Chapter 80

After the collapse in the second half, John Kuester didn’t panic; instead, it calmed him down completely. The smooth start to the season had made him overly optimistic about the team’s future. But now it seems he was indeed too optimistic. A truly strong team is definitely not the Pistons’ current style of play. The team’s “golden duo” is indeed impressive, and their record is quite good, even excellent. However, as the season progresses, this success is unlikely to last, especially in the playoffs, where depth on the bench often determines how far a team can go. At the start of the second half, John Kuester sent only three starters out, with Ling Ming as the backup, leaving Zhou Yi and McGrady on the bench. The Bulls played with their starting lineup in the second half and barely managed to gain a scoring advantage. Tom Thibodeau certainly wouldn’t give up this advantage easily. No matter how good their backups are, starters are more reliable in critical moments. Taking advantage of the chaos at the start of the half, Raul Dunas once again executed his tricky three-step layup, scoring easily. His defender, Teyshawn Prince, was a step slow; with his speed, he could only watch helplessly as Raul Dunas scored. At 7:32 in the third quarter, John Kuester called a timeout and brought in Zhou Yi and McGrady. Having rested most of the half, Zhou Yi was full of energy. After receiving the ball, he steadily drove across half-court. From previous encounters, Derrick Rose knew it would be extremely difficult to steal the ball from Zhou Yi. Moreover, his own fast pace seemed to offer no advantage against him. As Tom Thibodeau had advised him earlier, it’s unrealistic to completely contain a player like Zhou Yi—at least not with him. Instead of worrying about that, it’s better to focus on disrupting his passing routes. The Pistons’ strong offensive performance this year is largely due to Zhou Yi’s playmaking, which has brought together a once-disorganized team.

As the approaching footsteps grew louder, Derek Rose became highly focused. In the first half, in their confrontation, Zhou Yi performed better. Zhou Yi defended him tightly, but he didn’t make things easy for Zhou Yi either—after Zhou Yi hit two three-point shots, he didn’t ease up on his defense at all. Both were among the fastest players in the league. With both sides knowing each other’s strengths, the game naturally favored the Bulls, as their overall strength remained intact; even without Derek Rose, they still had several reliable players. On the Pistons’ side, if Zhou Yi was defended tightly, their outside shooting would almost come to a standstill, leaving them dependent on McGrady’s offense.

John Kuester obviously saw Tom Thibodeau’s strategy. Since Zhou Yi wasn’t very effective on the court, he decided to replace him halfway through the second quarter. This substitution seemed like a complete abandonment of outside shooting, but its effects became apparent in the second half. Having an advantage in stamina, Zhou Yi gradually gained the upper hand in his confrontation with Derek Rose.

This time, Zhou Yi didn’t choose to pass. Nearly a meter from the three-point line, he stopped moving and assumed a shooting stance. Such a sudden attempt at a shot would likely only be seen by spectators from other players, but he was facing Derek Rose. Even before Zhou Yi stopped moving, Derek Rose became alert due to the changes in his posture. The moment Zhou Yi raised the basketball, his lightning-fast speed was once again on display before the Pistons’ fans.

This time, Zhou Yi chose the right timing and position for his shot. Judging from the smile on his face, it was definitely the right decision. The only criticism was his shooting speed. His speed was already well-known in the league. During their last match against the Bulls, Derek Rose suffered a setback as Zhou Yi used his speed to shoot several strong shots in a row at him.

But in such a tight situation, Derek Rose didn’t have time to think much. His goal was simple: whatever it took, he had to prevent Zhou Yi from making this shot.

As Derek Rose jumped to try and block the ball, Zhou Yi’s smile grew even wider. His upper body rose gradually before suddenly stopping, his feet firmly planted on the floor.

