Chapter 14

At 8 minutes and 43 seconds into the fourth quarter, the most iconic moment of the game occurred as Zhou Yi delivered his best assist of the match: Zhou Yi, who had previously shown high shooting accuracy, held the ball while his teammates created space, seemingly aiming to let him take on the defense alone. Zhou Yi continued to drive hard, drawing almost all of the Nets’ defensive attention—Stephen Graham prepared to help defend against Zhou Yi’s fast break, ignoring the sniper James Posey nearby. Then, the classic scene repeated itself: Zhou Yi spotted Posey in an open position and passed the ball to him, who immediately shot a three-pointer. “Excellent awareness, precise passing—tsk tsk tsk, this kid will definitely achieve something in the NBA,” Marv Albert said sincerely. “Mm,” Miller replied with a nod. Posey’s shot forced the Nets’ head coach Johnson to call a timeout. After that timeout, it was likely that both coaches would bring in their starting players. The timeout ended quickly, and indeed, almost all players from both teams switched to their starters. However, Zhou Yi remained on the court, pairing up with Bynum to form the Pistons’ backcourt. Chapter 82: Zhou Yi’s Weaknesses. The current lineups were as follows: Pistons—D’Antoni, Monroe, Prince, Zhou Yi, and Bynum; Nets—Lopez, Humphries, Otero, Morrow, and Harris. The game resumed with the Nets in possession, with Harris controlling the ball. During his time on the bench, Harris had been studying Zhou Yi’s playing style to find weaknesses to exploit. Harris turned out to be a smart player; in that short time, he had indeed identified some of Zhou Yi’s weaknesses. Zhou Yi was accustomed to driving from the center or right wing, rarely from the left wing, and his mistakes usually occurred when driving from the left. Additionally, he was easily fooled by feints, a sign of his lack of experience. A cold smile appeared on Harris’s lips as he used a feint, and Zhou Yi was indeed deceived. Harris took advantage of this weakness to drive from the left wing into the paint and score. Zhou Yi wiped the sweat from his face, thinking to himself that he couldn’t be fooled again. He tried to drive with the ball, but Harris was already prepared. Harris blocked Zhou Yi’s routes from the right wing and center, forcing Zhou Yi to drive from the left wing. Unaccustomed to doing so, he made a mistake under Harris’s pressure, allowing Harris to steal the ball.

Harris was extremely excited. Dribbling the ball like lightning, he rushed under the opponent’s basket and scored with both hands. As Harris racked up 4 points in a row, the Pistons’ lead shrank rapidly, dropping to just 7 points.

Kuster frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and quickly figured out Harris’s tactics. Harris always used feints to trick Zhou Yi, who kept falling for them. Moreover, Harris always pushed Zhou Yi toward the left wing—everything was visible to Kuster.

Zhou Yi wasn’t foolish either. He quickly realized Harris’s intentions, so whenever Harris forced him to the left wing, he would choose to pass. But he couldn’t avoid falling for the feints.

After catching a pass from Lopez while in motion, Harris immediately attempted a shot. Zhou Yi rushed at him right away. Harris sneered, paused for a moment, and only shot when Zhou Yi was on him. Although the shot missed, Harris forced a foul on Zhou Yi, earning two free throws.

Kuster quickly called a timeout and substituted Zhou Yi out with McGrady. Zhou Yi left the court dejectedly, took a drink handed to him by a staff member, and gulped it down before slumping down on the bench.

During this time, Harris scored 6 points and added 2 assists, narrowing the score gap to 5 points. Kuster had no choice but to take Zhou Yi off the court to make adjustments.

The current score was 77:72, with 5 minutes and 11 seconds left in the game.

Left on the bench by Kuster, Zhou Yi was furious, burning with anger. He had never felt this frustrated since joining the NBA. But he had to admit his opponent’s strength—after such a short time of playing against them, they had already found his weaknesses.

“It seems I need to work harder on my breakthroughs on the left wing. McGrady is better at this than me; I need him to teach me. And also, why do I keep falling for those feints?” Zhou Yi sat on the bench, head down, muttering to himself.

“Have you identified your weaknesses?” Kuster sat down next to Zhou Yi and asked with a gloomy expression.

Zhou Yi nodded slightly and replied apologetically, “Coach, I’ll train hard from now on to improve myself.” Kuster nodded as well, impressed by Zhou Yi’s understanding. Glancing at Zhou Yi once more, Kuster focused his attention back on the court, his eyes showing a hint of tension.

