The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 94 Dr. Iron Elbow? My elbows aren't to be trifled with either.

"Hey, I'm not talking to you anymore, I really had a romantic encounter."

Tang Bei glanced down at the girl, his eyes lighting up. He quickly gave her some instructions and then hung up the phone.

"Hey, beautiful, are you alone? I'm alone too." He had very little experience chasing girls, so he braced himself and struck up a conversation.

"I'm sorry, sir, I should—no, I'm definitely not your romantic encounter."

The girl's first impression of Tang Bei wasn't good, but even when she was angry, her tone of refusal was gentle, and her expression remained as elegant as ever.

Tang Bei had finally encountered a stunningly beautiful woman he found attractive, so he wasn't about to give up easily. He followed up, saying, "But beautiful lady, I'd be happy to be your romantic encounter, if you don't mind."

"puff!"

The girl almost burst out laughing, but quickly declined, saying, "No, sir, I mind."

Tang Bei admired the girl's stunningly beautiful face and introduced himself: "My name is Tang Bei, you can call me Tang, the Tang from Chinatown."

I'm from China, and I'm currently the starting center for the Miami Heat in the NBA, and the fourth-best center in the league.

The girl shook Tang Bei's outstretched hand, only touching her fingertips, and introduced herself: "Catherine, from England, a small-time actress."

"Nice to meet you."

"Me too."

"Catherine, let me invite you to afternoon tea."

"Hmm, that's fine, but we'll each pay our own way."

"How about this, I'll pay for your share, and you pay for mine?"

"I'll treat you, and you'll treat me? Haha, alright then, you clever Mr. Romantic Encounter, as you wish."

"Catherine, I have a request. Could you please stop calling me Mr. Romantic Encounter? I was just joking."

"Haha... Okay, Mr. Romantic Encounter."

"..."

While having afternoon tea, Tang Bei tried to find topics that Catherine would be interested in.

He wasn't good at topics like movies and musicals, so he could only choose from things he was good at, such as basketball, martial arts, boxing, wrestling, and so on.

He thought Catherine wouldn't be interested in these topics, but to his surprise, she knew a lot about boxing, so boxing became their first common topic.

"I've trained in boxing! Tang, you might not be my match." Catherine clenched her fists and gestured playfully, smiling mischievously.

Are you sure you want to fight me?

Tang Bei stretched out his fist, as big as a sand bowl, and compared it with Catherine's small fist. The size difference was several times, and the contrast between the two was quite amusing. Catherine quickly hid her fist and giggled.

"Eric suggested that I practice more boxing and wrestling. He is my NBA agent and said that I could do boxing or wrestling in the offseason. I thought it was a good idea. He said that both sports are very lucrative and could also increase my influence."

"That's true, but boxing is more popular than wrestling. Professional wrestling doesn't make much money, at least not right now."

"Yes, an American professional wrestling league contacted me, offering an appearance fee of only $5."

Catherine suddenly had a mischievous idea. She really wanted to see Mr. Romantic Get a beating, so she encouraged him, "Don, didn't you say you were really good? Why don't you go box?"

Without hesitation, Tang Bei stepped into the trap Catherine had set, and hurriedly said, "That's exactly what I planned."

After chatting for a while and getting to know each other better, the two naturally exchanged contact information.

Catherine came to the United States this time because she met a Hollywood producer and filmed a TV series and a low-budget movie. Unfortunately, neither of them made a splash, and her attempt to break into Hollywood failed, so she is preparing to return to the United Kingdom to develop her career.

At the evening dance, Tang Bei, who couldn't dance, was dragged around by Catherine and given a good workout. They danced waltz and tango, but luckily he was good at it and soon he was doing alright.

After the ball, the two, half-drunk, naturally embarked on a romantic encounter.

At 10:00 AM on the 23rd, the Fantasy set sail.

A large crowd of people came to the dock to see them off, including Tang Bei, who watched as Catherine and the Fantasy departed Miami.

"Tang, is your romantic encounter over?"

"Driving home," John Liu joked.

"John, do you think I should pursue her?" Tang Bei suddenly asked.

"She's not famous yet, and neither are you. You're of similar social standing, but are you really going to pursue her across the Atlantic?"

John Liu had met Catherine yesterday when he delivered something to Tang Bei. She was absolutely beautiful, with an exceptional temperament—a top-tier beauty. However, he didn't believe that Tang Bei could be with Catherine.

"Uh, it is indeed a bit far."

Tang Bei, who was infatuated with lust, said with some disappointment.

“Tell me, Tang, did you two… well, you know what I mean?” John Liu asked, full of curiosity.

"It's a secret. Oh, by the way, I'm going to go back to sleep for a while; I didn't sleep well last night." Tang Bei snorted and walked upstairs to his bedroom.

"Didn't sleep well? Tang, what did you do last night? Can you describe it in detail?" John Liu asked hurriedly.

"Indescribable".

With a bang, Tang Bei slammed the door shut and disappeared from the room, leaving John Liu, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, to fantasize in secret.

