Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Fatal Elbow

In the CCTV live broadcast booth, Zhang He commented, "The first quarter has ended, and with a score of 28-18, the Jazz are trailing by 10 points." Sun Zhenping added with a smile, "Zhao Dong played exceptionally well in the first quarter, both offensively and defensively. Hopefully, he can maintain this form."

Zhang Lili remarked, "After Malone went off the court, Zhao Dong seemed to feel much better. He's taken a lot of elbows from Malone today, and I've seen him step on Zhao Dong's feet a few times. His playstyle is just too dirty!"

Sun Zhenping nodded in agreement. "Yes, hitting Zhao Dong like that is definitely a disadvantage."

Meanwhile, over at TNT's live broadcast, Bill Walton reviewed Zhao Dong's stats, staring at the numbers for a moment before shaking his head and praising him: "Zhao Dong played really well today! His outside shooting is allowing the Jazz to avoid double-teaming him."

"Six of eight shots, a high-level performance," Matt added.

Bill Walton continued, "He's able to get through the low post almost every time, first shaking off the defender, then creating a lot of offensive space. His low-post skills are outstanding. If he can perform like this regularly, I believe his low-post skills would go beyond All-Star level to a top-tier level."

"Superb?" Matt raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and said, "It'll take more games to prove that."

Bill Walton nodded, comparing Zhao Dong's performance to Malone's and sighing, "The New York media has been trashing Zhao Dong recently, but I believe after this game, they'll be praising him to the heavens."

"I think so too," Matt chuckled.

By now, the altercation between the Jazz and the Knicks before the game had made headlines worldwide. In Chicago, the Bulls-Lakers game also ended the first quarter, and the teams returned to their benches.

"Puchi? Cough cough..." Jordan, drinking water, heard the news about the Knicks and Jazz, specifically about Malone getting beaten all over his face. He choked on his drink. Having also taken Malone's elbow before—though not as severely—he knew all too well the danger of Malone's elbows. To hear that someone had actually been beaten by them was surprising. If he knew about the incident in 1998, when Malone elbowed him and broke his face during a layup, he would've been even more satisfied.

In the second quarter, Zhao Dong played the first six minutes. Malone had returned to the floor, so Van Gundy immediately substituted him out. At that point, the score was 38-30, with the Knicks holding an 8-point lead as the Jazz brought the ball down.

Once again, the "Black-and-White Duo" ran a pick-and-roll, and Malone cut outside at the top of the arc. Zhao Dong followed closely. After Stockton drove into the paint, he stopped and missed a jumper. The Knicks grabbed the rebound, and Buck Williams passed the ball to Zhao Dong, who quickly advanced to the frontcourt, heading straight for the basket.

Malone, still trailing at the top of the arc, was a step behind but closing in slowly. Zhao Dong crossed the free-throw line and leaped up for a dunk. As he soared through the air, Malone, desperate to catch up, launched an elbow attack from behind.

"Boom!" Zhao Dong completed a powerful tomahawk dunk, slamming the ball into the basket. But in the next moment, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head, as if struck by a sniper rifle. He suddenly lost balance and fell forward, crashing to the floor.

"Oh!" The crowd gasped, and countless fans leapt from their seats in shock.

"My God!" Zhang Lili and Sun Zhenping stood up in unison, momentarily forgetting their commentary.

"That bastard!" Bill Walton screamed in fury. "Malone elbowed Zhao Dong in the back of the head from behind—he was trying to take him out!"

"Is this a malicious foul? No, this is a crime!" Matt shouted, equally enraged.

Bill Walton added, "This is reminiscent of the incident in 1991, when Thomas elbowed Malone during a layup, but this time it's even worse—he actually targeted Zhao Dong's head!"

"Oh no, this shouldn't be happening," Houston said, standing up, visibly shaken. "Malone's gone too far, this is beyond the scope of basketball!"

Meanwhile, in China, fans were stunned upon seeing the replay of the brutal attack.

The fans in China, who had witnessed Zhao Dong's graceful dunks and flawless jump shots, now faced the harsh reality: Zhao Dong wasn't just living the high life, but also enduring the challenges that came with it. The sight of him lying motionless on the floor left everyone in shock.

"Dongdong?" The Zhao family in Beijing was paralyzed with fear. 

"Wahh!" Li Meizhu couldn't hold back her tears. Seeing her son motionless on the floor, she lost control of her emotions.

 "What should we do?" Zhao Dong's father, grandparents, and relatives stood up in panic, unable to sit still.

As the CCTV feed abruptly cut to a commercial break, the anxiety in the Zhao family only grew.

Standing under the basket, Malone looked down at Zhao Dong, who was still lying motionless. He let out a long sigh of relief. He felt triumphant. After all, Zhao Dong was just a rookie, a bothersome Chinese player. To Malone, it was nothing more than a common foul, or at most, a verbal warning.

"Postman, you've gone too far!" Oakley, though not on the court, was infuriated. Larry Johnson, however, was present, and he rushed toward Malone, shoving him.

"Get out of the way. You're not my opponent, don't make trouble," Malone sneered, knowing he was much stronger than Johnson.

Larry Johnson looked back at the bench. Oakley and Ewing, the Knicks' leaders, were there. Someone had to step up in this moment.

"Team doctor, go check on him!" Van Gundy snapped, finally regaining his composure. He shouted at Oakley and the others on the bench, "Stay down, don't move."

Oakley initially ignored the coach, but just as he was about to rush onto the court, Van Gundy ran up to him, blocking his way. "Don't cause any more chaos. Winning this game is the best response."

"Everyone, calm down," Thibodeau and the other coaching staff members rushed over to prevent the bench from charging onto the court.

"No, my brother is down! I need to make the postman pay for this!" Oakley roared, refusing to back down.

"Save Zhao Dong first, you'll jeopardize his safety!" Van Gundy shouted urgently.

Finally, Oakley paused, realizing the importance of getting Zhao Dong medical attention first.

"Zhao Dong!" Buck Williams quickly ran to him, kneeling beside him and calling out, but Zhao Dong didn't respond. The team doctor arrived on the scene, and Williams stepped back to give them space.

Gradually, Zhao Dong began to regain his bearings. The dizziness in his head started to subside. He shook his head and began to struggle to get up.

"He moved!" The crowd collectively breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Zhao Dong trying to rise.

"Zhao Dong, are you alright?" The team doctor asked as he examined him.

Zhao Dong took a moment, assessing his condition. The dizziness was fading quickly. "I'm fine," he assured them.

With the help of his teammates, Zhao Dong managed to stand up. Though a little unsteady at first, he quickly regained his balance.

The crowd responded with warm applause, relieved to see him on his feet again.

(End of this chapter)

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