"Bang!"
The basketball bounced up. Zhao Dong and McGrady crashed into each other and hit the floor hard under the basket.
"Ohhh!"
The whole crowd erupted with a shocked roar.
Matt Goukas yelled, "Beautiful! Zhao Dong just bodied rookie Tracy McGrady at the rim! That's that serious rim protection right there!"
The ball was still live. Oakley snagged it, and the Knicks pushed it down the court.
Zhao Dong didn't call for it. Instead, he went straight into the low post.
That made the Bulls players — and Phil Jackson — frown instantly.
"Haha..." Zhang Heli laughed loudly and said, "Zhao Dong's posting up now. What are the Bulls gonna do? Let Rodman guard him? Or Jordan? Rodman already showed he can't handle Zhao Dong down low. How's Jordan, a shooting guard, gonna stop him in the paint?"
On the court, Rodman was sticking with Oakley on the right wing, no time to switch. Jordan had no choice but to take Zhao Dong down low.
"Man, Zhao Dong, you dirty for this!" Jordan cursed.
"Grandpa can smack you however he wants! Can't guard me, just get outta the way!" Zhao Dong shot back.
Then he started backing Jordan down, getting deep, muscling straight to the rack. Jordan didn't stand a chance — Zhao Dong buried him with just one arm on his back.
"Bang!"
As soon as the pass came in, Zhao Dong spun and hammered a one-handed dunk. Jordan jumped to contest but got dropped under the hoop.
"Was that fun?" Zhao Dong taunted.
"Man, screw you!" Jordan growled, climbing up and glaring hard.
Old Nelson looked real pleased. This was his new twist on tactics — not a small-ball run-and-gun, but position-blurring. Use size to smash smaller defenders and quickness to torch slower ones.
The key? Zhao Dong, a freak who could dominate in the paint and still move like a guard on the perimeter.
If the Bulls doubled Zhao Dong inside, he had the vision to sling dimes to wide-open shooters.
If they brought in bigs to match, the Knicks would just spread the floor and run past 'em.
Zhao Dong was the cheat code the Knicks were playing with — too strong for wings, too fast for bigs.
Phil Jackson started sweating. He couldn't think of a good counter.
Even if he subbed Ewing back in, it wouldn't fix the mess. Once the Knicks pulled the bigs out to the perimeter, there was no rim protection left. One cut, and it was over.
The 20,000 Bulls fans could only watch Zhao Dong bully Jordan and Rodman again and again in the post or dime up open shooters whenever he got doubled.
Even after losing two guards to injury, the Knicks' morale only soared higher. Meanwhile, the Bulls were crumbling under Zhao Dong's relentless assault.
"The Knicks got all the momentum now. The Bulls just don't have a beast down low who can stop Zhao Dong. Ewing's injured — he ain't that dude anymore," Marv Albert shook his head.
Midway through the third quarter, Ewing checked in.
The Knicks switched it up immediately — small ball attacking slow bigs. Ewing had to chase perimeter players and couldn't protect the paint. The Knicks slashed and diced 'em apart.
Phil Jackson had no choice. He told Charles Oakley to let Ewing stay at the rim.
But Oakley set a huge screen for Zhao Dong, and it was curtains.
Zhao Dong took full advantage — burning Jordan on a pick, slashing straight into the paint.
Ewing tried to hold his ground, but Zhao Dong slowed just enough to mess with his timing — Ewing hesitated, froze — and then Zhao Dong hit the gas and flew right at him.
"Bang!"
The backboard shook as Zhao Dong smashed it home. Ewing collapsed under him, clutching at his body, grimacing in pain.
"Arghh!"
Ewing roared weakly and pounded the hardwood in frustration.
Oakley just shook his head. In his heart, he thought: Man, I'm the one who scouted Ewing. Zhao Dong had nothing to do with that trade. Why'd I gotta clean up this mess?
By the eighth minute of the third, Bulls backup center Bill Wennington fouled out — six fouls, sent packing after getting wrecked by Zhao Dong.
Now the Bulls had no one left. Jordan had to switch back onto Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong saw it and instantly posted up again, bullying Jordan in the paint.
"Bang!"
Early in the fourth, Jordan and Rodman tried to double Zhao Dong under the basket.
Zhao Dong didn't even blink — powered through them, shook 'em off, and threw down another monster slam, sending both sprawling.
He wasn't Shaq, but with his strength, size, footwork, and quickness, there was just no stopping him.
Seeing Zhao Dong dunk on Jordan over and over was heartbreaking for Bulls fans. Some women and kids even started crying.
Scoreboard showed 85-65. Knicks by 20.
Jordan, breathing hard, dragged himself up.
That was the fifth time Zhao Dong dunked on him since the second quarter.
Deep down, Jordan knew this one was slipping away. But he wasn't built to quit — he was gonna fight till the final whistle, no regrets.
"Dennis?"
Rodman was still laid out. Jordan tried to help him up but ended up sitting down himself.
"Man..."
