Chapter 59

At the start of the fourth quarter, Zhou Yi’s breakthrough pass once again assisted McGrady in hitting a three-pointer. Seeing this, both McGrady and John Kuester, as well as Zhou Yi, breathed a sigh of relief—the Pistons’ outside shooting was still in top form. Under Zhou Yi’s defense, Willie Green suddenly changed direction and darted to the side. Looking at Zhou Yi ahead, he knew that although Zhou Yi’s breakthroughs were fierce, his jumping ability wasn’t very good. So in such a situation, he chose a different approach: since it was clear that breaking through wasn’t feasible, it was better to create space from outside and shoot! That’s what Willie Green thought, and that’s what his body did. The moment he tried to break right, Chris Paul abruptly stopped—this required exceptional coordination and control over his body. By the time Willie Green stopped, he had already jumped up. With any other player, space might have been created, but for Zhou Yi, the game had just begun! With a sidestep, Zhou Yi was already at Willie Green’s side. His superior jumping ability became evident at that moment, and his speed of ascent left even the best dunkers in awe. Zhou Yi’s outstanding jumping ability was on full display as he soared straight up. By then, Willie Green had already raised the ball above his head; if he didn’t shoot, it would be a violation, so he decided to take a risk. With a slight shake of his wrist, he flicked the basketball over his head, sending it toward the basket ahead—this was exactly the opportunity Zhou Yi had been waiting for. With a crisp “swish,” Zhou Yi swatted the ball away. Tyshawn Prince caught the ball and passed it to McGrady. After catching it, McGrady drove hard down the court for a fast break and, after half a court, passed the ball back to Tyshawn Prince, who had rushed to the Hornets’ basket. Tyshawn Prince caught the ball and scored right at the basket, raising the score to 79:61 in favor of the Pistons, with a 18-point lead. But the Hornets’ David West responded by returning the favor to Tyshawn Prince with a step-back jump shot that hit the target. Soon after, Trevor Ariza’s defensive skills came into play—he intercepted Tyshawn Prince’s pass, rushed to the front court, broke past Greg Monroe, and delivered a fierce two-handed dunk.

Tyshawn Prince also hit a jump shot right after, making up for his earlier mistake.
The fourth quarter had just begun, and the game was closely contested, but the Pistons still held the upper hand.
Now, over 2 minutes into the fourth quarter, the score stood at 81:64, with the Pistons leading by 17 points. At this point, the Hornets’ head coach, Monty Williams, called a timeout.
After the timeout, Chris Paul substituted Willie Green, seemingly aiming to finish the fourth quarter.
The Pistons’ Taylor Hansbrough was taken off the court and replaced by Samuel Dalembert. Once on the court, Samuel Dalembert played a crucial role in the Pistons’ interior defense. He first blocked Trevor Ariza’s layup, then grabbed consecutive defensive rebounds. His defense gave the Pistons a big advantage.
Karl Landry scored inside, and Trevor Ariza also hit a jump shot after receiving an assist from Chris Paul.
The Hornets scored 4 points in a row, narrowing the gap to 13 points.
But then, it was time again for the Hornets to suffer.
Zhou Yi drove the ball, lured defenders with a move along the baseline, and passed it to McGrady beyond the three-point line. McGrady caught the ball and shot a three-pointer.
That wasn’t all—during the Hornets’ next possession, Marco Belinelli’s mid-range shot missed, Zhou Yi grabbed a defensive rebound, and then launched a fast break, assisting Tyshawn Prince to hit another three-pointer.
In less than a minute, the Pistons widened the lead to 19 points thanks to Zhou Yi’s playmaking, leaving the Hornets frustrated.
Chris Paul faced Zhou Yi again, continuously dribbling the ball under his arms. The speed and rhythm of his dribbling gradually changed—and then sped up. Those familiar with Chris Paul knew this meant he was about to break through. Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes and tried to crouch lower, not wanting to suffer a setback.
Chris Paul immediately cut right, using his speed to move toward the interior. His opponent, Zhou Yi, reacted just as quickly. The reason the defender struggled was that the defender’s movements followed those of the attacker.

