Chapter 27: Tai Chi Pivot and Brutal Spike

"If Mourning is doubling from the left, then I shall spin to the right."

In the next instant, Tang Bei used his right foot as an axis and executed a sharp Tai Chi spin toward the baseline. As he turned, force rippled through his body in perfect sequence—from foot to leg, then waist, back, shoulder, elbow, and finally his hand. Like a line of falling dominoes, each part linked to the next, channeling power into a singular, cohesive force. During the rotation, the low horse stance of Tai Chi kept his base as steady as Mount Tai; by digging his feet into the floor, he anchored his center of gravity firmly.

He concentrated the power of his entire body into one point, a deep and steady reservoir of energy akin to the earth itself. As he pivoted, this energy erupted like a volcano. Yet, this power was not merely rigid; it was a blend of hardness and softness. During the spin, he used a soft, yielding force—much like flowing water navigating around a reef—to neutralize the defender's pressure while simultaneously storing his own momentum. At the moment of the turn, this force unleashed like a steel whip, both forceful and lightning-fast.

This volcanic power granted Tang, already agile and quick-turning, a level of speed and force he had never possessed before. In a heartbeat, he neutralized O'Neal’s formidable resistance and completed the spin. Simultaneously, the Tai Chi move acted as a "center-of-gravity disruptor"; as he spun, his right elbow instinctively nudged O'Neal’s lower back. The combination of this nudge and O'Neal’s own forward pressure shattered the big man's balance, causing him to lurch forward. Fortunately, after a stumble, O'Neal managed to stay on his feet, avoiding another trip to the floor.

"Whew!" Leonard breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified that O'Neal would end up under the feet of that Chinese player again.

As O'Neal stumbled, Tang, having turned toward the basket, saw a wide-open path. Mourning was still a step away to the side, leaving him with a clear line to the rim. It was his first time executing a Tai Chi spin while attacking from the low post, and the technique felt incredibly fluid and natural.

"Get in there!"

Taking the second step of his spin, Tang launched himself off his right foot. Gripping the ball with both hands, he slammed it toward the hoop with unbridled ferocity. He held nothing back; this was an all-out assault on the rim.

"BOOM!"

The violent, thunderous crash of the backboard sent a jolt through everyone watching. Under the sheer explosive power and the combined weight and force of the 135-kilogram athlete, the basket assembly groaned and dipped downward. As Tang’s body swung forward, the downward momentum intensified, finally exceeding the structural limit of the equipment.

Reporters immediately realized something extraordinary was happening and began frantically snapping photos. Lin Xiaoyan, just as excited as her colleagues, captured the moment in a blur of shutter clicks.

"CRASH!"

The hoop, pulled by immense force, tore away from its connection to the glass. The transparent backboard shattered into a thousand fragments.

"Oh!" A uniform gasp erupted throughout the Chicago arena.

"BANG!"

Following Tang Bei's brutal two-handed slam, the entire support structure collapsed onto the floor, as if severed by the axe of a titan.

"Yeah!" Eric Fleisher waved his fists in the air, roaring with uncontrollable excitement.

"Damn Chinaman, I could have brought it down, too," O'Neal muttered, looking at the wreckage with a sense of stubborn defiance.

"What a beast! The league really needs to reinforce these rims," Jordan said with a laugh, clearly amused despite the destruction of his home arena's equipment.

"Sigh, Shaq has become the background scenery again. Is today his day of suffering?" O'Neal’s agent, Leonard Armato, murmured.

David Falk felt a sense of relief that it was O'Neal, not Mourning, who had been tasked with the primary defense against Tang. Mourning had succeeded in his previous double-team, though he failed this time; a 50% success rate against the Chinese player was respectable. He felt a newfound respect for O'Neal, who had taken the initiative to guard the young man rather than deferring the task to Mourning. Only heaven knew that Tang Bei’s true target was Mourning, but every time he attacked, O'Neal was the one standing in his way, while Mourning only provided help defense.

As the game was halted, a swarm of reporters surrounded Tang Bei. "Tang, did you hurt your hands?" Lin Xiaoyan asked.

"No," Tang replied, shaking his head while flexing his wrists.

"Tang, how does it feel to shatter the opponent's backboard and collapse the rim?" a reporter from The New York Times asked.

After John Liu translated, Tang Bei pondered for a moment and said, "It gave me the illusion that I could shatter anything."

"The illusion of shattering anything?" the reporter pressed.

"I hope that one day, I can turn that illusion into reality," Tang Bei stated candidly.

"Shattering everything? That really is an illusion; even Chamberlain wouldn't dare say that."

"Regardless of whether he's a big talker, his draft stock won't fall out of the top five, and he’ll likely crack the top three."

"Tang's main issues are a lack of game experience and underdeveloped fundamentals and offensive skills. Those are his weaknesses."

"He has talent, but his future is uncertain. His style of play is physically taxing, much like Shawn Kemp's."

"Kemp’s play is exciting, but given his current performance, his draft position wasn't actually undervalued by much. If redrafted, he should be in the lottery, around the tenth pick."

"I think Tang’s draft position should be around the tenth pick in the first round as well."

The media, general managers, scouts, and other rookies all had their own opinions—some genuine, some dismissive—but no one believed Tang Bei could truly "shatter everything." Meanwhile, O'Neal, having been on the receiving end of Tang's dominance twice, remained a focal point of the discussion.

"O'Neal's condition today is off; he fell twice during contact and nearly fell a third time."

"Indeed, O'Neal's base isn't stable. Tang's base is firmer; his thighs are much thicker than O'Neal's."

"No, I think it's just that Tang's strength and explosiveness are overwhelming, not that O'Neal lacks leg strength."

"But O'Neal performed well on the offensive end; you could say he dominated Tang. Tang just managed those two good defensive plays."

With the rim and backboard needing replacement—a task that would take more than an hour—Vice President Muri Schells decided to move the game to the practice court. After the move, there were no chairs, so Tang Bei sat against the wall with two bottles of water, reflecting on the game.

He had applied the principles of "deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces," center-of-gravity disruption, and the Tai Chi spin to his low-post play, and the results confirmed he was on the right track. To him, whether it was martial arts, combat, or basketball, it all boiled down to body control, the application of physical force, and using one's own power to manipulate an opponent's momentum. Once you master one principle, you master them all.

The remainder of the game saw no further highlights from him, nor from O'Neal or Mourning. Christian Laettner never showed up, which Tang found somewhat regrettable.