Chapter 127
In the second half of the second quarter, the Pistons launched a counterattack under the leadership of Greg Monroe. As soon as he entered the game, he made two successful shots, bringing the score to 45-45. Then, McGrady stepped up, scoring 5 points in a row, and together with Greg Monroe, they created a 9-2 run that helped the Pistons take the lead by 3 points. However, this advantage didn’t last long. McGrady, who replaced Ben Gordon, was unable to contain Dwyane Wade, allowing the “Flash” to repeatedly break into the Pistons’ paint and score, instantly wiping out the Pistons’ lead and putting them behind the Heat 52-56. At that moment, only three minutes remained before the end of the first half.
Chapter 321: Unresolved Outcome
In the last three minutes of the first half, the Pistons brought in Zhou Yi. Naturally, it was Zhou Yi who controlled the ball in those final moments. The two teams fought fiercely during these last three minutes; although there were continuous attempts at scoring, they were all defended against, and neither side managed to score for a while. With 11 seconds left, the ball was in the Pistons’ possession. The Heat used a full-court man-to-man defense to prevent Zhou Yi from easily crossing half-court. But could Zhou Yi, with his excellent dribbling skills, speed, and nearly half a year of NBA experience, make mistakes under Dwyane Wade’s single-minded pressure? Of course not. In fact, such pressure was exactly what he expected.
“Heh, is that how you plan to stop me? Heat, you underestimate me too much. After playing so many games, still don’t you understand that as long as you give me some space to accelerate, you can’t stop my progress?” Zhou Yi deliberately showed a feint to lure Dwyane Wade into trying to steal the ball. As Dwyane Wade lunged for the steal, Zhou Yi turned right and dribbled, easily slipping past him and reaching his top speed in the shortest time possible, charging toward the Heat’s basket. With Dwyane Wade’s defense failing, Mario Chalmers and LeBron James quickly abandoned their original targets and rushed to double-team Zhou Yi. They managed to block him as he entered the paint—well, at least Zhou Yi. The ball left his hands the moment he stepped into the paint, flying straight toward McGrady. “Good pass,” McGrady said as he caught Zhou Yi’s pass steadily, then quickly adjusted his stance and shot the ball.
As the ball left his hands, the timer read 1—only 1 second remained in the first half. “Swish.” The ball went through the basket… “Ding.” The whistle marking the end of the first half sounded at that moment. 55:56—the Pistons finished the first half trailing by one point. “Ladies and gentlemen, the first half is over. So, the Pistons ended it at 55:56, trailing by one point. Coach Zhang, what do you think of both teams’ performance in the first half?” “In the first half, both teams did a great job defensively, but they weren’t very good offensively. After all, their shooting percentages were low in the second half. If they continue like this, the players on both teams will definitely run out of energy. I think, whether for this game or the ones to come, the coaches of both teams will surely make adjustments in the second half to slow down the pace of the game. That’s the only style of play that truly suits them…”