The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 75: Seeing you get beaten up made me feel better.
Evening, at the West Coast Arena.

This game was broadcast live nationwide on NBC, with Bill Russell and Mav Albert as commentators and Wilt Chamberlain as a guest commentator.

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

Hornets: Tang Bei, Larry Johnson, David Wingate, Kevin Lynch, Muggsy Bogues

Phoenix Suns: Mark West, Gerald Mustaph, Charles Barkley, Dan Mamlij, Negle Knight

Bill Russell said, "The Suns are currently 7-4 and the Hornets are 11-2. The Hornets have a big advantage in terms of record and are truly a dark horse."

"Larry Johnson missed five days and two games due to injury, and his return today is very good news for the Hornets," said Marv Albert.

Bill Russell quipped, "The Hornets won both games while Larry Johnson was sidelined with an injury."

Center Tang averaged 43.5 minutes per game, racking up an incredible 43 points, 16 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks. If he doesn't return soon, he'll likely lose his place in the team.

"Ha ha!"

The other two laughed.

"During the draft, I thought Don was a bit underwhelming with the second pick, but now that I see him playing so well, I know I was wrong," said Marv Albert.

Bill Russell turned to him and asked, "Wilt, you also thought Don's ranking was too high back then, what do you think now?"

Chamberlain glanced at his old friend and rival and thought, "His performance is indeed very strong right now. He deserves the number one pick, let alone the number two pick."

Bill Russell and Malcolm Albert nodded simultaneously, signaling Chamberlain to continue.

Chamberlain then changed the subject, saying, "But his and O'Neal's playing style requires too much physical ability, especially the ability to withstand injuries."

A major injury could very well end their career or cause a precipitous decline.

"Alright, let's get back to the game."

MarAlbert nodded, bringing the topic back on track, and said, "The Hornets still have two key players, Kendall Gill and John Newman, who haven't returned yet, but the Suns are also missing players due to injuries."

Bill Russell continued, "The major injury to starting point guard Kevin Johnson is a major blow to the Suns."

In addition, there has been a major injury at the small forward position, and head coach Westphal has opted to start three big men, presumably intentionally, to counter Don.

Chamberlain nodded and said, "None of the Suns' interior players are tall. Their starting center, Mark West, is only 208 centimeters tall and weighs 104 kilograms."

The substitute striker who started tonight, Gerard Mustaf, is also only 208 cm tall and weighs 108 kg.

As for Charles Barkley, I don't think he's even as tall as Michael Jordan..."

At this point, feeling he might have offended Barkley, he added, "Maybe they're about the same height, that's about it. I can't speak against my conscience."

"Ha ha……"

"hey-hey……"

Upon hearing this, the other two couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Fuck you!"

In the home team's locker room, Charles Barkley gave Chamberlain the middle finger on the television screen, and two of them at that.

"Ha ha……"

In the locker room, the Suns players couldn't help but laugh.

Larry, are you alright?

“I’m fine, Charles.”

Shortly after, in the players' tunnel, Barkley and his close friend Larry Johnson shared a warm hug and exchanged greetings.

Barkley really liked Larry Johnson because the young man was similar to him; both were short players who played power forward.

The two weighed about the same, around 250 pounds. He was slightly taller, but he was all fat, while Larry Johnson was all muscle.

"Larry, the media reports that you have a conflict with that rookie? Is he trying to take over the leadership role?" he asked in a low voice.

Larry Johnson's face darkened, and he said dejectedly, "I'm going to leave the Hornets."

"You lost the argument?"

Barkley's smile vanished, replaced by surprise. But despite his surprise, he had to admit that a short power forward like Larry Johnson was simply not as competitive on the team as a heavyweight center like Tang Bei.

After all, this league has always been dominated by traditional centers, and a center who reaches his peak right from the start can definitely become the cornerstone of a team.

A player like Tang Bei would be an absolute cornerstone for any team, not just the Hornets, but also the Knicks, the Lakers, and the Celtics.

He looked at Tang Bei with great interest. In the NBA, Tang Bei, a Chinese man with yellow skin, was an anomaly. But this anomaly had just entered the league and had already put on a dominant performance, so he was very interested in him.

He didn't have any issues with Tang Bei because of Larry Johnson.

"Fatty, what are you looking at?"

Tang Bei seemed to sense a gaze from behind, turned around, and saw Barkley with dark circles under his eyes.

He's been involved with the NBA for a long time and knows this fat guy. I heard he's a superstar, born in the Year of the Pig.

Charles Barkley walked up a few steps with a grin and chuckled:

"Tang, standing before you is a superstar, the owner of signature sneakers, the greatest power forward of all time, the Flying Pig who slammed villain Bill Laimbeer and punched villain Karl Malone, the future NBA champion, the great Sir Charles Barkley."

A series of titles left Tang Bei's mind reeling. After recovering, he exclaimed in surprise, "You play power forward too? I think you should play shooting guard or small forward."

"what?"

Barkley was furious and said angrily, "I hate it when people talk about my height, kid, do you want to fight me?"

"hey-hey……"

Laughter, barely concealed, rippled through the players' tunnel.

Upon hearing the word "fight," Larry Johnson's face flashed with a mixture of embarrassment and curiosity. He was eager to know if Barkley could beat Tang Bei.

Tang Bei chuckled. He looked at Barkley, then at Larry Johnson, and felt that the two were too similar.

"I don't bully short people, really. I don't feel any sense of accomplishment even if I beat you." Then he said quite "sincerely".

"Humph!"

Larry Johnson snorted angrily.

"A dwarf? Ah!"

Barkley was "moved" by Tang Bei's sincere words, and with a roar, he rushed forward to tackle Tang Bei.

Although Tang Bei is not a professional wrestler, he has indeed trained, including freestyle wrestling and Tianjin classical wrestling.

Barkley grabbed his upper body, and at the same time, he performed a neck clamping maneuver.

The next moment, Barkley's hook throw failed to move Tang Bei, simply because Tang Bei not only had a strong stance but also wrestling skills, making his lower body too stable.

"rise!"

Since the other party made the first move, Tang Bei had no more reservations. He shouted and turned around to deliver a neck-clamping throw.

"Shet!"

Charles Barkley was lifted off the spot, feeling the world spin around him, his back and chest jolted violently, and he was slammed to the ground, his shoulders hitting the ground, his head spinning.

"Oh!"

A gasp of surprise rang out in the players' tunnel.

Seeing that Barkley had also lost, and was even defeated by a single shot, Larry Johnson felt a little better.

"Hehe, stop hitting me."

"Stop it."

Upon seeing this, a team of security personnel standing nearby rushed over.

"Fatty, you're bad at the game but love to play, are you still going to play?" Tang Bei teased.

"You're really good at fighting, kid. I'm impressed. I'm not playing anymore," Barkley said readily, not wanting to lose face any more.

(End of this chapter)