"Now that the Knicks have bolstered their defense, if Iverson can't shake off Sprewell, Philly's offense is gonna take a serious hit," Marv Albert commented during the broadcast.
"I think Larry Brown's gotta get more creative," Matt Goukas chimed in. "Iverson can't just rely on isolation plays all night. Run him through some pick-and-rolls. That'll give him cleaner looks and make the defense work."
Back on the court, the Knicks set up their offense. Zhao Dong took position in the left low post, with Charles Barkley hovering at the wing above him.
Both were legit superstar threats who could draw double-teams at any moment. If one got swarmed, the other would be wide open. Philly had already been burned by that duo earlier, so they switched up their defensive strategy. This time, Allen Iverson rotated down to double Zhao Dong.
And just like that—boom! Sprewell seized his chance. With Iverson leaving his man, the lane opened up. He slashed straight into the paint, cutting through the hole Iverson vacated. Zhao Dong saw it and fired the dime.
Sprewell caught it clean, dashed in behind Iverson and Karl Malone, and went for a lob finish over their center, who was patrolling the rim.
"Bang!"
The block king wasn't havin' any of that. He met Sprewell at the summit and sent that shot right back, making him eat glass.
Iverson snatched up the ball off the block and immediately took off. He pushed it up court, blazing into the paint on the fast break.
"Careful!"
The voice of Karl Malone rang from behind.
"Huh?!"
As Iverson went up for a layup, a massive hand came outta nowhere and smashed the ball off the backboard.
"BANG!"
Zhao Dong pinned it clean, catching it with one hand like he was palming a grapefruit. He came down with it, completely killing the fast break.
The Garden erupted.
"OH YEAH!"
"Zhao Dong with the highlight reel SWAT! He shut down the fast break and turned defense into offense!" The announcers lost their minds as the Garden shook.
Everyone scrambled in transition, rushing back toward the Knicks' end. Zhao Dong, ball in hand, sprinted up the right wing.
George Lynch tried to step up, but Zhao Dong stopped on a dime, froze him, then hit him with a mean crossover into the paint.
From the other wing, Karl Malone rotated over to meet him at the rim. But Zhao Dong was already in the air.
"BOOM!"
They collided midair.
Zhao Dong's raw power sent Malone flying, crashing down in the restricted area as Zhao thundered it down with a rim-rattling slam.
"BOOM! ZHAO DONG POSTERIZES THE MAILMAN!"
"HE JUST TOOK MALONE'S SOUL AT THE RIM!"
"NEW YORK IS ON FIRE!"
4–6, Knicks on top.
Philly didn't waste time. Iverson came right back, pulled up for a stop-and-pop mid-range jumper from the right side—money. Game tied.
Marv Albert jumped in again. "Iverson's mid-range game has taken a serious leap this season. Last year, he shot under 30% from that range. This season, he's up to 40%—that's a huge upgrade."
Matt nodded. "Yeah, that's an elite clip from the midrange. Interior shots are usually more efficient, but when your pull-up jumper is that consistent, you become nearly unguardable."
Back the other way, Zhao Dong answered right back. He banged down low, bullied through the double, and dropped in a soft hook.
By the 7th minute, the Knicks held a steady 5-point cushion, 13–18. Philly had to burn their second timeout of the quarter.
In those 8 minutes, Karl Malone and Iverson —dubbed the Email Combo—connected three times, converting two of those plays for 4 points.
Iverson was electric, using his quickness to score in multiple ways—layups, pull-ups, stop-and-go moves. He shot 3-of-5 from the field, 1-of-2 from the line, notching 7 points early.
But no matter what Philly tried, Sprewell just couldn't put the clamps on Iverson.
Almost all of Philly's buckets came from the Email Combo—Iverson and Malone—and their chemistry was on full display.
On defense, Zhao Dong was forced to deal with Malone down low, so he couldn't always rotate fast enough to help stop Iverson's drives, especially now that Iverson had added that deadly mid-range pull-up.
He tried to help across the paint, but with Iverson attacking on one end and Malone waiting for a pass on the other, it was a lose-lose situation.
Still, on the offensive end, Zhao Dong remained unstoppable. Philly switched to a zone and gave up double-teams outside the paint, but it didn't matter. His footwork, touch, and strength tore through the interior defense.
Thanks to his elite scoring efficiency, the Knicks' offense remained steady—and their lead held strong. Even if the Email Combo was effective, Zhao Dong was just better.
In seven minutes of action, Zhao Dong went 6-for-8 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line, racking up 14 points. Outside of one early miss from midrange, he dominated the low post—scoring 6 of 7 from down low. That's over 80% efficiency.
On NBC, Marv Albert broke it down: "Zhao Dong's low-post efficiency is insane. He's outpacing Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan—two of the best in the game."
Matt added, "Exactly. Let's look at the numbers.
Shaq's efficiency at the rim is ridiculous—43% of his shots come at the basket, 45% just near it. But when you add in the rest of his game, his total low-post efficiency sits around 60%. Overall FG%, 58%.
