(TL: Hey everyone! đ Just a quick heads-upâthis NBA fanfic doesn't strictly follow real-life events. In this story, James Dolan became the owner of the New York Knicks in early, which is different from reality, where he took over in 1999.
I've made some creative changes to fit the narrative, so don't be surprised if certain events, timelines, or details differ from actual NBA history. Enjoy the ride and let's have fun with this alternate basketball universe! đđ„)
<><><><><><><><><><><><>><<><>
April 12th â Game Day
Knicks Starting Five: Ewing, Larry Johnson, Oakley, Zhao Dong, Chris Childs
Heat Starting Five: P.J. Brown, Alonzo Mourning, Jamal Mashburn, Voshon Lenard, Tim Hardaway
The Knicks and the Heat had real bad blood. These squads weren't just rivals on the courtâthey almost threw hands outside Madison Square Garden. If things played out how they should, they'd be seeing each other in the second round of the playoffs, so tensions were sky-high.
From the jump, it was clearâthis wasn't just a game. It was a war.
First Possession â Knicks
Zhao Dong won the tip, and the Knicks took the first crack on offense. They got the ball to Ewing, and the big man went straight to workâturnaround jumper, two points.
The Heat brought it up, and as soon as Tim Hardaway crossed half-court, Zhao Dong was all over him.
"Ohhh, what's this? What's Zhao Dong trying to do here?" Doug Collins shouted on the NBC broadcast. "Is he tryna play point guard defense now? Trying to be Magic?"
Hardaway, caught off guard, blinked at Zhao Dong but smirked. "You really wanna guard me?" he muttered, calling for the rock.
He wasn't worried at all. If anything, he wanted this. He knew he had the quickness and handles to cook Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong wasn't stupid, though. He knew Hardaway's signature move like the back of his handâbetween-the-legs dribble into a sharp crossover, two steps, and he's gone. Classic.
If this were any other big man, backing up would be the smart play. But Zhao Dong had a different idea.
Instead of giving Hardaway space, he pressed up on him. Why? Because his wingspan was ridiculous, and now his steal rating was elite. He was gonna use that to his advantage.
Hardaway instantly felt the pressure. Zhao Dong's frame cut off his vision, his passing lanes, and his shooting angles. The moment he tried to step back and reset, Zhao Dong stayed glued to him.
"ShitâŠ" Hardaway gritted his teeth.
Seeing his point guard in trouble, Alonzo Mourning stepped up at the top of the arc, calling for the ball. Hardaway quickly pulled up and fired a pass his wayâ
SMACK!
Zhao Dong lunged out with his left hand and snatched the pass right out of the air.
"OH! Steal by Zhao Dong!" Marv Albert shouted.
Hardaway cursed under his breath. "Damn! I misread his reach."
Zhao Dong was gone. With the ball in his hands, he tore down the court. Hardaway tried to recover, sprinting behind him, but it was hopeless.
As soon as he caught up, Zhao Dong barely nudged him, and Hardaway stumbled to the ground.
With nothing but daylight ahead, Zhao Dong exploded into the paintâ
BOOM!
A vicious slam rocked the rim, shaking the entire backboard. The crowd erupted.
"Good lord! That basket is crying for help!" Doug Collins hollered.
Back in the NBC booth, Marv Albert was still shaking his head. "That was actually impressive," he admitted. "Zhao Dong read that pass perfectly. His perimeter defense is really coming along."
Doug Collins chuckled. "Hardaway ain't used to dealing with someone this big and this quick. He underestimated how much space he had, and Zhao Dong made him pay for it."
Back on offense, Zhao Dong got the matchup he wantedâJamal Mashburn.
Monster Mash was a bucket-getter, one of the top small forwards in the league. He had a filthy mid-range game, a smooth post fade, and elite footworkâlike a 90s version of Carmelo Anthony.
The problem? His defense was suspect at best.
Zhao Dong wasn't gonna waste time. One hard turn, quick first stepâhe was gone.
Mashburn barely had time to react. By the time he tried to recover, Zhao Dong pulled upâclean mid-range jumper.
Swish.
"He got cooked!" Doug Collins laughed. "You can't guard Zhao Dong one-on-one. That's exactly what happened when Pippen torched Mashburn last game. If Miami wants to contain him, they better send some help."
This time, Hardaway learned his lesson. As soon as he crossed half-court, he sprinted to the right wing, trying to get a clean angle before Zhao Dong could clamp him up again.
But Zhao Dong read it like a book. He cut off the drive and forced Hardaway to slow down near the three-point line.
Hardaway had to reset.
He took a step back, dribbled between his legsâpop, popâand then hit his signature crossover.
Zhao Dong was locked in. This was it.
Bang!
The moment Hardaway exploded to his left, Zhao Dong reacted half a second lateâbut it didn't matter.
"Tim got by him!" Marv Albert shouted.
"Wait, hold up!" Doug Collins interrupted. "Look at Zhao Dongâhe's right there!"
Hardaway took two steps in and pulled up.
But Zhao Dong never lost ground. He saw it coming andâ
SLAP!
Zhao Dong chased him down and swatted the shot before it even had a chance.
Hardaway was shocked.
He thought he had space. He thought he had the look. But Zhao Dong closed the gap instantly.
Doug Collins was losing it. "That's just good defense, man. Zhao Dong is using his size perfectly. Hardaway needs to adjust because whatever he's trying to do? It ain't working."
Marv Albert nodded. "Yeah, the mismatch is going in Zhao Dong's favor. He's too big to get bullied, and he's moving way faster than Hardaway expected."
Hardaway shook his head, frustrated. He had never struggled this much against a forward.
But Zhao Dong was built different.
On the NBC live broadcast, Doug Collins summed it up.
