Chapter 204

"Yo Shark, wanna bet? I bet you're bricking both those free throws." Zhao Dong grinned, chillin' at the right side of the lane.

"I'm not loaded like you," Shaq shot back, still heated.

"That's 'cause you don't believe in your own shot," Zhao Dong chuckled.

"..."

Shaq scowled. "Damn right. I ain't confident at the line. You want a medal?"

Clank. Clank.

Both bricks. Classic Shaq.

Zhao Dong snatched the board right over Horry's Robert and kicked it out to start the break.

Charlie Ward pushed it up quick. Van Exel was on him, but couldn't cut him off, so Ward slid left.

Zhao Dong came flying over the top of the arc like a bullet, and neither Shaq nor Horry could keep up.

Ward dropped the dime. Zhao Dong caught it, took off from just inside the line, palmed the rock with one hand, cocked it back, and exploded toward the rim.

Eddie Jones was backpedaling... and the second he saw Zhao Dong airborne, he noped outta there. Dude looked like a damn freight train. Eddie dipped fast. He was barely 180 pounds—he knew better than to test the Golden Tyrant in flight.

BOOM!

Rim rocked. Crowd lost their minds. MSG was shaking.

"YEAH YEAH YEAH! Free throw line tomahawk jam! Zhao Dong came to put on a SHOW tonight!" Marv Albert was losing it.

Zhao Dong landed smooth, turned back upcourt, walked past Shaq and Horry, talking spicy: "Yo, can y'all at least try to get back? A dunk with no defense is straight-up meaningless. That's just boring."

"Man, these dudes actin' clueless on defense need to be benched," Shaq grumbled.

"Ball!" he barked, wanting to go right back at them.

Shaq was the Lakers' main weapon at this point—Kobe was still just a rookie soaking up game. When Shaq called for the ball, it came.

Bang!

He got it on the low block, dropped his shoulder, and knocked Camby back a step—dude yelped and dropped to the floor.

Shaq's hook missed short, and Zhao Dong crashed the glass again to spark another break.

"Oh no! Camby's down—he's hurt!" Marv shouted.

Knicks pushed it anyway. Houston got the bucket.

2–6, Knicks on top.

Whistle blew. Ref signaled for the trainers.

"Zhao Dong, drop into the post and take Shaq," Coach Nelson called out, subbing out Hu Weidong and going with a three-guard look.

He thought about putting rookie Danny Fordson in but shook his head. A rookie vs. Shaq? That's a death sentence.

"You got a sprain. Gonna miss a few games," the trainer told the coach.

Nelson nodded, and staff helped Camby back to the locker room.

Ernie Grunfeld on the sideline looked stressed. He traded Ewing for Camby, and now the new guy's hurt in just his fourth game. Not looking good.

"Yo, Hu, when you get a chance, pull that trigger. Don't hesitate," Zhao Dong said.

"Bet," Hu nodded.

Lakers ball.

Horry bricked a jumper. Houston missed one too. Ball back to L.A.

Zhao Dong wasn't bodying Shaq straight up—he didn't have the size for that. His upper body strength was an 85, legs at 88—decent, but not enough to go toe-to-toe with the Big Fella.

So he played him front-side. Quicker feet. Better hops. That was the strategy—cut off the catch.

Shaq forced up a few shots, made one, missed two. Called for the rock again.

Zhao Dong fronted him again. Shaq sealed, raised his right hand, calling for that lob from Van Exel.

Soon as the pass went up, Oakley rotated from the weak side.

Shaq caught it, tried to go up—but Zhao Dong and Oakley double-teamed the hell outta him.

Smack!

Oakley stripped it. Zhao Dong scooped the loose ball and took off.

Ward led the break. Hu Weidong, Ward, and Houston all filled the lanes.

Zhao Dong hit Ward, who sprinted to the arc. Hu Weidong pulled up at the three, baited Rick Fox into stopping, then cut hard and left him in the dust.

Ward was about to swing to Houston but spotted Hu wide open—had to reward that move. He hit him with the pass.

Hu took it strong to the rack and laid it in.

2–8, Knicks still rollin'.

Lakers pushed back.

Horry dragged Oakley to the corner to keep him from helping.

Shaq got deep early. Zhao Dong tried to wrap around but got caught slipping—half a step late.

Shaq caught the entry pass, turned, and banged it down with both hands.

BOOM!

The rim bent, swayed hard, and a bunch of media dudes scattered like pigeons.

"A dunk without defense is meaningless," Shaq yelled, turning to Zhao Dong, mocking his earlier line.

"Man, why you tryna steal my lines?" Zhao Dong shot back, not amused.

"The Big Fella's got elite footwork and speed for a guy his size. Zhao Dong just got caught," Matt Goukas laughed.

