At this point, the scoreboard read 15-10, with the Knicks up by five. They had possession, but Charlie Ward messed up a pass, handing the ball straight to the Bulls.
On the right wing, Jordan had the rock. He signaled to clear out, then hit the gas, blowing past Zhao Dong and cutting inside.
Oakley slid over to help, but Jordan kicked it out to Kukoc, who pulled up from deep.
Splash.
15-13. Knicks still up by two.
"Zhao Dong was just a step too slow there," Zhang Heli pointed out. "Jordan's playmaking is still elite. If you let him break the defense, this is exactly what happens. I think Zhao Dong should shift to guarding Pippen instead."
Knicks' turn to attack. Zhao Dong moved to the left wing, with Pippen locked in on him.
As soon as he got the ball, he waved his hand up high.
"Double me! I dare you!"
He stood way beyond the arc, straight-up challenging the whole Bulls squad.
Pippen smelled blood and went for the swipe.
But Zhao Dong was ready. He spun, put Pippen on his hip, and muscled his way up to the three-point line.
Harper rushed in from the top of the key, while Pippen cut off his passing lanes to the arc, setting up a nasty double-team.
A triple-team was forming, but it didn't matter. Zhao Dong used his height and strength, lifting the ball with both hands and zipping a laser pass to Ewing in the left low post instead of hitting the wide-open Charlie Ward.
Ewing went one-on-one with Rodman, backing him down.
Kukoc slid over to help, leaving the paint open.
Zhao Dong saw the gap and cut inside hard.
Pippen lost him in the shuffle, no chance to double.
Ewing dished it off, and Zhao Dong took flight.
BOOM!
Kukoc had no chance. Weighing in at only 87 kilos, he got bodied, sent flying under the basket, and slid two meters back into the stanchion.
Whistle!
"Damn! That was nasty!" Zhang Heli yelled. "Textbook ball movement! That's how you break a double-team!"
"17-13, Knicks up by four! And hold up—Kukoc fouled him! Zhao Dong's got an 'And-1' chance!" Sun Zhenping shouted.
Before the free throw, the Bulls called timeout.
As the team huddled, Phil Jackson laid it down:
"We need to cut off his passing. His dimes are hurting us more than his scoring. The first double-team—cut his passing angles. Don't let him hit the open man."
Then he turned to Rodman.
"Dennis, you double Zhao Dong. Let Oakley go—we can live with his offense."
Timeout ended.
Back on the line, Zhao Dong stepped up.
The United Center erupted in boos, trying to shake him.
No dice.
Swish.
18-13, Knicks back up by five.
"Zhao Dong's been eating tonight. He's 4-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line, already got 10 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block—he's making an impact everywhere," Matt Goukas broke it down on NBC.
"The Knicks' game plan is working," Matt added. "By running the break, they've neutralized the Bulls' double-teams. Zhao Dong in transition? Forget about it. No one in the league can keep up."
Marv Albert chimed in. "Exactly. Zhao Dong's speed at the three-spot is a cheat code. When Pippen can't keep up, who else on the floor is stopping him?"
"Look at Jordan—he's got two fouls already just from trying to slow Zhao Dong down," Matt laughed.
End of the first.
25-18, Knicks up by seven.
Zhao Dong played all 12 minutes, shooting 4-for-5, 4-for-5 from the line. He stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, a turnover, and a foul.
Ewing logged 9 minutes, went 3-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 from the stripe, and added 7 points, 3 boards, and a block.
Together, the duo dropped 20 points, setting the tone early.
On NBC, Matt Goukas broke it down:
"The Knicks are playing this perfectly. Five fast-break plays—three of them converted for easy buckets. Even in half-court sets, Zhao Dong made it work, hitting 1-for-2 in the post. Efficiency off the charts."
"And check his passing," Marv Albert added. "Three assists in one quarter—two to Ewing, one to Ward. That's huge. The ball movement is keeping the Bulls off balance."
Matt nodded. "On top of that, Zhao Dong keeps feeding Ewing. He passed to him five times in one quarter, forcing the Bulls to guard Ewing one-on-one. That's a problem for them."
Switching gears, Marv Albert analyzed the defense:
"Zhao Dong started off solid against Jordan, but as the quarter went on, Jordan adjusted. He started using speed and movement to shake free. The Knicks' response? Double him up. That's why the Bulls are behind right now."
Matt Goukas added, "Look at Jordan's numbers—4-for-9 shooting, 10 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block, but three turnovers and two fouls. His scoring is fine, but those mistakes are killing Chicago's rhythm."
Marv Albert followed up, "And Rodman? Still struggling. Eight minutes, just two boards. Bulls only grabbed 10 rebounds in the quarter compared to the Knicks' 14. If New York had hit their open looks, they'd be up by double digits already."
Matt finished it off, "And this is the Eastern Conference Finals. With this level of defense, a seven-point hole is serious. Bulls are in trouble."
