The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 96 The Great Shark Returns from Martial Arts Training
The next day, December 24th, Christmas Eve, no NBA games were scheduled.

In the morning, a group of reporters blocked Karl Malone and others as they came out of the entrance of a private hospital in Miami.

In an interview, the Jazz's public relations representative revealed that Karl Malone received a total of 52 stitches to his head, and also suffered a mild concussion, requiring at least a month of rest.

The Jazz also revealed that Tang Bei's elbow strike on the mailman caused serious injury, and the team has filed a complaint with the league and provided relevant evidence.

"Postman, do you think Tang's action was a foul?" a reporter shouted.

The postman ignored them and got into the car under the protection of the staff.

"Postman, you're known as Doctor Iron Elbow. Now, who do you think is more powerful, you or Tang's elbow?" another reporter shouted.

"Fuck you!"

The postman instantly lost his composure, glaring fiercely at the reporter and swearing on the spot.

The reporter was startled and quickly added, "Karl, I think he's more suited to the nickname 'Iron Elbow Fighter,' what do you think?"

Karl Malone felt a little better, nodded slightly, and spoke for the first time: "I agree with your opinion."

On this day, the media widely reported on the battle between Tang Bei and the postman.

Following in the footsteps of Barkley, David Robinson, Ewing, and Jordan, Tang Bei has once again garnered attention by being dubbed the Mailman as the fifth superstar.

However, many media outlets have criticized Tang Bei, believing that his playing style is too violent.

Since Tang Bei entered the NBA, no fewer than thirty players have been injured because of him. In the last four games, a large-scale brawl broke out in the game against the Knicks, resulting in Oakley's serious injury. In the game against the Jazz, Mailman was also seriously injured.

Tang Bei scoffed at this. Was it his fault that the players got injured? It was clearly their lack of physical strength that was the problem, why blame him?

As for Oakley and the mailman, it wasn't him who started the violence. It's not gentlemanly to hold a grudge and refuse to submit. If you dare to elbow me, you should be prepared to be elbowed in return.

New York, Union headquarters, David Stern is watching footage of the mailman's injury last night.

Tang Bei's smashing motion was part of a block, but the force was too great, causing a mild concussion, which definitely indicates a subjective intent to harm.

Objectively speaking, Tang Bei's action was not a foul, and it happened at a crucial time when CCTV had just started broadcasting an NBA regular season game live.

Therefore, after careful consideration, he decided to handle the matter fairly.

Around noon, the NBA officially responded to the Jazz's appeal.

Tang Bei's block was a normal defensive action, and the elbow that hit the postman was part of the block's sequence and did not constitute a foul.

"Damn alliance!"

"Favoring a rookie? Aren't NBA viewership ratings supported by star players? What are those bastards thinking?"

Upon hearing this news, the postman became even more dizzy with anger and started cursing.

As a superstar, how could he not be as good as a rookie, especially a Chinese rookie?

In reality, David Stern's principle in handling this matter was simply to maintain fairness, without favoring either side.

On Christmas Day, the NBA only scheduled two games: the Bulls hosted their old rivals, the Knicks, and the Spurs played the Clippers on the road.

At 2 p.m. that day, Magic arrived in Miami and gave an interview at the hotel.

A local reporter asked, "O'Neal, you've undergone forty days of combat training. Are you confident about facing Tang, who once dominated you, again tomorrow night?"

Shaquille O'Neal gets a headache whenever he hears the word "Tang".

Tang Bei was his inner demon. He stole his thunder in the rookie camp, threw him to the ground, then took away his Rookie of the Month award, and messed with him in the game. Thinking of these things, the anger in his heart surged up.

He said with a straight face, "He's nothing special. Tomorrow night, I'm going to have a good competition with him to see who is the best rookie of '92."

"Shaq, I heard that your two boxing coaches have also come to Miami this time?" a reporter asked.

"Yes."

O'Neal nodded and said, "Not only are they coming, Steven Seagal will also be coming. They will be going to the game tomorrow night to watch the match."

At this moment, Steven Seagal had just arrived at Miami Airport and was stopped by several reporters for an interview.

"Steven, are you in Miami to film a movie?" a reporter asked.

