Chapter 64

Demonstratively bulging his biceps in front of Zhao Dong, Malone coldly said, "Boy, I heard you cursed us, saying we'll never win a championship?"

"Malone, don't push it," Oakley, one of the four villains, immediately stood up to intervene. However, the team's star, Ewing, remained motionless, showing no intention of defending his teammates.

"Charles, you want to protect him?" Malone growled, his voice low and threatening. "You know what I'll do." Oakley stayed close to Zhao Dong, but Malone snorted and turned his attention back to Zhao Dong, glaring at him. "Soft boy, hiding behind them like this?"

Zhao Dong nodded to Oakley, then suddenly spoke up: "Why don't we settle this, and take care of black and white here first?"

A stunned silence filled the room, even the eight or nine security personnel were caught off guard. Malone and his team were momentarily taken aback. The cold stare of John Stockton shifted, and he instinctively took a step back, retreating behind his teammates.

"What did you just say?" Malone barked, stepping forward and slamming his chest into Zhao Dong with force.

The collision sent Zhao Dong back half a step, but in the next moment, he kicked Malone sharply in the abdomen.

"Boom!" Malone groaned and staggered back. While his upper body strength was impressive, his core strength was relatively weaker, around 70, and his lower body strength topped out at 75. This imbalance made him unsteady after the blow.

"Fuck them!" Zhao Dong shouted, charging toward Malone and landing a punch squarely to his face.

With a loud bang, Malone was hit again. Having anticipated the attack, he tried to block, but Zhao Dong was quick. He overwhelmed Malone with relentless strikes, landing another punch as Malone struggled to defend himself.

Oakley, an amateur boxer, couldn't hold back any longer and rushed in to join the fight. Ewing, Alan Houston, and Chris Childs exchanged glances and immediately followed suit.

By the time the security team intervened, the players from both teams were already in the thick of it. They quickly worked to separate the fighters.

When the dust settled, the Jazz's starting five were visibly bruised and swollen, while the Knicks players appeared unharmed. Malone had underestimated Zhao Dong and was caught off guard by his bold attack. He had taken several hits—punched in the face, kicked in the stomach, and hit in the legs—leaving him humiliated and furious.

As the security guards restrained him, Malone continued to shout at Zhao Dong, "Boy, I'm not done with you. If you've got the guts, let's settle this in the octagon!"

"What the hell? Don't scare me. I grew up in the Imperial City; you can't intimidate me!" Zhao Dong shot back as Malone's punch left his left cheek red and swollen. Hearing Malone's roar, Zhao Dong retorted sharply: "You idiot, do you think you can beat me with just your arm strength? Fighting is about explosiveness, speed, and flexibility. Your upper body muscles are as useless as your ass. Do your legs have any strength? Can you stand your ground? Can you keep up with my movements? Damn, you can't fight, and if we step into the octagon, you'll get beaten. If you don't believe me, try it. I'll play with you until the end."

Malone was furious. He had never expected this Chinese guy to fight so fiercely. He couldn't keep up with Zhao Dong's rhythm and ended up taking a beating. At that moment, the management and coaching staff from both teams rushed over after hearing the commotion. Upon seeing the scene, they were at a loss for words. The live commentator, meanwhile, was already calling for the visiting team to get on the court, but the Jazz hadn't even played yet, and no one was quite sure what had happened. Some reporters tried to enter the scene but were stopped by security.

Under the tacit agreement between both teams' management, they decided to let the matter slide for now and discuss it after the game.

When the Jazz players finally returned to the court, their faces were bruised and swollen, causing an immediate stir. The Knicks players came out later, looking much better, which led to cheers from the fans.

"Oh, they actually fought off the court first? What happened? Looks like the Knicks got the upper hand," Bill Walton remarked.

"It's a good thing. Let out the frustration off the court, so we won't be so angry on the court," Matt added with a smile.

Bill Wharton rolled his eyes, worried that something might still happen today. The on-court action was bound to be intense.

Meanwhile, on CCTV's live broadcast, Zhang Lili and Sun Zhenping were equally shocked.

"It's okay, it's okay. Zhao Dong's fine, he probably didn't get involved in the fight," Sun Zhenping commented.

"He has a swollen face; someone must have slapped him," Zhang Lili observed.

"Malone's face is swollen like a bun, and his nose is broken," Sun Zhenping added.

"Oakley probably did that. The four villains aren't harmless. His usual defensive moves are like fighting," Zhang speculated.

"Oh, oh, the Jazz got beaten by the Knicks? Malone got a beating too? Who did it? Haha..." Barkley laughed after hearing the news.

At that moment, Larry Johnson, who was warming up on the court, approached Zhao Dong and Oakley. "A fight? Why didn't you call me?" he complained.

"The postman picked a fight, and Fei Long took the lead. It was really fun today!" Oakley grinned.

"Next time, I'll definitely call you," Zhao Dong replied with a smile.

As the game started, Zhao Dong faced off against the 218 cm tall white center, Greg Ostertag, for the tip-off. The Knicks immediately began their offense.

Swish! Ewing turned around for a jumper and made the first basket of the game.

"Boom!" Under the basket, Zhao Dong received an elbow to the right chest from Malone. The Jazz quickly initiated their attack. Stockton dribbled to the top of the arc, opting not to use Malone's pick-and-roll, and suddenly accelerated to break through. As he drove, he elbowed Chris Childs in the stomach, causing Childs to stagger back with a muffled grunt, losing his defensive position. At this point, Ewing and Zhao Dong had already collapsed into the paint area.

"Boom!" As Zhao Dong struggled with Malone, he immediately retaliated, driving an elbow into Malone's waist. But just as he did, Malone suddenly came from the low post, crossed John Stokes at the free-throw line, and stopped.

"Pick and roll?" Zhao Dong immediately recognized Malone's intentions and began to follow him. However, Stockton, who had broken into the paint area, made a quick change of direction, stopping right in front of Zhao Dong, blocking his path, before losing control of the ball.

"Back pass?" Zhao Dong thought, startled.

"Shh!" Malone caught the ball in the high post, took a clean shot from the open space, and scored.

"Rookie, pay attention to pick-and-roll defense," Ewing shouted across the court.

"I know," Zhao Dong replied, acknowledging the advice.

As Zhao Dong retreated, Malone couldn't help but throw some trash talk his way. "Chinese, you're just a piece of crap on the court."

Zhao Dong shot back immediately, "You idiot, I'll fuck you up again after the game. Wait for me in the locker room, don't run away."

"Afraid of you?" Malone sneered. "I'll wait for you. We'll see what happens in the locker room."

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