Chapter 49: The Low Post – An Unstoppable Rookie

In less than three minutes, Tang Bei got another opportunity to score.

He established deep position in the left low block. Bogues dribbled the ball from the right wing into the paint, drawing the defensive attention of the Bullets' two interior players before passing it to him.

"Bang!"

Without a single thought for the defender behind him, upon receiving the ball, he executed another Tai Chi spin move while taking a single dribble, and then shattered the opponent's rim with a ferocious two-handed dunk.

"Thud!"

Guagliotta, rotating from the weak side to help defend, attempted a block, but the moment he jumped, he was sent flying by Tang Bei's impact. Upon landing, his feet slipped, and his back crashed hard onto the hardwood floor, sending a spasm of pain shooting through his spine as he slid backward.

Xu Jicheng exclaimed in astonishment, "Oh my! The number six overall draft pick, Guagliotta, has been knocked over by Tang Bei three times in the opening quarter alone. Will he still have the courage to provide help defense and double-team Tang in the paint going forward?"

Sun Zhenping said excitedly, "All three of Tang Bei's shots in the first quarter have been attacks right at the rim. In the low post near the basket, his ability to attack the rim is simply outstanding and virtually unstoppable!"

"Damn it, I'm injured. I shouldn't have helped out on this beast."

On the court, having slid two meters, Guagliotta lay there dizzy and panting heavily, feeling severe pain in his chest and back, full of regret.

Mike Breen remarked, "The rhythm of Tang's tornado-like spin move to attack the rim is far too fast. It's completely the wrong speed for a massive center weighing 135 kilograms; his explosive power is just too incredible.

Pervis Ellison hasn't stopped Tang's spin even once. Ellison hasn't taken any damage—all the damage has been absorbed by Guagliotta. Tang has started displaying his destructive scoring power right in his debut."

Tom Tolbert laughed out loud and said, "Indeed, Ellison looked like a mere stool in front of Tang, and all the damage caused by Tang fell upon the help-defender teammate. Right now, Guagliotta is likely injured. With his professional career just beginning, this is a terrible thing for him. Let's hope he isn't hurt."

"A stool?"

Mike Breen chuckled as well, then added, "Shaq is facing opponents like Rony Seikaly and John Salley tonight, and he might run into some trouble. Both of them are veterans, and their defense is vastly superior to Ellison and Guagliotta's."

Tom Tolbert nodded in agreement. "Yes, especially John Salley, a former member of the Bad Boys. His spider-like defense is truly impressive, his help-defense ability is exceptionally strong, and his defensive style is fierce and ferocious, radiating intimidation."

Mike Breen noted, "By comparison, whether it's Ellison or the rookie Guagliotta, their defensive approaches are far too gentle to pose any intimidation toward Tang."

At this point, the Bullets substituted out the injured Guagliotta, bringing in reserve big man and 1990 second-round pick, bench player Greg Foster.

It wasn't that there were no other interior backups; he was chosen because of his 120-kilogram bulk, as no other backup big man could absorb contact like he could.

Head coach Wes Unseld certainly didn't want the interior line to suffer consecutive injuries right at the start of the season and in a single regular-season game. Having the sixth overall pick Guagliotta get injured had already made him extremely furious.

However, Tang Bei was also subbed out, replaced by Mike Gminski.

Over at the Magic's home arena, Shaquille O'Neal was running into trouble.

With Rony Seikaly guarding him primarily and John Salley providing help defense, the defensive intensity far exceeded the NCAA. They forced him into three turnovers in the opening quarter alone, shooting 1 of 2 from the field and making 1 of 2 free throws for just 3 points, though he did grab 3 rebounds.

Moreover, he had yet to grow accustomed to the pace of the NBA game and the tactical system, and furthermore, the Magic's tactical focal points were forward Dennis Scott and guard Nick Anderson.

Those two were the primary and secondary scoring options for the Magic last season. As a rookie, O'Neal was not the tactical core of the Magic and failed to receive sufficient tactical support.

