In the frontcourt, Zhao Dong got the rock again. As soon as Pippen stepped up, he hit a quick spin, switched hands, and gave him a little nudge in the chest with his right elbow.
With a solid 20-kilo weight difference, that elbow wasn't exactly soft. Pippen felt it—his eye twitched. So much for elite defense.
Zhao Dong took advantage and blew past him, attacking the left elbow area.
The Bulls' defensive scheme kicked in immediately. Rodman crashed in from the low post, Ron Harper slid down from the top, and they boxed him in.
The help defense was fast as hell. The second Zhao Dong got free, the double-team was already closing in.
Jordan covered the top of the arc, Luke Longley checked Ewing, leaving Oakley and Alan Houston open on the weak side.
Zhao Dong spotted Houston and was about to kick it out—
"Damn, that double came quick!"
His heart clenched. Pippen was still on his back, and now he had three defenders smothering him. Pass it or take it himself?
"Screw it."
Zhao Dong planted, pulled up, and let it fly.
Right as he released, Rodman's big-ass hand swiped at his face, even grazing his right eyelid.
Even with his gold-tier pull-up jumper boosting his stability by 30%, he felt it the moment he let go—this one ain't dropping.
Clank!
The ball bricked off the rim, bounced forward, and landed right in Luke Longley's hands.
The Bulls wasted no time, pushing for a fast break, but the Knicks hustled back, forcing a half-court set.
Pippen was everywhere, cutting through the paint, using screens to shake Zhao Dong.
Luke Longley set a solid pick, and that half-second delay was enough. Zhao Dong lost him.
Pippen relocated to the left wing, caught the pass. Oakley slid over to contest.
Fake.
Oakley bit.
Pippen drove, slicing into the paint.
The Knicks' defense collapsed, and boom—Pippen kicked it out.
Jordan, wide open.
Houston couldn't recover in time. Jordan rose up, mid-range J.
"No!"
Before the ball even hit the rim, Zhao Dong and Rodman both had the same thought—
Rebound.
They took off at the same time, positioning hard.
Zhao Dong had the physical edge, moving first and cutting Rodman off clean. The Worm couldn't squeeze past.
Frustrated, Rodman threw an elbow at Zhao Dong's lower back.
The hit was sneaky, but Zhao Dong gritted his teeth and secured the board.
---
"Jordan missed the open middy! Looks like he's not as locked in as last game!" Marv Albert called it out on the NBC broadcast.
Matt Goukas chuckled, "Bulls' defense is turning up, getting real aggressive. Right on the edge of fouling. But the Knicks? That iron-blooded DNA is still there. They can handle it."
---
Knicks' possession.
Zhao Dong pushed the tempo, blew by Pippen, and kicked it to Ewing inside.
Ewing posted up Longley, went to his bread-and-butter hook shot—bricked.
Oakley snatched the board, reset to Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong organized, drew the double, kicked it to Houston.
Bang!
Jordan closed out fast. Houston rushed his release—off.
Rodman snagged the board. Bulls back on offense.
---
"Knicks are cold as hell right now! Three shots up, three shots down!" Zhang Heli shouted on CCTV.
Jordan pushed the break from the left wing. Zhao Dong sprinted back.
They locked eyes.
Jordan stopped outside the arc, one-on-one.
He gestured—clear out.
"Oh, he wants the iso!" Matt Goukas called out.
Zhao Dong grinned.
"Son, I can do anything over you."
Jordan's eyes narrowed.
"God of Gamblers, the only thing you got is writing me a damn check."
"Shit!"
Jordan's forehead vein popped.
Right then, Zhao Dong struck.
Clean swipe.
Face-to-face steals like this were risky as hell, but Jordan was distracted—Zhao Dong picked his pocket smooth.
"Ohhh! Zhao Dong ripped Jordan! Fast break!" Marv Albert exploded.
Jordan, pissed as hell, chased him down.
He was faster and caught up by half-court, reaching in.
Zhao Dong flipped hands, kept control, sped into the paint.
At the right elbow, Jordan cut him off.
Zhao Dong didn't slow down.
Took off—body-to-body.
The impact sent Jordan flying, crashing to the floor.
BOOM!
Zhao Dong hammered it home with a one-hand slam.
Madison Square Garden erupted.
"Beep!"
The ref blew the whistle—Jordan foul.
And-one.
Zhao Dong turned, grinning.
"Look, God of Gamblers. What can you do over me?"
Jordan, still getting helped up by Pippen, glared.
"Idiot, I can fly over you anytime."
Zhao Dong just laughed, grabbed the ball, and walked to the line.
He set up for the free throw.
Bang!
Miss.
Longley grabbed the board. Bulls' turn.