“T-MAC’s footwork is still very agile. Good, nice layup,” Reggie Miller commented, wiping the sweat from his face, clearly due to nervousness. “The Pistons still have a 7-point lead, but there’s plenty of time left; the Nets still have a chance,” Marv Albert said with a smile. “The Nets are playing extremely aggressively right now; it seems they really want to secure this home victory, hehe…” Miller turned to Marv Albert and smiled. Marv Albert nodded, watching the game anxiously. Harris broke through at the baseline, dodged Bynum’s defense, and tried to layup, but was stopped by Big Ben. Lopez grabbed the offensive rebound and attempted a follow-up shot, which missed. The rebound specialist Humphries grabbed another rebound and passed it to Morrow on the perimeter. Morrow drove sideways and shot—a successful shot that also resulted in a foul on McGrady, with the free throw also going in. The Nets were now only 4 points behind. The Pistons players looked serious, not daring to be careless in the slightest. Bynum controlled the ball for most of the half and passed it to Prince, but Otello saw through his intention immediately and pushed the ball into Humphries’ hands. After getting the ball, Humphries didn’t pass it either but instead rushed toward the Pistons’ half. However, Bynum wasn’t slow either and quickly chased after him to defend. Yet, Humphries was much taller than Bynum and handled one-on-one matchups with ease. Bynum inwardly groaned—how could he defend this? Despite that, Bynum still tried his best to hold off Humphries and stop his offense. Humphries pushed hard, knocking Bynum aside, scoring a dunk and also drawing a defensive foul on Bynum. Kuster’s breathing was rapid, clearly worried about the Pistons’ situation. If Humphries made his free throw, the Pistons would only lead by 1 point, with 3 minutes left in the game, increasing the uncertainty over the outcome even more. Fortunately, Humphries missed his free throw. Big Ben grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to McGrady. But Bynum, who had been performing well earlier, made another fatal mistake. After receiving a pass from McGrady, he drove with the ball but was intercepted by Harris. Bynum tried to regain possession but committed another foul. The Pistons had already committed four fouls in this fourth quarter; just one more foul and the Nets would get free throws. This foul by Bynum was also his fourth of the game.

Kuster immediately called for a 100-second timeout. He glanced at Bynum, then at Zhou Yi, his eyes filled with determination.
“Zhou Yi, you’ll replace Will on the court,” Kuster said seriously, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Hearing Kuster’s words, Zhou Yi felt delighted. The coach letting him play at this moment must mean he recognized his abilities. But Bynum…
Without overthinking, Zhou Yi quickly ran onto the court to replace Bynum. As Bynum left the court, he looked at Zhou Yi with hope in his eyes and whispered, “Please, we must win.”
“I’ll do my best,” Zhou Yi replied earnestly, pressing his lips together.
Bynum nodded and quickly returned to the bench, while Zhou Yi clenched his fists and stepped onto the court.
Chapter 83: Slam Dunk and Narrow Victory
The game continued, with the Nets still attacking. Harris glanced at Zhou Yi, then looked away, thinking, “I’ve found your weakness. You’ll lose this game.”
Yet even so, Harris didn’t dare be careless. Although the opponent had weaknesses, they were overall more skilled. If he wasn’t serious, he could easily be completely outplayed. But that was secondary—the most important thing was not to lose the game due to his own carelessness.
Harris carefully controlled the ball, drove to the basket, and passed it to Humphries, who provided a screen for Harris. Harris slipped down the baseline, received Humphries’ perfect pass, and tried to shoot from above—but missed. Zhou Yi grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to McGrady. McGrady stopped abruptly, took a jump shot, and with a swish, the ball went through the net, giving the Pistons control of the game again.
Johnson stood on the sidelines. Although the Nets were behind, he showed no signs of anxiety. Lopez tried to attack inside but failed; his free throw also missed. After several more attempts, he finally scored.

With only 1 minute and 41 seconds left in the game, Zhou Yi took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. Now, the Pistons needed to stay calm and take control of the game’s pace if they wanted to win. McGrady came up to receive the ball, and Zhou Yi ran back to the baseline, caught McGrady’s perfect pass, and tried to shoot a quick jump shot—but it was short, and the ball bounced back. It had to be said that Zhou Yi was very lucky that day. The ball bounced right back into his hands. After grabbing the rebound, Zhou Yi broke through to the baseline, dodged Harris, and quickly jumped up, aiming for a dunk. But Lopez also jumped up at that moment, ready to block Zhou Yi in mid-air. A determined look crossed Zhou Yi’s face; his jumping height and air time were astonishing as he managed to dunk through Lopez despite the obstruction. The referee mercilessly called for Lopez to be penalized for poor defense, giving Zhou Yi a free throw. By then, Lopez had landed, and Zhou Yi naturally sat on top of him. This scene resembled McGrady’s famous dunk on “Big Bamboo” Bradley, with Lopez unfortunately serving as the backdrop for this classic dunk.

“Damn, that’s insane,” Marv Albert exclaimed excitedly, using a curse word. But who cared about that at this moment? They were focused on Zhou Yi, the young man from China.

“Incredible! Brook Lopez getting dunked on by a Chinese kid, haha. Believe me, whether the Pistons win tonight or not, this story will definitely be on the news headlines tomorrow,” Miller said, his eyes filled with awe and admiration.

Zhou Yi’s dunk quickly sparked wild discussions among fans, and the situation almost got out of control. Fortunately, the security staff on the court quickly stepped in to restore order, removing several aggressive fans from the arena.

