NBA: The Dynasty Crusher (Basketball)

"McGrady's grown up," Zhang Heli said with excitement. "He's starting to look like Scottie Pippen out there. Pippen used to drive hard, draw the double, then kick it to MJ once the defense collapsed. McGrady's doing the same now—but with even more offensive juice off the dribble. Honestly, the Bulls might've built their next offensive core already."

Sun Zhenping nodded. "Yeah, McGrady's got more moves than Pippen off the bounce. That gives him more options when he gets into the lane—it's a nightmare for defenders."

Zhang Heli added, "With Barkley and Dazhi starting, the Knicks have given up some rim protection. Oakley and Rasheed Wallace are being pulled out of the paint. Now it's all on Zhao Dong to protect the lane. That's tough. The Bulls should keep attacking inside. Let's see if Coach Nelson makes a sub."

Knicks possession.

Zhao Dong planted himself just below the dotted line near the free-throw line—perfectly within the Zhao Dong Rule's boundaries, Article 136 didn't apply here.

Sure, he gave up some speed on the drive, but the trade-off was worth it. Starting closer to the basket meant his threat level was still elite.

McGrady picked him up one-on-one. While T-Mac could match Zhao's foot speed, the strength and size mismatch was massive. Zhao lowered his shoulder and bulldozed right through him.

Rasheed rotated to help, sliding over from the weak side. But Oakley was waiting too, filling in the paint fast. If Zhao was going to pass out, his only outlet was Barkley on the right wing.

But he didn't kick it out. This set was designed to score at the rim first—only fall back to a mid-range jumper if the paint collapsed.

He slipped a push pass into the low block.

Dazhi caught it under the rim, back to Oakley.

Instantly, Rasheed Wallace exploded to the basket for the double.

Zhao Dong trailed close behind.

Dazhi tucked the ball in tight, ready to spin. As he rose for a hook, Rasheed swiped in—hand on the ball.

Dazhi pivoted hard, swinging his left elbow wide. Crack! It caught Rasheed's right shoulder, then scraped his jaw. Rasheed groaned and stumbled back. Oakley flinched and backed off too, not wanting any smoke.

That split-second elbow clearance gave Dazhi the daylight he needed.

Boom! A two-hand slam shook the rim.

"Damn!" Rasheed rubbed his face, cheeks flushed red. He shot Zhao Dong a cold glare, then turned and ran back on offense.

"Keep playin' like that," Zhao Dong told Dazhi, eyes locked in. "Don't worry about missin'. Just be aggressive. Once they start respecting you, they'll stop leaving you open."

Dazhi nodded tightly, clenching his jaw.

"Beautiful play!" Zhang Heli cheered. "Dazhi just dunked right through the double-team!"

"Two defenders on him—Rasheed and Oakley. Still finished. That's how you fight in the paint!" Sun Zhenping added with a grin.

Bulls possession.

With the Knicks' bigs pulled out again, McGrady started on the left wing. Then he slashed backdoor, cutting hard into the lane.

Kidd zipped a pass straight through the seam—past Zhao Dong.

McGrady caught it in stride and took off for the jam.

But Zhao Dong came flying in.

Smack!

A chasedown block! Zhao swatted it clean from behind.

The ball bounced, and Zhao leaped again, snatching it out of the air before anyone else could react.

Then he launched the outlet pass.

"Stop Zhao Dong!" Phil Jackson screamed from the sideline.

McGrady spun and grabbed Zhao Dong's jersey—then let go quick so the refs wouldn't catch him.

Zhao restarted his drive, but Rasheed Wallace was already back in front, cutting off his lane to the basket.

In transition, Billups sprinted ahead with the rock. Sprewell streaked down the left wing, with Jordan and Kidd chasing hard.

Barkley and Dazhi were trailing, but not far behind. As Billups reached the paint, they hit the top of the arc.

Barkley ran alongside Oakley, but Dazhi had a step on Rasheed.

Billups pulled out to the wing, slowed up, then spotted Dazhi sprinting from the top.

