Chapter 15

Before the start of the second quarter, both teams made some lineup adjustments. In the Thunder, Nenad Kostić replaced Jeff Green, while in the Pistons, Villanueva took over as the power forward, with Hansbrough playing center instead.

The Pistons received the ball, and Zhou Yi took charge of organizing the offense. Zhou Yi broke through from the baseline, with Eric Meno closely guarding him. After turning around, he entered the three-second area and passed the ball to Hansbrough. After catching it, Hansbrough used Kostić as a screen before driving to the basket and scoring.

Meno is a pure point guard, though he can also play shooting guard. His physical strength is similar to Zhou Yi’s, so Zhou Yi doesn’t find it difficult to defend him. Meno drove and passed the ball, benefiting Green, who immediately shot a jump shot and scored.

While dribbling, Zhou Yi calmly analyzed Meno’s playing style. Once in the front court, he passed the ball to McGrady, who broke through and passed it to Hansbrough inside. Hansbrough didn’t rush to attack but dribbled while using his body to shield himself from Kostić, then made a smooth pass to Villanueva on the other side. Villanueva, playing as a power forward, was matched up against Jeff Green. Pressing against Green, Villanueva suddenly turned and took a backdoor jump shot, also scoring.

From the start of the second quarter until now, neither team has missed a shot, showing high offensive efficiency. However, this also indicates that both teams’ defenses are not very strong.

McGrady took the ball and organized the offense, while Zhou Yi moved around to find an open spot. Suddenly, McGrady twisted his wrist sideways, sending the ball straight toward Zhou Yi, who was rushing inside. Meno quickly followed, while Kostić and Green prepared to help defend. But Zhou Yi didn’t catch the ball; instead, he deflected it, causing it to go behind Kostić and into Hansbrough’s hands. Kostić was shocked and quickly turned to try to block Hansbrough. Unfortunately, it was too late. Everything happened in an instant, and Hansbrough, without hesitation, jumped and scored with a two-handed dunk.

Whistle! A clear sound echoed through the Auburn Hills Palace of Auburn Hills, but it wasn’t due to a player committing a foul—instead, a player on the court fell injured. The referee immediately stopped the game. Brooks promptly called a timeout. Thunder’s interior player, Kostić, was curled up on the floor in pain, clutching his left knee tightly. He had previously suffered a torn ACL in that knee, which had mostly healed but still caused concern. This scene on the court immediately worried everyone on the Thunder team, especially Brooks.

Zhou Yi saw everything clearly. Earlier, Kostić hadn’t been attacked by anyone; rather, while trying to block Hansbrough’s dunk, he accidentally hit Hansbrough’s right knee while landing, though Hansbrough didn’t feel any discomfort.

At that time, just over two minutes had passed in the second quarter. The Thunder had been in strong form throughout the game, leading from the first quarter and still holding a 9-point advantage. Although it was only a 9-point lead, it made the Thunder’s head coach and players believe victory was within reach. But now, as they tried to widen their lead, losing such a key player cast a shadow over the game.

The Thunder already lacked tall players, and now with Kostić injured, Brooks sighed helplessly and said to Ibaka beside him, “Sergei, you play next.”

Ibaka nodded and headed straight onto the court.

The game resumed with the Thunder in possession. Eric Meno couldn’t help but sigh, thinking to himself, “This game is going to be tough.”

It wasn’t just Meno who thought this way—almost everyone on the Thunder team shared the same feeling. Meno dribbled across half-court, accelerating to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He saw Ibaka charge into the paint from the wing and quickly passed the ball to him. Ibaka tried to lay it up immediately but missed, and Zhou Yi grabbed the rebound.

Zhou Yi took control of the offense and passed the ball to McGrady on the left wing. McGrady dribbled, constantly observing the situation on the court. Suddenly, he took a step back with a backspin move. Leveraging his experience and skills, he faced James Harden, slightly tilting his body and bending down to lower his center of gravity. Before he even made a move, he already made Harden nervous.

Snap! McGrady suddenly sped up his dribbling, leaning forward sharply and taking a big step forward with his right foot.

