Chapter 126

In the first quarter, there was no individual heroics from either side. It could be said that both teams relied on team-based attacks, meaning that every player served both as a supporting role and a main player. Everyone was a hero on the court.
The ultimate showdown between the two teams continued.
“Everyone performed very well in the first quarter,” John Kuster praised his players. “Zhou Yi, you did an excellent job in the first quarter. You contained Dwyane Wade completely—he couldn’t get inside, and his shooting percentage was very low. It’s all thanks to you. I hope you can maintain this performance in the rest of the game.”
“Yes, coach,” Zhou Yi replied.
John Kuster then turned his attention to Greg Monroe and said, “Greg, take a break in the second quarter to conserve your energy so you can give your best in the rest of the game.”
“Okay, I understand,” Greg Monroe nodded.
After hearing this, John Kuster turned back to Zhou Yi and said, “Zhou Yi, you fought hard in the first quarter. Be careful not to exhaust your energy. Don’t end up unable to give your best at a critical moment.”
Zhou Yi smiled confidently and said, “Coach, don’t worry. I still have plenty of energy. I think I can play the whole game. Besides, we can’t afford to slack off or be careless now, right?”
“That’s perfect,” John Kuster nodded in satisfaction after hearing Zhou Yi’s reply. Then he clapped his hands and said loudly, “Alright, everyone, let’s go! Today’s victory belongs to us because we are the stronger team.”
“Yes.”

Heat head coach Greg Eric Spoelstra glanced at the Pistons’ bench, then turned to his players and said, “You all did an excellent job in the first quarter. Although the Pistons are ahead now, it’s only by 2 points, so we’re actually tied with them at the moment. Listen up, at the start of the second quarter, key players like Zhou Yi, McGrady, and Andre Iguodala should be taken off the court to rest. That will significantly weaken the Pistons’ outside shooting, and we must seize this opportunity to overwhelm them from beyond the arc. Dwyane, LeBron, you two need to work harder on offense. LeBron, especially you—Andre Iguodala definitely can’t defend you, so focus on him if possible. Try to get him to foul and force him to leave the court, understand?”
“Yes,” Dwyane Wade and LeBron James replied in unison.
“Chris, Joel,” Spoelstra turned his attention to his two interior players. “I’m disappointed with your performance in the first quarter.”
Hearing this, Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony both lowered their heads in shame. Indeed, their performance in the first quarter could only be described as poor. Due to the close defense from Greg Monroe and Taylor Hansbrough, the two of them managed only 4 out of 12 shots, scoring just 9 points. In addition, each of them committed 1 turnover and 1 foul—such results would disappoint anyone.
Spoelstra glanced at Chris Bosh and then said to Joel Anthony, “I don’t want to say much about Chris. Greg Monroe is very strong. But as for you, Joel, you were held in check by a rookie. What do you have to say?”
Joel Anthony opened his mouth, glanced at Taylor Hansbrough in the distance, and replied, “Coach, he’s actually not weak either.”
“Yes, he isn’t weak,” Spoelstra agreed. “But no matter how strong he is, he’s still just a rookie. You far surpass him in experience and intensity. Why can’t you use that to take him on? Joel, I expect you to crush that rookie.”

After hearing Eric Spolsky’s words, Joel Anthony was momentarily stunned, but soon a surge of excitement flowed through his body, filling him with enthusiasm. “Coach, I understand,” Joel Anthony said with a confident smile. “I know what to do. Don’t worry.”
Eric Spolsky nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention back to Chris Bosh. “Chris, what about you?”
“Coach, don’t worry,” Dwyane Wade replied with determination. “Even if I can’t get rid of that Chinese kid, I’ll give my teammates my full support. I’ll do my best to help the team win.”
“That’s good. Just having that from you is enough,” Eric Spolsky said, showing a rare smile. “Alright, everyone, get ready. In the games ahead, we must show the Pistons what our true strength is.”
“Yes~~~” A roar filled with confidence and dominance came from the Heat’s locker room, shocking everyone in the arena and drawing their attention to that area.
Soon after, the second quarter began.
Dwyane Wade carried the ball across half-court before immediately passing it to Chris Bosh inside. At the same time, Dwyane Wade and the other Heat players started moving around to create space for Chris Bosh to thrive.
With Samuel Dalembert, who had replaced Greg Monroe, behind him, Chris Bosh kept an eye on his surroundings, searching for an opportunity to attack. Zhou Yi, the closest Pistons player, remained vigilant, ready to close out on Chris Bosh the moment he made a move.
“How will Chris Bosh attack…”
Zhou Yi was fully alert. At this moment, he had to watch not only Chris Bosh but also LeBron James on the outside. From his experience playing against the Heat in several games, as soon as he tried to double-team Chris Bosh, Chris Bosh would immediately pass the ball to LeBron James, who would then easily score a three-pointer. That’s why he couldn’t just rush in to double-team Chris Bosh as soon as he got the ball.