After cutting to the basket, Chris Paul didn’t go in alone; instead, he passed the ball behind him, where there was an opening. Everyone’s attention was on where the ball was going—there, standing there, was the Hornets’ starting power forward, David West. This time, David West didn’t hesitate at all; hesitation is absolutely unacceptable on the court. As soon as he got the ball, he shot it right away. Everyone watched the ball in the air, but most of them thought the same thing: that the shot shouldn’t go in. After all, this was the Pistons’ home court. With a swish, the ball went through the net. David West excitedly high-fived his teammates, then gave Zhou Yi a provocative look before retreating to defend. Zhou Yi shrugged, took the inbound pass from Greg Monroe, and drove the ball toward the Hornets’ half-court. “Zhou Yi drives, dribbles behind his back, creating space from Chris Paul. Marco Belinelli covers him and passes the ball! Zhou Yi passes to Greg Monroe, who’s open for a shot! Great shot!” the commentator exclaimed excitedly as he watched the game. By now, the game had become intense. Although the Pistons led by double digits, this was still the final quarter, and anything could happen in the last quarter. Though the Hornets launched a fierce counterattack under Chris Paul’s leadership, the Pistons simply were in too good form. Zhou Yi always handed the ball to those who were in top form—Madison shooting threes from outside, Teyshawn Prince and Greg Monroe constantly breaking through the opponent’s defense to create free throws. Although Zhou Yi didn’t have many assists, he didn’t care about the stats as long as they could win. Soon, only 2 minutes and 11 seconds remained in the fourth quarter, with the score at 108:97, still in favor of the Pistons by 11 points! In the first half of the fourth quarter, Zhou Yi and the other key players were substituted out once, and they came back in when there was still over 5 minutes left in the quarter. At that moment, they were on the bench listening to head coach John Kuester’s tactics. “In a moment, if they score, we’ll play inside—our chances of success there are higher!” John Kuester instructed Zhou Yi.

“Got it!” Zhou Yi wiped the sweat with a towel. Playing basketball was exhausting. Fortunately, their jerseys were specially designed to be breathable, unlike the ones they used before, which stuck to their bodies and caused discomfort.
After the timeout, it was the Hornets’ turn to play. The in-bounds pass went to Chris Paul, who didn’t even look before throwing the ball inside to David West. David West faced Greg Monroe alone, easily sidestepping him before dunking for 2 points, reducing the deficit to 9 points.
But then the Hornets were stunned again. In the next play, McGrady orchestrated the Pistons’ offense, passing to Teyshawn Prince. Teyshawn Prince took the ball, stepped back beyond the three-point line, and shot. Although Trevor Ariza was covering him closely, the shot still went in.
“This guy’s too lucky. Must’ve stepped in poop,” Trevor Ariza thought in disgust.
But it wasn’t over yet. The Hornets failed to score, and Greg Monroe grabbed a defensive rebound, passing it to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi dribbled quickly toward the Hornets’ half, then beyond their three-point line, where he stopped abruptly and attempted a jump shot. To everyone’s astonishment, he made the shot. Chris Paul stared at Zhou Yi as if seeing a monster, unable to speak for a moment.
The lead widened to 15 points!
Monty Williams watched helplessly as he sighed and called a timeout. After the timeout, the Hornets sent in their all-substitute lineup, signaling their surrender.
In fact, even if Monty Williams had ordered his players to fight to the end, the outcome would have been the same—loss. They were already 15 points behind with only about a minute left in the game, not enough time to turn things around.
“Yay!”
116:104—the Pistons easily defeated the Hornets at home, extending their winning streak to 16 games.
16 consecutive wins! The Pistons’ season was destined to be extraordinary, always at the center of attention!
Chapter 219: Zhou Yi Is Confused Again
The entire game was intense between the two teams. But in terms of strength, the Pistons had a slight edge, so they ended up winning the match.

Chris Paul, as the leader of the New Orleans Hornets, had an average performance in this game, with both highlights and shortcomings. 19 points, 13 assists, and 4 steals were his highlights, while 7 out of 19 shots attempted, 6 turnovers, and 4 fouls were his shortcomings.

On the other hand, Zhou Yi, who faced him, managed 7 out of 16 shots attempted, with a not-so-high shooting percentage. He also scored 19 points, added 14 assists, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds. Although he had 4 turnovers and 3 fouls, he performed much better than Chris Paul.

Zhou Yi was the main contributor to the Pistons’ victory, but Tracy McGrady also played a crucial role.

Throughout the game, McGrady hit nine three-pointers, scoring a season-high 36 points, along with 5 assists and 6 rebounds in a comprehensive performance.

Tyshawn Prince also had an outstanding game, scoring a season-high 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Such a double-double performance clearly demonstrated Tyshawn Prince’s strength.

With 16 consecutive wins, the Pistons have achieved their longest winning streak yet. Three games earlier, they had already tied the team’s historical record for consecutive wins. Now, they have broken that record and show a trend of continuing to set new ones. The Pistons’ performance has surprised everyone. No one expected that last season’s underdog team would transform so much this season, becoming nearly competitive for the championship.

In the eyes of most people, the Pistons are definitely the biggest dark horses this season, surpassing the young Oklahoma Thunder team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

And the vast majority of people share this view.

The Pistons’ excellent record is largely due to one person—Chinese player Zhou Yi.

After the game against the Hornets, the Pistons held a press conference. At the conference, John Kuester praised Zhou Yi highly, calling him one of the most talented players he had ever encountered.

