The Trail Blazers returned to Portland high-spirited, having taken two straight road wins in the Western Conference Finals. A massive crowd of fans greeted them at the airport, waving banners and shouting Zhao Dong's name in unison.
That same night, the Nets defeated the Bulls, taking a 3–1 lead and putting themselves one win away from the Finals. Suddenly, every sports outlet across China exploded with anticipation. The media began hyping a potential showdown: Zhao Dong vs. Yao Ming—the ultimate Chinese Finals derby.
The storyline wrote itself. Zhao Dong was the undisputed leader and engine of the Trail Blazers, while Yao Ming was the tactical core of the Nets' offense. Both were at the center of their respective teams' systems. The hype? Completely justified.
---
May 29 — Game 5, Western Conference Finals
With elimination looming, the Lakers came out swinging. Their offense? Relentless. Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson dominated the paint, pushing hard to extend the series.
The Blazers, riding too high from their earlier wins, looked rattled. Even Zhao Dong's efficiency dipped. Shots rimmed out, turnovers crept in, and before they knew it, the Lakers clawed their way back into the series.
3–2.
Still match point Blazers, but the nerves were kicking in—Paul Allen included.
The media immediately shifted narratives, now hyping the "super center duo" of O'Neal and Robinson, who combined for a staggering 65 points. Questions began surfacing. Could Portland close it out?
---
May 30 — Arrival in L.A.
The Trail Blazers landed in Los Angeles just after noon. After a quick lunch, they held a closed-door tactical meeting. Coaches reiterated matchups, players voiced concerns, and morale was rebuilt. The war room energy was intense. They knew what was at stake.
Later that evening, the Nets put the Bulls away, officially punching their ticket to the NBA Finals.
After the game, Yao Ming gave Zhao Dong a call.
"Brother Dong, I'll see you in the Finals."
"Looking forward to it, man," Zhao Dong replied with a grin.
---
May 31 — Game 6, Western Conference Finals
Before tip-off, Charles Barkley spoke to the press with confidence.
"I like the Blazers tonight. The Lakers' starters are spent. Shaq and David Robinson? Their tanks are empty."
Barkley wasn't bluffing.
Zhao Dong came out with fire. First quarter? Dominant. Second quarter? Unstoppable. He dropped 33 points in just twelve minutes and finished the half with 51. The Lakers had no answer. Their legs were gone, and their spirit followed.
By halftime, it was over.
Zhao Dong ended the night with 81 points, breaking his own playoff scoring record. The Blazers clinched Game 6 and knocked out the star-studded Lakers to advance to the NBA Finals.
After the final buzzer, Zhao Dong stood at center court, surrounded by cameras, and said calmly:
"Whether David Robinson made the right choice… that was up to me."
Just off to the side, Robinson passed by, his face etched with regret.
"Sigh..."
The Admiral shook his head, muttering under his breath. He knew he had made the wrong move. Had he signed with Portland instead of L.A., they'd likely have swept the series. He'd be in the Finals right now—championship odds? Over 90%.
Near the tunnel, Shaq stood drained, Kobe by his side. Both looked back at the celebration on the court.
Their faces said it all: frustration, doubt, and maybe even a little fear about the future.
"Will Robinson stay?"
"Can we run it back?"
---
Behind the Scenes — Lakers' Front Office
Later that night, after sending off Paul Allen, Lakers owner Jerry Buss made a late call to GM Jerry West.
"What's the plan for the future, Jerry?"
West paused, rubbing his temple. The exhaustion showed.
"Shaq's still the only big man who can match Zhao Dong's efficiency. And Kobe's entering his prime. I say we stay centered on the OK duo... but we need depth."
Buss nodded.
"You're right. We didn't lose to Zhao Dong—we lost to their bench. They had two lineups; we only had one."
West added, "But to build a bench like that, we need to invest."
"Then invest," Buss said without hesitation. "I want our bench to be starting caliber—just like theirs."
Operating income wasn't a problem. The Lakers had the L.A. market locked, with the Clippers being little more than an afterthought. As long as they remained contenders, the revenue, broadcast rights, and brand power would fuel a self-sustaining cycle.
Winning a title? That would be ideal.
But if not… well, the league still had Zhao Dong.
---
June 1 — Back in Portland
The Trail Blazers touched down in Portland with a few days of rest ahead. Game 1 of the NBA Finals would be on the 5th.
Zhao Dong, though, wasn't thrilled about the break. He wanted to ride their momentum. More importantly, like the Lakers, the Nets lacked bench depth. Rest would only help the underdogs.
