The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 229 The Real Behemoth
"Tang, what do you think of this Heat team?" an NBC reporter asked during a post-game interview.

Tang Bei said, "Back then, Larry Johnson and I were on the Hornets, then Mourning and Larry Johnson were on the Hornets, and now Mourning and Ewing are on the Heat. There's an overlap in the available timelines."

“I don’t know what Mr. Pat Riley was thinking, but it’s clear that Ewing and Mourning are not a good match.”

"I don't have a high opinion of this Heat team. They definitely won't be able to get past us, and they won't be able to get past me."

An hour later, at the Heat's press conference, Pat Riley was besieged by local reporters.

A reporter from the Miami Daily asked, "Mr. Riley, I'd like to know, do you think the frontcourt pairing of Ewing and Mourning is the right one?"

Pat Riley said without changing his expression, "I know you have concerns, but I have my reasons. Patrick has a mid-range shot, and I've already had Alonzo improve his mid-range shooting. We should give him more time."

The reporter continued, "But Severe Fear only took three and a half seasons to build a three-peat dynasty for us. You didn't give him more time, and you even wanted to trade him last season, so what right does Mourning have to get more time?"

Pat Riley's face instantly turned blood red, and his eyes turned cold and sharp. He said coldly, "That's because he was too greedy."

The reporter immediately questioned, "If you offer an average annual salary of $1500 million to people with severe phobias, why does Mourning deserve the same contract?"

These words made Pat Riley shut his mouth and his expression stiffen.

When the topic turned to himself, Alonzo Mourning, who was standing next to him, also turned ashen-faced, his fists clenched tightly, and sweat rolled down his forehead.

The host hurriedly had his staff confiscate the reporter's microphone and hand it to the next reporter to be chosen.

The next question came from an ESPN reporter in Miami: "Mr. Pat Riley, do you think the Heat have the ability to make it out of the Eastern Conference?"

Pat Riley calmed himself down and said with a smile, "The season has just begun, we only lost the opening game, so let's not be too pessimistic, okay?"

The reporter then asked, "But you lost to a Knicks team that was terrified of the game, and by 52 points. Do you really think you can get past the Knicks in the series?"

"And more importantly, Alonzo Mourning, whom you have high hopes for, only scored 2 points, and he didn't score a single point against a defense that was heavily fearful."

"So what was your psychology and purpose in giving him the same contract as someone with severe phobia? Do you really think he's a player on the same level as Tang Bei?"

Pat Riley took a deep breath and thought to himself, "I'm not angry, I need to calm down..."

Mourning's fists were clenched so tightly they were almost bleeding, and he was panting heavily.

Only Ewing remained expressionless, appearing indifferent.

Before the next day even arrived, after the game ended, countless Miami fans flooded NBC's hotline and local Miami media's hotlines with calls, and Mickey Arison and Pat Riley were subjected to a barrage of insults.

Back at the hotel, Tang Bei was too excited to sleep, so he took out his laptop to go online and enjoy the media and fans' criticisms of Mickey Arison and Pat Riley.

"You two bastards, as long as I'm around, you'll never win another championship."

After looking at it for half an hour, he still didn't feel sleepy, so he opened the treasure chest again to admire the treasures.

The last Olympics awarded three treasures, the first of which was a bone-strengthening pill that automatically replenishes the body.

All four types of pills from the treasure chest have started to replenish automatically. He only needs to take one pill per week to maintain the effect, and he has already shared these pills with his family.

The same goes for the fourth one. This girl has excellent sprinting talent. She caught the national team's eye last year. With these four medicines, her physical talent will be even better in the future.

The second treasure is a pair of basketball shoes, which match the previous insoles.

Moreover, the basketball shoes are automatically replenished, one pair per day.

The shoes are of the highest quality in the world, and many of their technologies are not available from other brands.

Because he endorses FILA, an American brand, he can only wear FILA shoes in public. Therefore, the basketball shoes he received as a reward in the treasure chest look exactly like FILA shoes.

In addition, the treasure chest also includes all the patented technologies for basketball shoes and insoles as rewards, totaling more than 6,000 patented technologies worldwide.

He had someone check, and the patents were genuine, which meant he could start his own basketball shoe brand.

Fila is doing very well in China, but mainly because other shoes sell well, while basketball shoes sell only so-so.