Lopez looked extremely upset but couldn’t afford to react, so he just snorted coldly without saying anything. Zhou Yi took his free throw, and it went in, widening the Pistons’ lead to 5 points.

Johnson quickly called for a long timeout to strategize. Bynum ran over, hugged Zhou Yi, and laughed loudly, saying, “You kid really like to show off. But I really admire your courage. To be honest, I wouldn’t dare try to dunk on a seven-foot tall guy.”

Zhou Yi touched his forehead, smiled sheepishly, and remained silent. Kuster patted Zhou Yi’s shoulder, his eyes showing clear satisfaction. Then, Kuster explained a simple strategy to the team.

“Harris must stop Zhou Yi. Tracy, you’ll cover for Zhou Yi then. Zhou Yi will charge in from the right wing—attack if there’s a chance, otherwise drive to create opportunities for his teammates. This is the most critical moment of the whole game. Everyone must stay focused and give it their all to win it.” Cooster said excitedly, clenching his fists.
“Yes,” replied all the players in unison, also clenching their fists.
The game continued with the Nets’ offense. They couldn’t afford any more mistakes. Though they still had a chance to win, it was slim. They were still 5 points behind their opponent, with only 1 minute and 23 seconds left on the clock.
Harris swallowed hard and took the ball for an attack. Morrow came up from beyond the three-point line to receive the pass, then feigned a three-point shot. Perhaps due to nervousness, McGrady fell for it. As McGrady rushed over, Morrow dodged by twisting his body, then aimed and shot a three. The ball went in, and the home crowd immediately erupted in excitement. With Morrow’s three-point shot, the Nets’ players were inspired—it was an inspiring goal, a boost to their morale.
“Nice fake move! T-MAC got fooled by Morrow,” said Marv Albert with a smile.
Miller just nodded, saying nothing.
Things were not going well for the Pistons. They had to respond, or they might lose the victory they had within reach. The Pistons wouldn’t allow that, and neither would Zhou Yi.
The game officially entered the countdown phase. Zhou Yi controlled the ball and passed it to McGrady on the right. Prince cut in from the left wing, and McGrady quickly passed to Prince, who tried to lay up but missed. Lopez grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Harris.
Harris dribbled furiously, rushing toward the Pistons’ basket. Zhou Yi followed to defend him. Harris glanced to the right and saw Otero in position, so he fumbled the ball to him. Otero caught it without hesitation and shot a three-point attempt.
Everyone watched the ball spinning in the air, holding their breath, hearts in their throats. The entire arena fell silent at that moment.
A “swish” sound broke the silence. The home crowd immediately started dancing excitedly, cheering and applauding. At that moment, thanks to the Nets’ fierce counterattack, they finally took a 1-point lead over their opponent.
“It’s not over yet,” Zhou Yi muttered darkly, his face grim.

31 seconds remained in the game, and Kuster didn’t call a timeout. Zhou Yi organized the offense, with Prinsla coming to provide coverage for him. Zhou Yi easily broke through near the paint, and Hansbrough quickly rushed over to help defend him. Meanwhile, McGrady cut toward the basket from the left wing, with D’Antoni firmly holding Lopez back, allowing McGrady to easily catch Zhou Yi’s pass and score a layup for 2 points, putting the Pistons ahead by 1 point once again.
Johnson, unable to sit still, immediately called a timeout with 23 seconds left.
Soon, the 20-second timeout ended, and play resumed. Harris received a sideline pass from Morrow, glanced at the clock, and started wasting time. When 10 seconds remained, Harris suddenly charged in from the middle at high speed. Zhou Yi did his best to defend him closely. Harris passed the ball to Otello on the outside, who broke through before passing it back to Morrow, who took a three-point jump shot under McGrady’s defense. The entire arena fell silent once more—this shot would determine the game’s outcome.
With a thud, disappointment appeared on the faces of the home fans. But the game wasn’t over yet.
Just as the ball bounced off the rim, all the players inside the court jumped up to fight for the rebound, especially the Nets players, who fought fiercely. The rebound was passed back and forth until Humphries, in the chaos, tapped the ball into the basket as the final buzzer sounded.
A game-winning shot! An last-second game-winner!!!
The home fans erupted in loud cheers again, while endless boos poured toward the Pistons players.
“Humphries did it! He saved the Nets! He actually beat the Pistons in the final seconds!” Marv Albert exclaimed excitedly.
“No, the outcome is still uncertain. Look over there at the referees,” Miller replied calmly, staring at the referees’ position.
“Could it be… could the game-winning shot be invalid?”
But then, the home fans’ spirits dropped even further.
Two referees stood by the side of the court, watched the final replay, discussed it with a few other referees, and finally announced: The game-winning shot was invalid!!!
This shocking news spread quickly among the crowd, and the Nets fans began to condemn the referees’ decision in unison. But the referees didn’t change their decision, and the final score remained 101:100.
The Pistons narrowly defeated the Nets by 1 point, securing this away win and starting the new season on a strong note.
Chapter 84: Post-Game Summary