At the start of the second quarter, Zhao Dong and Ewing were on the bench, while Jordan kept playing.
It didn't take long before Zhao Dong had to check back in. Jordan led the Bulls' bench unit on a 6-0 run in just two minutes, while the Knicks couldn't buy a bucket and coughed up two turnovers.
25-24, Knicks up by 1. Knicks' possession.
Zhao Dong had the rock on the left wing beyond the arc, with Bulls' swingman Jud Buechler guarding him.
He bullied Buechler, powering his way to the three-point line. Just as the Bulls sent a double-team, he lowered his shoulder, knocked Buechler back, and exploded toward the wing. That slight delay threw off the Bulls' defensive rotation.
Rodman was waiting in the paint and stepped up to help.
Zhao Dong hit the brakes, gave Rodman a little shake, then hit the gas again, shifting direction and blowing by him into the lane.
That move didn't just break down Rodman—it completely wiped out Buechler and Steve Kerr, who were trying to collapse on him.
The Bulls' backup big, Kukoc, was the last line of defense at the rim. Zhao Dong hit a quick stop near the basket, rose up for a smooth jumper, and drained it.
On the NBC broadcast, Marv Albert called it:
"Ohhh! Zhao Dong just put four Bulls defenders in a blender—Rodman, Buechler, Kerr, and Kukoc—all got a taste of that work!"
Matt Goukas laughed. "Man, this dude is a cheat code. His rebounding is as good as Rodman's, his perimeter defense and playmaking? That's one and a half Pippens. Offensively, he's got half of Jordan's scoring touch, and his post game is Rodman + Longley combined. Oh, and his transition game? Unstoppable. That's his value."
Bulls ball. Jordan brought it up. Zhao Dong picked him up on defense.
"Hey, MJ, if you don't guard me, your bench dudes are getting cooked," Zhao Dong taunted.
Jordan, ice-cold, shot back. "Then I'll kill you myself."
"But you've never beat me." Zhao Dong smirked.
Jordan didn't waste words—he made his move.
A quick hesitation. A jab step. Zhao Dong read it, shuffled back, and stayed in front. But Jordan had already gained two steps inside the arc—right in his sweet spot.
Jordan spun, backing Zhao Dong down.
Turnaround fadeaway?
Zhao Dong braced for it.
But Jordan wasn't done—he faked the fadeaway, spun again, and fired a smooth jumper.
Swish.
Pure.
Zhao Dong shook his head. One-on-one, that move was damn near unguardable.
Jordan gave him a smug look. "I'm beating your ass."
Zhao Dong smirked. "We're beating the Bulls."
Jordan clenched his jaw. He had to find a way to slow this dude down.
From the sidelines, Phil Jackson stood up and gestured to his squad. Jordan and the Bulls' players locked eyes with their coach.
Matt Goukas caught it. "Oh boy, are they about to start hacking Zhao Dong?"
Sun Zhenping was puzzled. "How do you 'hack' a Golden Tyrant?"
Zhang Heli explained, "It's a foul strategy to disrupt Zhao Dong's rhythm—stop him from getting clean looks. But it's risky. The guy shoots 80-90% from the line. If he keeps making free throws, it backfires."
Sure enough, the Bulls' bench unit started hacking him. Every time Zhao Dong touched the ball, they fouled him—hard.
Over the next three minutes, he drew four fouls and got sent to the line four times.
Eight free throws.
Eight makes.
But the Knicks' offense got stuck in the mud.
Meanwhile, the Bulls took advantage and flipped the script.
31-34. Bulls up by 3.
Van Gundy called timeout.
He threw the starters back in, but didn't change the game plan—stick to the defensive counterattack.
The real problem? Zhao Dong's defense on Jordan was shaky in those three minutes.
Why?
Jordan was still too damn quick.
His off-ball movement was elite—once he got separation, it was hard to recover. And the Knicks' bench unit wasn't rotating well on their double-teams, leaving him open too often.
Van Gundy made a small adjustment: Zhao Dong switched to guarding Pippen.
Jordan? Still getting double-teamed.
The Bulls kept Rodman and Kukoc inside, with the rest of the starting five back on the floor.
That also meant no more Hack-a-Zhao.
The starters couldn't afford foul trouble.
At the start of the game, Zhao Dong caught the ball outside the three-point line on the left wing. Pippen was all over him on defense, but Zhao Dong just powered through, muscling his way inside.
Harper came flying in for the double-team, but Zhao Dong spun off him, attacking Pippen straight up and slipping past the defense into the wing.
Rodman was bodying Ewing down low, but when he saw Zhao Dong coming, he stepped up for help defense.
At the same time, Kukoc slid over to cover Ewing, while Harper ran back to pick up Charlie Ward.
