Chapter 184

With 41 seconds left in the third quarter, Zhou Yi accelerated the pace, aiming to secure another scoring opportunity after this attack ended. Zhou Yi skillfully dribbled past defenders, using his exceptional burst of speed to squeeze past Mike Bibby, while quickly passing the ball to Andre Iguodala at the baseline. Iguodala easily scored from that shot—one he rarely missed. With 32 seconds left in the third quarter, it was the Heat’s turn to attack. Mike Bibby drove to the basket, taking advantage of a pick-and-roll with Mario Chalmers, and shot from mid-range. Unfortunately, the shot was short, hitting the front of the rim and bouncing back, with Zhou Yi grabbing the rebound. Zhou Yi protected the ball and slowly moved toward the Heat’s half. With 22 seconds left, he was determined to make the most of those final seconds. As time passed, sweat beaded on Zhou Yi’s forehead, but he paid it no mind. At that moment, Mike Bibby stood ready in front of him, determined to stop the final shot. Suddenly, Zhou Yi moved—since only 10 seconds remained in the third quarter. He drove to the basket and passed backward to McGrady. After catching the ball at the baseline, McGrady used a feint to deceive Dwyane Wade and then drove toward the basket. Eric Dampier immediately chased after him. At that point, the Pistons’ Spencer Hawes was left unguarded. McGrady flipped his hand, and the ball ended up in Hawes’s hands. He shouted loudly and then slammed the ball hard into the basket with both hands. The basket shook as Hawes held onto it. The entire crowd was stunned by his dunk—the Pistons’ final offensive play was perfect, clever, and flawlessly executed. With Hawes’s successful dunk, the third quarter came to an end. At the end of the third quarter, the Pistons led the Heat 106–92 by 14 points, heading into the fourth and final quarter of the game. Soon, the fourth quarter began. However, at the start of the fourth quarter, both teams sent in their bench players. The Pistons switched to their bench due to their lead and their starters needing rest, while the Heat had no choice but to do the same, as their starters were severely exhausted. If they continued to play with their starters, they would surely lose the game, and their starters might not recover in time for the next match.

So, to consider everything comprehensively, Eric Spoelstra had no choice but to switch to the bench lineup.