The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 78: I believe they each have a 50% chance of becoming the fifth greatest center.

With his left hand blocking Barkley behind him, Tang Bei received the ball with his right hand and immediately dribbled and pushed up, his left shoulder and back slamming into Barkley's chest.

With this thrust, he didn't hold back or test the waters; instead, he unleashed his full power.

He wasn't afraid of missing the target because the two were engaged in a fierce physical confrontation, and Barkley, who didn't know how to perform Tai Chi turns, had no time to back off.

"Oh!"

With a heavy thud, Barkley let out a soft "Ah!" as his upper body jerked backward and his feet slipped.

If he hadn't been wrapped around Tang Bei, he would have been knocked over. But the impact caused him to loosen his grip and take a big step back.

The next moment, while dribbling for the second time, Tang Bei suddenly turned around, performing a Tai Chi turn.

The turn, as fierce as a tiger, generated a powerful, explosive force, like a volcanic eruption, and completed the upward spin in an instant.

At this moment, Mark West arrived to provide backup, but his aim was to double-team Tang Bei from below, trying to do so from behind. However, Tang Bei did a spin move and perfectly avoided the double-team.

Of course, this was also because he had already seen the direction of Mark West's double-team in his left peripheral vision and noticed the help defense coming from the weak side.

As the basketball bounced off the floor and came together, Tang Bei stepped over Barkley from above and sprang up towards the basket.

"Don't even think about dunking on me!"

As Barkley turned and jumped, he hooked his right hand around Tang Bei's neck from behind, but he couldn't stop Tang Bei from jumping.

With a huge fat man weighing at least 250 pounds hanging on his back, Tang Bei jumped up. The load was too heavy, so he didn't jump very high, only about 30 or 40 centimeters, before being pulled down.

But for Tang Bei, whose standing reach is 287 centimeters, this height is more than enough.

"Di!"

"boom!"

The next instant, the referee blew his whistle, and Tang Bei simultaneously smashed the Suns' basket with a one-handed dunk.

When Barkley slammed the basket, his right hand was still hanging on Tang Bei's body. With the combined force and weight, the huge basket frame suddenly sank downwards.

Fortunately, Tang Bei only slammed the ball down with one hand and didn't hang on the rim. After the downward force disappeared instantly, the basket bounced up sharply, startling the media reporters below.

"Oh!"

A huge gasp of surprise erupted once again at the West Coast Arena.

"This monster!"

Barkley was also taken aback by Tang Bei's explosive power.
Tang Bei landed and roared at Barkley, "You think you can fly over a super center and play? You try it!"

"You bastard!"

Faced with such direct provocation, Barkley was truly enraged. In the past, he might have rushed up and punched Tang Bei.

However, he had just been knocked down by Tang Bei, and the dizziness and pain in his body had not yet subsided. He did not have the courage to go up and get beaten up, so he could only grit his teeth and endure it for the time being.

The referee then pointed at Charles Barkley, signaling a defensive foul. The two points were valid, and Tang Bei was awarded a free throw.

Marv Albert shouted excitedly, "Tornado spin move to the basket! Barkley was overpowered! He's not tall enough to stop Tang's attack under the basket!"

Bill Russell said, "If Tang had slammed it home with both hands, the backboard might have collapsed again today."

Chamberlain looked shocked and said, "Don's explosive power is amazing, it seems to be even more amazing than his absolute strength. He can jump even while hanging on Barkley."

"I've never seen such a talented Asian man in this weight class before, and there's only one Shaquille O'Neal among Black men," said Albert.

Next, the Suns launched a fast break.

This is a tactic that Barkley specially created for the Suns when he joined the team, called the "seven seconds or less" fast break tactic.

However, the absence of Lightning Kevin Johnson left the Suns' fast-break tactics without an engine, resulting in mediocre performance.

Unfortunately, the Hornets were in worse form than the Suns, and the Suns ultimately won the game at home.

After the game, Bill Russell said, "Tang had better stamina and performed better in the first half. He attacked the basket more often and had a high success rate, making 11 of 14 shots."

After expending energy in the second half, he increased his shooting attempts by nearly two points, but his touch was off, resulting in 3 of 8 shots made.

"I played back-to-back games last time, scoring 48 points in one game. I played so hard, and then I rested for two days in a row, so my touch hasn't come back," said Albert.

全场22投14中，命中率才63.6%，加上8罚4中，得到32分14篮板1助攻1抢断5盖帽3失误4犯规的数据。”

After a pause, he continued, "Like Tang, the other players on Huang Feng's team are also having a very poor shooting touch."

