Chapter 121

In the first half of the first quarter, Zhou Yi and Devin Harris engaged in a battle of assists. Within the first seven minutes of the quarter, each of them had already recorded 5 assists and 4 assists respectively. However, overall, the Pistons were far superior to the Nets; all five of their starters scored points, while on the Nets’ side, aside from Devin Harris scoring 4 points and Brook Lopez scoring 8 points, the rest scored nothing. In just seven minutes, the Pistons had already scored 23 points, while the Nets managed only a meager 12 points. It seemed the game was heading in favor of the Pistons. The fans in the Auburn Hills Palace were in high spirits, excited and thrilled by Zhou Yi’s outstanding performance and their team’s lead. Yet just as everyone thought Zhou Yi would lead the Pistons to an easy victory, something unexpected happened. This incident forced Zhou Yi to leave the court to rest—he had received two consecutive fouls within a minute. With the Nets in possession, Devin Harris once again drove to the other side of the court, with Zhou Yi immediately stepping up to defend him. Facing Zhou Yi, Devin Harris showed no expression and slowly moved around beyond the three-point line. But as he moved, he revealed a slight flaw that shouldn’t have been there. Seizing this slight opportunity, Zhou Yi quickly acted to steal the ball from Devin Harris. Yet something confusing happened—he didn’t touch the ball but instead accidentally hit Devin Harris’s right hand as he dribbled. The referee blew the whistle and called a foul on Zhou Yi for handball. Zhou Yi raised his right hand in confusion, still not understanding how he had committed the foul. McGrady stepped up to Zhou Yi, patted his shoulder, and said, “Don’t worry, just be more careful next time.” “Oh,” replied Zhou Yi, still replaying the scene in his mind. He remembered he had intended to knock the ball away, so why did he accidentally hit Devin Harris’s hand? Zhou Yi couldn’t figure this out, but Devin Harris, the culprit behind his foul, knew exactly what had happened. “Just as I expected. No matter how strong he is, he’s still just a rookie. Lack of experience is indeed his biggest weakness.”

A faint smile appeared on Devin Harris’s face. Now that he knew Zhou Yi’s weaknesses, it was time to teach this kid a lesson and make him realize that skill and speed alone weren’t enough to dominate in the NBA. John Kuster watched Zhou Yi silently, his face expressionless, but his mind was busy strategizing. The Nets’ point guard, Anthony Morrow, caught a pass from Devin Harris, drove to the basket, and brought the score to 19:15. Soon after, it was the Pistons’ turn, with Zhou Yi still in possession. But this time, he couldn’t carry the ball easily across half-court because he had to deal with Devin Harris’s constant pressure. Devin Harris suddenly applied full-court pressure, catching Zhou Yi off guard for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and continued moving forward calmly. Devin Harris didn’t do anything drastic either; he just stayed in front of Zhou Yi without making any moves. Even though his opponent seemed inactive, Zhou Yi still didn’t dare slack off or be careless, carefully guarding the ball. Just as Zhou Yi crossed midcourt, Devin Harris suddenly moved, attempting to steal the ball. Zhou Yi instinctively switched hands and accelerated. But as he sped up, Devin Harris suddenly appeared in front of him. Instead of stealing the ball, he shifted sideways as Zhou Yi started moving, blocking his path. Zhou Yi couldn’t stop in time and collided with Devin Harris. After being knocked down, Devin Harris naturally leaned backward and fell to the ground. His fall left Zhou Yi puzzled. “I didn’t use much force—how did he fall?” The referee’s whistle blew again, calling a foul for carrying the ball into an opponent and indicating it was his second foul. “Boo~~~” The crowd immediately started booing, with all the home fans upset by the referee’s decision to call Zhou Yi’s second foul. Being called for two fouls in one minute usually meant a starting player would be immediately substituted out. Zhou Yi stared at the referee, then at Devin Harris, who was sitting on the ground, looking at him with a smirk. His confusion was instantly resolved. “Faking it? Damn it, I fell for it—he was trying to force a foul on me.”

Without any surprise, Zhou Yi was indeed substituted by John Kuster in exchange for Will Bynum. Devon Harris watched Zhou Yi’s retreating figure with a victorious yet cold smile on his face. Back on the bench, Zhou Yi sat in silence, taking the water from Xiang Yun and drinking it; it was obvious to everyone that he was upset about being called for two fouls.