He flicked a push pass ahead.

Dazhi caught it just past the free-throw line, took a power step…

And rocked the rim with a one-handed dunk.

Boom!

The United Center rim shook again.

"YEAHHH!" Dazhi shouted, hyped. He slapped hands with Billups in celebration.

16–8. The Knicks were up by 8 on the road.

"Dazhi's feelin' it! Fast break dunk, what a run!" Zhang Heli shouted.

"Four-for-four! Eight points already! He's scored half the Knicks' points," Zhang He added. "Zhao Dong? Two-for-two, 4 points, 2 blocks, 4 dimes. That last pass in traffic might not count as an assist, but it was crucial."

"New York's interior scoring is locked in tonight," Sun Zhenping said. "They haven't missed a shot under the rim yet!"

Bulls ball.

Jordan went iso. Mid-range pull-up.

Buckets.

16–10.

He kept them in it—still down 6.

Marv shook his head on the broadcast. "MJ's 5-for-6 now. He's carrying the entire offense. That's all 10 of Chicago's points. Super efficient, but…"

Matt added, "He's workin' overtime, man."

Hubie nodded. "Exactly. He's not just the scorer—he's doin' heavy lifting on defense too. At his age, that's a lot to handle. The Knicks haven't even double-teamed him yet. It's smart—they're forcing the Bulls to lean on Mike and wear him out."

"They're playing the long game," Cook replied. "And right now, it's working."

At this point in the game, the Knicks went back on the attack.

Rasheed Wallace didn't dare to collapse the paint. When Zhao Dong drove inside and Wang Zhizhi cut toward the rim, Rasheed stuck to Dazhi, refusing to leave him alone.

Zhao Dong read the defense like a book. He stopped at the left elbow inside the paint, rose up right in front of MJ, and dropped in a clean bank shot.

"A single defender can't guard Zhao Dong in the paint. His field goal percentage in this area is a wild 75% in single coverage,"

Marv said with certainty on the broadcast.

Matt Goukas added something that made Bulls fans wince.

"Even with a double-team, he still shoots 65% around the rim — highest in the league.

To put it in perspective, second place is Tim Duncan. He hits 52% in single coverage and just 43% against doubles. The difference is huge."

Back on the other end, Jordan missed a jumper. The Knicks quickly pushed the ball.

This time, Rasheed Wallace met Zhao Dong on the perimeter and decided to double him with MJ. Zhao didn't force it — he dished it off to Dazhi on the short roll.

Dazhi caught the ball, gave a quick shimmy left and right, shook Oakley out of position, then finished an easy layup at the rim.

Zhao Dong nodded after the bucket.

"This version of Dazhi is built different. With his defensive attitude locked in, he's already stronger than the Dazhi from the past. Give him another season or two, and he'll be a top-tier center for sure."

Still, he thought it would be best if Dazhi bulked up to around 120 kilograms. That added weight wouldn't cost him much mobility, but it'd give him the strength to body up more effectively.

"More strength means better low-post offense — and for a big man, low-post offense is the bread and butter."

---

"20 to 10! The Knicks are up double digits, and we're only six minutes into the first quarter!"

Zhang Heli on the Chinese broadcast was hyped.

"You're looking at the synergy between Zhao Dong and a skilled offensive center. Zhao can drive, shoot, and pass — and with Dazhi's height and finishing touch down low, this combo is a scoring machine!"

Sun Zhenping chimed in, raising a hot topic.

"So if the Spurs' Twin Towers have the second-best record this season… how do they match up against the Zhao Dong-Dazhi duo?"

Zhang Heli paused, then gave a bitter laugh.

"Mr. Sun, that's a great question. In terms of defensive intimidation, the Spurs probably have the edge.

But honestly, we'll need to see them face off to know for sure."

---

Next possession, the Bulls got it to Jordan again. He attacked off the dribble and kicked it out to Rasheed, who knocked down a mid-range jumper over Dazhi.

Knicks ball.

