The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 228: Raging Victory
On the field, Ewing couldn't hold back any longer and started calling for the ball in the low post on the left wing.

As a dominant center, he was surprisingly stripped of his ball-handling and offensive rights by Pat Riley after joining the Heat.

Even though Pat Riley served as his head coach for four years with the Knicks, he was still very angry and dissatisfied with the coach.

Pat Riley frowned when he saw Ewing asking for the ball.

He didn't believe Ewing could score high-quality low-post offense against Don Bei's one-on-one defense, a point that had been proven in previous seasons; otherwise, he wouldn't have stripped Ewing of his ball-handling and offensive rights.

Tim Hardaway saw Ewing calling for the ball, which didn't fit Pat Riley's offensive strategy, but he couldn't ignore the superstar center's call, so he had to pass the ball to Chapman at the top of the key.

After receiving a pass from Chapman, Ewing immediately turned upwards and then turned downwards again.

However, under Tang Bei's full-level confrontation, his technique was distorted, and he was unable to drive to the basket. He could only manage a hook shot for nearly two points from the left side of the penalty area, which was almost blocked.

With a clang, the hook shot went short; Oakley blocked Mourning, Tang Bei turned and grabbed the rebound, and the Knicks went on offense.

"Ewing couldn't beat Tang Bei, so Pat Riley's tactical idea of ​​activating the inside from the outside was correct," Magic Johnson said.

Tang Bei received the ball in the low position on the left wing this time, and Childs' pass was excellent, a straight pass, and Mourning's defensive support was not in place.

"Oh!"

The first light side-step strike easily knocked Ewing back a small step.

"Oh!"

Just as Mourning's weak-side help defense arrived, Tang Bei completed his second post-up, using about 80-90% of his strength. Ewing was directly knocked away, flying two meters.

"boom!"

Just as Mourning was about to steal the ball, Tang Bei had already completed the pass, instantly performed a Tai Chi spin move, avoided Mourning's defense, and with a burst of speed, slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.

"WOW!"

"Severe phobia..."

The Miami Arena erupted once again with thunderous cheers and shouts.

With the score at 16-4, the Miami Heat's offense and defense both failed, prompting Pat Riley to call his third timeout of the first quarter.

“Mickey Arison seems to have messed up,” Bill Russell said.

“How so?” Bill Walton asked.

Bill Russell said, "The Heat had only been around for a few seasons and had already won three consecutive championships, but the team lacked a foundation, and its operational and management capabilities had not kept up. Mickey Arison did not make money, so they spent a lot of money to bring in Pat Riley."

"At this point, he probably felt that Tang was no longer of much significance to the Heat, who had already won three consecutive championships. After all, keeping Tang would mean paying a high salary of $2500 million per year, which was not worthwhile."

"He probably thought that with Pat Riley's strong operational capabilities, the Heat could make money. After all, the Heat are the first and only three-time champion dynasty in modern times. And the current Heat team is also very strong, a championship-caliber team."

"But he seems to have underestimated the impact of severe fear among Miami fans. The Heat's season ticket sales and average ticket price this season have been less than ideal, forcing them to lower prices twice, which is the best proof that Miami fans are not very enthusiastic about this Heat team."

Magic Johnson nodded and said, "Bill, your analysis makes sense. I'm worried about one thing: if the Heat don't make it out of the Eastern Conference this season, the Heat won't be good, and Pat Riley may also face his Waterloo."

The timeout ended, and neither side made any substitutions. The Heat went on offense.

Hardaway once again broke through with the ball, this time driving past Chris Childs from the outside and drawing Oakley's help defense.

Mourning seized the opportunity to enter the paint, then received a pass from Hardaway and made a layup.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei quickly moved into position and delivered a powerful block, sending the basketball into the stands and causing a scramble.

"Bang!"

The Miami Heat attacked again, and Tim Hardaway forced his way through before pulling up for a jump shot. He attempted a long two-pointer but missed, resulting in a +1.

Tang Bei grabbed the rebound, and the Heat launched an attack.

“Haddaway made 1 of 4 shots,” Bill Walton said.

Tang Bei ran towards the frontcourt, and as he passed the Heat's bench, he suddenly shouted:

“Mr. Riley, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. From now on, I’ll guard Mourning, and you can let Patrick take over.”

Pat Riley's face darkened. Tang Bei was deliberately targeting Alonzo, using this targeting to undermine him. How despicable!

If Mourning can't perform well enough in direct matchups against Tang Bei, then his $1500 million contract is a joke, a joke of Pat Riley's.

"Patrick, do you want to get injured? If not, let Mourning guard me," Tang Bei said as he entered the low post.

Ewing's face twitched involuntarily. Who the hell wants to get hurt? If Pat Riley doesn't assign me to guard you, why would I be crazy enough to follow you around?
"Mo Ning, come and defend me!" Tang Bei shouted.

Mo Ning's eyes narrowed. What the hell was Tang Bei planning?
"Go on!"

"Go, super center, go defend Severe Fear."

