NBA: The Dynasty Crasher

Chapter 66: Effects of Gold Medal Skills

The ball was swatted out of bounds, but the Jazz retained possession. They launched another attack, and Malone, still refusing to back down, demanded the ball once more. Malone's movements were simple and predictable—he used one hand to push the defender behind him while reaching out with the other to call for the ball. Zhao Dong quickly moved to block the shot again, but Malone once more used his knees to shield the ball. This time, Zhao Dong was hit in the lower abdomen again, preventing him from completing the block.

"Ouch!" Zhao Dong collided with Malone and, as he threw him to the floor, took advantage of the momentum to land an elbow to Malone's chest.

"Ugh!" Malone groaned in pain, his face contorted as the force of the blow left him struggling to breathe. The impact of Zhao Dong's elbow, accelerated by their combined weight, far exceeded the force of the knee from earlier, leaving Malone in considerable discomfort.

Boom! The basketball hit the basket and Ewing grabbed the rebound. The Knicks immediately transitioned into a counterattack.

"Ouch, here we go again, Zhao Dong has to be careful!" Zhang Lili exclaimed, watching in concern as Zhao Dong's lower abdomen took another hit.

"Feilong is a tough guy on the defensive end!" Bill Walton praised on the TNT broadcast, shaking his head in admiration.

"Chop Suey, don't back down. Let's have some fun today—let the bones get a little harder," Zhao Dong said, not bothered by the team's counterattack as he slowly got up from Malone, talking trash and adjusting his loose pants.

"Shit, get off me!" Malone winced as he clutched his chest, rising with a pale face. Seeing Zhao Dong lift his pants as he stood made Malone feel particularly enraged. "Damn Chinese, what's he think he's doing? It feels like I just got shot."

Boom! Ewing completed a powerful dunk, putting the Knicks ahead 8-2. The Jazz had a rough start, trailing by 6 points. Observing Malone holding his chest in discomfort, Coach Jerry Sloan quickly called a timeout.

"Postman, are you okay?" Stockton asked as he approached Malone during the timeout. "Did that kid play dirty again?"

"Be careful," Malone snapped, clutching his chest. "That damn guy's hands are so dirty—he elbowed me."

Back on the bench, Malone lifted his jersey and saw a clear red mark on his left chest, with his well-developed chest muscles slightly swollen.

"Damn it, he used the tip of his elbow. Does he want to kill you?" Stockton said, his eyelids twitching as he noticed the elbow mark. "I just got beaten by the Knicks off the court, and now I can't even beat them on the court. What are we going to do?"

"Hiss!" Malone winced in pain as he rubbed the area.

"Postman, let me take a look," the Jazz team doctor said as he approached with a medical kit.

"Karl, this time... you should rest," Coach Jerry Sloan suggested after looking at Malone's injuries.

"No, coach, I want to fight back. I want to make that kid pay," Malone immediately shook his head.

"Is the bone okay?" Jerry Sloan asked the team doctor.

The team doctor shook his head. "It's red and swollen, a blunt muscle injury. I can't tell if the bone is broken, further examination is needed. My suggestion is to not fight this time and determine the extent of the injury first."

"No, no, my bones are fine! I can't just end up like this," Malone replied urgently. "If I end up like this today, that kid will definitely laugh at me, and the media will have a field day."

Jerry Sloan hesitated but finally allowed Malone to continue playing despite the injury.

"Feilong, you're ruthless," Oakley whispered when he saw Zhao Dong take the opportunity to elbow Malone.

"Is there any mercy? He's trying to ruin my career, I can't let him get away with it," Zhao Dong said seriously, rubbing his stomach, where the bruise had turned red and purple. "Next time we meet the Bulls, find a way to take Jordan out. If we eliminate him, our chances of winning the championship go way up."

"...," Zhao Dong shot Oakley a glance. "You old bastard, you're really bad. If I take Jordan out, Stern will probably come after me."

"Feilong, you going to block them in the locker room after the game?" Larry Johnson asked.

"Of course, I'll mess with them thoroughly today and take care of them so they'll remember where they are," Zhao Dong replied.

"Alright, but let me go first this time. I'll talk to them first," Larry Johnson said, clenching his fists. As another amateur boxer for the Knicks, he wasn't going to let this slide without his involvement.

"Okay, you can go first," Zhao Dong nodded.

"Deal," Larry Johnson smiled, clearly pleased with Zhao Dong's agreement.

Oakley, watching the exchange, had a strange feeling. If Feilong continued at this rate, Ewing might really lose his standing as the locker room leader. Maybe—Shet—his position as the team's leader would be taken by this young guy.

As the timeout ended, the game resumed, and the Knicks began their attack. Zhao Dong positioned himself at the low post on the right wing.

Although the coaching staff had promised to let him take 15 shots, second only to Ewing, Zhao Dong was already thinking about challenging Ewing's position. This thought was growing stronger with each passing moment.

"Ball!" Zhao Dong called out to Chris Childs at the top of the arc. Charles Ward, like Charlie Ward before him, had witnessed Zhao Dong's aggressive play and had a shift in his mentality. Ward's reaction was one of change after seeing Zhao Dong dominate Mourning. Similarly, Childs, who had been part of the group confrontation with Zhao Dong, felt a stronger sense of allegiance and connection. When Zhao Dong called for the ball, Childs passed it without hesitation.

As soon as Zhao Dong received the ball, Malone elbowed him in the lower back, but Zhao Dong wasn't intimidated. He quickly pivoted, shifting his weight downward before spinning upwards. Malone lost his balance, unable to recover in time. Zhao Dong took a jump shot from the sideline in the paint area. As Jazz small forward Brian Russell jumped to double-team, it was too late to stop him.

"Shh!" The ball swished through the net. Zhao Dong raised his hand in an "OK" gesture, already anticipating the shot's success, which was met by a flash of camera lights from the media.

The crowd cheered as Zhao Dong thought to himself, "The gold medal low-post technique is incredible. After shaking the defender, the open jumper becomes almost automatic."

Though his other offensive skills were still developing, this jumper—almost uncontested—was a result of his solid fundamentals, something he had long been capable of executing.

"Just like Duncan's bank shot, I can now blow them away with a jumper near the basket. My gold medal low-post technique, paired with a pull-up jumper, will completely outclass the postman," he thought, his confidence growing. In this position, it was too late for anyone to double-team him, and the chance to do so preemptively didn't exist. He wasn't at O'Neal's level yet, but when he had the ball, it was a one-on-one situation.

"Damn it, I was shaken again!" Malone thought, frustrated, vowing that next time, he would hold his ground and not let his center of gravity be thrown off again.

(End of this chapter)

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