Marv summed it up after the game. "The Bulls only lost by 9 points in Game 1, and even though they collapsed late when their two bigs fouled out, you could say they fought to the end.
But tonight? Zhao Dong didn't even hammer the paint like he did before. He wasn't living at the free-throw line either. And yet, the Knicks still blew 'em out by 21. That tells you something—Chicago didn't bring it this time."
Matt Goukas chuckled and added, "Simple, really. I think it was old man Nelson showing how to really use Zhao Dong. He drew up a masterclass of tactics, using Zhao's full skillset.
And credit to Nelson—he didn't play it safe with the lead. The Knicks kept adapting, kept hitting the Bulls with new looks."
Marv Albert chimed in, "Meanwhile, Jordan's aging. That triangle offense Phil loves? It's just not letting MJ killing them like he used to."
Goukas nodded. "Facts. You know what's wild? The Knicks didn't even double-team Jordan tonight—not once. That was unheard of. And when they did throw a double? It was only 9 times the whole game.
You know what that means?"
Marv smiled knowingly. "It means Jordan doesn't draw double-teams like he used to—at least not against this Knicks defense.
And that's deadly for the Bulls. If MJ's not pulling extra defenders, nobody else is getting open. The Knicks' interior D is stacked, so slashing and cutting gets shut down real quick. No space outside, no penetration—it's easy to guess how efficient they were."
Goukas leaned forward. "We're witnessing a torch-passing moment. Zhao Dong? He's the new alpha. Bulls gotta send multiple defenders at him just to slow him down. Meanwhile, the Knicks barely glance at MJ."
---
On CCTV's broadcast in China, Sun Zhenping grinned as he read the box score:
"Tonight, Zhao Dong went 12 for 15—an insane 80% shooting clip. He also hit all 7 of his free throws. Final line? 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 18 assists—a new personal best in assists. Record-breaking night."
Zhang Heli laughed beside him. "And what's even better? He only played 27 minutes! That's the most time he's seen on the floor this season, including regular season games.
Let's talk about Dazhi. He went 9-for-13, including 3-for-5 from deep, and added 3-of-4 from the line for 24 points. That's his highest-scoring game in the league so far."
Sun Zhenping added, "Dazhi's shot selection was smart too. Outside of those five threes, his other eight shots all came in the paint—and he hit 6 of 'em. Super efficient."
Zhang Heli explained, "That's all about the tactics. Six of his eight paint shots were from backdoor cuts, and he converted five. That's what good offensive schemes do—create open looks and mismatches."
Postgame, Zhao Dong gave a brief courtside interview, answering two questions quickly.
Meanwhile, CCTV's Yang Yi found Dazhi surrounded by reporters and stepped in with a smile.
"Dazhi, amazing performance tonight. Congrats."
Dazhi responded humbly, "Coach had the right tactics, and Zhao Dong was feeding us great passes."
Yang Yi asked, "Were these plays drawn up a while ago?"
Dazhi shook his head. "We've practiced them since the regular season, but rarely got to use them."
Yang Yi laughed, "So you were just waiting to unleash them in the playoffs?"
Dazhi smiled and nodded. "Exactly. Our playbook's deep. While there are only a few core sets, we've got hundreds of variations."
Yang Yi said, "Sounds like you have a real edge in executing plays."
Dazhi thought for a moment, then replied, "In the paint, yeah—aside from Zhao Dong and the vets like Barkley and Willis, I'd say my execution's solid."
Yang Yi chuckled—he knew what Dazhi meant. Compared to Ben and Fordson, Dazhi had better offensive instincts and understanding.
Ben and Fordson were defense-first bigs. Their feel for running complex sets wasn't great. So when the Knicks shifted from defense to offense, Dazhi became a natural fit for execution.
And with Coach Nelson being an offense-minded coach, Yang Yi felt confident Dazhi's role would keep growing in New York.
Plus, with Ben Wallace's contract expiring this summer, the Knicks might be looking for new options in the frontcourt.
But what Yang Yi didn't know… was that Zhao Dong already planned to have Dazhi moved out of New York.
In the Bulls' locker room, things were tense. The mood was nothing like last game.
In Game 1, even though they lost, they saw a path to winning the series. But tonight? It was a total meltdown.
Phil Jackson stood in front of the team, trying to explain what went wrong.
"The situation tonight was tough. Zhao Dong didn't even go full force on offense, and we still committed way too much to stopping him. That opened up the floor for everyone else. Their offense was too versatile for us."
He glanced toward Jordan, who was sitting in silence, stone-faced.
Phil hesitated, then walked over. "Michael, you got something to say?"
Jordan looked up and said quietly but firmly, "Phil, we weren't ready. We need more sets prepared. We can't just react all game—we gotta dictate some of the action."
Phil Jackson nodded slowly.
He had prepared, spent hours drawing up defensive strategies based on the Knicks' starting lineup.
But what he didn't expect… was that Don Nelson would keep throwing new wrinkles at him all game. Constant tactical shifts. Constant misdirection.
He knew, deep down, that having Zhao Dong on the other side made a difference.
