The Warriors came back down the court, and Mark Price pulled up for a clean three-pointer. Buckets. Score was now 9-6, with the Knicks still up by three and eight minutes left in the first quarter.
For the next few minutes, Joe Smith, who had been getting worked by Zhao Dong, started losing steam. His shot attempts dropped as he kept floating around the perimeter, trying to keep Zhao Dong from getting inside. But Zhao Dong wasn't getting many touches either. He only grabbed one defensive board and bricked a fast-break layup.
By the 7th-minute mark, Smith was damn near useless. Frustration kicked in, and he picked up two dumb fouls on Zhao Dong, giving him four free throws. Coach Adelman had seen enough and yanked Smith off the floor. Van Gundy countered by subbing in veteran Buck Williams to give Zhao Dong a breather.
In those seven minutes, Zhao Dong put in work—4 shots, hit 3 of them, including 1 of 1 from deep, and 3 of 4 from the stripe. He logged 10 points, 2 boards, 3 blocks, and 1 foul. By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were up 25-21.
Second quarter, Zhao Dong came off the bench. About four minutes in, Chris Mullin and the Latrell Sprewell started heating up, knocking down back-to-back mid-range shots. The Warriors went on a 10-3 run and snatched the lead, 31-28. Van Gundy wasn't about to let that slide—timeout, Knicks. All starters checked back in.
"Rookie, time for a real contest!" Joe Smith was back on the floor, jawing at Zhao Dong.
"Mr. Zero Egg, that your nickname?" Zhao Dong shot back without hesitation.
Smith's face twisted in anger, but before he could pop off, Alan Houston had the ball on the left wing. Zhao Dong made a hard cut to the rim, hunting for an offensive board.
Clank! Houston's shot bricked, but Zhao Dong was all over it. He snatched the rebound, but Smith, still pissed, bodied him up from behind, keeping him two meters away from the basket. Zhao Dong wasn't fazed. He rocked Smith left and right, throwing him off balance before pulling up for a quick jumper near the hoop.
The shot came fast, but hooping is all about percentages—this one rimmed out. Smith grabbed the board, but Zhao Dong was on his ass instantly. He reached in to poke the ball free, but Smith, protecting it, swung an elbow that caught Zhao Dong right in the chest.
Zhao Dong gritted his teeth and ripped the ball away with one hand. In the scuffle, Smith, still salty, went low and swiped at Zhao Dong's face.
"Ahh!" Zhao Dong winced as a burning pain shot across his cheek. That was it. His patience ran out. He arched his back out of nowhere, sending Smith—who had already lost 13 kilograms—crashing to the floor. Zhao Dong didn't hesitate. He stepped through, planted himself between Smith's legs, and, with both hands gripping the rock, rose up and slammed it through the hoop.
"Mr. Zero Egg, the so-called highly ranked No. 1 pick—if all you got are these cheap-ass tricks, keep 'em," Zhao Dong spat, glaring down at Smith, who was still lying there with blood streaking his face.
"Yo, rookie, you tryna start something?" The Latrell Sprewell stormed over, barking at Zhao Dong.
"Back the hell off!" Before Zhao Dong could even reply, Oakley stepped in. "This is the Knicks! Smith wouldn't try that tough-guy shit on us, so who the hell are you? You ain't even worth the provocation!"
The Latrell Sprewell flinched but didn't say another word.
"Rookie, next time some nobody tries to talk slick, just slap the shit outta them. Let 'em know who they messing with," Oakley advised.
"Once I get that contract, I will. Right now, I ain't got the bread to pay the fine," Zhao Dong shot back.
Oakley blinked. Honestly? Sound logic.
"But I'll throw in two slaps instead of one," Zhao Dong added.
"Why two?" Ewing asked, raising a brow.
"One slap makes it unbalanced. I'm a guy who values symmetry and perfection," Zhao Dong deadpanned.
"Haha!" Oakley, Ewing, and the bench erupted into laughter.
"Damn Gangs of New York!" The Warriors squad, including the Latrell and Smith, exchanged glances, baffled at how casually the Knicks were discussing slapping dudes mid-game.
Momentum shifted, and the Knicks started controlling both ends. By halftime, they were back up, 47-42.
Zhao Dong clocked 15 minutes in the first half, going 6 of 9 from the field, 1 of 1 from deep, and 4 of 5 from the stripe. He logged 17 points, 4 boards, 3 blocks, 1 steal, and 2 fouls.
Third quarter, the paint was Ewing and Oakley's territory. Zhao Dong had little space inside and couldn't snag many rebounds. His focus shifted to clamping down on Joe Smith while still completing his mission objectives.
Smith, being the Warriors' go-to scorer, started chucking shots, but with Zhao Dong glued to him, his efficiency tanked—1 for 4 from the field. Dude was boxed out of the paint, forced to settle for contested jumpers.
Midway through the quarter, Zhao Dong got subbed out. By the end of the third, the Knicks had blown it open—72-60, up by 12.
Zhao Dong's third-quarter stat line: 21 minutes, 6 of 10 shooting, 17 points, 5 boards, 1 dime, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 1 turnover, and 3 fouls.
Chilling on the bench, he did a quick mental rundown—he'd already knocked out the objectives for three blocks and five dunks in a single quarter. The double-rebound goal was looking tough, but he still had a shot at hitting 20+ points. All he had to do was get back in and keep his FG percentage above 60%.
The only problem? The Knicks were up big, and Van Gundy might decide to rest him for the fourth quarter.
And sure enough, as the final quarter tipped off, Zhao Dong stayed glued to the bench. Oakley was resting, too. Johnson Wallace and veteran Buck Williams held it down inside.
Swish! The sound of the net snapping echoed in the arena.
Smith, now up against Buck Williams, finally got some rhythm. Williams didn't have Zhao Dong's size and strength, but he also wasn't quick enough to contest Smith's jumper. Easy turnaround bucket. Next play, Smith drifted outside and drained a three over John Wallace.
"That's 6 points… does this count against me? I ain't even on the court!" Zhao Dong muttered.
Even with Smith getting buckets, Ewing was still holding it down, keeping the Knicks' lead intact. But Zhao Dong was getting antsy watching Smith light up his replacement.
Six-minute mark—Smith hit another mid-range shot, now sitting at 10 points, officially breaking the single-digit objective.
Nine-minute mark—Smith splashed another one over Wallace. Knicks' lead shrank to just seven.
Finally, Van Gundy snapped out of it. He glanced at the scoreboard, then at the struggling defense.
"Zhao, get in there!"
Zhao Dong didn't need to be told twice. He shot up from the bench, stretching his arms as he jogged to the scorer's table.
The grand prize was out of reach, but he could still chase the 20+ point goal and snag some extra boards.
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