Chapter 372

The second quarter kicked off with the Philadelphia Team in possession.

"Looks like the Knicks just switched from zone to man-to-man," Barkley said, leaning forward in the TNT booth. "Zhao Dong's picked up Karl Malone—but who's gonna cover Iverson on the drive?"

Doug Collins glanced down at his notes. "That rookie Ginobili can't keep up with AI. No way."

"Swish!"

"Beep!"

On the court, Karl Malone had dragged Zhao Dong out to the perimeter. Iverson seized the gap instantly—blew past Ginobili, slipped into the paint, and finished through contact against Willis.

"And-one!"

Ginobili glanced toward Zhao Dong, eyebrows furrowed. "Boss…?" His tone carried frustration.

Zhao Dong met his eyes. Calm, unwavering. "Just do your best."

What he didn't say out loud was the truth he knew in his bones: this version of Iverson—stronger, faster, hungrier—was leagues above his past self. Even prime Ginobili wouldn't have been able to contain him, let alone a rookie version.

"Swish!"

Iverson knocked down the free throw. The Philadelphia took the lead for the first time.

33–32. Knicks ball.

Ginobili brought the ball up, handed it off to Zhao Dong on the left wing, and darted away to cut off-ball.

Zhao Dong dribbled casually at the three-point line, sizing up the defense. Kukoc switched onto him, long and rangy, arms wide. Zhao signaled with his hand—pull-up isolation.

"Double!" Larry Brown shouted from the sideline.

Malone immediately dropped off Willis and lunged toward Zhao Dong. Tyronn Hill also shifted from the weak side, hedging off Gary Trent to wall off the paint.

Zhao Dong didn't flinch. Gary Trent was open—but with only a 41% clip in the playoffs, Zhao knew his own shot was the better look.

Bang-bang…

The leather echoed as Zhao calmly dribbled through the trap. Kukoc leaned right. Malone closed left.

"Here it comes!" Zhang Heli called out on the CCTV broadcast.

Zhao jabbed hard to his right—both defenders bit. Momentum shifted.

And just like that, he pulled back. Smooth. Surgical.

"Try step!" Zhang shouted again.

Zhao Dong switched to his left foot, then spun backward while protecting the ball with his frame. He blew past Kukoc, beating him off the bounce.

Malone spun quickly to recover. He dropped two steps inside the arc, planting himself between Zhao and the rim.

Zhao surged forward.

Malone braced, legs set, ready to absorb a pull-up. It never came.

"Squeak!"

Zhao Dong came to a screeching halt—but instead of rising, he dropped his hips, changed direction again, and glided past Malone like water slipping through fingers.

"Hit it!" Su Qun roared.

One more stride—and Zhao Dong was airborne.

Tyronn Hill rotated to contest, rising vertically from the restricted area. But Zhao Dong had already launched. High. Violent. Unstoppable.

"WOOOOOOOOOHHH…"

The arena erupted with a war siren from the in-arena announcer.

"BANG!!"

Hill was blasted out of the air—shoulders back, legs flying—and crashed hard into the floor.

"OHHHHHH!"

The Garden exploded. Every fan in Madison Square Garden stood up, losing their minds.

"UNBELIEVABLE!" Marv Albert shouted from the NBC booth.

"Zhao Dong detonates at the rim!"

Hill slid backwards, landing beneath the stanchion, groaning as he hit the base.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The in-house mic feed caught the commentator letting loose with animalistic cries.

From the sideline, a hyped-up Fordson was screaming, fists in the air. "Boss! Crush them!!"

Barkley was stunned. "Zhao Dong just pulled out the big guns! That was an air strike, not a dunk! He's a human cruise missile— Philadelphia interior won't survive at this rate!"

Su Qun pounded the table. "Zhao is going all out! He's making the Philadelphia pay every time they collapse on him!"

Zhang Heli agreed. "If this continues, Philadelphia Team's big men will be in foul trouble—or worse, injured. The Knicks are spacing perfectly. Zhao Dong has all the room in the world to punish them."

Zhao calmly stepped to the line.

"Swish."

Knicks retake the lead.

35–33.

Philadelphia possession.

They didn't deviate from the script. Karl Malone once again floated to just inside the arc, pulling Zhao Dong out to the left wing.

Zhao followed, lingering one step outside the paint.

On the strong side, Eric Snow brought the ball up and hit Iverson curling hard off a screen.

Ginobili tried to fight through—but Iverson had too much burst. One dribble. Two steps. He was heading downhill at full speed.

Iverson's numbers this season were elite—61% at the rim, 41% from mid-range. His finishing had evolved. He was deadlier than ever.

Zhao Dong read it.

He abandoned Malone without hesitation and sprinted back to protect the paint.

"Good choice," Doug Collins muttered. "Malone's only shooting 41% from mid-range. Iverson's the real threat."