Watching Zhou Yi looking up at him, Derek Rose felt a surge of distress. He already knew he had been played, especially as he saw Zhou Yi take another jump. “Ding” — the referee’s whistle sounded just in time. Before his body fell, Zhou Yi gently swung his left hand, and the basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air. Though the shot was taken from a very awkward position, judging by its trajectory, it was undoubtedly a good shot. “Bang” — the ball missed the hoop. Derek Rose’s anxious heart finally settled. If Zhou Yi had managed to score a 3+1, the Pistons’ momentum might have changed. For Zhou Yi, three free throws meant an increase of three points to his score. If he made all three, his consecutive free throw count would reach 108. Derek Rose brought the ball to the front court, but Zhou Yi didn’t rush forward. He was well aware of Derek Rose’s range of attack. Three-point shooting had never been Derek Rose’s strength, nor did he possess Kobe-like skills in that area. As long as he could defend against three-point shots, Derek Rose’s threat would be minimized. Zhou Yi only aimed to limit Derek Rose’s scoring, never thinking of stopping him completely. Although he considered his defensive skills decent, there was still a significant gap between him and top individual defenders like Bruce Bowen and Sean Battier, both in terms of ability and experience. Since even they couldn’t do it, Zhou Yi naturally didn’t dare to expect it either. As Derek Rose gradually approached, Zhou Yi’s attention focused entirely on him. Facing such a top-tier player, Zhou Yi couldn’t afford any distractions. Two steps away from Zhou Yi, Derek Rose stopped. Though he was full of fighting spirit now, he still had to be cautious when facing Zhou Yi, knowing very well of his strength. With his skilled dribbling and elusive movements, Derek Rose was exceptionally adept — that was his explosive power. His sudden accelerations had left many players in the league at a disadvantage. Without quick reflexes, one could easily be broken through by him, purely through speed. Zhou Yi was secretly surprised. He had long been aware of Derek Rose’s speed, but now he realized that the Derek Rose he had in mind, when giving it his all, was still untouchable in the league.

Zhou Yi quickly stepped back. He was well aware of his choice—given Derek Rose’s speed when accelerating, if he rashly stepped forward to defend, he would most likely be broken through by him. He still had reservations about Derek Rose’s breakthroughs, so stepping back to create some space was undoubtedly the best defensive position.

The opponent’s retreat made Derek Rose’s gaze tighten. Especially when he saw Zhou Yi blocking his path of breakthrough, he sighed inwardly. He pushed hard with his right foot against the ground, not only stopping his own body but also using the rebound force to leap backward swiftly, throwing the ball quickly as well.

The shot was rather forced; the ball bounced several times off the basket before finally barely falling in. It seemed Derek Rose really did have good luck.

A slight smile improved Derek Rose’s expression. Exhaling softly, he immediately retreated to defend his own half of the court.

The Pistons’ fast breaks were no less impressive than the Suns’. However, while the Suns relied on teamwork for their fast breaks, the Pistons depended more on Zhou Yi’s speed. But with the Bulls’ current lineup, they were at a disadvantage against teams like the Pistons.

Taylor Hansbrough’s jump shots kept Carlos Boozer frustrated. Taylor Hansbrough had already hit three shots in a row in front of Carlos Boozer. To be defeated so badly by a younger player, Carlos Boozer wished he could sink into a hole.

Derek Rose returned to his old playing style, keeping the ball in his hands while the other players kept running, weaving through, and stepping forward to block—everything serving Derek Rose.

When Zhou Yi stepped forward to defend Derek Rose, he didn’t expect Royle Dun to suddenly appear in front of Derek Rose. With Zhou Yi’s current speed, stopping abruptly was almost impossible. As a result, the two collided head-on. Although Royle Dun took the brunt of the impact, Zhou Yi also suffered greatly, almost falling to the ground.

It was John Kuester’s decision not to assign help defense to Derek Rose.

Zhou Yi’s performance was indeed gradually approaching that of a top-tier star. However, he insisted that there was still much potential in Zhou Yi. His talent in organizing attacks and his defensive performance made John Kuester even happier.

