NBA: The Dynasty Crusher (Basketball)

Zhao Dong turned, powering toward the rim like a tank in motion. Oakley, though a warrior, simply couldn't hold his ground. He was shoved back two meters, unable to absorb the impact.

From the weak side, Rasheed Wallace rotated fast, stepping in to contest.

"BANG!"

Zhao spun mid-air, one hand still pinning Oakley behind him, and detonated a one-handed slam right over Rasheed.

The rim rattled violently.

"Wallace got posterized!" Bill Walton roared from the NBC broadcast booth. "He rotated quick, but it didn't matter. Zhao Dong's vertical was too high—Rasheed couldn't even get a fingertip on it!"

The crowd in United Center gasped.

On the next possession, the Bulls pushed the ball up.

McGrady caught it on the left wing. He squared up against Sprewell—the Madman—and sized him up. Left hand on the dribble, he used his right to swing the ball behind him, hinting at a drive.

Sprewell took a half-step back, ready to defend the blow-by.

But T-Mac had other plans.

He rose up.

"Swish!"

Another splash. A second straight three-pointer.

"YEAH YEAH YEAH!" the United Center exploded.

"T-Mac's heating up! Two threes in a row!" the arena announcer screamed. "No one's touching that pull-up—Sprewell looked lost out there!"

The Knicks came back the other way. Sprewell, fired up, tried to respond with a jumper of his own—but McGrady got up and swatted it clean.

The building roared again.

Defense, offense—it didn't matter. McGrady was putting on a show, and the Bulls fans were loving it.

Seeing the momentum shift, Don Nelson made a quick adjustment. He subbed Stackhouse out for John Wallace.

Wallace had the height to hang with McGrady, but not the game. He got cooked just the same.

Nelson had no choice but to shuffle again—Zhao Dong slid out to the perimeter, and Barkley was inserted inside. It was a rare configuration, but it created balance on both ends against the Bulls' lineup.

"When Zhao plays the five, they're missing their own McGrady," Bill Walton chuckled.

Matt Goukas grinned. "Bill, you're bringing up that deal that never happened again… But hey, Fordson brings a lot to the table. He's matured. Fewer techs, fewer dumb fouls. He's averaging 13.8 boards—could contend for the rebounding title this year."

"Still, losing Ben Wallace to the Lakers and trading away Wang Zhizhi hurt them," Walton replied.

"True. Ben wanted a big contract. Knicks couldn't match it. And Wang? That trade had Zhao Dong's fingerprints all over it. He's starting for Dallas now—has a solid future," Matt said.

Walton laughed. "Against a team like the Bulls, the Knicks can get away with Zhao Dong on the perimeter. But when they meet the Lakers or Spurs? Different story."

Matt nodded. "Their depth at forward is thin. Regular season's fine, but come playoff time—every weakness gets magnified."

Despite the back-and-forth battle, the Knicks closed strong and took the win in Chicago.

Zhao Dong was unstoppable—over 40 points for the third straight game, along with 13 assists. Dominance, plain and simple.

---

The Knicks continued their road trip with momentum.

They took down the Bucks in Milwaukee, then flew to Minnesota and handled the Timberwolves. 5–0 start to the season. Confidence was high.

On the 10th, they returned to New York.

As Zhao stepped through the door, he was greeted by a glowing Lindsay.

He grinned. "Eve, any good news?"

Lindsay beamed. "The continued drop in U.S. stocks is putting real pressure on their side. Our trade agreement—almost finalized."

Zhao clapped his hands. "That's great."

She leaned in, still smiling. "Also… Adidas is in full-blown panic."

Zhao raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"They bought a bunch of U.S. companies recently—now, some of those subsidiaries are bankrupt. Massive losses. With the market tanking, their liquidity is dried up, debt's ballooning, and their stock price is falling faster than the Dow."

Zhao's smirk widened. "So... what trap did you set, exactly?"

Lindsay's eyes glinted. "It's a financial derivative. I embedded a stock index futures betting agreement into the deal. As the market shifts, the contract turns toxic—massive losses."

Zhao blinked. "Define 'betting agreement.'"

She explained, cool and precise: "It's a wager. If the Nasdaq hits 5,500 points, they win big. For every point above, they earn $1 million. But if it falls? Same deal—every point down, they lose $1 million. Final settlement is due by market close on December 31, 2001.

"We built in a trigger. If we don't activate it, they can pull out and only lose $100 million. But if we do activate, and they go along with it—they're fully exposed. Worst-case loss? Billions."

Zhao laughed in disbelief. "And you activated it?"

"On the 1st, the market was still above 5,000," Lindsay said, arms folded with a confident smirk. "They thought it was on its way to 5,500. Greed clouded their judgment."