In the afternoon, while the Heat were practicing, the Jazz, who had arrived in Miami, held a press conference at their hotel at the request of the media.

A reporter asked, "Mailman, the Heat have defeated the Knicks and Bulls, and your Jazz just lost to the Magic on the road last night. Are you confident of taking a win from here tonight?"

The Jazz currently have a record of 14 wins and 8 losses, a winning percentage of 63.6%, ranking fourth in the Western Conference, which is much better than the Heat, whose winning percentage is just over 40%.

Karl Malone scoffed, "Of course I'm confident. I won't allow a losing streak. I'm determined to win this match."

The reporter said, "Michael didn't live up to his promise the day before yesterday; he scored 42 points in a losing effort. So, Mailman, are you going to take back what you just said?"

"Need not."

Karl Malone was clearly annoyed.

"Karl, what do you think of O'Neal and Tang, these two exceptional heavyweight centers?" the next reporter asked.

Karl Malone said, "I don't have any opinion about them; all I care about is winning."

"Mailman, who do you think is the best in terms of physical strength among active players? Who is the strongest?" the next reporter asked.

Karl Malone said coldly, "You'll see the answer tomorrow night."

"Mailman, Michael Jordan said before the game that he wanted to teach Tang a lesson. Are you going to say something too?" the next reporter asked.

"Fuck you!"

Karl Malone cursed the damn reporter in his heart: Do you think I'm as stupid as Michael?
He had never even met Tang Bei. At most, he had said a word to Tang Bei in front of the media. What was that? Was it necessary to make a mortal enemy for himself?

The reason he had this realization was because he saw Tang Bei's ruthlessness and fighting prowess in the Knicks.

He felt a sense of camaraderie with Oakley, a fierce fellow, but he was almost powerless to resist as Tang Bei broke two of his thoracic vertebrae, which made him extremely wary of Tang Bei.

After snorting angrily, he said, "Sorry, I have no interest in that trash talk. I only care about winning the game."

The reporter, unafraid of danger, asked again, "You previously stated publicly that you wanted Tang to know the cruelty of the NBA. How do you plan to let him know? By what means?"

The postman's face darkened, and he said coldly, "I already said, you'll know my answer tomorrow night."

After the press conference, John Stockton said, "Carl, be careful. Oakley got hurt badly by that rookie. That kid's tough." Carl Malone replied, "Don't worry, John."

John Stockton nodded; he had complete confidence in his good friend, but was only offering a cautious reminder.

That evening, at the Miami Arena, ticket prices for the game had increased by 100%, but the stadium was still packed, with an attendance rate reaching a peak of 108%.

"Our attendance rate increased because of Tang."

"Yes, after consecutively beating two strong teams like the Knicks and Bulls and tearing their rims apart, more Miami fans are becoming fans of the Heat and Tang."

"All-Star voting is about to begin, and we need to continue to increase our promotion of Tang."

"That's right, the Heat don't have their own All-Star yet, and Tang will be our team's first All-Star."

A group of Heat executives stood at the exit of the player tunnel, looking at the packed arena, and discussed the situation with great interest.

At this point, Heat owner Mickey Arison and general manager Lewis Shaffer came out and joined the discussion among the executives.

At 7:30, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Jazz: Mark Eaton, Karl Malone, Tyronn Corbin, Jeff Malone, John Stockton
Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Grant Lang, Glen Rice, Kevin Edwards, Bimbo Coles
This game was broadcast live across the United States on TNT, with Hubie Brown and Bob Neal as commentators.

Hubie Brown said, "The Heat faced three strong teams in a row: the Knicks, the Bulls, and the Jazz, and won against the first two teams. Their performance after trading for Tang has been fantastic."

Bob Neal nodded and said, "Tang played 6 games for the Heat, with a record of 4 wins and 2 losses, a winning percentage of 66.6%. Before they got Tang, the Heat's winning percentage was less than 30%."

Hubie Brown said, "After the draft, Tang said he would make the Hornets better. He said the same thing after he was traded to the Heat."

Bob Neil nodded and said, "He did it all."

胡比·布朗道：“昨天晚上，爵士输给了魔术，奥尼尔18投12中，命中率66.7%，10罚4中，轰下了28分19篮板3助攻5盖帽5失误4犯规。”

Bob Neil said, "Mark Eaton, who was matched up against him, is getting old after all. He only played 13 minutes and scored 2 points."

Hubie Brown continued, "Later, Mailman personally guarded O'Neal. Although he was very strong and played tough defense, the difference in weight and height was too great."

Moreover, this was his first time defending a heavyweight center like O'Neal; he lacked experience, and his defense was ineffective.

鲍勃·尼尔说道：“邮差进攻端轰下了30分12篮板4助攻1抢断2失误3犯规，命中率52.6%，还是打出了巨星的表现。”

Hubie Brown said, "By comparison, Tang is more dominant in the low post than O'Neal, and the Mailman should theoretically have a harder time defending Tang than he would have defended O'Neal."