Two seconds after getting the ball, Chris Bosh finally took action. He dribbled at the low post, pushed his way past the older Samuel Dalembert back-to-back, and quickly made his way into the paint. Zhou Yi also started moving at that moment to double-team Chris Bosh. However, just as Zhou Yi was about to reach him, Chris Bosh suddenly turned around, slipped past Samuel Dalembert, jumped with the ball in his left hand, and with a slight motion of his wrist sent the ball off the backboard and into the basket. “Swish!” The ball went in—27:27, and the Heat tied the score. “Damn it!” Samuel Dalembert cursed in frustration, turned, and stepped back to inbound the ball. Chris Bosh, who had completed this attack, returned to the backcourt excitedly with his teammates. After Ben Gordon dribbled past the half-court line, the ball was passed to Zhou Yi as usual. Zhou Yi held the ball at his waist, calmly facing Dwyane Wade’s defense. Suddenly, he accelerated sharply and rushed past Dwyane Wade’s right side. Dwyane Wade was also very fast and quickly caught up to Zhou Yi. With a sudden step back, Zhou Yi jumped, and the ball followed his jump, passing through his fingertips. “Swish!” The ball went through the net! Dwyane Wade glanced at Zhou Yi, snorted, then took the inbounds pass from Chris Bosh. The Heat launched an attack, with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh coordinating perfectly; the latter completed a layup after a passing move, greatly boosting the home team’s morale. James Posey dribbled past the half-court line, and the ball was once again passed to Zhou Yi. This time, instead of immediately attacking after receiving the ball, Zhou Yi signaled to the others to create space for him—he wanted to go one-on-one with Dwyane Wade. “Still want to go one-on-one with me? Hmph, fine. I’m curious to see if your already-familiar breakthrough moves can still get you past me…” Dwyane Wade lowered his center of gravity, ready to defend, while Zhou Yi slowly dribbled at a 45-degree angle outside the three-point line, neither attacking nor passing, just wasting time. “What will he do?”

Those who knew Zhou Yi all had this question in mind. As far as they knew, Zhou Yi often wasted time like this, but he didn’t necessarily carry out the attacks himself. Most of the time, he would provide clever assists to let others take care of the attacks. That’s why few people knew exactly what he would do in the end, which left his defenders at a loss, including Dwyane Wade as well.
“Damn it, what’s he going to do? Pass? Drive? Shoot a three? Whatever, I’ll just guard him closely. That’s the only way to contain him.”
Dwyane Wade moved closer to Zhou Yi and stuck closely to him.
Zhou Yi didn’t dare be careless. With his back to Dwyane Wade, he dribbled slowly, preventing Dwyane Wade from stealing the ball. This continued until Zhou Yi reached just outside the three-point line, facing the basket, before he decided on his next move.
Suddenly, Zhou Yi pushed with his left hand, causing the basketball to fall behind Dwyane Wade from his left side. At the same time, he turned right, moving behind Dwyane Wade from his right side, thus bypassing him.
Zhou Yi regained control of the ball and charged into the Heat’s paint. But the fans’ minds were still fixed on what had just happened—Zhou Yi had managed to bypass Dwyane Wade in a way that resembled acrobatics.
Zhou Yi was becoming stronger and more confident. At the same time, he was getting closer and closer to the level of a superstar.
Chapter 320: A Stunning Dunk
Zhou Yi entered the paint. At this moment, the only person capable of stopping him was Chris Bosh, who was rushing back to the basket.
Faced with such an All-Star-level power forward, Zhou Yi usually chose the most obvious approach—passing the ball or shooting mid-range to avoid direct confrontation. But at this moment, Zhou Yi had no intention of avoiding Chris Bosh. Instead, he wanted to confront this strong opponent head-on, believing that with his current strength, explosive power, and jumping ability, he could definitely accomplish what he wanted.
One, two, three…
Zhou Yi used his right foot to push off, using all his strength to leap into the air. In mid-air, he stretched his body like an arrow, raising his right hand holding the ball as he rushed toward the basket at incredible speed—his gaze now level with the basket.

“Ah~~~” With a loud roar, Chris Bosh, who had just arrived at the basket, also jumped up with his hands raised high. However, although he had a clear height advantage when jumping from his spot, his explosive power and impact were far inferior to Zhou Yi’s. As a result, when the two collided in mid-air, Zhou Yi’s flight path was not hindered at all, while Chris Bosh was forced to retreat backward due to the intense force.

