Chapter 39
In the second half of the second quarter, Kobe’s desire to score became noticeably stronger. It was under Kobe and Paul Gasol’s leadership that the Lakers regained a double-digit lead.
At the end of the first half, the score was 43-34 in favor of the Lakers, with a 9-point lead over the Pistons. The Lakers could have had an 11-point advantage, but Samuel Dalembert scored 2 points with a last-second jump shot, narrowing the gap to 9 points.
Kobe scored only 4 points in the first quarter, and the Pistons’ head coach thought Kobe wasn’t performing well due to fatigue! But when the Pistons tried to catch up in the second half, Kobe suddenly stepped up—landing dunks and shooting from distance, plus scoring 12 points through free throws.
Kobe scored 12 points all by himself in the second half—what is a superstar? This is what a superstar is! He always steps up in critical moments. Now Zhou Yi truly admired Kobe.
After halftime, a group of reporters immediately surrounded Kobe for interviews. Of course, Zhou Yi, who had just played against Kobe and was now in the spotlight, was also surrounded by reporters.
“Ugh, this kid is so damn lucky. I wish I could be like him—even when sleeping, I’d be smiling,” Bynum said, along with his teammates, as they headed to the locker room, glancing back at Zhou Yi with frustration.
“Hehe, Will, it seems like you smile even while sleeping, right?” Austin Daye teased.
Everyone burst into laughter at that.
“Uh, I was just dreaming, nice dreams!” Bynum replied, smiling sheepishly.
“Then it must have been that kind of dream! Haha…” they all said together.
Bynum’s face turned red, but fortunately, his dark skin hid it. He rushed angrily toward the locker room. The crowd laughed even more.
“Mr. Zhou, what are your thoughts after playing against Kobe Bryant just now?” asked an older female reporter holding a microphone.
Zhou Yi smiled calmly and replied, “Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league right now. It’s an honor and a dream for me to play against him. So as you can see, I was extremely nervous just now and even lost the ball! Hehe…”
Zhou Yi made a joke, but it was also the truth, instantly easing the atmosphere and improving the reporters’ impression of him. Seeing that Zhou Yi was so easy to talk to, the reporters asked more questions, all of which he answered one by one, always with a smile, showing no sign of dissatisfaction or impatience. After answering another question, Zhou Yi said to the reporters with a hint of apology, “I’m really sorry, guys. I think I should go back to the locker room to rest. Otherwise, I won’t have the energy to keep up and might make another fool of myself, hehe…” Everyone could tell from his tone and expression that he was apologetic. So the reporters didn’t press him further and let him go, understanding that the second half of the game was about to start. “Isn’t this feeling nice?” Bynum asked with envy as he watched Zhou Yi head back to the locker room. Zhou Yi chuckled and said, “It’s pretty good! By the way, Will, wasn’t that Steve Blake on the Portland Trail Blazers before?” Hearing this sudden question, Bynum paused for a moment, thought for a while, and replied, “Yeah, that’s right. He was indeed on the Trail Blazers. Why? Do you know him?” Bynum countered. “How could I know him? Back in China, I paid more attention to the Rockets. Last year in the Western Conference playoffs, it was the Rockets against the Trail Blazers in the second round. I saw a really impressive play and remembered it. It was Yao Ming chasing from the backcourt all the way to the frontcourt to block Steve Blake. Just think, such a tall center chasing a guard to block a shot—of course I paid close attention and remembered Steve Blake. I even watched that clip several times!” Zhou Yi said with a smile. Bynum frowned as he listened and replied helplessly, “I really haven’t noticed that. I’ll check it out after the game to see if I can find it. To be honest, I’ve never seen a tall center chase a guard to the frontcourt to block a shot! Hehe, I’ll go take a look.” Zhou Yi nodded and then said to Bynum, “Steve Blake is not to be underestimated. I watched your matches against him before. To be honest, you might get upset…” Zhou Yi glanced at Bynum and then hesitantly added, “It seems like you got completely outplayed by him.”
After hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Bynum wasn’t angry; instead, his brows furrowed even more. He nodded and replied worriedly, “Yeah, I’m a bit frustrated too. His defense leaves me at a loss.”
Zhou Yi nodded—he had seen all of this. After pondering for a moment, he slowly analyzed, “It seems your speed doesn’t really affect him either. His physique isn’t as strong as yours, but height is a problem. If you work together with Tracy, you can use Tracy’s screen to charge inside at full speed. That way, Steve Blake definitely won’t be able to stop you.”
“That makes sense,” said McGrady, not Bynum.
Bynum glanced up at the two of them and nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
The halftime break ended quickly. Led by head coach John Kuester, Zhou Yi and his team rushed out of the locker room and headed toward the court. Meanwhile, in the visiting team’s locker room, led by “Phil Jackson,” the Lakers also headed toward the court.
Chapter 155: Brotherhood
As soon as the second half began, the two teams engaged in even more intense competition, as the Pistons intensified their efforts to close the gap.
Villanueva’s three-pointer sparked a 10-4 Pistons comeback. In less than 4 minutes of the quarter, the Pistons narrowed the score to 3 points. Paul Gasol was the only scorer for the Lakers in the first 5 minutes of the quarter. At a critical moment, Derek Fisher hit a three-pointer, and Kobe and Paul Gasol took turns scoring, allowing the Lakers to quickly expand their lead to 10 points. Kobe’s hot shooting saw his personal score quickly exceed 20 points, but the Pistons’ fierce attacks made it difficult for the Lakers to widen the gap further. Faced with Kobe’s relentless scoring, the Pistons’ defense gradually struggled to hold up, even resorting to malicious fouls to stop the Lakers.
Austin Daye tried to defend Kobe from a distance, but was elbowed by Kobe, who then took a low shot. After all, Austin Daye was still young; he was very upset after being elbowed by Kobe. Coupled with Kobe’s hot shooting form earlier, anger drove Austin Daye to push Kobe right as he took the shot, causing Kobe to stumble. The referee witnessed all of this. Although Austin Daye thought he had acted discreetly, the referee called it a malicious foul. Unhappy with this decision, Austin Daye went to the referee to argue that Kobe had already committed a foul first. However, the referee didn’t listen to him, and Austin Daye, frustrated, clashed with the referee, resulting in him being ejected for two technical fouls. Kobe made all four of his free throws, expanding the Lakers’ lead.
“Damn! Whose home court is this?” As he headed toward the player’s tunnel, Austin Daye, who had been ejected for defending Kobe, couldn’t help but curse. Cursing on the court could have serious consequences if heard by the referee, so he waited until he reached the tunnel before saying it.
Juan Samos, the team’s water boy, stepped forward, patted Austin Daye on the shoulder, spoke to him for a moment, then returned to the bench. Pistons head coach John Kuester watched the whole thing with a frown, thinking to himself that Austin Daye was still too young and immature. Although he was older than Zhou Yi, his maturity was far inferior. With that thought, John Kuester shook his head and ordered Taishan Prince, who had been resting due to fatigue, to come in and replace Austin Daye, then focused his attention on Zhou Yi.
The game continued, with the Lakers holding a solid lead. The Pistons, led by Taishan Prince, launched fierce counterattacks. But in the following moments, Kobe’s desire to score grew even stronger. He assisted Andrew Bynum in scoring two points, then hit his own three-point shot, helping the Lakers run off a 7-0 run and extend their lead to 15 points. Faced with the Lakers’ powerful offensive force, the Pistons’ confidence was severely shaken. The Lakers kept pressing forward, extending their run to 19-7, pushing the gap between the two teams to 20 points.