The Pistons players were all huddled together at this moment, shouting excitedly; some even kept pounding their chests to express their joy. Koostert watched them with a smile, his gaze lingering for a long time on Zhou Yi, who appeared particularly slender among them. The Nets sadly missed out on victory, but no one doubted their strong desire to win—they had given their all, and they had no regrets about losing. The Pistons won; though tired, they were happy, as the exhaustion was worth it. They had exerted every ounce of their strength, especially Zhou Yi, and they had earned this victory through hard work, starting off the new season on a high note. But this was just the first step in their new journey, with more challenges ahead. After the game, all the Pistons players quickly left the Continental Airlines Center and returned to the hotel they had reserved. In the hotel, Koostert gave a summary of the game, with Dumars and Blake present. All the Pistons players gathered around, with Koostert sitting in the middle. Holding a stack of data in one hand and a water cup in the other, he looked around at his teammates, all of whom also had joyful expressions on their faces. “Everyone performed exceptionally well in this game. We played in an organized manner, with patience and determination. Although there were some disappointing moments, that doesn’t diminish your efforts at all. And your efforts led to this precious victory. Now, I’d like to give a summary of this game. Oh, guys, relax, don’t be nervous. I know you’re worried about your performance and afraid I’ll criticize you. Don’t worry; this is just a post-game summary—I won’t criticize anyone,” Koostert said with a smile as he looked around. Hearing Koostert’s words, some of the players’ tense nerves immediately relaxed, and they listened attentively as he provided his post-game analysis.

Kuster picked up his water cup, took a sip, then looked at the data and said, “In this game, our overall shooting percentage was quite good, at 54.3%. Believe me, the Nets’ head coach Johnson must be holding the same data as I do right now, criticizing the players for their poor defense. Hehe, we don’t need to worry about that. My shooting percentage from three-point attempts was a bit disappointing—four shots out of twelve. But it’s not entirely your fault; I’m also responsible. Our free-throw percentage was excellent—three misses out of 24 attempts. We performed worse in rebounds compared to them. They grabbed 45 rebounds in total, including 16 offensive rebounds, while we only had 37, with 7 fewer offensive rebounds. Those extra 7 offensive rebounds mean they had 7 more second-chance attempts than us. We need to keep working hard to improve our rebounding skills. In terms of assists, we did much better than them. Zhou Yi contributed greatly, providing almost half of the team’s assists. Of course, a player’s impact on the game isn’t just measured by statistics. Still, I want to praise Zhou Yi—he made the team’s offense smoother. Hehe, Tracy and Will also played a significant role in the offense. In terms of steals and blocks, we were about on par with them. Oh my, you made 19 turnovers, four more than them. Hehe, I believe you can do better. Try to avoid these unnecessary mistakes going forward. As for your individual stats from the game, I’m sure you’ll check them yourselves, so I won’t go into detail here.” After saying that, Kuster handed the data to an assistant coach, then crossed his arms and looked at the team thoughtfully.

“This game also revealed some weaknesses among the players. I’ve already talked to some of them. Here, I want to say that there’s no need for excessive worry. Since we identified these issues early, we can make up for them by training harder. Well, that’s my summary for today.” After saying that, Kuster glanced at Dumars, stood up, and went to sit elsewhere.

Dumars cleared his throat and sat down in the seat where Kuster had just been, smiling.

“I won’t say much, just two sentences. First: Everyone did an excellent job today, and both I and the coaches are very satisfied. Second: I hope everyone can keep up this performance. Well, that’s all I have to say. Everyone, take a break first, then get ready, as we’ll be heading home in a bit.”
Dumas nodded with a smile at everyone, then stood up and left the room. Blake glanced at Zhou Yi and followed Dumas out.
…
Five hours later, Zhou Yi had returned to Blake’s home. Although Blake didn’t come back with Zhou Yi, he arrived home half an hour earlier.
It was already past 2 a.m., but neither of them felt sleepy at all. They sat in the living room chatting, mostly about today’s match.

“Hehe, although you played as a substitute today, your playing time was almost as long as that of the starters. You played a total of 29 minutes and 43 seconds today, nearly 30 minutes. You attempted 13 shots and made 6, so your shooting percentage wasn’t very high—lower even than the team’s overall percentage—but you still scored quite a bit. You got 7 free throws and made 6 of them; one of those made shots was a three-pointer, so you ended up with 19 points in total. Of course, your contribution wasn’t just in scoring; it was also in organizing the team’s offense. You gave 11 assists, and our whole team only had 24 assists in total—almost half of that. You scored a double-double in your first game, so you’ll definitely be in the news headlines tomorrow. The amazing moments you created in the game will also be the talk of tomorrow, especially that dunk over Lopez—haha… Besides that, you had 4 steals, 4 rebounds, and 1 block. However, you also have some serious flaws: 5 turnovers and 4 fouls. This has been evident even in the preseason, and you should pay close attention to it. Coach Koost has already told me about the shortcomings you showed in the game. Hehe, don’t worry too much; there’s still plenty of time, and more practice can help fix them. By the way, Coach Koost asked me to tell you that if you want to improve your skills quickly, you can seek help from Tracy McGrady—he can assist you. Tracy’s left-handed dribbling skills are among the best in the NBA, and he’s also very good at breaking through from the left wing. Additionally, he’s an expert at fake moves and can share a lot of experience with you in that area.” Blake sat down with Zhou Yi, holding a sheet of data about Zhou Yi’s performance today in one hand and placing his other hand on Zhou Yi’s shoulder, smiling.