"No, I'm here to watch the Magic vs. Heat game," Steven Seagal said with a smile.

"I heard you recommended your Aikido disciple to O'Neal?" the reporter pressed.

"Yes."

Do you think Aikido would help Shaquille O'Neal?

"I've studied the games between Tang and O'Neal, and the influence of Aikido is very strong. I think O'Neal's training in Aikido was helpful."

"So you're here to promote Aikido?"

"You can understand it that way."

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Eric Fleischer returned to Miami from New York and arranged to have dinner with Tang Bei.

"Tang, FILA in the US wanted to get a great deal, $3.5 million over five years, $700,000 a year, but I refused."

"Rejected again?"

Tang Bei was already numb.

Eric had helped him turn down at least five endorsement deals. He really wanted to advise Eric, "Can we just quit while we're ahead?"
Seeing Tang Bei's blank expression, Eric Fleischer quickly said, "Tang, we're not in a hurry..."

"You're not in a hurry, but I am," Tang Bei thought to himself.

"Tang, if you are selected as an All-Star center this time, you should be able to get a second-tier shoe contract, which is worth several million dollars."

"Really?"

"Furthermore, your endorsement fees in other areas will also increase significantly, and more brands will be willing to work with you."

"But didn't you say that brands don't like my violent image?"

"Not necessarily. Many international brands are associated with elements of violence and power, so these brands probably won't dislike you."

"There's such a brand?"

"Yes, for example, the Lamborghini sports car, which has developed well in the last two years, is the ultimate representation of power and wildness."

"Sports car?"

Tang Bei became excited and asked loudly, "Lamborghini is planning to have me as their spokesperson?"

"Uh, no."

Eric Fleischer shook his head awkwardly.

Tang Bei immediately fell silent and muttered, "I don't have an endorsement yet, which doesn't seem worthy of the Heat's leader. What should I do?"

The last sentence was in Tianjin dialect, which Eric Fleischer couldn't understand, but the rest was in English, which he could understand. After hearing it, he broke out in a sweat and quickly said, "Don't worry, I went to Detroit yesterday. Hummer contacted me before."

"Oh?" Tang Bei's eyes widened.

"Hummer just launched the civilian version, the H1, this year, and Schwarzenegger is the first global ambassador for this vehicle. They also have their eye on you."

"Tang, they said that as long as you become an All-Star center, they will give you an endorsement contract worth no less than three million dollars over two years."

"Really?"

Tang Bei's spirits were lifted.

“Of course it’s true, Don. Your image is perfect for the Hummer SUV,” Eric Fleischer laughed.

Tang Bei said happily, "That's great. The team has been giving me a lot of publicity resources lately, and I've already given several media interviews."

Eric Fleischer thought for a moment and said, "Don, I'm going to pool some resources to try and get you to become a spokesperson for a Fortune 500 company after you become an All-Star."

"Fortune 500?"

Tang Bei's heart skipped a beat. That was a world-class brand, and the endorsement fee must be substantial.

"How will you unite?" he asked curiously.

Eric Fleischer said with a bitter face, "Actually, my father knew a lot of people in high society, many of whom were shareholders and executives of large companies. I'm trying to contact them."

Tang Bei had some doubts. He believed in an old saying: those who are eager to do business are not good businessmen.

Eric Fleischer saw Tang Bei's doubts and said, "Tang, that's how the business world is, and professional sports are the same. You have to actively strive for what you want."

"Take the initiative?"

Tang Bei was taken aback. It seemed so. If you don't take the initiative to seek it out, who will go out of their way to force benefits on you?
He couldn't figure out whether those who were eager to participate were not actually doing business, or if they were.

That evening, Tang Bei and John Liu watched the Bulls vs. Knicks game together. Ewing played 30 minutes, shooting only 6-for-18, scoring just 14 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, a terrible performance in the highly anticipated Christmas Day game.

乔丹打了41分钟，34投15中，三分球4投0中，16罚12中，轰下42分8篮板5助攻3抢断1盖帽的数据，赢下了比赛。

"Tang, given Ewing's current performance, it's difficult for him to compete with you for an All-Star starting position," John Liu said excitedly.

"And that idiot O'Neal is competing with me," Tang Bei said.