In the stands behind the baseline, some fans who heard Tang Bei's words started shouting.

The home team fans started jeering and turning against him. Mourning, the tough guy, couldn't stand it. He didn't care about his psychological trauma and immediately ran to Tang Bei to switch defenses with Ewing.

"ball!"

Tang Bei braced his left elbow against Mourning and raised his right hand high to call for the ball.

Oakley, seeing this, cleverly ran to the right defensive zone and shouted to Ewing, "Patrick, forget about them and come guard me."

Ewing was unhappy with Pat Riley and didn't like Mourning, who had a higher annual salary, so he followed him without saying a word.

"Idiot, Alonzo, how are you going to defend against him with your height?" Pat Riley was so angry at the sight that he wanted to curse.

Tang Bei used his left elbow to push Mo Ning, who was defending, away a little, and then suddenly exerted force to strike Mo Ning's chest with the most ferocious force.

In other words, he doesn't want to hurt anyone right now, so he's not using his full strength; at most, it's about 80-90% of his strength, similar to when he bumped into Ewing earlier.

"Oh!"

With a heavy thud, Mo Ning groaned and, like Ewing before him, flew backward, crashing onto the floor with a thud, then sliding backward again.

"boom!"

Tang Bei turned and attacked the basket, easily slamming in another basket.

"WOW!"

Miami Arena erupted in cheers once again.

"Come again."

Mo Ning, fueled by the cheers of the home crowd, ignored his nearly shattered chest and scrambled to his feet, yelling at Tang Bei.

Pat Riley's eyes were filled with anger as he yelled at Ewing, "Patrick, where's your weak-side help defense?"

With the score at 18-4 at home, he could imagine how much he would be criticized by the Miami media and fans if he lost this game.

Ewing had played under Pat Riley for four years, and although he was somewhat dissatisfied with him, he didn't dare to disobey him too much. He nodded but didn't say anything.

At this moment, Oakley caught up and whispered to him, "Patrick, don't forget that the lethality of severe fear is mainly borne by the defenders. Don't be silly, don't be too eager to provide backup."

Yu Yin was stunned and speechless.

Xu Jicheng said, "According to Coach Zhang's information, Tang Bei's weight has reached 145 kilograms, which is 10 kilograms heavier than when he first entered the league."

"Now, if you want to stop Tang Bei's post-up moves, you don't even need to think about it if you don't weigh 150 kilograms. You can't withstand it." "150 kilograms of weight, and it has to be all muscle with good absolute strength. Even if you're 160 kilograms like Shaquille O'Neal, you still can't stop him."

Tim Hardaway called for a screen from Mourning on the right wing, then cut inside, dribbled past Oakley who was switching, and drove in an arc towards the paint.

Oakley ignored Mourning and chased after him. John Starks, who was in the high post, went down to help defend, while Chris Childs, who was being driven past, helped defend the high post.

Tang Bei had already moved to defend under the basket, and Ewing also entered the paint, reaching out to call for the ball above Tang Bei.

Faced with John Starks' aggressive help defense, Tim Hardaway opted to pass the ball, bouncing it to Ewing.

After receiving the ball, Ewing was blocked on the left by Tang Bei. In the intense physical confrontation, he used his left elbow to block Tang Bei, but he couldn't stand up at all. With his center of gravity shifted, he barely managed to complete a right hook shot.

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the rim and was caught by Tang Bei.

"Ugh!"

Pat Riley was disappointed.

First, although Tim Hardaway drove in, the Knicks' rotation and help defense were too quick, preventing Hardaway from getting an open shot or drawing double teams, thus failing to create open shots for the inside.

Secondly, Ewing's post-up game couldn't break Tang Bei's defense.

The current situation is completely different from his tactical plan. He thought that Tim Hardaway could activate the offensive power of the two super centers, but reality slapped him in the face.

The key is that he spent four years building the Knicks' defensive system, and he also coached players like John Starks, Oakley, and Mason.

Now, the defense of these players, and the Knicks' defensive system, have become the force that killed the Heat.

Bill Walton said with some shock, "To be honest, I didn't expect the game to start like this before it started."

"Especially Tang Bei's strength, he seems to play Ewing more easily than last season, and playing Mourning is even more like child's play."

Magic Johnson said, "Not only you, but almost all the media outlets believe that the Heat's Big Three have reached championship level. They will be the Knicks' strongest opponent and the strongest contender for the championship."

Bill Russell said, "There are reasons why the Heat can't stop the Knicks' offense and can't execute their own offense."

"The Knicks' defense is stronger than the Heat's, at least their starting lineup is stronger, which makes the Heat's perimeter offense inefficient and also prevents them from activating their interior offense, leading to an offensive slump."

“Mourning’s mid-range shot is not good. He is actually taking away Ewing’s space. Now he is playing the role of Larry Johnson.”

"If the Heat see Mourning as their future, then they don't need Ewing, but rather a power forward like Oakley. The current roster has a mismatch."

