Philadelphia held a pre-game press conference the night before tip-off.
A reporter from the New York Times asked, "Iverson, you've been grinding hard for two straight offseasons—especially this last one. You trained for six out of eight months. What kept you going?"
Iverson paused. He didn't want to admit the real reason—Zhao Dong's pressure was pushing him. Instead, he gave a vague response.
"Our rookie class is stacked. I heard Kobe's been working his tail off. I'm just tryna keep up. No way I'm getting left behind, so I had to put in the extra work."
The reporter followed up, "At the Knicks' press conference, Zhao Dong said he's qualified enough to look down on you. How do you feel about that?"
Iverson's expression changed. His eyes turned cold, and he tilted his chin up proudly.
"Jordan doesn't get to look down on me, let alone anyone else. I'm built different—I don't care who it is. I'm ready to go toe-to-toe with anybody."
"What would you like to say to him?"
Iverson leaned in, his voice icy.
"Tomorrow night, I'm droppin' 50. I want him to know he can't hold me down."
After the media session, Philadelphia headed into their tactical meeting. Head coach Larry Brown, a nearly 60-year-old defensive-minded veteran, wasted no time.
"Karl, Theo…" he began, addressing Karl Malone and Theo Ratliff. "Zhao Dong's a beast. We've got to shut him down. That's your mission. Got it?"
"Got it," both big men nodded.
"George," Brown continued, turning to George Lynch. "Use all six of your fouls. Bump him, throw him off rhythm, mess with his touch. Got it?"
"Crystal," Lynch replied.
Then Brown faced his star.
"Allen, no chucking threes tonight. Your mid-range game's money now. Focus on long twos, clean middies. Let Karl and Leo handle the boards. When you slash, run pick-and-roll with them—they'll clear your lanes."
"I'm locked in," Iverson nodded.
—
November 15th—Game Day
"The Answer is coming for 50+ on Zhao Dong's head—he just declared war on the Golden Tyrant," read The New York Times headline.
Out in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant tossed the paper aside and started lacing up.
"I'm his strongest challenger," he muttered under his breath.
Back in New York, the Knicks were at breakfast when Fordson slammed the newspaper down on the table.
"Boss! Iverson said he's droppin' 50 on your head. That man's wildin'!"
Zhao Dong just grinned. "Don't sleep on his bag. Dude can really score."
Coach Nelson chimed in with a smile. "This '96 class is leveling up fast thanks to Zhao's pressure. Iverson, Kobe—they're making major leaps already. Next season, they'll be headlining."
As Zhao Dong finished his breakfast and stood to head back to his room, a group of reporters caught him in the hallway.
"Zhao Dong, Iverson said he's dropping 50+ on you. Think he can pull it off?" one asked.
He chuckled. "Over me? Nah. He'll be lucky to get 20."
—
That morning, headlines shifted focus—from the hardwood to Wall Street.
"Zhao Dong, major shareholder of Zhao Dong Sports and top investor in Storm Fund, confirmed that Storm Fund is pushing to split up Nike." – New York Times
"Insider sources say Storm Fund has already finalized the Nike dismantling blueprint." – New York Business Journal
Nike investors panicked. If the brand were to be broken up, it could cease to exist in its current form. Stocks tanked hard.
Inside Nike HQ in New York, President Lindsay flipped through the Wall Street Journal, waiting for the Knight family's response. Rumors about a breakup had been floating for months. It was time for a move.
Her plan? Force the Knight family to surrender their shares voluntarily. Otherwise, if Nike was actually split, the Knights would lose everything.
At 10 a.m., Lindsay's assistant, Miss Luo Weisi, walked in.
"President, Phil Knight just called. He said if the Nike split is happening, he's selling all his shares. If we don't buy them, he'll unload them on the open market."
"Take them at market price. Cap the premium at 10%." Lindsay's eyes gleamed.
After Luo Weisi left, she laughed to herself. "Perfect."
Once Storm Fund took over the Knight family's shares, they could easily buy up the rest on the secondary market and take Nike private. After that, it was hers to control.
Still, this wasn't necessarily the endgame. Taking it private was an option—but not the best one.
The ideal play? Let Zhao Dong Sports acquire Nike outright, take a controlling stake, and turn Nike into a revenue engine for Zhao Dong on the capital market. But even with a fresh $2 billion investment, Zhao Dong Sports couldn't absorb all of Nike as it stood. The company would need to be trimmed—unnecessary sectors sold off first.
—
7:00 PM — Tip-Off Time
The starting lineups were revealed:
Knicks:
Ben Wallace
Kevin Willis
Zhao Dong
Latrell Sprewell
Chauncey Billups
Philadelphia:
Theo Ratliff
Karl Malone
George Lynch
Allen Iverson
Eric Snow
The game drew massive attention. After signing Karl Malone, Philadelphia had made a serious leap. Media analysts now considered them a legit title contender. Tonight's matchup between two championship-caliber teams was the highlight of the season.