Duncan's game is more spread out. Only 25% of his shots are at the rim, 35% near it. He takes a lot more midrange—26.5%—and even some long twos—12.5%. That drags his overall FG% down to 50%.
Now, Zhao Dong? This is just his third season, and 75% of his offense is right in the trenches—either right at the rim or close to it. His efficiency? An insane 65%.
That means he's scoring on two outta three touches."
Marv finished it off: "We didn't have this level of data back in the day, so we don't know who the GOAT of post efficiency was in ancient basketball. But in modern NBA history? From the league to FIBA—Zhao Dong is #1. The god of low-post efficiency."
Matt Goukas continued his analysis from the booth. "Between the three, Zhao Dong is no doubt number one. Then you got Shaq, and finally Tim Duncan."
Marv Albert chimed in, "That's why when the Knicks go up against weaker squads, Zhao Dong tends to dish more. But when it's a tough matchup, he goes full throttle—because even with double teams, his efficiency's still higher than most of his teammates."
Timeout ended. The game was back on, and Philly had the ball.
"Oh! The Knicks made some changes. Big Ben and Barkley are out. Danny Fortson and Dazhi are in. Outside it's Hu Weidong and Charlie Ward, and Zhao Dong's still holding it down," Zhang Heli said courtside.
"Zhao Dong's built different. Iron man for real," Sun Zhenping added.
"Yo, Knicks just switched it up—they're running a 2-1-2 zone now!" Zhang Heli pointed out, surprised.
"How're they gonna guard Karl Malone like that?" Sun Zhenping questioned.
"Look, Fortson's on the left wing just like Malone. He's a wild dog on defense. He can hold it down. Just needs to stay outta foul trouble and not get T'd up," Zhang Heli replied.
On the court, Zhao Dong stood tall in the middle of the zone—Don Nelson plan. Zhao would anchor the paint and be ready to help on any drive, especially from Iverson.
Even though Zhao could dominate offensively, Don Nelson wasn't trying to trade buckets. The real key? Stop Iverson at the rim.
Iverson was moving off-ball on the right wing. He spotted Zhao lurking in the top of the paint and knew his path to the rack would be contested. But he wasn't backing down. The paint was his domain—it was how he won games. He couldn't rely on just jumpers and threes. Getting to the rim was the key.
The Sixers knew the Knicks had used this zone before in the regular season, and Coach Larry Brown had prepped some counters. But Brown wasn't known for offensive genius—his adjustment? Let the Email Combo (Iverson and Malone) work it out with inside-out play and quick ball movement.
As Iverson approached the lane, Zhao Dong rotated hard to the right wing. At the same time, Malone cut to the paint, swinging his iron elbows to keep Fortson off balance.
Classic Email Combo—Iverson draws the help, and Malone cleans up.
Iverson kicked the ball to Malone. Zhao Dong didn't bite—he stayed glued to Iverson, watching Malone go to work on Fortson just outside the restricted area.
Don Nelson's game plan was clear: let Malone shoot, but don't let Iverson in the paint. Karl's bread and butter was mid-range—66% of his shots came from there. Only 33% were near the rim, and his paint efficiency wasn't even that high. Just 37% from close. Ironically, his long twos had better numbers.
So the Knicks weren't sending help. Fortson just had to body up and contest.
"Bang!"
Malone led with an elbow, trying to bully Fortson, but the big man didn't budge. Eyes locked in, he braced for the contact.
Karl couldn't clear enough space and had to force it.
"Bang!"
Off the rim—and Zhao Dong snatched the board like it was nothing.
Knicks on the break.
Charlie Ward signaled the set. Dazhi and Fortson spaced out, pulling defenders away from the rim. Zhao Dong sprinted in off a screen from Dazhi. Ratliff switched over to help, which left Dazhi isolated on George Lynch near the left wing.
That's the beauty of playing with Zhao Dong—guys like Dazhi and Hu Weidong? They knew the rock would come if they had a mismatch.
Charlie Ward made the pass. Dazhi caught it clean, created a sliver of space, and pulled up.
Swish. Two more on the board.
Back on D, Malone slid to the right wing. Now it was Dazhi's turn to body him up.
Karl recognized him instantly. The last time they played, he caught more elbows than buckets. Dazhi's D wasn't elite, but the dude never backed down—and his height meant most of those elbows came for his face.
Iverson was now running on the left, trying to stay away from Zhao Dong's help range. So Philly gave the ball to Malone.
He caught it, lowered his shoulders, and glared down Dazhi.
"Bang!"
Malone went hard, slamming an elbow into Dazhi's chest.
"Ugh!"
Dazhi staggered a step back, clearly rattled.
Karl saw the opening, went straight into his jumper—but Dazhi recovered just in time, lunging forward and getting a hand up.
"Just hold on—!"
Zhang Heli shouted as the elbow landed, but his tone flipped quick: "He stuffed Karl Malone! What a stop!"
Hu Weidong swooped in, grabbed the loose ball, and took off.