"He didn't mess up. It's just tough guarding Shaq one-on-one," Marv added.

Back on offense, Oakley popped out, pulling Horry with him.

Zhao Dong didn't bother posting—he knew better than to lock up with Shaq in the block.

He slid over to the short corner—about three steps off the left lane line.

Shaq had no choice but to follow. Leave Zhao open there and it's lights out.

The second he stepped up, Zhao Dong took off, beat him on the first step, and slashed hard to the cup.

"Damn it!" Shaq grunted, spinning around too slow. He couldn't catch up.

The lob came from the top of the arc—perfect timing.

Zhao Dong elevated, caught it mid-air, and threw it down hard over Horry, who'd slid over late.

BANG!

WHISTLE!

"And one! An alley-oop throwdown with contact! This crowd is going CRAZY!" Marv was hyped.

"The Shark can't guard the Tyrant, and the Tyrant can't guard the Shark. This is a battle," Goukas laughed.

"Zhao's built like a big man, but he moves like a guard. What big man can guard that?" Marv added.

Zhao Dong hit the and-one.

4–11, Knicks up. Lakers brought it back the other way.

O'Neal had gone hard for a few possessions straight, but this time he chilled and took a breather.

Eddie Jones made a move, shook off Allan Houston, caught the rock, and hit a smooth mid-range jumper.

On the Knicks' side, Zhao Dong stayed in attack mode.

He actually had a shooting game plan today, so he wasn't gonna force up too many long jumpers. But O'Neal didn't know that. So when Zhao Dong stepped out, Shaq had no choice but to come out and contest.

Zhao Dong took advantage, left Shaq behind again, and blew by into the paint.

"When the Tyrant attacks, the Lakers gotta switch. Shaq can't guard that—it's not even his assignment," Marv Albert pointed out as Zhao Dong got another easy bucket.

Lakers back on offense.

Horry pulled Oakley out the paint, isolating O'Neal with Zhao Dong one-on-one.

The Diesel got deep position, Zhao Dong circled around, and tried to strip it from the top.

Bang!

Shaq snatched the ball with one hand, went up strong for the dunk—but Zhao Dong fouled him mid-air.

Whistle blew—ref called a hack, two free throws for Shaq.

"Neither one can guard the other straight up," Marv Albert analyzed. "But Shaq's weakness? Zhao Dong's got that figured out. If these two squads meet in the Finals, that mismatch could haunt the Lakers."

Shaq hit 1-of-2 from the line. 7–13. Knicks ball.

This time Zhao Dong stepped out again—but Shaq didn't follow. He had zero interest in leaving the paint. So Zhao Dong calmly hit a clean mid-range jumper.

7–15. Knicks still in control.

"They need to switch that. Can't just leave shooters wide open," Matt Goukas added.

Lakers missed from the perimeter, Knicks pushed it back.

"Fox! Switch! Everyone else—rotate quicker!" Coach Harris yelled.

Zhao Dong moved to the short corner. Rick Fox, who had been guarding Hu Weidong, rotated down.

The rock came to Zhao Dong from up top.

Soon as he caught it, he drove straight into the lane.

Dude's got elite handles and first step. Even the Bulls and Jazz couldn't trap him. Once he got inside, the whole Lakers D collapsed.

Shaq held the low block, Fox came from the side.

Zhao Dong didn't even look—just whipped a one-arm pass to Hu Weidong out on the left wing.

Hu caught it, Van Exel flew at him, but he side-stepped and pulled up.

Swish!

Money from three.

"If you ask me, Zhao Dong's passing game is lethal," Matt said. "Double-teaming him? Not worth it. Better off putting a role player on him and covering the rest."

"Basically a remix of the Jordan Rules?" Marv laughed. "Could work. But in the playoffs, neither the Bulls nor Jazz tried it. They'd rather let Zhao Dong cook than his teammates. Or maybe they just wanna test if he can really win by shooting alone?"

End of Q1: 17–24. Knicks up 7.

Zhao Dong logged 10 minutes, shot 6-for-7, hit 2-of-3 from the line, and dropped 14 points with a 70% clip.

Shaq played 9 minutes, went 4-for-5, all in the paint, but only hit 3-of-7 from the stripe. Still had 11 points.

Midway through Q2, both teams brought back their starters. Halftime score: 40–49, Knicks by 9.

Zhao Dong: 7-for-9 FG, 4-of-5 FT, 18 pts, 6 boards, 4 dimes, 3 fouls.

Shaq: 17 pts, 4 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 foul.

On NBC:

Marv Albert: "Both squads are built similar—one superstar each. But Zhao Dong's getting his teammates involved more. Four assists and two indirect dimes in just 16 minutes. That's huge. Plus, the Knicks grabbed four more boards than the Lakers."