Monty Williams, the Hornets’ head coach, also gave his assessment of Zhou Yi:

“I think Zhou is the best point guard we’ve faced. He can pass the ball to you in an incredible way—there’s something innate about it, a unique quality,” said Monty Williams.

Of course, John Kuster also praised McGrady’s outstanding performance, calling him a rare talent. It was one of the Pistons’ wisest moves to sign McGrady over the summer.
After the press conference, Zhou Yi took a shower in the locker room and then went home.
……
“Hey, Uncle Blake, you’re still up?” As soon as Zhou Yi entered the villa, he saw Blake sitting in the living room, watching TV.
“Hehe, yeah, it’s only a little past eight. It’s still early!” Blake replied with a smile.
Zhou Yi sat down next to Blake, glanced at what was on TV, and said with a laugh, “Uncle, you’re interested in this kind of soapy drama too?”
“Hm? Oh, I just turned on the TV, and this was already on. I hadn’t had time to change channels before you came back,” Blake explained, shrugging his shoulders.
Zhou Yi nodded and added, “By the way, I seemed to see you at the sidelines during the game just now.”
“Mm, I watched the game with the general manager. I came back right after it ended. So, I’ve only been back for a short while,” Blake said.
Zhou Yi said “Oh,” then turned to look at the TV, though his mind was already thinking about how to tell Blake about moving out.
Before the game against the Hornets, Xiang Yun had approached Zhou Yi and told him that a place had been found, and they would go see it in a few days. So now, Zhou Yi needed to discuss this with Blake.
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yi looked at Blake and said shyly, “Uncle Blake, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Oh? What is it? If there’s anything, just say it directly. Hehe, what’s there that we can’t talk about?” Blake asked with a smile.
“Mm,” Zhou Yi nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Uncle Blake, I want to move out in the next few days.”
“Hm? You want to move out? Why? You’re living well here, aren’t you? Is there something you’re not satisfied with?” Blake asked, looking at Zhou Yi with a puzzled expression.
“Uh, it’s not that. Uncle, I’m living very well here and am satisfied in every way. But, well, as you know, sometimes I come home very late after games, which might disturb your rest. So, for your health, I have to move out,” Zhou Yi said honestly after thinking for a moment.

“Hehe, so that’s why! Xiao Yi, you’re overthinking it. Before you came to the U.S., I also stayed up late every night. So, there’s no need for you to move out,” Blake said.
Hearing Blake’s words, Zhou Yi didn’t know what to say. Just as he was at a loss, Blake asked again, “Xiao Yi, is there anything inconvenient about living here with your uncle? Does it make it hard for you to make friends?” Blake suddenly asked.
Upon hearing these words, Zhou Yi had a sudden idea. “Uncle, to be honest, my girlfriend, Mo Keer, is coming to Detroit to study next semester,” Zhou Yi said.
“Oh, so that’s why! If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have said so much. Your uncle is quite open-minded, so I understand your concerns. Well, in that case, I have no objection to you moving out. But have you found a place to live yet? If not, your uncle can help you find one—my connections are quite extensive,” Blake said, leaning back on the sofa and smiling at Zhou Yi.
“Uh, I’ve already found a place. I’ll go see it in a couple of days!” Zhou Yi replied.
Hearing Zhou Yi’s answer, Blake nodded and reminded him, “Xiao Yi, I have no problem with you living outside. But be careful about your safety. And let me know if anything happens.”
“Mm, I know,” Zhou Yi nodded in response.
“Hehe, well, do you feel much more relaxed now?” Blake asked with a smile, seeing Zhou Yi relax.
Realizing this, Zhou Yi nodded shyly and said, “Mm, Uncle Blake, thank you for understanding.”
“Hehe, it’s okay. Now go rest! After such a tough game, you must be very tired. Go ahead and rest!” Blake said to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi responded with “Mm,” said goodnight to Blake, and quickly went upstairs to his room.
Once in his room, he lay down on the comfortable bed, feeling relaxed and happy, and began to imagine his bright and wonderful future with Mo Keer. Just as he was happily thinking about the future, his phone suddenly rang, startling him.

