Chapter 123
In the second quarter, Brandon Jennings was still among the Bucks’ starters. Since the start of the season, his average playing time has been the highest on the team, even ranking in the top 15 in the entire league. Despite such extensive playing time, Jennings’ efficiency isn’t very high; he’s only at an average level among players with similar playing time.
Although the Bucks’ management has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with Jennings in public, saying he needs to improve his shooting skills and be more involved in the team’s play rather than trying to do things on his own, he still remains the team’s cornerstone in actual games.
Scott Skiles also has to place his hopes on him, as he is the brain of the team and its core player.
Jennings quickly drove the ball across half-court, easily dodging Maddie’s interference, with his eyes fixed on Zhou Yi. In the first quarter, the two had several direct confrontations. Although he didn’t gain an advantage over Zhou Yi and didn’t make things easy for him either, this only further fueled Jennings’ fighting spirit. There are indeed many elite defenders in the league, and he has suffered losses at the hands of many of them.
However, it’s not common since he joined the NBA to encounter someone who can tightly shadow him using speed and skill like this.
Seeing Zhou Yi’s defense, two figures flashed through Jennings’ mind. One was Gary Payton, the most renowned defensive guard in league history, nicknamed “The Glove.” The other was Isaiah Thomas, once the leader of the “Bad Boy” squad.
But compared to those two, Zhou Yi had a significant advantage in speed and explosiveness.
It seemed Jennings was going to stop to organize the play, but just as he slowed down and before he could react, he suddenly accelerated again, easily slipping past the caught-off-guard Zhou Yi and charging into the Pistons’ paint. As Jennings scored the layup, Zhou Yi angrily slapped his head—he had indeed been too careless. He hadn’t expected Jennings’ fake moves to be so convincing, allowing him to go full speed at the moment of adjusting his rhythm. Though it seemed like a simple move, it required high skill from the player, especially in terms of coordination between player and ball. Any slight miscommunication could lead to a mistake.
Amid the cheers at Bradley Center, the Pistons’ ball was quickly sent forward. Zhou Yi effortlessly carried the ball past the half-court line, yet his expression showed not the slightest sign of relaxation. Kyren Dunston’s overall defensive skills were indeed much stronger than Brandon Jennings’, but his pride in speed proved useless against his opponent. A series of convincing feints, combined with overwhelming speed in breaking through, nearly broke Kyren Dunston’s spirit. Throughout his few years in the profession, the only player who had ever left him so helpless in breakthrough attempts was “The Answer” Allen Iverson. But that was a legendary top-star, while now he was facing a fully committed Zhou Yi, who also had superior physical strength compared to Brandon Jennings—so Kyren Dunston’s predicament was easily imagined. Seeing his teammate struggling under Zhou Yi’s assault, Brandon Jennings took the initiative to shoulder more of the defensive burden. Besides being one of the team’s core players, the immense pressure Zhou Yi had exerted on him during defense also filled him with fighting spirit, and he wanted to experience Zhou Yi’s breakthrough skills firsthand in the game. Zhou Yi stepped to the side, pressing his entire back against Brandon Jennings. He moved the ball gently a few times, using his body’s senses to determine Brandon Jennings’ center of gravity. Any player’s center of gravity changes before moving—a natural reaction of the body. However, the Bucks clearly didn’t want to give Zhou Yi much time. After Brandon Jennings successfully blocked Zhou Yi, Kyren Dunston quickly stepped in to provide backup defense. Before a double-team could form, Zhou Yi threw the ball high into the air. The gap left by Kyren Dunston’s help defense naturally had to be filled by a Bucks player. At that moment of subtle changes in the defense, Zhou Yi’s peripheral vision caught Maddie charging straight toward the basket from the left baseline. The basketball soared high above the basket, bringing joy to the Bucks fans. Zhou Yi’s throw seemed a bit too forceful; based on its current trajectory, by the time its upward momentum faded, the ball would likely have crossed the baseline. Andrew Bogut clearly also assessed the ball’s trajectory. With such a shot, there was no need to rush for the rebound—just wait patiently for the ball to cross the baseline, and possession would return to his team.