Zhao wasn't just efficient—he was more versatile than even Jordan in his prime. Add in Nelson's creativity, and the Bulls were always a step behind.
No matter how good Phil was, keeping up with that kind of firepower wasn't going to be easy.
Now that the Bulls were down 2-0, they were starting to feel the pressure. Unless they took care of business at home, this series was slipping away fast.
In the postgame meeting, Phil Jackson sat in silence for a moment before turning to Oakley.
"Charles, what do you think we should be paying attention to?"
Oakley looked a little surprised. Phil rarely asked him directly about tactics. Still, he answered without hesitation.
"Coach Nelson's the best in the league when it comes to switching up game plans. He's fearless with his rotations and not afraid to try anything. We were completely on our heels tonight.
He threw Zhao Dong out there as the starting center. I didn't see that coming at all. This is the damn Eastern Conference Finals, and he still took the risk. And it worked—worked real good.
Especially the way Zhao Dong and Wang played off each other. Old Nelson used Zhao's ability to draw double-teams and Wang's ability to cut and finish under the rim. Simple, but deadly.
That's Nelson's strength. His system always maximizes the players' strengths and hides their weaknesses.
He made Zhao Dong the bait, drawing the double. Wang would slip in from the weak side with barely any resistance, and boom—he'd go off. Guy can dunk, shoot, hit threes. You know this, he's been with us before.
As for what we can do? Man, I honestly don't know. Me and Rasheed can try to contain Wang's backdoor cuts, but that ain't gonna be enough when Zhao's drawing all the heat."
Jordan chimed in, arms crossed, voice calm but focused.
"Wang's a system guy. He's got some offensive versatility, sure. Can shoot through contact, got some muscle. But he doesn't play defense. Didn't expect he'd show anything on that end in New York."
Oakley shook his head firmly.
"Nah, Mike, you got it wrong. Zhao Dong wanted the Knicks to draft Wang last year for a reason. He had a whole team of NBA-level trainers working with him. Zhao knew what this kid could do.
Wang's offense is close to elite. His defense? Not terrible—it's just his attitude. He loves scoring. That's why he didn't show much on D when he was here. He was too busy trying to prove he could score in front of you.
But in New York? You saw that last game. Zhao had him going head-to-head with Karl Malone, working on his defensive grit. Wang held his own—and made Karl work for every point."
Jordan and Phil both fell silent. Damn. They'd underestimated the Chinese kid—again.
Phil finally sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"Even if he's improved his attitude on defense, his physical tools are still average. If Zhao wasn't drawing all the attention, Wang wouldn't have had all those easy buckets tonight."
Oakley kept quiet but disagreed inside. He'd been studying the game for years, preparing for a future as a coach. And he saw something different.
To him, once Zhao Dong posted up and got the ball, the Knicks' offense ran like a well-oiled machine. Zhao and Wang were like the Spurs' Twin Towers—except better, at least in terms of spacing and versatility.
Wang didn't draw double-teams like Duncan or Robinson. But Zhao's ability to attract defenders was on another level, maybe even better than the Spurs duo. That meant Wang got wide-open lanes and looks all night.
That was the real danger. The Bulls had to ask themselves: could they afford to keep leaving Wang open? And if not, how the hell were they gonna double Zhao?
At this point, Wang and Zhao were a package deal. You couldn't just game-plan for one of them—you had to figure them out together. And if Phil kept underestimating Wang, the Bulls were gonna pay for it.
---
Press Conference – Postgame Buzz
The postgame pressers were tense, especially on the Bulls' side. Chicago's media wasn't holding back.
"Coach Jackson," one reporter fired off, "the Bulls were constantly behind on adjustments tonight. How do you explain that?"
Phil Jackson responded calmly, "We prepared in detail. But clearly, it wasn't enough—"
Before he could finish, another reporter jumped in.
"This is the third straight year facing the Knicks in the East Finals. You've been eliminated twice already. Shouldn't you be better prepared? Isn't this your responsibility?"
Phil's face turned grim. Before he could answer, Jordan stepped up.
"Look, man. We're up against a tactical genius. Coach Nelson made some bold moves tonight, and yeah—they worked. That doesn't mean Phil didn't do his job. He did. We just got outplayed this time. But trust me, we're not out."
The same reporter pushed again.
"So, Michael, are you saying Phil isn't on the same level as Nelson?"
Jordan shot him a glare.
"Come on. Phil coached us to a three-peat and the '96 title. You wanna question that now? He's our guy. He's earned that."
Despite Jordan's defense, doubts about Phil Jackson lingered in the press room. The media could sense blood in the water.
---
Back to Chicago – The Road Ahead
The next day, both teams flew to Chicago. The series format had shifted this season: the East Finals now followed a 2-2-1-1 schedule. Only the NBA Finals kept the old 2-3-2 format.
So the Bulls had two home games lined up. If they could avoid the sweep, there was still a chance to drag this thing back to Madison Square Garden.
But Phil Jackson didn't sleep that night. On the flight, he ordered another cup of coffee and kept poring over game film and stats.
He knew where he stood. He wasn't as creative or adaptable as Coach Nelson—but he had to find a way to counter.
After hours of thinking, he came to a conclusion.