Facing Zhao Dong's looming help defense, Iverson made the smart play. He knew that beating Zhao Dong one-on-one wasn't the path to victory—not without help.

He kicked the ball out to the open man—Karl Malone.

The Mailman caught it, rose smoothly, and knocked down the mid-range jumper.

"Tie game," Doug Collins noted from the NBC booth. "That's textbook decision-making from Iverson—force the collapse, then punish the rotation."

Knicks possession.

All five Knicks spaced the floor, leaving Zhao Dong isolated at the left-wing three-point line.

This time, the Philadelphia adjusted. The double-team came again—but not from Malone. Iverson left Ginobili and swarmed Zhao Dong with Kukoc.

Iverson had improved his defense this season, but his real leap was still on offense. He just didn't have the size to truly disrupt Zhao Dong.

As soon as Iverson bit on the trap, Zhao Dong saw the seam—pushed a quick bounce pass right through the gap between Iverson and Kukoc.

Ginobili, now free, slashed to the basket. But the defense recovered fast—Malone and Tyronn Hill converged.

"Nice recovery by the 76ers!" Barkley said. "That's a solid zone rotation."

But the Knicks weren't done.

Zhao Dong had already circled around to the top of the arc. Ginobili whipped a one-touch pass back to him.

Only Iverson rotated out. Kukoc lagged behind.

Zhao caught it in rhythm, rose, and released.

"Whoosh!"

Nothing but net.

"He nails the three!" Marv Albert shouted.

"Zhao Dong with range—Iverson would need a 50-inch vertical to even contest that!" Barkley laughed.

35–38, Knicks lead.

Philadelphia returned with the same offensive look—Iverson driving, drawing help, and kicking out.

Again, he found Malone open on the wing. This time, Marion rotated hard.

The result?

Clank.

Malone missed.

Zhao Dong and Willis boxed out. Hill and Iverson had no shot. Zhao cleaned the glass and pushed the break.

But again, the trap came—Iverson and Kukoc closed in. Zhao Dong danced through them with a controlled dribble, escaped the sideline, only to get trapped again—this time by Malone and Hill at the elbow.

Then, from the weak side—

"Boss!"

Marion cut hard.

Zhao Dong flicked a no-look one-handed pass.

"Bang!"

Marion caught it mid-air and laid it in before touching the ground.

"You can double Zhao Dong, you might even limit his shots," Barkley said, chuckling. "But you can't limit his vision. He sees everything."

On the way back down the court, Zhao Dong turned to Marion.

"Nice help defense on the last play. Keep that energy up."

Marion's eyes lit up. "Yes, boss!"

Zhao Dong stayed locked in on the defensive end, continuing to rotate to the paint and deny Iverson at the rim. It left Malone open more often than not—but Marion's pressure, length, and lateral quickness began to chip away at Malone's rhythm.

On offense, Zhao Dong remained relentless. Attacking. Passing. Drawing fouls.

By the time the buzzer rang for halftime, the Knicks had taken control.

Halftime Score: Knicks 64, Philadelphia 57.

---

Zhao Dong's first-half statline:

39 points

14/21 FG (66.6%)

2/4 from three

9/10 FT

6 rebounds

5 assists

2 blocks, 1 steal

An elite performance.

The Email Duo had combined for 35—Iverson with 21, Malone with 14.

---

Halftime Show — CCTV Studio

Zhang Heli leaned over his analysis board. "Look at the numbers. The other three Philadelphia Team starters contributed 11 total points. Their bench? 11 more. The Knicks starters, excluding Zhao Dong, added 19—but their bench only gave 6. This confirms one thing—Philadelphia bench is deeper."

Su Qun nodded. "Zhao Dong has more than 50% of the Knicks' points. That means their lineup around him is still too soft."

Zhang chuckled. "Marion did show flashes in the second quarter. His defensive help on Malone was crucial. Without that, the Mailman might've dropped 20 by now."

Su Qun added, "Malone's 6-of-13 from the field, 2-of-2 on free throws—good efficiency, but that's with Zhao Dong leaving him open. Marion's late contests clearly mattered. If they give Malone true open looks all game? He's knocking down 9 out of 10."

TNT Halftime — Barkley and Smith

Barkley slammed his palm on the desk. "Man, Zhao Dong's efficiency is off the charts. He dipped slightly in the second quarter, but 66.6% shooting? That's insane."

Smith shook his head in disbelief. "Even Shaq doesn't shoot that high. And he lives in the paint."

Barkley grinned. "Shaq's at 56.6% in this year's first round. That's still 10 percentage points lower than Zhao Dong. That's a canyon of a gap."

Smith turned serious. "If the Lakers make the Finals, O'Neal must dominate under the rim. Otherwise, there's no way they outpace Zhao Dong's efficiency. None."