Bob Neal said, "Although the Heat's record is far inferior to that of the Jazz, with Tang on the team, we can no longer use past records to assess their current strength. I think it will be difficult for the Jazz to beat the Heat in back-to-back games."

Hubie Brown then suddenly said, "Now I'm a little curious. The Mailman shouldn't have a good impression of Don, but he didn't say anything harsh like Michael did before the game. Why is that?"

"Ha ha……"

Bob Neal couldn't help but laugh and said, "Michael's tough talk also came at a great cost. Tang only injured one opponent per game, but the Bulls had three interior players injured the night before last, and they also lost a rim."

"Ha ha……"

Hubie Brown laughed loudly: "I heard that Commissioner David Stern has once again given orders for the league to reinforce the backboards and rims before the playoffs."

In the home team's locker room, head coach Kevin Longley was reminding Tang Bei, saying:
"Don, the Mailman isn't Oakley. His defensive moves are dirtier and more aggressive than Oakley's. Sometimes he's aiming for vital points. You have to be careful."

Lewis Shaffer also cautioned, "Many stars, even superstars, have been injured by his elbows. Last year, Isiah Thomas had more than 40 stitches in his right eyebrow. Also last year, Michael Jordan suffered a mild concussion from his elbow. Don't be careless."

"I see."

Tang Bei nodded cautiously, but then showed off his braised pork knuckle, saying, "Don't worry, my braised pork knuckle isn't just for show either."

Among the martial arts he practiced, Tai Chi, Bajiquan, Xingyi, Wing Chun, and Hung Kuen all had elbow techniques, and the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands and other fighting techniques had even more elbow techniques.

He raised his hand and patted his calloused elbows, saying, "I've been practicing these elbows for many years. The saying goes, 'A fist is like a hammer, an elbow is like a knife.' It's a pity I haven't used these treasures much."

When the Heat players saw the calloused elbows, which looked as if they were made of refined steel, and then looked at the pair of incredibly thick arms, their eyes couldn't help but shrink.

"Don, don't do anything rash," Kevin Longley quickly warned.

“Don’t go looking for trouble,” Lewis Shaffer added.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't deliberately trip someone up; that would be an unfair victory."

Tang Bei didn't care about the Mailman's elbow at all. He wasn't one of those small perimeter players. On the contrary, the Mailman was small in comparison to him. He was a whole size bigger than the Mailman. If the Mailman wanted to sabotage him, he would let this guy experience the cruelty of the NBA.

A few minutes later, when Tang Bei and four of his starting teammates arrived at the player tunnel, the Mailman and the other five Jazz starting players were already standing there.

"Humph!"

Upon seeing Tang Bei, Karl Malone, though unwilling to be his enemy, felt no goodwill towards him.

Actually, in the United States, it's not easy to find many people who have a good impression of Chinese people. He's the same; he has no good impression of Chinese people at all.

Tang Bei saw Karl Malone and asked curiously, "Hey, you're Karl Malone, the mailman, and also known as Dr. Iron Elbow?"

Karl Malone hated the nickname "Iron Elbow Doctor" the most, and he was furious, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"Kid, what do you want to say?" he sneered.

"Just a greeting."

Tang Bei said with a smile.

The two stopped talking, and the others, sensing the awkward atmosphere, remained silent, plunging the players' tunnel into silence.

"WOW..."

"Clap clap clap..."

Next up, when it was Tang Bei's turn to appear last, the Miami Arena erupted in cheers and applause.

This was the warmest welcome Tang Bei received in Miami, representing the Miami fans' recognition of him.

He signed his Chinese name for a young fan in the stands, then shook hands and hugged the team owner, executives, and teammates, completing his entrance ceremony.

Mickey Arison is very happy. Last season, they made the playoffs, but this season started so badly that he thought he had no chance. But now the team's record is slowly improving, and they have hope of making the playoffs again.

This hope came from Tang Bei, which made him very satisfied with Tang Bei.

"Tang, that VIP card allows you to ride any cruise ship owned by Carnival Corporation for free. You can bring your family on board, and everything is free."

"If you can lead the team to the playoffs this season, I'd even be willing to change the cruise ship's departure date and the itinerary, and choose to dock in Tianjing."

"Jordan bets you a Ferrari, but he's lying because his Ferrari definitely can't fit you."

"But I can custom-make a super Ferrari that you can fit in if you can lead your team to the second round."

To motivate Tang Bei, he publicly promised a reward.

"make a deal."

Since being traded from the Hornets to the Heat, just as Eric told him, Tang Bei treated it as a business deal, and he extended his right hand with a smile.

"make a deal."

Mickey Arison shook hands with a smile as well.

He calculated very clearly that if the Heat made it to the playoffs, the attendance would be packed and ticket prices would be several times higher than in the regular season.

The benefits promised to Tang Bei could be recouped tenfold in the first round of the series, let alone the second round.

(End of this chapter)