Chapter 14: Super High Defensive Height
SNAP! Iverson went up, but it felt like he got smacked by a damn sledgehammer. With a loud bang, Zhao Dong sent him flying straight into the hardwood, right under the basket.
"OOOHHHHHH!" Madison Square Garden erupted.
"The No. 1 pick, Iverson, just got bodied by Zhao Dong again! That's another tough-ass landing, and he ain't up yet!" The excited commentator's voice blasted through the arena.
"Rookie, you trippin' now!" Derrick Coleman stormed over, yelling at Zhao Dong, clearly heated.
"Man, shut the hell up. First day hoopin' or what?" Oakley stepped in immediately, talking his talk. Coleman's face twitched—he had a mean streak, but everybody knew Oak was a straight enforcer. Dude was built for the smoke, and Coleman wasn't dumb enough to push his luck.
"Cut that out!" The ref blew the whistle and called a defensive foul on Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong glanced down at Iverson, still laid out on the floor, his eyes cold. He didn't give a damn who was coming at him—if you tried to score in his paint, he was sending a message.
Iverson finally got up, his face all serious. No trash talk, no emotion—just locked in. But when he got to the line, he bricked both free throws. Ewing snatched the board, and the Knicks took off in transition.
Ewing pulled up for a mid-range shot but missed. Zhao Dong crashed the glass, grabbed the rebound, but immediately got swarmed by two bigs. He kicked it back to Ewing, who rose up and crammed it down on Coleman's head.
As the game went on, Ewing and Coleman kept going at it, but Ewing had the upper hand. By the 5-minute mark, the Knicks were up 11-6.
The Sixers came back down, and Iverson, now fully back in the mix, had the rock. He drove at Zhao Dong again, but this time, he hit the brakes and pulled up with a smooth fadeaway—splash.
Zhao Dong watched him carefully. AIlen was adjusting. He wasn't about to challenge the rim like before—dude knew better.
Next possession, the Knicks went right back inside. Zhao Dong posted up, took the feed, and went to work. Backed down Scott Williams, felt the contact, and powered through for another dunk.
"That's two in a row! That size and strength in the low post is a problem!" the commentator said.
"Yeah, man. Zhao Dong is 115 kilos, Williams is 104—that 10-kilo gap is big when you're getting muscled like that," Ernie Grunfeld added.
Sixers ball again. Iverson came at Zhao Dong, but this time, Zhao Dong stepped up early to cut him off. AIlen hit his patented quick-stop fake, making Zhao Dong hesitate for a split second before taking off.
But just as he went up, Ewing rotated over. AIlen had to change direction and step through—but BOOM!
Zhao Dong had recovered just in time, skyrocketing up and swatting Iverson's shot right outta there. The ball went flying, and Iverson and Zhao Dong locked eyes, the intensity between them electric.
"OH MY GOD, WHAT A BLOCK! Zhao Dong just sent ALLEN'S shot to the damn moon!" the commentator roared.
Oakley grabbed the loose ball, and the Knicks ran again. Zhao Dong sprinted down the floor, got deep in the paint, took the pass, and boom—another power move inside, another dunk.
"Scott Williams got nothing for this man!" the commentator laughed.
"Yeah, he can't match the size, strength, or the footwork. He's getting cooked down low," Grunfeld added.
The Sixers tried to respond, but Coleman missed a turnaround jumper. Zhao Dong snagged the board, and the Knicks pushed again. This time, the ball swung to Ewing, who pulled up and hit a smooth jumper. By the 8-minute mark, New York's lead was up to 8.
Frustrated, Philly's head coach called timeout.
Van Gundy made some moves, bringing in Herb Williams to give Ewing a breather. That put Zhao Dong in the center spot, matching him up with Coleman directly. John Starks checked in for Allan Houston, and Scott Brooks replaced Charlie Ward at point guard. The Sixers, trailing, decided to roll with the same lineup.
Timeout over. The Sixers came out aggressive. Iverson took the ball near the left-wing three-point line and took off like a damn jet.
Brooks didn't stand a chance—dude just straight up blew by him. Then came Oakley. AIlen switched directions and broke him down too. Herb Williams stepped up, but Iverson was in full attack mode, hitting another acceleration burst and splitting all three defenders.
The crowd gasped.
"OH, HE'S LIKE A DAMN LIGHTNING BOLT!" the commentator yelled, hyped as hell.
With that crazy quickness, Iverson was already at the rim. Zhao Dong, the last man standing, had positioned himself in the paint, eyes locked in. AIlen took flight, gliding toward the rim with the ball high in his right hand, ready for the finish.
Zhao Dong exploded off the floor.
His vertical was on another level—dude just launched like a rocket.
"OH, SHIT, LOOK AT THAT HEIGHT!"
"THAT DEFENSIVE LIFT IS WILD!"
"HE JUMPED LIKE A DAMN FREAK!"
The arena held its breath as Zhao Dong extended his massive wingspan, his hand reaching higher than anyone expected.
SNAP!
Zhao Dong grabbed the ball mid-air, snatching it right before it left Iverson's hand.
The arena went crazy.
Iverson, still airborne, had pure shock written all over his face.
"HOLY HELL, DID HE JUST GRAB THAT?!" the commentator screamed.
"Zhao Dong just straight-up snatched Iverson's shot out the air! That's his second massive rejection of the night!"
Knicks wasted no time. They pushed in transition. Starks pulled up for a left-wing three—clank. But Oakley was right there, grabbing the board.
"Yo, slow it down! Work inside!" Van Gundy yelled from the sideline, keeping his squad under control.
The Knicks reset, ready to keep punishing the Sixers in the paint.
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