Chapter 79

At the end of the first quarter, the score between the two teams was 26:25, with the Pistons trailing the Bulls by 1 point.

Chapter 256: FacingRoses Again

All seven players on the Pistons’ team scored points, with Zhou Yi being the highest scorer. He made 4 out of 6 attempts, scoring 10 points. Such a high number of attempts was quite different from Zhou Yi’s usual performance, and the impact of this change was evident—the Bulls had to focus more attention on him.

John Kuster gave some praise. At this stage of the game, it was already quite remarkable for the Pistons. The Bulls’ performance today could be described as above par, especially Rolando Blackman’s ability to drive inside and shoot from outside, which left McGrady, who was tasked with defending him, almost helpless.

Watching Blackman’s unrestrained performance on the court, John Kuster thought about having Zhou Yi defend him—only Zhou Yi’s speed could keep up with his rhythm. But that was just a thought; with Zhou Yi already stretched thin guarding Derrick Rose, freeing up Blackman would allow the Bulls’ backcourt duo to put the Pistons in a desperate situation.

McGrady’s replacement was Ben Gordon, but this would result in too short a lineup on the perimeter. John Kuster dismissed this option. When his gaze fell on James Posey, he made up his mind.

John Kuster had always wanted to give James Posey more playing time. Whether in offense or defense, Posey had standout abilities, especially his shooting in critical moments, which often proved decisive.

“Ding”—Zhou Yi’s layup missed, but it resulted in a foul on Carlos Boozer.

In their last game against the 76ers, Zhou Yi had reached 103 consecutive free throws made.

Making both free throws, Zhou Yi’s consistency from the line remained unchanged.

Rolando Blackman tried the same tactic again, driving straight into the paint from the baseline. But this time, just as he was about to take a three-step layup, a strong figure was already waiting in his path.

Having observed most of the first quarter from the sidelines, James Posey had figured out some of Blackman’s patterns. Moreover, Blackman had been a bit careless—using that same driving tactic many times already in the first quarter.

James Posey withstood Blackman’s strong impact, and at that moment, the referee’s whistle blew. However, this call was difficult to make, as it’s often hard to determine whether it’s an offensive foul.

The referee promptly called a defensive foul. With the call made at home, the home team has a slight advantage—this isn’t really the referee’s fault, but rather due to some ambiguous calls. It’s understandable for the referee to lean in favor of the home crowd’s emotions.

The Bulls continued their attack, with Ronnie Brewer serving from the sideline. Although James Posey was called for a defensive foul this time, his subsequent defense against Raul Dunham made things difficult for him. He was very successful in defending Dunham, stopping several of his attempts to break through. With star player Derrick Rose performing below par, the Bulls’ offense suffered setbacks.

Tom Thibodeau had no choice but to call a timeout. The team’s outside shooting was weak, and inside, Carlos Boozer had little chance to shine under tight defense from Tyler Hansbrough. Meanwhile, the Pistons were on the offensive, with Tyler Hansbrough and Zhou Yi’s coordination enabling them to score an 8-2 run.

The Bulls have been extremely strong this season, currently sitting third in the East with a record of 26 wins and 8 losses, just one game behind the second-ranked Boston Celtics. The reason the Bulls are among the league’s most consistent teams is not only because they have a solid core lineup but also because their bench players are irreplaceable. Without mentioning key players like Kyle Korver, even the other bench players may not stand out usually, but they step up whenever the team needs them.

CJ Watson and Kyle Korver were substituted in. The former is a player the Bulls are focusing on developing, hoping to find a suitable replacement for Derrick Rose. The latter is a veteran with years of experience, a reliable three-point shooter with a career three-point shooting percentage of 44.9%—a rate that definitely places him among the top tier of three-point shooters.

Thibodeau’s substitution move had its ups and downs. With Zhou Yi closely guarding Derrick Rose, it was already tough for Rose, let alone CJ Watson. Earlier, Zhou Yi had used a half-court pressure defense on Rose, but after CJ Watson came in, he committed to full-court pressure defense at the expense of his own energy.

Under Zhou Yi’s defense, CJ Watson nearly had his ball stolen; he passed the ball right after the first half started.

Kyle Korver’s three-pointer from the right wing, along with McGrady’s return to the game after sitting on the bench for so long without showing much improvement and consistently lagging in defense, left enough space for Kyle Korver to shoot. For a seasoned shooter like Kyle Korver, just a little opportunity is enough to get the ball into the basket.

When signing McGrady, his physical condition was a concern for the Pistons’ management, and his tendency to focus more on offense than defense was also a source of worry. However, to the Pistons’ relief, McGrady’s offensive performance was much better than expected. Although there were still some defensive issues, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

After the timeout, the Bulls significantly increased their mid-range shooting. Kyle Korver was very consistent from the field; facing McGrady’s defense, he hit two consecutive mid-range shots, helping to stabilize the team’s morale.

CJ Watson defended cautiously inside the three-point line. Earlier, he had been outpaced three times in a row by Zhou Yi due to his speed. Although the coach didn’t criticize him, he felt bad about it, as he bore significant responsibility for the Pistons’ scoring surge.

Zhou Yi wasn’t too concerned about CJ Watson’s defense. However, seeing his nervous and overly committed expression, Zhou Yi almost laughed. He didn’t think such defense would be effective against him. Defense requires caution and full effort, but being too nervous is never a good thing—once a player gets too nervous, their movements become less agile than usual.

For the second half, Zhou Yi was taken off the court at the halfway point of the second quarter to rest.

Throughout the last three minutes of the second quarter, the Pistons’ bench only had Will Bynum, who scored 6 points with two long-range shots. The poor performance of the bench determined the overall tone of the second quarter, with the Pistons temporarily falling behind the Bulls by 5 points, 48–53.