On the evening of the 14th, the Knicks faced off against the Raptors at home, with Zhao Dong continuing as a starter. The Raptors' lineup included Marcus Camby, Popeye Jones, Walter Williams, Doug Christie, and Damon Stoudamire, while the Knicks had Ewing, Zhao Dong, Oakley, Allan Houston, and Charlie Ward.
CCTV only broadcasts one game per week, so there was no live coverage in China. But in the U.S., NBC had it live, with Doug Collins and Marv Albert calling the game.
"As we all know, the big story here is the matchup between Marcus Camby, the No. 2 pick, and the undrafted Zhao Dong. I'm curious to see if these two rookies are on the same level," Collins said.
"I'm leaning toward Camby," Marv Albert replied. "The kid's talent is undeniable—he's like a shining gem. But Zhao Dong? He's a gamble. Who knows how high his ceiling is? This might be as good as he gets."
Once the game started, the locker room fell silent. Zhao Dong sat by his locker, locked in, though his mind was on the mission displayed on his system screen.
The system had sniper missions in different tiers: dynasty, super-giant, and champion-level sniper missions. But there were also regular competition missions.
And tonight, there was a sniper mission.
Star Sniper Mission:
Opponent: Marcus Camby, No. 2 pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, future star.
Mission Requirements:
Hold Camby under 7 points while dropping 20+ yourself.
Limit him to fewer than 4 rebounds while grabbing at least twice as many.
Block Camby five times while making sure he blocks you no more than twice.
Reward: 3 quality points.
Zhao Dong smirked. "Damn, this ain't gonna be easy. Camby's got talent, but I gotta take him out. If I pull this off, I'm leveling up for sure."
He exhaled sharply, cracking his neck. "Alright, time to work."
Meanwhile, in the Raptors' locker room, Camby sat through an interview. His words were polite, but his eyes burned with that rookie hunger—he wanted to dominate.
Tip-off.
Ewing and Camby jumped for it, and the Knicks secured possession. Jeff Van Gundy didn't assign specific defensive matchups, but Zhao Dong had already made up his mind—he was locking Camby up.
Whether it was Raheem or Iverson before, Zhao Dong never saw them as his real competition. This was different. This was a battle of rookies, and he wanted to show the gap between them.
Camby had serious length—211 cm tall, 229 cm wingspan. His hops were crazy. He had all the tools to be a shot-blocker and a defensive force. But his frame? Way too light. He weighed just 96 kg, nearly 20 kilos less than Zhao Dong. Strength? Not his game.
Zhao Dong went straight to the low post on the left block. The moment he set up, he bulldozed Camby, backing him down with ease. Camby had no answer.
"Oh shit, that strength difference is brutal!" Doug Collins shouted.
Oakley had the ball up top and saw the mismatch. He fired a pass inside. Zhao Dong caught it, took a hard dribble, and went straight to work. He lowered his shoulder, powered through Camby, and went up strong.
BOOM!
Two-hand jam. Straight-up disrespectful.
"That's a nasty dunk!" Marv Albert yelled. "Zhao Dong's a wrecking ball, and Camby's getting steamrolled!"
"He's just bullying him down low," Doug Collins added. "This is a power mismatch, and Camby's feeling it early."
Raptors' possession.
Camby tried to post up on the left block, but Zhao Dong pushed him so far out that he was practically near the sideline.
"Swing it back!" Stoudamire shouted, kicking the ball to Camby.
But Camby wasn't an offensive weapon. Even in the future, he'd never be that guy. His jumper was shaky, and his finishing? Mid at best.
Still, he took a dribble and forced up a turnaround fadeaway.
SNAP!
Zhao Dong sent that shit flying.
"GODDAMN!" Doug Collins yelled. "What a block!"
The Garden exploded. Rookie-on-rookie crime.
Camby just stood there, stunned. With his height and length, he wasn't used to getting his shot blocked. How the hell did Zhao Dong get up that high?
Meanwhile, over at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Bulls GM Jerry Krause was watching. The second he saw that block, he threw his hands up and cursed.
"Goddammit! We screwed up bad!"
In another room, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Bulls squad were also watching.
"This rookie's got hops," Rodman admitted. "Speed too, but that's where it stops. Ain't no way he can handle me."
"Inside game's solid," Pippen nodded. "But he can't stop Mike."
Toni Kukoc smirked. "Iverson's probably faster, but Zhao Dong's defense? That kid clamps. Even Allen struggled against him."
"Mike, what do you think?" Ron Harper asked.
Jordan, arms crossed, kept his eyes on the screen.
"He's young," MJ said. "Don't compare him to me. He's playing smart, putting up numbers, making no mistakes. But let's see what happens when teams start keying in on him. That's when we'll see what he's really about."
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