“Mm, I’ve thought about these things too. I’ll work hard to improve my skills, Uncle. Don’t worry,” Zhou Yi replied, nodding slightly.

“Hehe, that’s good.”

It seemed Blake thought of something as a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. He looked at Zhou Yi, wanting to say something but then swallowed his words. Zhou Yi noticed Blake’s unusual behavior right away.

“What’s wrong, Uncle? Is there something you want to tell me?” Zhou Yi asked curiously, widening his eyes.

Blake shook his head and smiled. “Nothing, nothing. You must be very tired after playing for such a long time today. Go take a shower and get some rest soon!”

Blake didn’t say anything, and Zhou Yi didn’t dare press him further. He could only nod, stand up, and head back to his room. Blake watched Zhou Yi’s retreating figure and sighed deeply, muttering to himself, “Xiang Yun… sigh…”

Chapter 85: Targeted Training

Just after 4 a.m. the day following the game against the Nets, Zhou Yi was still asleep. Suddenly, the ringing of his phone woke him up. In a daze, he answered the call, hearing Lin Qixiao and Hong Ming’s extremely excited voices on the other end.

“Hey, Zhou Yi, your performance today was amazing! You even finished with a dunk over Lopez, plus so many incredible assists. Do you know that? The whole internet is full of news about you. Let me tell you…”

“Boss, I’m still sleeping. If there’s something important, let’s talk during the day.” Zhou Yi said, his eyes still closed, in a drowsy state.

Hearing this, Hong Ming laughed and scolded, “Are you stupid? It’s already past 4 p.m. Why are you still sleeping?”

Zhou Yi didn’t reply. Hong Ming tried calling a few more times, but there was still no response—only rhythmic breathing.

“Uh, Hong Ming, we were so excited that we forgot. Zhou Yi is in the U.S. It’s probably around 4 a.m. there, and he’s only been back from New Jersey for less than two hours. Hehe, we were too silly. Let’s let him rest!”

“I’m stunned. Why didn’t you say that earlier?” Hong Ming hung up the phone in frustration.

Lin Qixiao chuckled a few times and said to Hong Ming, “Never mind. I guess Zhou Yi will call us once he wakes up. Let’s wait for his call!”

“Mm. Sigh… I really didn’t expect Zhou Yi to do so well in the NBA.” Hong Ming said with envy.

Lin Qixiao nodded, then suddenly changed the subject and asked Hong Ming, “What do you think? If we don’t tell Zhou Yi about Keer’s illness, will he get angry with us later?”

“It shouldn’t! Besides, he won’t know that Keer is sick, nor will he know that we know she’s sick. By the time he finds out, Keer’s illness should have already improved. It was Keer herself who asked us not to tell him—saying it would only affect his playing. Sigh, Zhou Yi is really lucky—having a beautiful and considerate girlfriend, as well as another girl who’s loved him silently for five years and still loves him just as much, her appearance no less than Keer’s. Sigh, why don’t I have such luck? Heaven is unfair!” Hong Ming covered his head with both hands, almost on the verge of collapsing in despair.

Hearing Hong Ming’s words and seeing his ridiculous expression, Lin Qixiao laughed and scolded, “Aren’t you satisfied yet? With so many girls chasing after you, just be content!”

Hong Ming glared at Lin Qixiao and pretended to cry, “Are you still my brother? Ahhh? Why isn’t there anyone who can understand me?”

Lin Qixiao gave him a disdainful look, stopped arguing with him, and began to watch the news online with interest.

……

At 10:30 a.m., Zhou Yi finally woke up from sleep. After waking, he checked his phone and then called Lin Qixiao and the others. After chatting for a while, Zhou Yi got ready and went downstairs to have breakfast.

At 12:30 p.m., Zhou Yi and his teammates arrived at the Auburn Mountain Palace Basketball Hall on time for training. On the basketball court, each player was working on their weaknesses, and Zhou Yi was no exception. He was practicing one of the flaws exposed during his match against the Nets—breaking through from the left wing.

The key issue with Zhou Yi’s ability to break through from the left wing was his lack of proficiency in dribbling with his left hand. It wasn’t that he couldn’t use his left hand to break through from the left wing; rather, he had become accustomed to using his right hand to break through from the right wing. As a result, his left-hand skills hadn’t improved much. That’s why Koost asked McGrady to help Zhou Yi train his left-hand dribbling.