Matt Goukas: "Danny Fortson, Knicks' rookie, snagged four rebounds in two minutes in Q1, then grabbed four more in six minutes in Q2—eight total in just eight minutes. Man's got serious rebounding instincts!"

Marv: "Yeah, but two fouls in those eight minutes. Both from fighting for boards. He's not like Whelan or Rodman who rely on positioning—he just crashes hard. That's gonna lead to foul trouble and hurt his minutes—and maybe even his long-term career."

Start of the second half—Lakers ball.

Kobe's back on the floor. He got six minutes in Q2, now he's starting Q3.

He's up to 25–26 minutes a night, takes about 11–12 shots.

Right now, he's all energy—young, flashy, confident. Pull-up jumpers, aggressive drives, high-flying dunks. Rookie stuff. Full of swag.

Years later, when people ranked the top 4 shooting guards of this era, they said Kobe had the worst talent of the four—but that's "worst" among the elite. And that was just talking about visible talent.

The real ones know—there's hidden talent too. Stuff like willpower, staying healthy, clutch gene, leadership—that don't show up in combine numbers.

Even Kobe's obvious talent was top-tier. If he hadn't come straight outta high school, he would've been drafted way higher than 13.

In the paint, Zhao Dong and Shaq were still trading haymakers. Neither could slow the other down.

Shaq bulldozed Zhao Dong under the rim. Zhao Dong used his quickness to shake him off. If Shaq didn't come out, Zhao Dong hit from mid-range or dished dimes. Dude was killing.

Lakers possession. Kobe ran off a screen to the right wing, caught the pass, and slashed inside.

Horry had pulled Oakley out, and Zhao Dong slid back to guard the rim.

"Time to give him one back," Kobe thought.

He wanted revenge for that earlier block. Wanted to spin in mid-air, yam it on Zhao Dong's head, and stunt on the FMVP.

That highlight would blow up everywhere.

Bang!

Kobe planted, soared—right at Zhao Dong.

Zhao Dong rose up too.

Just before impact, Kobe twisted—started a 360 spin, same as Zhao Dong pulled in Q1.

He rotated mid-air, shifted right, went up for the reverse.

"No way…" he thought.

But Zhao Dong was still in the air—higher than him.

Kobe couldn't believe it. Dude's vertical and hangtime were better than his?

Bang!

Kobe tried to float the layup as he came down—but Zhao Dong smacked it off the glass and sent Kobe flying outta bounds.

"Yeah!"

That monster block had Madison Square Garden about to explode—fans were roaring like thunder.

"Kobe, you got guts for a rookie, I'll give you that. But you really think I'm some weak sauce like the Shark on defense?"

Zhao Dong laughed, jawing at the stunned Kobe.

"Zhao Dong, who you callin' weak on D? You ain't clamped me once!" O'Neal was heated and stormed over, yelling.

"You couldn't lock me up either," Zhao Dong fired back coldly.

"Zhao Dong, one day I'm gonna fly over your head, remember that!" Kobe snapped, realizing he got played again.

Boom!

Zhao Dong smacked Kobe on the back of the head, making him flinch and yelp.

"You wanna dunk over me, Kobe? You tryna end your own career? Better chill with that nonsense."

"What? The rookie tryna come at the Knicks?" Oakley ran over, barking like a pit bull.

"Relax, Oak. I'm just messin' with him," Zhao Dong chuckled.

Kobe looked pissed. These New York dudes were straight-up bullies.

He glanced at Shaq, who was silent as a mouse. The big man folded quick, no words at all, even though he was always loud in the locker room.

"Let it go, Kobe. Don't poke the hornet's nest," Eddie Jones rushed in to pull him away.

Watching from the sideline, Hu Weidong finally got why Zhao Dong was known as the leader of the NBA's Four Villains. This was a whole different dude from the one on China's national team.

End of the third quarter: Knicks up 70-60. Lakers trail by 10.

Zhao Dong already had 29 points and 11 boards. He'd basically checked off all his objectives—except for one: the dunk.

Fourth quarter, 7-minute mark. Knicks with the rock.

Zhao Dong caught it on the left wing, deep in the paint.

This was his kill zone. That mid-post game at a 45-degree angle? Straight-up lethal.

Shaq and Rick Fox knew it too and came flying in for the double-team.

That left Hu Weidong wide open. He didn't wait—cut backdoor from behind Shaq.

Zhao Dong saw it and zipped a bounce pass right through Shaq's legs.

Shaq turned fast, trying to recover, and Horry slid in too. Now Hu Weidong was double-teamed under the rim.

Zhao Dong chased in from behind.

Hu Weidong had no angle to shoot and kicked it right back to Zhao Dong.

Zhao Dong caught it and lit up inside.

"DUNK!"

The commentator yelled as Zhao Dong launched himself into the air.

Shaq turned again—but too late.

