Chapter 40: But You Eat It
Amid the screeching sounds of sneakers on the court, Zhao Dong and Shaw rushed across the top of the arc. Meanwhile, Charles, holding the ball, moved to the right wing. Under Payton's defensive pressure, he nearly lost possession. Seeing Zhao Dong charging in, he quickly passed the ball. Zhao Dong, having already tapped the brakes to slow down near the free throw line, received the ball and suddenly came to a full stop. Shawn, who was beside him, rushed forward.
"Squeak!" Shawn quickly braked, stopping one meter in front of the basket, before attempting to pivot. But as soon as Shawn turned, Zhao Dong powered forward again, closing the distance. Shawn wasn't yet fully turned, and Zhao Dong leaped in front of him.
"Oh!" Shawn was knocked back by the force of Zhao Dong's jump, sliding two meters backward.
"Boom!" With a loud crash of the basket, the entire Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers.
"What!" Frustrated and furious, Shawn sat up from the floor, venting his anger as he punched the ground.
Zhao Dong, ignoring Shawn, excitedly leaped off the basket and dashed past him. He ran to the CCTV camera behind the baseline, grabbed it, and with the roar of the crowd deafening in the background, shook the camera and shouted, "Do you know what this is? This is a gift I'm giving you tonight. And I'll give you this gift every night. Every night, I eagerly await to hear your cheers..."
"Wow! Zhao Dong is so cool!"
"Zhao Dong is unstoppable!"
Across the country, countless fans, drawn to the intensity on the screen, became instant supporters.
"After two games, there's no need for a meeting to decide. After two games a week, send someone to the United States to re-sign the contract with the NBA," Zhou Lintian, the deputy director in charge of the sports department at CCTV, stated as he observed the five hotline calls lighting up. The staff answered each call, and he made up his mind.
In Los Angeles, Jordan, his expression grim, stared at the TV without speaking. Pippen, equally silent, had a strange look on his face. In his mind, though, he thought, "Michael, you did well. You chased away a rookie like him. The gap in strength is astronomical!"
In the sixth minute of the first quarter, Zhao Dong attacked from the low post. Shawn, already irritable, elbowed him from behind. The referee caught it, called the third foul on Yuren, and had him substituted.
"Your uncle!" Zhao Dong cursed as he felt Yuren's elbow dig into his lower back. He glared at Rain Man, who was being forced off the court. "You damn Rain Man, if I didn't have a mission, I'd definitely take you down!"
With the loss of their strongest player, the Supersonics' strength weakened, but with Payton and two other All-Star players, they remained a formidable team.
But inside, without Shawn's support, the main center lacked strength, causing the team to crumble. "Rain Man was completely suppressed by the Knicks' Zhao Dong today. He frequently found himself under Zhao Dong's feet, which greatly affected his emotions. His uncontrollable weakness is the Supersonics' biggest vulnerability," Cook explained during the ABC live broadcast. Hubie Brown added, "Zhao Dong is more cunning; he tried everything to get under Rain Man's skin. However, I think the true strength comparison between them isn't reflected in the few minutes we just saw. In fact, I believe that if Zhao Dong exerted just half of his strength, he could overpower Rain Man." Cook agreed, saying, "Yes, Rain Man hasn't had the chance to showcase his full potential tonight, but he still has an opportunity. If he can control his emotions, he still stands a chance."
In the 8th minute of the first quarter, Payton passed the ball to Charles on the left wing and pushed toward the paint. Zhao Dong had been closely monitoring Payton's position and swiftly entered the paint from the right wing. With Payton positioned near the baseline, he attempted a jumper while watching Ewing to avoid a double-team.
"Snap!" Zhao Dong flew in from the weak side and swatted the ball out of bounds.
"Oh! What a massive volleyball block! Zhao Dong helped defend from the weak side and gave Payton a huge block. That was beautiful!" the commentator shouted excitedly. "Hey, Bastard, how does that big block taste? Does it suit your taste?"
Annoyed, Payton glanced toward the broadcast booth and shot back at Zhao Dong, "Rookie, your block stinks like crap."
"But you ate it. Seems like you really like the taste of it," Zhao Dong responded coolly.
"..."
Payton, speechless, opened his mouth wide in disbelief.
"Hahaha..." Ewing and Oakley laughed so hard they squatted on the floor. Zhao Dong thought it was a pity that Payton wasn't provoked, but rather seemed a bit foolish, which certainly didn't warrant any reward for trash-talking skills.
Ewing was replaced, and Zhao Dong stayed on the court, playing through the entire first quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Knicks led by 8 points at home, with a surprising score of 19-27. While the media was shocked, those who had been watching the game weren't as surprised. In the first quarter alone, Zhao Dong made 5 of 7 shots, attempted a three-pointer but missed, and missed a jumper near the basket. Additionally, he made 2 of 3 free throws, scoring 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 1 foul. Not bad.
However, Ewing's performance remained sluggish. He made just 1 of 7 shots, 2 of 2 from the free-throw line, scoring only 4 points and 3 rebounds. His shots were mostly jumpers near the paint, rarely hitting the basket, and he wasn't positioning himself deeply in key spots, reducing his ability to compete. Part of the reason for this was Zhao Dong occupying space in the low post, but the bigger issue was Ewing's declining physical condition. His knees had long been a struggle, and his jumping ability was severely limited.
In the second quarter, Zhao Dong sat on the bench, and Ewing remained out of play. Two veteran Williams players took the court, along with John Wallace, John Starks, and Charlie Ward.
The Supersonics sent out half of their main lineup, quickly overpowering the Knicks' bench in just half a quarter. In response, Van Gundy called a timeout. After the timeout, both teams sent out their main players. The score was 33-35, with the Knicks leading by just 2 points, and the Knicks had possession of the ball. Yuren entered the game once again, facing Zhao Dong. However, with three fouls already, he was hesitant on the defensive end and didn't dare to make aggressive moves, leaving the Supersonics' interior defense vulnerable.
Despite this, the Knicks' offense remained focused on Ewing, who had missed all five of his shots in the half-quarter and failed to score any points. Even in such a poor state, Van Gundy still kept faith in Ewing and didn't reduce his attempts. As a rookie coach, Van Gundy felt unable to stop him; after all, Ewing held a much higher standing in the Knicks than he did. As a result, Zhao Dong couldn't get involved much offensively, and the Knicks didn't exploit Rain Man's weak defense.
At halftime, the Knicks trailed by 4 points with a score of 47-43, having been outscored by 12 points in the second quarter. Zhao Dong only managed two shots in the first half: one missed mid-range jumper and another attempt after grabbing an offensive rebound, scoring 2 points and 3 rebounds. In contrast, Rain Man made all his mid-range shots, hitting 1 of 4 attempts, getting blocked again, and missing two other shots. He scored 2 points and grabbed 2 rebounds, with his performance still being relatively average.
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