Stay locked in on the paint.
No matter what offensive tricks Nelson planned up, the focus had to be inside defense. That was the high-efficiency zone. That was where the Knicks killed them.
He had beefed up the interior lineup in the offseason for a reason. The inside had to hold. Period.
Now the question was: when Zhao posts up and demands help, how do we defend the weak side without giving Wang free reign?
He turned to Jordan.
"Michael," he said, voice low, "we need to talk."
Jordan, who was sitting behind him, stood up and moved over to sit next to him.
"In Game 3, are we switching to a two-one-two mixed defense?" he asked.
"Two-one-two?"
"Yeah. Last game, Zhao Dong wasn't attacking from the perimeter—he was bullying us in the low post. So we're not gonna waste energy defending the three-point line against him. Next game, we won't double him at the free-throw line or along that imaginary line above it. If he drives with the ball, we double him in the mid-range to keep him from getting close to the paint."
He pointed at the whiteboard.
"McGrady's gonna chase him wherever he goes on the perimeter. You stay in the middle—you'll double him when he's at the mid-range on the wing or sneaking close to the paint. We're okay with him taking mid-range jumpers under pressure. We're not stopping him completely, but we can slow him down."
He leaned in a little.
"Charles and Rasheed will hold down the paint. If Zhao Dong breaks through your double with McGrady, one of them rotates to contest, and the other stays alert on Wang—if he's playing. And when Zhao Dong cuts through you two mid-range, one of y'all has to rotate inside to help on defense, and the other has to recover to cover the rest."
Jordan nodded slowly.
That's how you contain a dude like Zhao Dong—not lock him down, but keep his efficiency low. It wasn't about shutting him down completely. You just had to make him work for every bucket. And this scheme could still adjust for weak-side coverage, so it really was the best fit right now.
May 30, Game 2 – Western Conference Finals
The Spurs took Game 2 over the Lakers, leading the series 2-0.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong City...
Wan Guo Media Company was officially established.
This was Zhao Dong and Lindsay's joint venture, with a registered capital of $500 million USD. Their next move? Begin a series of acquisitions across the Hong Kong media industry to build a fully integrated media group. After that, the expansion would stretch to Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and mainland China.
But make no mistake—this wasn't about raking in profits.
This media empire was meant to be a platform—a way for Zhao Dong to control his own narrative and voice.
Zhang Guorong stepped off the plane feeling refreshed. The usual horde of paparazzi wasn't there—just two reporters.
They weren't random nobodies either. These two used to be gossip-chasing photographers for Pingguo, but now they'd cleaned up and put on suits. They were official reporters for Wan Guo Media now.
Instead of stalking celebrities, they conducted respectful interviews in public.
Wan Guo Media had recruited thousands of paparazzi like them. They weren't hunting drama anymore—they were the eyes and ears of Zhao Dong's new empire.
"Let's grab tea sometime," Zhang said casually after the interview.
Feeling lighthearted, he hopped in a cab and called up his friends for a meetup even before he reached home.
At Storm Fund's Hong Kong Branch…
Gao Ziang, branch manager of the Storm Fund, finally let out a breath of relief. The massive task Lindsay had given him was finally completed.
Last year, as the Asian financial crisis wrecked markets, Storm Fund swept in and bought real estate stocks at rock-bottom prices—focusing especially on Hong Kong's big four real estate companies:
Zheng's New Century
Li's Cheung Kong Industries
Li's Hengji
Guo's Sun Hung Kai
The crisis had crushed the market. Real estate values plunged 70%, and the market caps of these giants followed suit.
Storm Fund bought up massive shares at dirt-cheap prices and even got seats on their boards—enough to make the four family dynasties uneasy.
The four families had tried to buy back those shares at a premium, but Storm turned them down flat.
Lindsay had a bigger play in mind.
With billions in U.S. stock market funds being pulled out, she planned to crush one of the four families and replace them entirely.
The target? The Guo family, because they had the largest land reserves.
After Guo Desheng passed away in 1990, the family's $400 billion HKD in public assets were split among his widow Kuang Xiaoqin and three sons. Total holdings, including unlisted assets, were in the trillions—but their liquidity was limited.
Sun Hung Kai Properties had been stagnating, especially after an infamous 1997 kidnapping incident. Zhang Ziqiang had kidnapped Guo Bingxiang, the eldest son. Since then, the three brothers had been locked in a power struggle.
Lindsay's plan was to win over Guo Bingxiang and pit him against his younger brothers.
He'd lost power in the family in recent years and would be more open to outside help.
And Zhao Dong had a bombshell: both younger Guo brothers were deeply involved in bribery. If that truth came out—and with Storm's financial firepower—it could be enough to tear the family apart.
Gao Ziang's angle? Reel Guo Bingxiang in with money.
He got him into the Storm Fund. Greed always works. Especially when Storm's returns were outpacing every other hedge fund in Asia.
That move did two things:
Gained influence inside the Guo family.
Quietly drained their liquidity, weakening their ability to respond.
Today, Gao got the call.
Guo Bingxiang was ready to drop 10 billion HKD into the Storm Fund.
The trap was officially set.
(End of Chapter)
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