Zhou Yi picked up the phone and immediately wore a bright smile, then eagerly pressed the call button.
“Hello, Keer?” Zhou Yi said excitedly.
“Mm, Zhou Yi, have you rested?” Mo Keer asked sweetly.
“Hehe, not yet! How about you? Why aren’t you asleep at this late hour?” Zhou Yi asked with a smile.
“Huh? Still not asleep? Zhou Yi, are you too tired to think straight? It’s morning here!” Mo Keer pouted playfully.
“Ah? Oh, hehe, I forgot.” Zhou Yi explained with a silly smile.
“Wow, what good news makes you so happy that you even forget this?” Mo Keer teased further.
Zhou Yi’s lips curved upward, his smile even brighter.
“Of course it’s good news!” Zhou Yi said, lying on the bed and turning on his computer.
“What good news? Tell me quickly!” Mo Keer urged.
But Zhou Yi kept it mysterious before whispering to her, “In a few days, I’ll have my own house. Haha…”
Hearing this, Mo Keer was confused and asked curiously, “Your own house? Aren’t you living at Uncle Blake’s place?”
“Yes! I’m moving out of Uncle Blake’s place in a few days. I’ve asked a friend to help me find a house, and I’m going to see some places these days.” Zhou Yi explained.
“Ah? Why move out? Isn’t it great living at Uncle Blake’s?” Mo Keer asked puzzledly.
“Yes, I’m doing well living at Uncle Blake’s. But don’t you know why I’m moving out?” Zhou Yi said ambiguously.
Hearing this, Mo Keer frowned even more, confused, and said, “Why are you moving out? How would I know? Tell me, what’s the reason?”
“Hehe…” Zhou Yi smiled in a lewd way before saying, “It’s because of you!”
“Hm? Because of me? How is that my fault? Zhou Yi, be clearer. The more I hear, the more confused I get.” Mo Keer asked anxiously, switching hands with the phone.
“Aren’t you going to study in Detroit?” Seeing Mo Keer getting anxious, Zhou Yi stopped teasing her and revealed the truth.
“Ah? How did you know about my plan to go there? Oh? Did Lin Chixiao and the others tell you? Those guys promised to keep it secret from me, but they still told you.” Mo Keer said resentfully.

“Uh…” Hearing Mo Keer’s words, Zhou Yi didn’t defend himself. He had already promised Qin Qian not to tell Mo Keer about his contact with her, so he might as well shift the blame to those three! Anyway, those three weren’t exactly good people either—last time they even hid the fact that Keer was sick. Though their intentions were good, it was really unbrotherly!
As Zhou Yi thought this, he remembered Lin Qixiao telling him that many people were pursuing Mo Keer. Lost in thought, he suddenly heard a “hello?” coming from the phone.
“Huh? What’s wrong?” Zhou Yi asked curiously.
“What’s wrong? I’m talking to you, and you don’t even say anything. I thought something happened to you!” Mo Keer said irritably.
“Squeak…” Zhou Yi stretched out the sound, speaking in a mocking tone.
“What squeak?” Mo Keer asked curiously again.
“Weren’t you telling me to make a sound? I did!” Zhou Yi pretended to be aggrieved.
Hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Mo Keer burst into laughter and said, “You’re too, too obedient, aren’t you?”
“How could I not listen to you?” Seeing Mo Keer laughing at his joke, Zhou Yi seized the opportunity: “By the way, hearing you mention ‘squeak,’ I thought of a joke. Want to hear it?”
“Oh? What joke? Go ahead and tell it.” Mo Keer stopped laughing and said to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi paused for a moment, then recalled the joke and began to organize his words.
“In a university class, a student was sitting in the back row, sleeping. The teacher, getting excited while lecturing, asked a question and happened to call out that student’s name. The teacher called out the student’s name three times, but the student didn’t wake up or stand up. The teacher got anxious and said to the student, ‘Can’t you at least make a sound?’ Well, the student actually made a ‘squeak,’ and the whole class was in shock!”
“Haha, really? That student is too amazing!” Mo Keer laughed heartily (though Zhou Yi couldn’t see it).
“Haha, I don’t know if it’s true or not. I saw it in a collection of jokes. If you have time, I’ll send you that collection. You can read it when you’re free and have some fun—after all, youth is fleeting!” Zhou Yi said with a smile.
“Mm, okay!” Mo Keer said coquettishly.
“By the way, what are you doing now?” Zhou Yi suddenly asked.

“Oh, I’m on my way to the classroom! It’s Monday, and I have a professional course in the morning—I can’t be late. Well, I have to go now; I’m about to be late. You should get some rest too!” Mo Keer glanced at the time, then quickened her pace as she spoke to Zhou Yi.
“Mm, okay. Then study hard and be good!” Zhou Yi said affectionately.
“I know. You too, be good! Get some rest and try your best in every game, but be careful! Really, I can’t talk anymore. Let’s talk again next time. Bye!” Mo Keer said hurriedly.
“Bye…” Before Zhou Yi could finish saying goodbye, Mo Keer hung up the phone.
Zhou Yi smiled bitterly, placed his phone on the table, and started fiddling with the computer.
He didn’t ask Mo Keer about someone pursuing her, as it wasn’t necessary. Blake and John Kuster had given Zhou Yi all the information on the top players in League One. Eager and unable to fall asleep, he began analyzing their profiles. After about an hour, he finally felt drowsy. He closed those files and habitually opened his email.
After checking the emails, he replied to those that needed a response and deleted the spam. As he was browsing, one email caught his attention.
“Xia Tingting?”
Zhou Yi stared at the email sent by Xia Tingting, hesitating to open it. With a sigh, he opened it and read its contents with mixed feelings.
The content wasn’t very important—just an inquiry about his recent situation, along with her own updates. Overall, it felt a bit like a diary.
After reading it, Zhou Yi let out a deep sigh; his drowsiness vanished completely. He had no idea what attitude to take toward this girl. He sensed that her feelings for him hadn’t faded over the years—five years, no, almost six now.
He understood that the longer he delayed, the more hurt he would cause her. But he really didn’t know how to convince her to let go. “Sigh…” Zhou Yi sighed helplessly.

