Marv Albert chuckled, "Matt, look at that. With Oakley on board, the Bulls' interior defense has really leveled up. He knows Zhao Dong's game inside and out. That help defense of his? On point. In the third quarter, he teamed up for multiple double-teams on Zhao Dong, and that slowed down his scoring."
Matt Goukas nodded, "Zhao Dong had to burn a ton of energy driving to the basket, but his efficiency ended up about the same as Jordan's long-range jumpers. That's why the Knicks were trailing."
Marv added, "And the closer you get to the rim, the tougher the defense gets. Usually, guards and wings shoot worse on those tight close-range jumpers compared to mid-range looks. It's just not a high-percentage shot in traffic."
Matt said, "True. But if you can get all the way to the rim, that field goal percentage skyrockets. In the third quarter though, Oakley shut that down. Him and Kurt Thomas were walling off the paint, making it hard for Zhao Dong to get anything easy."
Marv laughed, "That's why bringing Oakley in was a genius move by Phil Jackson."
But Matt shook his head. "Yeah, that's cool for now, but this is just regular season. Zhao Dong didn't even go all-out against Oakley. Come playoff time, I'm not sure Oakley can hold him."
"And another thing—Zhao Dong's offense in the third was kinda one-dimensional. He kept attacking the rim. If he mixed in a couple pull-up mid-range shots? Oakley and Kurt would be just watching him float in the air."
Meanwhile, on CCTV's live broadcast, Zhang Heli was breaking it down. "Zhao Dong went full throttle attacking the rim in the third quarter. I think he's testing the Bulls' new frontcourt—Oakley, Rasheed Wallace, and Kurt Thomas—to see what their defense is really like."
Sun Zhenping smiled and added, "Exactly. The Bulls have a nearly rebuilt roster this season. You have to test it out in games like this."
Over by the Knicks bench, Coach Nelson looked at Zhao Dong. "We still gotta take this one. You said you're aiming for the best record in the league, right?"
"Of course," Zhao Dong nodded.
"Then in the fourth, switch it up. Take more control of the ball and stretch the floor."
"Got it," Zhao Dong replied.
Fourth quarter starts.
Zhao Dong brought the ball up to the top of the arc, signaled a play.
Billups passed it off and moved to the left wing. Hu Weidong, subbed in, ran to the right. But since Big Ben and Fordson were both posting up low, neither crossed the free throw line's dotted arc—couldn't risk breaking Article 136 of the Zhao Dong Rule.
The Bulls stayed in their 2–3 zone. Jordan and Kidd had limited options:
Double-team Zhao Dong. But that would leave Hu Weidong and Billups wide open.
Send Oakley up from under the basket while Jordan and Kidd stay on the wings. Problem was, Oakley didn't have the speed to recover, leaving Zhao Dong wide open.
Have Jordan guard Zhao Dong and Oakley help at the top. Still leaves Weidong and Billups with open space.
In the end, they didn't really have a choice—Phil Jackson already had a plan. Jordan stepped up to guard Zhao Dong. Oakley stayed in the paint to protect the boards. They left Billups open—his three-point percentage was trash last season. Kidd stuck to the right wing, not giving Hu Weidong any daylight.
As soon as Zhao Dong caught the ball, Jordan moved in.
"Solo coverage? For real?" Zhao Dong blinked in surprise.
Next second—no hesitation, no fake—he jumped and fired a three from the top of the arc.
A pure jumper. No fadeaway.
Jordan reacted quick, leaping with a hand up.
Two legends hanging in the air, a battle of bounce and hang time.
All eyes were locked in.
And then—it became clear. Zhao Dong's release point was a full foot higher than Jordan's outstretched hand.
Snap.
The ball swished through the net.
Jordan landed first. And he knew—he didn't just miss the block. He couldn't even get close.
Swish!
A perfect three.
Zhao Dong grinned, "Jordan, you too old, man. Can't get up like you used to."
Jordan growled, "I can still jump. Next time I'm blockin' that."
But truth was—he wouldn't. Not for the rest of the game.
In the fourth, Zhao Dong went off like he was putting on a clinic at Madison Square Garden. Dunking on defenders, splashing threes, pull-up mid-range jumpers off the dribble, turnaround fadeaways while double-teamed, and even throwing out some slick dimes.
The crowd was losing it.
"Mr. President, viewership just broke 35 million."
Stern's assistant, Locke, leaned over and whispered.
"Good," Stern nodded, satisfied.
The lockout had taken its toll. But this? These numbers were better than expected. He would've been happy with 30 million. This was a bonus.
Boom!
Zhao Dong threw down another dunk—after bulldozing someone out of the way.
The guy on the floor?
Oakley.
Agent Wells was covering his face on the sidelines. Man, he never should've let Zhao Dong leave the Knicks. Would've been better to keep him here as a sixth man.
But then again, if Zhao Dong stayed in New York, he wouldn't have gotten a big contract. The Knicks had no cap space left. It was a dead end. Raise his value? He'd still have to leave. No way around it.