Zhao Dong leaned back on the couch, shaking his head with a grin. "So when they bought up those bankrupt subsidiaries, they still thought they'd cash in on the bet…"

"Exactly," Lindsay nodded. "They believed they couldn't lose. Now? They're over-leveraged, out of cash, and chained to a collapsing market."

Zhao whistled. "Greed really does make people crazy."

Then he laughed.

"Now they've stepped right into the trap. If this keeps up through the end of 2001 and the market crashes to 2,000 points, they'll owe us… two billion dollars each. That's insane. Haha—truly insane."

Lindsay gave a playful pout. "By the way, once the bilateral agreement is officially signed, I'll be heading home with the Chinese delegation."

Zhao sat up a little straighter. "So… what's the catch?"

He knew Lindsay too well.

"Ehehe…"

She smiled sweetly, wrapped her arms around his, and gently rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. Her voice turned soft.

"We promised Grandpa and Grandma. It's time we honored it."

Zhao's eyes widened. "Wait—really? We said next year! We're still young!"

"We are next year!" Lindsay countered, already counting with her fingers. "If we start now, I'll be giving birth around August or September. You'll be back in China by then."

Zhao hesitated. "I don't know… I'm only 22. You're just 21."

"If you say no, I'll tell Grandpa and Grandma," she warned, suddenly stern. "They'll make you kneel on a washboard when we get back."

Cornered by her threat, Zhao could only raise both hands in surrender.

---

The next few days were... blissful but exhausting.

Lindsay's enthusiasm showed no mercy.

Zhao Dong, weakened and clearly "overworked," ended up missing the next home game. The Knicks were upset by the visiting Cavaliers—a lottery team—and the media took notice.

---

October 14 – Historic Day

China and the United States officially signed the bilateral WTO agreement, completing the most crucial step toward China's entry into the World Trade Organization.

The markets reacted sharply.

By closing bell, the U.S. stock market had sunk to 4,301 points—nearly 1,000 points down from its peak. The bear market had arrived.

That evening, a celebration banquet was held at the Chinese Consulate in New York.

Zhao Dong, dressed in formal wear, attended with Lindsay by his side.

"Come on, everyone. Cheers!" said Mr. Zhu, the Chinese delegate head, raising his glass.

"Cheers!"

The room clinked in unison.

Mr. Zhu turned to Lindsay and noticed her raise her glass but not drink.

"Liu Wei, why aren't you drinking?" he asked curiously.

"I'll drink for her," Zhao Dong quickly stepped in, taking her glass and smiling.

Mr. Zhu squinted. "Is she feeling unwell?"

"No, no. It's just… we're planning to have a child, so…"

Mr. Zhu laughed heartily. "That's wonderful! You two are exceptional—your next generation will be even better. Raise good children and serve the country well!"

Lindsay smiled warmly. Zhao Dong chuckled awkwardly, then tried to deflect. "Well, there's still the one-child policy…"

Mr. Zhu waved it off. "Special cases require special consideration. Liu Wei is a national economic asset. She's more important than I am—she's irreplaceable."

Zhao blinked. "That's… a bit much."

"No, it's the truth," Mr. Zhu said seriously. "She's a state-level economic consultant. Her health is monitored by the best medical team we have. You don't have to worry."

A toast followed, with the room raising their glasses to Lindsay.

---

Later, Zhao found a quieter moment to speak to Mr. Zhu again.

"Mr. Zhu, can I request something personal?"

"Speak freely."

"If Evelyn—uh, Liu Wei—is really pregnant, could you assign a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to help monitor the pregnancy? I'll be traveling with the team, and I worry."

Mr. Zhu chuckled. "Already done. Don't worry about anything. Her role is far too important. We can't allow even the slightest risk."

---

As the night continued, the topic shifted from family to national strategy.

Zhao lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Zhu, after we join the WTO, we're going to face a flood of foreign capital. The nature of capital is aggressive—it will chase control, influence, and profit. We need to be ready."

Mr. Zhu nodded slowly. "Go on."

Zhao's tone became more firm. "We need to establish an anti-monopoly law. Now. Not years later. Right now."

The room quieted as others leaned in to listen.

"Foreign capital, with its technology and scale, will move quickly. And without strong legal protection, our industries—especially agriculture, seeds, grain, oil—will be swallowed whole. We need to act before it's too late."

Lindsay added from beside him, "Capital monopolizes by design. Through tech, scale, and relentless M&A, they'll take over domestic key industries—especially those with strategic value. Our companies can't compete with that level of capital injection. Even if they dominate the market now, they can't resist global takeovers."

