From the start of the fourth quarter, both teams rolled out their main guys.
Van Gundy saw the chance to close it out and stuck with his starters. On the other side, Tomjanovich had no choice but to do the same—couldn't afford to take an L at home.
Two minutes in, Barkley caught the ball on the wing and started backing Zhao Dong down, using that legendary backside of his to muscle his way into the paint.
"5, 4, 3, 2..."
Zhao Dong was counting down in his head while keeping his stance. Just before Barkley went for his shot, Zhao suddenly let up, pulling back.
Barkley, already committed to his move, spun around for a jumper—but without the resistance, his balance was off. His jump was weak, and his release wasn't high enough.
BANG!
Zhao Dong exploded off the floor, skying up and snatching the ball straight outta the air.
"Ohhh, Zhao Dong is cookin' tonight! Rookie's putting on a damn show, swatting Charles shot like it's nothin'!"
Doug Collins couldn't hide the frustration in his voice.
Zhao Dong sprinted back to the other end, calling for the ball in the low post.
Once he had it, he backed Barkley down—felt the resistance and knew he wasn't gonna move him much. So, after one symbolic bump, he spun quick toward the baseline.
Barkley, expecting another fake, stood his ground. All game, Zhao Dong had been hitting stepbacks when defenders sagged, so Barkley wasn't about to give him space.
Bad read.
This time, Zhao Dong actually attacked. Barkley hesitated, realized too late, and scrambled to recover.
As Zhao Dong drove, Clyde "The Glide" Drexler rotated over to cut him off. At the same time, Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon abandoned Ewing to protect the rim.
Seeing the help, Zhao Dong pulled up early.
Clank!
The ball bounced off the rim. Barkley, coming in late, tried to grab it, but Drexler was right there, too. They both got a hand on it—neither secured it. The ball popped loose.
Zhao Dong saw it drop and made his move.
Launching forward, he collided mid-air with Barkley, who hadn't fully gathered himself. Barkley lost his balance and crashed into Olajuwon.
Zhao Dong, completely off-balance, still got two hands on the ball. Just as Drexler swiped at him, he muscled it up and slammed it home!
BOOM!
Drexler's arm smacked Zhao Dong, but it was too late. Zhao Dong hung on the rim, swinging forward—and in the process, accidentally knocked Barkley over again.
Barkley landed hard on his knees under the basket, looking absolutely pissed.
BEEP!
Ref blew the whistle. Bucket counts. And-1.
"Fuuuck yeah!" Zhao Dong grinned. Dunking on three guys in one play? That's gotta be one for the highlight reel.
Barkley's mission was almost wrapped up—just needed one more stat. Same for Hakeem. One more steal or block and that sniper mission would be complete.
Barkley stood up, chest heaving, veins popping on his forehead. His eyes burned into Zhao Dong, ready to throw hands.
Zhao Dong? He wasn't about to play into that. Mission first.
He bricked the free throw. Olajuwon secured the board and kicked it to Charles.
Back on the other end, Hakeem shook Ewing and drove inside. Zhao Dong stepped up to protect the rim.
Hakeem stopped on a dime, pounded the ball twice, then threw a nasty pump fake.
Zhao Dong bit—bad.
Hakeem spun off it, got an open lane, and went for the layup.
Missed it.
But he reacted instantly, going for the tip-in.
Just as Hakeem extended for the putback, Zhao Dong recovered, swatted the ball out of bounds.
"OH, THAT'S TOUGH!"
Another block. Another mission check. One more step to securing Hakeem coordination talent.
Seven minutes into the fourth, Zhao Dong pulled up a step inside the arc. Ball cradled in one hand, leaned forward like he was about to drive—then elevated.
Barkley, half a step away, lunged in late.
Zhao Dong hadn't been lights-out this quarter, going 2-of-4 from midrange. Barkley had already blocked him once.
And now? He wasn't feeling too confident about this shot either.
Clank!
Ball hit the rim.
"Drop!" Zhao Dong muttered.
Swish!
He got the shooter's roll.
"Haha!" Zhao Dong laughed. Barkley's mission was almost complete. One more rebound.
Barkley exhaled sharply, staring him down, looking like he was ready to start throwing punches.
Zhao Dong played it cool, backing off. One board away.
"But if I grab one more rebound, I'm gettin' Barkley's ass—literally. Do I even want that?" Zhao Dong ran the math in his head.
"Eh, forget it. I'll take the three quality points instead and gamble for something better."
Three minutes later, he snatched another rebound—mission complete. 30-10 game. Reward? Barkley's butt.
"Shit."
With two minutes left, Knicks led 99-93. If Zhao Dong hadn't forced some of those shots, the lead would've been double digits.
Rockets wasn't giving up. The Big Three—Hakeem, Barkley, Drexler—went all-in.
With 10 seconds left, they clawed back to 103-101. Knicks' ball.
Van Gundy called timeout.
Back on the floor, The Rockets fouled immediately, sending Charlie Ward to the line.
Pressure was too much.
Brick. Brick.
7.6 seconds left. Rockets ball.
"This is it," Marv Albert said. "Do they go for the win or send it to OT?"
"Stay locked in! No open threes!" Van Gundy yelled from the sideline.
Hakeem inbounded. Charles Barkley dodged Charlie Ward, sprinted up the floor, and launched a full-court dime to Drexler.
Drexler caught it, hit the brakes, and pivoted to shake Oakley before pulling up from the left-wing three.
Ewing rushed out to contest.
At the same time, Hakeem dove toward the paint.
Drexler whipped the ball inside.
Zhao Dong sprinted in. Barkley was left behind.
Hakeem caught it, squared up.
3 seconds... 2.5... 2...
He started his classic footwork show, shifting his weight, throwing Zhao Dong off-balance.
"Fuuuuck, don't fall!" Zhao Dong's mind screamed.
His body betrayed him—he stumbled.
Desperate, he reached out, grabbing Hakeem jersey.
Hakeem went up for the game-tying layup.
Zhao Dong yanked him slightly.
BOUNCE.
The ball hit the rim, rolled...
FELL OUT.
Buzzer.
Game over. Knicks win.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?
Visit this link:
Påtreon.com/Fanficlord03