But Zhao Dong wasn't about to force it—he zipped a slick pass to Ewing, who was cutting to the basket. Ewing caught it clean, and with Kukoc mismatched on him, he just went up easy with a hook shot.
Marv Albert watched the play unfold and said, "The Bulls' foul strategy against Zhao Dong worked earlier, but on this play, their defense was all over the place—no hard foul, no true lockdown."
Matt Goukas nodded. "Yeah, once Zhao Dong breaks through, he's either scoring or setting someone up. You can't just half-commit—if you're gonna double him, you better take him out completely. Otherwise, it's a wrap."
Sure enough, Phil Jackson wasn't having it. He called another timeout, looking pissed. As the players gathered around, he barked, "Stick to the game plan! Stop freelancing. Let go of the guys we planned to let go, and suffocate Zhao Dong. No shots, no passes. Kill every possession in his hands."
Timeout ended. The Bulls locked back in on their extreme-pressure defense against Zhao Dong.
On the next possession, Jordan hit a tough mid-range jumper over the double-team. 33-36, Bulls up by three.
Zhao Dong brought the ball up, blew past Pippen, and charged into the paint. The Bulls collapsed on him instantly—everybody except Kukoc, who was still on Ewing, swarmed him.
But Zhao Dong had been waiting for this. Mid-air, he threw a one-handed pass to Allan Houston on the perimeter.
Jordan sprinted back, closing out hard.
Houston rose up for the mid-range jumper.
"Rebound!" Zhao Dong shouted as the ball arced through the air. Then, he took off toward the predicted landing spot.
Bang!
The ball clanked off the rim, bouncing toward the free-throw line. Zhao Dong read it perfectly, snatching the board right over Rodman's head.
The second he landed, Pippen and Rodman trapped him.
Harper came flying down from the top of the arc.
Jordan, seeing Zhao Dong had his back turned to Houston, crashed in too.
"Here!"
Ewing cut to the rim, and Zhao Dong lobbed it over.
Ewing caught it, but Rodman and Kukoc instantly doubled him. He forced up a hook shot—missed.
Rodman snagged the board.
"Knicks struggling against this extreme defense." Matt Goukas shook his head.
The Bulls pushed the tempo. Jordan got out in transition and laid it in.
33-38, Knicks down by five.
"This ain't working. Hell no." Zhao Dong gritted his teeth. "I can't get clean shots, my teammates ain't hitting, and I can't even get a real offensive rhythm. Gotta switch it up."
He glanced at Van Gundy on the sideline. The coach looked stressed, pacing back and forth. "Nah, I can't rely on him right now. I gotta take this game into my own hands."
Charlie Ward brought the ball up. After crossing half-court, he swung it to Zhao Dong, who muscled past Pippen again to the left-wing three-point line.
Pippen waved his left hand, cutting off the passing lane to Ward. Harper left his man and lunged toward Zhao Dong for another trap.
But Zhao Dong had already called for a pick.
"Zhao Dong wants a screen from Ewing," Marv Albert called out.
Ewing didn't hesitate. He stepped up from the low post and set a hard screen.
Harper crashed into it, breaking the double-team before it even fully formed.
Zhao Dong immediately fed Ewing, breaking down the defense.
Pippen turned and lunged toward Ewing, and that's all Zhao Dong needed—he cut straight into the paint.
Ewing caught the ball and got doubled by Pippen and Kukoc. The moment Zhao Dong flashed open, he dished it right back.
One step into the paint, Zhao Dong gathered.
Rodman, who had been ready to help, suddenly had to scramble back to contest.
Zhao Dong jumped, palming the ball with his right hand, raising it high.
Rodman bit on the fake, launching himself into the air for the block.
But Zhao Dong yanked the ball back, slid under Rodman, and floated past the basket. Just before he landed, he flipped the ball up with a backhanded scoop shot.
Bang!
Bucket.
The crowd lost it.
"Ohh! A hang-time scoop shot over Rodman?!" The arena commentator's voice cracked in disbelief.
"No way—he actually pulled that off?" Marv Albert was just as stunned.
Matt Goukas shook his head, still in shock. "He's 6'9", 250 pounds, and just did a move you'd expect from a guard. This ain't normal, man. This is ridiculous."
Zhang Heli, calling the game for Chinese fans, started laughing. "Insane. This is what the Bulls' extreme defense has pushed him to do. But I gotta say, if Zhao Dong keeps attacking like this, he might hurt himself. That was sick, but he can't be doing this all the time."
On the court, even Jordan looked impressed. He knew Zhao Dong had an insane offensive bag, but this? This was different.
"Damn, Zhao Dong, what can't you do?"
The Knicks' bench erupted. Teammates swarmed Zhao Dong, hyping him up.
Zhao Dong just grinned. "Whatever Jordan can do, I can do too. Maybe not now, but soon enough."
By halftime, the Knicks had flipped the game.
46-44, Knicks up by two.
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