The Bulls were on offense. Mobley drove hard to the rim for a layup, but Zhao Dong, dropping back to protect the basket, came outta nowhere and slapped the shot off the glass.
Dazhi grabbed the loose ball, and the Knicks turned defense into instant offense.
Zhao Dong pushed the ball up the court, but Mobley stayed on him tight, slowing him down. Still, the rest of the Knicks sprinted ahead. Dazhi, Sprewell, Barkley, and Fordson all rushed toward the frontcourt.
Sprewell and Barkley pulled up at the three-point line. Dazhi and Fordson dove into the paint, drawing defenders to either side and clearing out the lane.
Zhao Dong crossed half-court, coming down the top of the arc. Rasheed Wallace and Kurt Thomas, who were supposed to be on Dazhi and Fordson, panicked. With the paint wide open, they collapsed inside to double Zhao Dong.
But Zhao Dong wasn't looking to force it. He spotted Dazhi wide open on the right wing, whipped the pass out, and Dazhi let it fly—nothing but net.
Bulls possession.
Rasheed Wallace posted up on the right block, looking to go iso. He backed down his man, trying to get into rhythm.
But Zhao Dong, camping at the top of the paint, made his move. He darted down and doubled Rasheed, forcing him to rush the shot. Wallace turned and tossed up a fadeaway, but Dazhi timed it perfectly and sent it flying with a clean block.
"Beautiful! That's a huge rejection!" Zhang Heli roared on commentary.
Zhao Dong scooped the ball and flipped the switch—transition time. He found Sprewell streaking down the lane, and with a perfect pass, the Sprewell flushed it with a one-handed jam.
Ten seconds later.
Kidd brought the ball up to the top of the arc, but Sprewell stepped up on him. Then, like a missile, Zhao Dong exploded off the free throw line and teamed up for a full-court trap.
"Bang!"
Kidd fumbled under pressure, and Zhao Dong poked the ball free—steal!
He was off to the races.
The crowd at Madison Square Garden erupted the moment they realized—nobody from the Bulls was getting back.
"Throw it down! SMASH THAT!"
Knicks fans stood up in waves as Zhao Dong stormed down the court like a freight train. No defenders in sight.
He sprinted 18 meters, launched into the air, and BOOM—he hammered it home with a ferocious dunk that shattered the backboard.
"Bang!"
Glass rained down. The backboard exploded.
The Garden went ballistic. It felt like the roof was about to blow off.
"This freakin' beast!" Jordan stared wide-eyed at the wreckage, cursing in disbelief.
"OOOOOH—MY—GOD!" the arena announcer howled, scrambling for words. "Get warehouse support down here now! If we're outta glass, call the damn supplier!"
"Yeah! 48 million! We just broke the all-time ratings record!" Marv Albert shouted over on the NBC broadcast.
Matt Goukas couldn't stop laughing. "And it's only going up. People all over the country are gonna wanna see Zhao Dong destroy Chicago's backboards again!"
Timeout. Game halted.
As both teams cleared the court, Zhao Dong jogged past the Bulls bench, flashing a cocky grin.
"Yo MJ, told you—don't let me get in the paint again. Next one, I'm takin' the rim with me."
Jordan smirked. "You better hope you don't break your hand doing it."
While the arena staff scrambled to replace the board, the Knicks cheerleaders came out to keep the crowd entertained. Music blasted, and the girls started dancing midcourt.
"Take your time replacing that thing," Ernie Grunfeld joked with the crew. "Let Zhao Dong enjoy his moment."
"We got this, Mr. Grunfeld," one of the staffers laughed.
Twenty minutes later...
Still no backboard.
"This game might go ten hours at this rate," Marv muttered.
"Hey, the advertisers are loving every second," Matt Goukas said with a chuckle.
Finally, five minutes later, the new backboard was up, and the game resumed.
End of the first quarter: Knicks 28, Bulls 21.
Zhao Dong lit it up in the opening quarter:
6-of-10 shooting
1-of-1 from three
5-of-5 at the stripe
18 points
2 assists
2 steals
3 blocks
2 turnovers
1 foul
He was dominating on both ends. Only concern—two turnovers in one quarter. A little high.
"You going again in the second?" Coach Don Nelson asked.
"Yeah," Zhao Dong nodded. "Still got plenty left in the tank."
