NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: Chapter 53
Chapter 53: Critical Moments
This time, Zhao Dong moved to the low position on the left wing, receiving the ball while Mourning applied tight top defense. Mourning's large hand twisted the flesh on Zhao Dong's waist from behind. The sudden pain caused Zhao Dong to spin around quickly, delivering an elbow to Mourning's chest. He then dribbled a step to the side, positioning himself at a zero-degree angle for an easy jump shot.
Mourning stopped in his tracks, powerless to stop Zhao Dong as he took the shot.
Shh!
The ball swished through the net, scoring cleanly. Zhao Dong let out an excited cheer. "Gold medal skills at level 90 are strong!" After executing that quick move, he had successfully evaded Mourning's defense. Whether or not the shot went in now depended entirely on his touch.
Looking back, Mourning was determined to get one back. He received the ball and tried to muscle his way inside, but Zhao Dong's size and strength matched his. After a few failed attempts to back him down, Mourning resorted to a small hook shot. But Zhao Dong had anticipated this, knowing Mourning's low-post offense wasn't his strong suit. He positioned himself to defend against the hook.
Snapped!
As Mourning went for the shot, Zhao Dong leaped, slapping the ball away from his body and sending it out of bounds.
"Nice!" The crowd erupted in cheers as the commentator shouted, "A brutal volleyball block! Mourning just swallowed his sixth rejection in this game, four of which came from Zhao Dong!"
Zhao Dong taunted, "You're too far behind the top four centers. Don't even try to shoot over me. Go back and practice."
Mourning, seething with anger, pushed forward, the two coming face-to-face. Zhao Dong didn't back down, continuing to provoke with trash talk.
"If you've got a problem, do something about it," Zhao Dong goaded.
The referee immediately intervened, shouting for them to break it up.
Zhao Dong continued to dominate the low post. Despite Mourning's strong defense, he couldn't handle Zhao Dong's gold medal-level low-post moves. Zhao Dong not only had a 90-level gold medal in low-post offense, but his all-around offensive skills, though not yet fully developed, combined perfectly to create a formidable force. No matter how Mourning tried to defend, Zhao Dong kept scoring.
In the final 9 minutes of the game, Zhao Dong made 4 out of 7 shots and hit 3 of 4 free throws, racking up 11 points against Mourning. On the offensive end, he completely overwhelmed the iron-willed defender.
In these offenses, Zhao Dong only had one dunk, while the rest were various jump shots. This not only saved him energy but also maintained a decent shooting percentage. Mourning, on the other hand, seemed to lose focus. Facing Zhao Dong's low-post moves, he felt every defensive decision was wrong, which severely shattered his confidence, leaving him feeling helpless. Despite Pat Riley calling two timeouts, the problem remained unsolved. However, Riley chose not to double-team Zhao Dong, and Mourning was left to defend him alone.
With 9 minutes left in the final quarter, the Knicks had reduced the Heat's lead to just 3 points, trailing 85–82. Zhao Dong was momentarily dazed as he came off the court. The team was now on the offensive, and the Heat didn't call another timeout. What was the point of calling a timeout?
"This is a critical moment," said Bill Walton. "The Knicks are only three points behind. Coach Van Gundy called a timeout. Is he planning to replace Ewing?"
"Superstars are crucial in these moments to close the gap," Matt added in agreement.
As the two commentators speculated, Van Gundy did indeed replace Ewing.
"Damn it!" Zhao Dong muttered under his breath. I scored 11 points in just one quarter. What does Van Gundy want with the gorilla?
Van Gundy, noticing Zhao Dong's confused expression, explained, "In the last three minutes, the Heat might double-team you. Ewing needs to be on the court to attract the defense."
Zhao Dong nodded, understanding the reasoning, but he couldn't help but wonder: Who's going to attack the inside now? Van Gundy, still a rookie coach, seemed equally unsure. After some thought, he said, "Let Ewing get the ball first to draw the defense, then distribute it to the weak side…"
Zhao Dong had a sinking feeling. It's over.
Who is Ewing? He's a superstar center, but Van Gundy was asking him to rely on Ewing? Zhao Dong knew that this plan wouldn't work.
When the timeout ended and the game resumed, the Knicks began their offensive play. Ewing received the ball, and Mourning defended him. Van Gundy's plan seemed to hold, as Mourning, the Heat's best inside defender, was forced to guard Ewing rather than Zhao Dong. Zhao Dong backed off and motioned for Ewing to take the shot.
Swish! Ewing turned and hit a jumper, silencing the crowd. The Knicks fans applauded, but the Heat quickly responded. Dan Marley, the Heat's small forward, drained a clean three-pointer, extending the Heat's lead to 88–84.
Next, Ewing missed a shot, and Mourning grabbed the rebound. The Heat capitalized on the fast break, with Tim Hardaway finishing with a layup to push the lead to 90–84. Ewing missed again, and the Heat grabbed the rebound. Hardaway hit a two-pointer to extend the lead further to 92–84 with just 85 seconds left in the game.
"Damn it, Ewing, you're an old guy!" Zhao Dong muttered in frustration. "You still keep shooting when you're playing so horribly? Didn't you see it was off?"
Zhao Dong's frustration only grew. It wasn't about wanting to fight with Ewing, but more about the fact that if he didn't take action, he couldn't accept losing this way.
"Feilong, pull back, take away your defender, and create space for Ewing to attack..." Van Gundy called a final short timeout and set up an offensive play.
"Does Ewing really need more space to score? He's been shooting jumpers from the outside all game," Zhao Dong thought, feeling a sense of helplessness. The coach was still arranging plays for Ewing, but the tactics seemed wrong. How could I grab an offensive rebound if we're abandoning the second chance?
"Oakley, you go in and grab the rebound. Pass it out once you have it, then give it to the dragon," Van Gundy instructed.
Zhao Dong was losing his patience. Oakley doesn't have the ability to attack in the low post, but you want him in the paint while I pull back? Is this some kind of joke? He knew his rebounding ability was better than Oakley's. He was taller, had a longer wingspan, bigger hands, and more strength. He was, without a doubt, the better choice for the low post.
Finally, Van Gundy spoke to Zhao Dong: "At this critical moment, don't be nervous. Trust the veteran."
Zhao Dong's frustration peaked. Well, Van Gundy, you've convinced me. No wonder later on, when you coached Yao Ming, you only knew to pass him the ball. Your tactical skills are just too limited
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