After lunch, the three of them headed to the training facility together for the afternoon practice session.
During the session, Van Gundy focused on implementing some new plays specifically designed for Zhao Dong—pick-and-roll sets and weak-side back cuts.
The pick-and-roll plays were mostly high-post actions with the point guard. After setting the screen, Zhao Dong had three options: hold his position at the high post, pop out to the top of the arc, or roll to the basket. With his mid-range and long-range shooting ability, he was the perfect big to execute these sets, similar to Karl Malone.
Besides the high-post actions, there were also pick-and-rolls on the wings, creating mismatches that Zhao Dong could exploit.
The weak-side back-cut play was built around Ewing drawing defenders on the strong side while Zhao Dong cut to the rim for easy buckets. His cutting ability was already elite—rated at 90—so it made sense that Van Gundy was designing plays to maximize it.
"I need y'all to use these plays effectively in upcoming games..." Van Gundy emphasized to the squad.
Ewing knew exactly what Van Gundy was trying to do—get Zhao Dong more touches and shots. But he wasn't about to let that affect his own game. If he wanted, he could still take 25, even 30 shots a night.
That said, with his current physical condition, that wasn't realistic. He had to conserve energy, especially in the regular season, which was one of the reasons he avoided playing in the paint too much.
But with Zhao Dong's rise, Ewing decided to be more aggressive. If this rookie was getting extra plays, he'd counter by taking more shots himself.
Van Gundy's move annoyed him, but as long as his shot attempts weren't cut down, he let it slide.
Meanwhile, Oakley pulled Zhao Dong aside. "Man, what the hell are you doing talkin' to the coaching staff yourself? That's what your agent is for!"
Zhao Dong was caught off guard. "I just handle my own shit. Been that way forever."
"You gotta change that. Wells should be handling this. Your job is to hoop. He handles everything else—contracts, endorsements... hell, even setting up women if you want," Oakley joked.
Zhao Dong rolled his eyes. If he needed an agent just to hook up, where was the fun in that?
Of course, adding plays for him had its consequences.
Allan Houston immediately started thinking—if
Ewing wasn't giving up shots, then Zhao Dong's touches had to come from someone else. And he sure as hell didn't want it to be him.
Especially with Zhao Dong's last two games being just average, Houston saw an opportunity to push back.
"I need Bill Strickland to talk to management and the coaching staff," Houston decided. "They can't let Zhao Dong take too many shots."
With his current average at 12.5 shots per game, he wasn't about to let a rookie surpass that. If Zhao Dong's attempts went up, then so would his.
Game Night – Madison Square Garden
MSG was packed, buzzing with energy. The Knicks were winning, and the fans were hyped.
Starting Lineups:
Jazz: Greg Ostertag, Karl Malone, Bryon Russell, Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton.
Knicks: Ewing, Zhao Dong, Oakley, Allan Houston, Chris Childs.
This was a national TV game, airing on NBC across the U.S. and CCTV in China.
On NBC, Doug Collins was hyping up the matchup. "With Laimbeer retired, the 'Four Dirty Players' haven't been together in a while. But tonight, three of them are on the court, so expect some fireworks."
"You think we'll see a fight?" Marv Albert asked.
"Probably not," Collins laughed. "They play hard, but no one wants to catch a suspension."
In the Knicks' locker room, the media was buzzing around Zhao Dong.
"Karl Malone said he's never even heard of you. Any response?"
Zhao Dong smirked. "Tell him he's like Barkley—never winning a ring. Might as well retire early."
After that comment, he glanced at Ewing.
"You dumbass. If you keep trying to suppress me, I won't be able to complete my mission of taking out Jordan. That means you won't win a title either. At worst, I'll leave New York, and when I come back, the system's gonna give me a mission to bury your ass."
Over in the Jazz locker room, reporters exaggerated Zhao Dong's words, making Malone furious.
"The hell did he just say?!"
Stockton smirked coldly. "Karl, looks like we gotta teach this kid a lesson."
That championship dream was everything to them. Anyone standing in their way was the enemy.
"Oh, we will," Malone said, eyes flashing with bad intentions.
Meanwhile, in Houston, Barkley was at home watching TV.
"Chuck, you're not watching Jordan? NBC's airing Bulls vs. Lakers," his wife Maureen asked.
"Nah," Barkley grinned. "I've seen enough Jordan games. I wanna watch the Knicks."
"Because of that rookie?"
"Yeah. That loudmouth rookie's got some game, but he pissed me and Mike off. We're gonna teach him a lesson soon enough."
Maureen, a Knicks fan, smiled. "You know, he calls you his template. You're 'The Round Mound of Rebound,' and he's 'Golden Tyrant'"
"Yeah," Barkley chuckled. "That's what he says."
Back at MSG
Both teams walked out of the tunnel. As Zhao Dong stepped onto the court, he immediately noticed Stockton and Malone staring him down.
Malone looked ready to kill somebody, and Stockton had that sneaky, dirty-player smirk—like a damn snake.
"Oh, great. The Black and White Devils," Zhao Dong thought.
These two had some of the dirtiest reps in NBA history. Stockton? Dude was the leader of the "Four Dirty Players." People used to argue whether Rodman should be in that group, but Stockton won the title in a landslide.
The dude specialized in dirty plays—stomping on feet, grabbing throats, knee shots, elbows, and even hitting dudes in the nuts when the refs weren't looking. Even Rodman had been a victim.
And Karl Malone? That dude was built like a tank. He strutted toward Zhao Dong, flexing his ridiculous 55cm biceps.
Malone was big, but the weight difference wasn't that much—he was 113 kg, a little lighter than Zhao Dong. But his upper body was straight diesel. His bench press? Over 200 kg, blowing past Zhao Dong's 150 kg max.
Zhao Dong, though, was more well-rounded—strong both up top and down low. Malone? Dude was all chest and arms, but his core and hips weren't as strong. He had that top-heavy build, which meant if Zhao Dong could get under him, he could push him off balance.
The tension in the air was thick.
This was about to be a war.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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