McGrady patiently explained the basic techniques of left-hand dribbling to Zhou Yi. Although Zhou Yi already had some understanding of these techniques, he still listened carefully to McGrady’s guidance. Thanks to McGrady’s instruction and Zhou Yi’s natural basketball talent, he quickly mastered the skills of left-hand dribbling. Though he was still a bit unsteady, his progress was significant.

Kuster nodded in satisfaction as he watched. In his opinion, it wouldn’t be long before Zhou Yi would fully master dribbling with his left hand. After practicing for about an hour, Zhou Yi reviewed the skill of shooting right after receiving the ball with Maddie’s assistance. Although he had already mastered this skill quite well and his shooting accuracy had improved significantly, he still chose to practice more in order to make better use of it in games—this had become a mandatory task for him these days. Additionally, Kuster had told him that once he fully mastered this skill, he would train him in another skill in the following period. Zhou Yi was eager to improve his skills, which was why he trained so hard.

Another hour passed, and the players were all drenched in sweat, so they sat down on the court to rest. Kuster smiled at everyone and said, “Everyone trained very seriously today…”

“Does that mean we can end early now?” Bynum interrupted Kuster eagerly, with a sly smile on his face.

Kuster shrugged and said with a laugh, “If you can dunk over Lopez or any other seven-foot center, I’ll exempt you from all future training.”

Hearing Kuster’s words, Bynum rolled his eyes and replied with a sheepish smile, “Forget it. I don’t have the courage of that freakish kid, Zhou Yi. After the game against the Nets, he’s now the focus among all rookies, even on par with the first overall pick, John Wall.”

Seeing Bynum’s embarrassed expression, everyone burst into laughter, with Monroe laughing so hard he could barely stand. Seeing this, Bynum snorted and teased Monroe, “What’s there to laugh about? Watch me dunk on you during training!”

“Sure, I’m waiting for you to dunk on me. Just don’t get overwhelmed by me!” With that, everyone laughed again, even Kuster sitting on the sidelines couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing everyone laughing so happily, Zhou Yi felt warm inside. He could now say he had fully integrated into this environment.

“Alright, stop joking around. Rest for a while longer, as I’m about to test your training results,” Kuster said, sitting down on the court among them, completely unconcerned about his image.

“Coach, how will you test us?” Bynum asked with a smile.

Kuster smiled slightly and replied, “A scrimmage.”

“Ah? Another scrimmage?” Bynum pouted his thick lips helplessly, looking extremely funny.

“If you don’t want to play, shoot 1,000 three-pointers—that’ll offset it.”
Bynum, like a wronged child, replied gloomily, “Alright, I’ll just play the competitive games!” Seeing Bynum suffer another loss, everyone burst into laughter again.
Ten minutes later.
“Alright, everyone’s had enough rest. Let’s start the team competitions now. Give it your all—I’m evaluating your training results. If anyone fails, they’ll have to stay and train extra today.” After saying that, Koost glanced at Bynum intentionally, making him shiver.
Everyone stood up, ready for the upcoming competitions.
Chapter 86: Detroit
“Ugh, Coach Koost is really harsh. He arranged more competitions at the last minute. Doesn’t he know there’s a game tomorrow?” Bynum complained angrily, placing his right hand on Zhou Yi’s shoulder.
Zhou Yi smiled helplessly and replied, “Will, you’ve said that at least ten times since the competitions ended. Aren’t you tired?”
“That’s right, Zhou’s got a point. Aren’t you tired from saying it so many times? The coach must have his reasons—he’s doing this for our own good. Will, trust me—it’s only beneficial for us, not harmful. I still regret not training more when I was younger; otherwise, my body wouldn’t be like this…” McGrady stopped speaking, his eyes filled with deep sadness.
Seeing this, Bynum quickly smiled at McGrady and said, “Tracy, I’m sorry for making you remember unpleasant things. It’s my fault. I won’t say it anymore. And I’ll definitely train harder from now on. Tracy, don’t be angry, okay?”
A moment later, the sadness in McGrady’s eyes vanished completely, replaced by clarity. McGrady smiled slightly and said, “How could I be angry? I just hope you young guys won’t follow in my footsteps and end up regretting it. These are all experiences I’ve gained over the years in the NBA. I really want to share them with you so you can learn from my mistakes.”
“Thank you, Tracy,” Zhou Yi said sincerely.
Bynum wasn’t stupid either. He naturally understood McGrady’s good intentions. So, with a seriousness he’d never shown before, he said to McGrady, “Tracy, thank you!”

