NBA: The Dynasty Crasher

Chapter 12: Sniping Iverson

"Niel, are you out of your damn mind? You didn't tell me about this signing?" the Knicks owner barked into the phone.

"Boss, $10 million is barely half of what Jordan makes in a year. We're investing in the future here..." Grant tried to explain.

"Is this kid even worth a fraction of Jordan's value?" The Knicks owner cut him off with a roar, his frustration evident.

"Boss, he's not Jordan, I'll give you that, but I genuinely believe he's the hidden gem of this year's draft. His performance so far has been almost on par with Iverson's..." Grant continued, trying to defend his decision.

"Better hope this doesn't turn into a damn joke," the owner muttered, before slamming the phone down.

Grant rubbed his temple, knowing full well his boss wasn't happy with him. Right now, what he needed most was for Zhao Dong to show up and back up that hefty contract on the court.

Later that evening, the Knicks were set to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers at home. As game time got closer, the media were all over Zhao Dong's signing.

"Congrats to the Knicks for signing the No. 1 pick that no one wanted," one headline from New York Daily read.

"Zhao Dong: I'm the Knicks' pride. Let's hope this isn't a joke," said another from New York Sports News.

Inside the Knicks' locker room, the media frenzy was the talk of the day.

Not everyone was happy about Zhao Dong's contract. Some of the players saw it as a threat to their own spot on the team.

"This is fucking ridiculous," Larry Johnson grumbled. Still recovering from an injury, he was forced to suit up for the game. He was the most vocal about his opposition to Zhao Dong's contract, feeling that Zhao Dong's playing style mirrored his own and could overshadow his position on the team.

"Yeah, he just got lucky," John Wallace added bitterly. Wallace wasn't thrilled about Zhao Dong's deal, especially since the undrafted player was now getting more money than the No. 18 pick in the first round. Wallace also feared Zhao Dong's rise would push him out of the team.

Alan Houston, usually quiet, couldn't help but feel some resentment. His rookie contract with the Pistons had been a measly $2.28 million for three years, a far cry from the deal Zhao Dong had just inked.

Zhao Dong, on the other hand, wasn't fazed. His focus was locked on the game ahead.

After two games, the system issued another game-related task.

Champion-Level Sniper Mission:

Mission options for this game:

1. Block future superstar Allen Iverson 5 times.

2. Steal from Allen Iverson 3 times.

3. Stop Iverson from scoring 15 points.

4. Score 20+ points with a shooting percentage of 50% or higher.

5. Record a double-double in rebounds.

Mission reward: 3 skill points.

Tip: The host must complete the above two task options before receiving the reward. Tip: If the host completes all the task options, they will receive a blank gold medal skill template.

Continuous Game Mission: "In the next five games, the host must consistently achieve 20+5+5 or 20+10 stats to earn 10 attribute points."

The difficulty had definitely stepped up. Last time, against Joe Smith, the task was to prevent him from scoring double digits. Now, against Iverson, the challenge was to keep him under 15 points—including his off-court scoring. Blocking Iverson five times? Damn near impossible. The mission had definitely raised the stakes, and the system wasn't pulling any punches.

"Allen Iverson, a damn superstar. Too bad he'll never win a championship. But I'm sure I'll get plenty of missions against him in the future," Zhao Dong muttered to himself.

Just then, Coach Van Gundy entered the locker room and announced the starting lineup. With Larry Johnson still working his way back from injury, Zhao Dong would be starting again.

"Zhao Dong, you need to shut down Iverson's drive. That kid's got the fastest first step in the league. Don't let him tear through our defense," Van Gundy barked, laying out the game plan.

The game was being broadcast live across the U.S. on TNT, and CCTV was also airing it live. This was the first time Zhao Dong's game would be shown to the Chinese audience in real time.

"Shocking—an undrafted player is worth the Knicks paying a No. 1 contract?" Matt exclaimed during the TNT live broadcast.

"This means the Knicks are committing a lot of resources to train Zhao Dong, guaranteeing more minutes and more shots for him," Bill Walton added.

"Bill, do you think he actually deserves such a deal?" Matt asked, clearly skeptical.

"Let's compare him to the second pick, Marcus Camby," Bill Walton suggested, shaking up the conversation.

"Camby's deal is even bigger than Iverson's. In his last game against the Nuggets, he started and played 33 minutes, scoring 26 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and recording 6 turnovers and 3 fouls. In his most recent game against the Digital team, he again started and played 31 minutes, scoring 23 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 4 turnovers, and 5 fouls."

"When you look at the stats, Zhao Dong isn't falling behind on either offense or defense," Bill Walton concluded.

"You're seriously backing Zhao Dong?" Matt asked, surprised.

"Based on what we've seen, yeah. But the sample size is too small to make a final call," Bill Walton said with a laugh.

Matt nodded, then said, "The Knicks' next game is against the Raptors. Zhao Dong will get a chance to face off with Camby. We'll see how they stack up."

"That's gonna be interesting," Bill Walton agreed.

On CCTV, Zhang Li spoke to the camera. "Tonight, Zhao Dong faces off with Iverson, the No. 1 pick. Next round, he'll go up against the No. 2 pick, Camby. I hope he does well."

Sun Zhenping added, "Zhao Dong has already outperformed Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who came off the bench for the Grizzlies. Zhao Dong's strength is undeniable. In his next three games, he'll face off against the No. 1 pick, the No. 2 pick, and more. The pressure's on."

"It's fine," Zhang Li said with a grin. "Zhao Dong's been through a lot—two years of NCAA experience, no agent, handling everything himself. He can take it. He's got the skills."

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