At 8 PM sharp, the game tipped off.
Jump ball—Jazz ball first.
Zhao Dong shadowed Karl Malone right off the bat, tailing him hard all the way down the floor.
Caught off guard, Karl Malone glanced at him with surprise. Ain't y'all supposed to be in zone?
"Oh, the Knicks aren't running a zone—they're going man-to-man!" Marv Albert said, surprised.
"Looks like Van Gundy's switching it up on defense. That's an interesting call," Matt Goukas added.
Back in China, CCTV's broadcast had a surprised commentator watching too, before quickly analyzing:
"Actually, going man-to-man against the Jazz makes a lot of sense. None of their guys are elite ball handlers. Zhao Dong can lock down Karl Malone all night in man defense. If they went zone, Malone might get mismatches on switches. So, this is the smarter choice."
A lot of eyes around the league were locked on this one.
In Chicago, Jordan was chillin' with Phil Jackson at home, locked into the broadcast.
"Zhao Dong's sticking to Malone himself. He clearly doesn't trust his teammates to switch onto him," Jordan said, arms crossed.
Phil Jackson nodded. "Doesn't matter how the Jazz run their sets—if Zhao Dong clamps Malone, they're not winning. Like he said, Malone can't create off the dribble. No need to send help on a guy like that. That's a serious flaw in their offense. Even without the Knicks in the way, I don't think the Jazz are championship material. They can't get past us."
Jordan leaned forward. "I talked to Nike. They tried getting Malone to come to Chicago, but Adidas shut it down."
Phil blinked, then laughed. "If we had him running pick-and-rolls and hitting that midrange, we could handle Zhao Dong and the Knicks easily."
Jordan shook his head. "Nah, Adi ain't letting go. They already gave Zhao Dong a fat payout. Malone's tied to them for life."
Back at Delta Center, the game kept rollin'.
The Jazz set up their offense. Jeff Hornacek got open off a pick and drilled a midrange jumper. Nice start for Utah.
Back on D, the Jazz came out in a zone.
Zone defense is all about covering space, trying to overload where the ball is. Totally different vibe from man-to-man, where you just stick with your guy.
Knicks came down the floor. The Jazz lined up in a 2-1-2 zone.
Two bigs on the low blocks, two guards out wide, and the small forward patrolling the free throw line area.
This is the base setup of zone D. Most variations stem from here.
The Jazz weren't using this setup because it fit the Knicks—it's just that zone defense was still new in the league. Sloan's squad wasn't used to it yet, so they defaulted to the simplest version they knew.
If they were more experienced with zone, they'd be adjusting on the fly.
Coach Jerry Sloan was just testing it out. If it didn't work, he'd go back to man-to-man.
"The Jazz won't trap Zhao Dong out at the three. Doesn't matter how hot he is from deep—it's not what'll beat them. They'll actually want him to launch threes," Marv Albert explained as Zhao Dong drifted over to the left wing.
But instead of calling for the ball, Zhao Dong suddenly cut hard toward the rim.
Every zone defense has weak points, and the 2-1-2 has four—top of the key, under the basket, and both corners.
The second Zhao Dong cut into the paint, Utah's D collapsed. Karl Malone rotated over to slow him down.
Zhao glanced at Billups—he had space and a clear passing angle. Zhao spun and sealed Malone behind him, calling for the rock just outside the block.
Billups was jittery—it was his first start and he was feeling the pressure. But he saw the chance and zipped the pass in.
Zhao Dong caught it clean with his right hand and instantly felt the heat. Karl Malone pressed up behind him.
On cue, Ostertag came crashing in from the weak side, and Bryon Russell slid down from the free throw line to trap from the front.
Russell came in fast, reaching for the swipe the moment Zhao got control.
But Zhao gripped it tight, stepped back to avoid the steal, and heard the squeak of sneakers behind him—someone was closing in hard. He knew if he turned into the baseline, he'd get trapped.
So, instead, he spun away, took one quick step back, and rose up.