Maddie smiled contentedly and said to Bynum and the others, “Alright, let’s pack up and head back. Why do I suddenly feel like an old chatterbox?”
Zhou Yi and the others burst into laughter at once.
…
The next morning, after having breakfast, Zhou Yi went to the Auburn Hills Palace Arena with Blake. In high spirits, he enjoyed the scenery along the way while listening to music.
“Uncle, I’ve been in Detroit for so long, but I still don’t know much about this place—there are even some places I haven’t seen yet. Well, to be honest, the only route I’m familiar with is the one from your house to the arena. Although I’ve been out here with Phoebe before, it was her who led the way. Since you’ve lived in Detroit your whole life, you must know it inside and out. Could you tell me about some fun places and tourist attractions here?” Zhou Yi asked with a smile, rubbing his forehead.
Actually, Zhou Yi wasn’t particularly interested in these things, but he wanted to be prepared in case Mo Keer and his friends came to visit him here and he didn’t even know where to go—that would be too embarrassing.
Blake glanced at Zhou Yi in the rearview mirror and replied with a smile, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You just want to take your little girlfriend here and show her around, right? You can look up information by yourself. Well, fine, I’ll introduce you to some things about Detroit! You kid, your brain works so well when playing basketball—why isn’t it as sharp in everyday life?”
Zhou Yi smiled awkwardly, looking embarrassed.
“Detroit is the largest city in Michiganstate and the county seat of Wayne County. It was founded in 1701 by French fur traders. Located in the Midwestern United States, north of Windsor, Canada, along the Detroit River, it is an important port city, a world-renowned automotive hub, and a music capital. Because of its status as a traditional automotive center, Detroit is often called the ‘Motor City.’ The city’s name comes from the Detroit River, which connects Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. It originates from the French phrase ‘Rivière du Détroit,’ meaning ‘River of the Strait.’
Detroit is located in the southeastern part of the state, on the west bank of the Detroit River, facing Windsor, Canada’s own Motor City, across the river. The urban area covers 352 square kilometers with a population of about 1.04 million, of whom about half are Black. The greater metropolitan area includes six surrounding counties such as Wayne County and nearby smaller towns, covering an area of 10,400 square kilometers with a population of about 4.35 million.

Originally inhabited by Native Americans, it was later occupied by the French and British. It became part of the United States in 1796 and was incorporated as a city in 1815. It developed rapidly with the opening of Great Lakes shipping routes and the completion of the Erie Canal. A railway connection to Chicago was established in 1852, spurring further rapid growth. The first automobile factory was founded in 1899, leading to vigorous industrial development. After Henry Ford introduced the assembly line in 1914, it evolved into a global automotive hub. Benefiting from nearby iron ore and refineries, as well as affordable water transportation, it developed a massive automobile industry. The automotive sector is the dominant industry, with high levels of modern production, accounting for about 27% of the U.S. total annual output. The headquarters of America’s three largest automobile companies—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—are all located here. During World War I and World War II, it served as an important military base with developed military industries such as aircraft and tank manufacturing. Other industries include steel, instrumentation, chemicals, metal processing, pharmaceuticals, and salt mining. Factories are mainly concentrated on the west bank of the Detroit River and in satellite cities in the southwest and northwest of the city.

Detroit is an important port in the Great Lakes region, a key port for ocean-going vessels, and a vital trade gateway between the U.S. and Canada. It is connected to other cities via a dense network of railways and highways. There are three airports. It is linked to Windsor by a bridge and an underground tunnel. The city features a range of architectural landmarks, including the 73-story Renaissance Center, the General Motors Building (47 stories), the Veterans Memorial, and the world’s longest suspension bridge. It has cultural and educational facilities such as the Detroit Cultural Center, museums, art galleries, the Henry Ford Museum of Automotive History, and institutions like Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University. With over 1,000 churches, it is known as the “City of Churches.” Popular tourist attractions include the large amusement parks of Belle Isle and Palmer Park, one of the largest zoos in the U.S., Royal Oak Park, and historic churches.

Detroit boasts a diverse range of architectural styles and is one of the cities in the U.S. with the largest number of Art Deco skyscrapers and historic buildings from the 1920s and 1930s. Representative examples from this period include the Guardian Building in the city center, the Fisher Building and the Cadillac Building near Wayne State University. Detroit’s most notable buildings are the first Fox Theatre in the U.S., the Detroit Opera House, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Together with the postmodern Renaissance Center, they shape Detroit’s urban landscape.

The city center and new districts are filled with tall buildings, while the rest of the city consists of shorter structures and residential homes. Southeast Detroit has many abandoned buildings and large tracts of barren land, whereas the south and west show signs of prosperity. In 2005, Detroit’s buildings were rated among the best in the United States, with many significant structures listed as National Trust for Historic Preservation sites.

Detroit has a professional community dedicated to urban design, historic preservation, architecture, and urban investment. Numerous urban renewal projects have helped revitalize parts of the city.

Xiao Yi, do you like music? If you do, then Detroit is the right place for you. Since the 1940s, music has been a major feature of Detroit’s nightlife. The city boasts two of the best live music venues in the country: the DTE Energy Music Theatre and the Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit also has the second-largest number of theaters in the U.S. Other notable theaters include Fox Theatre, Detroit Opera House, and Fisher Theatre. The Detroit Symphony Hall is the home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Oh, I forgot to mention it. There’s an island called Belle Isle on the Detroit River, which is part of U.S. territory. Many people go there for leisure in the summer. Although it’s cold in winter, you can see many flocks of migratory birds there, such as Canada geese. If your girlfriend comes, you can take her there; I go there often, and the scenery is quite nice.

