Chapter 83

With 4 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter, Zhou Yi broke through Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan in succession, passed the ball to Taishan Prince on the perimeter before Andrea Bagnani could recover, and Prince easily scored with no defender around him. Immediately afterward, Zhou Yi intercepted Calderon’s pass in the middle court and passed it long to Greg Monroe, helping him score with a layup. DeMar DeRozan quickly drove to the basket, received a perfect pass from Calderon, and dunked the ball through the hoop. Greg Monroe was a step slow; DeRozan quickly drove the ball into the basket, shaking his fist in frustration. Zhou Yi attempted two breakthroughs in a row, but Calderon thwarted them both by anticipating his moves. Although not as fast as Zhou Yi, years of NBA experience had allowed Calderon to encounter many skilled breakthrough players, and after so much experience, he had learned some tactics. He anticipated Zhou Yi’s moves for both attempts. As time passed, Zhou Yi grew increasingly anxious. Greg Monroe stepped in just in time. As soon as Monroe stepped forward, Zhou Yi understood his intention and dashed past him in an instant. Calderon could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yi rushed into the paint. Andrea Bagnani’s timely withdrawal from the paint gave the Raptors’ players a slight respite. Although Bagnani’s defensive skills weren’t strong, it wouldn’t be easy for Zhou Yi to get past him. Zhou Yi plunged into Bagnani’s arms. Bagnani was pleased inwardly—his large frame and outstretched arms almost completely enclosed Zhou Yi. But before his excitement could fade, he saw the disappointed expressions of the fans. Not understanding what was going on, he turned to see Greg Monroe’s right hand gripping the rim while the ball kept bouncing beneath it. At that moment, the large screen in the middle of the arena was showing a replay of the previous moment. Just before Bagnani contained Zhou Yi, the ball was passed from behind him—a very subtle and precise pass. With no defender around him, Greg Monroe stepped forward and dunked the ball. After landing, Greg Monroe roared in anger. The Raptors attacked again—Calderon broke through and passed the ball, and DeMar DeRozan caught it and hit a jump shot. With the shift in offense and defense, Zhou Yi passed the ball to McGrady beyond the three-point line, who took a quick jump shot and scored a three-pointer.

Jose Calderon moved around beyond the three-point line with the ball, desperately searching for an opportunity to break through. However, Zhou Yi’s excellent defense thwarted all his attempts, and as the 24-second timeout neared, Calderon grew anxious, urgently trying to locate his teammates.

Constantly watching his movements, Zhou Yi noticed the anxiety in his eyes and the apparent confusion in his ball-handling rhythm. His experience told him the opponent was distracted. Lowering his body slightly, like a cheetah ready to pounce, he rushed forward and swung his right hand hard at the bouncing ball.

Feeling a sudden lightness in his hand, Calderon’s heart sank—the basketball, which should have bounced back into his grasp, seemed to have disappeared. Realizing his ball had been knocked away, he turned to look, only to see a dark shadow flash past him, with a gust of wind hitting his face, forcing him to step back instinctively.

By the time he regained his composure, Zhou Yi had already grabbed the ball and crossed half-court. With no players from the Raptors on that side, Zhou Yi easily scored a dunk.

The Raptors failed to counter, and the Pistons secured the defensive rebound. Extending his right wrist, Zhou Yi caught the ball in mid-air. After a brief pause, he rushed forward like an arrow released from a bow, heading toward the opponent’s half-court. This was what John Kuster wanted from him—using his speed and breakthrough skills to create more opportunities for the team. Against an experienced veteran like Jose Calderon, Zhou Yi’s greatest asset was his speed, leveraging his strengths to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses.

Jose Calderon watched Zhou Yi closely, thinking to himself. As he got older, his pace slowed down. His greatest asset now was his rich experience. Against a rookie like Zhou Yi, he had many strategies to counter him, but he didn’t dare underestimate him either. Zhou Yi’s speed terrified him; seeing his breakthroughs reminded him of Allen Iverson, the king of speed and breakthroughs in the league—both possessed terrifying speed.

With his feet spread apart, his center of gravity slightly lowered, and his upper body slightly leaning forward, Calderon’s arms swung as Zhou Yi approached. On his home court, he had much to prove. He couldn’t afford to lose such a game, so even before Zhou Yi reached half-court, he had already prepared himself, waiting for him to arrive.

His gaunt face narrowed, with flashes of intensity in his eyes from time to time. One had to admire Jose Calderon’s seasoned experience; his defensive moves were solid, without any fancy tricks. If not for his own speed advantage, it would indeed be difficult to break through his defense.

Despite continuous changes in positioning, Jose Calderon remained unfazed, sticking to his own area, yet he managed to thwart Zhou Yi’s attempts to break through several times.

Although Zhou Yi failed to break through, his teammates were already in position. With a clever pass from behind, he delivered the ball to McGrady, who scored from a moving jump shot.

Typically, point guards face the basket when organizing attacks, as this helps protect the ball better. However, the downside is that they can’t see the overall situation of the game. Yet, outstanding point guards who organize attacks face the basket, using their excellent ball-handling skills to make it hard for others to take the ball away from them. They have full control of everything in the game, whether organizing attacks or making passes for breakthroughs.

Jose Calderon’s direct pass went to Andrea Bagnani in the paint, with Greg Monroe immediately closing in. Andrea Bagnani feinted a few times before turning and scoring with a jump shot.

The Raptors’ players quickly adjusted their defense against Zhou Yi, but it didn’t seem very effective. Whenever there was no opportunity, Zhou Yi could always pass the ball in time.

After receiving a clever pass from Zhou Yi, McGrady took a jump shot, but unfortunately, the ball rotated a few times inside the hoop before bouncing out, with Andrea Bagnani grabbing the defensive rebound.

It was DeMar DeRozan again, who scored after receiving a pass from Jose Calderon near the free-throw line.

Tyshawn Prince’s three-point attempt missed, while Samuel Dalembert scored on a putback.

On the Raptors’ side, Andrea Bagnani also scored with a hook shot.

After drawing two Raptors defenders, Zhou Yi made a behind-the-back pass to McGrady, who then hit a beautiful three-point shot.

With Andrea Bagnani’s shot missing, the first quarter came to an end. The Pistons, through relentless efforts in the second half, finally took the lead, with the score at 27:23, giving them a 4-point advantage.