---

Knicks Locker Room — Halftime

Zhao Dong lay on a massage table, a towel over his eyes as the team doctor worked on his legs.

Not that he needed it.

His body—genetically optimized, power-trained, and maxed to the edge—was operating on a level far beyond human limits.

Physical status: 100%.

Mind: Sharpening.

In the Knicks locker room, Coach Nelson approached with a hesitant tone.

"Zhao Dong, do you want to sit out the start of the third?"

Zhao Dong barely looked up. "No need."

Since breaking through the limits of human conditioning, his physical recovery bordered on the supernatural. Ten minutes of halftime rest felt like thirty. His stamina bar wasn't just full—it was recharging on its own.

---

Meanwhile, in the visiting locker room, Coach Larry Brown laid out his second-half strategy.

No complicated offensive schemes. Just a clear directive:

"Run it through the Email combo," he said. "Karl pulls out, Iverson drives. Simple. Efficient. Just like the Jazz used to run it in the Stockton-Malone days."

Two superstars. Two threats. Both demanded double-teams. The formula didn't need rewriting.

But on defense? Brown had adjustments in mind.

He turned to Malone with a pointed glare.

"Karl, your efficiency's down. Why? You're not using the elbows. Unless it's Zhao Dong, nobody wants that smoke. Your elbow is your weapon—use it."

Malone gave a quiet nod. He had hesitated before, wary of provoking Zhao Dong. But not anymore. He couldn't afford to hold back.

"Also," Brown continued, "Zhao Dong's passing killed us in the second. The Knicks are cutting from the weak side, creating chaos. We're going to wall off the paint, force them to shoot."

---

Start of the Third Quarter

Both teams returned with their starting fives.

Knicks: Zhao Dong and Willis in the frontcourt, Rogers at small forward, Ginobili and Stackhouse in the backcourt.

Philadelphia: Same five. Iverson and Snow at guard, George Lynch, Malone, and Ratliff up front.

"Zhao's career-high in the regular season is 56, and 52 in the playoffs," Su Qun noted on CCTV.

"He's sitting on 39 right now. This could be a record night."

"If he keeps attacking, no doubt he'll shatter it," Zhang Heli added, eyes gleaming with excitement.

---

Philadelphia possession.

Iverson slashed, drew the defense, and kicked to Malone at the elbow.

Rogers rotated over—but one flash of Malone's elbow and Rogers flinched.

Swish.

59–64. Knicks still lead by 5.

"That's the Mailman's intimidation factor," Barkley laughed on TNT. "Rogers backed off like he saw a ghost. Once Karl starts swinging that elbow, defenders shrink."

---

Knicks offense.

This time, Zhao Dong was moving without the ball on the right wing. Ginobili initiated the offense from the top. Stackhouse drifted left. Willis posted up inside. Rogers spaced out to the corner.

Larry Brown paced the sideline, calculating.

Zone or man-to-man?

Off-ball double?

No good answer.

He knew the risk. Zone defense couldn't survive if outnumbered on the perimeter. Off-ball double-teams left someone open—no matter what.

But after glancing at Zhao Dong's scoring tally, he made the call.

"Double him!"

The Philadelphia shifted.

They ditched the zone.

George Lynch and Malone keyed in on Zhao Dong. Snow stayed on Ginobili. Iverson locked in on Stackhouse. Ratliff bodied Willis. Rogers was the odd man out—wide open in the corner.

Ginobili spotted it and zipped the ball to Rogers.

Iverson tried to recover, but the shot was already in the air.

"Swish!"

59–67. Knicks lead extends to 8.

"Off-ball doubles are dangerous, especially outside," Barkley warned.

"You lose spacing, can't box out, and give up rebounds."

Smith nodded. "This isn't like doubling Shaq in the post. With Zhao Dong, you're doubling someone who lives outside the arc. It just stretches the defense to the breaking point."

---

But Larry Brown held firm. He stuck with the off-ball double-team strategy.

Even with Zhao Dong floating to the perimeter, he kept drawing two defenders. His gravity warped the defense.

Whether or not he took a shot, his presence alone gave teammates clean looks and spacing advantages. If they hit those shots? The Knicks didn't even need him to score.

On defense, the Knicks stayed disciplined. Man-to-man coverage. No perimeter traps.

Zhao Dong took on help responsibilities—especially when Iverson sliced into the paint. He protected the rim, rotated off Malone when necessary, and walled off driving lanes.

But it wasn't perfect.

Every missed rotation meant exposing the team to Malone's signature elbow game.

---

End of Third Quarter

Despite solid Knicks defense, Karl Malone dominated.

7-of-10 from the field.

2-of-3 from the line.

16 points in the third.

"They couldn't contain him," Doug Collins said. "Even with Zhao Dong helping off the weak side, Malone punished them."

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