"Then let's dial back the scoring. Focus on facilitating and defense—save your gas."
On the other bench, Bulls coach Phil Jackson huddled up.
"Zhao Dong's probably playing the whole game. We gotta prepare for a war."
He turned to Jordan.
"Mike, you're in. Second quarter's yours—go get buckets. Let the others handle the defense."
Then he looked at Kidd.
"Jason, we're gonna need you all night long. Keep the offense moving."
"I'm good," Kidd nodded, locked in.
Second quarter tip.
The Bulls ran a three-guard lineup:
Jordan at small forward
Kidd and Mobley in the backcourt
Ewing and Kurt Thomas holding down the paint
Not bad for a counter.
Knicks sent out:
Zhao Dong
Hu Weidong
Barkley
Dazhi
Kevin Willis
Zhang Heli smiled from the booth. "With those three on the court together, let's see if the Knicks can run some sick plays."
Sun Zhenping added, "That lineup's built for penetration. Question is—who'll be the one breaking the defense down, Zhao Dong or Hu Weidong?"
Bulls ball.
Ewing and Kurt Thomas set up in the low post—left and right blocks. Dazhi picked up Ewing. Willis stayed glued to Kurt.
Zhang Heli called it in real-time. "They're clearing the paint. Could be setting up a drive-and-kick or iso action."
But the Bulls stuck to their bread and butter—triangle offense. Kidd dished it to Ewing on the left block for a classic one-on-one.
Dazhi stayed glued to him.
He raised his left hand high, cutting off Ewing's shooting angle, body staying disciplined.
Zhang Heli nodded. "That's the right way to guard Ewing now. He's lost his explosiveness—he won't beat you off the dribble. It's all about timing the shot."
Patrick Ewing backed down in the post, dribbled twice, and was just about to spin for a jumper when Zhao Dong, who had been shadowing Jordan on the wing, suddenly turned and pounced on him.
Caught off guard, Ewing quickly pulled the ball back and lobbed it to Jordan on the left wing beyond the three-point line—he had to loft it high to avoid Zhao Dong intercepting it.
Jordan caught the ball clean, but Zhao Dong was already closing in, just one step away. Without hesitation, Jordan rose up for the three.
But right as he jumped, Zhao Dong exploded off the floor.
Jordan knew Zhao Dong's hang time was insane, so even from deep, he leaned into a fadeaway to create separation. But Zhao Dong didn't contest it from the floor—he flew. As Jordan leaned back, Zhao Dong's massive hand still came sweeping in.
"BANG!"
A loud slap echoed as Zhao Dong cleanly blocked the shot midair.
"Oh, what a play!" Matt Goukas shouted. "Zhao Dong swats Jordan again—that's his fourth block of the night!"
After flying past Jordan, Zhao Dong hit the ground running, took two powerful strides, leapt again, and caught the falling ball mid-air. He landed just past the center line, storming into the frontcourt on the break.
"No one's in front of him! Is Zhao Dong gonna break another backboard?" Marv Albert's voice jumped with excitement.
The entire arena stood to its feet. Even fans watching back in China were glued to their screens, holding their breath. Would Zhao Dong shatter the glass again?
But no—early second quarter. Zhao Dong didn't want to stop the momentum with delays or cleanup.
"BANG!"
One step inside the free-throw line, Zhao Dong took flight and rocked the rim with a thunderous one-handed dunk. Water droplets from the backboard misted into the air, and the rim rattled violently as the crowd erupted.
Bulls possession.
Jordan and Cuttino Mobley ran a crisp pick-and-roll. Jordan cut inside, dragging the Knicks' defense with him. Jason Kidd found Mobley flaring out to the corner, and Mobley knocked down a clean three.
Knicks came back on offense.
The Bulls kept the same aggressive scheme from the first quarter—clogging the top of the key, denying Zhao Dong any downhill lanes. They were ready to throw bodies at him as soon as he crossed the line.
But this time, Zhao Dong wasn't trying to score.
He shifted to the left wing, pulling Chicago's defensive formation with him. Now the right wing was wide open, and Hu Weidong quietly lingered on that side, waiting for a crack.
As Jordan slid over to cut off the drive, Zhao Dong made his move—he dropped his shoulder and exploded toward the baseline, driving hard. Once he hit the extended elbow, he used his frame to bully Jordan, lowering his center of gravity and muscling his way inside.