They went right back to the paint. This time, though, they changed it up. Barkley had barely touched the ball so far, so the Knicks let him work.

He and Dazhi swapped roles. Barkley set a solid screen for Zhao Dong, who once again drew the double outside the paint. That left Barkley in a one-on-one with Oakley under the rim.

Big mistake.

Barkley backed him down, used that trademark booty bump, spun, and yammed it home with a two-hand dunk.

McGrady clanked a shot on the next Bulls possession, and the Knicks went straight back into the post game.

Barkley got it again down low. Rasheed rotated over to help, but Barkley whipped a behind-the-back pass to Dazhi, who had slid into the low post on the right wing.

Dazhi, wide open, took one step in and popped a soft jumper from two meters out — cash.

The Knicks were killing it. They hadn't missed a shot yet.

Phil Jackson had seen enough. He called timeout.

"24 to 12! The Knicks have doubled the Bulls up — again! Chicago's defense is falling apart,"

Marv said, shaking his head.

"They haven't stopped the Knicks once. Phil has to make adjustments or this one's gonna get ugly."

Matt Goukas agreed.

"And keep in mind, Jordan's already burning a ton of energy just to keep up. If this keeps up and his gas tank empties, the Bulls are done.

And look — Zhao Dong hasn't even gone full throttle offensively. He's been playing point forward: driving, drawing doubles, and finding his teammates. He hasn't even looked to take over yet."

Marv added:

"This Knicks system is deadly. Don Nelson's offense is built perfectly around Zhao Dong — using his drive, his passing, his gravity.

And pairing him with Barkley and Dazhi gives them a dynamic post game. They're exploiting Chicago's lack of size inside, and Dazhi's height gives them a huge edge. I expected Barkley to dominate under the rim, but Dazhi's the one getting the easy buckets.

His footwork's sharp, and he's got just enough strength to finish. Trading Mobley for him? That's looking like a genius move right now."

Matt Goukas smiled.

"As long as a scoring big doesn't become a defensive liability, he'll always be more valuable than a decent wing. Mobley's alright, has some potential, but solid guards like him are everywhere. Quality bigs? Rare."

Hubie nodded.

"Unless you're talking about a guard like Jordan… or Zhao Dong."

They both chuckled.

"But even in the '84 draft," Cook grinned, "if you pick a hundred times, Olajuwon's still going No. 1."

---

Back on Chinese TV, Zhang Heli broke it down.

"There's something wrong with the Bulls' defense. After McGrady got killed by Zhao Dong, they stopped using him on D — huge mistake.

That's one man wasted. Now they're short on help at the rim. The Bulls should use McGrady's defense more effectively. If Rasheed steps up early to contain Zhao Dong, McGrady can form a back-side double-team. That frees up Jordan to rotate to the paint and help on Oakley."

Sun Zhenping nodded.

"Yeah… that could work."

Zhang Heli continued:

"Right now, Phil Jackson's strategy isn't clear. Rasheed's late on every rotation. Either commit him to Dazhi and let Jordan and McGrady double Zhao Dong, or put him on Zhao Dong and let Jordan help off Dazhi.

"Trying to cover both has left them covering neither."

The atmosphere on the Bulls' bench was grim.

At first, Jordan had been killing it—knocking down a few buckets early. When the game was still close, he stayed composed. But now? With the Knicks pulling away, even a warrior like MJ felt the weight pressing down. A creeping doubt was starting to fog up that legendary focus.

He stared blankly at Phil Jackson squatting in front of him.

"Phil," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "We gotta change something. We can't let this keep goin'. They're gettin' everything inside—easy buckets, high-efficiency shots. We gotta lock up that paint, man."

Phil Jackson sighed heavily. He wanted to change things too, sure. But what could he really do with Zhao Dong owning the edge of the paint like it was his personal driveway?

With limited defenders, all attention had to go to Zhao Dong. But then how could the rest of the Bulls contain the Knicks' inside threats—especially Barkley and Wang?