"Spin move, step back… fadeaway jumper?"
Everyone froze for half a second—even Karl Malone and Russell.
They both lunged to contest. Ostertag backed off, ready to crash the boards.
Malone jumped with everything he had, reaching high to swat the shot… but the ball just kept rising.
Zhao Dong was fully leaned back in the air—his absurd core strength let him tilt at a crazy 40-degree angle. That, plus his size and bounce, made him completely untouchable in that moment. He let it fly.
Swish!
"Turnaround, step-back, fadeaway jumper! That was clean! Zhao Dong in the air—man, that looked like art!" Matt Goukas shouted.
Marv added, "Matt, between Zhao Dong and Jordan, who's got the smoother fadeaway?"
Matt grinned. "Vert-wise, they're neck and neck. But Zhao Dong's core is different. He can twist and lean easier in the air. Bet his hang time's on par with MJ too. And the guy's carrying more weight, which makes it even crazier."
Marv nodded. "Zhao Dong doesn't really lean on the fadeaway much. He probably thinks it's not as efficient. Dude knows he can just bully his way in with post-ups most of the time."
"But put stats aside," Matt said. "Just pure style—whose move looks better?"
Matt paused, thoughtful. "Man… it's close. But if I gotta pick, I'm rollin' with Zhao Dong. That core control, that air-time, that weight—he's just smoother in that space."
That take had some Jordan fans tight, but no one could deny Zhao Dong's moves were elite—every bit as deadly as MJ's.
On the court, the Jazz were on offense. They ran a pick-and-roll, but nothing came of it, so Stockton pulled up for a jumper—bricked it.
Big Ben grabbed the board and spotted Zhao Dong getting tangled up with Karl Malone, so he dished it to Billups, who came back to get the rock.
The Jazz were sticking with their 2-1-2 zone defense. Under the rim was a big ol' blind spot.
Zhao Dong didn't even bother setting up outside. He cut straight to the paint, pulling the Jazz's low-post defenders with him, blowing up their zone structure just by moving off-ball like a ghost in the shadows.
He slipped under the rim, and with Malone trailing, he stepped out to the right low block and called for it.
But Stockton stuck to Billups like glue, and he couldn't make the pass in time. Zhao Dong missed the window, and Malone closed the gap.
Zhao didn't wait. He spun off again, dusted Karl Malone clean, and cut backdoor to the hoop.
Big Ben and Ostertag were both down low now. Zhao Dong used them like screens, bouncing off their bodies, shaking loose from Malone, and slid into the left low post.
That's when Billups dropped the dime.
Zhao Dong caught it. Russell flew in from up top trying to help, but he was late. Zhao spun, took one big step, then launched. Greg Ostertag rotated over—but Zhao met him in the air with a monster jam.
"BOOM!"
Greg got sent flying under the rim. The entire basket shook like an earthquake just hit Salt Lake City.
"Beep!"
Ref blew the whistle—Ostertag got hit with the foul. And-one for Zhao Dong.
"Zhao Dong's been posting up all game. Looks like he's adjusting to the zone defense rule changes. The league definitely clipped his wings a bit—he can't bulldoze through the perimeter like before," said Marv Albert.
Matt Goukas added, "Yeah, he can't spam those coast-to-coast drives anymore, but his post game is nasty. And with his foot speed, he's breaking the system. Karl Malone can't even hang with him on defense."
Zhao sank the free throw. 5–2, Knicks up on the road. Jazz brought the ball back up.
From the sidelines, Jerry Sloan shouted, "Russell, rotate quicker on help!"
Next Jazz possession, Malone finally found space after two solid screens.
Stockton read it fast, shook off Billups, and hit Malone in stride.
Malone caught it and went up for the jumper—but before he could let it fly, Zhao Dong had already crashed down. He shoved Russell aside and launched into the air like a missile, swatting the shot like it owed him money.
"Smack!"
