Chapter 60
Looking back, Weber was holding the ball high. This time, Zhao Dong applied tight defense, which prevented Weber from taking off and forced him to dribble back. As Zhao Dong continued to shadow him, Weber suddenly changed direction and drove toward the basket. This was one of his signature high-post moves—if his high-post straight-arm jumper wasn't available, he would immediately transition into a three-step drive to the basket, often finishing with a dunk. Zhao Dong, who knew Weber's playing style well, recognized the threat and quickly adjusted his defense.
Weber dribbled once, then pulled the ball up. After two steps, he exploded to the basket, confident that he had beaten Zhao Dong's defense. He thought that Zhao Dong wouldn't be able to keep up with his burst, so he boldly went for a battle-axe dunk. However, as Weber approached the basket, Zhao Dong's large hand appeared from behind, swatting the ball away.
"What?" Weber exclaimed in surprise as he lost his balance and fell into the basket.
"Yes! Zhao Dong just sent out the first big block of the game, sealing Weber on the floor!" the commentator roared excitedly.
The ball fell and was immediately collected by Zhao Dong, who quickly launched a fast break. Weber was still on the floor, and George couldn't keep up at all, leaving the Knicks with a clear advantage. Zhao Dong wasn't about to pass the ball in this situation. With his power and speed, the defenders wouldn't dare block him—they would be knocked aside. He took the ball to the basket and, with a powerful slam, delivered a thunderous dunk that rattled the Bullets' hoop.
Later, Weber, clearly embarrassed, got the ball in the low post, hoping to respond. Zhao Dong, however, turned his back to the basket, spun, and slipped toward the baseline. Zhao Dong made a mistake in his defensive judgment. He realized it might be difficult to accomplish all his tasks today. Defending Weber was proving to be challenging. Weber had already scored twice, and Zhao Dong wasn't confident he could stop him from scoring more. He also analyzed why defending Weber was so tough. His current inside defense was only rated 84, a second-rate level. Combined with Weber's size, strength, and speed advantages, Zhao Dong struggled against him. While he could defend some players with simpler offensive moves, like Rain Man and Mourning, he found Weber, who was equally strong and versatile, difficult to handle.
Zhao Dong's only advantage might be his familiarity with Weber's style, while Weber didn't know him as well. Another factor was Zhao Dong's attitude—he was determined to work harder than his opponent. However, defense aside, Zhao Dong wasn't afraid of Weber on the offensive end. His low-post skills were a gold standard, possibly even superior to Weber's, and he believed he could dominate without needing double-teams. But in truth, he had miscalculated.
The Bullets didn't double-team Zhao Dong, but it wasn't Weber guarding him offensively—it was Ewing. Ewing had a tough night, making only 7 of his 21 attempts, with a shooting percentage of just 33.3%. He also stayed away from the basket for most of the game, only attempting two free throws. In 32 minutes, he managed to put up 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers, and 5 fouls, continuing his trend of subpar performances.
Last season, Ewing averaged 19.2 shots per game, a number similar to previous years, but this season, his attempts dropped to only 17, signaling a decline in both his physical fitness and form. Today's extra shots came at the expense of Zhao Dong, and this wasn't the first time Ewing had increased his attempts in recent games. In fact, in the past three games, Ewing's shot attempts had reached over 20.
Zhao Dong, on the other hand, had only 11 shot opportunities in total. Four of those were second-chance opportunities from offensive rebounds. He made 8 of his 11 attempts and 5 of 6 free throws, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers, and 5 fouls in 33 minutes. Of course, the Bullets were not strong enough, and in the end, the Knicks won the game with Zhao Dong being named the best player.
Weber finished with 18 points, hitting 6 of 14 shots and 6 of 8 free throws, along with 8 rebounds. Despite his efforts, Zhao Dong's first, second, and third mission objectives were unsuccessful, with only three blocks against Weber. Ultimately, he only completed two mission objectives and didn't receive any rewards. However, the reason for the mission failure wasn't due to insufficient shot attempts, but rather poor defense. Zhao Dong couldn't defend Weber effectively, and his defensive quality wasn't high enough.
This experience made Zhao Dong realize he needed to improve his defense quickly. Every sniper mission in the system involved heavy defensive responsibilities, and if he wanted to snipe Jordan, with his unmatched offensive power in the league, he knew he couldn't succeed without top-tier defense.
After the game, Zhao Dong accepted a live sideline interview.
"Feilong, you only took 11 shots in this game. As your inside partner, Ewing took 21 shots..."
"What do you want to say about this?" asked a New York Athletic reporter.
"It's because of Patrick's presence that I'm attracting defenses. No one is coming to help me; that's what he does. As long as he's on the court, our opponents have to focus more of their defensive efforts on him. This is what superstars do," Zhao Dong replied. He knew how the media could be — if you play well, you're praised to the sky, and if you play poorly, they'll drag you through the mud. So, he answered cautiously.
"Do you want to become the core of this team after Ewing?" another reporter asked.
"No one wants to be the core of a team, including me. But we must first ensure the stability of the locker room, which is the most important thing," Zhao Dong said.
"Zhao Dong, what do you think of Weber's performance today?" Zhang Lili asked.
"My defense against him can only be considered mediocre; I didn't restrict him well. His offense is similar to mine. No matter how you defend, he can still score," Zhao Dong laughed.
"How do you think your post game compares to Webber's?" Sun Zhenping asked.
Zhao Dong thought for a moment before answering, "He is not a full-time low-post player. The high post is very threatening, but in the low post, I think I'm more threatening than him. In this game, my efficiency was higher, and that's proof."
"Are you very confident? If you face double-teams, will you still be as confident?" a reporter from The New York Times asked.
"In the face of double-teaming, maybe my efficiency will drop a lot, but my confidence won't drop because of it," Zhao Dong replied.
"When do you think other teams will start double-teaming you?" the reporter asked.
"I think that day will come soon," Zhao Dong laughed.
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Later, Zhao Dong attended the post-game press conference.
"Coach Van Gundy, in tonight's game, Ewing's performance dipped again, but his shots increased, while the more efficient Zhao Dong only got 11 shots. Will you adjust their shot distribution in the next game?" a reporter from New York Sports News, who had just interviewed Zhao Dong, asked.
Van Gundy was well aware of the New York media's tactics. This question could stir up locker room tension, but the media didn't care about the Knicks — they only cared about newspaper sales. Sometimes, he suspected the New York media was more of an adversary than the rival teams themselves. They seemed more interested in tearing down the Knicks than promoting their own team.
"Patrick took a few more shots. He's just trying to get back to his best form, which is normal. He's the core of the team. I think he'll communicate well with Zhao Dong," Van Gundy said.
"Except when he's with women, Ewing is as quiet as a sealed jar. He'll communicate just fine with Zhao Dong," Zhao Dong muttered to himself.
Ewing, standing next to him, didn't say a word. He simply stood there, head down, lost in his own thoughts.
(End of this chapter)
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