Chapter 8

In the first four minutes of the first quarter, Zhou Yi had a solid performance, scoring 5 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, providing 2 assists, and stealing 1 ball, with no turnovers or fouls. Yi Jianlian also did well during his time on the court, hitting both of his shots to score 4 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, and recording 1 block—this single block was directed at Zhou Yi. Additionally, Walton’s performance deserves mention. He played the entire first quarter, scoring 11 points with a high shooting percentage, along with 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Of course, the downside was that Walton made 3 turnovers. If he could overcome this issue, he would be even stronger.

Before long, the second quarter was about to begin. The players from both teams were heading onto the court, but Walton was not there; instead, he sat on the Wizards’ bench resting. There were slight changes in the lineups compared to those that played in the end of the first quarter.

Wizards: Yi Jianlian, Kattil Martin, Kevin Seraphin, Sinrich, and Nick Young; Pistons: Zhou Yi, McGrady, Bynum, Daye, and Monroe.

The game started with the Pistons in possession. Zhou Yi clenched his fists, making a cracking sound, and slowly moved forward after receiving the ball. McGrady took the ball, drove past defenders, and passed it to Bynum, who tried to shoot but missed. Yi Jianlian grabbed the defensive rebound.

Sinrich was in great form tonight; after dribbling to the front court, he immediately hit a three-pointer. Opposing Zhou Yi was Nick Young, whose offense was fierce but whose defense was far from impressive. Zhou Yi easily bypassed Nick Young and then scored 2 points with a jump shot.

It was again Sinrich, who scored by driving to the basket despite Bynum’s defense. Zhou Yi gave Bynum an encouraging look as he watched Bynum’s frustrated expression, then dribbled to organize the team’s offense.

Perhaps inspired, Bynum actively moved around the court. Zhou Yi kept an eye on everything. After getting rid of Nick Young’s interference, he quickly rushed toward the Wizards’ interior, and Sinrich, who was defending Bynum, immediately came to help. Zhou Yi smirked and passed the ball skillfully to Bynum, who didn’t hesitate and shot from beyond the three-point line—swish—the ball went straight into the net.

“I thought it wouldn’t go in!” Bynum muttered to himself.

Zhou Yi ran over, high-fived Bynum, and quickly returned to defend.

In the following minutes, Yi Jianlian and Zhou Yi truly became the stars of the game.

After receiving Sinrich’s perfect pass, Yi Jian leaped into the air, dunked with both hands, and as the ball went in, the referee’s whistle blew—Daye was called for a foul, resulting in a free throw. Without hesitation, Yi Jian exhaled sharply and made the free throw, turning a two-plus-one into a three.

Zhou Yi dribbled at the top of the key, with Monroe moving to the high post to set a screen for him. Zhou Yi dashed into the Wizards’ paint area like lightning and completed a thunderous dunk over Seraphin. This dunk once again stirred excitement among the fans.

“This guy is really missing out by not competing in this season’s dunk contest.”
“Yes, his dunks are as shocking as lightning, yet sometimes they’re as graceful as willow fluff—nothing short of a condensed version of T-MAC.”
“If he enters this season’s dunk contest, I’ll definitely support him.”
……

Zhou Yi, of course, couldn’t hear the fans’ comments. Right now, he was focused on defending Nick Young. Nick Young was a classic player who truly knew how to use mid-range shots, capable of using a series of spins, feints, and drives to create space for his shots. He also had a good sense of movement without the ball, was skilled at using screens, and had a solid ability to shoot immediately after receiving the ball. A creative player who could easily execute some difficult shots, he could extend his range beyond the three-point line and still drive to score.

But at that moment, Nick Young couldn’t leverage his advantages at all because he was being defended by Zhou Yi. Nick Young was very frustrated, thinking to himself, “This guy is like a stubborn sticker—really annoying.” In fact,Volker also felt the same way, as did Jennings, who had faced Zhou Yi before.

Nick Young was also an extremely smart player with high basketball IQ, especially when it came to offense. After several feints, he finally managed to distract Zhou Yi, who grew impatient. Nick Young was delighted and quickly shot a mid-range shot. Without Zhou Yi’s interference, the ball smoothly made it through the hoop.

But in the subsequent attacks, Zhou Yi learned from his mistake and didn’t fall for it again. With no chance to score, Nick Young had to pass the ball to his other teammates.

Zhou Yi drove with the ball, while McGrady moved to the high post. After receiving Zhou Yi’s pass, McGrady shot and made it. Sinrich passed the ball to Yi Jian, who was lurking outside the three-point line, and he shot a three-pointer, hitting it. Zhou Yi moved without the ball, received a pass from McGrady, and also made a jump shot. He had practiced this skill for quite some time, so his accuracy was quite good now.

There was Yi Jianlian again; after setting up a pick-and-roll for Martin, he quickly rushed back to the paint. Seeing Martin’s high throw, he leaped high and dunked with both hands, completing an alley-oop. This shot became one of the top ten shots of the day. Of course, that’s for later.

Madison drove with the ball, dodged Seraphin’s defense, and attempted a layup from far away, but missed. At that moment, two players reached for the rebound—one in the Pistons’ No. 37 jersey and the other in the Wizards’ No. 31 jersey—both Zhou Yi and Yi Jianlian. They fought for the rebound in mid-air, and perhaps thanks to Yi Jianlian’s upper-body strength and height, he managed to grab it. He quickly passed the ball to Sinrich, but Zhou Yi was quick-witted, snatching the ball away instantly. Then, before the Wizards could react, he jumped up and dunked with both hands. Undoubtedly, this shot also made it into the day’s top ten shots.

In the stands, the fans became excited and cheered for Zhou Yi in unison. Some even called out “MVP” to him.

Bynum was amused by Zhou Yi and said with a smile, “You said you didn’t like to perform? It’s strange—why do you, as a point guard, have such a strong desire to perform?”

Zhou Yi remained calm, patted Bynum, and signaled him to go back and defend. Bynum shrugged helplessly and quickly retreated with Zhou Yi to defend.

Nick Young received a pass from his teammate, immediately tried to shoot, but Zhou Yi blocked the shot. However, Yi Jianlian was faster, grabbing the ball before Zhou Yi could. He passed the ball to the outside, where Martin attempted a three-pointer but missed again. Yi Jianlian grabbed another rebound in the front court, drove past Monroe’s defense, and scored a layup, also drawing a defensive foul from Monroe.

Kuster shook his head and quickly called a timeout. At that point, there were 5 minutes left in the first half, and both Sanders and Kuster wanted to make adjustments to their lineups.

After those seven minutes, Zhou Yi felt tired and went to the bench. He took a drink handed to him by a staff member, gulped down several large sips, then used a towel to wipe his sweat.