刚复出的拉里约翰逊16投仅6中，命中率才37.5%，加上2罚1中，只得13分。    戴尔库里14投仅4中，大卫温盖特9投仅3中，凯文林奇4投仅1中，瑞德更是3投0中。

The team's best performer was starting point guard Muggsy Bogues, who scored 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting, but he didn't take enough shots to determine the outcome.

Bill Russell continued, "However, the Suns won the game not because of their superstars or their starting lineup."

Barkley struggled under Tang's tight defense, shooting only 6-for-14 from the field, including 1-for-3 from three-point range, and failing to make a single free throw. He was blocked four times by Tang and scored only 13 points.

The Suns won thanks to their bench players, who combined for 52 points, including 20 from small forward Ceballos and 18 from power forward Tom Chambers.

"The Hornets' bench only scored 22 points in total, a full 30 points less, so it's normal for them to lose," said Marv Albert.

Chamberlain then commented, "Judging from Barkley's performance against Don, Barkley had a terrible game, while Don played like a superstar."

Bill Russell nodded and said, "Barkley tried to attack in the low post, but he underestimated Tang's one-on-one defense and physical attributes. He only turned to the outside after getting four blocks, but it was too late. He underestimated Tang's defense and shot-blocking ability."

"He's just too short. He can't handle a beast-like center like Tang, who peaked right from the start, in the low post," Chamberlain said decisively.

Bill Russell smiled and said, "Yes, he should pull out to shoot, draw Tang out of the paint, and create space for his teammates."

At this point, he commented on Tang Bei's defense, saying, "Among this year's rookies, Alonzo Mourning has the strongest defense, but Tang's defense is also very good, especially in one-on-one defense."

His physical attributes are superior to Mourning's in every aspect, giving him a natural advantage on defense. He possesses all the qualities and talent to become a top-tier two-way center.

Mav Albert nodded and concluded, "This was Tang's first time facing a superstar. Although the team lost, his individual performance was outstanding. This shows that he deserves the praise of being at his peak right from the start."

"A superstar, the greatest power forward in history, a future NBA champion, and this is his performance? Tsk tsk!" Tang Bei said with disdain after the game.

Barkley felt ashamed of his poor performance, attributing it to the fact that Tang Bei had knocked him unconscious before the game. But he had to accept the loss and reluctantly retorted, "But we won."

"I forgot, how many points did you get?"

Tang Bei wanted to force Barkley to reveal that humiliating score himself.

“But we won,” Barkley said shamelessly.

"I slapped you so many times I forgot how many blocks you actually got?" Tang Bei continued to provoke him, clearly not in a good mood after losing the game.

“But we won,” Barkley said sternly.

“But we have 11 wins and 3 losses, while you have 8 wins and 4 losses. In terms of record, we are better,” Tang Bei said through gritted teeth.

"But we won tonight."

Seeing Tang Bei's displeased expression, Barkley's mood suddenly improved, and he chuckled.

Tang Bei's eye twitched, and he said irritably, "Fuck you, is that all you can say?"

Barkley instantly became smug, even after being scolded, he was in a great mood and said with a grin, "Yes, we beat you tonight."

"Damn it! We're going to beat you to a pulp next time."

Tang Bei's mood was ruined by Barkley's shamelessness. He cursed and angrily shoved Barkley aside as he walked past.

"Haha! Rookie, congratulations on scoring 32 points in a losing effort." Barkley laughed triumphantly from behind.

"Fuck you!"

Tang Bei quickened his pace, ignoring the substitutes' bench, and walked directly into the players' tunnel.

An hour later, Tang Bei and Boggs attended a press conference. Larry Johnson performed so poorly that he preferred to be fined rather than attend the press conference.

"Tang, the media generally believes that you reached your peak right from your debut. What do you think?" a reporter from The New York Times asked.

Tang Bei said very modestly, "No, no, how could that be? My peak period has definitely not arrived yet. I was definitely not at my peak right from my debut."

"hehe!"

A low chuckle rippled through the room.

Another reporter asked, "Tang, there are currently three super centers in the league. Who do you think has a better chance of becoming the fourth super center: you, O'Neal, or Mourning?"

Tang Bei thought for a moment and said, "Those two, well, I think they each have a 50% chance of becoming the fifth super center."

The reporter was taken aback. Was Tang being so humble that he didn't think he had any chance of becoming the fourth greatest center?
"Fifth? Shit!"

At this moment, a burst of laughter erupted from the scene. The reporter immediately realized what was happening and looked at Tang Bei with a somewhat helpless smile.

(End of this chapter)