Chapter 145

Before the start of the second quarter, both teams made some lineup adjustments. The Thunder’s Nazr Mohammed replaced Nick Collison, while the Pistons’ Charlie Villanueva took over as the power forward, with Tyler Hansbrough playing center. The Pistons received the ball, and Will Bynum took charge of the offense. Bynum drove from the baseline, with Eric Meno closely guarding him. After turning inside the three-second line, he passed the ball to Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough received the ball, used DeQuan Cook as a screen to get into a one-on-one situation, and then scored with a low layup. Eric Meno drove and passed the ball, benefiting Serge Ibaka, who immediately shot a jump shot and made it. After driving to the front court, Will Bynum passed the ball to Ben Gordon, who was waiting to receive it. Gordon drove and passed the ball again to Tyler Hansbrough in the paint. Hansbrough didn’t rush to attack but dribbled, used his body to block Cole Aldrich, and then made a nice pass to Charlie Villanueva on the other side. Villanueva, playing as a power forward against Nazr Mohammed, suddenly turned and shot a backdoor jump shot, also making it. From the start of the second quarter until now, neither team had missed a shot, showing high offensive efficiency. But this also indicated that both teams’ defenses weren’t very strong. Ben Gordon organized the offense after receiving the ball, while Will Bynum moved around looking for an open shot. Suddenly, Gordon twisted his wrist sideways, sending the ball straight toward Bynum, who was rushing into the paint. Eric Meno hurried after it, while Cole Aldrich and Nazr Mohammed were ready to help defend. But Bynum didn’t catch the ball; instead, he deflected it, causing it to go behind Cole Aldrich and into the hands of Tyler Hansbrough. Cole Aldrich, a rookie, was shocked and quickly turned around trying to block Hansbrough. Unfortunately, it was too late. Everything happened in an instant, and Hansbrough, without stopping, immediately jumped and scored with a two-handed dunk. The Thunder called a timeout and replaced Cole Aldrich with Serge Ibaka. The Pistons also made changes, with Zhou Yi replacing Will Bynum and McGrady replacing Ben Gordon.

Eric Meno dribbled past the half-court line, accelerated his break, and created scoring opportunities for his teammates. Seeing Serge Ibaka charging inward from the wing, Eric Meno quickly passed the ball to him. Serge Ibaka received the ball and tried to lay it up immediately but missed, with Zhou Yi grabbing the rebound. Zhou Yi took control of the ball and organized the offense before passing it to McGrady on the left wing. McGrady dribbled, constantly observing the situation on the court. Suddenly, with a quick step back and a turn, he used his experience and skills to confront James Harden head-on. Tilting slightly to the side and bending his body low, he made Harden nervous even before taking any action. “Swish, swish, swish” — McGrady suddenly sped up his dribbling, leaning forward sharply and taking a step forward with his right foot. Already nervous, James Harden instinctively stepped back. For him, it was enough as long as he didn’t give McGrady an easy shooting chance, so he chose to shadow him. But he miscalculated! McGrady bent his back again, darting like an arrow past James Harden’s left side into the three-point line, stopping abruptly near the right side of the free-throw line and easily making a jump shot. This time, his teammates created ample space for him. “Thud!” Serge Ibaka’s shot missed, and James Posey quickly grabbed the rebound, passing it to Zhou Yi right away. Without hesitation, Zhou Yi passed the ball back to McGrady, who was already speeding up on the left wing. McGrady kept dribbling fast and soon encountered the Thunder’s defense retreating. He passed the ball again to Zhou Yi, who was closing in. Zhou Yi accelerated his break, and James Harden, who was defending McGrady, quickly stepped back to guard him. But Zhou Yi didn’t do that instead; he backed up against James Harden and passed the ball to McGrady, who was waiting just outside the three-point line. “Swish!” After catching the ball at the top of the three-point arc, McGrady immediately took a three-point shot. James Harden, standing behind Zhou Yi, could only pray the ball wouldn’t go in — but contrary to his wishes, the ball sank through the net. McGrady lowered his right hand after shooting and high-fived Zhou Yi, who was running over, then stepped back to defend. Chapter 351: Bringing Down the Thunder. Kevin Durant received a pass from Russell Westbrook, used his strong frame to press against McGrady, then stepped back and took a jump shot — which also went in.