"Charles, I told you—get outta my way!" Zhao Dong shouted at Oakley after landing from a thunderous dunk.
"If you mess me up, I'm bringin' my whole family over to your crib for dinner," Oakley grunted, outta breath.
"Have your teammates pull you up."
Zhao Dong just smirked, turned his back, and walked off—ignoring Oakley's hand reaching out.
"Damn!"
Oakley cursed under his breath. Dude didn't even help him up? Guess that's what it feels like when you leave the squad.
Jordan and Kurt Thomas ran over to lift Oakley.
18 seconds left. Knicks lead 91–90. Bulls' possession.
Zhao Dong had gone nuclear in the fourth quarter—dropped 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and went 6-of-6 from the line. Efficiency off the charts. That's how they took the lead.
"Let's get this bucket!" Jordan barked, trying to catch his breath.
"In your dreams," Zhao Dong snapped back.
He'd already put up 51 points, and if he lost the game after all that? Nah. That'd be a massive L.
He threw out a quick tactical gesture. The Knicks players paused for a split second—stunned.
Kidd was at the top of the arc, dribbling. Then Zhao Dong yelled, "Switch it up!"
Suddenly, chaos.
Knicks flipped their coverage from zone to man-to-man. The Bulls looked shook—nobody expected that shift.
Kidd panicked. Billups came charging at him like a madman, and for once, the always-cool Kidd cracked. He made a rushed pass—technically not a bad one, but he didn't see Zhao Dong sneaking into the lane.
Pickpocket.
Zhao Dong intercepted it clean.
He took off down the floor like a bullet, breezing past Jordan.
Jordan and Kidd gave chase, but Zhao Dong's speed? Unmatched. They couldn't catch him.
"Why's he so damn fast now?"
Jordan realized mid-sprint—he wasn't catching him. That used to be impossible. Was he really getting old?
BANG!
Zhao Dong flushed it home. The entire arena erupted.
Only 2.3 seconds left.
The Bulls burned their final timeout, inbounded on the frontcourt. Jordan took the last shot—a deep three.
Clank.
Bulls lost the opener 93–90.
"Congrats, MJ. Droppin' 30 for nothin'," Zhao Dong grinned.
"Run it back next time," Jordan said with a scowl.
"Zhao Dong, congrats! First game of the season and you drop 50+!" CCTV's Yang Yi caught him for the post-game.
"Appreciate it. Just 50, though. Might go for 60 next time," Zhao Dong grinned.
"All your fans are waiting for that day!" Yang Yi said excitedly.
Then he asked, "Zhao Dong, Dazhi didn't get to play at all tonight. What's your take on that?"
"He's a rookie. First game of the season—of course the Bulls wanna win. It's normal he didn't get any minutes. No need to rush."
Zhao Dong continued, "He just needs time to adjust. Watching from the bench actually helps. He'll learn how guys play and how they defend.
That's how it is in the NBA. Most of us started like that. No minutes? Show what you got in practice. And don't just focus on scoring—start with defense.
Plenty of guys came into the league with offensive skills but still had to earn minutes through defense. Even me."
He hoped Dazhi would take the hint.
"Zhao Dong, the Spurs and Lakers just wrapped up. The Spurs' Twin Towers combined for 53 points and 27 boards. Duncan had 32 and 16. Spurs won 105–100 on the road. Between them and the Lakers, who's the bigger threat to the Knicks?"
Team reporter Thomas asked.
Zhao Dong's expression sharpened. He said thoughtfully, "Tim Duncan and David Robinson? That's the most dominant frontcourt in the league—on both ends. No doubt.
But the Lakers are beasts, too. Losing by just five shows they're elite as well.
Like I said before, both teams are championship-level. If we break it down—O'Neal's got more raw dominance in the paint, but the Spurs' Twin Towers bring better control on defense when they're together.
Lakers lost tonight, so I figure their inside game got clamped. Probably even O'Neal had trouble scoring."
Thomas nodded and added with a grin, "O'Neal played 32 minutes—went 8-for-17 from the field, 6-for-15 from the stripe, finished with 22 points, 8 boards, 1 dime, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers, and 4 fouls."
Zhao Dong laughed, "Knew it. Dude's free throws are always shaky."
"Yeah," Thomas chuckled. "If Shaq shot free throws like you, Lakers might've won."
He continued, "Also, the Lakers' paint attack rate dropped to 45%, down from 57% last year. More outside shots now.
Young buck Kobe got a bunch of touches—10-of-19 from the field, 3-of-7 from deep, 5-of-6 on free throws, 28 points total. Kid was the standout performer."
"Kobe?" Zhao Dong muttered, nodding.
He had already noticed—Kobe and Iverson were way ahead of schedule compared to his past life. Especially Iverson—dude had leveled up faster than Kobe.
After grinding for seven, eight months in the offseason, these two were evolving quick. Definitely better than before.
Zhao Dong's arrival didn't just fast-track the rise of these future superstars—it also pushed teams like the Lakers and Philly to double down on their development efforts.