“Ding~~~”

“Ah~~~”

The referee’s whistle and Zhou Yi’s roar sounded simultaneously. Driven by these two distinct sounds, Zhou Yi’s right arm swung like a sharp axe, slamming the ball into the basket.

“Bang.” The basket let out a pained groan.

Due to the strong impact, Chris Bosh couldn’t steady himself upon landing and fell to the ground. Zhou Yi, on the other hand, grabbed the basket with one hand, looking down at Chris Bosh from above with a condescending gaze.

The echoing sound of the shaking basket filled the Auburn Hills Palace Arena, leaving the court utterly silent…

“Hiss~~~” Countless fans gasped in shock, placing their hands on their chests to calm their racing hearts, their eyes fixed on Zhou Yi’s white jersey numbered 37 hanging from the basket.

“Good heavens, what did he just do?”

“Is this real? He actually blocked Chris Bosh’s dunk, knocked him down, and even caused a foul?”

“Good heavens, this is unbelievable…”

…

The fans and reporters in the arena could hardly believe their eyes. A short guard standing at 188 centimeters had actually blocked Chris Bosh, a five-time All-Star power forward at 208 centimeters, and made him fail his dunk? Was he really Asian? How could he possess such exceptional physical strength? It was simply inconceivable.

The on-site DJ was the first to recover from his shock. Holding his head, he murmured in disbelief, “Good heavens, what have I just seen? Is this real? Zhou Yi actually blocked Chris Bosh’s dunk, knocked him to the ground, and caused him to commit a defensive foul? My God, is Zhou Yi really human? No, he’s not human. Just now, he was an incarnation of God—he’s the ‘Flying Man’!”

“Zhou~~~ Yi~~~ China~~~ Flying Man~~~” Cheers erupted from the Pistons fans everywhere. They were wild with excitement, shouting and roaring—all for Zhou Yi, who had become “God” in that single moment.

“Clang.” Zhou Yi released his right hand from the basket, landed on the ball surface, and at the same time stretched out his left hand toward Chris Bosh on the ground, signaling that he wanted to help him stand up. Chris Bosh looked at Zhou Yi, grabbed his left hand with his right, and together they exerted force, allowing Chris Bosh to stand up again. “Wow, that hurt.” Chris Bosh rubbed his chest and asked Zhou Yi, “You hit me pretty hard just now. Hey, are you okay?” Zhou Yi was stunned and then felt the intense pain in his chest. He touched his chest, coughed a few times, waved his hand, and said, “I’m fine, hehe.” Zhou Yi began to take free throws but missed both attempts. Usually so accurate with free throws, he missed them both this time. With those two misses, his streak of 313 consecutive successful free throws came to an end. However, this record would likely remain unbroken for a long time. Zhou Yi curled his lips and glanced at the scoreboard showing 27:27, his expression turning serious once again. Damn it, those two missed free throws meant we lost another scoring opportunity. But Zhou Yi knew that regretting it was useless. All he could do now was give 200% effort and work hard with his teammates—if only that way could they win the game. Dwyane Wade watched Zhou Yi’s back silently, his face expressionless. But soon, a hint of excitement appeared on his lips. “Carlos, hand the ball to me after halftime,” Dwyane Wade said to Mario Chalmers before striding toward the front court. Mario Chalmers was momentarily stunned, then dribbled forward while chuckling, “Hehe, Dwyane, show that Chinese rookie who’s the real deal.” After halftime, Mario Chalmers immediately passed the ball to Dwyane Wade, then moved with the other teammates to create space for him to showcase his skills. “Dwyane Wade? Come on.” Zhou Yi stabilized his stance and stared intently at Dwyane Wade with a fierce gaze. But such a dangerous look couldn’t scare “The Flash” Wade—it only made him more excited, more eager, more insane. “Hmph, Chinese Zhou, I’m coming…”

Weed smirked coldly. Immediately afterward, with a frozen expression, he tried to break through from the right. But in the next moment, he suddenly changed direction, taking his first step to the left, dribbling with his left hand and charging toward the Pistons’ interior players at full speed.

Although Dwyane Wade’s feint this time was simple, it gave off a sense of fluidity like the wind—no, he was like lightning itself. He had reached a state where he became one with the ball, making it impossible for Zhou Yi to defend him.

By his third step, Dwyane Wade had already entered the Pistons’ paint. In front of him were the two interior players, Samuel Dalembert and Spencer Hawes, while Zhou Yi pursued from behind.

Upon reaching Spencer Hawes and Samuel Dalembert, Dwyane Wade gritted his teeth, let out a loud roar, and jumped up, spinning in the air like lightning.

Faced with Wade’s lightning-fast spin, Zhou Yi, Spencer Hawes, and Samuel Dalembert were all at a loss, unable to do anything but stare in shock at his lightning-like movement.