The shot didn't just get blocked. It got deleted. Zhao's huge palm smacked the ball clean off Malone's fingertips, and the wind from the swat blew across Karl's face. He flinched and shut his eyes.
"YEAHHH!!"
Knicks bench erupted. Crowd went wild. That was a tone-setting block, and they knew it.
"Hahaha! Zhao Dong got all of that! He came in hot and high. That vertical's scary, man," laughed Marv Albert.
Zhao looked at Malone and said coldly, "Yo, You feel that?"
Karl Malone growled, "Man, shut the hell up."
The ball flew out of bounds. Jazz inbounded it again.
Stockton took the pass and started moving. But—"Tweet!" Ref blew the whistle again and pointed straight at Stockton.
Traveling.
Stockton froze. "...Seriously?"
Zhao Dong chuckled. "First victim of the new rule. Congrats."
If that was Jordan, the call probably wouldn't have come. Same with LeBron's slow-mo drives later in the future. Superstar moves get superstar treatment. But Stockton didn't have that luxury.
Zhao was only playing post-up now to dodge these new restrictions and adjust before the regular season. As for the Finals? Utah's got no real center threat anyway. He could eat in the paint and still bag the chip.
Knicks ball.
They lined up with Billups and Houston out top, Oakley in the corner, and Big Ben with Zhao Dong down low.
Jazz stuck with the 2-1-2 zone. Russell stayed in the high post, lurking.
Billups dribbled up to the arc, signaling with his hand.
Zhao Dong read the sign and slipped over to the left block.
Stockton and Jeff Hornacek jumped up top to trap. Russell came too, making it a three-on-one blitz at the arc. Billups had to move the ball.
Houston and Oakley spaced out, ready to catch.
Meanwhile, Zhao Dong, who had just slipped out of the paint, exploded back inside like a missile. Karl Malone was too slow again.
Ostertag, who was guarding Ben, had just left the three-second area per the rules and had to rotate back—but he was late.
Billups saw it coming. Before the double-team even hit, he tossed the lob over the top, dropping it to the left side of the rim.
Zhao Dong took a quick gather and blasted up, one hand yanking the ball out of the air and slamming it down with brutal force.
"BOOM!"
The rim cried out again.
Ostertag jumped from the wrong side, couldn't contest, and luckily avoided another foul.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Matt Goukas shouted from the NBC booth. "Zhao Dong is a cheat code in the paint. If you leave him even a second of space, he's down there doing damage."
Marv nodded, "And this new three-second rule? It's actually helping him. Once the weak-side big man vacates the paint, Zhao just slices in like a knife and the defense can't recover."
7–2, Knicks. Jazz inbounded and instantly called timeout.
"As long as they play those time-gap tactics right, Zhao Dong can feast under the rim all night," said Zhang Heli back in the Chinese broadcast.
"Time-gap tactics?" Sun Zhenping echoed.
"Yeah!" Zhang gestured with both hands, getting hyped. "Just like volleyball—wait for the defender to land, then go up for the spike."
"Right, right!" Sun nodded excitedly. "That's exactly what just happened!"
Zhang explained: "Ostertag had to leave the paint after his three seconds were up. Zhao Dong saw that, juked past Karl Malone, cut in, and Billups lobbed it at the perfect time. Easy two. It's all about reading the timing."
Old Nelson's tactics were fire. Man had everything figured out—Zhao Dong's skillset, the rules, all of it.
If the Jazz wanted to shut it down, their only option was to keep Russell up high and not double Billups. He needed to rotate early, press on the weak side, double the off-ball player, and deny Zhao Dong the rock.
Back before the defensive three-second rule, defenders could camp under the rim all game. The paint was crowded like rush hour in Beijing. Zhao Dong's mobility got clipped big time—he could barely move without running into a wall of bodies. Most times, he had to settle for dunks or jumpers from the outside.
But now? With that three-second rule in play? Whole different story. The defense couldn't stack the paint anymore, which opened things up for him. His quickness down low became a cheat code.