Zhou Yi, who was organizing the attack, deliberately slowed down and approached the right baseline where Russell Westbrook was located. He moved diagonally inward step by step, entering the three-point line—now was the time. Zhou Yi pushed off backward, spun sharply, and easily blocked Westbrook’s left side before accelerating toward the basket. At the moment of his breakthrough, he exchanged a brief glance with McGrady, who immediately understood and started positioning himself. Things went even smoother than they expected. James Harden, eager to make an impact, quickly decided to switch defenses, moving ahead to block Zhou Yi’s path with large steps, while Westbrook closely followed Zhou Yi. But they soon faced consequences. With a “thud,” the basketball hit the floor and bounced toward McGrady, who was alone in front of him. Confident, he shot—and the ball went in. McGrady waved his arm wildly and roared in triumph. At that moment, four minutes remained in the second quarter, and under Zhou Yi’s leadership, the Pistons had expanded their lead from 6 points to 12. McGrady’s another three-pointer forced Westbrook to call a timeout. When the timeout ended, play resumed. As soon as Westbrook got the ball, he rushed straight toward the Pistons’ half-court at an astonishing speed. Kevin Durant came up to provide coverage, allowing Westbrook to break through to the Pistons’ basket and score. On the Pistons’ side, after Zhou Yi’s open jump shot missed, Greg Monroe grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Samuel Dalembert, who scored. With a “clang,” James Harden’s jump shot missed, and Greg Monroe secured the defensive rebound, handing it to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi organized the attack, used his teammates’ screens to get past Westbrook’s defense, reached near the baseline, feinted at Westbrook, then passed the ball to Samuel Dalembert while running in the opposite direction. Serge Ibaka spread his arms and stayed close to Samuel Dalembert. Left with no choice, Dalembert quickly passed the ball to Zhou Yi, who was open behind him, then went to provide a screen for Zhou Yi, blocking Westbrook behind him.

Zhou Yi took a deep breath and attempted a jump shot, but unfortunately it ended with another thud, echoing throughout Ford Center. Zhou Yi shook his head helplessly and quickly retreated to defend. Kevin Durant grabbed the rebound, then drove fast to the front court, teamed up with Russell Westbrook, and finally scored near the free-throw line.

With four and a half minutes left, the game continued. In the blink of an eye, the first half ended, with the Pistons leading the Thunder 62-50, by 12 points, thanks to Zhou Yi and McGrady. McGrady scored 19 points wildly in the first half, while Zhou Yi also performed impressively, scoring 14 points and providing 7 assists.

The best performer for the Thunder was their star player, Kevin Durant. By the end of the first half, he had 18 points and 10 rebounds, achieving a double-double in just half a game—a truly astonishing efficiency.

John Kuester felt quite helpless about this; neither Andre Iguodala nor James Posey could stop Kevin Durant. However, to Kuester’s relief, in the first half Zhou Yi completely contained Russell Westbrook. Westbrook played for 20 minutes and 29 seconds, missed 9 out of 13 shots, and scored only 9 points. Fifteen minutes later, when the second half began, Zhou Yi did not play and remained on the bench, resting his chin in his hands, watching the game with frustration.

Away team: Samuel Dalembert, Greg Monroe, Andre Iguodala, McGrady, and Zhou Yi; Home team: Serge Ibaka, Nazr Mohammed, Kevin Durant, Sapuškauskas, and Russell Westbrook.

After the start of the second half, the Thunder, led by Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook, managed to narrow the gap. Although Sapuškauskas and Kevin Durant continued to perform well, Samuel Dalembert and Andre Iguodala helped the Pistons widen the lead. Together, they scored 11 points, allowing the Pistons to take a 16-point lead, 78-62, by the middle of the third quarter.