Chapter 23: Elbow Strike

At this moment, O'Neal and Mourning were preparing for the jump ball.

The two had not been in the same conference in the NCAA and had never played against each other, only knowing of one another by reputation. Because both were incredibly talented centers, the media frequently compared them, and O'Neal’s reputation and evaluations had always held the edge over Mourning’s. This had left Mourning feeling indignant and suppressed; now that the opportunity had arrived, he was determined to prove that his talent and strength were no less than O'Neal’s.

"Snap!"

The referee tossed the ball high into the air. Mourning jumped with all his might, but he lacked the height advantage. With both having equally exceptional wingspans, O'Neal was the first to tip the ball away.

O'Neal moved to the low post on the left wing to call for the ball. Randy Woods, a traditional small point guard, saw him signaling and immediately fed it inside. After receiving the ball, O'Neal performed an upward pump fake followed by a downward one, executing a fluid up-and-under move to slip along the baseline toward the basket. Mourning’s defense was excellent; he wasn't fooled and managed to keep pace, but the disparity in their physical mass was too great, and he was pushed aside by O'Neal.

"Bang!"

O'Neal leaped up and hammered home a powerful one-handed dunk, driving the ball into the hoop with force.

In the ensuing game, O'Neal and Mourning battled time and time again. Both performed very well, but overall, O'Neal was the stronger player. O'Neal’s static and dynamic talents were simply overwhelming—one could say he completely outperformed Mourning—and his center techniques were impressive as well. Whether in scoring, shooting percentage, rebounding, or blocking, O'Neal emerged victorious in every category; Mourning found it difficult to contain O'Neal’s offense. Of course, O'Neal also had more turnovers, which was his only real weakness, though as a rookie, this was not significant.

Mourning was deeply disappointed, feeling that his form was mediocre today and that he hadn't played to his potential. Fortunately, there were five games scheduled in total, so he would have more chances to face O'Neal.

O'Neal’s performance left all the general managers feeling excited, especially those of the teams with the best chances of landing the top draft pick. By comparison, the performances of the other rookies, including Christian Laettner, were much less impressive. Those who failed to stand out were quickly substituted; in the first eight minutes of the opening quarter, seventeen different rookies had seen the floor.

Tang Bei had not yet played, waiting for his opportunity. He noted that O'Neal’s fakes and pivots were incredibly agile; when turning, he would dribble once or twice, and his explosive power, speed, and ability to run the fast break were exceptional. O'Neal also possessed a decent little hook shot, excellent low-post offensive skills, good rebounding, and formidable shot-blocking ability on the defensive end.

By comparison, Tang Bei’s technical skills were far behind O'Neal’s. Even though his vertical leap was superior, his defensive experience was sorely lacking, and his rim protection was nowhere near his opponent’s. Fortunately, after being tempered by the CBA playoffs and undergoing a month of training, some of his fundamentals and techniques had improved. However, by the end of the first half, with O'Neal playing another five minutes in the second quarter, Tang Bei had not received even a single second of playing time.

After a fifteen-minute break, the third quarter began. A staff member brought out the roster to arrange the players, and when the White Team’s list was called, Tang Bei finally heard his name.

"Tang, seize the opportunity."

"Remember one thing: the NBA values talent. As long as you display your talent, those minor negative influences won't matter at all." Eric Fleisher clenched his fists, even more nervous than Tang Bei.

"Damn Chinaman!"

Christian Laettner, wearing a red jersey, glared fiercely at Tang Bei, vowing to teach this guy who had dared to slap him a lesson in the upcoming game.

Tang Bei put on his number 30 white jersey and ran excitedly toward Laettner. He didn't dare to be careless, however, because Laettner’s skills were very balanced—he could play both inside and out, offense and defense—so he had to be handled with caution. Although Laettner had sworn to teach Tang Bei a lesson, when he actually saw Tang Bei running toward him, he felt a flicker of trepidation; those few loose teeth served as a psychological shadow caused by Tang Bei.

Laettner could play both the power forward and center positions. With no center currently on the Red Team, he was manning the five spot, which put him directly against Tang Bei. Seeing Tang Bei take the floor, some general managers remained indifferent, as Tang Bei’s performance in yesterday’s tests had been too poor to meet their requirements. However, the general managers of teams like the Rockets, Mavericks, Nuggets, Heat, Hornets, and Timberwolves all perked up. As for the negative news surrounding Tang Bei over the past two days, as professional managers, as long as it wasn't murder or arson, who really cared?

"Tweet!"

The head referee blew the whistle, signaling for the White Team to inbound the ball.