They said the league made the rule to limit Zhao Dong, but honestly? They might've done him a favor. Sure, it hurt his outside drives a bit, but inside? He was feasting. It's tough to say if the league won or lost that trade.
"Listen up—we're switching to mixed defense."
On the Jazz bench, Jerry Sloan called the shot.
Man-to-man had worked since Stockton could clamp Billups, locking down the Knicks' rhythm. But with Zhao Dong heating up in the post, they needed some help down low. That meant zone.
So Sloan went for a hybrid—man-to-man mixed with zone. Risky move, though. Jazz players weren't even built for zone defense. Hell, some of 'em didn't even understand it. Trying to mix it up now? High risk.
"John, stay glued to Billups, got it?" Sloan barked at Stockton.
"Gotcha," Stockton nodded.
"Everyone else, 2-1-2 zone. You hear me?"
"Clear."
Then Sloan turned to Russell: "Get closer to the low block. Watch Zhao Dong like a hawk. The second he looks like he's cutting, slide over—don't wait. And don't worry about double-teaming the perimeter. From now on, I want you focused on him."
Zhao Dong wasn't just their first option—he was the option.
Timeout ended. Game back on. Jazz ball.
Bang!
Stockton ran the pick-and-roll. Karl Malone—locked up by Zhao Dong—couldn't get open. So Stockton forced a mid-range over Billups, clanking it off the rim.
Sloan shook his head. If the Postman couldn't get buckets, they were in trouble.
Knicks pushed it back. Billups brought the ball up to the top of the arc. The pressure came fast.
Russell dropped just below the free-throw line, right on the edge of the three-second call. He rotated in and out, staying ready to jump to the rim.
Greg Ostertag, sitting in the low post on the right, kept glancing toward Zhao Dong across the paint. His eyes weren't even on Big Ben—dude was locked on the left side.
On that low left block, Karl Malone was bodying up Zhao Dong, keeping his right arm pressed on Zhao's left, not letting him move an inch.
Zhao Dong tracked Billups. The second he saw him shake his defender and get open, he made his move.
He drove hard into the paint. Karl Malone met him with a chest full of muscle. But that was bait.
Zhao Dong pulled back—just a fake. Malone leaned in. Boom. Zhao stepped away, creating space.
Right then, Billups dished the rock.
Zhao caught it clean. Malone lunged back to recover, but Zhao spun off him easy, one step and he was in the paint.
Greg Ostertag and Russell both dropped in to contest. Big Ben and Oakley were left wide open.
Didn't matter.
Zhao Dong rose up between both defenders, flicked the ball with one hand off the glass.
Buckets.
"Beautiful play!" Zhang Heli hollered from the broadcast booth in China. "Four interior scores already. One face-up jumper, two dunks, and now this—his offensive game is unstoppable!"
Sun Zhenping laughed. "Two defenders rotated under the rim but Zhao didn't even need to challenge them. He had space, he had options. You sag, he shoots. You press, he blows by."
"Man's unguardable!"
The whole Jazz bench looked frustrated—players, coaches, even fans. Zhao Dong was four-for-four, and it felt like nothing they did could slow him down.
"Zhao Dong is straight-up bullying the post right now," Marv Albert called out on the broadcast.
Matt Goukas shook his head. "The league's been throwing everything at him—the Dragon Rule, the zone changes, even limiting drives. They tried to kill his perimeter game, but they just unlocked his post game instead. If Utah can't stop him down low, then let's keep it real—the Knicks deserve the chip. The Jazz don't."
"The three-second rule opened up the post like never before," Marv said. "Zhao Dong's footwork, strength, and speed down low—it's deadly now."
Matt laughed. "You can't just tie him up, man."
Marv nodded. "And get this—Iverson's agent has already been griping to the press. Says the new rule changes hurt AI's drives too."
Matt chuckled. "Iverson's so damn quick, they had to slow him down somehow. League needs balance, or it'll break."
"Exactly," Marv replied. "Every time balance breaks, the game adjusts. That's how the league evolves."
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