Matt sighed on the NBC broadcast. "You can feel it — Mike's era is slipping away."
"Yeah, it's tough. Kinda wonder what it would've been like if Jordan had faced Zhao Dong during his prime. Might've been a whole different story," Marv added.
On CCTV's live broadcast, Zhang Heli's eyes got a little hot watching Jordan struggle.
He had studied abroad in Chicago, picking that city just because of Jordan.
During his time overseas, he cheered for Jordan countless times and was crushed when Jordan retired. He was a true Jordan fan. Now seeing Jordan getting worked over by Zhao Dong, he felt a complicated kind of pride and sadness.
The ref hit Jordan with a hand foul — his fifth.
Before the free throws, Phil Jackson subbed out Jordan and Rodman.
That sub meant the Bulls were throwing in the towel.
But Jordan wasn't having it. He started arguing with Phil right there.
"Put me back in, Phil! I'm gonna kill that dude. I ain't losing to him."
"Michael, be rational!" Phil said patiently. "Dennis is hurt, Ewing's hurt, we don't got a shot in this one. We gotta start thinking about the next game. If you push it, we'll lose that one too."
Phil didn't bring up the tactics — no way to sugarcoat it without breaking the team's spirit.
Truth was, even if Rodman and Ewing were healthy, it wouldn't matter without solving the tactical problems. The Knicks' game plan was just too on point.
It wasn't just Phil stressing — Jerry Sloan and Del Harris were sweating too.
This strategy Zhao Dong brought? It didn't just crush the Bulls — it could wreck the Jazz and Lakers too.
In Utah, Karl Malone's speed wasn't gonna keep up with Zhao Dong. Once the Knicks went full small-ball, the Mailman was toast.
Now Zhao Dong had Grant Hill's first step. He could blow past Jordan or Malone like it was nothing.
Once he broke through, who could stop him?
As for the Lakers, no matter how freakishly strong and fast Shaq was, he still couldn't keep up with Zhao Dong.
And this was the heavier Shaq. Even the young, lean Shaq would've struggled against Zhao Dong.
After thinking hard, Jerry Sloan and Del Harris both had the same idea: park Karl Malone under the basket and have other defenders switch onto Zhao Dong. Give up the Knicks' perimeter guys.
Yeah, whoever guarded Zhao Dong would get cooked. But it was still better than going small against the Knicks and getting straight up bullied.
Look at how the Bulls tried it — Jordan and Rodman got worked down low.
For the Jazz and Lakers, though, they were feeling a little better about it. Shaq and Malone were both tanks on defense — not like the banged-up Ewing. If Zhao Dong tried attacking the rim from the outside, they had a shot at shutting him down. Ewing and Rodman? They could only get smacked.
At United Center, after Jordan sat down, Zhao Dong got subbed off too, about 30 seconds later.
In 38 minutes, Zhao Dong went 18-for-23 from the field — all inside, post-ups, and hard takes to the basket. That's a 78% clip. He also nailed 15 of 17 free throws.
Final line: 51 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 1 turnover, and 3 fouls.
"A total beatdown."
Marv Albert called it straight on the NBC broadcast:
"This game showed the Super Bulls' inside game was all smoke and mirrors. Tactically, the Knicks just wiped them out — or more accurately, Zhao Dong wiped them out.
The Bulls don't have anybody that can check Zhao Dong inside or outside. It's a tactical nightmare.
If Jordan could still dominate the perimeter like before, maybe he could match Zhao Dong's points. But he can't cancel out the damage Zhao Dong does. 17 free throws in three quarters? That's 11 fouls drawn. That's a backbreaker.
And it's not like Jordan's scoring can keep up with Zhao Dong's anymore either.
Zhao Dong's offensive efficiency is just insane."
Matt Goukas jumped in:
"The Bulls can't fix this with their current roster. If Phil Jackson can't come up with a counter using what he's got, it's looking like the Knicks will knock the Bulls out 4-1."
After the game, Zhao Dong got pulled aside for a quick sideline interview.
"Zhao Dong, you guys are up 3-1. You wanna finish it here or head back to New York to close it out?" Thomas, the Knicks team reporter, asked with a grin.
"Snort!"
A local reporter nearby scowled, but with the Knicks on match point, he couldn't say a thing.
"I'd rather finish them off right here," Zhao Dong said calmly.
The local guy turned pale and snapped, "Zhao Dong, that's rude! You're not being respectful at all!"
"Why should I be respectful?" Zhao Dong said, raising his eyebrows. "Do Americans even care about modesty? Or you just want us Chinese to bow and scrape?"
"..." The reporter was speechless.
Thomas clapped Zhao Dong on the back. "You're damn right. If you're strong enough, you don't owe anybody fake modesty."
An hour later, Zhao Dong hit the post-game press conference.
"Coach Nelson, was the small-ball strategy you rolled out in the second quarter something you planned in advance?" a New York Times reporter asked.
Don Nelson grinned.
