The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 86 I'm cursing you, you don't understand, I can say it again in English.

In the player tunnel, the Heat's five starters arrived first.

After waiting for about ten seconds, footsteps came from the other side of the passage, and five players came out from around the corner.

Tang Bei turned around and saw several Knicks players with fierce expressions.

"You bastard, are you going to beat Patrick to a pulp?"

Oakley wanted to give Tang Bei a hard time, and as soon as they met, his aggressive voice rang out in the player tunnel.

"Your grandpa is the real bastard! Your whole family are bastards!" Tang Bei, who never let revenge linger, immediately retorted in Mandarin.

"What do you mean?" Oakley didn't understand.

I'm insulting you.

Tang Bei explained for a moment, then said, "If you don't understand, I'll say it again in English. You can think of 'your grandpa' as all your male ancestors..."

After saying that, he actually explained it in English, which made Oakley and Ewing even more furious.

"Tang, calm down."

Seeing that Tang Bei had gotten himself into trouble, Glenn Rice and the other three hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"asshole!"

Charles Oakley was so angry he was convulsing. No one in the NBA had ever dared to treat him like this. Did this damned Chinese guy have a death wish?
The issue isn't about this Chinese guy insulting Patrick anymore, but rather about this damn guy provoking him.

"Calm down, okay?"

"Back off! Back off!"

Upon seeing this, a team of security guards standing against the wall quickly separated the two teams.

At this moment, the away team came out, and the MC outside was calling Glen Rice's name. Tang Bei and his five men quickly went out, leaving only Ewing and his five men.

"We must teach him a lesson," Oakley said through gritted teeth.

"Ah."

Ewing, who was not good with words, nodded.

“Let’s get started, everyone come at me,” Dougriffs said.

Charles Oakley raised his fist, which was as big as an iron bowl, and said with disdain, "I can handle that bastard all by myself without you."

"Shh!"

Tang Bei appeared on stage after being introduced by the MC, only to be met with boos from the entire audience.

"Why are they booing me?" he asked John Liu, who was standing on the sidelines.

"You said you were going to beat Ewing, and here you are, booing me?" John Liu said helplessly.

"If I really beat him badly, what will these fans do? Won't they come down and beat me up?" he asked curiously.

John Liu said with a strange expression, "I'm a New Yorker too. If you really beat Ewing, they'll boo him instead."

Tang Bei was taken aback, then burst into laughter, and John Liu couldn't help but laugh as well.

Many celebrities were sitting in the front row on the sidelines.

Tang Bei glanced around a few times. He had watched some movies in the past few months and recognized a few movie stars, such as Winona Ryder, Meg Ryan, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, and so on.

Oh, and he also knows one of the female singers, Mariah Carey. He's heard a few of her songs and quite likes them.

Seeing the several beautiful female celebrities vying for attention, he quickly turned away to avoid any overreaction from his body, which would make him look foolish.

As soon as he turned around, he saw a man in a suit and tie, with a lean build and slicked-back hair. His perfectly styled hair left a deep impression on him.

“Pat Riley, nicknamed The Oracle, a legendary head coach,” John Liu whispered after noticing him.

“Pat, this young man’s stats are even better than Patrick’s right now,” said assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy.

Pat Riley smiled and nodded, saying, "Jeff, with his playing style, I guarantee he'll hit the rookie wall around the All-Star break."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Shaq O'Neal's playing style is less strenuous, so we might not run into him."

Jeff Van Gundy nodded and said, "He has too many drives to the basket and dunks, and he puts in more effort on the defensive end than O'Neal."

Pat Riley laughed and said, "He plays harder than O'Neal."

"Perhaps his career will be even shorter than O'Neal's," Jeff Van Gundy said thoughtfully.

“Who knows?” Pat Riley smiled.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Bill Walton said, "The Heat are currently 7-13, third from the bottom in the East, while the Knicks are 15-7, second in the East. The Knicks have a clear advantage in terms of strength."

Bill Russell nodded and said, "After Tang joined the Heat, he achieved a record of 2 wins and 2 losses, and the Heat's winning percentage increased by nearly 9 percentage points, which shows that his addition has improved the Heat's strength."

"This is his second time facing a superstar center, and the two sides are already very close, so it will be another test of his ability," said Mav Albert.

In the center circle, Tang Bei and Ewing are facing off.