At that moment, Mr. Zhu's expression turned solemn.

Zhao Dong's earlier words echoed in his mind—"If foreign capital gains control of our grain and oil industries, they'll control the stomachs of over a billion people."

That thought sent a chill down his spine.

He took a deep breath and said gravely, "Once China officially joins the WTO, a flood of international capital will pour into the mainland—most likely through Hong Kong. Tianlong Investment Bank will be a critical channel."

He looked firmly at Zhao Dong and Lindsay.

"Our country lacks experience in this area. If you see even the slightest sign that foreign capital is trying to seize control of strategic industries—alert us immediately."

Zhao Dong and Lindsay nodded in unison.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhu. We will," Zhao said.

With Tianlong acting as the main entry point for most international funds, they'd naturally become gatekeepers. Controlling the flow meant influencing where the money landed. That was power—and responsibility.

Zhao added, "The reason Tianlong encouraged the formation of so many large-scale conglomerates and centralized resources… was all to prepare for WTO entry. We've already built competitive advantages in several strategic industries."

Lindsay followed, "And with our capital fully mobilized, we'll soon launch a wave of reverse acquisitions overseas—buying up foreign tech and markets. If we can expand fast enough, we'll achieve monopoly-level advantages at home before anyone else can."

Mr. Zhu nodded deeply. "When I return to China, I'll immediately organize a team to begin drafting an Anti-Monopoly Law. We can't afford to wait."

---

October 15 – 9:00 AM, JFK International Airport

Lindsay boarded her flight back to China with the official delegation.

Due to the possibility of pregnancy, Ms. Abel insisted she fly with extra care—on a commercial flight with first-class arrangements, a team of professional staff, and two dedicated doctors.

Zhao Dong saw her off at the terminal.

---

After the plane departed, Zhao called home. His mother picked up.

"Hello? Dongdong?"

"Hey Mom, just wanted to say—Eve just flew back. She'll probably land around midnight."

"Oh? Should we send someone to the airport?"

"She's with the delegation. There should be an official arrangement. I just wanted to say… if she really is pregnant, keep an eye on her, okay? Don't let her work too hard. Limit her computer time, make sure she rests."

"Pregnant? Oh, okay! Okay! Don't worry—Mom's got it!"

Zhao Dong barely had time to explain before he heard her shout in the background: "Dad! Grandma! Dongdong's wife is pregnant!"

"…Mom, I said maybe." He sighed helplessly, but he already knew they weren't listening anymore.

---

That afternoon, the NBA released the latest MVP rankings. Zhao Dong was ranked No. 1.

If he secured the award again this season, it would be his third straight MVP, breaking records and placing him in historic territory.

Just like with Jordan in the past, many voters hesitated to give one player too many accolades. But Zhao's stats were undeniable—and Duncan, who came in second, wasn't even close this early in the season.

Meanwhile, over in New Jersey, Yao Ming was off to a roaring start.

He was averaging:

34 minutes per game

22.3 points, 9.8 rebounds

56% shooting from the field (8.5 of 15.1)

85% from the free-throw line (5.3 of 6.2)

He had firmly established himself as the Nets' second scoring option, and their go-to guy inside.

That night, Zhao Dong gave him a call.

"Yao, you've been crazy efficient. If you keep this up, your rookie season might be on par with Duncan's."

Yao laughed humbly, "Thanks, Brother Dong."

Their field goal attempts were similar, and their shooting percentages were nearly identical. Where Yao edged out Duncan was at the line—his 85% FT dwarfed Duncan's sub-70%.

However, Duncan remained the superior defender and rebounder in the post.

But Yao had range Duncan didn't. His jump shot extended all the way to the three-point line. If left open, he'd punish teams. On the other hand, Duncan couldn't consistently stretch the floor.

That versatility made Yao harder to guard.

Zhao Dong reflected silently: In his past life, Duncan averaged 19.0 points and 10.8 boards for his career. Yao? 19.0 and 9.2. Not much difference offensively—but this Yao still has time to surpass even that.

October 17 – Delta Center, Salt Lake City

The Knicks hit the road again, this time heading west to face the Utah Jazz.

The post-Malone & Stockton Jazz were rebuilding. But they'd done a good job. Their roster included promising young picks like Lamar Odom, Baron Davis, Corey Maggette, and Andrei Kirilenko—the latter having been drafted by Utah instead of the Spurs in this timeline.

Veterans like Bryon Russell and Jeff Hornacek still anchored the team with experience and stability.

But it wasn't enough.

The Knicks handled them easily, with Zhao Dong completely dismantling Utah's frontcourt. He dominated the matchup against Odom and Olden Polynice, leaving the young Jazz team with no answers inside.

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