---
"Man, Zhao Dong's shooting touch ain't great tonight!" Zhang Heli shouted.
Sun Zhenping chimed in, "Both Jordan and Zhao Dong are 1-for-2 right now, each with a turnover. It's 2-2, Knicks shooting 1-for-4, Bulls 1-for-2."
The Bulls were on the break, and Jordan was leading the charge. Luc Longley fired a long pass down the court. Jordan caught it in stride, crossed the three-point line, and attacked the paint from the left elbow. One step in, he took off.
Just a step behind, Zhao Dong sprinted back from the right elbow and launched himself into the air alongside Jordan.
Both players cut through the paint like two intersecting lines. Zhao Dong stretched out with everything he had, trying to reach Jordan.
Jordan cocked the ball back in his right hand, looking to slam it home, but just as Zhao Dong went up for the block, he switched hands mid-air, bringing the ball to his left. Dodging the block, he smoothly laid it in off the glass.
"Bang!"
The ball kissed the backboard and dropped through the net.
"Ohh, what a move! Michael Jordan with an absolutely filthy finish!" Marv Albert called out.
Jordan turned around, smirking at Zhao Dong. "Man, I could do this to you all night. You out here looking like a lost bird."
Zhao Dong sneered. "At least I ain't laying on the floor like you."
The two exchanged words before heading back down the court.
Under heavy defensive pressure, both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net. Three minutes in, only six points were on the board—4-2, Bulls in front.
"Man, we're three minutes deep, and we've only seen three buckets. Nobody can buy a shot right now," said Matt Goukas.
"Yeah, defenses are tight, but even when they get clean looks, they're bricking," added Ernie Grunfeld. "They need to attack more, get to the rim, draw some fouls—do something to get that offense rolling."
After missing his first shot, Zhao Dong focused on facilitating, but with his teammates struggling, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He had that gold-badge shooting touch—never dipping below 35%, rarely under 40%. Even against double teams, he could hold a steady 50%. His jump shot, backed by that skill boost, was a serious weapon.
Bringing the ball up, he called for it at the left wing, a couple of steps beyond the arc. Pippen was on him. Zhao Dong signaled for space.
"Ohhh, here we go! Zhao Dong wants the iso against Pippen!" the commentator hyped up the crowd.
"Knicks sticking to their game plan—Zhao Dong attacks, forces the double, kicks to the open man…" Matt Goukas started.
Before he could finish, Zhao Dong had already made his move.
He powered through Pippen, stepping toward the three-point line. Seeing this, Ron Harper rushed in, and Jordan rotated up top.
"Somebody's open!" the commentator shouted.
As Harper closed in, Zhao Dong turned his back to Pippen, shielding the ball with his right hand while fending off Harper with his left.
If Harper wanted a steal, he'd have to reach around—Zhao Dong wasn't giving him a chance.
Two steps inside the arc, Zhao Dong suddenly spun and rose for a jumper.
Pippen, expecting a drive, bit on the fake and got left behind.
But Harper? He was all over it.
As Zhao Dong lifted off, Harper bodied him mid-air, throwing off his balance.
With an 86 balance rating—not quite elite—that hit made a difference.
"Bang!"
Even with the skill boost, the shot clanked off the rim.
"Damn, gotta take it inside and bang," Zhao Dong muttered, stumbling on the landing.
Jordan snagged the rebound, and Zhao Dong hustled back on defense.
"Man, that was a clear foul. No whistle? This is their home court!" Marv called out.
"Eastern Conference Finals, man," Matt Goukas replied. "Refs letting them play. Unless it's obvious, they ain't calling it."
"That means perimeter shots are gonna be even tougher," Marv noted.
"No doubt," Goukas agreed.
Jordan, unable to push the tempo, slowed it down to set up the offense.
After some off-ball movement, he suddenly exploded past Allan Houston, slicing into the paint from the right wing.
The Knicks' second line of defense—Oakley—stepped up. He and Houston collapsed on Jordan.
One step in from the right elbow, Jordan stopped on a dime and pulled up.
"Bang!"
Oakley got too close—whistle.
"Foul! Two shots for Jordan."
Jordan stepped up to the line and sank both. 6-2, Bulls up by four.
Van Gundy called out from the sidelines as Zhao Dong passed by. "Attack the rim. Get physical."
Zhao Dong nodded. Crossing the timeline, he signaled for the ball. Pippen stepped up—Zhao Dong wasted no time.
He made his move.
At this moment, Zhao Dong switched directions and attacked the rim, choosing a path closer to the arc to avoid getting trapped.
Pippen and Harper immediately accelerated, closing in on him at the three-point line.
