NBA: The Dynasty Crasher

On the Jan. 2, the Knicks took another L at home against the Hornets, racking up their 11th loss of the season.

Next up, they had the Mavericks at home on the 4th.

Then, at 3 PM on the 3rd, the Rockets rolled into New York, looking for payback.

But this wasn't the full-strength Houston squad. Barkley had gone down on the 17th of last month—just three days after facing the Knicks—with a torn left pelvis. Dude was out for at least a month, meaning he'd miss the All-Star Game too.

Zhao Dong was hoping to get a system task out of this matchup, but no dice. The system wasn't handing out any challenges this time.

Still, the Knicks got the last laugh in this one.

Unfortunately, Ewing tweaked his old injury during the game. It wasn't serious, but he had to sit out for a week, which meant no All-Star appearance for him.

By the evening of the 5th, Zhao Dong was sitting in a restaurant with his agent, Ringo Wells, having dinner.

Wells was proving to be a solid agent. His rep in New York was climbing, and he had locked in some decent local endorsements for Zhao Dong, pulling in about $2 million. After taxes, half of that was his to keep.

But instead of just stacking cash, Zhao Dong had a bigger play in mind.

In his past life, he played it safe. But in this one? He wanted the thrill.

The 1997 Asian financial crisis was about to hit. February was right around the corner, and he could see the cracks forming. There was an opportunity to make a bet on it.

After Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea would get hit next. Plenty of ways to make a move.

But when it came to Hong Kong? That was off-limits. Profiting off a national crisis? Not his style.

"You tryna get into forex trading?"

Wells almost spit out his drink when he heard Zhao Dong's plan.

"Relax, I just need you to find me a reliable broker," Zhao Dong grinned.

"You even know what you're doing?" Wells raised a brow.

"I've studied it. I got the basics down," Zhao Dong said with a confident smirk.

Wells went on about the risks of forex trading, especially for someone new to the game. But seeing Zhao Dong's determination, he eventually sighed and nodded.

Truth was, financial investments were common as hell in the U.S. As long as he wasn't putting his entire fortune on the line, it wasn't the end of the world.

"How much you throwing in?" Wells asked.

"Two mil," Zhao Dong answered casually.

"Damn, you really going big, huh?"

Wells' face twitched. He knew Zhao Dong's net worth, and this was basically all his money outside of his salary.

"That's the fun part," Zhao Dong shrugged. "My salary's locked in. Worst-case scenario, I still get paid. No biggie."

Wells shook his head. "As far as I know, you're the first NBA player to gamble on forex. You got some serious balls, man."

"Relax, I'm not going all in. I'm only putting up one mil and keeping the other half as a cushion. That way, if the market moves a little, I won't get liquidated. As long as I read the trends right, the risk ain't that crazy."

Wells just shook his head. This whole thing was out of his league.

On Jan 6, the Knicks played their last game before All-Star Weekend, taking down the struggling Spurs at home and improving to 37-11.

Then, on the 7th, Zhao Dong, Oakley, Larry Johnson, and the squad boarded a flight to Cleveland.

This was gonna be a memorable All-Star Weekend.

The first big highlight? Jordan was about to drop the first triple-double in All-Star Game history. But despite that, the All-Star MVP was gonna go to Glen Rice.

Second? Rice was about to go nuclear, dropping 20 points in a single quarter—breaking Hal Greer's 1968 record of 19—and scoring 24 in the second half, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain's record of 23.

Zhao Dong was ready for whatever came his way.

Knowing Jordan, he expected some shade coming his way during the game.

Back in MJ's first All-Star appearance, Isiah Thomas and the vets froze him out, limiting him to just 7 points on 2-of-9 shooting. Jordan never forgot that and got his revenge later.

Now, with Zhao Dong and Jordan already beefing, if MJ didn't try to mess with him, it'd be a damn miracle. But expecting Jordan to let things go? That was wishful thinking. They were both cut from the same cloth—neither of them were the forgiving type.

On the night of the 8th, the Three-Point Contest went down first, with Steve Kerr taking the title.

Then came the Dunk Contest.

Bang!

In the finals, Kobe tried a switch-hand dunk but botched it, crashing to the floor.

Zhao Dong and Ewing were sitting courtside, watching Kobe get back up. Zhao Dong smirked and called out, "Yo, Kobe, wanna bet?"

Kobe looked over, confused. "What kind of bet?"

Zhao Dong chuckled. "I bet you'll win this thing. The loser has to let the other hit a three-pointer over them in a real game—no contesting, just defense with your eyes."

"Haha!" Oakley and the crew cracked up.

Kobe laughed too. "Zhao, I'd love to see you win, but that bet ain't it."

Zhao Dong just nodded, letting it go.

Looking at Kobe—just 18 years old, still rocking a full head of hair—Zhao Dong felt ancient by comparison, even though he was only 15 months older.

He already knew how this was gonna end. This was the only Dunk Contest Kobe ever entered, and he was gonna take the crown with a between-the-legs slam.

Some people would later call it the worst Dunk Contest in history, but a win was a win.

Sure enough, twenty seconds later, Kobe nailed the move and took home the trophy.

Next up was the Rookie Challenge.

Back then, it wasn't the classic Rookies vs. Sophomores format yet. Instead, it was East vs. West, with nine rookies on each squad.

The East squad featured Iverson, Zhao Dong, Marcus Camby, and others, coached by Red Holzman.

The West squad had Rahim, Marbury, Kobe, and more, led by the legendary Red Auerbach.

Zhao Dong remembered this game well. Kobe went off for 31 points, putting on a show, but Iverson still took home the MVP with 19 points and 9 assists.

Zhao Dong wasn't too invested in the game. No system mission meant he was just there for the vibes.

He mainly played defense, finishing with 10 points and 10 boards in 28 minutes, helping the East squad take the W.

Iverson snagged MVP as expected, leaving Kobe's effort unrewarded.

Then, on the 9th, it was time for the All-Star Game.

Eastern Conference All-Stars:

Michael Jordan

Anfernee Hardaway

Grant Hill

Dikembe Mutombo (starting in place of Ewing)

Zhao Dong

Glen Rice

Vin Baker

Terrell Brandon

Tim Hardaway

Christian Laettner

Joe Dumars

Chris Webber

Western Conference All-Stars:

Hakeem Olajuwon

Karl Malone (starting in place of Barkley)

Shawn Kemp

Gary Payton

John Stockton

Latrell Sprewell

Detlef Schrempf

Eddie Jones

Mitch Richmond

Tom Gugliotta

Chris Gatling

Kevin Garnett

With Barkley and Shaq both out due to injuries, Karl Malone slid into the starting five for the West.

On the East, Mutombo filled in for Ewing.

It was set to be a hell of a showdown.

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