With 4 minutes and 24 seconds left in the third quarter, McGrady came on to replace James Posey and quickly blocked Ron Artest’s layup with authority, boosting the Pistons’ morale as they went on to score 5 points in a row. Zhou Yi drove fast with the ball, racing alongside McGrady toward the Lakers’ half-court. Seeing McGrady reach the Lakers’ basket unguarded, Zhou Yi flicked the ball, sending it straight above the basket. McGrady caught the ball and immediately executed a powerful dunk—lacking the grace of old but filled with dominance. With 1 minute and 12 seconds left in the third quarter, Kobe drove for a layup but was blocked by McGrady; due to inertia, Kobe’s body collided with McGrady’s, knocking him to the ground. Kobe quickly adjusted his stance to avoid falling. Seeing McGrady on the ground, Kobe quickly knelt down to check if he was okay. Meanwhile, the referee promptly called a timeout. McGrady lay on the ground for a while, trying to catch his breath. Seeing Kobe’s concern, McGrady smiled and said to him, “I’m fine.” Hearing McGrady’s reply, Kobe let out a sigh of relief and carefully pulled him up. Then he leaned in close to McGrady’s ear and whispered a few words, making McGrady’s smile grow even wider. “Wasn’t that block great?” Kobe asked with a smile, unfazed by having been blocked by McGrady. “Heh, it was indeed great. You’re now the face of the NBA—blocking you made me really happy,” he said, flashing his signature McGrady-style smile. Unbothered by McGrady’s teasing, Kobe also laughed and hugged him affectionately. McGrady and Kobe were good friends, brothers—something well-known throughout the NBA. They had grown up together, entered the world of basketball together, and their bond was even stronger than that of siblings. Kobe seemed aloof, but he also had precious friendships and would go to any length for them. Take two compelling examples: at the 2006 All-Star Game, Kobe kept a low profile throughout the game for McGrady’s sake.
Before the 2006 All-Star Game, according to Houston Chronicle columnist Richard Justice, Kobe decided to make the 55th NBA All-Star Game a showcase for McGrady, allowing the only player who truly aimed for MVP to win it that year. As a result, Kobe almost gave up every offensive opportunity, passing the ball to McGrady instead.
Before the game, whether it was the debate over the 81-point game, speculation about the scoring leader, or the contenders for MVP, all conversations revolved around one name: Kobe Bryant. Yet in this all-star game filled with top players who wanted to stand out, Kobe’s performance was surprisingly modest. He willingly served as a decoy and passed the ball to his teammates, making him seem like a playmaker like Steve Nash, especially considering everything he did for McGrady. “Selfless” — yes, that’s the only word that can describe Kobe’s performance in that All-Star Game. But who could have predicted that Kobe’s name would be associated with “selflessness”?
In that All-Star Game, Kobe took only 11 shots (he averaged 26.9 shots per game that season, with a high of 46 in one game) and scored just 8 points (he led the league with an average of 35.0 points that season), but he had 8 assists, 6 of which went to his friend McGrady. In other words, of McGrady’s 36 points, the highest total of the game, 13 came from Kobe’s passes.
In every quarter, we could see Kobe selflessly passing the ball to McGrady. One of their most brilliant plays occurred with 3 minutes and 11 seconds left in the second quarter. Kobe calmly controlled the ball outside the three-point line, noticed an opening in the defense, and gave McGrady a subtle signal. McGrady understood immediately, broke away from Carter, rushed to the basket, and Kobe quickly passed the ball. McGrady jumped, spun 180 degrees in mid-air, caught the ball with his back to the basket, and dunked it — a stunning aerial pass that earned applause from the entire crowd.
As the game progressed, McGrady’s scoring kept rising, gradually leaving everyone behind. This situation also indicated that if the Western All-Stars won the game, McGrady would likely claim his first All-Star MVP award. Kobe was well aware of this, and he understood that the honor of being MVP at the All-Star game could help McGrady overcome the unpleasant events at home and the Rockets’ poor record, restoring his confidence. For this reason, Kobe not only continued to pass the ball to McGrady tirelessly but also stepped up in the critical moments at the end of the game when the West was 4 points behind the East.