team him.

He was hesitant to leave Wang Zhizhi open, and if Tang Bei didn't drive in but just shot from the outside, there was no need for him to double-team him.

"squeak!"

Tang Bei began dribbling and breaking through, driving hard along the baseline without any feints.

Hakeem Olajuwon quickly turned sideways, moving towards the basket while keeping close to Tang Bei.

Meanwhile, Barkley immediately moved towards the basket, preparing to double-team the area.

The three collided immediately, and Barkley was thrown to the right, twisting his right ankle. The sudden sharp pain made him cry out in pain.

"not good!"

Hakeem Olajuwon was taken aback.

"boom!"

Tang Bei didn't hold back, smashing the ball into the net with a one-handed slam.

“Oh, Barkley’s finished! This is really a headache, another one gone.” Bill Walton sighed, shaking his head and holding his head.

“Watching the replay… oh, it was Don and Olajuwon who crashed into Barkley together. He’s really unlucky,” Bill Russell said regretfully, staring at the screen.

"That's bad," said Mav Albert. "Barkley probably won't be able to play. We only have two super centers left in the paint, and no substitutes."

Bill Russell said, "Their stamina should be fine. The main question is whether they still have the confidence to defend against severe fear."

The other two shook their heads. With three of the five superstar centers injured, it would be strange if Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson still dared to go toe-to-toe with Tang Bei.

Wilkens stared blankly at Barkley as he was helped off the court, until Coach K reminded him to make a substitution, at which point he snapped out of it.

There are no other options, so let's go for the two super centers, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.

"Surrender, you can lose this match with the dignity of gentlemen," Tang Bei said to Da Meng and Shang Jiang when the match restarted.

"Humph!"

The two men snorted angrily.

Tang Bei patiently persuaded him, "Barkley might retire now. Do you want that too? To give up the championship?"

"You can't beat us anyway. You were behind when you had a full roster, and now that you've wiped out your players, do you still think you can turn things around? Dream on."

"I think Jordan is so smart. He sat in the stands and watched you guys fight to the death. Why didn't he join the national team? Wasn't it all for the championship?"

"He already has two championships and he still wants more. You guys combined don't even have one championship. Don't you really want more?"

"Ha ha……"

Many domestic reporters behind the baseline couldn't help but laugh when they heard Tang Bei trying to persuade the two super centers to surrender.

Next, Tang Bei encountered a defense that was strong but weak, which made his attacks unstoppable and allowed him to expend little energy.

However, the Dream Team III was indeed strong. They made up for their weakness in the paint with their outside shooting, and they kept the score close. Tang Bei scored 51 points in three quarters, but they still couldn't pull away.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 81-75, with the Chinese team leading by only 6 points. Xu Jicheng said, "There were too many turnovers. The Chinese team had 23 turnovers in three quarters, while the American team only had 13. They wasted too many possessions."

Sun Zhenping said, "We took nine fewer shots. If Tang Bei hadn't had a high success rate, scored a lot of points, and wasn't at a disadvantage on the boards, we really wouldn't have been able to win the game."

Han Qiaosheng said, "Tang Bei has contributed 3 steals and 6 blocks. His performance on the defensive end is one of the important reasons why we are in the lead."

Xu Jicheng said, "We must hold on in the last quarter. The guards should try to make fewer mistakes, try to make open shots, and fight hard for rebounds."

Soon, the final quarter began.

The American team relentlessly attacked the paint, but David Robinson was immediately blocked by Wang Zhizhi, and then Tang Bei blocked Olajuwon.

The repeated blocks severely hampered the US team's inside offense. Unable to break through inside, the US team could only continue to attack from the outside.

Although Tang Bei played for 30 minutes, he was extremely excited with the Olympic gold medal within reach. Stimulated by a surge of adrenaline, he felt that his stamina was limitless and continued to attack the basket relentlessly in the final quarter.

