Chapter 199

In the remaining time of the third quarter, the players from both teams engaged in a final struggle, but perhaps the Lakers had better luck than the Pistons today!
During the final moments of the third quarter, the Pistons simply couldn’t find their rhythm. Their three-point attempts from outside missed all four times, allowing the Lakers to gradually widen the score through consistent scoring.
By the end, if not for Zhou Yi and McGrady combining their efforts and individual skills to repeatedly attack the Lakers’ interior, the game might have already entered garbage time.
Still, the Pistons entered the fourth quarter trailing by 11 points, 79 to 90.
“Guys, I have to criticize you. You played terribly in the second half of the third quarter. But now isn’t the time to criticize you. You still have a chance, a chance to atone. Of course, it’s not all your fault; I also bear significant responsibility. But regardless of who’s to blame, I hope everyone will give it their all in the next quarter. I don’t want us to leave anything unfinished, understand?” John Kuester said sternly to the Pistons.
“Understood.”
“Ding~~~” The whistle for the fourth quarter finally blew.
Zhou Yi slowly walked onto the court with his teammates, his eyes filled with determination. He would never give up easily, even when trailing by over twenty points.
“Zhou.” A familiar voice called out as Greg Monroe passed the ball to Zhou Yi again.
After catching the ball, Zhou Yi lowered his center of gravity and faced Kobe, his mind racing as he searched for an offensive strategy.
Suddenly, he moved swiftly—shifting left, stepping back right—then lowered his center of gravity even further. In a crouching stance, he used his speed to break through Kobe’s defense on the left side, cutting past Andrew Bynum’s coverage and entering the paint.
He caught the ball, stepped forward—one, two, three—then jumped.
Zhou Yi soared into the air, spun 180 degrees to face the basket, and with a windmill motion with his right hand, slammed the ball hard into the basket.
“Bang!”
The basket’s pained groan echoed once again across the court. Every fan’s heart pounded violently, trembling with excitement—as the already half-cooled enthusiasm of the Pistons fans boiled over once more.
A 180-degree spin dunk!

At the start of the fourth quarter, Zhou Yi scored such a brilliant goal, which greatly boosted the morale of his team and all the Pistons’ supporters in the arena.
“Zhou… Yi, Zhou… Yi, Zhou… Yi!” The fans cheered Zhou Yi’s name again, and his perfect dunk from earlier was firmly etched in everyone’s minds.
81:90—there was still a 9-point gap.
“That was an amazing dunk,” Greg Monroe said, patting Zhou Yi on the back.
Zhou Yi smiled, then regained his serious expression. Although they had raised morale, the race to close the gap had just begun.
*Thwack.* With a soft sound, Derek Fisher’s ball was taken away by Ben Gordon. Immediately, both rushed toward the ball. As they neared it, they both leaped at it at the same time, but both ended up on the ground without grabbing the ball, which continued to roll forward.
“Damn it.”
“I won’t let you bastards take the victory.”
Zhou Yi and Kobe rushed in from behind and lunged at the ball just like the two before them, but this time Zhou Yi managed to get it.
Ignoring the pain, Zhou Yi sat on the ground, pushed the ball backward, and passed it to Andre Iguodala, who had just arrived. Iguodala lived up to Zhou Yi’s expectations, sinking a three-pointer with no defenders around.
84:90—6 points left.
The Pistons launched a counterattack, and the hope in their fans’ hearts flared up again, fiercely.
But then Derek Fisher scored a three-pointer, widening the gap to 9 points once more, dimming the hope in the Pistons’ fans’ hearts once again.
“Old Fish” once again stepped up as the key player at this moment, forcing Zhou Yi to pay him extra attention. After all, “Old Fish” was cunning, extremely experienced, and had a strong heart, having saved his team many times in famous games.
The most famous example was undoubtedly the 0.4-second game-winning shot against the Spurs in 2004.
After controlling the ball for most of the half, Ben Gordon took a determined shot from 45 degrees outside the three-point line, but unfortunately, it missed and bounced away.
Greg Monroe and Ben Wallace both jumped to compete for the rebound with “Shark” Andrew Bynum. The ball was touched by one of them and bounced out of bounds.

At the critical moment, Zhou Yi quickly rushed from the outside to the inside, diving to save the ball just as it was about to go out of bounds, passing it to Ben Gordon while falling among the reporters.
“Zhou, great save!” Ben Gordon caught the ball excitedly, quickly adjusted his stance, and shot it again from beyond the three-point line.
“Swish.” This time, the ball finally went in.
87:93—the Pistons were still six points behind.
The Pistons’ fans, seeing the ball go in, breathed a sigh of relief, touching their chests to calm their hearts, which were pounding from nervousness.
Zhou Yi was helped up by Ben Gordon. The two exchanged smiles and returned to their half of the court with the other teammates.
“Clap, clap, clap…” Zhou Yi clapped his hands and said loudly, “Alright, everyone, give it your all! Victory belongs to us!”
“Okay,” the teammates replied in unison, their voices filled with confidence and desire for victory.
The Pistons’ fans, inspired by the players’ fighting spirit and passion, cheered loudly for their team. At that moment, everyone understood that the Pistons’ players were giving it their all, fighting without any regrets.
The Lakers attacked. Kobe drove with the ball, facing Zhou Yi one-on-one, and attempted a beautiful backspin jump shot. However, disturbed by Zhou Yi, the shot missed completely.
Many Pistons’ fans burst into laughter.
Greg Monroe caught the ball immediately and passed it to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi held the ball and moved to the top of the three-point arc. Kobe kept a close eye on him.
“Zhou, good defense on that shot just now,” Kobe said, sweat beading on his forehead, though he didn’t wipe it away.
“Yes, I think so too,” Zhou Yi replied without hesitation. On the court, he didn’t need to be polite to anyone.
Zhou Yi glanced to the left. Sensing this slight movement, Kobe quickly shifted his weight slightly to the left.
But as soon as he moved his weight, Zhou Yi accelerated abruptly, crouching down to dribble at full speed, like a sharp blade cutting into the Lakers’ interior. Kobe, who was defending him, couldn’t stop him or keep up with him.
The defensive players in the paint were already occupied by their teammates. After entering the three-second zone, Zhou Yi leaped into the air like a sword, charging toward the basket.

Zhou Yi gritted his teeth, raised the basketball with his right hand, and finally slammed it into the basket with a powerful dunk.
“Bang.”
The familiar yet still breathtaking roar of the basket rang out once again—a simple, decisive, and dominant dunk perfectly executed.
The fans took a deep breath, then erupted into screams. They were cheering, excited—not only because of Zhou Yi’s stunning dunk but also because, at the same time, the Pistons had tied the score.
89:93, with 4 points left.
Zhou Yi clenched his fists, calculating in his mind.
Just then, the Lakers’ head coach, “Philosophy” Phil Jackson, called a timeout.
After the start of the fourth quarter, Zhou Yi had used a series of impressive dunks to boost his team’s morale, and indeed, the Pistons’ morale was lifted by his efforts.