Zhou Yi glanced at that email again, hesitating whether to reply. Eventually, he decided to respond to the message filled with deep longing. He briefly told Xia Tingting about his recent situation and reminded her that the weather would gradually get colder in the days to come, advising her to take care of herself. Additionally, to discourage Xia Tingting, Zhou Yi mentioned that Mo Keer would come to study with him next semester, so they could be together then. His intention was clear—he wanted to gently remind Xia Tingting that he already had a girlfriend and that their relationship was very good. After doing all this, Zhou Yi sent the email. He checked his inbox again and found emails from Phoebe and Carl as well. He replied to each one, then turned off his computer and got ready for bed. Yet no matter how hard he tried to sleep, he couldn’t fall asleep; his drowsiness seemed to have vanished. “Sigh…” Zhou Yi sighed again, as thoughts of that girl came to mind once more. Somehow, as he thought about her, he also thought of Xiang Yun. “Uh, why am I thinking of this little girl? She’s too cunning to deal with,” Zhou Yi murmured, still a bit uneasy. In this way, Zhou Yi spent a long time thinking about these three girls. Eventually, he thought of Mo Keer and fell asleep. “Keer…” Zhou Yi murmured before drifting into dreams. Chapter 220: Heading to Toronto The sound of the alarm woke Zhou Yi up. He turned over and sat up in bed. It was 7 a.m. Although there was no training today, he didn’t stay in bed any longer—getting up early was a habit he had developed over time. Zhou Yi stretched, then jumped to the floor and did dozens of push-ups, hearing the creaking of his bones as he moved. After that, he tidied up his clothes, put them on, rubbed his face hard to relax his facial muscles, and then left the room to head to the bathroom. After breakfast, Zhou Yi chatted with Blake in the living room for a while before going to the gym. His physical condition was much better now than when he first joined the NBA. His weight had risen to 80 kilograms, and he looked very muscular.

Zhou Yi trained hard in the gym for a long time before giving up. Now, his body, shaped by training and the intense demands of NBA games, has gradually become stronger. He no longer has any physical disadvantages when facing opponents. Of course, he still lags far behind players like Deron Williams and Baron Davis, who are at an entirely different physical level.

Without formal training, Zhou Yi trained on his own, with intensity no less than that in the gym. That day, he watched many videos and studied information about top players who also played at the power forward position. He also spent a lot of time analyzing the skills and habits of his next opponent, Toronto Raptors’ Jose Calderon.

The following day, Zhou Yi participated in the team’s training sessions during the day and studied those players’ information at night, leading to a very busy schedule.

Unnoticed, time arrived on December 22, 2010. On this day, the Pistons would head to Toronto to challenge the Raptors, now without Chris Bosh.

The Raptors are not unfamiliar to many people. Tracy McGrady, who is very popular among Chinese fans, began his career with the Raptors. Although he was initially just helping out his cousin Vince Carter, McGrady already showed signs of his talent back then.

Now, without “The Dragon King” Chris Bosh, the core of the Raptors is Andrea Bagnani. Besides Bagnani, the 2006 NBA draft’s first overall pick, the Raptors also have many talented players, such as last year’s ninth overall pick DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon, Linas Kleiza, and others. Of course, having talent is one thing, but performing well in games is another.

Last season, the Toronto Raptors made it to the playoffs under Chris Bosh’s leadership. This season, without him, they’re not so lucky!

So far this season, the Raptors have played 28 games, with a record of 9 wins and 19 losses, placing them 13th in the Eastern Conference. Such a poor record has left many Raptors fans sighing.

However, when they saw the Cleveland Cavaliers’ record, they became less pessimistic. After all, the Cavaliers were ranked first in the league last season and now are last—yet they haven’t complained. So why should the Raptors feel sorry for themselves?