Additionally, he failed to manage his fouls properly, picking up two fouls early in the first quarter and being subbed out after playing just seven minutes.

In contrast, although Tang Bei also lacked tactical support, was not the tactical core, and had not yet adapted to the NBA's tactical schemes and pace either, his opponent's defense was not quite as fierce, leading to a superior performance with zero turnovers in the first six minutes of the opening quarter.

With two minutes remaining in the first quarter and the Hornets leading by 4 points, both teams made massive substitutions.

Tang Bei stepped back onto the court, joined by J.R. Reid, Kenny Gattison, Dell Curry, and Tony Bennett. The strength of this second unit was by no means weak.

The Bullets' bench lineup lacked the depth of the Hornets; their backcourt was slightly better, but their interior strength was relatively weaker.

Yet the Bullets' interior defensive strategy was extremely clear: ignoring power forward J.R. Reid entirely, they zeroed in on Tang Bei alone, doubling him whenever the opportunity arose.

J.R. Reid was the Hornets' fifth overall pick in the 1989 draft, possessing average ability, and having suffered a major injury last season, he was past his best.

"Slap!"

Tang Bei established deep position in the low post, and the moment he secured the ball, he drew a foul, sending him to the free-throw line.

"The Bullets are playing the foul game. I've heard Tang's free-throw shooting is atrocious, even worse than Shaq's," Mike Breen said.

Tom Tolbert stated, "The Bullets' interior strength pales heavily in comparison. They certainly can't just watch Tang continually assault their rim, so they have no choice but to resort to such tactics."

Making one of two free throws, Tang Bei missed the second shot, and the Bullets secured the rebound. Shooting guard Steve Smith pushed the ball rapidly up the floor, driving straight for the basket.

Tang Bei hustled back on defense from the paint with explosive energy and blazing speed, keeping pace with the guards, though his starting position was deeper, leaving him trailing behind several of the opposing guards.

At that moment, Bullets shooting guard Steve Smith drove from the right wing into the paint, bypassed Dell Curry who had retreated to defend the rim, and executed a stop-and-turn floating layup on the front-left side of the basket.

"Slap!"

Tang Bei charged down from above, leaping into the air with both hands converging to cleanly confiscate the ball.

"What?"

With a sharp rush of wind whistling by his ear, Smith, who had just attempted the layup, was startled by Tang Bei sweeping past him.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Applause echoed throughout the arena.

"Brilliant! Tang's recovery speed on defense is exceptionally fast, delivering a timely and massive block," Mike Breen said excitedly.

"Swish!"

Arriving at the offensive end, Dell Curry drained a mid-range jumper.

Bolstered by the stronger bench unit, at the end of the first quarter, the Hornets held an 8-point lead.

In the second quarter, Tang Bei continued to play for four minutes before being substituted out by Larry Johnson.

Clearly, head coach Allan Bristow intentionally staggered their playing time to prevent their friction from escalating.

Yet no matter how they were staggered, both were indispensable players for the Hornets, and they still shared the court for a large portion of the game.

The Bullets persisted in applying wild double-teams and foul tactics against Tang Bei whenever he received the ball in the paint or near the basket.

The Bullets' backup interior players took turns hacking him, which not only increased the difficulty of Tang Bei's offense—making it harder for him to enter the paint easily—but also caused turnovers to start creeping into his game.

However, this only served to enrage Tang Bei. Under his ferocious low-post onslaught, the Bullets' frontcourt suffered immensely, with one backup center forced to leave the game due to injury.

In fact, by the time the second half arrived, the Bullets' interior players had grown fearful, scarcely daring to engage in heavy physical contact with him anymore, their morale completely shattered by his dominance.

Fortunately, Larry Johnson was in stellar form today, and Kendall Gill and John Newman also played well.

In the end, the Hornets secured a home-opening victory, defeating the Bullets with a score of 115 to 129.