The double-team came quick.
Kidd rotated over, but behind them, Hu Weidong timed his cut perfectly—slicing backdoor toward the rim.
"Backdoor!" Kidd yelled, realizing the slip too late.
Zhao Dong didn't hesitate. He snapped a pass between Jordan and Kidd—sharp, low, and straight as a laser.
Hu caught it on the run, took one step, and soared toward the basket. Ewing rotated, leaping with an arm outstretched to contest.
But the ball wasn't going to the rim just yet.
It floated just over Ewing's fingertips—he looked confused.
"Damn..."
He landed and spun around to recover—but it was too late.
Hu Weidong had already taken off again, snagging the lob and hammering it home over Ewing's shoulder.
"BOOM!"
The rim rattled and Ewing hit the floor. The whistle blew.
Blocking foul. And-one.
The crowd roared like a tidal wave.
"Beautiful sequence!" Marv Albert shouted. "Patience under pressure, a laser pass from Zhao Dong, and Hu Weidong finishes strong with contact."
Bulls back on offense.
Even though they were struggling to contain the Knicks, they kept scoring too. Kidd knifed through the defense and found Jordan again. This time, MJ splashed it in from mid-range.
Knicks ball.
With the interior defense stretched, Hu Weidong slipped in again off-ball. Zhao Dong found him on the move with a bounce pass. The defense collapsed.
But Hu didn't force it.
He swung it to the open man—Charles Barkley—waiting beyond the elbow. Barkley rose and drained the jumper.
"Hu's got great vision down low," said Matt. "Unselfish play, and he's not chasing highlights. That's what wins games."
Back the other way, Kidd was feeling it. He pulled up and nailed a three of his own, keeping the Bulls within striking distance.
As the second quarter wrapped up, the Knicks held a slim 54-48 lead. They had the edge, but the Bulls weren't going anywhere.
Zhao Dong only scored six points in the second but dished out three assists and blocked two more shots, bringing his total swats to five on the night already.
---
HALFTIME – NBC ANALYSIS
Marv Albert broke it down:
"Both teams are playing high-level offense. In the first quarter, it was all Zhao Dong—he took over. But in the second quarter, the Knicks spread the offense around. It's still effective, but their overall efficiency dropped a bit."
Matt Goukas nodded. "Yeah, the Knicks are getting fewer points in the paint now. Most of their second-quarter buckets came from outside. And when you're living outside the arc, that shooting percentage dips. That's just how the math works."
Marv continued, "Zhao Dong's shooting percentage is always above 50%, even on bad nights. So when he passes more, the team's percentage goes down—even if the shots are open. But the ball has to move. Otherwise, the Bulls will just throw the whole defense at him. His teammates need to keep hitting shots to make room for him."
The Bulls had been spreading their scoring evenly all night, which made it tough for the Knicks to lock in on defense. Offensively, Chicago was clicking too.
"This one probably won't end with a blowout," said Marv Albert from the sideline, his tone sharp as always. "And the second half? It's only gonna get tighter."
He was dead-on.
By the end of the third quarter, the score was 76–72. The Knicks had dropped the third by two points and were clinging to a slim 4-point lead.
In that third quarter, Zhao Dong ramped up his offensive game. He started attacking from the low post more aggressively. But the Bulls had a plan. Because Zhao Dong's passing skills were elite, they didn't want to risk double-teaming him too much and leaving shooters open. So instead, they relied on Charles Oakley to defend him one-on-one, with Rasheed Wallace helping from the weak side.
Oakley wasn't strong enough to contain Zhao physically, but he made up for it with dirty work—clutching, bumping, throwing sneaky elbows outside the ref's line of sight. It was the kind of physical, old-school defense that only a vet like Oakley could deliver.
And Rasheed's quick, aggressive help defense created some nasty traps. Together, they formed a gritty tag-team that disrupted Zhao Dong's rhythm in the post. They weren't shutting him down completely, but they made him work for every bucket.
Zhao shot 5-of-9 in the third, got to the line 5 times, and dropped 14 points. That may sound solid, but his post scoring efficiency had dipped—less than 60% shooting from down low, which was underwhelming compared to someone like Tim Duncan, whose post-up efficiency regularly stayed north of 60%.