First headline: the brewing beef between Zhao Dong and Karl Malone.
Second headline: the reversal of draft fortunes. Iverson, the #1 pick, and Zhao Dong, an undrafted wild card, had flipped the narrative. Now, Zhao was the one in control.
Third: Iverson's bold 50-point promise.
NBC's Marv said during the live broadcast:
"Iverson's career high is 50—he did it last season against Cleveland. But even then, the Philadelphia lost, 125 to 118. Now, don't get me wrong—he's got the skills to drop 50. But doing it on Zhao Dong? That's a whole different game. He'd need an insane volume of shots.
"Plus, this Knicks team isn't gonna let him just iso all night. A real franchise leader knows—it ain't just about scoring. You gotta balance that with winning."
"Uh, Hubie, Iverson never said he was droppin' 50 on Zhao Dong's head," Matt clarified, grinning.
Marv laughed. "He didn't? Could've fooled me. But hey, scoring 50 on the Knicks ain't impossible. Jordan dropped 69 on them in the last Eastern Finals—and still caught an L."
He leaned forward and added, "As a former coach, here's what I'd tell Iverson—if your offensive efficiency doesn't match what Zhao Dong or MJ brings, you can't just gun for numbers. You start forcing shots and ignore the flow, your team's taking the L even if you put up 60."
Matt nodded. "Speaking of adjustments, Marv, the Knicks pulled Fordson outta the starting five tonight. What's your take?"
"Fordson's got issues—foul trouble and turnovers are way too high," Marv replied. "I think Coach Nelson wants to let him breathe on the bench. Might do better with less pressure."
---
Back in China, on CCTV's live broadcast, the commentary took a different tone.
"It's been five games so far. The Bulls are 4–1, only loss to the Knicks," the commentator said. "Good record on paper, but they haven't really given their young guys any shot. Phil Jackson's just not letting them play."
His partner added, "We'll ask Zhao Dong later. No playing time at all? That's rough!"
CCTV had been airing Bulls games because of Zhao Dong's teammate Dazhi, but with the rookie riding the bench, ratings tanked. The network was now considering pulling some Bulls games off the live schedule unless the situation changed.
Down on the sideline, CCTV reporter Yang Yi approached Hu Weidong during warm-ups.
"Brother Hu, has Zhao Dong said anything about Dazhi's minutes? Dude's not getting on the court at all," Yang asked.
Hu nodded, frowning. "Yeah, I'm worried too. He's still in his development phase—no minutes could really mess that up. I spoke to Zhao Dong yesterday. He said give it some time. The season just started."
---
As the players took the court, both teams' starting lineups crossed paths.
Ever since Zhao Dong cracked Tyson's head open that one game, Karl Malone swore off off-court drama with him. Strictly basketball from now on. When Zhao Dong walked by, Malone looked away immediately.
"That dude," Iverson thought, spotting Zhao Dong. "I told him I'm droppin' 50 tonight. He's definitely gonna chirp at me, huh?"
But Zhao Dong walked right past the Email Duo like they weren't even there—eyes forward, not a single word, not even a glance.
"He just straight-up ignored me?"
Iverson felt that sting. He wasn't used to being brushed off like that.
Malone, on the other hand, wasn't fazed. After all the beef and losses, he'd let the past go. His focus now? Win a championship. Personal grudges were dead weight.
---
The first player introduced was Big Ben—Zhao Dong made that call. Technically, Latrell should've gone first based on seniority, but Big Ben was their anchor in the paint now. Way more important.
As for Latrell? His only real "qualification" was that infamous throat-choking incident. No one else dared pull something like that, not even Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong was the last to be introduced—walking out to a storm of boos from the home crowd.
Philadelphia fans had high hopes for their Email Duo this year. They were all-in on a championship push. And that meant the Knicks—Zhao Dong's squad—were enemy number one.
Back on the sideline, Yang Yi spotted Zhao Dong and nearly sprinted over for an interview. He held back until after warm-ups, then jogged up once Zhao Dong stepped off the court.
"Zhao Dong, Dazhi's getting no minutes with the Bulls. Is there a shot he gets traded to the Knicks?"
He didn't bother asking about tonight's game. This was the story everyone back home wanted to hear.
Zhao Dong rubbed his chin. "Yeah, the Bulls are stacked inside this season. Not many chances for him to break through."
He paused. "But I've been paying attention. I'll find a way to make something happen."
---
Game time.
Philadelphia won the jump and got the first possession.
"Oh, the Knicks are playing man-to-man," Marv called. "Zhao Dong's locked on Karl Malone. Latrell's checking Iverson."
"Smart move," said Matt. "If they play zone, none of the Knicks can eat Malone's elbows except Zhao Dong. So man-to-man's the only real option here."
Malone set up on the left wing. Iverson ran a curl on the right side.
Suddenly, AI cut hard into the paint, leaving Latrell in the dust. He caught a clean pass from Snow and pulled up—midrange jumper, bucket.
