Chapter 55: Clash of the Titans

Mark Price was also unconvinced, stepping forward to argue, "Mr. Head Referee, Larry's arm made contact only after the opponent completed the dunk, so it shouldn't be called a foul."

What he said made a certain amount of sense. According to the current officiating rules, foul actions before the completion of an offense could be whistled, but physical contact occurring after the offense was completed did not constitute a foul.

Present time interior defense was exceptionally brutal, resembling a street fight. Teams took advantage of this rule: you were allowed to drive and even attack the rim, but elbows were waiting for you.

The head referee shook his head and said, "I saw it very clearly. His elbow hit the offensive player first."

Mark Price felt rather depressed. This was the Cavaliers' home court, after all. Plays like this, where it was difficult to define whether a foul had occurred, could easily have gone uncalled.

Larry Nance was the defensive anchor for the Cavaliers' paint. Following his departure, the Cavaliers' defense against Tang Bei spiraled somewhat out of control, which in turn fueled the perimeter offense, as the Hornets' guards began to relentlessly attack the restricted area.

Under these circumstances, for the remainder of the second quarter, the Hornets scored in waves, tying the game by the end of the first half.

The second half was a continuation of this trend.

Meanwhile, Tang Bei delivered an impressive performance in individual defense against Daugherty, securing two steals in the second half and effectively suppressing the Cavaliers' interior offense.

In the end, the Hornets achieved an upset victory, defeating the formidable Cavaliers 109-102 on the road and claiming their second consecutive win to start the season.

Tang Bei played 35 minutes, shooting 10 out of 13 from the field with a shooting percentage as high as 76.9%. Combined with 8 of 15 from the free-throw line, he racked up 28 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers, and 4 personal fouls, earning him the Player of the Game honors.

Larry Johnson shot 9 out of 18 overall, along with 3 of 4 from the charity stripe, exploding for 21 points and 9 rebounds.

Kendall Gill had an ordinary outing, making only 4 of his 13 shots for 10 points.

However, John Newman was in fantastic form, also dropping 21 points on 56% shooting, emerging as one of the vital forces behind the victory.

A Charlotte media reporter intercepted Daugherty in the player tunnel and asked, "Mr. Daugherty, could you share your thoughts on matching up against Tang?"

Daugherty shot a miserable 3 out of 12 under Tang Bei's defense today. Being in poor form, coupled with his partner's injury and a loss on their home floor, left him in an extremely sour mood.

Without stopping, he walked while replying, "His spin move is fast, extremely fast, remarkably fast. Even when I knew he was going to spin, I just couldn't keep up with the rhythm."

That was what left the deepest impression on him. Tang Bei's strength was also immense, though with Larry Nance's timely help defense and the perimeter players cutting off passing lanes, they had managed to prevent Tang Bei from demanding the ball in the paint. Yet, Tang Bei's spin move genuinely left him helpless.

The reporter prepared to ask another question, but Daugherty waved his hand, signaling that he would take no further interviews.

Courtside, Tang Bei, who had won Player of the Game for the first time, was accepting an on-court interview in high spirits.

The reporter asked, "Tang, you injured Gugliotta in your debut, and today you injured Larry Nance. In terms of the physical toll inflicted on opposing players, do you think your destructive power ranks first among active players in the league?"

Tang Bei wiped the sweat from his forehead, exchanged a brief word or two with John Liu, and then answered: "My agent told me a guy named Doctor Iron Elbow wants to teach me a lesson. Which team does he play for?"

A rookie publicly calling out the league's strongest superstar sent a wave of pleasant surprise through the reporter, who hurriedly replied:
"The Jazz. His name is Karl Malone, power forward, nicknamed the Mailman. Of course, you could also call him Doctor Iron Elbow. His maximum bench press record is identical to yours, 230 kilograms."

"That record holds no meaning."

Tang Bei cared nothing for bench press records; that was merely static strength. Whether in martial arts, basketball, or even close combat on cold-weapon battlefields, explosive power was the most terrifying attribute, and his explosive power was top-tier.

The reporter continued, "Tang, before you, he was regarded as the league's strongest and most powerful player. Tang, is there anything you'd like to say to him?"

Tang Bei touched his cheekbone, which had been bruised by an elbow and was already slightly swollen and red. "My agent says quite a few players have been injured beneath his elbows. It seems his destructive power is indeed formidable."

"Yes, from the perspective of inflicting damage on opponents, the Mailman's destructive power can certainly be called active number one," the reporter said with a smile.

Tang Bei went on, "You asked me just now whether I have the greatest destructive power among active players. I'll tell you now: I do not. Because I never use my elbows to damage my opponents, so naturally, my destructive power isn't as great as the Mailman's."

"Haha..."

Hearing Tang Bei's sarcastic retort, the reporter could not help bursting into laughter.

On the bench, Kendall Gill sat in gloomy silence. It was not merely due to his poor performance in this game, but also because Tang Bei had taken away a significant share of his shot attempts.

He felt that if things continued this way, his statistics would plummet drastically, and he would completely lose any qualification to contend with Larry Johnson for the franchise cornerstone status.

Yet, lacking an aggressive personality, he had no way to alter this passive predicament.

Larry Johnson's mood was likewise foul, and even more so.

He had been extremely unhappy during the last game, but at least he had won Player of the Game and put on the best performance. Tonight, however, his showing was inferior to Tang Bei's.

