Chapter 81

Seconds ticked away in the third quarter, and before long, only a little over three minutes remained. Under the leadership of Zhou Yi and Tracy McGrady, the Pistons launched a fierce counterattack, turning the score around to 73:69. Seeing this, the Bulls’ head coach Tom Thibodeau had no choice but to call a timeout.

Chapter 257: Defeating the Bulls Again, 25 Consecutive Wins (Part 1)

Zhou Yi drove the ball to start an attack. Samuel Dalembert and Tyler Hansbrough rushed into the paint and began competing fiercely with the Bulls’ interior duo of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer for position, while the other Pistons players kept moving around in search of shooting opportunities.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yi also faced a tough defense from Derrick Rose. Although Derrick Rose’s defense wasn’t on par with that of top defenders like Ron Artest, it was still first-rate. Derrick Rose had speed comparable to Zhou Yi’s, yet he managed to contain him tightly. Every time Zhou Yi tried to break through, Derrick Rose would always get in his way first, preventing him from finding any openings to drive or shoot!

However, Zhou Yi had the advantage of superior stamina. Now that the third quarter was nearing its end, Derrick Rose was still on the court, his energy almost depleted.

Zhou Yi slowly dribbled outside the three-point line, every nerve in his body tense, not daring to be careless. When he reached just outside the line facing the basket, he stopped and casually pushed the ball over Derrick Rose’s head toward the hoop.

Seeing Samuel Dalembert and Tyler Hansbrough still trapped by Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, unable to move freely, some people thought Zhou Yi must have made a mistake!

But then something unexpected happened. A figure in a blue jersey suddenly rushed from the right baseline into the paint. As the ball was about to hit the backboard, he leaped up in the paint, caught the ball with his right hand, and threw it toward the basket!

“Bang!” The ball slammed hard into the basket, and everyone could now see who had completed this aerial pass—it was Tracy McGrady, wearing the Pistons’ No. 1 jersey!

“Great pass, Zhou!” McGrady excitedly ran up to Zhou Yi and high-fived him.

Zhou Yi smiled at McGrady and ran with him toward the backcourt.

Derek Rose drove to the baseline and passed to Carlos Boozer under the basket. After catching the ball, Boozer weaved past Taylor Hansbrough’s defense and scored with a layup.
After several steady passes, the ball reached Tyshawn Prince, who immediately adjusted his stance and shot a three-pointer from zero degrees outside the left-wing three-point line.
However, he didn’t seem to be in good form that night, so the shot missed. The ball hit the rim and bounced out!
“Damn it!” Tyshawn Prince cursed inwardly.
The Pistons’ two big men, Samuel Dalembert and Taylor Hansbrough, were held back by the Bulls’ Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, preventing them from securing good positions for rebounds!
The ball slowly fell, and Noah and Boozer bent down to grab it, with the home crowd already assuming it would go to the Bulls!
But just as the ball was about to land in Boozer’s hands, a player in the Pistons’ No. 37 jersey suddenly rushed into the paint from the side and snatched the rebound from among the big men!
Zhou Yi!
Everyone stared in disbelief at this Chinese player, who was only 188 cm tall, unable to believe that such a short player could snatch a rebound from so many big men!
But what happened next stunned the home crowd even more.
Zhou Yi actually held his own against Carlos Boozer and scored using an incredible inside attack, even drawing a foul from Boozer!
The home crowd was shocked—was this something a guard could do? Compete for offensive rebounds with big men? Outmuscle Carlos Boozer inside?
Similar thoughts flashed through everyone’s minds: This Chinese kid is a monster!
“It seems the interior offense skills I’ve been practicing hard with Samuel have paid off,” Zhou Yi thought as he stood at the free-throw line.
Pistons head coach John Kuester also looked surprised, but soon a smile appeared on his face.
“This kid’s talent is truly extraordinary!”
As John Kuester muttered to himself, Zhou Yi made the free throw.
110—Zhou Yi had now made 110 consecutive free throws.

Raul Dunham’s mid-range jump shot missed, and Samuel Durham Porter secured a defensive rebound. As soon as Samuel Durham Porter got the defensive rebound, Zhou Yi launched an fast break.
Zhou Yi received the pass from Samuel Durham Porter just outside the Bulls’ three-point line. Without hesitation, facing an unguarded Bulls center, he rushed into the Bulls’ paint at top speed!
Once inside the Bulls’ paint, Zhou Yi leaped with all his might and drove the ball into the basket with a powerful right-handed slam!
“Bang!”
With a perfect axe handle dunk, Zhou Yi ended the fast break!
The loud roar echoed in everyone’s hearts, shaking their souls!
The arena was dead silent as everyone stared in awe at what had just happened.
82:73—the Pistons were now up by 9 points. From being behind earlier, they had now taken a 9-point lead. Hope for victory began to fill the Pistons’ players’ hearts.
With Derrick Rose’s last-shot attempt missing, the third quarter came to an end. The Pistons led the Bulls 84:73, with victory just within reach.
John Kuster was very satisfied with his players’ performance, so after they returned to the bench, he praised those who had done well in the first three quarters, especially Zhou Yi.
Of course, despite his joy, John Kuster wasn’t complacent. After praising his players, he emphasized that even though they were ahead, they couldn’t relax at all and must work harder to perform as well in the final quarter!
The fourth quarter was about to begin, and both teams’ players had returned to the court.