The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 61 Barkley: I'll teach him a lesson.

At the Phoenix Suns' training facility, Charles Barkley, the superstar traded from the 76ers to the Suns, is being interviewed by the media.

After asking a few questions, the reporter suddenly said, "Charles, there's a very hot topic today about center of gravity disruption and using minimal force to achieve maximum effect. Would you be interested in saying something about it?"

Barkley blinked his eyes, which were surrounded by dark circles, and chuckled, "I know about Aikido and Tai Chi, but I didn't know that the techniques of these two sports could be applied to basketball."

"also?"

The reporter immediately expressed his doubts.

Barkley shrugged and said, "Hakeem's blocking is amazing. He told me that his blocking ability comes from his water polo skills."

I think that's why that rookie from China was able to apply some techniques from Aikido and Tai Chi to basketball, so it's nothing special.

The reporter then asked, "Charles, O'Neal, and Tang are two behemoth-like centers who are different from other centers. Many media outlets and shoe companies believe that their careers will be short."

For example, Nike believes Shaquille O'Neal will soon be obsolete, and Don hasn't received any endorsement contracts from shoe companies. Do you think they can survive in the NBA long-term?

Barkley thought for a moment and replied, "Their weight is too much, which puts a lot of pressure on their lower limbs, such as their feet and knees, and that could really affect their careers."

"What do you think of Tang? Who do you think is better, him or O'Neal?" the reporter asked.

Barkley said, "One start doesn't mean anything. I believe that O'Neal, having been honed in the NCAA, will ultimately be even better."

The reporter then asked, "So what's your opinion on Tang's violence?"

At this point, Barkley became interested and said, "I hate guys like Lambiel. Yes, I'll teach them a lesson. I'll show them what's what."

"..."

The reporter was speechless.

In the evening, Eric Fleischer called again and said, "Don, these news reports about your violence are bound to have some negative impact."

"What should we do then?" Tang Bei asked hurriedly.

Eric Fleischer said, "It's not a big problem. I'll arrange for you to participate in some charity events in the future to change your image."

"I'm actually a good person; they forced me to do it," Tang Bei said.

“I know that, Don. Your actions were in self-defense. You are a kind person,” Eric Fleischer said.

That evening, the Charlotte Arena, which holds 24,000 people, was packed to capacity.

On the sidelines, Hornets owner George Shinn was in high spirits because the team's attendance was better than last season.

He rose from the bottom and has limited investment in the team. Operating revenue is very important for the team's development, and there is currently some operational pressure.

With the current roster, after giving Larry Johnson a nine-figure contract, it will be difficult for Kendall Gill and Tang Bei to stay once their rookie contracts expire, given the team's strength.

Especially Tang Bei, given his current performance, how big of a contract would it take to keep him four years from now?
With his next contract, Tang Bei will qualify for the Bird Clause, meaning that once he exceeds the salary cap, the veteran's contract amount will not be subject to the salary cap.

Simply put, without the introduction of a luxury tax, the size of veteran contracts depends on the player's ability, the team's willingness, and the owner's financial strength.

"Judging from Tang's performance, Larry Johnson's contract is really..."

He used to think it was acceptable, but now that Tang Bei has appeared, compared to that, he feels that the super contract that lasted for 12 years was really not worth it.

"Dave, can we win tonight?" he asked expectantly.

After a moment's hesitation, Twitchick said, "The Celtics were fourth in the East last season, but Larry Bird retired, and now they are 1 win and 2 losses. We are on a 3-game winning streak, so we have a chance to win."

But then he added, "However, we are playing back-to-back games, so whether we can win depends on our performance on the day."

George Shinn nodded and said, "Dave, your draft decision is very good."

“I think it’s pretty good too,” Tvertzke laughed.

After the team started their game, Tang Bei was called over by Tvertzke, who introduced him to George Shinn.

This was Tang Bei's first time meeting his boss, and he shook hands with him in a respectful but not arrogant manner, saying, "Hello, Mr. Xin En."

"Tang, it's great to have you in Charlotte. I hope you can become a superstar here," George Shinn said with a happy smile.

The NBA has always been dominated by traditional centers. From the early days of George Mikan, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain, to the golden age of centers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson, superstar centers have ruled the NBA court. "Bang!"