Most players have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s truly unique for a league to have players as versatile as Kevin Garnett at his peak, capable of excelling in every aspect. Zhou Yi’s height limits his options inside, but in other areas, he can undoubtedly become the next Kevin Garnett, one of the few all-around players in the league. In the long 82-game regular season and the highly competitive playoffs, any player can have off days, even “Air Kobe.” However, knowing how to adjust one’s playing style when in a slump is a significant skill—players with versatile abilities naturally have an edge in such situations. With the Pistons’ currently imperfect roster, issues at center and shooting guard will surely affect the team’s long-term plans. It’s unlikely to make roster moves in the short term, but with Zhou Yi and McGrady’s versatility, they can sometimes act as scoring players to help the team get through tough times. Without Zhou Yi’s defense, Derrick Rose isn’t holding back—his layups and quick drives, along with his unpredictable ball-handling skills, leave the Pistons’ other players no time to react. Zhou Yi looks displeased; the game against Derrick Rose is extremely important to him. They are both rivals and friends. Zhou Yi dodges Derrick Rose with two quick changes of direction—this is already his third successful breakthrough of the quarter, each time becoming easier. This time, just two changes of direction gave him an opportunity. The Bulls respond quickly, with Rolando Blackman and Carlos Boozer coming to help, surrounding Zhou Yi. Faced with double-teaming, Zhou Yi remains calm, doesn’t pass the ball, and keeps charging inside. He ends up facing Rolando Blackman first. Zhou Yi suddenly passes the ball backward with his right hand—something he’s done many times after breaking through. Rolando Blackman quickly shifts his focus to this move, hesitating slightly. That’s exactly the opportunity Zhou Yi needs. With a simple pass, he deceives Blackman. Now, the only one standing in Zhou Yi’s way is the Bulls’ interior force, Carlos Boozer.

However, Carlos Boozer was a step slow in covering up, just one step, but it turned out to be a major flaw. If he and Rolando Dunham had rushed to cover together, with Zhou Yi’s ability to seize opportunities in chaos, he would most likely have been deceived by Zhou Yi’s backpass. But that one slow step allowed Zhou Yi’s actions to be fully visible to him.

Zhou Yi also felt regret in his heart. After breaking through Derek Rose, he noticed the Bulls players coming to cover him. Of the two covering players, Carlos Boozer seemed a bit faster. He didn’t expect Carlos Boozer to trust his teammates so much, which instead put himself at a disadvantage.

Carlos Boozer didn’t choose to attack decisively but instead stood firm under the basket. At their current distance, Zhou Yi didn’t dare to stop abruptly and shoot—a quick layup—because Carlos Boozer could easily block it. With full speed, Zhou Yi seemed unable to stop in time. The tightly guarded basket left no room for Zhou Yi to insert himself, and his path seemed to lead straight to the baseline.

Just two steps later, Zhou Yi reached the baseline at a zero-angle position. As his right foot was about to cross the line, he pushed off the floor and soared into the air.

Carlos Boozer was quite pleased with his successful defense, but Zhou Yi’s move completely surprised him. From Zhou Yi’s current position, flying over the baseline was inevitable—unless he could fly backward in the air, which was impossible. Thus, Zhou Yi’s action became truly incomprehensible.

Zhou Yi unleashed the strength he had built up, and his body suddenly stopped mid-air. Slightly to the right, his right hand, holding the ball, reached out from behind the basket and threw it gently.

“Swish”—such a beautiful sound filled Zhou Yi with excitement.

The fans in the arena were stunned; many unconsciously opened their mouths wide. Even the DJ seemed to forget his duties, and the United Center fell silent. They never expected that the seemingly slender Chinese boy could be so strong.

Tom Thibodeau sighed helplessly and called a timeout. It seemed he had indeed underestimated Zhou Yi.

After the timeout, the game resumed.

Derek Rose’s eyes showed fierce determination, though there was also a hint of fatigue. The first three quarters had taken a toll on his energy. Especially against Zhou Yi, a player he had always highly regarded—more so now that the two had become friends.

He had a good understanding of Zhou Yi’s potential, but he didn’t expect him to appear before him so quickly, and in such a dominant manner. Their confrontation had lasted for a long time, and at first, Derek Rose performed quite calmly. But as the game progressed, Zhou Yi’s defensive skills grew better and better, putting increasing pressure on him. Fortunately, there was Rolando Dun to constantly cover for him and share the offensive burden; otherwise, he really doubted whether his stamina could have held up this long. “Swish” — Derek Rose scored after a quick stop and jump shot after breaking through. Zhou Yi was amazed; he didn’t expect Derek Rose to still have such remarkable stamina at this point. After all, Derek Rose hadn’t rested for long at all, while he had had plenty of time to rest. With such intense competition between them, it was no wonder Zhou Yi was so surprised. Zhou Yi drove with the ball, made two quick changes of direction, created a half-body gap from Derek Rose, and then scored with a mid-range jump shot as well.