"In the last game against the Bulls, Zhao Dong put on a defensive clinic on the perimeter. His progress is crazy," Marv Albert exclaimed.
"This guy moves like a guard, man. His lateral quickness and mobility are off the charts," Doug Collins laughed.
In the following games, Zhao Dong used every mismatch to his advantage, making Tim Hardaway work for every bucket. At first, he was getting wrecked, but once he adjusted, Zhao Dong's defensive efficiency dropped a bit. Even then, Hardaway's drives, offensive flow, and even his playmaking took a major hit.
First quarter numbers told the whole storyâHardaway went at Zhao Dong 10 times, coughed up the ball once on a forced turnover, got stripped twice, and successfully got by seven times. Out of those seven, he kicked it out three times, one of which was a bad pass that led to a turnover. He tried scoring four times, got blocked twice, and only made one out of two shots. At the end of the quarter, Hardaway had 2 points, 1 assist, and 4 turnoversâstraight-up brutal.
Meanwhile, Zhao Dong had 2 steals, 2 blocks, and was the main reason Hardaway turned it over four times.
With their point guard getting locked up, Miami's offense was a mess. By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were up 28-15, silencing the home crowd.
On the Heat bench, Pat Riley wasn't having it. He turned to Hardaway, looking ice-cold.
"Tim, you need to call for picks. Also, mix in some deep shots and move the rock moreâstop holding onto it so damn much."
"I got it, Coach," Hardaway said, frustrated.
He hadn't used screens in the first quarter because he wanted to prove a pointâhe thought he could take Zhao Dong straight up. Instead, he got clamped and embarrassed.
On the Knicks sideline, Thibodeau was fired up.
"Zhao, hell of a job, man! Your perimeter D is looking nasty."
"That dude just keeps coming at me," Zhao Dong chuckled.
"But he won't next time. Watch his passing lanes, and don't let him get comfortable from deep. He's got range," Van Gundy reminded him.
By the fifth minute of the second quarter, Zhao Dong was back on the floor, locking in on Hardaway again.
This time, Hardaway adjusted. He cut down on his drives and started relying more on his passing and threes. But Zhao Dong still had the advantageâhis wingspan, shot-blocking, and sheer defensive length gave Hardaway hell. Zhao Dong ended up with 1 steal and 2 more blocks on him.
Second quarter breakdown: Hardaway played 7 minutes, shot 1-for-4 from three, got one of those blocked, used pick-and-rolls to get by Zhao Dong three times, dished out 1 assist, got blocked once more after a drive, and racked up 2 more turnovers. Slight improvement, but still rough.
In the third quarter, Hardaway made another adjustmentâhe cut back on his shots completely. Whether he got past Zhao Dong or not, he looked to pass first and relied heavily on screens. It worked betterâhe picked up 3 assists, went 2-for-4 from the field, and put up 4 points.
Even then, Zhao Dong still managed to strip him once and officially checked off his steal goal for the game.
After three quarters, the Knicks were still up 73-63, leading by 10.
In the fourth quarter, Hardaway finally started figuring Zhao Dong out. He wasn't dominating, but he had a rhythm now.
Instead of forcing drives, he used rhythm changesâsomething he wasn't great at but was just enough to throw Zhao Dong off. Zhao Dong was a 6'9" forward, and this kind of deceptive pacing wasn't something he was used to guarding. A few times, Hardaway nearly put him on skates, even making him slap the floor on one move.
By the halfway mark, Hardaway had 2 more assists, went 2-for-4, and cut the lead down to six points (83-77).
Bang!
In the eighth minute, Zhao Dong finally sent Hardaway's fifth shot attempt flying into the stands.
At this point, the Heat had clawed back to within one. Hardaway had put up 18 points and 7 assists, nearly matching his season average of 20.3 PPG and 8.6 APG. Zhao Dong's defense had fallen off in the fourth, and it showed.
Seeing the situation, Van Gundy made a switchâZhao Dong moved back to the small forward spot, avoiding the Hardaway matchup entirely.
On the sideline, Van Gundy exhaled. They had to win this one.
By the final buzzer, the Knicks held on, winning 96-92 on the road.
This gave New York a 3-1 lead in the season series against Miami and marked their 60th regular-season winâa massive improvement from last year's 47-35 finish.
Back at the hotel, Zhao Dong finally got around to checking his postgame system reward.
"Oh shit, this is a good one!"
His eyes widened at the 12 reward options.
Three of them were useless trash
Three were quality points or skill points, with a max of 10
Four were skills from different players, all first-class or borderline elite
The last two? Chris Paul's dribbling breakthrough and Tim Hardaway's dribbling breakthrough
"Fuck, system, if you don't give me one of these two, I'm done with these draws," Zhao Dong threatened.
"I wish the host all his wishes come true," the system replied.
"Come on, Lady Luck, work your magic!" Zhao Dong prayed in his head.
His power game was elite, but he needed better ball-handling to handle double-teams. If he wanted to be more than just a bully-ball finisher, he had to clean up his dribble game.
And thenâ
"Congrats! You've won Chris Paul's dribbling breakthrough! Would you like to apply it now?"
"HELL YES! System, you actually did me right this time! Let'sâhold up, wait a sec."
He almost rushed into it but hit the brakes.
Looking at his player attributes, he realized something:
Ball Control: 88
Dribbling Breakthrough: 72
"System, will this skill be capped by my ball control level?"
"Yes. Your ball control sets the max level for dribbling breakthroughs."
"Shit, you almost screwed me over again! If I overwrite my breakthrough skill now, it's stuck at 88! Smart thinking, Zhao!"
He exhaled, then made his decision.
"Nah, I'll hold off. Gotta get my ball control up first."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?
Visit this link:
PĂ„treon.com/Fanficlord03
Change (Ă„) to (a)