Before the new season began, he had believed that as long as his performance overshadowed Kendall Gill's, he could firmly secure the position of primary option, and after a couple more years, become the undisputed leader.

However, Tang Bei's sudden emergence made him realize that someone even more threatening than Kendall Gill had arrived on the scene.

"No, I can't let this go on. I have to change this situation."

On the 9th, the Charlotte Hornets arrived in Orlando.

The tour bus pulled up to the designated hotel, and Tang Bei shared a room with John Liu.

As a high draft pick, he enjoyed numerous perks. For instance, the salary of his translator, John Liu, as well as his lodging, meals, and travel expenses on the road, were entirely covered by the team. These terms had been negotiated beforehand by Arn Tellem and Twortszik and written directly into the contract.

As soon as the two men settled in, Xu Jicheng called from domestic, saying, "Tang Bei, the response to your debut game has been quite good."

"What was the viewership rating?" Tang Bei asked expectantly.

"According to the statistics from these past two days, it should have reached 1%, which is fantastic," Zhang Weiping said excitedly.

"Is that figure considered very good?" Tang Bei inquired.

Zhang Weiping explained, "If there are 100 million television households in the country, 1% means 1 million families watched the game. If there are 200 million, that's 2 million. It's very impressive; at least several million people watched the match."

"At least several million?"

Tang Bei instantly perked up with joy, because an NBA regular-season game in the United States only drew a few million viewers anyway, and that was usually for marquee teams. Small-market squads like the Hornets certainly didn't command such high viewership.

Just as he was feeling pleased, he suddenly recalled the television drama *Yearning* broadcast the year before, where the station claimed the viewership rating reached 98%, making a 1% rating seem like absolute nothingness.

On the 10th, the Orlando Arena.

At half-past seven, both teams announced their starting lineups.

Magic: Shaquille O'Neal, Jeff Turner, Dennis Scott, Nick Anderson, Scott Skiles.
Hornets: Tang Bei, Larry Johnson, David Wingate, Kendall Gill, Muggsy Bogues.

This game was broadcast nationally on NBC, with play-by-play commentary by Bill Russell and Marv Albert, and recently retired Larry Bird serving as the guest analyst.

Larry Bird had intentions of pursuing a coaching career, but lacking a suitable opportunity at present, he planned to spend some time in the broadcasting industry.

After Marv Albert delivered his opening monologue, he said, "Last season, the Magic were the worst team in the Eastern Conference with 21 wins, and they won the number one draft pick to select a behemoth, Shaquille O'Neal. Meanwhile, the Hornets finished third from bottom in the East with 31 wins, landing the second pick to select another behemoth, Tang from China. Tonight will be a clash of behemoths."

Bill Russell took over the conversation, stating, "The two teams were relatively close in strength last season. Generally speaking, the Hornets are stronger this year, but the Magic have home-court advantage tonight. It's hard to predict the winner—it will all depend on their form on the floor."

Larry Bird chimed in: "This game has no other gimmicks. Aside from the fans of both teams, neutral fans aren't really paying attention to the outcome. For them, the sole attraction is the showdown between these two rookie behemoths."

Marv Albert nodded and smiled, "During the rookie camp, O'Neal had the better overall performance and even dunked on Tang once, but he suffered defeat at Tang's hands twice. Hopefully, he can put on a strong display tonight."

Flipping through his stat sheet, Bill Russell noted, "In their first two games, Tang is averaging 9 for 13 shooting with a 69.2% field goal percentage, and 7 of 12.5 from the line at 56%. He's averaging 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 5 turnovers, and 3.5 personal fouls."

Unfamiliar with Tang Bei, Larry Bird asked in astonishment, "An average of 12.5 free throw attempts per game? His destructive power is immense!"

"Averaging one injured opponent per game, his destructive power is truly terrifying."

Bill Russell nodded and continued, "O'Neal's first two games were a back-to-back on the road and at home. In his second game away against the Bullets, his performance surpassed his debut. Over two games, he's averaging 6 of 12 shooting, 5 of 9 from the line, 17 points, 16.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 3.5 blocks, 6 turnovers, and 5.5 personal fouls. Offensively he lags behind Tang, but he's stronger on the boards, making his overall performance slightly inferior to Tang's."

Marv Albert remarked, "With only two regular-season games played so far, it's not enough to determine who is superior. I believe their rivalry will continue for a long time."

Larry Bird laughed and said, "I've just retired and have a lot on my plate, so I haven't paid too much attention to them. But statistically, both are exceptional, especially since they just entered the league and are still in their adjustment period. Performances at this stage are not enough to definitively say who is stronger."

At this, he grinned and said to Marv Albert, "Marv, you once said that Tang's survival ability in the NBA is limited and he might wash out after a few seasons. Do you still hold that view?"

Marv Albert chuckled and replied, "I haven't changed my stance yet. If he's still standing after a few seasons, then I'll have to change my mind."

Larry Bird chuckled, "I'm curious—his physical contact resilience is even stronger than O'Neal's. Why do you think he won't be able to adapt to the NBA?"

Marv Albert immediately answered, "Adapting to the NBA isn't just about physical contact resilience; there are many other factors."

Larry Bird asked, "Such as?"

Marv Albert explained, "As someone from China, language, lifestyle habits, social skills, adaptability, injury resistance, psychological resilience, and so on will all be crucial factors determining whether he can survive in the NBA."

"What you say makes sense."

Larry Bird nodded and added, "Nike doesn't think highly of O'Neal either, predicting that he too will be quickly washed out of the NBA."