Last year he received more than $60 million in bonuses, but Fila USA did not invest more money in basketball shoe research and development. The new technology could not keep up with big brands such as Nike and Adidas, which he was very dissatisfied with.

Now that he has these patents, he doesn't plan to renew the contract after it expires in 98.

The third treasure consists of ten national treasure-level Chinese cultural relics and one hundred first-class cultural relics.

The treasure chest also specifically states that these artifacts all come from Japan and have been replaced with fakes.

He put on the prepared gloves and took out the five-stringed pipa.

This thing was a gift from the Tang Dynasty court to Japan. After checking, I found that it is known as the top of Japan's ten national treasures, a royal treasure, and a unique surviving piece.

"Am I going to open a private museum in the future? This is a bit tricky! Treasure Chest, can you be a little more reliable? If you're so capable, why don't you just produce the Yongle Encyclopedia?"

Before the next day even arrived, after the game ended, countless Miami fans flooded NBC's hotline and local Miami media's hotlines with calls, and Mickey Arison and Pat Riley were subjected to a barrage of insults.

The next day, the front pages of all American media outlets were filled with news about last night's game.

Besides praising Tang Bei's strength, there's a barrage of negative news about Mickey Arison and Pat Riley, as well as a fair amount of negative press about Mourning.

"Mickey Arison, the dumbest owner in NBA history, dumber than the Hornets' owner." - The New York Times.

"Predicting psychologist Pat Riley's Miami career is nearing its end," according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Alonzo Mourning earns $183,000 per game from the Heat, but he only scored 2 points last night, averaging $91,500 per point, making him arguably the most expensive player in NBA history," according to The Washington Post.

"According to a telephone survey, 92% of Miami Heat players believe that Mickey Arison and Pat Riley should be kicked out of the Heat," Miami Sentinel reported.

"Miami's economic index dropped 3 percentage points after he left the Heat due to severe fear," according to the Wall Street Journal.

The opening game's frenzy sent New York into a frenzy, with the New York media raving about Tang Bei.

New York media are the leading media outlets in the United States, possessing world-class influence. With the promotion from these media outlets, Tang Bei's fame and influence began to rise again after the Olympics.

This was followed by a large number of invitations to high-quality business events, as well as various top-tier and leading commercial endorsements. Not long after Tang Bei arrived in New York, his commercial value began to increase significantly.

In yesterday's opening game, Jordan also had an outstanding performance, scoring 33 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, leading his team to a home victory over the Suns.

O'Neal scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 7-for-11 from the free-throw line, achieving an impressive 80% field goal percentage. With a weight of 160 kilograms, he became extremely dominant in the low post.

The performance of the rookies in the opening game also attracted much attention.

For example, Allen Iverson, the number one draft pick, scored 30 points and 6 assists on 12-of-19 shooting in a home game against the Bucks, a shooting percentage of 63.2%, and received widespread praise from the media.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, the Knicks returned to New York.

Tomorrow is the game against the Hornets. He had dinner with Glen Rice that evening and asked, "How are you doing, Glen? Charlotte is doing well. I don't think Larry Johnson can beat you right now."

Glen Rice shrugged and said, "He's seriously injured and can't beat me. The Hornets are definitely a good fit for me to rack up stats right now."

Tang Bei laughed and said, "Anyway, you don't want the championship anymore. Just put up some good stats and ask for a long-term contract next time."

Glen Rice said, "Larry Johnson is in a lot of trouble with his injuries right now, especially his back injury. His physical condition has declined significantly, and the Hornets have a bad run."

Tang Bei chuckled and complained, "Everyone in the Hornets, from the boss to the management, likes him. They'll still like him even if he's stuck with them. Serves him right!"

Glen Rice: "His salary keeps going up, he can't be traded, he's locked up the Hornets' space, and rebuilding is hopeless."

"The team's management is very chaotic right now, and the ticket sales are getting worse every day. I think this team will be finished sooner or later."

At this point, he added, "Tang, the Miami Heat are being heavily criticized right now. If they can't perform well, they'll become the next Hornets, and could very well follow in the Hornets' footsteps."

"who cares."

Tang Bei has no liking for the Hornets, nor for the Heat. Anyway, once he catches the Hornets, he'll beat them to a pulp until they're ruined.