But the Nets were no pushovers.
Like the Lakers, they had a dominant frontcourt duo—but of a different breed. Duncan didn't own the paint like Shaq, but his mid-range touch was surgical, shooting over 50% from the elbow and over 70% around the rim. Yao Ming added range, stretching defenses out to the three-point line, and held a more versatile tactical role than Robinson.
Together, they were just as dangerous.
---
During the downtime, Zhao Dong spent his mornings at home with his four sons, now ten months old and bursting with energy. In the afternoons, he was back in the gym, locked in with his team.
The quadruplets could already walk—and talk. Barely a moment passed without chaos erupting somewhere in the house.
Just that morning, a phone call distracted him for a second. In that brief window, the second son was on the ground crawling, and the youngest, Zhao Rongxing, leapt onto his back, yelling incoherently as if riding a horse. Within seconds, the two were wrestling, and then the eldest and third joined in.
Zhao Dong shook his head, amused.
"Rongxing, you got beat up again? You always bully your brothers and still lose."
Just then, the phone rang again—this time a call from home.
He answered quickly.
"Dongdong, your sister-in-law gave birth. It's a boy," said his mother, Li Meizhu.
"Another boy?" Zhao Dong sounded almost disappointed.
"Only 5.6 jin," she added. "Too light. Xu Qing keeps being picky with food. I told her, but she won't listen."
Zhao Dong chuckled.
"It's fine. As long as he's healthy. Rongxing's the youngest and he's already taller than his brothers. And listen—he's the one screaming loudest right now."
Meizhu's voice softened.
"It's been half a year. They were only three months old when I left. Now they're ten months. I miss my grandsons so much. Dongdong, promise me you'll come back after the Finals. Your father and I talk about it every day."
"I will, I will. As soon as the Finals are over, I'm coming back," Zhao Dong promised.
On the morning of June 4th, the league officially announced this season's All-NBA teams.
First up was the All-Defensive Teams.
Second Team: Bruce Bowen, P.J. Brown, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Shaquille O'Neal.
First Team: Zhao Dong, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, and Dikembe Mutombo.
Zhao Dong being selected as a First Team All-Defensive guard meant he had taken Gary Payton's usual spot. With that, the Glove had to settle for the second team this year.
Shortly after, the All-NBA Teams were announced.
Third Team: Mutombo, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki, Ray Allen, and Gary Payton.
Seeing the lineup, Zhao Dong immediately called Yao.
"Yao, congratulations! You made the All-NBA Second Team!" Zhao Dong said, his voice full of genuine joy.
"The Second Team's out already?" Yao Ming sounded nervous. He had been anxiously awaiting the announcement.
"You'll see it for yourself in a few minutes." Zhao Dong chuckled.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, the league officially announced the Second Team: Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Kobe Bryant.
Three of the top shooting guards had landed here. Zhao Dong could already guess that Allen Iverson had secured a spot on the First Team.
As for Yao, considering he was up against a prime Shaquille O'Neal, making the Second Team was a huge accomplishment in itself.
His hunch proved right.
The All-NBA First Team was: Zhao Dong, Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O'Neal.
Zhao Dong and Duncan were this year's biggest winners, both being selected to the First Team in both All-NBA and All-Defensive honors.
In terms of performance, Yao's numbers weren't far off from Duncan's, especially with the Nets. But Duncan being a power forward gave him a slight positional edge.
---
At around 3:00 p.m., the Nets arrived in Portland.
That evening, Zhao Dong hosted a dinner at the team hotel for the Nets' Big Three—Yao Ming, Stephon Marbury, and Tim Duncan.
As the four sat down, naturally, the conversation drifted to their Finals opponents—the Blazers.
Zhao Dong sipped his tea like a philosopher about to drop a truth bomb. "I bet it's gonna be tough for the Lakers to keep their current roster intact."
Yao raised an eyebrow. "I heard the Admiral joined them on a vet minimum. With the Lakers' deep pockets, they should be able to run it back, right?"
Marbury leaned in. "That depends. If they want to beat us next year, they'll have to strengthen. If they don't, guys might start walking."
"Strengthen? You think it's that easy?" Zhao Dong sneered.
"Hey," Marbury grinned mischievously, "they could always poach someone from your Blazers. Just flash some big contracts and your starters might jump ship."
Pfft!
Yao Ming and Duncan both burst out laughing.