In just Kobe's third season, the Lakers were already feeding him a high volume of shots, speeding up his growth. That kind of trust this early? Big deal.
In Zhao Dong's past life, the Lakers got swept by the Spurs in the second round this season. After that, the Shaq-Kobe duo kicked off their dynasty for the next three years.
But this time around? With how mature Kobe's looking now, there's no way the Spurs are sweeping the Lakers again.
And as for Iverson's squad out in Philly?
Thinking they ain't a championship threat this year? That might've just been Zhao Dong being a little too biased.
This season's Eastern Conference is looking like a three-way war—Knicks, Bulls, and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Tonight's game against the Bulls? It wasn't easy. Actually felt harder than last season.
On the boards, Fordson got 36 minutes, picked up 4 fouls, turned it over twice, and got whistled twice trying to grab boards.
Some improvement—but not quite enough. Only bright spot? He snatched 13 rebounds and showed better hustle.
He, Big Ben, and Zhao Dong were all glass cleaners, and the Knicks finished the night with 45 total rebounds.
Even without Rodman, the Bulls only lost the rebound battle by 3. That massive advantage the Knicks had last year? Gone.
But it wasn't because New York got worse. Nah—it's because Chicago got better.
Oakley might be gone, but the Knicks still had strong rebounders.
The shift came from the Bulls. They added size and grit on the glass.
Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace, two solid backup bigs, and of course, Jordan locked in. When he's focused, he can rebound with the best of 'em.
Rebounding, once a weak spot for the Bulls, had now become one of their strengths.
So yeah, Zhao Dong dropped 50+ tonight—but it still came down to the wire. These Bulls? Stronger than last year or the year before.
The rest of the Knicks just weren't scoring enough. That easy win over Chicago from last season? Not happening anymore.
Latrell still hadn't found his rhythm. No burst, no breakouts.
He went 4-for-18, missed all five of his threes, only got to the line twice, and finished with just 10 points. Shooting 33%.
He'd been out for a year. No games, no contact. It was gonna take time.
And when he's not on point? That puts more pressure on Zhao Dong to score and lets opposing defenses key in on him, cutting into his efficiency.
Back in the locker room, Coach Nelson broke things down—called out everyone's performance—and ended with this:
"Schedule's tight this year. Not much time to train, so we gotta grow through games. Whoever shows up will start. Next game, Latrell—you're coming off the bench."
"Got it, Coach."
Latrell froze for a second, then nodded, clearly frustrated.
He might've been wild, but with Zhao Dong—this immovable mountain—plus Barkley and a vet like Willis in the locker room, he didn't dare act out.
Zhao Dong had been keeping an eye on him the past ten days. Dude's emotions were all over the place—just like Fordson. Everything he felt, written all over his face.
Like a big kid. No poker face.
Coach didn't say who'd be starting, but Hu Weidong had a solid outing.
Off the bench for 15 minutes, dropped 10 points, shot 44%. Efficient. Coach even gave him props—he might just start next game.
Charlie Ward and Mobley barely got minutes. No chance to start there.
After the debrief, some hit the showers, some stayed to chat.
Zhao Dong cleaned up fast and joined Barkley at the postgame presser.
"Zhao Dong," a reporter started, "Barkley only played 8 minutes tonight. Went 0-for-4. What'd you think of his performance?"
"Damn you, Thomas," Barkley cursed under his breath, covering his face.
Zhao Dong chuckled.
"It's been a long break. Chuck was injured last season, so he's still getting his rhythm back. He didn't shoot well tonight, but I believe he'll bounce back and give us what we need."
"And honestly, we're not looking at him to go all-out during the regular season. If we need a vet like Barkley grinding every game, then we're not a true championship team."
Next up, a Chicago reporter threw heat at Barkley.
"Charles, Zhao Dong dropped 50 and the Knicks still barely beat the Bulls. Are you questioning this team's strength? Any regrets joining the Knicks?
If the Bulls traded for you, would you go?"
Barkley narrowed his eyes. He was not happy.
"Look, the Bulls went full strength tonight. MJ dropped 35 and didn't hold back. They still took the L. That should tell you how good the Knicks are."
"This season's schedule is brutal. By the time the playoffs roll around, how much juice will a 36-year-old Jordan still have?"
"Sure, he trained all offseason, but let's be real—he can't match Zhao Dong's energy or stamina."
He didn't answer directly, but the message landed.
"Zhao Dong, you think the Knicks can take down the Bulls this year?" another mic swung his way.
Zhao Dong paused, then gave it to them straight.
"No."
That stunned the whole room.
"Zhao Dong?" Barkley turned toward him, a little uneasy.
Zhao Dong continued:
"Look, we're playing 50 games in just three months. It's a grind. No one can promise they'll stay healthy through all that."
"To me, the team that stays healthiest in the regular season is gonna have the edge in the playoffs."
"Injuries are the biggest wildcard this year. They could decide who wins it all."
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