“Isn’t tomorrow a good opportunity? Let’s do it again,” John Liu encouraged.

"Hehe, we should really give him another good beating," Tang Bei nodded.

“His two coaches, oh right, and actor Steven Seagal, will both be there to watch the game tomorrow night,” John Liu suddenly said.

Tang Bei said, "I've seen Siegel's movie this year. His Aikido and Judo should be better than mine."

"What should I do?"

John Liu was taken aback and said hastily, "He's a black belt in karate, aikido, judo, and kendo. I've heard he's very skilled. Before he became famous, he worked as a bodyguard for some celebrities and Hollywood stars, and he also worked as a martial arts instructor for the CIA. He should have real combat experience."

"What do you mean?"

Tang Bei said, "I'm playing basketball with O'Neal, not sparring with Siegel."

"That's true."

John Liu nodded, then suddenly asked curiously, "If you fought Steven Siegel, could you beat him?"

"That depends on the rules."

Tang Bei shook his head and explained, "I've only studied Judo and Aikido briefly; I haven't studied them in depth. Apart from sparring with my master and fellow disciples, I've never had a real fight. I haven't even learned Karate."

If we disregard strength, weight, explosiveness, and reaction speed, and focus purely on technique, I probably wouldn't be his match.

But without immense strength, one cannot achieve the feat of using minimal force to overcome great strength. Therefore, with the addition of qualities like strength, even if someone of his small stature possesses exceptional skill, I can most likely overcome his skill with brute force.

"Ha ha……"

John Liu was pleased to hear this and nodded repeatedly.

Tang Bei added, "In terms of swordsmanship, he practices Japanese swordsmanship. There is a Japanese swordsmanship tradition in Tianjing that I have studied. It mainly focuses on slashing and cutting, and its core is actually knife technique. It doesn't have many core sword techniques."

As for me, Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bajiquan all have sword techniques passed down through generations, and I've practiced them, but I also lack real combat experience, so I can't really say what the techniques are like.

"He certainly doesn't have any real combat experience."

John Liu thought for a moment and then said, "He himself said he had practical experience, but there is no evidence to prove that he has competitive experience. There is no witness testimony or physical evidence, and the media has investigated it."

Tang Bei nodded and said, "Weapons are, well, an extension of the limbs. In my understanding, in actual combat, qualities like strength still play a very important role."

I can still overcome skill with brute force, and my swordsmanship and knife skills are not inferior to his; my technique is no less than his, but I can't prove it in actual combat.

John Liu said, "In Tang Dynasty Japan, kendo competitions require wearing protective gear and using bamboo swords."

"Bamboo sword? Can you really cultivate true swordsmanship with that stuff? Hah!"

Tang Bei complained, saying, "Without the worry of getting injured, the application of techniques will be more daring, and if I use a bamboo sword, I won't be able to take advantage of my strength, which will be more advantageous to him."

He saw that John Liu was somewhat disappointed, but then smiled and said, "According to what you said, strictly speaking, neither he nor I have any practical combat experience. If I were to fight him, I am confident that I could win in terms of physical fitness, strength and other qualities."

Another very important quality is performance under pressure; people with strong willpower have a significant advantage in this regard.

Especially in Kendo, in actual combat, three parts skill and seven parts courage are required. Those who lack mental fortitude cannot master the art of swordsmanship.

"Sword courage?"

"It's about training your courage, being able to remain calm and composed even with a sword at your side. Never mind, I won't explain further, you wouldn't understand anyway."

"Alright, Tang, if you can really fight him and win, you'll definitely become famous."

John Liu yawned after he finished speaking, and their small talk ended there. It was past ten o'clock, so they went to sleep.

On the evening of December 26, before 12 p.m., the Miami Arena was already packed, with an occupancy rate of 108%.

At 7:15, Steven Seagal appeared at the stadium.

He was wearing a simple black suit and trousers, a white shirt but no tie, his hair was neatly combed into a low ponytail, and his expression was calm.

Beside him were his disciple and partner, Elliott Freeman, O'Neal's Aikido coach, and Jose Johnson, O'Neal's Tai Chi coach, who was also following behind him.