After spinning over 180 degrees, the ball finally left Wade’s hands. With tremendous force, he used his right hand to slam the ball into the basket.

“Whoa…” A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd.

Upon landing, Dwyane Wade shot a challenging look at Zhou Yi before turning and returning to his team’s half with his teammates.

Zhou Yi stared blankly at Dwyane Wade, then at the basket, and shrugged helplessly.

Shaking off his chaotic thoughts, he slowly ran toward the front court to continue the game.

Gordon caught the ball, ignored Carlos Arroyo in front of him, and shot decisively from 45 degrees on the right side of the three-point line.

“Swish.”

The ball went in—30:29. Ben Gordon gave the Pistons a 1-point lead over the Heat.

The Heat counterattacked. After half-court, the ball was quickly passed to Dwyane Wade again, with the others moving skillfully as before, creating a path for him to showcase his skills.

Dwyane Wade vs. Zhou Yi

Could Zhou Yi stop Dwyane Wade this time?

The fans waited eagerly and excitedly for what would happen next, because their duel was truly spectacular.

This time, Zhou Yi defended more closely than before, almost to the point of close marking, making it difficult for Dwyane Wade to accelerate and break through to the basket as easily as before. However, Dwyane Wade’s offensive methods weren’t limited to lightning-fast breaks—he also had the well-known “clawfoot” move. After several failed attempts to break through, Dwyane Wade suddenly changed tactics, dribbled backward while stepping sideways, and jumped at the same time, taking off from just over a meter away from the three-point line. “Not good,” Zhou Yi thought to himself. He had focused all his defensive attention on stopping breaks and completely forgotten that Dwyane Wade wasn’t just a great breaker but also an excellent three-point shooter. It was too late for Zhou Yi to regret it—no matter how good his burst speed and jumping ability were, it was useless. By the time he jumped to block Dwyane Wade, the ball had already left his hands, tracing a beautiful arc through the air like a anti-aircraft shell. “Swish.” After flying in the air for over a second, the ball landed perfectly in the basket. 30:32—the Heat took a 2-point lead again. “Damn, another shot in…” Zhou Yi cursed in frustration, filled with dissatisfaction. Zhou Yi carefully controlled the ball as he moved across half-court, constantly scanning his surroundings. When he reached about two meters outside the three-point line, he passed the ball to Ben Gordon and then suddenly changed direction. After making a large circle from the left, he finally broke away from Dwyane Wade and rushed into the Heat’s penalty area. By then, Ben Gordon had released the ball, which flew toward the basket. Zhou Yi glanced at the ball, quickly calculating the time difference between it and himself, then, as the ball passed the free-throw line, he used his remaining momentum to jump. “Here it comes.” It was a coordination between Zhou Yi and Ben Gordon. Fans, reporters, and everyone watching the game held their breath, waiting for what would happen next. “Thwack.” Zhou Yi caught the ball in mid-air and dunked it with great skill using both hands. “Boom.” The sound of the dunk echoed throughout the court, the arena, and deep within people’s hearts. “Zhou～～～Yi, Zhou～～～Yi!” The fans went wild again, shouting Zhou Yi’s name excitedly, going crazy, thrilled, and ecstatic over those two words. “Great pass.” “Great dunk.”

Ben Gordon and Zhou Yi exchanged punches at the same time, then both ran back toward the backcourt.
32:32, it was tied again.
LeBron James passed to Chris Bosh, who decisively hooked the shot and made it.
32:34…
Samuel Dalembert forced a foul on Ilgauskas by driving to the basket, and he made both free throws…
34:34…
Chris Bosh set up a pick-and-roll, and Dwyane Wade drove, stopped abruptly, and shot successfully…
34:36…
In the first half of the second quarter, the Pistons were always behind the Heat, though by only 2 or 3 points. The Pistons couldn’t catch up, and both teams had shooting percentages over 60%, resulting in continuous scoring and many exciting shots, greatly enhancing the game’s excitement. However, this style of play wasn’t beneficial for either team.
Neither the Heat nor the Pistons were teams good at back-and-forth battles; continuing like this, the players might run out of energy.
When seven minutes into the second quarter, Pistons head coach John Kuester finally called a long timeout, giving the players from both teams a chance to catch their breath.
It was the first timeout so far in the second quarter.
After a short period of adjustment, the players from both teams returned to the court.
However, their lineups had changed.
Pistons players Spencer Hawes, Ben Gordon, and Samuel Dalembert were taken off the court, while Greg Monroe returned.
Heat players Chris Bosh and veteran Ilgauskas were also replaced, with two taller players with stronger defensive skills brought in.