Nowadays, the midrange was the go-to spot. Not too close, not too deep—soft spot in every defense. The bigs were too deep to help, and the wings couldn't rotate fast enough.
"Good play. Karl pulled Zhao Dong left, opened the right for AI," said Matt Goukas. "Iverson could've gone all the way. Big Ben was the only one in the paint."
"Willis got switched onto the small forward—his feet are a little slow," Marv Albert added.
"George Lynch? Yeah, not a real threat. Dude can't shoot threes and plays more like a power forward," Matt commented. "He'll rebound a bit, but scoring's weak. Willis can sag off him and still be fine."
---
Now it was the Knicks' turn to attack.
"Philadelphia Team's going man-to-man too," said Marv with a chuckle.
"Makes sense," Matt chimed in. "You can't stop Zhao Dong, so you don't even try to match stars. Put a role player on him, let him get his points, and clamp the others. That's lower-tier versus upper-tier strategy."
Zhao Dong set up on the left wing, just behind the arc. George Lynch stepped up to defend.
Even though this was a crucial game, Zhao Dong still handed the rock to Billups.
He wasn't in the mood to play babysitter. Billups needed to learn how to run point the hard way—by doing it in live action. If he figured it out, cool. If not, that's on him. The opportunity was there.
At the top of the arc, Billups held the ball and threw up a hand signal.
Down low, Kevin Willis saw it and instantly popped out to the right wing.
Karl Malone had no choice but to follow.
At the same time, Latrell —positioned just inside the right wing—cut hard, then suddenly changed direction. He used Willis's body like a screen, lost Iverson in the pick, and slashed into open space, cutting straight toward the rim.
Zhao Dong didn't stand still either. As soon as Billups gave the signal, he spun and sealed George Lynch on the left wing, flashing his hands to call for the ball at the arc.
Billups hit him with a pass, and as soon as Zhao Dong caught it, all eyes from the Philadelphia snapped to him.
Right on cue, Latrell broke free from Iverson and cut through the paint. Without hesitation, Zhao Dong fired a one-handed laser.
The ball sliced straight through the defense like a damn missile—left wing to paint, untouched.
Latrell caught it in stride, took one step, then another, and BOOM!
He detonated on the rim with a monster slam.
Leo Ratliff, Philly's anchor, had been locked onto Zhao Dong. By the time he turned to contest, it was way too late.
"Man! That's a surgical dime—fast, straight, and deadly accurate! That's the toughest pass in basketball to stop!"
—Matt Goukas, courtside.
Philly came back down.
Snow called out a play, signaling everyone to clear out. Even Malone and Ratliff moved out of the paint. They were setting up a pure iso.
Iverson got the ball on the wing, then attacked.
But the moment he got into the paint, he knew something was off.
Last few games, this set worked easily. The defense was usually slow to rotate.
Not this time.
Zhao Dong had already rotated back into the paint from the left wing.
"Damn, he's fast!"
Iverson hit the brakes and pulled up.
But Zhao Dong kept flying—one more step and up. He swatted that shot like it owed him money.
"OH!!"
—The crowd lost it.
Iverson's eyes went wide. He actually blocked me?
But it made sense. Iverson's pull-up was quick, but his jump wasn't high. Meanwhile, Zhao Dong was already elevated, plus he had the height advantage.
Knicks didn't waste the moment. They pushed the break hard. Billups caught the outlet and laid it in over Snow.
"Look at that closeout speed, man! Zhao Dong's insane! Two steps and he's already locking down the paint. Iverson should've just taken the mid-range J. That pull-up in the lane had no shot with that kind of defensive pressure."
—Zhang Heli, smiling from ear to ear.
"Exactly," Matt Goukas added. "When you run that isolation drive, the defense's recovery speed is everything. Zhao Dong is elite at it. Iverson's gonna need to switch it up. Honestly, I'd have Karl stay down low to set screens and help Iverson out. Same with Ben Wallace. That'd open up some options.
Even if Iverson hit the Mailman with a lob there, Zhao Dong probably gets a hand on it. And even if he doesn't, he's fast enough to recover and contest Karl Malone anyway."
After that, Iverson did adjust his game.
He stopped forcing his way into the paint and leaned on his offseason work.
This summer, he had grinded hard on speed control, hesitation moves, and quick pull-ups.
His blueprint? Zhao Dong.
Iverson studied his every dribble—how Zhao used tempo to throw defenders off.
And he learned. Fast.
He wasn't on Zhao Dong's level yet, not without those elite-level badges, but against the other Knicks defenders? He was cooking.
His lightning quickness, mixed with that stop-and-go control, made him a nightmare.
Even the Madman struggled. Every time he caught up, Iverson hit him with a sudden stop or burst that wrecked his timing.
No matter how good the defense was, he still ended up eating jumpers.
By the end of the first quarter, Iverson was on fire:
5 for 10 from the field
1 of 2 from deep
3 of 4 from the line
14 points
But even with all that, Philly was still down.
Knicks 28, Philly 21.
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