Chapter 56: Behemoth + Behemoth = ?

In the player tunnel, the starting lineups of both teams bumped into each other.

Facing Tang Bei, O'Neal's feelings were extremely complicated.

Having been thrown down hard last time left him in pain for days, and he hated Tang Bei to the core.

He had originally wanted to suppress Tang Bei with his performance on the court and vent his pent-up anger, but he hadn't expected his own debut to be inferior to Tang Bei's.

This made him feel deeply aggrieved. Clearly, his fundamentals and techniques were better, and he had much more playing experience, so why was his performance still worse than Tang Bei's?

"It's just luck. If we had swapped debut opponents—if the Hornets played the Heat and the Magic played the Bullets—our performances definitely would have been different."

Thinking this, O'Neal felt his confidence surge, and he let out an angry snort. "Tang, get ready to be posterized by me."

Tang Bei said expressionlessly, "You get ready to fall at my feet."

Thinking of that rookie camp game where he had fallen twice during confrontations with Tang within a few minutes, O'Neal grew furious and intensely unconvinced.

Unreconciled, he retorted, "I refuse to accept this. You must have pushed me, you used small tricks, the referees just didn't blow the whistle."

"A loser must accept defeat. Can't you afford to lose?"

Naturally, Tang Bei was not going to explain what a four-ounce deflection of a thousand pounds was, or what center-of-gravity disruption techniques were; these were all destined to become his signature moves in the future.

Of course, there were some minor tricks involved. The four steps of Aikido's irimi-nage technique are entry, conversion, control, and projection. That movement at the elbow was the control part, which further disrupted O'Neal's center of gravity.

Given the intensity of NBA physical play, let alone these minor tricks, hidden elbows were universal. O'Neal was simply making excuses for himself.

"Who can't afford to lose? Let's go again this game," O'Neal said angrily.

Shortly after, the home and away teams took the court and began warm-ups.

On the sidelines, Magic General Manager Pat Williams shook hands and exchanged greetings with Hornets General Manager Dave Twardzik.

Months ago at the draft, he had used the number one pick to select O'Neal, yet Shaquille O'Neal's debut performance had fallen short of Tang Bei's.

Although no media members were questioning his draft decision yet, he was also harboring a breath of frustration, hoping O'Neal would prove with his performance tonight that his draft choice was correct.

At eight o'clock, the game started.

At the center circle, the basketball was tossed high into the air.

O'Neal had more experience in the jump ball and tipped it away first, securing the offense for the Magic.

Bogues stood only five feet three inches tall, putting him at a severe disadvantage on defense, but he worked extremely hard, often using tight body-on-body pressure as his primary defensive method, averaging two steals per game last season.

Magic point guard Skiles carefully dribbled the ball to the top of the key, observing the situation on the court.

On the left wing low post, O'Neal knew his absolute strength was inferior to Tang Bei's, so he didn't try to muscle his way through brute force.

Using off-ball movement with experience superior to Tang Bei's, he constantly shifted around the edge of the paint, attempting to shake off Tang Bei and cut into the low block.

And it actually worked. Tang Bei had played fewer than twenty proper professional games, whereas O'Neal had spent a total of seven years from high school to college playing at least three hundred games, giving him far greater experience than Tang Bei.

Just then, small forward Scott ran over. Seizing the opportunity, O'Neal immediately used his teammate's body as a screen, suddenly cutting in the opposite direction from the left low block, shaking off Tang Bei and stepping into the paint a beat ahead.

Luck was on his side; Skiles, who had driven with the ball to the right elbow, passed it right over.

"Bang!"

Catching the ball, he exploded upward, delivering a powerful two-handed slam directly in front of the rim, instantly jarring the Hornets' goalpost.

Marv Albert said excitedly, "Beautiful! Shaquille O'Neal powers home a dominant slam dunk, truly living up to the might of the Big Diesel."

As a legendary defensive center, Bill Russell immediately analyzed on air:

"The core reason for Tang's defensive failure this time was his lack of awareness regarding the cuts of the Magic's other players. He only stared at O'Neal alone, showing poor help-defense awareness and weak pick-and-roll defense."

Larry Bird laughed and said, "He couldn't read the Magic's offensive tactics, and therefore couldn't make correct anticipatory defense. This is a sign of poor technical and tactical ability, fitting for a rookie's status."

On the court, Tang Bei moved to the left wing low post while O'Neal anchored the interior, and Larry Johnson called for the ball at the right wing low post.

Bogues dribbled past the top of the key on a drive, pushing to the right elbow before changing direction and slashing into the lane.

His drive was extremely fast, drawing the defensive attention of Magic power forward Jeff Turner and creating a small opening for Larry Johnson.

Larry Johnson caught the kick-out pass from Bogues, and Jeff Turner rushed back to defend, leaping to contest just as Johnson rose for a jump shot.

With a loud clank, Larry Johnson recorded a missed shot.

O'Neal and Tang Bei battled for the rebound. The former had stronger anticipation and grabbed the defensive board, turning it over to the Magic's offense.

"Clang!"

Magic shooting guard Nick Anderson recorded a missed shot.

Tang Bei grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Hornets pushed the ball up.

In the frontcourt, the ball reached Kendall Gill at the right wing three-point line.

"Dammit!"

Tang Bei was stationed at the left wing low post on the weak side; it looked like he wouldn't get a chance to touch the ball this time either.

Kendall Gill ignored Larry Johnson's call for the ball, aggressively driving a step inside the three-point line before pulling up for a mid-range jumper.

Tang Bei followed O'Neal into the paint. As they fought for position under the basket, fierce physical contact broke out.

He tried to slip past O'Neal's upper side to get ahead, but O'Neal wouldn't yield, propping his right arm against him.

"Screw you!"

Tang Bei roared inwardly, unleashing his absolute strength in an instant to muscle his way forward by a step, which simultaneously knocked O'Neal off balance.

"Rebound!"

Right at that moment in the NBC broadcast booth, Bill Russell saw the shot trajectory and immediately shouted out.

"Clang!"

Just as Russell's voice rang out, the basketball clattered off the rim and rebounded straight toward the front of the basket.

O'Neal was just preparing to leap when his center of gravity was disrupted by Tang Bei. Leaning to the side and jumping off nearly one foot, he failed to achieve full elevation.

"Slap!"

Tang Bei possessed a firmer lower-body base, leaping high to snatch the basketball right over O'Neal's head.

The next instant, he went right back up for a second jump, grabbing the ball with both hands and preparing to power home a poster dunk over O'Neal.

"Bastard, you dare try to posterize me!"

Having lost the defensive rebound, Shaquille O'Neal flew into an instant rage. Seeing Tang Bei jump, he immediately went up for a second jump as well.

Though he couldn't beat Tang Bei off the court, here on the court governed by rules, he wasn't afraid of Tang Bei and dared to do anything.

"Get down here!"

Having lagged a fraction of a second on the takeoff and missing the ball, O'Neal, consumed by fiery resentment due to their old grudge, wrapped both arms around Tang Bei's shoulders and head and yanked him straight down.

"Click, click..."

Reporters in the media row frantically worked their camera shutters.

"Bang!"

"Whistle!"

"Whoa!"

The next moment, the ultra-violent crash of the rim, a sharp whistle blast, and the loud gasps of the fans erupted simultaneously.

Even more jaw-dropping events unfolded immediately afterward: the newly reinforced goal frame, unable to bear the weight, weight-load, and pulling forces of both Tang Bei and O'Neal, sank completely without resistance.

The rim deformed, and the transparent backboard instantly shattered into a web of cracks before exploding into countless granules.