Chapter 58 I Know What This Technique Is

"Haha, those two rookies really know how to stir things up!"
"Shaq throwing a punch at Tang, he's definitely getting called for a technical foul now."
"The refs need to blow the whistle a bit tighter, otherwise they won't be able to keep these two rookies in check."
Larry Bird and the other two NBC commentators were thoroughly amused, joking around endlessly.

In 1991, the league introduced the flagrant foul rule. Although the tiered flagrant 1 and flagrant 2 system hadn't been established yet, players could still be ejected from the game.

After Shaq clumsily picked himself up, the stoic head referee handed him a punching foul, which was classified as an unsportsmanlike foul. The Hornets were awarded one free throw and possession of the ball.

Looking somewhat green around the gills, a frustrated Shaquille O'Neal watched as head coach Brian Hill substituted him out of the game.

The head referee walked up to Tang Bei, put on a stern face, and warned, "Number 88, you'd better keep your nose clean and stop causing trouble."
Tang Bei maintained a blank expression as he explained, "My movement didn't even come close to a foul. He grabbed me and then threw a punch, right?"
The head referee let out a cold snort and walked away.

The Magic substituted in backup center Greg Kite, a 31-year-old white veteran and role player standing 211 centimeters tall, though weighing a mere 113 kilograms.

At that moment, the NBC broadcast began replaying the recent sequence in slow motion on the overhead screen. Sitting back on the bench, O'Neal stared at the screen with his mouth open.

When he saw that Tang Bei hadn't actually pushed him with his hands, but merely brushed his right arm with an elbow, he felt a sudden wave of awkwardness.

Larry Bird remarked, "To be certain, that level of elbow movement doesn't even come close to a foul. The Mailman's elbows are ten times more fierce than Tang's elbow movement."
Marv Albert smiled and said, "That elbow motion certainly generated a pushing effect on a human body, but it definitely wasn't a pushing action. It was completely normal physical play."
Bill Russell added, "O'Neal misunderstood. He thought Tang pushed him. But having said that, calling it an elbow foul wasn't a misjudgment either, since Tang did raise his elbow."

At this point, head coach Allan Bristow substituted out Kendall Gill for Dell Curry, and used Curry to relay instructions onto the court: the offense must start from the interior.

Up until this point in the NBA era, it was the age of the traditional center, and offense always originated from the inside out.
Meaning the interior players would attack first; if the interior couldn't score, the perimeter players would take over, while the proportions of three-pointers and deep two-pointers were very low.

Therefore, his instructions were immediately executed by the players on the court.
Tang Bei took the free throw and sank it, making it 3-2, followed by a Hornets possession.
Next, Tang Bei and Larry Johnson each scored a basket, and Curry drove to the paint for a successful layup, racking up 6 consecutive points within two minutes.
Meanwhile, the Magic shot 1-for-3, scoring only 2 points.

9-4, the Hornets led by 5 points. The Magic called a timeout and sent Shaquille O'Neal back onto the floor, despite him having picked up two personal fouls in the first quarter.

"Hmph!"
Facing Tang Bei, O'Neal let out a huff and began establishing position in the left low block.
Last time, when he tried to get deep position, he exhausted a massive amount of stamina only to get his left foot half a yard inside the paint, and with the three-second violation looming, he might as well not have gone in at all.
This time, he didn't fight for deep position; he simply set up and called for the ball just outside the left boundary of the paint.

Bill Russell immediately analyzed, "Facing Tang's strong front-row defense, Shaquille O'Neal cannot easily establish deep position."

On the court, point guard Skiles was a decent enough guy; since the rookie was calling for the ball, he passed it down.
O'Neal received the ball and began backing down Tang Bei.
His plan was to use his explosiveness to overpower Tang Bei. This was his greatest asset, which, combined with his massive tonnage, made him extraordinarily devastating and completely unstoppable in the NCAA.
Having been knocked over by Tang Bei at the rookie camp, he still held a grudge and refused to accept it—not by a long shot.

As he dribbled, O'Neal's initial bump was neither too hard nor too soft.
This served as his probe, feeling out Tang Bei's resistance through physical contact to avoid getting the chair pulled out from under him.

"Thud!"
Under the impact, Tang Bei's feet remained firmly planted, with only his upper body swaying slightly.

"I'm gonna knock you down!"
The next moment, as he dribbled again, O'Neal slammed his left shoulder and back backward with full force. His fierce explosiveness, combined with his immense tonnage, instantly generated tremendous impact.

But right at that instant, Tang Bei suddenly executed a Tai Chi spin.
His blindingly fast rotation speed allowed him to narrowly evade O'Neal's second back-down.
However, this time he didn't use an elbow movement to apply control; instead, while spinning, he used the power of his torso to press against O'Neal, continuously disrupting his opponent's center of gravity to achieve the goal of control.
Consequently, throughout the spin, his shoulders maintained continuous physical contact with O'Neal's body.