Ewing remained expressionless, not even glancing at Tang Bei, as still as a deep well.

At that moment, the basketball was tossed high into the air, and the two jumped up almost simultaneously.

However, Ewing's jumping ability is not as good as Tang Bei's, with a peak height of only 70 centimeters. His jumping speed is also slower. Tang Bei tipped the ball away first, and the Heat launched an attack.

Power forward Grant Long moved to the right wing, Oakley defended the right midfield position, keeping one eye on Tang Bei's left wing, ready to provide cover at any time.

On the left wing, in the low post, Tang Bei began to call for position and the ball.

Ewing is known for his tough defense. He stood inside and immediately elbowed Tang Bei, determined not to let him enter the penalty area.

However, the two weighed 116 kilograms and 136 kilograms respectively, and the 20-kilogram difference quickly became apparent in their intense confrontation.

Within two seconds, Tang Bei forcefully pushed his way into the restricted area, taking three small steps and covering a full meter, getting just over a meter away from the basket.

"This kid is really strong!"

Not only Ewing thought so, but Oakley, who was behind him, also thought so.

When Tang Bei started to establish position in the low post, the Heat's tactics began to revolve around him, with perimeter players starting to pass the ball and move around to prepare to pass it to him and spread out their defense.

For example, right-wing power forward Grant Long moves very frequently, drawing more of Oakley's defensive attention.

The ball handler, Bimbokors, moved from the top of the key to the left wing, where Glen Rice immediately set a screen, creating a passing opportunity for Bimbokors.

When Tang Bei moved to the deep position, Coles had a chance to pass the ball and passed it down.

Oakley.

Before Tang Bei even received the ball, a sharp screech of sneakers came from behind him. By the time he received the ball, the screech had moved to the lower side, closer to the baseline.

"Support the weak side and double-team the bottom side."

Bill Russell shouted as Tang Bei received the ball.

The next moment, using his left foot as a pivot, Tang Bei suddenly executed a Wing Chun turning stance, veering to the right.

The horse leans to the right, but uses its left foot as the axis, with the left foot accounting for 60% of the weight and the right foot only 40%.

As if turning to the right, he used his waist to lift his arm, and his right forearm pressed against Ewing's abdomen as he turned to the right, while his right shoulder and back also transferred power to Ewing.

Both points of physical contact were sending Ewing the wrong signal: I need to turn right.

In low post defense, defenders mainly judge which side the ball handler will turn or break through by observing the ball handler's shoulder movements.

In other words, is it about protecting the left shoulder or the right shoulder?

"Turn right!"

When Tang Bei executed a right-leaning move, You Yin quickly made a judgment, defended the right shoulder, and immediately turned to the right as well, preparing to double-team Oakley.

But in the next instant, Tang Bei suddenly turned to the left and, with a whoosh, burst into the penalty area from behind Ewing.

"what?"

Ewing was extremely surprised.

Oakley, who had already double-teamed Tang Bei, watched helplessly as Tang Bei suddenly turned left and broke into the penalty area from behind Ewing.

He reacted quickly, turning around and moving laterally towards the basket.

At the same time, Ewing, realizing what was happening, turned around and instinctively grabbed at Tang Bei, who had suddenly rushed over.

But their attempts to recover were too late. Tang Bei stormed into the paint with lightning speed, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and unleashed a powerful tomahawk dunk over the basket.

"boom!"

Amidst the splashing water, the Knicks' rim was blasted apart.

In the live broadcast room, Maverick Albert exclaimed in surprise, "A feint?"

Bill Walton said, "Don almost never used feints before; he always used speed to beat slowness. He didn't use feints when he fought David Robinson either."

Bill Russell nodded and said, "The defensive strength of the Ewing and Oakley inside duo is the best in the league, so it's only right that Tang used a fake move."

On the field, Tang Bei used Wing Chun's turn for the first time in actual combat. He was very happy after the success and shouted to Oakley while returning to defense: "Number 33, Number 34, you defended well."

"Fuck you!"

Upon hearing this sarcastic and trashy remark, Oakley immediately cursed back.

"Fuck you!" Tang Bei immediately retorted, then continued, "Number 34, what do you think of my trash talk? Did it provoke you?"

“It stinks like dog shit,” Oakley cursed.

Tang Beibin politely replied, "Thank you for the compliment! But I think your mouth is even stinkier than my trash talk."