Brandon Jennings initially thought the same, but upon seeing Zhou Yi’s confident smile, he immediately sensed something was off. From what he knew about Zhou Yi, his playing style had always been steady in matches—rarely would he make passes with slim chances, unless he was absolutely sure; he even seldom engaged in alley-oops with teammates. As the basketball soared above the basket, the Bucks’ fans held back their excitement, waiting for the moment it would go out of bounds. Suddenly, a dark hand grabbed the ball just as it was about to cross the baseline, bringing it close to his chest as he swiftly slid to the other side of the basket. “Ah!” A roar that sounded like tearing ripped through Bradley Center. McGrady quickly raised the basketball high and slammed it forcefully into the basket. His roar echoed throughout the Bucks’ home court, and after completing the dunk, he excitedly pounded his solid chest. McGrady’s roar and actions boosted his teammates’ morale while severely demoralizing the opponents. Although it was a home game, from the start, the Bucks had been completely dominated by their rivals. Brandon Jennings’ repeated breaks, attempts at layups, and outstanding performance at the free-throw line couldn’t hide the team’s poor performance on the court. Brandon Jennings broke through Wu Guo but still found an opportunity to pass—the ball was sent directly to Chris Douglas-Roberts, who was unguarded. “Clang!” That sound hit the Bucks’ players, their fans, like a sledgehammer. “Sigh, how could that open three-pointer miss? What bad luck!” The Bucks’ fans wondered to those around them, unable to accept that missed shot. “Rebound!” Brandon Jennings roared. He was also frustrated by the missed three-pointer. But it was still a game, and all focus had to be on playing. Discussing this now was pointless. Fortunately, at the basket, the Bucks’ players were in a favorable position—Samuel Dalembert was tightly pressed by Andrew Bogut from behind, while Ersan Ilyasova was quickly rushing toward the basket. Andrew Bogut was seething with anger; up to this point in the game, he hadn’t gotten the ball many times. That Jennings didn’t even seem to take him seriously, just going ahead and scoring on his own.
Andrew Bogut is an exceptionally capable player who gives his all once on the court, even when facing veteran Samuel Dalembert, he doesn’t fall behind in terms of intensity. Using his robust frame, he presses Dalembert tightly and jumps first. However, he underestimated Dalembert’s jumping ability and seasoned experience. In that situation under the basket, the most logical move would have been to tightly hold down Greg Monroe and let Ayton Alioska compete for the rebound. Just as his hand was about to grab the ball, a dark palm reached for it first, gently splitting the ball with three fingers, causing the rebound Andrew Bogut had secured to vanish. Fortunately, the ball flew in a good direction. Ayton Alioska smiled as he saw the ball coming toward him, but his focus wasn’t on the rebound—there was a two-on-one situation under the basket, and he was thinking about how to take advantage of this advantage to launch a brilliant attack and boost the team’s morale. Since his injury, Ayton Alioska had lost his previous explosive power and was far less effective at rebounding. Yet he was in high spirits now. He and the Bucks had long passed their honeymoon phase, and he had always had conflicts with the head coach. He had even been benched in recent games. With the team in a slump, he naturally wouldn’t give up such a good opportunity. Filled with excitement, Ayton Alioska quickly jumped up, already planning his next move before even touching the ball, a joyful smile spreading across his dark face. “Thud”—Ayton Alioska’s hands missed the ball. Just before he could reach it, a somewhat fairer palm gently pushed it from below. The push came suddenly, with no warning, leaving Ayton Alioska standing there in surprise. “Thud”—the rebound Andrew Bogut had secured was gone again. Greg Monroe jumped first, but instead of grabbing the ball directly, he passed it away, believing it would go to where it belonged.
Zhou Yi’s slender arms, though not particularly strong, combined with his amazing jumping ability, made him quite effective at grabbing rebounds. He had averaged 5.4 rebounds per game so far this season, which is undoubtedly an excellent figure for a point guard.
Aisen Ilyasova could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yi stretched out his arms in front of him to grab the rebound, then threw it long, sending the ball directly into McGrady’s hands at the front court. With the paint empty, McGrady easily scored by putting the ball in the basket.
The Bucks took a timeout, and their players gradually left the court. After the timeout, the Bucks still failed to improve their offense. Brandon Jennings’ attempts to drive inside and shoot from outside didn’t help the team move forward; he saw his own scoring rise, but the gap between the two teams grew larger.