However, the Toronto Raptors have really had bad luck. That’s because they simply can’t retain their superstar players.
Don’t even mention Tracy McGrady—although he performed exceptionally well in his last season with the Raptors, he was still far from being a superstar.
Vince Carter was definitely a superstar during his time with the Raptors, but he eventually left the team.
Now, Chris Bosh, who the Raptors nurtured for years and who was an All-Star power forward, has also left them.
It has to be said that the Raptors have been extremely unlucky.
To be honest, with Chris Bosh, the Raptors’ offense was among the best in the league, and so was their defense—though their defense ranked near the bottom. So, it can be said that the Raptors during Chris Bosh’s era were a team with extremely unbalanced offense and defense.
This is the impression they gave Zhou Yi, and American media agreed—the Raptors’ defense during Chris Bosh’s era was truly terrible.
After Chris Bosh left, the extreme imbalance in the Raptors’ offense and defense disappeared, as they became a team with poor offense and defense alike. Such a team would be bullied by any opponent unless they had incredible luck to win—a fact evident from their first 28 games.
By late December, temperatures in Canada are already quite low. Although Toronto is a coastal city, its maritime climate means daytime temperatures can still stay above 0 degrees.
Teams from the South like Miami might find it a bit cold here, but for people from Detroit, it’s not that cold, as the distance between the two cities isn’t very great.
During the 1995-1996 season, the Raptors just joined the NBA. Less than two years later, labor contract issues led to a split between the players and the NBA league, and it took a long time before games could resume normally.
Since joining the NBA, the Raptors have never won a championship. Of course, judging by their current form, it seems they’ll say goodbye to the championship again this year.
Today’s game is quite important for both teams. For the Pistons, every game is crucial. For the Raptors, since their win rate isn’t even 50%, they’ll give it their all to avoid a poor record and have a chance at the playoffs.

However, it’s clear that it will be extremely difficult for the Raptors to secure their tenth win over the Pistons—otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair to the Pistons’ current roster.
…
The game will start at 7 p.m. sharp. It’s currently 6:45 p.m., and players from both teams are on the court doing pre-game warm-ups. Five minutes later, the players leave the court, and the Raptors’ cheerleaders rush onto the field to deliver an amazing performance for the audience. After that, the starting players from both teams return to the court, gathering near the center circle.
For the Pistons, the starting lineup remains the same: center Ben Wallace, power forward Greg Monroe, small forward Teyshawn Prince, shooting guard Tracy McGrady, and point guard Jose Calderon.
On the home side, the Raptors’ starting lineup features Andrea Bagnani, the 2006 draft pick and their current core player, along with power forward Amir Johnson, small forward Linas Kleiza, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, and point guard Jose Calderon.
With a “ding” sound echoing through the Air Canada Centre, the game officially begins!
Jose Calderon stands ready in his own half, watching Greg Monroe and Andrea Bagnani jump for the ball. In the end, Greg Monroe wins the jump, giving the Pistons possession and the first chance to attack.
Jose Calderon carefully controls the ball and, after half a court, passes it to McGrady. Upon receiving the ball, McGrady grabs it with one hand—a signature move of his. Then, he tentatively steps forward with his right foot, uses a feint, and finally accelerates to break through.
Although DeMar DeRozan has great talent and excellent physical skills, he is still young and lacks experience in NBA games. McGrady’s continuous feints eventually manage to distract him.
After getting past DeMar DeRozan’s defense, McGrady shoots a jump shot. Though the arc is low, the ball still goes in, giving the Pistons 2 points first.
On the Raptors’ side, Jose Calderon throws a pass to the inside, delivering it to Andrea Bagnani. Ben Wallace sticks closely to the Italian draft pick, preventing him from attacking or breaking through.
Nevertheless, Andrea Bagnani uses his height advantage against Ben Wallace. It must be said that Andrea Bagnani is a smart player who knows how to leverage his strengths to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses.

Still, as smart as he was, he failed to score on that shot—interfered by Greg Monroe, and Ben Wallace secured the defensive rebound. Ben Wallace tossed the ball to Zhou Yi. Perhaps because they defeated the Hornets in the final moments of the previous game, the Pistons played very aggressively in this match, both in rebounding and offense, effectively limiting the already weak scoring of the Raptors. However, despite restricting the Raptors’ scoring, they didn’t let the Pistons put on a great performance either. The Raptors’ defense was poor, but you need to be in good form to succeed, and the Pistons weren’t in good form at the moment. Although Zhou Yi and McGrady coordinated the Pistons’ offense well, their teammates lacked good form, making it all in vain. John Kuester shook his head in frustration after seeing Teyshawn Prince fail to score on a drive after receiving a perfect pass from Zhou Yi. Andrea Bagnani grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Jose Calderon. After catching the ball, he dodged Zhou Yi’s attempt to steal it and moved toward the Pistons’ half-court. Calderon stopped at the top of the key, raised the ball with both hands, ready to pass. At that moment, Andrea Bagnani tightly guarded Ben Wallace and reached for the ball from Calderon. Seeing this, Calderon threw the ball high into the paint. Bagnani caught the ball, dribbled a few times at the low post, then turned and took a hook shot—“Swish!” The ball went through the net! “Andrea Bagnani is quite strong!” Zhou Yi thought highly of Bagnani after seeing him complete this attack so easily. “Of course, he was the number one pick in 2006 after all! It’s just that Chris Bosh prevented him from showing his true potential. Plus, he’s a bit soft and prefers to play on the outside, so people don’t rate him very highly,” McGrady said softly as he passed by Zhou Yi. Hearing McGrady’s words, Zhou Yi nodded, then took the inbound pass from Greg Monroe and slowly moved toward the Raptors’ half-court. Before, when watching games on TV, he always thought Andrea Bagnani wasn’t that great, but after seeing him play in person, he understood why this guy was chosen as the number one pick in 2006.