"What?"
O'Neal hit nothing but air, pitched backward, and felt a jolt of panic in his heart.
"Oh, Tang pulls the chair out, O'Neal turns the ball over!" Larry Bird shouted loudly.

Right after, Tang Bei snatched the basketball fumbled by O'Neal, passed it to the nearest David Wingate, and the Hornets went on the offensive.

A humiliated O'Neal scrambled back to his feet and sprinted in pursuit.

"Clang!"
Dell Curry caught Wingate's pass, drove to the right wing beyond the three-point line, and flashed a pull-up jumper from downtown, but unfortunately resulting in a brick.

Like a wild horse, Tang Bei charged into the paint, leaped airborne, grabbed the rebounding basketball with both hands, and violently slammed it down through the hoop.

"Boom!"
Amidst the fierce shattering sound of the rim, the massive goal stanchion bent like a tender flower branch, easily lowering its slender waist before Tang Bei.

"Whoa!"
Seeing the basket descend, countless fans in the arena gasped in unison, worrying that their home rim would be collapsed once more.

"This bastard!"
By the time O'Neal rushed over, everything was already too late.
He felt utterly aggrieved, unable to understand how he had ended up on the floor yet again. Could this guy Tang possibly possess some kind of magic?

Larry Bird praised, "A remarkably brilliant sequence of offense and defense. Between O'Neal and Tang, Tang's performance is clearly superior at this point."
Marv Albert noted, "Facing Tang, O'Neal seems to be playing very passively, repeatedly having the chair pulled out from under him on the offensive end. Is this a matter of game experience?"
The two of them looked toward Bill Russell, hoping the legendary center would provide the answer.

At that moment, the Magic inbounded the ball and immediately called a timeout.
Because the players' morale was very low, they needed a breather while also using the timeout to disrupt the Hornets' momentum.

Bill Russell deliberated, "Logically speaking, O'Neal has more game experience, yet he is indeed playing more passively."
"Yes," the other two nodded in agreement.
Bill Russell continued, "Tang's spin speed is extraordinarily fast—faster than O'Neal's. He not only makes excellent use of his spins and footwork on the offensive end, but he also applies these abilities exceptionally well on the defensive end."

Larry Bird immediately concurred, "True, I noticed that when he pulls the chair on defense, he doesn't step back; instead, he spins."
"Yes, Larry, your observation is remarkably meticulous," Bill Russell nodded approvingly toward Larry Bird.

At that time, the overhead arena screen began replaying the recent offensive and defensive sequence, and Bill Russell pointed out:
"Look, when Tang spins, he doesn't break physical contact with O'Neal. This is different from a standard chair-pull."

Marv Albert asked in astonishment, "Good lord, at that moment, is he intentionally maintaining physical contact with O'Neal?"
A look of shock flashed across Larry Bird's face as he analyzed based on his experience: "Not only did he pull the chair, but he also used body contact to further squeeze O'Neal's center of gravity, forcing him into a turnover?"

Bill Russell nodded appreciatively and said, "He used the spin to get to O'Neal's side, and then used continuous physical contact to disrupt O'Neal's balance. That must be it."

Marv Albert pondered for a moment before saying, "This kind of defense—applying defensive pressure through shoulder contact, yet without a dropping shoulder impact, and without swinging an elbow—is completely legal."

Larry Bird remarked, "Earlier when Tang was called for a foul, he moved his right elbow a bit. But this time he neither dropped his shoulder nor moved his elbow; it truly qualifies as completely normal physical play."

Bill Russell then stated, "What remains unknown now is whether he did this unintentionally or... intentionally.
If it was intentional, then the application of this technique will give him a massive advantage in his matchup against O'Neal, directly causing O'Neal's offense to become passive and plagued by frequent turnovers."

Marv Albert suddenly spoke up, "I've watched the game footage from the Orlando pre-draft camp. O'Neal fell to the floor twice at Tang's feet, and one of those instances must have been under similar circumstances."

The other two fell silent for a moment before Russell concluded, "Then it must be intentional. Tang excels at applying such exquisite techniques."

Larry Bird followed up, "The application of this technique is appearing on a basketball court for the very first time. It's pioneering—just like Tang's arrival in the NBA."

Marv Albert mused, "Earlier, Mike Breen mentioned that Tang's spin-moves to the basket are like a tornado, completely unstoppable.
Now, he's combining this spinning technique with other skills—and by that, I mean the technique of maintaining body contact during the spin...
He applies these skills on the defensive end and even the offensive end. I believe the ultimate purpose of utilizing these techniques is to make opponents lose their balance."

"Techniques to disrupt the center of gravity," Bill Russell nodded in agreement.
"I wonder what kind of technique this actually is. I'm profoundly curious," Larry Bird said.

Just then, Marv Albert adjusted his headset, listened for a moment, and said in astonishment, "I know what kind of technique this is."
"What technique?" the other two asked in unison, looking over with intense curiosity.