"Zhao Dong, on the 17th, you're going up against the Jazz at home. That means you're facing Karl Malone. You ready for that?" a reporter asked.
Hearing that, Zhao Dong felt a surge of excitement. The system was definitely going to give him a challenge for this matchup. He grinned and said, "He's a Hall of Famer in the making, a straight-up beast. I'm always ready."
"Are you afraid of him?" the reporter pressed.
"What?" Zhao Dong blinked.
"Are you scared of him?" the reporter repeated.
Zhao Dong laughed. "Man, on the court, I don't fear nobody—not even if they were a god."
That line? He straight-up lifted it from Allen Iverson.
In March of next year, Iverson would face off against Jordan and hit him with back-to-back killer crossovers, almost making MJ hit the floor. Then after the game, AI would drop an iconic line: "On the court, I don't have to respect or fear anyone, even if that person is God."
That cocky statement would shake up the whole media world.
"Zhao Dong, when you say 'God,' are you talking about Michael Jordan?" another reporter jumped in.
Zhao Dong smirked. "MJ? God? I mean, is he even locked in as a god right now? If he is, he's looking kinda shaky. Somebody's gonna take him down sooner or later."
"And that someone is you?" the reporter shot back.
Zhao Dong shrugged. "If somebody's doing it, why not me?"
That interview went viral immediately, putting Zhao Dong right at the center of NBA drama.
---
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Jordan wasn't amused. Face cold as ice, he told the media, "I'm gonna make that kid regret running his mouth."
A reporter threw a jab at him. "So, Michael, are you saying you're the God of Basketball? Or is your godhood not solid yet, like Zhao Dong said?"
Jordan chuckled but had that killer look in his eyes. "Let's just go ahead and build another dynasty. Who's stopping me? That loudmouth rookie? What's he got? Is he planning to hold onto Ewing's legs and pray I don't run them over? If that's the case, I'll bury them both."
The media ate that up.
Not long after, Barkley got wind of what Jordan said. He wasn't about to let that slide. "MJ's talking big, huh? Well, he ain't getting another dynasty, not on my watch. We're shutting that down this season."
---
The Knicks had three straight home games lined up—Warriors, Nuggets, and then the Jazz.
On the 12th and 14th, they took care of business, beating Golden State and Denver. That brought them to 18-3 for the season.
But something was off.
Ewing was jacking up shots like crazy—20 attempts per game—while Zhao Dong barely got touches, only putting up 25 shots total across both games.
And the worst part? Ewing was bricking.
Against the Warriors: 6-for-20 from the field, 1-for-2 at the line, only 13 points. No efficiency, no dominance.
Against the Nuggets? Slightly better, but still mid: 8-for-20, 2-for-4 from the stripe, 18 points.
Zhao Dong wasn't exactly lighting it up either. Teams were finally keying in on him, and the double-teams were throwing him off.
Golden State only sent the double in the post. On the perimeter, they let him go one-on-one. He finished with 6-for-13 shooting, 5-for-7 free throws, 17 points—solid but nothing crazy.
Denver? Different story. They double-teamed him everywhere. He wasn't used to it, and it showed: 4-for-12 shooting, 4-for-6 free throws, just 12 points.
---
The New York media wasn't gonna let that slide.
After the Warriors game, they held back. But after the Nuggets game? They went for blood.
"This is the so-called Golden Tyrant? Looking like fool's gold. He doesn't deserve to take touches from Ewing, let alone run the team." – New York Sports Daily
"If this guy is the future of the Knicks, then we don't have a future." – The New York Times
"This dude said he could take down MJ? That might be the biggest joke of the century." – New York Economic Journal
Even Jordan piled on.
During a media session in Chicago, reporters asked about Zhao Dong's struggles, and MJ didn't hold back.
"I told y'all—double-teams expose the real ones. Ain't nobody believing this kid is the Knicks' future anymore, right? You think I forced him out of Chicago? Nah, management didn't even want him."
Barkley took his turn, too. "Double-teams separate the men from the boys. That's just facts. Right now? That kid's got a long way to go before he even thinks about talking big again."
---
Zhao Dong tuned all that noise out. He locked himself in the training facility and broke down what went wrong.
He panicked against the double-teams. Instead of adapting, he kept trying to muscle his way inside. Bad move. Instead, he should've used his 88-rated pull-up jumper to punish defenders without walking into traps.
He wasn't drawing fouls. The Warriors gave him perfect opportunities to force contact, but instead of attacking, he hesitated and missed chances to get easy points at the line.
His handles and footwork weren't good enough. He lacked the shiftiness to shake defenders, and his finishing ability down low wasn't at the level he needed it to be.
Bottom line? He wasn't there yet.
---
Time to fix that.
He made a game plan:
Keep attacking the low post using his Gold Medal skills. If teams double him, force contact and draw fouls.
Develop his jumper to counter aggressive defense.
Work on flexibility, balance, and core strength to improve his mobility.
Upgrade his post finishing—hook shots, lobs, anything to make him deadly in the paint.
Improve his handles so he could shake defenders and create his own shot.
---
On the 15th at 11 a.m., Zhao Dong finally wrapped up his 30-day, 800-shot training program. His jumper leveled up to 93.
Three straight skill boosts past 90+ gave him 6 extra skill points. Not a massive jump, but steady progress.
No time to celebrate, though. The system hit him with his next assignment:
Ball Handling Challenge – 30 days
Controlled dribbling
Quick dribbling
Behind-the-back moves
Crossovers
Hesitations
Half an hour daily. Completion = +3 levels in ball handling.
Zhao Dong did some quick math. If he grinded this out, he'd finish by late January.
And with Karl Malone up next? He had to bring his A-game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?
Visit this link:
Påtreon.com/Fanficlord03