Jordan took the ball and drifted outside the three-point line. As the double-team started closing in, he suddenly switched direction, drove down, then pulled up for a deep three.
The second Jordan released the shot, Zhao Dong ditched Pippen and exploded toward the paint.
Jordan shot 42.7% from three last season, but this year, it had dipped to 37.4%. Even with his clutch gene, there was still a decent chance he'd miss.
Zhao Dong read the arc of the ball, made his move, and adjusted his positioning.
Bang!
The ball clanked off the rim and bounced deep toward the free-throw line.
Rodman and Zhao Dong lunged for the board at the same time. At the last second, Zhao Dong's quickness gave him the edge—he snatched the rebound over Rodman's head.
Beep!
Rodman bodied him mid-air, knocking him off balance. Zhao Dong hit the floor hard. The ref blew the whistle—two free throws for the Knicks.
After a quick celebration with his teammates, Zhao Dong stepped up to the line.
He dribbled three times, exhaled, and locked in.
Bang!
The ball smacked the rim.
"Shit!" Zhao Dong cursed.
It felt perfect leaving his hands, but it rimmed out.
He took a breath, settled down, and let the second one fly.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
"The Bulls caught a little break. They're only down four with… 15 seconds left," Zhang Heli called.
The Bulls wasted no time. Jordan sprinted up the middle, caught the inbound pass, and left Starks chasing. He stopped on a dime, shook his man, and pulled up from the free-throw line.
Swish!
Easy money.
99-101. Knicks up two. 10 seconds left. Knicks' ball. Bulls are gonna have to foul.
As expected, the Knicks inbounded, and Charlie Ward got fouled immediately—7.5 seconds left.
Zhao Dong's mind flashed back to the last time the Knicks got bounced by the Bulls in the playoffs. Ward bricked two crucial free throws and cost them the game.
And history damn near repeated itself.
Ward choked both shots.
Luckily, Zhao Dong was ready. He crashed hard, grabbed the board, and got fouled by Rodman.
Doug Collins shouted, "Oh, that's a brutal rebound for Chicago!"
"Zhao Dong's up to 18 rebounds, while Rodman has 17. Not only has he been a playmaker tonight, but his rebounding has been a game-changer," Marv Albert said.
"Every time Zhao Dong and Jordan go head-to-head, they both go nuclear," Collins chuckled.
"6.2 seconds left. Knicks up by two. Two free throws coming. Bulls are in trouble," Marv added.
"If Chicago loses and gets swept, Jordan's gonna be pissed," Doug Collins laughed.
Swish!
The first free throw was money, and the Garden erupted.
"John, lock in!" Zhao Dong barked at Starks, pointing at Jordan, who was lingering near half-court.
"Got it!" Starks shouted back.
Pippen, standing next to Ewing, smirked. "You scared of bricking the free throw, kid?"
Zhao Dong smirked right back. "Pip, you wouldn't get it. You've never been the guy. I'm handling my business as a franchise player—just reminding my guys to stay locked in."
Ewing and Oakley burst out laughing.
Pippen's face twisted. "The hell you mean I wasn't the guy? When Mike retired, I was running the show!"
If Zhao Dong could hear Pippen's thoughts, he'd probably fire back: If you were really the guy, why'd Phil Jackson draw up the last shot for Toni Kukoc instead of you?
Swish!
Another bucket.
99-103. Knicks up four.
The Bulls inbounded, but Jordan couldn't shake Starks and took too long to get the ball upcourt. By the time he finally got a clean look, the clock was almost out.
He fired a deep three—
Clank!
Game over.
Madison Square Garden erupted. The Knicks had just swept the Bulls.
"Phenomenal!" Knicks' owner James Dolan grinned at GM Ernie Grunfeld. "Ernie, you just signed us a superstar. Expect a raise."
"Music to my ears," Grunfeld laughed.
"Congrats to the Knicks on taking both games off the Bulls this season," Doug Collins said on NBC broadcast.
"The Bulls and Knicks have two more matchups left. Should be another hell of a battle," Marv Albert added.
"Jordan was unreal again tonight," Doug Collins broke down the numbers. "23-of-44 shooting, 58 points, 3-of-7 from three, 9-of-12 free throws. He had 39 through three quarters and 19 in the fourth."
Marv Albert followed up, "And Zhao Dong damn near matched him—49 points, 18 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers, and 4 fouls. Efficiency was crazy, too—18-of-32 shooting, 4-of-6 from deep, 9-of-13 from the line."
Doug Collins shook his head. "Both of them put on a clinic. Jordan had 30 of his 44 shots in double-teams, hit 13, and went 10-of-14 on the rest. Zhao Dong had 16 double-teamed shots, made 6, and went 12-of-16 otherwise."
Marv Albert nodded. "Jordan's shot quality was way tougher—70% of his shots came against double-teams, while Zhao Dong only saw them 50% of the time. The Knicks threw everything at Jordan, while the Bulls didn't press Zhao Dong as much."
Doug Collins analyzed further, "But that's the problem. If the Bulls had blitzed Zhao Dong like the Knicks did to Jordan, they might've had a better shot."
Marv shook his head. "Nah, that's where Zhao Dong's passing comes in. He had 8 assists, and if they'd doubled him more, he would've hit double digits easy. That would've cooked the Bulls even worse."
Doug Collins agreed, "Exactly. Chicago only had 15 assists tonight. The Knicks? 23. That ball movement won them the game."
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