Already feeling nervous, James Harden instinctively took a step back. For him, it was almost enough to prevent McGrady from getting an easy shooting opportunity, so he immediately chose to defend him. But he still made a mistake! McGrady bent his back again abruptly, like an arrow, speeding past Harden’s left side into the three-point line, stopping sharply near the right side of the free-throw line, and easily hitting a jump shot. This time, his teammates created ample space for him—what an easy shot! Bang! Jeff Green’s shot missed, and Austin Daye quickly grabbed the rebound and passed it to Zhou Yi. Without hesitation, Zhou Yi threw the ball directly to McGrady, who was speeding up on the left wing. McGrady drove hard, quickly meeting up with the Thunder’s defensive line, and once again chose to pass the ball to Zhou Yi, who was closing in. Zhou Yi accelerated his breakthrough, and Harden, who was defending McGrady, quickly stepped back to defend Zhou Yi. But Zhou Yi didn’t do that instead; he leaned back against Harden and passed the ball to McGrady, who was lurking outside the three-point line. Whoosh! After catching the ball at the top of the three-point arc, McGrady immediately took a three-point shot. James Harden, standing behind Zhou Yi, could only pray the ball wouldn’t go in—but contrary to his wishes, the ball swished through the net. McGrady lowered his right hand after shooting and high-fived Zhou Yi, then shrugged helplessly at the inexperienced young player guarding him. Harden wasn’t willing to give up. His scouting report described him as a leader with strong ability to control the game, so he quickly countered. After receiving a pass from Mayo, Harden used his strong frame to press against McGrady, then stepped back and took a jump shot, which also went in. McGrady looked serious, glancing at his opponent with a mix of anger and admiration. Next, McGrady quickly dealt another blow to this young guy, Harden. Zhou Yi, who was organizing the offense, deliberately slowed down and moved slowly toward the right baseline where Mayo was. Zhou Yi pushed his way inward diagonally, entering the three-point line—it was time. Zhou Yi pushed back slightly, then spun half around, easily blocking Mayo’s left side, and accelerated toward the basket. At the moment of his breakthrough, he exchanged a brief glance with McGrady, who immediately understood and started moving into position.

Things turned out even smoother than they had expected. Harden, eager to make an impact on the court, quickly decided to switch to help defense, moving ahead to block Zhou Yi’s path with large steps. Mayo also closely followed Zhou Yi, but they soon faced the consequences. With a “thud,” the basketball hit the floor and bounced toward McGrady, who was alone in front of him. Full of confidence, he shot—and with a “swish,” the ball went in. McGrady waved his arm wildly and roared in triumph. The fans in the arena immediately rewarded the Pistons with enthusiastic applause and cheers, while the commentator echoed the crowd’s enthusiasm, praising Zhou Yi and his teammate highly. At this point, just 5 minutes into the second quarter, the Thunder’s 9-point lead had been reduced to 2 points. McGrady’s three consecutive three-pointers forced Brooks to call a timeout. Chapter 91: Downturn. When the timeout ended, Brooks quickly substituted Westbrook and Durant in, hoping they could take control of the game and widen the score gap. Seeing this, Kuster frowned and came up with a plan. Under his orders, Big Ben, Monroe, and Durham Porter entered the game simultaneously, replacing Hansbrough, Daye, and Villanueva in an attempt to deliver a fierce inside attack on their opponents. As a result, the lineups of both teams changed significantly. The Pistons adopted a double-tower strategy supplemented by outside shooting, with the lineup consisting of Ben Wallace, Durham Porter, Monroe, McGrady, and Zhou Yi; while the Thunder’s lineup was Serge Ibaka, Jeff Green, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. Play resumed with the Thunder attacking. As soon as Westbrook received the ball, he rushed straight toward the Pistons’ half court at an astonishing speed. Durant provided coverage, allowing Westbrook to break through to the Pistons’ basket and score. On the Pistons’ side, after Zhou Yi’s missed open jump shot, Monroe grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Durham Porter, who scored.

With a thud, Harden’s jump shot missed, and Big Ben secured the rebound in the backcourt and passed it to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi organized the offense, used his teammates’ screens to get past Westbrook’s defense and reached near the paint line. He feinted at Westbrook, then passed the ball to Darlempt while running in the opposite direction. Ibaka spread his arms and stuck closely to Darlempt. Left with no choice, Darlempt saw Zhou Yi open up behind him and quickly passed the ball to him, then went to screen Westbrook behind him. Zhou Yi took a deep breath and shot a jump shot, but once again, with a thud, it echoed through the O’Brien Center. Zhou Yi shook his head helplessly and quickly retreated to defend. Durant grabbed the rebound and drove fast to the front court, paired up with Westbrook, and finally scored near the free-throw line.

Zhou Yi seemed dazed at the start of the game, missing both of his open shots. The rest of the Pistons’ players weren’t in great form either; McGrady’s shooting wasn’t as hot as before since the timeout. The Pistons were clearly weaker than the Thunder. Although the Thunder were young and lacked experience, the Pistons had an advantage at the interior. Yet, with Durant and Westbrook as their strong players, the Pistons gradually fell behind under their leadership. As a result, the game quickly fell into the Thunder’s rhythm.

After the timeout, at the beginning of the second quarter, Kooster noticed that Zhou Yi was acting strangely, far from his usual performance. But Kooster didn’t make any substitutions or call a timeout; he wanted Zhou Yi to adjust on his own. However, Kooster’s plan failed. More than half of the second quarter had passed, and with the first half coming to an end, Zhou Yi was still in a daze, showing no improvement. Through observation, Kooster realized that Zhou Yi’s problem wasn’t his form but rather his physical condition. Kooster was about to replace Zhou Yi with Bynum to find out what was going on, but before he could ask for a substitution, the Thunder’s head coach Brooks called a timeout first.