"During the offseason, right after I got back to New York, I had a talk with Zhao Dong. He knew I loved small-ball, but he had a different view.
He said in the playoffs, you gotta slow it down, play more halfcourt sets, and cut back on risky fast breaks. I listened.
The small-ball we used tonight? That's me blending Zhao Dong's style with my own love for positionless basketball.
And it worked like a charm."
At this time, a New York Times reporter asked, "But this tactic, the main attack is all Zhao Dong, isn't it too concentrated?"
Old Nelson immediately explained, "The biggest feature of the triangle offense is to create iso opportunities for superstars. My tactic's the same—open up the space and let Zhao Dong go one-on-one.
But what you said ain't the whole picture. In the second quarter, after Ewing came in, we pulled him out and ran a few inside cuts. Zhao Dong was running the offense too, not just scoring. My tactics are simple: whoever's got the biggest mismatch gets the ball."
"So what's this tactic called?"
Old Nelson laughed and said, "I call it the Two-Headed Snake tactic."
"Two-Headed Snake?" Everyone was stunned.
Old Nelson smiled and said, "Yeah, Zhao Dong's like two snake heads—both heads got the same lethal bite."
Meanwhile, over at the Bulls' press conference, the atmosphere was heavy.
After getting stomped and with two bigs hurt, the team was down 1–3, hanging by a thread. Jordan was in a terrible mood, but he still showed up for the media.
"Michael, what do you want to say about tonight's loss?" a local sports reporter asked.
"Man, I'm sorry..."
Jordan shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "We just couldn't handle Zhao Dong's kill power. He's beatin' us off free throws alone."
"You think the refs were off tonight?" a New York reporter interrupted.
Jordan glanced at him, then shook his head. "Nah, man. His physicality's just different. We ain't got no bigs who can stop him."
"Coach Jackson, if you guys get eliminated, does that mean the offseason trades were a bust? Who should take the blame?" the same reporter pressed.
"Whoever made the call should take the blame," Phil Jackson said coldly. "Somebody promised me Ewing had enough left in the tank. In reality, we got half a season and one good game in the East Finals."
Next to him, Jerry Krause sat there, stone-faced.
This time, Krause made up his mind: either the boss fires Phil Jackson, or he would.
"Mr. Krause, do you think the offseason trades were the right move?" another reporter asked, flipping the heat onto him.
Truth was, because of Jordan's status, almost every Chicago fan and reporter hated Krause. They blamed him for everything, and dude even got booed at home games.
"What assets did we give up for Ewing?" Krause asked coldly.
The reporter froze—couldn't say a word.
Toni Kukoc and Ron Harper weren't major chips, so it wasn't exactly a huge gamble.
Krause added, "I ain't running from responsibility. But saying the trades failed? Nah, I don't agree. I flipped Pippen for Kidd. Pippen had surgery and missed most of the season. Kidd? Kidd's been ballin' like an All-Star. That's a fail?
As for Ewing, I said it from the jump—it was a gamble. We lost that one, sure. But if we hadn't made that trade, Luc Longley would've still been getting cooked by Zhao Dong."
He started getting heated now.
"When I was trying to sign Zhao Dong, he already had a low-post game and a solid two-way presence. He was gonna patch up our inside issues.
I had the contract ready. We were about to meet—ten minutes away. And in those ten minutes, someone changed everything. Whose fault is that? Huh? Whose fault?"
"Whoa—!"
The whole room gasped.
It was the first time Jerry Krause publicly blamed anyone else for losing Zhao Dong. Before this, he always took the heat himself.
And now, he was clearly pointing fingers... at Jordan.
Jordan's face instantly changed. He stood up, shoved his chair back hard, and stormed out without saying a word.
"Michael?"
Phil Jackson called after him, but Jordan didn't even turn around. Jackson looked back at Krause with a pissed-off face and said, "Mr. Krause, what you're doing ain't helping the team."
Krause just shot him a cold look and said, "If we get bounced from the East Finals, we're rebuilding. Immediately."
"What?"
The entire room was stunned.
The press conference ended on a terrible note.
A few reporters chased after Phil Jackson outside the room. One shouted, "Phil, do you agree with Krause's idea to rebuild?"
"He's been trying to tear this team apart even while we were chasing rings," Phil said, gritting his teeth. "He kept doing it.
Honestly? I wanna buy him a book called A Fool Can Be a Manager. Maybe he'll learn something."
After dropping that bomb, Jackson stormed off.
For a control freak like Phil, it had always been hell working under Krause.
Even though Krause helped him get the coaching job, they had beef going way back.
After the Bulls' dynasty run in '95, Phil had begged Krause to blow the team up—keep Jordan, dump everybody else including Pippen. He wanted to win another title with a fresh squad.
But Krause refused. And when the Bulls got knocked out by the Knicks two years straight, Phil blamed everything on him.
Like Ewing and Rodman? Those weren't Phil's picks. Krause forced those moves. And now look at them.
Phil had swallowed it for years, but tonight? He couldn't fake it anymore.
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