With his high-quality inside scoring support, the Chinese team maintained a steady lead over the American team. Even though the advantage was small and there were too many turnovers on the outside, the American team, which only relied on outside attacks, was unable to turn the tide.

By the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, Tang Bei had already scored 66 points, breaking the Olympic record long ago.

At this point, the score was 102-93, with the Chinese team leading the American team by 9 points. The morale of the American team, who had no hope of turning the tide, had plummeted.

In the final two minutes, a group of Dream Team perimeter players started taking wild shots.

This blunder actually created a crisis for the Chinese team.

After Richmond hit a three-pointer, Reggie Miller followed with one, and then Gary Payton added another, sparking a 9-4 run.

With the score at 106-101, China led by 5 points. With 9 seconds remaining, Gong Lumin called a timeout.

The head coach was extremely nervous, fearing that something might go wrong at the last minute. If they lost the gold medal, his future would be ruined, and he would be so heartbroken that he would want to bang his head against the wall.

Under pressure, he turned to Tang Bei and asked, "Tang Bei, how do you plan to launch the final attack?"

"Give me the ball," Tang Bei said casually.

"it is good."

Gong Lumin, as if he had received a brilliant strategy from Zhuge Liang, hurriedly said to the others, "Give the ball to Tang Bei, understand?"

"Understood," everyone replied.

Tang Bei added, "The American team might use a fouling tactic. I will go to the basket to establish position and pass the ball directly to the rim."

"Dazhi, you serve," Gong Lumin said immediately.

The timeout ended, and Wang Zhizhi served from the center line.

Tang Bei positioned himself in a low position on the left wing, with Olajuwon behind him, and pushed his way in with all his might.

It was the last time he was on defense, and Hakeem Olajuwon was giving it his all, but he couldn't hold on.

When Tang Bei weighed 135 kilograms, he could barely hold on and at least buy some time for the attack. But now that Tang Bei weighs almost 145 kilograms, he can't hold on at all, not even for a second.

Tang Bei is different from O'Neal. O'Neal is only bigger in size, but his absolute strength is not as good as Tang Bei's. Without generating momentum, he is not as effective as Tang Bei when it comes to positioning. If the defender's lower body is stable, he sometimes cannot move him.

Tang Bei's absolute strength and ability to compete are the strongest in the entire league. Even without generating momentum, his positioning effect is very good. He can often push the defender away with his absolute strength alone.

He positioned himself very quickly, squeezing into the basket in no time, while Wang Zhizhi, who was inbounding the ball, passed it directly to the rim, giving the American team no chance to implement a fouling strategy.

Tang Bei received the ball with his long body, then turned and slammed it down without relying on any extra offensive moves.

"boom!"

As he hung on the rim with both hands, Hakeem Olajuwon fell to the ground beneath it.

"Di!"

The referee blew his whistle.

"WOW!"

On the Chinese side, cheers erupted.

Xu Jicheng exclaimed excitedly, "70 points! Tang Bei scored 70 points in just 40 minutes of gameplay! That's incredible!"

108-101, China leads by 9 points, but the game is not over yet, with 2.1 seconds left.

The referee ruled that Hakeem Olajuwon committed a foul by hitting the opponent's hand, and was ejected from the game with five fouls. Tang Bei was awarded one free throw.

The US team called one last timeout to plan their offensive and fouling strategies.

The timeout ended, and Tang Bei made the free throw, making it 109-101. Team USA went on offense.

"Bang!"

Under Wang Zhizhi's defense, David Robinson missed his shot, and Tang Bei grabbed the ball as it bounced up. Time was running out, and Hakeem Olajuwon, who was nearby, did not foul, thus giving up the game.

"Di!"

The referee blew the final whistle.

"Oh!"

Cheers erupted in China, but even louder cheers came from across the country, from countless television sets—a truly nationwide celebration.

Han Qiaosheng shouted with great excitement: "Congratulations to China! Olympic champions, Olympic gold medals, the honor belongs to us!"