"Fuck you!"

Oakley was so angry that his face turned white. He waved his fists like a crab, about to come over and teach Tang Bei a lesson, but Ewing stopped him.

“Charles, calm down.”

Tang Bei was mainly targeting Oakley, while Ewing was not seriously injured, so he remained very rational.

"If he dares to provoke me again, I will absolutely not let him off the hook." Oakley shouted at Tang Bei, veins bulging on his forehead.

“Oh, they’ve had a quarrel,” shouted Albert, the coachman, in the live broadcast room.

“Don and Oakley were arguing, and Ewing was trying to break it up,” Bill Walton said.

On the court, Ewing pulled Oakley away, preventing a conflict from erupting, and Heat players like Glen Rice breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Bei was quite disappointed. After practicing martial arts for so many years, and being a young man in his early twenties, how could he not want to fight?
Unfortunately, he never had many opportunities for real combat, and there aren't many opportunities for fighting in the NBA. There really aren't many idiots like Larry Johnson.

It seems I really need to follow Eric's advice and practice boxing regularly, and having a few boxing matches when I have time is the best approach.

Ewing got hit by Tang Bei, and as a super center, he definitely had to retaliate, so as soon as he got to the left low post, he immediately demanded position and the ball.

He first used a frontal positioning to gain position, then immediately used a shoulder drop and hip thrust to solidify his position and forcefully try to receive the ball.

Doc Rivers passed the ball down, and Ewing received it, initially establishing an offensive starting point with a triple-threat stance.

This is a common tactic he uses: leveraging his height and weight advantage to occupy a favorable position, pressing his back against the defender to form a natural barrier and block the defender's defense from behind.

He then quickly moved up and down, trying to judge Tang Bei's defensive direction by observing his reaction; this is the ability of an excellent player to read the defense.

If Tang Bei defends his right shoulder, that is, to prevent his downward turn and slide to the bottom, blocking his baseline, he will immediately turn with his left shoulder, that is, turn upward.

If Tang Bei defends his left shoulder, that is, his upward turn, he will immediately turn with his right shoulder.

The most important thing is to accurately judge the defender's defensive reaction. This ability to read the defense is accumulated from years of game experience.

This ability allows him to quickly determine the defender's defensive direction and center of gravity, thus making the best offensive choice.

With the ball held above his chest in both hands, Ewing swayed his body from side to side, and Tang Bei immediately reacted defensively behind him.

Just as planned in the afternoon's defensive drill, he didn't try to predict Ewing's turning direction, but instead directly increased the intensity of physical contact.

Ewing's upper body was jolted, and although his feet didn't move and his center of gravity wasn't significantly disrupted, it still affected his subsequent technical movements to some extent.

With his offensive pace slowed down, he couldn't determine which way Tang Bei's defense was coming from behind him, so he had no choice but to turn around.

Turn down (right).

At the moment of turning, the inside foot, that is, the right foot, pushes off the ground forcefully, while the outside foot takes a big step in the direction of the turn.

Using this step, you can quickly turn your body to face the basket, creating space and increasing the distance between yourself and the defender.

As the turn is completed, both feet push off the ground simultaneously, and the knees straighten at the moment of takeoff. The body is lifted by the powerful core strength of the waist and abdomen, gaining takeoff height and hang time.

"It really is a rabbit kick!"

Tang Bei has done some research on Ewing. This turnaround jump shot is the signature move of this super center, just like his tornado spin.

His defensive reaction was a beat too slow. He only took a step to the right front when Ewing had finished turning, and his jump to block the shot was a beat too slow when his opponent jumped.

But he was more explosive, jumped faster than Ewing, caught up a little bit when he jumped, and jumped higher, so he blocked the ball just before Ewing released it.

To avoid being blocked, Ewing had to raise his shooting angle when he took the shot.

Unfortunately, the angle was too bad, and Ewing's shot didn't even touch the net, resulting in an airball.

However, Grantlong couldn't withstand Oakley's fierce blocking and was knocked aside by an unreasonable elbow from his opponent.

"Snapped!"

Oakley received a pass from Ewing under the basket, turned and jumped, and delivered a powerful two-handed dunk.

"Get lost!"

The slow pace of the attack gave Tang Bei an opportunity. He rushed over, swung his left hand, and swatted the ball away with a volleyball-style block.