At the end of the first half, the Pistons led by 17 points, 58-41. Throughout the first half, the Pistons not only dominated offensively but also imposed a tight defense that caused the Bucks a lot of trouble. Although the Bucks were in poor form, their offensive strength was still among the best in the league—they were one of the few teams to average over 100 points per game. Their biggest problem was defense, as they also averaged over 100 points allowed per game, ranking among the worst in the league.
Now, with half of the game over, the Bucks had only scored 41 points, especially considering Brandon Jennings’ high scoring output, which highlighted the Pistons’ excellent defensive performance.
Chapter 314: Slaying the Bucks and Drinking Their Blood
Looking at the statistics for the Bucks’ first half, John Kuster kept nodding. According to the stats, the Pistons had a clear advantage in all key metrics. On the Bucks’ stats sheet, only one figure stood out to him—Brandon Jennings’ points.
He had played for 20 minutes in the first half, taking 15 shots and hitting 8, along with 3 free throws, scoring 27 points—the highest in the game. That was definitely top-tier performance.
But don’t forget, Brandon Jennings was now the team’s starting point guard. For a point guard, organizing the offense through passing is his primary responsibility. Boosting the team’s offense, while scoring at key moments is just an added bonus. Yet his stats showed only 2 assists, a figure that clearly didn’t match his actual ability.
In the first half, he had done his best to create opportunities for his teammates, but unfortunately, one good scoring chance after another slipped by the Bucks. He made six shots out of 21 attempts—those were the stats for the other players on the Bucks’ team. Soon, halftime ended, and the second half began. The Bucks took control of the ball. Brandon Jennings drove the ball to organize the attack; it wasn’t Zhou Yi who defended him, but Will Bynum. Zhou Yi was moved to the shooting guard position, while McGrady played as a small forward. Brandon Jennings lofted the ball into the paint, and Andrew Bogut caught it, feinted twice, then tried to lay it in. But he was still stopped by the experienced Ben Wallace. Greg Monroe grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Will Bynum. Will Bynum crossed half-court and passed the ball to McGrady with a flick of his hand. McGrady received the ball and promptly passed it to Greg Monroe in the paint. Greg Monroe caught the ball and charged forward. He quickly spun, dodged his defender, Aisen Ilyasova, then took three big steps into the Bucks’ three-second zone, leaped, and raised the basketball high with his right hand. “Swish!” Aisen Ilyasova hit Greg Monroe’s right hand, committing a foul in an attempt to stop him. If it had been the old Greg Monroe, the ball would have surely slipped out of his hands, but against the current Greg Monroe, Aisen Ilyasova’s foul was meaningless. “Ah~~~” With a beastly roar, Greg Monroe ignored the impact and slammed the ball into the basket with force. “Thud!” The ball went in! “Bleep!” The referee blew the whistle, calling Aisen Ilyasova’s hand foul. At the same time, the shot counted as a goal, and a free throw was added. Greg Monroe scored 2+1 right at the start of the second half! “Great job, Greg!” Big Ben Wallace high-fived Greg Monroe, his face filled with excitement, because the better Greg Monroe performed in the paint, the more mature he seemed. So how could he not be excited when Greg Monroe showed such dominance right from the start? Greg Monroe chuckled lightly, high-fived his teammates one by one to celebrate, then stepped to the free-throw line to take his shot.
“Swish!” The free throw also went in, as Greg Monroe gave the Pistons a 3-0 start at the beginning of the third quarter!
It was the Bucks’ turn to play; Corey Maggette had the ball, with Zhou Yi guarding him.
After halfway through the quarter, Corey Maggette glanced at Brandon Jennings, pushed the ball, and passed it to him.
However, Zhou Yi seemed to have anticipated this. So, as soon as Corey Maggette passed the ball, he immediately moved, intercepted the ball just as it left Corey Maggette’s hands, and drove alone toward the Bucks’ half-court before anyone else could catch up.
He rushed into the paint, took three steps, and leaped into the air.
Zhou Yi stretched his body in mid-air, raising his right hand holding the ball.
“Thud!” Without any extra movement, a powerful one-handed dunk was completed.