Sun Zhenping said excitedly, "Paying tribute to Tang Bei, the world's greatest super center, for his incredible feat of scoring 71 points in a single game. He single-handedly led the men's basketball team to the Olympic championship."

Xu Jicheng excitedly said, "Congratulations to the men's basketball team for defeating the United States and winning the Olympic championship. Congratulations to the Chinese delegation for winning its 17th Olympic gold medal."

Tang Bei was carried on his teammates' shoulders to be bombarded by flashing cameras, and then he was interviewed by the media. The Atlanta Organizing Committee was also preparing for the award ceremony.

"Tang Bei, come here, take a picture with us."

Several high-ranking leaders from the Chinese Olympic Committee and the State Sports Commission, all smiles, called Tang Bei to the podium and asked reporters to take photos.

International Olympic Committee President Samaranch also posed for a photo with Tang Bei and said:

"Tang, it's a pity that Beijing's bid for the Olympics failed in 93, but I hope you won't give up. As the number one player in international basketball, you will be the best spokesperson for the Olympic bid."

Upon hearing this, Commander Wu, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but smile and nod.

The national leadership has not yet decided whether to bid for the Olympics a second time, but the State Sports Commission and Beijing are both interested in bidding for the 2008 Olympics. If they do bid, Tang Bei will be the first spokesperson for the bid, and it can only be him.

Next came the awards ceremony. After receiving their Olympic gold medals, the stirring March of the Volunteers played, and the five-star red flag was slowly raised.

The closing ceremony is on the 4th.

On the 5th, the delegation returned to Beijing.

Back in Beijing, Tang Bei and other gold medal athletes had no time to rest and participated in several days of celebrations.

After the important celebrations ended, Tang Bei was about to rest when another thing happened.

With Hong Kong's return to China imminent, after discussions between the mainland and Hong Kong, it was decided to invite the Olympic delegation to visit Hong Kong. The Hong Kong side specifically requested that Tang Bei be included.

This is the first visit to Hong Kong by the Olympic delegation, scheduled for August 18th and lasting for three days.

So after resting for ten days, Tang Bei went to Hong Kong again.

In Hong Kong, he received the most enthusiastic support, especially from Hong Kong stars led by Chen Long.

On the evening of their arrival in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong side hosted a banquet.

On August 22, Tang Bei returned to Beijing and went straight back to Tianjing, officially entering the off-season.

We stayed at the old house for two days, and then went to Tianjing City with Jiabao.

Jia Bao led him to Meijiang District and said, "Wet Tiger, the city has fully launched the affordable housing project. Meijiang is one of the five major districts for concentrated development. Tangjia Real Estate has purchased a large amount of land in Meijiang and also bought an island, planning to build a luxury villa area on it."

"island?"

Tang Bei was taken aback.

Jia Bao laughed and said, "I plan to rename South Zero Island on Meijiang Lake to Tangjia Island. We'll live on Tangjia Island in the city from now on."

"it is good."

Tang Bei smiled. He had been to this island before. Meijiang Lake was about seven or eight hundred acres, while South Zero Island was less than ten hectares.

Meijiang District was still relatively desolate. When they arrived at Meijiang Lake, there was no bridge, so they had to take a boat to cross. The two of them wandered around the lake for a while and then left.

Even if construction of this island in the lake starts now, it will take at least five years to complete. Roads, bridges, and villas will be built, so it won't be habitable for the time being.

The two lived in a three-story villa in the newly completed Green Garden Hotel villa area of ​​the Economic and Technological Development Zone. The villa was renovated in March and ready for occupancy.

This villa complex features a multi-story apartment building and 41 three-story villas, with 58% green space. It is fully equipped with amenities such as a business center, a water gym, and a basketball court, and is a high-end European-style hotel-style villa complex integrating residence, dining, and entertainment.

However, this villa area does not belong to Tangjia Real Estate. Tangjia Real Estate only started its real estate investment in Tianjing last year, and before that, it mainly focused on Beijing and Shanghai.

(End of this chapter)