At that moment, Tang Bei, who was warming up on the court, delivered a powerful one-handed dunk, which earned cheers from the fans.

After reaching the bottom line, Zhang Heli continued to take photos.

He is applying to CCTV for a small home-use camera to film some exciting moments of Tangbei's training and matches.

Tang Bei performed well in this game, scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of over 70%.

Besides him, substitute small forward John Newman, who played 35 minutes, also scored 24 points with a field goal percentage of 55%.

Kendall Gill also performed very well, scoring 23 points with a field goal percentage of 66.7%, most of which came from drives to the basket.

Larry Johnson had a poor game, making only 2 of 12 shots for 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Starting point guard Muggsy Bogues was in even worse form, scoring only 4 points and 3 assists on 1-of-8 shooting.

The starting small forward went 0-for-5 from the field, scoring only 1 point.

Although three players scored 20+ points, the Hornets' five key players only managed 65 points, resulting in a loss in the back-to-back game with a score of 109-103.

The Celtics were in excellent form, with two players scoring 20+ points, six players scoring in double figures, and five substitutes contributing 46 points.

On the night of the 13th, the Hornets defeated the Pacers on the road, with Tang Bei scoring 23 points and 13 rebounds.

That noon, O'Neal waited for the person he was waiting for at his mansion.

There were two people in total: Elliott Freeman, an Aikido master, and Jose Johnson, a top American martial arts athlete who was proficient in Tai Chi and Karate.

O'Neal needed guidance in Tai Chi and Aikido, so his agent first contacted Steven Seagal, who runs a dojo in Los Angeles.

Siegel learned Aikido from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido. He was the first Westerner to open a dojo in Japan. In 87, he returned to the United States and opened an Aikido dojo, also known as Tenshin Dojo.

But Siegel had already made his way into Hollywood and this year rose to become a top Hollywood star with the film Underworld. He didn't have time to mentor O'Neill, so he recommended his Aikido partner and student, Elliott Freeman.

After some pleasantries, Shaquille O'Neal's agent, Leonard Amoto, said, "Gentlemen, our requirements are simple: you need to teach Shaq some techniques to counter Tang. We won't skimp on the salary."

"OK."

Elliott Freeman nodded and said, "Mr. Amoto, I have studied the relevant competition data repeatedly. Tang's Aikido level is average. As long as I give him some pointers, I believe Mr. O'Neill will no longer suffer losses."

"That would be great."

Leonard Amoto was overjoyed, and O'Neal breathed a sigh of relief.

Jose Johnson wasn't going to be left behind. He could earn at least $20,000 per trip, which was equivalent to his annual salary. If he didn't perform well, he wouldn't have the chance to come back next time.

After Freeman finished speaking, he immediately added, "I've also studied it. Tang used the horse stance technique from Tai Chi during the match, and he also used power generation techniques when turning around. These are all very basic Tai Chi techniques..."

O'Neal listened attentively. He had lost to Tang Bei in the last game, and a key reason was that Tang Bei's turning speed was faster than his.

Jose Johnson continued, "In fact, he used the techniques of Tai Chi, not the center-of-gravity breaking techniques of Aikido."

Elliott Freeman immediately interrupted, saying, "Mr. Johnson, he was clearly using a gravity-breaking technique; you just don't understand it."

Jose Johnson scoffed, "Aikido is just a simple technique; it doesn't take much time to learn. But Tai Chi is very profound and requires a lot of time to study..."

"There is no first place in literature, but there is a second place in martial arts," Elliott Freeman interrupted Jose Johnson, displeased, saying, "Mr. Johnson, you can't say that. If you'd like, we can have a friendly spar."

“OK, you can choose the time and place.” José Johnson stood up abruptly and said firmly.

O'Neal and Amoto were dumbfounded. Were these two going to start a fight? Are all martial artists this combative?
Soon, news broke out in the media that Shaquille O'Neal had received instruction from two top fighters.

The source of the media news was Steven Siegel.

In order to promote Aikido, this rising action star made good use of the opportunity and took the initiative to tell the media about O'Neal seeking his help.

This incident connected with top Hollywood action stars, causing its popularity to surge several notches, with numerous media outlets rushing to report and reprint it.

(End of this chapter)