63:41—Zhou Yi helped the Pistons take a 22-point lead.
The Bucks’ head coach, Scott Skiles, shook his head in frustration but didn’t call a timeout.
Corey Maggette got the ball back, this time being very careful not to let Zhou Yi steal it again, and successfully passed it to Brandon Jennings.
After catching the ball, Brandon Jennings performed three fake moves to deceive Will Bynum, then took advantage of the gap as other Pistons players failed to rush in for help to break through into the Pistons’ paint. But in front of him was the Pistons’ interior pillar, Greg Monroe.
Brandon Jennings didn’t dare to force a shot against Greg Monroe right then, so he opted for his strongest move: a quick stop and jump shot. As soon as he entered the paint, he stopped abruptly, leaned back slightly, and naturally swung his wrist to shoot. But perhaps due to bad luck, his shot deviated slightly, hitting the backboard and allowing Greg Monroe to grab the rebound.
After landing, Greg Monroe didn’t even look around before jumping again and throwing the ball forward, because team chemistry had already told him that the fastest teammates, Zhou Yi and Will Bynum, had already launched a fast break into the Bucks’ half-court.
“Good pass!” Will Bynum, who had already rushed into the Bucks’ half-court, said this as he caught the ball and accelerated toward the Bucks’ interior.
However, it seemed someone was a little faster than him. The Bucks’ point guard, Brandon Jennings, returned to their paint ahead of Will Bynum, blocking his path. Will Bynum raised his eyebrows, unable to find the best way to score, so he had no choice but to pass the ball back to Zhou Yi, who had just reached beyond the three-point line. After catching the ball, Zhou Yi immediately stopped moving, adjusted his stance, and prepared to shoot a three-pointer. But Corey Maggette, who had rushed over from behind, blocked his way before he could shoot. “Kid, you’re not getting to score that easily!” Corey Maggette said viciously to Zhou Yi, who was holding the ball. “Then try it!” Zhou Yi replied calmly. Zhou Yi suddenly accelerated, pushing his speed to its limit, and charged toward the Bucks’ paint from Corey Maggette’s left side. “This guy is really fast!” Corey Maggette was surprised. Zhou Yi’s speed had reached its maximum, and Corey Maggette’s surprise made him a fraction slower than Zhou Yi. Though that fraction of a second was negligible, it was enough for Zhou Yi to do what he wanted. With a sudden change of direction, Zhou Yi broke away from Corey Maggette and surged into the Bucks’ paint like a sharp blade! Brandon Jennings rushed back to cover, but he was no longer able to stop Zhou Yi, who had fully unleashed his strength and was once hailed by fans as “China’s Flying Man.” After breaking into the Bucks’ paint, Zhou Yi soared upward like a bomber, charging toward the basket with tremendous force. Corey Maggette, behind him, also stopped chasing and stared blankly at Zhou Yi in the air. Zhou Yi was a head taller than Brandon Jennings, whose raised right hand only reached Zhou Yi’s forearm, unable to touch the basketball in his hands. Thus, their right arms crossed in the air without touching each other, while Zhou Yi forcefully slammed the ball into the basket. “Thud!” The suffocating creak of the basket echoed clearly in everyone’s ears. All eyes were fixed on Zhou Yi, hanging high in the basket, as they recalled that heart-stopping moment. Zhou Yi had executed a groundbreaking battle-axe dunk! “Yay~~~”
Faint but persistent cheers filled the Bradley Center as the Pistons’ fans were in an uproar! Even some Bucks fans in the arena began to cheer for Zhou Yi’s dunk. Just one minute into the second half, the Pistons took a 7-0 lead, pushing the total score to 65-41—a 24-point advantage. The third quarter became a one-sided affair. Although the Bucks mounted a 11-4 rally at the end of the quarter led by their interior force Andrew Bogut, it was far from enough. They were too far behind to narrow the gap to within 20 points. The third quarter ended with the Bucks’ backup shooting guard, John Salmons, missing a three-point shot. Though the Bucks tried to fight back at the end of the third quarter, after three quarters, the Pistons still led 85-59, a 26-point advantage. With a 26-point lead after three quarters, it was clear the fourth quarter would be a complete waste of time.