Chapter 73

In the second quarter, Ervin Johnson persisted with his playing style. Although the Pistons showed talent in fast breaks, he didn’t believe there was any team in the league capable of matching the Suns in that aspect at that point. His persistence made sense—the Pistons were indeed less skilled in fast breaks compared to the Suns. However, there was one thing Ervin Johnson didn’t take into account: while skill is important in games, luck can also play a role. The Suns’ shooters, unlike in the first quarter, missed shot after shot, and it wasn’t until 5:17 left in the quarter that Steve Nash scored from outside. The Pistons racked up 38 points to the Suns’ 19 in the second quarter, ending the first half with a 24-point lead. At this stage of the game, as long as the Pistons’ offense didn’t suffer major problems, their victory was only a matter of time. During a halftime interview, an ESPN reporter asked Greg Monroe about his thoughts on the game. Greg Monroe, who had scored 20 points by the end of the first half, was extremely happy. Such a high score for the first half set a new record for his career. Of course, his career was only one year old. Greg Monroe said just one thing: “Being able to perform like this is largely thanks to my teammates; I just did what I was supposed to do.” The focus of the game lay in the third quarter—if the Suns couldn’t narrow the score gap in that quarter, they would undoubtedly lose the game. On the other hand, if the Pistons managed to control the third quarter, they could push the game into overtime early.