Chapter 185
Nearly 5 minutes had passed in the fourth quarter when both teams began to substitute in their starting lineups. By the time Zhou Yi and the others came on, the Pistons still led by double digits. Under Mario Chalmers’ intense defense, Zhou Yi slowly drove the ball across half-court. Over that short distance, Chalmers tried several times to steal the ball but failed. Zhou Yi had some experience in preventing steals and knew exactly when to act—against such a player, one had to be cautious; acting rashly would give the opponent an easy chance to get away. He also knew well that once he lost his position, he couldn’t keep up with Zhou Yi’s speed.
Mike Bibby immediately stepped up to double-team him after he crossed half-court, but unexpectedly, this left Jody Meeks open. Zhou Yi cleverly passed the ball to Meeks, who quickly broke through down the middle and scored from the free-throw line. Eric Spolsky smiled bitterly. He had prepared himself to double-team Zhou Yi, but what happened was more a result of a flaw in the team’s switching defense rather than a mistake by Bibby.
Bibby organized the offense and made a clever pass to Chris Bosh inside. Although Bosh often stayed on the perimeter, his offensive skills inside were solid. He pushed aside Tyler Hansbrough and then threw up a reverse layup. Despite being disturbed by Hansbrough, the ball still made it into the basket. Ben Gordon’s shot missed, and Hansbrough, blocked outside, watched helplessly as Jwan Howard grabbed the rebound.
During this period, although the Heat lacked stamina, they showed strong ability to switch defenses, using two players to contain Zhou Yi. Though Zhou Yi could still drive the ball with ease, he couldn’t penetrate the opponent’s interior or organize effective attacks. The opponent’s quick defensive switches also didn’t give the Pistons an advantage—several of their attempts were half-hearted. In three minutes, they scored only three points from free throws, while the Heat, guided by Bibby and Chalmers, had smooth attacks and scored a 7-3 run.
John Kuester called a timeout in a timely manner. With Zhou Yi unable to perform, the team’s offense suffered a significant setback. John Kuester didn’t blame them excessively. Given a lead of nearly 20 points, it was completely understandable for the players to slack off for a moment. The reason they were able to play so well earlier was due to Zhou Yi’s individual skill. In fact, up to this point in the fourth quarter, the players hadn’t really entered their rhythm and hadn’t shown the team’s true strength.
“Against a strong team like the Heat, even though we’re ahead, we still need to give it our all. Their defense has tightened up, and their offense has become very smooth. To get the ball into the basket, we must put in more effort than before. The fourth quarter has just started, and it’s understandable that everyone isn’t in their best form yet. But this is a very important game. You need to quickly get into your rhythm. Only by playing to our best can we hope to bring victory to the home fans.” John Kuester knew they were a bit nervous due to the Heat’s comeback spirit earlier. Overblaming them would only add to their pressure. Only with a positive mindset could they perform well. In reality, the team wasn’t at a disadvantage in terms of the situation on the court.
Play resumed, with the Pistons in possession. Zhou Yi drove with the ball and made a beautiful bounce pass to Greg Monroe inside. Instead of forcing a shot, Greg Monroe stepped back, quickly passing the ball back to Zhou Yi on the outside. At the same time, he blocked Mike Bibby from coming in to help defend. With such a great opportunity, Zhou Yi stretched out his arms, and the ball arced gracefully through the air.
“Swish”—that crisp sound made all the Pistons fans’ hearts tremble. Zhou Yi let out a shout. He had been almost frozen by the opponent for those few minutes, watching the score get closer step by step. His anxiety was obvious, and his frustration was fully released through that shot. That shot revitalized Zhou Yi. Andre Iguodala’s help defense also gave him many opportunities. The team’s possession returned to his hands, and there was a slight gap in the Heat’s double-team. Zhou Yi, who had performed poorly for several minutes earlier, was now gradually taking control of the team’s rhythm. Mike Bibby began to shift his defensive focus to Zhou Yi.
Mike Bibby alone couldn’t hold off Zhou Yi. Relying on his explosive power, Zhou Yi broke through again, stopped abruptly at the midcourt, and hit a jump shot. Realizing his defensive mistake, Mike Bibby immediately rushed forward to surround Zhou Yi, who was holding the ball, but unexpectedly, Andre Iguodala had already blocked his path. That brief moment was more than enough for Zhou Yi. With consecutive changes of direction, and as Mario Chalmers prepared to deal with his breakthrough, he passed the ball backward to McGrady at the baseline. With no defenders around, McGrady took a deep breath, stretched his arms, and shot the ball in his usual rhythm.