NBA: The Dynasty Crasher

Chapter 78: Arenas-Style Celebration in Advance

Ewing stood on the left wing, positioned low near the edge of the paint, but his presence was passive. He had felt weak during training earlier that afternoon and knew the team wasn't as strong as Mosaic. They were most likely going to lose. When Oakley and Zhao Dong mentioned that they couldn't beat them, Ewing had no desire to attack. There was no point in wasting energy—he'd wait and save it for later, knowing there would be a fight.

Meanwhile, Zhao Dong was actively calling for the ball. He positioned himself in the low post on the right wing, pushing into Barkley, trying to get deep. However, Barkley's upper body strength was superior, and Zhao Dong couldn't get past him. Instead, he asked for the ball on the edge of the paint. Barkley passed it, as Ewing wasn't pressing for the ball.

Zhao Dong caught it with one hand and turned his back to Barkley, leaning in. "This kid wants to break through," Barkley thought. His vast defensive experience kicked in, prompting him to step back half a step. He wasn't sure if Zhao Dong would break to the basket or slip to the baseline, so backing off was the safest option. Unfortunately for Barkley, his defensive judgment was off. Instead of breaking to the basket, Zhao Dong pivoted and took a jumper.

As Barkley retreated, he lost his defensive position. Unless he could recover quickly, the shot would go up uncontested. Zhao Dong backed down with a gold medal-level post move at level 90, but his turn and jumper were only at level 60, not even close to top-tier. His movement wasn't fluid, giving Barkley an opportunity to recover.

But as Zhao Dong jumped, Barkley's block came up. In the air, Zhao Dong slightly adjusted his shot, avoiding Barkley's block, and flicked his wrist. The ball sailed through the air. The moment it left his hands, Zhao Dong had a strong feeling it would go in, a sensation he often had when his shot was on point. With a 93-level shooting technique, the feeling was unmistakable.

As soon as he landed, Zhao Dong turned, raising his right hand for an early celebration, mimicking Arenas's signature move.

"Shh!" The ball brushed the rim and fell through, swishing cleanly through the net.

The crowd gasped in disbelief. It was the first time they had seen someone celebrate before the shot even went in—an incredible move.

"Creak, creak..." The cameras went wild, snapping pictures of Zhao Dong's back and his raised right hand as the reporters rushed to capture the moment.

"Wow, this is a famous scene," said Bill Walton on TNT's live broadcast.

"Barkley became the backdrop for that iconic moment," Matt laughed, shaking his head.

"Zhao Dong, you're amazing!"

"Zhao Dong, how dare you do this?" Oakley and the others rushed over, shouting in excitement.

"Stinky brat!" Barkley's face flushed with anger. The early celebration had been a slap in the face. He knew this shot would make it into the top five plays of the day, and he would be remembered as the backdrop for Zhao Dong's bold move.

"Wow, that was beautiful! Haha, how much confidence does Zhao Dong have to celebrate like that?" Zhang Heshi shouted excitedly during the CCTV live broadcast.

"Is this a top five play?" Sun Zhenping asked, his voice filled with enthusiasm.

"I can't believe it." Zhang Li laughed.

On the court, Zhao Dong turned around and sprayed some trash talk at Barkley.

"Asshole!" Barkley's face turned crimson with fury, his fists clenched, itching to land a hit on Zhao Dong's smug face.

"The thing with Jordan has nothing to do with you, but you had to step in, Barkley. You rely on your strength and superstar status? Well, I'll show you that it's nothing. Just wait, I'll keep stepping on you, proving that your strength is nothing more than a joke!" Zhao Dong sneered, shouting as he sprinted to the backcourt.

As they reached the Knicks' backcourt, Barkley angrily shoved Zhao Dong and shouted, "I'll teach you a lesson now and show you who I am!"

At the right wing, Barkley turned, blocking Zhao Dong, then stretched his large hand out, calling for the ball at the top of the arc. Zhao Dong positioned himself behind, refusing to let Barkley get an easy entry. As the ball was passed, Zhao Dong suddenly gave up his defensive position and moved forward to attempt a steal. However, in the process, he caught Barkley with an elbow to the ribs, causing Barkley to grimace in pain and nearly lose the ball.

Barkley, seething with anger, fought through the pain, grabbed the ball, and quickly turned to drive to the basket. Zhao Dong, losing his defensive position, immediately pursued, guarding from the upper side, chasing Barkley into the paint.

The reason Zhao Dong defended like this was that he knew he couldn't compete with Barkley's strength. If he let him get past, his turning speed would leave him completely out of position. So, Zhao Dong took a risk, choosing to pursue and defend from the side, maintaining more control over the situation.

As Barkley slid toward the basket, Ewing and Oakley collapsed into the paint, and Zhao Dong stayed on top. Barkley attempted a small floater, taking two steps into the paint before jumping. Zhao Dong timed it perfectly, leaping to block the shot. He felt the ball graze his fingertips as he made contact.

After landing, Zhao Dong quickly spun around to position himself between Barkley and the basket, securing his defense.

"Did he touch it?" Bill Walton shouted on TNT's live broadcast.

With a loud bang, the basketball hit the basket, and Zhao Dong secured the backcourt rebound. As he moved into the frontcourt, he once again called for the ball in the low post on the right wing. This time, after Zhao Dong's early celebration, Barkley's defensive approach was far more cautious. He pushed Zhao Dong out with all his strength, sensing the pressure behind him. Zhao Dong staggered slightly after receiving the ball.

With a quick move of his feet, Zhao Dong turned and slipped toward the baseline. His level 90 Gold Medal technique made the move look effortless, and Barkley was once again fooled. As he took a half-step back to adjust his defense, Zhao Dong didn't break toward the basket. Instead, he stopped and, as Barkley tried to recover, Zhao Dong suddenly jumped and pulled up for a shot. Barkley couldn't get back in position in time, and the dry jumper itself was a technique that often rendered defenders helpless. With Zhao Dong's 88-level dry shot and 93-level shooting skill, his confidence was higher than before.

As the ball sailed through the air, Zhao Dong immediately threw up an OK gesture, and after landing, he spun around for another Arenas-style early celebration.

"Again?" Bill Walton and Matt, broadcasting on TNT, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Shh!" The ball splashed through the net like an arrow piercing the heart.

The arena erupted in exclamations and applause. "Once again, facing superstar Barkley, is Zhao Dong going crazy today?" Bill Walton marveled.

Without looking back, Zhao Dong shouted, "Hey, I'm continuing to kill you, enjoy it."

Crack, clap, crack—the flashes of cameras followed Zhao Dong as he walked toward the backcourt, his teammates rushing to join him in the celebration.

"...You bastard!" Barkley stared at Zhao Dong's back, speechless. Before the game, he never imagined he would endure such humiliation from Zhao Dong. The early celebration was the ultimate insult to a defender—something that not only disrespects them but also strips them of their pride. "Arrogant kid, doesn't he think he might fail?" the commentator expressed in disbelief, still angry. "Charles, give him a big block! Show him whose court this is and put that kid in his place."

Zhao Dong knew the possibility of failure was real, but so what? Life wasn't worth living if you constantly worried about the consequences. In his past life, he had been miserable, but in this life, he was determined to enjoy every moment.

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