Chapter 138

The first quarter was coming to an end, and both teams had substituted some of their key players with backups. In the following minutes, the Pistons shifted all of their offensive focus to the outside. Jerry Sloan didn’t pay too much attention to this; the Jazz continued with their own playing style. His idea was simple—three-point shots required shooting opportunities. The Jazz’s two guards did their best to create trouble for the opponents, but the Pistons’ outside shooters were struggling. However, this was only temporary; as the game progressed, their shooting would surely improve. Moreover, a key factor for hitting many three-pointers was securing rebounds inside. At that point, the Jazz’s three interior players had already grabbed most of the rebounds. John Kuester was also very worried. The team was relying almost entirely on outside shots, and if their shooters lost their touch, they would undoubtedly fall behind. Yet the shrewd Jerry Sloan, watching the Pistons’ barrage of three-pointers from the sidelines, showed no intention of pulling back his defense. With the buzzer sounding, the Pistons ended the first quarter leading 32–24. But the actual situation on the court wasn’t as reflected by the score. The Pistons’ outside shooting gave them a numerical advantage. During this spree of three-pointers, Zhou Yi and McGrady combined to hit six threes, giving their team the upper hand in scoring. But the Pistons scored only four points inside, far less than their opponent’s 15. They were also clearly behind in rebounds, especially offensive rebounds. If the Pistons couldn’t change this, their slim eight-point lead would soon be caught up on by their opponents. Despite the uncertainty, John Kuester stuck to the playing style used in the first quarter. No matter how shrewd Jerry Sloan was, could he really turn a blind eye to the Pistons’ repeated success from outside?