Due to their superior strength, the Pistons built a double-digit lead just past the halfway point of the first quarter. Zhou Yi received a pass from McGrady from outside and drove to the basket; Leonardo Barbosa, who had replaced Jose Calderon, suddenly tried to steal the ball from Zhou Yi but hit his hand instead. The referee immediately called a defensive foul on Leonardo Barbosa. “Hey, kid, I’ll show you what real strength is,” Leonardo Barbosa said viciously to Zhou Yi. “Is your strength just fouling and talking big?” Zhou Yi retorted. “Damn you, Chinese kid, I’ll make you remember me,” Leonardo Barbosa spat, looking fierce. Zhou Yi ignored him and handed the ball to the referee. But just as the referee was about to serve the ball, John Kuester called a timeout. At that moment, the score was 19:9, with the Pistons leading by 10 points, and only 6 minutes and 11 seconds had passed in the first quarter. “Be careful with that Brazilian guy; he’s quite vindictive,” McGrady said, placing a hand on Zhou Yi’s shoulder as a warning. “Oh, got it,” Zhou Yi nodded and went to the bench with McGrady. John Kuester was satisfied with Zhou Yi’s performance. The other three starting players weren’t in good form, but Zhou Yi was doing well, stepping up at critical moments. Although he didn’t help his teammates score, his passes were indeed excellent. Jose Calderon was taken off after playing just over 4 minutes in the first quarter—thanks to Zhou Yi. In those over 4 minutes, Zhou Yi forced him to commit two fouls. However, the Spanish point guard also performed well during that time, delivering 3 assists and scoring 2 points, meaning all 9 points the Raptors scored were directly related to Jose Calderon. It was because of Jose Calderon’s outstanding performance that Zhou Yi got him taken off. Before this game, Zhou Yi had already analyzed the Spanish guard’s technical strengths in detail. That’s why he was able to force two fouls from him in such a short time. Soon, the timeout ended. Chapter 221: The Bench Bandit

In this game, John Kuester didn’t intend to have players like Zhou Yi play for too long, given the Raptors’ strong lineup. If they really couldn’t even beat such a strong Raptors team, it would prove that the Pistons had been incredibly lucky lately. However, if necessary, John Kuester wasn’t averse to bringing in players like Zhou Yi—after all, victory was what mattered most.

The game resumed with the Pistons playing a purely bench lineup: Samuel Dalembert, Chris Wilcox, James Posey, Charlie Villanueva, and Will Bynum. In contrast, the Raptors started with almost their full starting lineup: Leandro Barbosa, DeMar DeRozan, Linas Kleiza, Ed Davis, and Andrea Bargnani.

Taking advantage of the Pistons’ absence of their starters, the Raptors scored a 7-0 run, narrowing the score gap to 3 points. But John Kuester didn’t call a timeout. Will Bynum caught the ball and quickly drove to the front court; the opposing team didn’t expect Zhou Yi to move so fast. After half a minute, Will Bynum passed the ball to James Posey. James Posey caught the ball in his preferred spot and shot—it traced a beautiful arc before sinking through the net.

“Yess!” Seeing the shot go in, Will Bynum excitedly pumped his fist, earning another assist.

The Raptors’ shooting percentage was terrible today; it seemed they had fallen into an ice cave, with their shooting feeling eerily cold.

“Clang!” Leandro Barbosa shot from an open position but still missed. Will Bynum grabbed a rebound and dashed to the Raptors’ half-court. Seeing no one under the basket, he grinned, then pushed off hard with both feet to deliver an extremely arrogant two-handed dunk.

But fine, you can dunk and be arrogant—just don’t get stuck in the basket!

Will Bynum paid the price for his arrogance with a technical foul. Seeing the referee’s gesture, he slumped his head in frustration as DeMar DeRozan stepped to the free-throw line to shoot the technical foul.

Zhou Yi sat on the sidelines, grinning at Will Bynum’s foolish mistake.