Wang was a damn problem. He had height down low, a solid frame, good footwork, and a loaded low-post skillset. Whether it was Oakley or Rasheed Wallace checking him one-on-one, the kid still found an edge. Guarding him straight up? Not gonna cut it.

Phil exhaled again, this time more like a groan.

Damn... if I'd known this was comin', I never should've traded him. No—at least I should've given him a real shot, built up his D like the Knicks did...

"You underestimated him."

If things had gone differently, it might be the Knicks with the headache tonight.

The timeout ended. The Bulls came out, ran their offense, and Jordan nailed another jumper.

But here came the Knicks.

Zhao Dong caught it once again on the left wing, just inside the free-throw line area. He was patient. Calm. A killer waiting for his moment.

As soon as he put the ball on the floor, Rasheed Wallace rotated over from the low post to help. Jordan dropped straight down from the top to clog the lane.

The Bulls had shifted strategy. Now, Rasheed and McGrady collapsed on Zhao Dong at the edge of the paint, while Jordan and Oakley rotated to cover the rim. Zhao Dong powered his way to the left side of the paint—

Boom. The trap snapped shut.

Four Bulls defenders collapsed: Rasheed, McGrady, Oakley, and Jordan. They left Barkley open on the right block and Billups unattended on the perimeter. Sprewell still had Kidd guarding him.

Phil's plan? Go all-in on Zhao Dong. Swarm him hard and force a turnover. He was using a modified "Jordan Rules" against Zhao Dong—four-on-one, crowd the hell outta him.

Zhao Dong stayed cool. As the trap closed, he suddenly stopped, ripped the ball off the bounce, and rose for a jumper.

But McGrady came flying from behind and swatted it!

"SNAP!"

The arena exploded.

"YEEAAHH!"

McGrady had blocked Zhao Dong clean from behind—highlight material.

The ball ricocheted into the air, still live. Zhao Dong, back on his feet, boxed out hard and turned to beat Rasheed to the bounce. As the ball came down, he and McGrady leapt.

"SNAP!"

Zhao Dong gave McGrady a little shoulder bump mid-air—nothing dirty, just enough to throw off the young buck's balance. McGrady wobbled, lost position, and Zhao Dong came down with the ball.

But no time to breathe.

Jordan and Oakley were already collapsing again. Rasheed closed in. McGrady returned.

Four Bulls on him.

They crowded so tight that Zhao Dong had to hunch forward, both hands shielding the ball against his chest and gut. He spun, elbows swinging, trying to create space.

They couldn't steal it yet, but he wasn't going anywhere either.

Then—

"BANG!"

An elbow caught him in the lower back.

"THUD!"

Another hard one followed—real power behind it. Zhao Dong's body stiffened from the impact.

In that moment of vulnerability, Jordan and McGrady attacked. Four hands raked at the ball—Jordan ripped it loose and bolted.

Zhao Dong tried to chase, but Oakley threw himself in the way.

MJ soared into the paint, drawing Sprewell and Billups toward him. At the last second, he dished it—no-look—back to McGrady flying in behind.

"BANG!"

T-Mac took off and hammered it down with a tomahawk slam.

"OH BABY! T-MAC WITH THE BLOCK ON ZHAO DONG AND A FILTHY TOMAHAAAAAWK ON THE BREAK!"

The commentator lost his voice.

"This kid is unreal tonight!" His partner added.

The crowd at United Center went absolutely nuts.

Zhao Dong sprinted to the top of the arc, but it was too late. He just turned around, catching Oakley's eyes. The veteran didn't say a word—just shook his head.

Message received.

Zhao Dong's mind burned. It was Rasheed who elbowed him in the double-team.

"Cheap shot."

If Rasheed had thrown bows face-to-face, Zhao Dong wouldn't even be mad—that was just the grind. But blindside elbows while trapped 4-on-1? Twice?

That got under his skin.

24–16. The Bulls were only down eight.

And the Knicks were coming again.

(End of Chapter)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters

Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03

Change (â) to (a)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Discord Link Here:

https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9