Brooks was also at a loss. Although the Pistons’ outside shooting wasn’t effective, their players Durham Porter and Monroe were exceptionally fierce, posing a huge threat to the Thunder’s interior players during this period. Though Durant and Westbrook kept scoring for the Thunder, the Pistons’ interior players quickly narrowed the score gap, even showing signs of taking the lead. With no other choice, Scott Brooks called a timeout, hoping to disrupt the Pistons’ interior offensive rhythm.

Back on the sidelines, Koester didn’t make any adjustments; he simply pulled Zhou Yi aside to talk to the young player who seemed off form. “Zhou Yi, why aren’t you performing as well as before? Is there something wrong?” Phil asked, worried.

Zhou Yi nodded slightly and replied shyly, “Coach, I feel a bit tired, so my performance is affected. I want to rest for a while.”

“I see. Then why didn’t you say so earlier? Your health is important.” Koester’s worry lessened slightly, but his words still carried concern.

Seeing Koester so concerned about him, Zhou Yi felt touched and nodded.

After the timeout, the Thunder didn’t change their lineup. Instead, they replaced Zhou Yi, who wasn’t in good form that day, with Bynum as the Pistons tried to close the score gap. Koester, worried that McGrady might also have health issues, replaced him with Prince. Only now did Koester truly understand what it meant to be stretched thin—the injury to Ben Gordon made it difficult for the Pistons at the power forward position. Although Prince and the others could play at that position, it inevitably affected their tactics.

With four and a half minutes left, the game continued.

After the timeout, the Pistons’ defense still couldn’t stop the Thunder’s relentless outside shooting. However, their own outside offense improved somewhat, with more organized pick-and-roll plays and less chaos than before. The Pistons’ interior players lost some of their earlier strength after the timeout but could still cause trouble for the opponent.

Still, there was a significant gap in strength between the two teams—one was well-organized in both offense and defense, while the other focused only on offense without proper defense. As a result, the Pistons failed to close the score gap and could only barely hold on.

“Zhou Yi has been taken off the court now; it seems his condition is indeed problematic. Hey, buddy, what do you think might be the reason?” One of the commentators said worriedly to his partner, clearly concerned about the Pistons’ situation.

The other commentator shook his head and said, “I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, but I can tell that Zhou Yi isn’t as agile as before today. I guess his stamina might be an issue.”

“Whatever the reason, I think it’s definitely good news for the Thunder. Without Zhou Yi as their key scorer and playmaker, the Thunder will surely have an easier time defending.”

“I agree,” the other commentator nodded, then added, “Recently, there have been rumors that the Pistons intend to develop Zhou Yi as the core of their rebuild. Buddy, what’s your take on that?”

The first commentator pondered for a while before answering, “It’s very likely. Not to mention his outstanding performance in the preseason, Zhou Yi also did well in the first regular-season game—he scored a double-double and delivered a crucial assist at the end of the game. In every aspect, he performed very well. And don’t forget, Zhou Yi has a huge market behind him—just think of the Rockets and Yao Ming, hehe…”

After hearing his colleague’s analysis, the other commentator glanced at Zhou Yi sitting on the bench and nodded in agreement.

Chapter 92: Monroe Scores Points

In the blink of an eye, the first half ended, with the Thunder leading the Pistons 65–54, 11 points ahead, thanks to Durant and Westbrook. Durant scored 27 points in the first half, while Westbrook also had an amazing performance, scoring 15 points and giving 7 assists. Among the Pistons, the best performer was the veteran Durham Porter, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds by the end of the first half, achieving a double-double in just half a game—a truly impressive efficiency.

Brooks felt quite helpless about this, as his team really had no one available in the paint. In the first half, Zhou Yi played for 11 minutes and 31 seconds, attempting 5 shots all of which missed, scoring not a single point. Yet his presence on the court wasn’t entirely pointless—he provided 7 assists and 2 rebounds, the same number as Westbrook, which was why Kuster kept him on the court.

Fifteen minutes later, the second half began. Zhou Yi did not play and remained on the bench, resting his chin in his hands as he watched the game with frustration.
Home team: Durham Porter, Hansbrough, Monroe, Prince, and Bynum; Away team: Ibaka, Green, Durant, Sofola, and Westbrook.
After the start of the second half, the Thunder widened their lead under the leadership of Green and Westbrook. Although Sofola and Durant continued to perform well, Durham Porter and Prince helped the Pistons close the gap, scoring 13 points together. The Pistons, who had been behind by 14 points, narrowed it to just 8 points at 71-79 by the middle of the third quarter.