On the 16th, the Jazz touched down in New York, settling in at their hotel and handling media interviews.
"Karl, you're going up against the Golden Tyrant. Looking forward to that matchup?" a reporter asked.
Karl Malone looked confused. "Golden Tyrant? The only Ruler I know is Shawn Kemp. Who the hell is the Golden Tyrant? We got yellow dudes hoopin' in this league now?"
Laughter broke out among the Jazz players and some of the reporters.
Back at his dorm, Zhao Dong caught the interview on TV.
Man, he knew Malone too well. That dude had been throwing elbows since high school and didn't stop until the end of his career. Maybe he threw so many that it messed up his karma or something because, just like Ewing, he never got a ring. Even hopping on with the Lakers' squad didn't help him.
Thinking about Malone and Ewing, Zhao Dong actually felt a little bad for them. Both were straight-up casualties of Jordan.
Ewing got bounced by MJ four times in five postseasons. Malone made it to the Finals twice, only to end up as a stepping stone for Jordan's second three-peat. Dude literally helped MJ get deified.
Watching Malone on the screen, Zhao Dong suddenly realized something about his own game—he wasn't using his elbows enough when getting doubled.
"If I start clearing space with my elbows like Malone and Stockton, I bet I'd have way more breathing room," he muttered.
Right then, the system screen popped up in front of him.
Superstar Sniper Mission: Host, since Karl Malone wanna talk reckless, it's time to clap back the hardest way possible.
Mission Objectives:
Drop 30+10+5 in the game.
Block Malone five times.
If Malone elbows you, retaliate. Failure to fight back results in a random loss of 10 skill levels.
Hold Malone to under 35% shooting.
Shut down the Stockton-Malone pick-and-roll at least five times.
Take at least 15 shots.
Mission Reward: Complete all objectives, and you'll gain Karl Malone's physical talent.
Bonus: To keep you from getting hurt, your injury resistance is temporarily maxed at Level 100 for this game. That means:
100% immunity to career-ending injuries
99% immunity to serious injuries
90% immunity to moderate injuries
80% immunity to minor injuries
Zhao Dong's eyes widened. "Yo, system, you good? You really expect me to put up 30+10+5 against Malone? You think I'm Jordan or somethin'?"
The system didn't respond.
He exhaled, then started breaking the mission down.
Six objectives. He needed to be strategic.
The fifth one told him something—the system wasn't happy with his low shot attempts lately. It was practically forcing him to take more.
He knew Ewing's status on the Knicks was untouchable. The team damn near worshiped him. Hell, they refused to trade his 35-year-old ass for Shaq. That told you everything.
Lately, Ewing had been getting more shots up, and nobody—coaches, management, fans—said a word. If Zhao Dong tried to do the same? Whole different story.
He'd been avoiding conflict with Ewing, but now the system was straight-up pushing the issue. This was probably just the beginning, too. More missions like this were coming.
"Fuck it. If it leads to a fight with Ewing, then so be it. Worst case, I get traded. Not like I won't have teams lining up for me."
With that in mind, he felt more locked in than ever.
"System, this injury immunity—does it only work at Level 100, or is this just a one-time boost?"
"It's a natural effect of reaching Level 100."
Zhao Dong's eyes lit up. "Damn, that's OP. If I max out my injury resistance, I can dodge most career-ruining injuries. Gotta focus on leveling that up."
Then another thought hit him. "Wait, system, are all attributes capped at Level 100?"
"Yes."
Right after that, the system hit him with another mission.
Superstar Sniper Mission:
Steal the ball from John Stockton three times.
Block Stockton three times.
Shut down the Stockton-Malone pick-and-roll five times.
Mission Reward: Complete all objectives, and you'll gain John Stockton's passing ability.
Zhao Dong frowned.
He wasn't gonna lie—this one was rough.
There weren't many objectives, but just that first one alone was hell. He was an inside player, and they expected him to rip Stockton, one of the craftiest point guards ever, three times? That was wild.
The team had no practice scheduled for the morning of the 17th, so Zhao Dong got up early and ran five kilometers for conditioning. After resting for an hour, he had breakfast and then hit up Van Gundy.
"Coach, I need to talk to you," he said.
Van Gundy had just gotten to the team facility. "Sure, Zhao. Come by anytime."
"Cool. I got three more hours of training. I'll swing by at noon."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Van Gundy turned to Thibodeau. "Zhao wants to talk. I bet it's about the media grilling him for not taking enough shots. This could get tricky."
Thibodeau nodded. "We gotta stabilize his shot count. Ewing doesn't even post up in the regular season. We need Zhao in the paint. And let's be real—management sees him as the future. He deserves consistent shot attempts."
Van Gundy agreed but sighed. "The problem is, there's only so many possessions. If he shoots more, someone else shoots less. And right now, Ewing wants his touches. What do we do?"
At 11 AM, after nearly three hours of ball-handling drills, Zhao Dong headed to the facility. He met Van Gundy and Thibodeau, and the three grabbed lunch together.
"Alright, Zhao, what's on your mind?" Van Gundy asked after ordering.
"Coach, I need my shot attempts locked in at 15 or more," Zhao Dong said bluntly.
Van Gundy and Thibodeau exchanged looks but weren't surprised.
Zhao Dong continued, "Fifteen shots ain't a lot for a starting power forward. And since Ewing ain't posting up, my low-post scoring is crucial. I'm putting up buckets and drawing fouls. We need that."
Van Gundy nodded. "I get it. I want you taking around 15 shots, too. Ewing's extra attempts are temporary. He's the team's cornerstone, but he knows we need balance."
"Good. Stability is key," Zhao Dong replied.
Van Gundy thought for a moment. "Alright, I'll tweak some plays for you—high-post pick-and-rolls, weak-side cuts, stuff like that. We'll get you more looks."
Zhao Dong wasn't entirely satisfied.
He already had a few plays—mainly low-post isolations. Everything else? Hustle plays—putbacks, fast breaks. Now, even the new plays Van Gundy was offering were off-ball actions. No real control.
Sure, they were boosting his attempts, but he still didn't have the offensive dominance he wanted.
Still, he knew better than to rush things. Ewing was the king of the Knicks. Challenging him directly wasn't smart. First, he had to secure his shots. Then, he'd work on getting the ball in his hands more.
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