"Shet!"

Oakley nearly fell when he landed, and his face turned ashen with anger.

The basketball was swatted to the midcourt line and was caught by Heat shooting guard Kevin Edwards.

Edwards dribbled down the court and was caught by Doc Rivers, who was on defense. As Edwards attempted a layup, he was fouled by Doc Rivers.

The Knicks made both free throws, making it 4-0, and then went on offense.

Ewing got blocked by Tang Bei on the defensive end and almost got blocked on the offensive end. As a super center, he definitely had to get back at Tang Bei, otherwise he would lose face.

He settled into a low position again, this time moving to the right wing.

However, under Tang Bei's strong confrontation, Yu Yin's previously proud height and wingspan advantage was no longer an advantage.

Their former strength and advantages in combat have become disadvantages in the face of Tang Bei.

Even her renowned, delicate footwork was of no advantage against Tang Bei.

After several unsuccessful attempts to block his position, he could only position himself outside the left sideline of the penalty area.

When he received the ball, Tang Bei instantly increased his defensive strength, which shifted his center of gravity slightly, causing the ball to slip from his hands and nearly resulting in a turnover.

Upon receiving the ball, he immediately pivoted on his left foot, braced his left elbow against Tang Bei behind him, quickly turned to the left, and hooked the ball upwards with his right hand as he jumped. At the highest point of his body, he lightly flicked the ball with his right hand, hooking it towards the basket.

This is a simplified version of the hook shot he took from the skyhook. He is very skilled in the technique and it is one of his specialties.

Tang Bei jumped to block, his hook shot was the hardest to defend, the arc was too high, and he couldn't touch the ball.

"Bang!"

The basketball arced along the backboard, bounced off the rim, and then rolled in.

"Clap clap clap..."

Madison Square Garden erupted in enthusiastic applause, with the stars in the front row also clapping.

“Oh, hook shot made, Ewing 1 for 2,” Bill Russell said.

"Don's defense is very solid, and Ewing's shooting touch is excellent," Bill Walton said.

"Don possesses absolute strength and combat ability, as well as first-class footwork, and he can defend against both power-type and technically-type opponents," said Maf Albert.

What makes him most troublesome for the offense in the paint is that he can't easily get into the paint or get close to the basket.

Bill Walton said, "Right now, his help defense on the weak side is not good enough. Once he has accumulated more experience, his defense will definitely reach its peak, and like David Robinson, he will have the potential to become the DPOY."

"Bang!"

Kevin Edwards then pulled up for a jump shot, but missed.

Ewing held Tang Bei firmly in place, and Oakley seized the opportunity to grab the rebound over Grant's head, allowing the Knicks to attack.

"brush!"

Shooting guard Rolando Blackman pulled up for a jump shot and made it.

4:4, Heat on offense.

Tang Bei sets a high screen, and Bimbo Coles drives past the wall from the top of the key, breaking into the paint from the left side of the free-throw line.

Ewing knew that Tang Bei's mid-range shot posed no threat, so he switched defense immediately, forming a double team with Doc Rivers against Bimbo Coles.

Bimbo Coles passed the ball to Tang Bei, who was cutting in from behind, through a double-team, but the pass was intercepted by Doc Rivers.

During the transition between offense and defense, the Knicks seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and the Heat quickly returned to defense.

Tang Bei turned around at the free-throw line to defend, still ahead of Doc Rivers who had the ball. His defensive speed was very fast, and he was the first to arrive at the paint.

"good chance!"

When Doc Rivers saw Tang Bei stop below the free throw line, he impulsively changed direction, accelerated, and drove down from the right elbow area.

Tang Bei immediately turned to the left and moved laterally toward the basket.

Doc Rivers drove into the paint from the right side and made a layup.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei turned around, took a step, and jumped, slamming the ball onto the rim with his palm.

"Clap clap clap..."

The spectacular block earned applause from some of the home fans.

Bill Walton said, "Rivers wasn't calm enough. If you try a difficult reverse layup, you might be able to score in front of Tang, but with a regular layup, the intention is too obvious—he's just handing it over to get blocked."

"Rivers would love to do a layup, but he probably doesn't have the athleticism," said Marv Albert with a laugh.

"Ha ha……"

Bill Russell and Bill Walton both laughed.

(End of this chapter)