On the 3rd, the Knicks will host the Hornets.

This was Tang Bei's debut for the Knicks, which attracted a lot of attention. The average ticket price tripled, all VIP rooms were sold out, and front-row tickets were still hard to come by even with black market prices of over $10,000.

Madison Square Garden was ablaze with stars in the evening, with a large number of Hollywood celebrities in attendance, and the stands were almost entirely filled with fans wearing jerseys with the number 88.

At 6:30, as Tang Bei and Jia Bao's car approached Madison Square Garden, it was immediately surrounded by a large number of fans and media.

The Knicks arranged a grand entrance ceremony for Tang Bei's debut, spending millions of dollars to arrange a light show and fireworks display at Madison Square Garden, as well as a rock band, turning the venue into a giant rock music stage.

Amidst the powerful music and dazzling lights, the Knicks flag slowly rose, the iron gate of the player tunnel slowly opened, and Tang Bei slowly entered the stage, accompanied by deafening rock music and earth-shattering shouts.

The Knicks also invited a large number of New York City celebrities, business tycoons, and politicians, as well as legends Willis Reed and Walter Frazier, who won two championships with the Knicks.

Larry Johnson looked at Tang Bei, who was surrounded by flashing lights, and felt extremely emotional.

Thinking back to three years ago when he and Tang Bei fought tooth and nail for the Hornets, and now his health has deteriorated to a serious level while Tang Bei has reached the pinnacle of his life, the contrast between his current situation and his current one is immense.

"God is so unfair. I am covered in injuries, while he plays a more violent style of fighting and has no injuries at all."

He recalled when Tang Bei first joined the league, many media outlets believed that with Tang Bei's playing style, he wouldn't last more than a few years. Looking back now, it was truly a joke.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

The Hornets are playing a twin-tower lineup, with former Lakers starting center Vlade Divac and Matt Geiger, who was Tang Bei's backup on the Heat and recently joined the Hornets, forming the frontcourt.

No one thought these two players could stop Tang Bei, and the result was exactly that. In this game, Tang Bei played an overwhelming role in both penalty areas, absolutely controlling the penalty area on both offense and defense.

Just like in the opening game, he finished the game in three quarters, easily scoring 50 points and leading his team to a 37-point victory over the Hornets, achieving two consecutive wins at the start of the season.

That night, the Lakers also won their second consecutive home game.

The combination of Jordan and O'Neal was phenomenal, with both scoring 30+ points, completely dominating the Timberwolves.

Kobe Bryant, the sixth overall pick, made his debut, missing his first shot in six minutes and scoring zero points.

The Lakers arrived in New York the following afternoon.

Some reporters were waiting at the airport, and a reporter from The New York Times asked, "Michael, are you confident about tomorrow's game?"

Jordan casually replied, "Of course."

"Shaq, what about you?" a reporter asked O'Neal.

“I’m convinced that tomorrow will be a new beginning,” Shaquille O’Neal said with a determined look on his face.

When Kobe Bryant saw Jordan and O'Neal surrounded by reporters, he couldn't help but think, "One day, I want to be like them."

At this time, Tang Bei and Jia Bao were taking a walk in a private zoo on Long Island.

The private zoo, with only two pets, is 150 acres in size, or about 60 hectares or 900 mu, and most of the area is empty.

Little Elena is staying in a pool of nearly 3,000 square meters. She is only a teenager and has not yet reached adulthood. Orcas don't reach adulthood until they are 20 years old.

But this several-ton behemoth was not well-behaved, constantly ramming into the pool platform, causing its head to bleed profusely.

This thing was shipped from Miami to New York, and the transportation costs alone amounted to several million dollars. Now, this huge pool has been fitted with a temperature control system, which cost a fortune—more expensive than keeping any pet.

Jiabao was a little depressed. She came today because little Elena was sick, and quite seriously so; she had even started self-harming.

After examination, a group of experts determined that Elena suffered from social deprivation, which, combined with the aftereffects of the long journey, was quite severe, and she was now showing suicidal tendencies.

Tang Bei scratched his head. A fish needs to socialize? And it even commits suicide?

“Garbo, what did the experts say?” he asked. Garbo said sadly, “They said that little Elena doesn’t socialize with other animals of her kind, and she has very little social interaction with humans. They suggested that I send her to a zoo that is open to the public, where she can have other animals of her kind and tourists to play with, and she will have more social activities.”

