The atmosphere on the Bulls bench was straight-up depressing.
"Dennis, we need your rebounds. Don't let us down. You can do it," Jordan said, staring Rodman down.
The second half started with both teams struggling to hit shots, which meant more boards were up for grabs. But the wildest part? Rodman kept getting his rebounds snatched—by Zhao Dong. The dude was out-hustling The Worm, something nobody had seen before.
Rodman was breathing heavy—not from exhaustion, but from stress. He had given up scoring years ago, focused purely on defense and rebounding to survive in the league. But now? Zhao Dong was punking him on the boards, and he felt the heat.
Meanwhile, back in Chicago, Bulls GM Jerry Krause was watching the game at home, sick and unable to travel. And man, he was pissed.
Zhao Dong was showing elite playmaking and rebounding, and every second of it burned Krause up inside.
"Michael, you're gonna regret this. You crossed the line as a player, and you're gonna pay for it," Krause muttered at the screen, his eyes locked onto Jordan.
After the timeout, both squads rolled out their main guys. Zhao Dong slid back to the small forward spot.
Van Gundy actually wanted to keep him at power forward since he was eating up rebounds, but Zhao Dong wasn't having it. With Oakley and Ewing still holding down the paint, Van Gundy let it slide.
Pippen, still salty about getting cooked, came out looking for revenge. The moment he got the ball, he ignored playmaking duties and pulled up for a three right in Zhao Dong's face.
Bang!
Blocked.
That 91-rated block was real. Pippen's form was too obvious, and Zhao Dong swatted it clean.
"Scottie, stop forcing it! Play your damn role!" Phil Jackson barked from the sideline.
If he had a timeout left, he'd be using it. If Pippen pulled that again, he'd have no choice.
Pippen finally got his head straight and started playing within the offense. With his playmaking, the Bulls' attack looked better. Jordan was still Jordan, working both wings alongside Pippen.
But Zhao Dong had the Knicks rolling, too. The Bulls were still down 7, 52-45, heading into halftime, unable to close the gap.
Zhao Dong's stat line? 9-of-14 shooting, 3-of-4 from the line, 1-of-2 from deep. He had 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls.
He didn't force much offense in the second quarter, instead focusing on setting up his teammates and controlling the boards.
And he was officially out-rebounding Rodman. The Worm had 7 rebounds in two quarters, still solid, but Zhao Dong had two more.
Back in the locker room, Zhao Dong checked his in-game challenges.
Pippen's Challenge:
Score 17 points on him (Done)
Block him once more (1 away)
Hit a shot and celebrate early (1 away)
Get one more assist (1 away)
Rodman's Challenge:
Out-rebound The Worm (In progress, needs to return to PF)
Since he was close to finishing Pippen's task, Zhao Dong decided to turn up the scoring in the third. Once that was wrapped, he could shift back to PF and focus on out-rebounding Rodman.
The third quarter tipped off.
"Pippen's got the ball, Zhao Dong steps up on defense…" Doug Collins called it on NBC.
Swat!
Another block! Zhao Dong sent Pippen's shot flying.
The ball landed with Charles Oakley, who took off down the floor.
Ron Harper stepped up to press.
"Yo, give me that!" Zhao Dong called for the ball on the right wing.
Oakley swung it to him, and he wasted no time, pushing the pace into the frontcourt.
Pippen was scrambling to recover, and Jordan abandoned his own man to help. They were closing in.
Then—STOP.
Zhao Dong slammed the brakes just beyond the three-point line. Pippen and Jordan both overshot, flying past him. By the time they turned around, it was too late.
Zhao Dong rose up. The release felt perfect.
His heart pounded.
He just knew this shot was money.
"Let's bet on it."
Before the ball even reached the rim, Zhao Dong turned around, flashed an OK sign, and walked away.
Swish.
Madison Square Garden erupted.
"HOLY SHIT!"
The arena lost it.
"OH MY GOD! ZHAO DONG JUST HUMILIATED JORDAN!!" Marv Albert yelled over the mic.
Pippen? He just stood there, frozen. At this point, he had no words left. He was used to this rookie embarrassing him.
Instead, he turned to Jordan, waiting for his reaction.
And Jordan?
Jordan was furious.
His eyes were bloodshot.
This was the first time anyone had ever disrespected him like this—a rookie, no less. And not just any rookie—one he personally forced off the Bulls.
Zhao Dong had just shoved his face in the dirt and stomped on it.
Jordan's entire body radiated rage. He looked like he was about to explode.
And then, the rookie made it worse.
"Thanks for giving my shot a meaning, Michael," Zhao Dong smirked.
Jordan's fists clenched. His jaw locked. His voice dropped to a near whisper.
"Rookie… you're dead."
Zhao Dong stared him down, completely unfazed.
"This is Madison Square Garden. As long as I'm here, nobody—not even you, Michael Jordan—gets to act reckless. Step up, and you'll get humiliated even worse."
Jordan's voice turned ice-cold.
"You'll regret this."
Zhao Dong just smiled.
"I'm waiting for your best shot, Mike. The strongest version of you. Because beating that? That's how I make my legacy."
Jordan's fury hit its boiling point.
"FUCK!"
Dude couldn't even trash-talk anymore. He just cursed.
"This is personal now," Doug Collins chuckled.
"Nobody's ever clowned Jordan like this before. Not even Reggie Miller—the biggest shit-talker in the league. Zhao Dong just did it, on the biggest stage, against the biggest name." Marv Albert added.
"And the crazy part?" Doug continued. "He's been lucky as hell with these early celebrations. He's done it a few times and hasn't missed once."
"Zhao Dong's feel for the game is insane. 2-of-3 from deep tonight, 25 points."
"And his pull-up game is elite," Doug agreed. "That's why he got so much space on that three. Pippen and Jordan had no chance of recovering."
"When a skill gets that good, it becomes signature—just like Jordan's fadeaway."
And just like that, the battle was on.
Jordan vs. Zhao Dong.
MSG was about to witness a war.
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