Zhao Dong had already turned on the jets from the paint. By the time he hit the frontcourt, George Lynch was in the dust. Only defender left? Philly's point guard Eric Snow. But with Charlie Ward drawing him to the side, there was no way to stop Zhao.
At the arc, Hu Weidong stopped. He saw Zhao Dong crashing the lane—if he missed, Zhao had the board locked. So Hu let it fly from three.
There are two types of shooting guards.
The first kind? They don't think—just shoot. More relaxed, more accurate.
The second? They're killers when they've got defenders in their face—need pressure, need a hand up, need rhythm.
Hu Weidong belonged to that rare breed of players—the kind who could hit shots with their eyes closed once they found their rhythm. Not that it mattered much; the man was nearsighted anyway. But when he lost that feel? It was just like watching Kobe on an off night—shots clanking off the rim like bricks from a construction site.
"Splash!"
A beautiful three-pointer went in, drawing a cheer from the crowd.
"Nice one!" Sun Zhenping shouted with excitement.
"What a clean fast break," Zhang Heli added with a bright smile. "Even if that shot hadn't dropped, Zhao Dong was right there for the board."
End of First Quarter: Knicks 28, Sixers 19.
Zhang Heli picked up the stat sheet and broke it down with a grin.
"Zhao Dong played the full 12 minutes that quarter—scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He was perfect from the line, 3-for-3. He also pulled down 4 boards, dished out an assist, and added a block to his stat line."
He flipped through the shot chart. "Out of his 11 attempts, he only missed one three-pointer. The other 10 were all inside: two dunks, eight near the rim. Of those eight, three were jumpers from mid-range—he hit six in total. Still as efficient as ever."
Sun Zhenping nodded thoughtfully. "Coach Zhang, I thought Philly looked decent out there. How'd they end up down 9 so fast?"
Zhang Heli chuckled. "It's simple. Both teams played away from the basket, but Philly struggled more. Iverson had trouble getting inside with Ben Wallace and Karl Malone up front and Zhao Dong camping in the paint. That forced most of their offense to stay on the perimeter or around the edge. Meanwhile, Zhao Dong stayed in his sweet spots and converted efficiently. Philly just couldn't keep pace."
"So, if the Sixers want to make a comeback," Sun Zhenping said, "they'll need to break through the paint somehow."
"Exactly," Zhang Heli replied. "Iverson has to find a way to get inside. But here's the issue—Larry Brown doesn't exactly run a deep offensive playbook. And that 'Email Combo'—Iverson and Malone—while individually talented, isn't known for high-level tactics."
He waved the stat sheet. "Sure, they've been putting up 50 to 60 points together this season, but that's all raw skill and chemistry. Tactically? Not much there. Now take Coach Don Nelson, for example. When he faced the Bulls last season, he busted out that two-headed snake tactic that turned Zhao Dong into a matchup nightmare. That's real coaching."
---
On NBC Broadcast:
Marv Albert: "From a tactical standpoint, the Knicks are winning the battle inside. They've locked down the paint, while Philly hasn't figured out how to stop Zhao Dong's low-post game. Unless Larry Brown adjusts, this one might get out of hand."
Matt Goukas: "Defensively, Philly's actually done alright. The Mailman and Theo Ratliff have made it tough for Zhao Dong to get deep, forcing him to work from the edge of the paint. But here's the problem—Zhao's still torching them from there. His offensive efficiency is just unreal."
Marv Albert: "Right, this isn't really a failure of their defense—it's just that Zhao Dong's firepower is on another level."
Matt Goukas: "The league didn't implement the off-ball double-team rule this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets introduced next year. You almost need two guys trailing him at all times."
Marv Albert: "Agreed. And honestly, this just highlights what Zhao Dong said about Karl Malone—he doesn't have elite ball-handling or isolation ability. Once Zhao stopped guarding him and left it to Fordson, Malone couldn't create for himself."
Matt Goukas: "If Karl had even 70–80% of Jordan's off-the-dribble scoring, he could've punished Fordson and forced Zhao Dong to help, opening lanes for Iverson. But without that pressure, the Knicks can just clamp down on AI."
Marv Albert (laughing): "If Karl had that kind of handle, the Jazz might've built a dynasty with the Black and White Twins—and maybe Jordan would've been the one watching from home."
---
By the end of the third quarter, the Knicks were up by 20. The game was basically a wrap.
New York stayed consistent with their offense, while Philly, even with Iverson balling out, just couldn't close the efficiency gap. No matter how Larry Brown switched things up on defense, it didn't matter—the Knicks kept scoring, and the Sixers kept missing just enough to fall behind.
Five minutes into the fourth, Philly threw in the towel.
Final Score: Knicks 105, Sixers 85.
---
Player Stats:
Zhao Dong – 35 minutes, 20-of-28 shooting (71.4%), 0-of-1 from three, 9-of-9 FT, 49 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls.
Allen Iverson – 41 minutes, 12-of-25 shooting, 2-of-5 from three, 6-of-8 FT, 32 points, 5 assists.
Karl Malone – 41 minutes, 8-of-20 shooting, 7-of-8 FT, 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 blocks.
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