"Zhao Dong, I'm real disappointed in you tonight. I told you over and over—grab the board, kick it out. But you just ignored me. What's up with that?"
After the game, Van Gundy pulled Zhao Dong aside, his frustration barely hidden. He liked the kid—saw the raw talent—but damn, he was stubborn. If this kept up, he'd have no choice but to cut his minutes.
Zhao Dong didn't hesitate. "Coach, I need reps. Even if I mess up, it's all part of leveling up. Trust me, I'll get better real soon. Ain't this a type of training too? I need to go through this."
Van Gundy stared at him for a good ten seconds before finally exhaling. "Look, I need you to play smarter. You weren't locked in tonight. If your shot's off, move the rock—let your teammates handle it. You get that?"
Zhao Dong shrugged. "Man, their shot is worse than mine."
Van Gundy blinked, then shook his head, annoyed. "I'm talking about playing the right way. Making the right reads. You gotta focus on smart basketball. Understand?"
"I got it, I got it. Basketball's a five-man game. I get it," Zhao Dong said quickly.
Van Gundy leaned in, his tone serious. "Zhao, you're still a rookie. Right now, you don't draw double-teams, but once your game levels up, defenses will start keying in on you. Come playoff time? You'll see double-teams every night. That's why you gotta start trusting the pass now—let your guys help take the pressure off you in the paint."
Zhao Dong nodded. "I hear you, Coach. I just need you to trust me, too. I can play on or off the ball. I can go all out on both ends."
Van Gundy sighed but nodded. "The front office believes in you—they gave you a big contract. That means I gotta work with them and build the offense around you."
Zhao Dong cracked a grin. That meant his role in the offense was about to get bigger.
Back in the locker room, the squad had some news—the Bulls took an L on the road. Even crazier? They lost to the Suns without Charles Barkley.
Jordan? 22 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes, and 6 turnovers. Three of those were offensive fouls. Shot a rough 38% from the field. Not his usual dominance.
"Rookie, keep pushing MJ's buttons," Oakley chuckled.
"As long as he's still hoopin', I'm coming for him," Zhao Dong shot back with a smirk.
---
Back at the Hotel
Zhao Dong roomed with Oakley, and the two chopped it up about the game.
"Zhao, you had better positioning in the post than Patrick tonight, but your efficiency wasn't there. That's 'cause your finishing still needs work. You gotta tighten up your offensive bag," Oakley said.
"Yeah, I know, Chuck. I'm still building my jumper foundation. I'm giving myself 40 days to lock that in. After that, I'll start working on more advanced shots—pull-ups, straight-arm jumpers, fadeaways… all that," Zhao Dong explained.
Oakley nodded. "I get it. You wanna stretch your game, but we need low-post scoring now. Larry Johnson's not what he used to be—came off the bench for 23 minutes, shot 4-for-12, only gave us 12 points and 3 boards. The team needs you down low."
"In the regular season, Houston can cover for me," Zhao Dong said. "But come playoffs? When we see Chicago? Ain't nobody on our squad stopping Jordan one-on-one."
Oakley went quiet. Facts.
"I model my game after Barkley," Zhao Dong continued. "I wanna stretch my range, not just live in the paint. I wanna go head-to-head with MJ. I wanna take him out myself."
He locked eyes with Oakley, his fire burning.
In truth, he knew his focus had to stay inside for now. Efficiency mattered. His offensive skills were still raw—his 90-rated shooting foundation was solid, but his finishing was mid. If he ran into a defensive beast like Rodman or got doubled, his low-post efficiency would take a hit.
Oakley exhaled, shaking his head. "Man, a rookie calling out Jordan… wish Ewing had that mindset. Big fella never said stuff like that."
After Oakley knocked out, Zhao Dong laid in bed and pulled up his system.
"Congrats, host! You've completed the '5 Straight Games of 20+10' challenge. Reward: 10 Quality Points."
"Let's go!" he celebrated in his head.
He already knew how he was spending those points—5 on stamina, 5 on speed.
85 stamina meant he could hoop efficiently for 35 minutes. Manage his energy right? He could push to 40.
85 speed made him top-tier for bigs, elite for wings, and solid for guards.
Then a thought hit him. "Yo, system, can I boost my stats just through training?"
"Yes," the system confirmed.
That was a relief. The team's training schedule was locked in, but if he couldn't level up naturally, all that work would be pointless.
---
Next Stop: Philly
The squad landed in Philly on the 21st. The next game was on the 23rd. That gave Zhao Dong two full days to lock in on shooting drills while on the road.
---
NBA Drama – Jordan vs. Zhao Dong
At noon on the 22nd, the league finally responded to the whole Jordan-instigating-Grunfeld-to-mess-with-Zhao Dong situation.
"We've reviewed all the evidence and consulted with communications experts. There isn't enough proof to confirm these claims. We urge players to be cautious when addressing media speculation."
Classic NBA PR move.
They weren't about to throw Jordan under the bus for some rookie.
Still, Zhao Dong wasn't surprised. The league was never gonna back a Chinese kid over MJ.
But now, some media outlets were calling him out, saying he made everything up. The pressure was on.
At least the New York media had his back. The local press was pushing back on the league's statement, questioning the NBA's handling of the situation.
End of the day?
Zhao Dong didn't gain much from the league's response.
Jordan got some cover from the media.
And the real winners? The journalists eating up the drama.
---
Meanwhile, in China…
Back in Beijing, CCTV Sports was holding a meeting.
They were already broadcasting NBA regular-season games for the first time. But now? Less than a month in, they were already debating whether to increase coverage.
Not everyone was on board.
Zhou Tianlin, the acting deputy director for sports, sat quietly. Several meetings had passed, and he still hadn't given his stance.
(TL: In November 1996, Jiang Heping was serving as the deputy director of China Central Television's (CCTV) News Department. However, during this period, he was on leave to pursue a Master of Arts in Journalism at the University of Wales, Cardiff, from September 1996 to September 1997, funded by the British government. Consequently, the acting deputy director during his absence is not specified in the available sources.)
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