Amid the harsh sound of sneakers squeaking on the hardwood, Zhao Dong and Shawn Kemp sprinted across the top of the arc.
At that moment, Charles had the rock on the right wing, struggling under the pressure from Payton. He nearly lost control, but seeing Zhao Dong cut inside, he quickly dished it off.
Zhao Dong had already slowed down near the free-throw line. The second he caught the pass, he slammed the brakes, and Shawn Kemp went flying past him.
Squeak!
Kemp tried to recover, stopping a meter in front of the rim and turning around.
But just as he turned, Zhao Dong exploded again, blowing past him. Before Kemp could even plant his feet, Zhao Dong took flight right in front of him.
BANG!
Shawn Kemp got knocked back hard, sliding two meters across the floor.
BOOM!
The rim shook violently, and Madison Square Garden erupted.
"AHHH!"
Frustrated and pissed, Shawn Kemp sat up and punched the floor, trying to vent his rage.
Zhao Dong didn't even glance at him. Hyped up, he jumped off the rim, sprinted past Kemp, and rushed straight to the CCTV camera behind the baseline. Grabbing it, he shook it in the middle of the deafening noise, shouting:
"Y'all see this?! This is my gift to you tonight! And from now on, I'm bringing this gift EVERY night! I wanna hear y'all cheer EVERY night!"
"Man, Zhao Dong is a straight savage!"
"Dude is a MONSTER!"
At that moment, fans all across China were locked in on the screen, watching a face overflowing with confidence and energy.
At CCTV, Zhou Lintian, the deputy director of the sports department, stared at the five hotline phones lighting up non-stop. The staff was swamped, hands sore from picking up calls. After a deep breath, he made up his mind:
"Two games. No need for another meeting. From now on, we're broadcasting two games a week. Send someone to the U.S. immediately to renegotiate with the NBA."
---
Meanwhile, in L.A., Jordan sat in silence, his face stone-cold as he stared at the TV.
Pippen had a weird look on his face, watching in silence, though his thoughts were loud:
"Michael, great job running this rookie outta Chicago. Your ability to judge talent is nowhere near as elite as your game."
---
At the 6-minute mark in the first quarter, Zhao Dong got the ball in the low post. Shawn Kemp, already heated, threw an elbow into his back.
Whistle!
The ref caught it—third foul. Kemp was yanked off the floor.
"You motherf—!"
Zhao Dong gritted his teeth, rubbing his back, then glared at Kemp as he walked off.
"Damn it, Shawn Kemp. If I didn't have a mission, I'd make sure you never stepped back on this damn court!"
With their biggest weapon sitting down, the Sonics' interior fell apart. Sure, they still had Payton and two other All-Stars, but without Kemp's presence inside, their paint defense was Swiss cheese.
On the NBC broadcast, Collins broke it down:
"Shawn Kemp has been getting WORKED by Zhao Dong tonight. He's lost his cool, and that's the biggest liability for the Sonics right now."
Marv Albert nodded. "Zhao Dong is smart—he's been baiting Kemp all night. But let's be real, we haven't seen Kemp at full strength yet. If he plays even half his best game, he can take Zhao Dong down."
Collins agreed. "Yeah, Kemp hasn't found his rhythm yet. If he locks in, he's still got a shot."
---
At the 8-minute mark, Payton was posting up Charles on the left wing, muscling his way into the paint.
Zhao Dong, tracking the whole play, suddenly darted inside from the right wing.
Payton, reading the defense, turned baseline, getting ready to pull up—
SMACK!
Zhao Dong skyrocketed over and swatted the shot straight outta bounds.
"OH MY GOD! What a volleyball spike from Zhao Dong! Came in from the weak side and just said, 'NOT TODAY!'"
The arena erupted, and the commentator hyped it up even more:
"Hey, Glove! How's that block taste?! You like that seasoning?!"
"F*ck!"
Annoyed, Payton shot a glare at the broadcast booth before turning to Zhao Dong.
"Rookie, that block was trash!"
Zhao Dong smirked.
"But you still ate it. Must mean you got a taste for that trash, huh?"
"…"
Payton's jaw dropped.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Ewing and Oakley lost it, laughing so hard they nearly collapsed on the floor.
Zhao Dong, though, was a little disappointed—Payton wasn't mad enough to trigger his trash-talk bonus.
Ewing got subbed out shortly after, but Zhao Dong stayed in until the quarter ended.
By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were up 27-19, leading by 8.
The media might've been surprised, but anyone watching the game wasn't.
Zhao Dong had a solid first quarter:
5/7 FG
0/1 3PT
2/3 FT
12 PTS, 3 REB, 3 BLK, 1 Foul
Meanwhile, Ewing was struggling hard.
1/7 FG
2/2 FT
4 PTS, 3 REB
All his shots were jumpers, barely any post moves. He wasn't attacking the rim anymore, and it was clear his knees were done. Yeah, Zhao Dong was taking some low-post space, but Ewing just didn't have that bounce anymore.
---
Second quarter, Zhao Dong hit the bench while Ewing stayed out. The Knicks rolled out a bench squad—Williams, John Wallace, John Starks, and Charlie Ward.
The Sonics, still playing half their starters, pounced on them. By mid-quarter, they had erased the lead, forcing Van Gundy to call timeout.
Coming back, both teams put their starters back in.
Score check: Knicks 35 - 33 Sonics
Shawn Kemp was back.
But with three fouls, he was hesitant—his defense was softer than a pillow.
Yet, despite that, the Knicks still forced the offense through Ewing, who bricked five straight shots in the first half.
Van Gundy didn't adjust—or rather, he couldn't. He was a rookie coach, and Ewing's status was above his.
So Zhao Dong barely got touches. The Knicks didn't even exploit Kemp's foul trouble.
Halftime: Sonics 47 - Knicks 43.
New York got outscored by 12 points in the second quarter.
Zhao Dong barely got any shots.
1/2 FG
0/1 3PT
2 PTS, 3 REB
Shawn Kemp? Same story.
1/4 FG
2 PTS, 2 REB
He only took jumpers, got blocked again, and looked shook.
But with Ewing stinking it up, the Knicks fumbled their lead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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