“Will, this guy really knows how to have fun, doesn’t he?” McGrady said, laughing beside Zhou Yi.

“Who knows? When this guy gets excited, you never know what he might do. Only he would make such a basic mistake,” Zhou Yi said with a shrug.
“Sigh, the Raptors’ performance is getting worse and worse. I guess they’ll finish at the bottom this year.” Maddie, seemingly recalling his time with the Raptors, spoke with a hint of melancholy.
“Yeah, exactly!” Zhou Yi understood Maddie’s thoughts and nodded without saying more.
This summer, Chris Bosh left Toronto for Miami to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in a trio. Although Chris Bosh wasn’t at the level of a top-tier player, Toronto still wanted to keep this All-Star power forward. But Chris Bosh was determined to leave, so Toronto couldn’t retain him.
After Chris Bosh left, the Raptors were left with only Jose Calderon and Andrea Bagnani as key players. Although they acquired Leandro Barbosa through a trade with the Suns and signed promising rookie DeMar DeRozan, along with Amir Johnson who was already performing well, they managed to put together a fairly decent lineup.
But good times didn’t last long. Without Chris Bosh as their offensive anchor, Jose Calderon’s performance declined, and he couldn’t fully utilize his skills with the Raptors.
Leandro Barbosa, though fast and strong offensively, had his speed limited by age. He couldn’t run around the court as much as he used to; he wasn’t young anymore.
With such a team, honestly, they could manage 9 wins—already an impressive record.
There wasn’t a player with absolute dominance on the team, unlike the Pistons, who at least had Zhou Yi and Maddie. But the Raptors didn’t have anyone like that. Andrea Bagnani was good, but he definitely couldn’t grow into a leader.
Yet, with their current lineup, they still managed 9 wins and 19 losses, even ahead of the Cavaliers. To be honest, their performance surprised many people.

People previously thought that without Chris Bosh, the Raptors would finish at the bottom of the league in the new season. Even with Bosh, their strength wasn’t very great, so without this All-Star power forward, their performance would be even worse.

Will Bynum faced Jose Calderon, and in Bynum’s eyes, Calderon was a relatively selfless player. Right from the start of their matchups, Bynum realized that this guy, like himself, had no obvious strengths nor weaknesses.

Bynum and Calderon hadn’t faced each other many times, so Bynum didn’t know much about him. But since he was also a center, Bynum, despite knowing little about him, was still aware of his key technical traits. Their speeds were similar; actually, Bynum was a bit faster than Calderon. However, Calderon was more agile than Bynum and much weaker in strength. Though he had no clear advantages, he also had no obvious weaknesses. Apart from being slightly better at organization and passing, he wasn’t much stronger than Bynum.

But Bynum wasn’t a player focused on offense either; he couldn’t let the opponent have an easy time. So as long as he could neutralize Calderon, their second lineup had a good chance of winning, at least on paper.

In the second half of the first quarter, the Raptors showed solid teamwork, with all five starters scoring points. DeMar DeRozan, in particular, hit all three of his first shots, scoring 7 points. On the Pistons’ side, after Will Bynum entered the game, he connected with James Posey and Chris Wilcox, leading the Pistons’ bench to keep attacking. But the Pistons’ biggest strength was their defense, which was hard for anyone to withstand. Thanks to their second lineup’s defense, the Pistons led the Raptors 31–24 at the end of the first quarter.

John Kuester was happy with this result. But the Raptors’ head coach, Wayne Casey, was devastated. His starting lineup couldn’t even beat the opponent’s bench—Wayne Casey felt like giving up.

However, an upset occurred in the second quarter.

Leandro Barbosa’s sudden burst created cracks in the Pistons’ defense as he scored 11 points in a single quarter, successfully breaking through their defense. However, in the second half of that quarter, the arrival of key players like Zhou Yi dampened the Raptors’ counterattacks. After the Pistons took another double-digit lead, starting players like Zhou Yi were once again substituted out by head coach John Kuester. This time, they didn’t return until the end of the game. Of course, that’s for later.

Veteran James Posey is an ideal player for a championship team—in other words, he’s the perfect fit for a team’s championship puzzle. His experience is invaluable, and it’s what allows him to stay competitive in the NBA at this age. His shooting once again broke through the opponent’s defense and angered the opponent’s starting center, the draft pick of that year, Andrea Bagnani.

James Posey defended Bagnani out of position, forcing him to commit an offensive foul. With just one offensive foul, most people would accept it as fate. But Bagnani refused to back down; he even shouted at the referee. Seeing that he dared defy the rules, the referee issued a technical foul. Even after that, Bagnani didn’t calm down and kept talking nonsense. So, the referee simply gave him another technical foul. With that plus the previous one, Bagnani was honorably ejected from the game.

The Raptors were already weak, and without Andrea Bagnani, their situation became even worse.