"Then let's deliver it," Tang Bei said hurriedly.

Garbo had no other choice. Although she was reluctant to give away little Elena, whom she had raised from a baby, she couldn't just watch her commit suicide.
In another 300-meter-long iron cage, little Monica was restless and kept howling when she saw her owner, Garbo.

"She's in heat."

Tang Bei looked at the lioness; she resembled a cat or dog in heat.

"Wet Tiger, how about we find a husband for little Monica?"

Garbo dared not approach the iron cage; no matter how good her swordsmanship was, she couldn't beat a lioness in heat.

"It's always been single?"

"Yeah, Monica has been an adult for five years and is still single."

"Garbo, how about we send it to Africa?"

“No, I’ve raised it from kittenhood to this day, I can’t bear to part with it. Besides, it can’t hunt, it’ll starve to death.” Jia Bao immediately shook his head.

“She won’t starve to death; she’ll probably be eaten by the hyenas before she does,” Tang Bei said.

"Humph!"

Jia Bao glared at Tang Bei.

"Then let's give it to another zoo, just like little Elena. You should stick to raising cats and dogs from now on."

To be honest, Garbo's liking to keep these large animals as pets is considered a quirk, an illness, and needs to be treated.

"Roar!"

Little Monica yelled at the two of them repeatedly.

Jia Bao said with a strange expression, "Wet Tiger, I think she was barking at you. She probably thinks you are a lion."

Tang Bei's face froze for a moment, then he quickly shook his head and said, "Nonsense, could she possibly be hallucinating?"

"Cuckoo..."

Jia Bao laughed loudly, grabbed Tang Bei, turned around, and left, saying as they walked:
“Then let’s send them all away. But it’s a waste to leave this place empty. It’s 150 acres in the best location on Long Island. How about we build a luxury villa complex and then sell them for a big profit? Wet Tiger, what do you think?”

"Good idea," Tang Bei praised.

Jia Bao added, "Wet Tiger, I also want to build a kendo dojo here, and I want to be a Wet Tiger too."

"Are you really planning to open a kendo dojo?" Tang Bei asked, somewhat surprised.

"OK."

Kendo was Garbo's greatest passion, she nodded earnestly.

Tang Bei has always been very cautious about opening a martial arts school or kendo dojo.

Having a background in martial arts, after achieving financial freedom, he believed that opening a martial arts school should not be a business, but rather a place to spread martial arts.

So he has not agreed to open the museum all these years because he has not had the energy to put it into it.

But Jia Bao had been learning kendo from him for several years and had already laid a solid foundation, so opening a kendo dojo wasn't out of the question.

Looking at Jia Bao's expectant eyes, he nodded and said, "It would be best to take on some apprentices and start teaching them from a young age."

"Haha, I'm going to be a wet tiger!" Jia Bao burst into laughter.

…………

On the 5th, in the evening, at Madison Square Garden.

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

Lakers: Shaquille O'Neal, Elden Campbell, George Lynch, Michael Jordan, Nick Van Exel

Knicks: Don Bei, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason Jr., John Starks, Chris Childs
The game was broadcast live across the United States by ESPN, and the commentator, Michael Brin, said:

"In terms of roster, the Lakers employ a dual-core system, with Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal being players who need to be double-teamed, making them very strong offensively."

Tom Tolbert said, "The Knicks are a one-man team, and their offense and defense are all built around a deep fear."

Michael Brin said, "The partnership between Michael Jordan and Shaq has been very good so far, even though they've only played two games. The roster fit is excellent."

Tom Tolbert nodded and said, "So the media's evaluation of the outcome of this game is not one-sided."

At this point, he changed the subject and said, "However, I think the key to the game is whether O'Neal can score over the head of Severe Fear and whether he can limit Tang Bei's offense to some extent."

In the players' tunnel, the starting lineups of the two teams met.

"Charles, it's been a long time."

"Hey, Michael."

Jordan came up and greeted Oakley; the two seemed to have a good relationship.

Tang Bei stood inside the iron gate, gazing at the baseline dozens of meters away, where an advertising billboard for Tangjia Electric Appliances, which he endorsed, stood.