But just as they were about to complete the trap, Zhao Dong suddenly slowed down.
Instinctively, expecting a quick pull-up jumper, Pippen and Harper braked, ready to adjust. But in that split second, Zhao Dong exploded forward again, slicing right between them.
"What a move! He's going straight to the hoop!" the commentator shouted.
Bang!
With a single dribble, Zhao Dong surged into the paint from the left elbow.
Per the Bulls' defensive scheme, the moment Zhao Dong entered the paint, multiple defenders collapsed on him.
Longley and Rodman abandoned Ewing and Oakley, charging up from both sides.
Squeak!
Zhao Dong shifted into another gear. His sneakers screeched against the hardwood as he accelerated—his burst speed was insane.
A 6'9", 250-pound forward moving this fast? That's a glitch in the system.
"What the—?!"
Rodman and Longley's eyes widened in shock.
They instinctively tried to stop, realizing their double-team had already been broken.
Zhao Dong exploded between them and took off.
Bang!
A thunderous dunk shook the rim, and the Bulls' basket dipped under the impact.
"OH MY! WHAT A PLAY!" the arena commentator roared.
"Zhao Dong just shredded the Bulls' defense, broke two double-teams, beat four defenders, and finished with a monster jam!"
Matt, from the NBC broadcast booth, was in awe. "That was insane! Zhao Dong's dribble penetration is elite—he just slipped out of two traps like they weren't even there!"
Marv added, "His ability to control the tempo is unreal. The Bulls threw everything at him, but nobody could even get a clean foul on him."
Matt laughed, "Zhao is basically saying, 'If you wanna foul me, you better catch me first!'"
Both broadcasters cracked up.
First Quarter Recap
By the end of the first quarter, the game was deadlocked at 18-18—a low-scoring slugfest.
Jordan had a rough start, shooting 2-for-6 (0-for-2 from three) but made 5-of-5 free throws, tallying 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, and 1 foul.
Zhao Dong, meanwhile, shot 3-for-6 and hit 4-of-5 free throws, posting 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, and 1 foul.
Halftime Analysis
On CCTV's live broadcast, Zhang Heli analyzed, "This game has Finals-level defensive intensity. Whoever wins this series has a great shot at the championship."
Sun Zhenping nodded, "Zhao Dong's efficiency is a bit better than Jordan's. Jordan's jumper is just off tonight."
Zhang chuckled, "Last game, the Knicks threw everything at him, and he still dropped 69. Can't expect that every night. The Knicks' defense is even tighter today, and it's making him struggle. Same with Zhao Dong—his shooting touch isn't perfect, but his ability to penetrate is keeping his numbers efficient."
Second Half
The game turned into a war of attrition, with both superstars attacking the rim relentlessly.
Jordan, struggling with his shot, leaned on his elite footwork and aggressive drives to rack up free throws.
Zhao Dong played the same way—once he got near the paint, Pippen and company took the "better foul him" approach rather than let him get a clean shot.
With three minutes left in the fourth, the score was still tied at 71-71.
Zhao Dong's stat line: 9-for-19 FG, 12-for-14 FT, 30 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls.
Jordan's stat line: 5-for-17 FG, 0-for-5 from three, 14-for-14 FT, 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul.
Jordan's shot wasn't falling, and the Knicks' physical defense only made it harder.
On CCTV, Zhang Heli pointed out, "Zhao Dong is flirting with a 5x5. He needs just one more assist, one more block, and two more steals. If he pulls it off, it'll be the first 5x5 in NBA playoff history."
Sun Zhenping was stunned. "Wait—nobody's ever done a 5x5 in the playoffs before?"
Zhang confirmed, "Not yet. But to be fair, it's insanely difficult."
Final Moments
Back on NBC, Marv Albert broke down the defensive strategies:
"The Knicks threw extreme pressure at Jordan—triple-teaming him 11 times and double-teaming him 21 times. They forced him into bad shots, and when he attacked, they fouled instead of giving him clean looks. It completely disrupted his rhythm."
Matt added, "And the Bulls have done the same to Zhao Dong. But the difference is, his shooting efficiency is holding up."
Marv laughed, "That's because Jordan's still getting triple-teamed on the perimeter, while Zhao only gets double-teamed. Phil Jackson doesn't see Zhao Dong at Jordan's level—yet."
Matt smirked, "Well, if Zhao Dong keeps lighting them up, Jackson might need to rethink that."
Marv agreed, "Zhao Dong's s outside game is deadly, and his ability to break free is elite. If the Bulls don't adjust and treat him like Jordan defensively, they're in trouble."
As the timeout ended, the Knicks prepared to inbound the ball.
The final three minutes were about to decide everything.
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