"On the defensive end, the Heat couldn't stop the Knicks' offense, and they made a series of mistakes, which not only allowed the Knicks to launch several fast breaks, but also gave Oakley several open looks in half-court sets."

"In my opinion, this Heat team may be good against other teams, but they can't beat Tangbei's Knicks."

The game continued, and the Heat called three timeouts in the first quarter, but Pat Riley did not call any more.

Mourning continued to defend Tang Bei, but Ewing's help defense was always a step too slow, so he was completely outmatched by Tang Bei when defending him one-on-one.

The Knicks dominated the Heat in the first quarter, outscoring them 38-14 by 24 points.

Tang Bei made all 10 of his field goal attempts and all 3 of his free throws, achieving a 100% shooting percentage. He scored 23 points in the quarter, outscoring the entire Heat team by 9 points.

Tang Bei scored 42 points in three quarters, leaving the Heat with no chance to turn the tide. In front of 20,000 home fans, the Heat played a shameful game and lost the opening game at home.

The Knicks won by a whopping 52 points, 62-114.

Tang Bei, Oakley, Mason Jr., John Starks, Wilkins, and Sam Cassell—a total of six Knicks players scored in double figures.

After Tang Bei switched to defend Mourning, he prevented Mourning from scoring.

Mourning's mentality had already begun to crumble by the third quarter, and he deliberately drew fouls, fouling out in the 8th minute of the third quarter.

Tim Hardaway lived up to Pat Riley's expectations, scoring 24 points, but his shooting percentage was low, barely 40%.

After the game, Magic Johnson commented on Mourning's performance, saying, "He can forget about scoring against Tang Bei in the low post; he can only score by pulling out to shoot."

Bill Walton continued, "On the defensive end, Tang Bei can play against Mourning like it's nothing. The height difference, strength difference, physical difference, and athleticism difference allow Tang Bei to play against Mourning however he wants, and he can dominate him in various ways."

"Tang Bei this season is truly a master of extreme fear."

Bill Russell nodded and said, "The league has encountered its most terrifying Severe Fear, who has officially entered his peak form starting this season."

After the game, Oakley pulled Ewing aside, who looked utterly despairing, and said, "Old man, after you finish this season, how about you come back and take a minimum salary?"

"Base salary?" Ewing was taken aback.

Oakley said, "A championship, don't you want one? While you're still in good shape, grab a star player and win a championship, then go to another team and get a long-term contract to retire with."

His relationship with Ewing was just too close, which was actually a problem that Ewing and his agent had to consider. They didn't want Ewing to miss out on opportunities, nor did they want him to be let down by David Falk.

Leaving aside Michael's contract, Alonzo Mourning's contract clearly demonstrates that David Falk doesn't care about Ewing.

When Ewing renewed his contract in 95, he was still at his peak and could have easily renewed for four or five years, but he only renewed for two years. What kind of nonsense is that?

"……I will think about it."

Ewing was a little uncomfortable with the "clinging to someone's coattails" comment. After muttering something, he hugged Oakley and left.

Mourning returned to the locker room and struggled to take off his jersey, revealing multiple red and swollen areas on his chest, with a faint smell of blood in his breath.

He took a deep breath and felt a dull ache inside.

Fortunately, he was short but had a high muscle mass and thick chest muscles, so his ribs were probably not broken. It was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune, and his ability to withstand impact was indeed formidable.

Ewing glanced over and his eyes met Mourning's.

Mourning's gaze was cold and contained anger, making him realize that his relationship with Mourning would deteriorate from this point on, because he had hardly provided any effective defensive support tonight.

“Patrick, come out, I want to talk to you.” Pat Riley pushed open the door and called out expressionlessly.

Without saying a word, Ewing got up and walked out of the locker room.

The two arrived at a secluded spot, where Pat Riley stared coldly at Ewing and said:

"I don't understand, Patrick, have you become a coward? I've coached you for four seasons, and you've turned into a coward?"

Ewing scoffed and said, "Coach, if you think I'm not a good fit for the Heat, you can trade me."

"What did you say?"

Pat Riley's eyes widened, and he immediately asked, "Patrick, tell me, what's wrong with you?"

Ewing fell silent, recalling Oakley's words after the game. Two minutes later, just as Pat Riley was about to lose his patience, he finally stammered, "I won't renew my contract after this season."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Pat Riley knew things were getting serious; he had lost control of Ewing.

But that's all there is to it. As long as Micky Arison still trusts him, he can use Ewing to trade for a star player who is a good fit for Mourning.

The reason the Knicks traded Tang Bei for Ewing wasn't because they thought Ewing was a good fit for Mourning, but because that was the most valuable asset the team had.

He spent four years with the Knicks and knew Ewing's body very well. He knew that this superstar center couldn't continue for much longer; knee and back injuries were tormenting Ewing.

That's why he intends to make Mourning the future of the Heat, not Ewing.

Since Ewing wants to leave, then let him leave. Tang Bei can be traded, so why not Ewing?

(End of this chapter)