Currently, the Knicks and Lakers are the most watched teams in the entire league, and Tangjia Electric Appliances only advertises with a few teams with the highest viewership, avoiding wasting advertising money on other teams.

Tangjia Appliances has become one of the most popular home appliance brands in the United States, with its televisions and washing machines ranking among the top three in sales, aiming for second place and then first.

Since the country has not yet joined the WTO, exports are restricted. Tangjia Electric Appliances earns a lot of foreign exchange back to China, making him and Jiabao highly regarded in the country.

It is precisely because of this that Tangjia Investment Group's wholly-owned subsidiaries have been able to obtain huge loans in China.

He suddenly said to Jordan, "Air Jordan, do you use any Tangjia appliances at home?"

Jordan replied irritably, "I support American products."

Tang Bei said, "You're really stupid. My appliances have top-notch technology, second-rate prices, and the best value for money in the world."

"Do I lack money?" Jordan said dismissively.

Tang Bei nodded and teased, "I know, what you're trying to say is that you're stupid, but you're not short of money."

"puff!"

This remark not only made Jordan's face darken, but also made several other people burst out laughing.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Tang Bei and O'Neal stood in the center circle, the two behemoths staring at each other with sparks flying from their eyes.

"My lifelong rival, I will not lose," O'Neal said through gritted teeth.

"A lifelong enemy?"

Tang Bei was taken aback and said in surprise, "You have no honors whatsoever, at most you're an All-Star backup center. Do you think you're on the same level as me? What the hell? What makes you think you're my lifelong rival?"

"you?"

O'Neal felt a sudden heat in his chest, and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Ha ha……"

Oakley and the others laughed so hard they were shaking.

The referee bit his whistle so hard he almost burst out laughing. The next second, he tossed the ball high into the air.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei tipped the ball away, Chris Childs received it, and the Knicks attacked.

"Get out!"

Tang Bei moved to the low post on the left wing, trying to enter the paint. Provoked, O'Neal pushed him outwards with a frenzy, even elbowing him.

"Di!"

The referee couldn't stand it anymore. Elbows are fine, but don't make it too obvious, okay? He called a defensive foul on O'Neal.

The game resumed, and Tang Bei once again took his position.

O'Neal was already a size bigger than Tang Bei, weighing 15 kilograms more. Under O'Neal's strong defense, Tang Bei tried to push him aside but couldn't move him easily.

"ball!"

He braced his left elbow against O'Neal and raised his right hand high, calling for the ball.

Just because you can't easily squeeze him doesn't mean you really can't. Once your strength is maxed out, your physical strength is also maxed out. Unless O'Neal gains weight to 180 kilograms, it's very likely that he won't be able to move him.

While demanding the ball, he unleashed his full power and strength, pushing forward like a mad bull.

"How is this possible? How can there be such power?"

His footing became loose, and his upper body began to be pushed backward. Seeing that he could no longer stand, O'Neal was shocked.

The next instant, his foot slipped, and he took a step back, stepping into the restricted area and getting close to the basket.

"Tang Bei is going to the deep post, and O'Neal can't hold on," Tom Tolbert exclaimed in surprise.

The ball was passed down, but the Lakers didn't arrange for help defense. Phil Jackson wanted to see how the 160-kilogram O'Neal would defend Tang Bei one-on-one.

During the last Olympics, O'Neal got injured before he could even unleash his full potential.

The moment Tang Bei received the ball, he suddenly performed a downward Tai Chi turn.

A burst of power erupted as he turned, his right elbow deftly disengaging O'Neal's right hand, and as he completed the turn, he stepped forward with his left foot and leaped into the air.

"boom!"

With a powerful one-handed slam, the massive basketball hoop swayed precariously amidst the deafening thud.

"WOW!"

A huge cheer erupted in Madison Square Garden.

Han Qiaosheng said excitedly, "Tang Bei completed a tornado-like attack on the basket. Even if O'Neal gained weight to 160 kilograms, his ability to compete with him would still be inferior to Tang Bei's."

Sun Zhenping said with a smile, "Judging from this attack, he still can't defend against Tang Bei one-on-one."

Xu Jicheng said seriously, "But when Tang Bei took his position, he clearly used all his strength, making it more difficult for him to beat O'Neal than before."

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "After all, it weighs 320 jin, a true behemoth."

(End of this chapter)