At this time, the ball was in Ewing's hands. He took a quick step forward, shook off the Supersonics player in front of him, dribbled to the right wing, and then pushed up the court.
Shawn Kemp, frustrated as hell after getting blocked by Zhao Dong again, had no choice but to turn and hustle back on defense.
"Shawn Kemp rushes back, Zhao Dong flying down the right wing..." The commentator's voice boomed over Madison Square Garden.
"Transition time! Now it's Kemp on defense, and Zhao Dong is attacking the rack!" Sun Zhenping shouted from the sideline, hyped as hell.
Zhao Dong could feel his adrenaline surging through his veins. He saw Kemp waiting under the basket, but he wasn't about to back down. Hell no. He drove straight into the paint, locked in on the rim.
Kemp, looking like he was out for revenge, launched himself up. He wanted to put Zhao Dong on a damn poster.
This was the '90s NBA. No defensive three seconds, no soft-ass rules. If you were attacking the rim, you had two choices—bulldoze through or rise up and punch it in.
Boom! Zhao Dong stomped the hardwood and took flight.
For a moment, it felt like he had wings.
Madison Square Garden went dead silent. Every single pair of eyes locked onto the Supersonics' paint.
BANG!
Like a meteor crashing into Earth, the two collided in midair.
Kemp, who was 11 kilos lighter, got straight-up bodied. But his bounce was crazy—dude still managed to get a hand on the ball.
Didn't matter. Zhao Dong had a death grip on it. That rock wasn't going nowhere.
BOOM!
The ball slammed through the hoop with a vicious force, shaking the whole damn rim.
THUD!
Kemp hit the hardwood and slid back.
"OOOOH!"
The crowd erupted like a damn volcano.
"Zhao Dong! That was SAVAGE! Shawn Kemp, the Reign Man, just got put on his ass! He made him look helpless out there! This is New York's beast—our next king, the next ruler of the Knicks!"
The courtside commentator was straight-up losing his mind, screaming whatever came to him.
On the NBC broadcast, Doug Collins and Marv Albert just looked at each other, stunned.
"That was BRUTAL! That was straight-up DISRESPECTFUL! Is he playing ball, or is this a damn war?" Doug Collins hollered.
Marv Albert stared at Kemp, who was still on the ground, and muttered, "This kid is ruling the paint... Ruling this game. And his rule is even more vicious than Shawn Kemp's."
"Golden Tyrant."
That nickname, broadcasted live across NBC, got seared into the minds of fans across North America.
Over in a Los Angeles hotel, Jordan's expression had gone stiff.
Pippen turned, eyed MJ, and let out a deep sigh. "Mike, if this kid keeps this up... It's gonna get real embarrassing for you."
A thought hit Pippen. Can anyone even stop him? Unless he gets hurt, dude is a PROBLEM.
Back in Madison Square Garden, Zhao Dong swung on the rim, staring down at Kemp, who was sprawled beneath him. His eyes were cold, a little wild. A smirk crept onto his lips.
On paper, Kemp was still the stronger player. But so what? He was still lying at Zhao Dong's feet, wasn't he?
Zhao Dong had the speed advantage now. And with his bigger frame, his impact was even nastier than Kemp's.
Kemp was lighter—he couldn't absorb the contact. That's why Zhao Dong won this battle.
Playing to his strengths. That's what it was all about.
Dropping from the rim, his heart still pounding, he turned to the crowd behind the baseline and yelled, "Was that enough for y'all?! No? Then I'll do it again! Once, twice, three times—whatever it takes till you're satisfied!"
"OOOOHHHHH!"
The Garden went WILD. The energy hit another level.
Up in a VIP suite, Knicks GM Ernie Grunfeld turned to owner Grace and Madison Square Garden's boss, James Dolan.
(TL: Grace, the owner in the story, is a fictional character. In reality, the Knicks and Madison Square Garden were owned by Cablevision in 1996, with the Dolan family in control
"Boss, Mr. James Dolan, whatever you're thinking—I'm DAMN proud of this signing."
James Dolan laughed. "But this means I'm gonna be paying a whole lot more money, huh?"
Judging by his tone, though, he wasn't mad. Not one bit.
He bought the Knicks, and the way Zhao Dong was playing? That just meant the team's value was skyrocketing. And he was LOVING it.
"Ernie, you were right. We're making money off this one," Grace chuckled. "Looks like I owe you an apology for doubting you before."
Dolan suddenly stood up and walked over to the window, gazing down at the court. He watched as Zhao Dong pumped up the fans, bringing the whole damn arena to life.
"Ewing's too quiet," Dolan murmured. "He barely interacts with his teammates or the crowd."
Does Dolan want to change the face of the franchise?
That thought hit Grunfeld and Grace at the same time.
Back on the court, Shawn Kemp got subbed out—not because of an injury, but because his fighting spirit had been completely shattered. He didn't check back in for the rest of the game. Instead, he went straight to the locker room.
Zhao Dong's dominance had shaken the Supersonics' confidence to the core.
The Knicks went on to handle business, taking down Seattle 105-97 for their 10th win of the season.
Zhao Dong played 41 minutes, his longest run yet. He shot 12-of-20 from the field, 2-of-5 from three, and 4-of-6 from the line. He finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 6 blocks, 2 turnovers, and 4 fouls.
After Kemp left the game, Zhao Dong started mixing in mid-range jumpers and threes to keep the pressure on, though his efficiency dipped slightly.
Still, this was his first time hitting 30+ points and a 30+10 game. He also picked up his second Player of the Game honor.
Six Knicks finished in double figures:
Allan Houston, Chris Childs, and John Starks each dropped 13 points.
Oakley had 11 points.
Larry Johnson added 10 points.
Ewing? He struggled BAD, shooting just 2-of-15 from the field and finishing with 8 points and 9 rebounds. Rough night for the big fella.
After the game, the media swarmed Zhao Dong.
"Zhao Dong, you went HARD out there tonight. I was seriously worried you'd get hurt," Zhang Heli said.
Zhao Dong wiped his sweat and grinned. "Man, it's either me or him. Shawn Kemp is a beast. If I don't go all out, he's putting me on my ass. So I had to hit him harder. That's the game. That's how you win."
Zhang Heli gave him a thumbs-up. "You good, though?"
"All good," Zhao Dong chuckled.
"Just be careful, man. You're young, but those hits stack up," Zhang Heli reminded.
"Appreciate that, Zhang. I'll keep it in mind," Zhao Dong nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?
Visit this link:
Påtreon.com/Fanficlord03