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

Orlando Magic: Shaquille O'Neal, Tom Torport, Dennis Scott, Nick Anderson, Scott Skiles

Miami Heat: Tang Bei, Grant Lang, Glen Rice, Kevin Edwards, Bimbo Coles
This game was not broadcast nationwide, only on regional television.

Commentator Tom Signum said, "After losing to the Hawks, the Heat went on a winning streak against three strong teams: the Knicks, the Bulls, and the Jazz. Hopefully, they can continue their winning streak today."

Another commentator, Houston Frank, said, "And then there's the Suns. Since Tang joined the Heat, the Heat have beaten these four strong teams. They're no longer the bottom-ranked team in the league."

Tom Signum nodded and said, "What interests me now is how much O'Neal actually learned from his two boxing coaches how to deal with Don."

Houston Frank chuckled and said, "Don has been training for 17 years, while O'Neal has only been training for a little over a month. I don't have high hopes for him."

"Me too."

Tom Signum echoed.

"Tang, this time you'll pay."

In the player tunnel, O'Neal waited expectantly for Tang Bei.

Tang Bei didn't have a good impression of Shaquille O'Neal, and casually said:
"You've only been learning combat sports for a month, and you've gotten all cocky? Fine, you can choose to fight or play ball, I can kill you in either of those."

Upon hearing this, O'Neal was so angry that his lips trembled, but he dared not provoke him any further.

Tang Bei already had a bad reputation, and no one else in the Magic dared to speak up for O'Neal, making him feel wronged like a little wife.

The starters came on next, with Tang Bei coming on last.

Steven Seagal, who was talking to O'Neal, saw Tang Bei and walked over with a smile.

Tang Bei noticed this and stopped.

Steven Siegel stopped three steps away, placed his hands on his lower abdomen, stared intently at Tang Bei, nodded slightly, and said:

"Tang, nice to meet you. I am Steven Seagal, the head of the Tenshin Dojo in Aikido."

Looking at Steven Siegel's demeanor, Tang Bei's gaze sharpened, and he asked with unusual indifference, "Japanese Bushido?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Steven Siegel's eyes; he sensed a slight change in the Chinese man's emotions.

"I heard you have three dojos in the United States, promoting Japanese Bushido. Are you open to challenges?"

Tang Bei had no good feelings towards Japan because Tianjing had been occupied for eight years, and many of his elders and villagers had died in the massacre by the Japanese. The mass graves in Tanggu were piled high with bones.

Steven Siegel is not Japanese, but he is a successor of Bushido and a propagator of the spirit of Japanese Bushido. If you have the chance, you should definitely mess with him.

"Kicking gym?"

The surrounding reporters instantly became excited, and the sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air.

Zhang Heli was also taken aback. What was Tang Bei planning to do?
Eric Fleischer was also nearby. After hearing Tang Bei's words, he was first taken aback, and then immediately became happy.

He has been intentionally having Tang Bei participate in boxing and wrestling during the off-season to increase his influence. If he were to fight Steven Seagal, a rising Hollywood action star, the effect would be excellent.

As for the possibility of Tang Bei losing, he didn't think about it much. It was just a side job in another field, so if he lost, he lost. It wouldn't hurt his main job in the NBA. Besides, he had a lot of confidence in Tang Bei.

"Kicking gym?"

This word, which is very familiar in Japan, made Steven Siegel feel the great hostility from Tang Bei, and at the same time aroused his anger.

For a martial arts school, being challenged is an extremely serious and special event that endangers the school's survival, the inheritance of its techniques, its reputation, and even its industry standing.

But from another perspective, if we win, it will be an opportunity.

However, he had a big concern because he lacked practical experience. He was not a professional fighter and had never fought against a professional fighter in a professional arena.

Although he has claimed to have real combat experience on several public occasions, he actually does not. At most, he has had discussions with some professional fighters and engaged in non-competitive sparring during training.

However, according to his understanding, Chinese martial arts are not suitable for actual combat; they are all routines for performance. Tang Bei should also lack practical combat experience, so this is not his main concern.

What he was really worried about was that, in addition to Chinese martial arts, Tang Bei had also practiced boxing and wrestling, and had even broken Oakley's bones.

Of course, Oakley is not a professional boxer and his strength is limited, which does not mean that Tang Bei has practical combat experience.

(End of this chapter)