To make matters worse, Zhao turned the ball over again in the third—his third turnover of the game. It was far from a perfect quarter, and it gave the Bulls momentum.
Even though they were trailing, Coach Phil Jackson saw a silver lining.
"We're cutting his efficiency," he told assistant coach Tex Winter on the bench. "He's not killing us like he usually does—outside or inside."
On the perimeter, the Bulls were using a hybrid scheme—part Duncan blueprint, part triangle principles—to stop Zhao from getting loose. In the paint, it was all about Oakley.
Signing Oakley was already paying off. But Phil couldn't help but wonder—What if we had someone even stronger?
Someone like Ben Wallace.
Ben wasn't with the Bulls, of course—he was still on the Knicks bench. But Phil had been keeping tabs. Ben might not have the weight of a traditional center, but his upper body strength? Off the charts. Rumor was, Ben's max bench press was even heavier than Karl Malone's.
And even if he was undersized, Zhao Dong didn't have a huge height advantage over Ben. If they ever went head-to-head, that might actually be the best defender to throw at Zhao.
On the broadcast, Marv chimed in: "Oakley was the defensive anchor in the third. He's been doing a great job messing with Zhao Dong's low post rhythm."
Then Matt Goukas added, "It's clear now—bringing Oakley to Chicago was the right move. He knows Zhao Dong's game inside-out. That physical defense has taken a toll."
Marv nodded. "And with Rasheed helping out, they've probably shaved off 10 percentage points from Zhao's usual efficiency. It might seem small, but in playoff basketball, two or three missed shots is everything."
The fourth quarter opened with the Bulls going back to their tough, double-team defensive scheme. They tightened up on Zhao Dong's drives, forcing him back into the low post.
But this time, Zhao switched up.
He started attacking the rim more directly, using his size and strength to barrel through defenders. The reason was simple: Oakley already had five fouls, and Rasheed wasn't far behind with four.
Even if his shooting percentage had dipped, Zhao was doing damage where it mattered most—drawing contact.
With 1:55 left on the clock, the Knicks finally got what they wanted.
Oakley picked up his sixth foul. The whistle blew, and the arena roared as he was sent to the bench. The Bulls had no choice but to call timeout.
Without Oakley, their interior defense was cooked. They threw in Kurt Thomas, but he didn't have the same bite.
By the time the game hit the ten-minute mark, Zhao Dong was back in his groove—he hit 5 of 7 shots, good for 70%. And more importantly, he was living at the line. He went 6-of-7 on free throws in the quarter, including three And-1 plays.
All that pressure added up. Over the second half, Zhao went to the line 12 times. And with the Knicks pulling ahead, Phil was forced to burn another timeout.
Marv broke it down during the break.
"In the second half, Zhao Dong shot 10-for-16 and 11-for-12 from the free throw line. That's 29 points. His true shooting percentage? About 65%. Not bad considering how physical the game's been."
Matt nodded, "That's what we mean by 'lethal.' Even when he's not getting clean looks, the man is punishing defenders. And Oakley paid the ultimate price tonight."
On the Chinese CCTV broadcast, commentator Zhang Heli declared, "It's not over yet, but the Knicks are right there. Victory is within reach."
He wasn't wrong.
Out of the timeout, Jordan buried a pull-up jumper. But on the very next play, Zhao Dong exploded in transition—rising for a dunk and drawing Rasheed's sixth foul.
Another one bites the dust.
With both Oakley and Rasheed fouled out, the Bulls had no answer in the paint. No rim protection, no rebounding. The interior collapsed.
Final score: Knicks 109, Bulls 100. Game 1 was in the books.
Zhao Dong's stat line? Absolutely monstrous:
19-of-31 FG
1-of-3 from deep
18-of-20 FT
57 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, 7 blocks
4 turnovers, 4 fouls
Jordan wasn't thrilled with the result—but he saw light at the end of the tunnel.
"Phil, we tighten up the paint a little more, take away a few of those free throws, and we got 'em."
Phil nodded. "Yeah. We can't let him get to the line 20 times again. The refs gave him some calls too—it is his home court, after all."
Jordan looked over his shoulder toward the locker room.
"We take Game 2 at their place, and then it's our house. We're not outta this yet."
Phil smiled. "Not even close."
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