"Asshole, prepare to be humiliated." Laettner trash-talked while employing a fronting defense. Weighing only 107 kilograms, he knew he couldn't stop Tang Bei with pure strength, so he played quite cleverly, though this also allowed Tang Bei to enter the low post with ease.

Once at the basket, Tang Bei used his left elbow to nudge outward, easily pushing Laettner aside and carving out space in the paint. The White Team’s ball-handling guard, Jon Barry, approached the top of the arc and, despite the defense of Latrell Sprewell, suddenly launched a cold-blooded three-pointer.

Through this period of training, Tang Bei had gained some experience in anticipating rebounds, and his rebounding ability had improved significantly. As the ball descended from its apex, he judged that the shot would be a bit short and would rebound directly in front of the rim. He immediately took a step toward the front of the basket while extending his left elbow to pin Christian Laettner to his left side.

"Go to hell!"

A vicious expression appeared on Laettner’s face. Taking advantage of the close-quarters struggle, he drove his right elbow hard into the lower left side of Tang Bei’s back. Tang Bei was just about to counter when the ball clanked against the rim and bounced out. He immediately leaped high, grabbing the ball with both hands. His explosive power was too great; even with Laettner gripping his jersey on the left, he couldn't stop his jump.

However, Christian Laettner didn't stop his dirty tactics, quietly extending his right foot as Tang Bei descended. Unfortunately for him, Tang Bei had a background in martial arts, and he had habitual protective movements when landing that caused Laettner’s dirty play to fail. For instance, when his balance wasn't fully lost, he would land with his feet spread wide, sinking his hips into a low horse stance upon impact. This movement not only stabilized his center of gravity instantly but also reduced the impact on his knee joints, while simultaneously allowing him to store energy in his lower body to prepare for a counterattack.

If he had completely lost his balance in the air, he would have had to roll upon landing to dissipate the force, while using the rolling motion to dodge and look for a counterattack opportunity. Furthermore, Kair Osman had taught him that NBA physical play was intense, especially in the paint, and that throwing elbows was a standard part of the game. He had even taught him how to use his elbows without getting whistled for a foul by the referee.

Therefore, as Tang Bei descended after grabbing the rebound and found Laettner pressing tight against him, he immediately extended both elbows outward, letting his left elbow tip swing downward.

"Ah!"

The next moment, Laettner let out a miserable shriek, clutching his face as he stumbled back two steps before collapsing to the floor. The head referee’s whistle did not blow; instead, he pointed his right hand toward the baseline of the White Team’s frontcourt, signaling for play to continue.

Tang Bei landed in a low horse stance and, the next instant, ignored Robert Horry in front of him, erupting upward like a ferocious tiger.

"It's over!"

Robert Horry jumped to block the shot, but as soon as he left the ground, he felt as if he had been struck by a giant rhinoceros. His 100-kilogram frame was directly forced down, and he tumbled to the floor under the basket.

"Tweet!"

The referee’s whistle blew because Robert Horry’s right hand had struck Tang Bei’s right forearm.

"Bang!"

Under Tang Bei’s two-handed slam, a violent sound of the backboard being struck echoed through the arena. As his body swung forward, the huge, sturdy basket frame sagged a full foot and a half, as if it were about to collapse, frightening some of the reporters under the basket who scrambled away in alarm.

"Click, click..."

Facing Tang Bei on the rim, reporters like Lin Xiaoyan excitedly pressed their shutters, using their lenses to record the moment. Meanwhile, Christian Laettner and Robert Horry on the floor became mere background figures.

"Beautiful!"

Eric Fleisher and John Liu roared in excitement. O'Neal, who had been sitting on the bench, jumped up, a look of shock on his face. Tang Bei’s unreasonable poster dunk seemed to make him see himself, and it also reminded him of Tang Bei’s nickname in the CBA: "Severe Terror."

This fiercely aggressive poster dunk made everyone in the stadium turn their eyes toward Tang Bei. Prior to this, only the top draft prospect, Shaquille O'Neal, had unleashed such a brutal dunk. This play also jolted the indifferent general managers into a state of focus. Even Jerry West turned his attention back to Tang Bei; he simply could not ignore this performance.

On the floor, Christian Laettner felt a splitting headache. He pulled his hand away to look, only to see it covered in blood, and he was immediately filled with anxiety and rage. He was anxious because he was injured and might not have a chance to play for the rest of the day, which would lower his performance metrics and affect his draft prospects. He was enraged because his dirty tactics hadn't just failed to harm that "Chinaman," but had resulted in him being outplayed—losing both his dignity and the physical exchange.

"He elbowed me!"

He scrambled up, pointed at Tang Bei, and began to roar loudly.