Zhao Dong was already flying straight at him.

"It's over!"

That thought hit Shaq like a truck.

BANG!

The rim shook. A violent slam echoed across the Garden.

"YEAHHH!"

The crowd erupted. MSG went absolutely nuts, the noise crashing like a tidal wave.

"Damn it!"

Shaq had dunked over hundreds of players—but this was only the second time someone ever dunked over him.

Eyes blood-red, the big fella looked like a bull seeing red. He didn't even get a chance to foul. Got caught clean. Frustrated. Embarrassed. Furious.

He shoved Zhao Dong hard as he landed—caught off guard, Zhao hit the floor.

"Man, screw this!"

Oakley didn't blink—he charged in.

BOOM!

Before Zhao Dong could even stand up, Oakley threw a punch that caught Shaq square.

Larry Johnson was already sprinting in from the wing.

Now the Shark was in a nightmare—two street-certified fighters in his face. He covered up, dropped down, and got beat to the hardwood.

Zhao Dong didn't even flinch. Didn't help. Didn't stop it.

He crouched in front of Shaq, smirking. "Yo, big fella, why you push me like that?"

"...Damn it... someone pull them off me!" Shaq groaned, almost ready to cry.

"Yo! Break it up, break it up!"

Refs were screaming as Oakley and LJ backed off.

The benches from both squads froze—it all happened too fast to stop.

"Shaq, man, you poster people all the time. You even yammed it on Camby earlier. Can't take it when it happens to you?" Zhao Dong smiled.

Shaq rubbed his face, frustrated. "Man, you jumped over Stockton, and now you won't let Kobe try the same to you?"

Zhao Dong just laughed and walked away.

Refs stepped in, handed out techs and tossed both Oakley and Larry Johnson.

"Larry, for real? You just wanted in on the action?" Zhao Dong called out.

"Man, you and I both got bad reps. Ain't many chances to throw down anymore. You think I'd miss a chance to tag the Shark?"

"Yeah, but honestly? Dude don't even fight back. I landed like, two shots. Felt like punching a pillow. You?"

"Same. Wasn't satisfying. We gotta aim for someone like the Mailman or Zo next time."

They laughed, walking off.

Horry, standing nearby, overheard—and immediately stepped aside.

Dealing with these dudes? Strictly on-court. No funny business.

The Lakers switched it up, throwing Horry on Zhao Dong.

Horry had a rough rep in China after that collision with Nash years later, but truth was, he wasn't a dirty player like Bruce Bowen. He just played tight, physical D.

Still, Zhao Dong's signature gold skill let him create separation. Horry couldn't fully contain him.

And Zhao Dong? He wasn't trying anything wild—just kept it clean.

Final score: Knicks 89, Lakers 85.

Shaq still dominated in the paint, but Zhao Dong was too efficient.

When the Knicks went hack-a-Shaq late, those free throws sealed it.

Zhao Dong knew this was just regular season. No beef yet.

Neither squad showed their full hand. If they met in the Finals? That'd be a war.

But with Oakley tossed, Knicks D took a hit, and the score stayed close.

Zhao Dong played 40 minutes, shot 15-for-21 from the field—an insane 71%—hit 6 of 8 free throws, and finished with a monster stat line: 36 points, 15 boards, 9 dimes, a steal, 2 swats, 1 turnover, and 4 fouls.

Shaq also logged 40 minutes, shot 13-for-19—over 60%—but bricked at the line as usual, going 5-for-14. Still, he dropped 31 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked 2 shots, had 2 turnovers, and 3 fouls.

Kobe, the rookie, came off the bench for 27 minutes, went 6-for-12 from the floor, 2-for-3 from the line, and finished with 14 points. Solid work for the youngblood.

Hu Weidong got extended minutes tonight—23 off the bench—the most he's played lately. He was efficient as hell, dropping 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting, most of them open looks or easy fast break buckets.

Since the league pushed the three-point line back to 7.25 meters this season, Hu's been selective with his shots—barely letting threes fly anymore.

Meanwhile, Zhao Dong completed his challenge of blocking Shaq and secured one-sixth of the Dominance Badge.

Back in the locker room, he wasted no time booting up the system.

Sure enough, in the unclaimed rewards section, along with MJ's skill, there was a new Dominance Fragment.

But honestly? That thing's useless for now. No telling how long it'll take to collect all six.

Still, he figured it had to be good for something. After all, confidence is about pulling up for the hundredth shot like you never missed the last ninety-nine.

That said, they really shouldn't call it the Dominance Badge—it's more like the Blacksmith Badge.

(TL: Why does my NBA fanfic not getting recognize huhuhu 😢 in this platform)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?

Visit this link:

Påtreon.com/Fanficlord03

Change (å) to (a)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Check my Discord!

https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9