Zhao Dong gave Marbury a death stare. "Careful, or they might poach someone from your team instead."
Duncan chuckled. "We've got nothing worth stealing on our bench."
"Tim, stop laughing," Zhao Dong said, mock-annoyed.
"Why?" Duncan looked confused.
"Just stop. Smile one more time, I dare you."
Duncan blinked, unsure what was going on. Still, he obediently smiled again.
"See? Look how pervy his smile is!" Zhao Dong said, wearing a disgusted expression.
Puchi—Ha ha ha!
Marbury and Yao doubled over laughing.
Duncan froze. He didn't know whether to keep smiling or slap someone.
---
After dinner, Zhao Dong left for the Rose Garden. The others headed back to the Nets' team bus to prepare.
On the ride over, Marbury turned to the others. "Yao, you think we got a shot this year?"
That simple question hit a nerve. Yao and Duncan instantly perked up.
Since Zhao Dong entered the league, the championship trophy hadn't left his hands. If they could dethrone him this time, their status as the league's elite would skyrocket.
But as the excitement faded, Yao sighed bitterly. "Brother Dong took down O'Neal and David Robinson. Our road… it's not gonna be easy."
"I still believe we've got a chance," Duncan said, eyes burning with quiet resolve.
"Yeah," Yao and Marbury nodded. They didn't say more, but the tension was obvious.
Zhao Dong cast a long shadow, one they couldn't ignore.
Truthfully, the Nets' Big Three knew their chances weren't great. But saying that out loud would crush team morale before tip-off.
Especially for Yao and Duncan, the issue was clear: their perimeter defense just couldn't match the Blazers' elite wings.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had failed to contain Zhao Dong. What hope did Marbury and the current Nets wings have?
If the perimeter broke down, all the pressure would fall on the two bigs inside.
The more they thought about it, the less excited they felt. What remained was an enormous sense of pressure.
---
7:30 p.m., Rose Garden Arena
The arena was rocking—completely sold out.
Every seat was filled with a home fan wearing the official championship T-shirt, courtesy of the team's Finals gift packs. The air buzzed with energy.
Inside the Blazers' locker room, Coach Larry Bird gathered the team to announce the starting lineup. No changes. Same five that took down the Lakers.
Brian Grant was fired up. Early in the season, he had lost his starting power forward spot. But as the team settled into their physical inside-focused playstyle, he'd clawed his way back.
Now, not only was he starting in the Finals—he had a chance to win it all as the team's main power forward. His legacy was on the line.
Even more excited than him was O'Neal.
Last season, he'd barely cracked the rotation. Now, he was the team's starting center in the NBA Finals. Talk about a glow-up.
Too bad he had just signed a new deal—three years, $19 million—which suddenly felt like peanuts. Especially when Zhao Dong was on a one-year, max-value contract.
If they won the title, his value would skyrocket. The next contract in two years? Max salary or bust.
---
After the lineup announcement, the players prepared to head out for warmups.
But before anyone could stand, Zhao Dong rose and walked to the center of the room.
The energy in the room shifted immediately. Everyone's eyes locked on him.
He stood still for a second, then flashed that familiar confident smile.
"Guys," he said calmly, "we're about to start the Finals. I'm gonna put some pressure on you."
"Boss, don't crush Jermaine!" Fordson yelled, grinning.
"I won't!" O'Neal panicked. "I don't wanna lose my spot!"
Zhao Dong smirked. "Alright, shut up and listen."
"We split 1–1 with the Nets in the regular season," he said, locking eyes with each starter. "But that was just chess—feeling each other out. Now it's war."
"Do you believe we can beat the Nets?"
"Hell yeah, Boss!"
Fordson shouted. Marion followed.
Zhao Dong nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then listen closely."
He paused, his tone sharpening.
"In these Finals… I want us to sweep them."
Silence. Total shock.
Even Bird and the assistant coaches blinked in disbelief.
Zhao Dong glanced around. "Too much pressure?"
"No, Boss, I can take it!" Fordson roared.
"Me too!" Marion echoed.
Zhao Dong laughed. "That's what I like to hear."
"The Nets? They're not even as dangerous as the Lakers. If we can't sweep them, we don't deserve to be called dominant. But if we do…"
He raised his fist.
"Then everyone will know who the real kings of this league are."
"Sweep the Nets!" Fordson roared, standing up.
"Sweep the Nets!!" the team echoed, voices rising.
The Blazers' locker room exploded into a frenzy of hype and confidence. The tone was set.
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