As for anything else, I can’t think of it right now. If you have time, go and look into it yourself.”

Zhou Yi listened carefully to Blake’s introduction, gradually showing a surprised expression on his face. Only after Blake finished did Zhou Yi ask in disbelief, “Uncle, how do you know so much about this?”

Blake rolled his eyes and joked, “I’ve lived in Detroit for over forty years. Why do you think I know so much?”

Zhou Yi smiled awkwardly, and Blake immediately said to him, “Well, if you have time in the future, I’ll take you around to get to know everything here thoroughly. Phoebe just drags you around; she’s not helpful at all in helping you get familiar with the place. Hehe, we’re here. Time to get out of the car!”

By then, the Palace of Auburn Hills was already in sight, and soon the two arrived at its entrance. After parking the car, Zhou Yi and Blake walked inside the arena.

Chapter 87: Tactics Deployment
In the training area of the Auburn Hills Palace of Auburn Hills, all the Pistons players sat on the ground in a circle, with head coach Kuster sitting in the middle.
“Tonight’s game is our first home game this season, so we must give it our all to win and secure two consecutive victories. Our opponent is the Oklahoma Thunder. In their last game at home, they easily defeated the Chicago Bulls. Coming here to challenge us, they will surely fight fiercely, with the same goal of achieving two consecutive wins. But we have the home advantage, and we also won our last game, so our morale is high. Therefore, we must not let them succeed. Now, I’ll explain the tactics for this game.” Kuster paused, glanced at the information about the Thunder in his hands, and continued, “The Oklahoma Thunder had an outstanding record of 50 wins and 32 losses in the 2009-10 season, which was last season, and successfully made it to the playoffs. This was a huge improvement from their poor record of 23 wins and 59 losses the previous year. It was also the first time the Thunder have made it to the playoffs since their founding. Under the guidance of head coach Scott Brooks, this young team played passionate and exciting games. Aside from the center position, almost all positions had players who were the future of the league. Among them, Kevin Durant led the way, averaging 30.1 points per game and surpassing LeBron James to become the top scorer in last season’s regular season. In last season’s playoffs, the Thunder also performed exceptionally well. They faced the Western Conference’s top team, the Lakers. Although the Lakers had a strong roster with an older average age, their aging point guard, Derek Fisher, was unable to stop Westbrook’s aggressive offense. The Thunder took advantage of their tall players and excellent athletic skills, using players like Durant, Seufert, and Green to form an effective defense against the Lakers’ key player, Kobe Bryant, and their twin towers in the front line. The Lakers’ advantages lay in the absolute height of their twin towers and their rich playoff experience, as well as Ron Artest’s ability to effectively contain Durant with his defensive skills. In the end, it took seven games of intense fighting between this young team and the defending champions Lakers before they lost due to a lack of playoff experience.”

Kuster looked around at the players and smiled slightly, saying, “Everyone, don’t have those expressions. I’m not trying to boost their morale at the expense of my own authority; I’m just telling you the truth. Although this young team has grown incredibly fast, we’re not easy targets for them to manipulate. Since they’re a young team, they inevitably lack experience. Last season’s playoffs against the Lakers are the best proof of that. We’re different—although our roster is also young, we have many experienced veterans, such as James Posey, Ben Wallace, Tracy McGrady, and so on. Hehe, as long as we make full use of our strengths and exploit their weaknesses, it will be very easy to win.”

“Coach, what’s your strategy for this game?” Greg Monroe asked curiously, one hand under his chin.

Kuster laughed and replied, “It’s simple. We’ll play a zone defense, focusing on the interior. Their outside players are among the best in the league, so we definitely can’t compete with them there. Instead, we’ll target their weaker interior players. Of course, the Thunder’s interior players are also formidable, especially Serge Ibaka and Jeff Green. Serge Ibaka has excellent defensive skills, while Jeff Green can play both inside and outside and is gradually becoming an all-around power forward. But I believe Ben Wallace and Samuel Dalembert, along with the other interior players, will be able to overwhelm their interior defense. Additionally, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will definitely cause us a lot of trouble on the outside. So, the task of defending Durant falls to Taishan, and the task of defending Russell Westbrook falls to you, Zhou Yi. You two are generally quite strong defensively in your positions. Since I’m assigning you these two important tasks, you must do your best to contain these two players. Do you understand?”

The players mentioned nodded in unison, their expressions serious.

“Since Zhou Yi is tasked with containing Russell Westbrook, the responsibility of organizing the team’s offense falls on Will Bynum and Tracy McGrady. These are the tactics for tonight’s game—I’ve already laid them out. Is there anything you don’t understand?” Kuster crossed his arms behind his back, let out a sigh of relief, and asked the group with a smile.
“None,” they replied in unison.
Kuster nodded. “Good. Then tonight, we’ll give this young team a proper lesson and defeat them.”
“Understood.” At that moment, everyone clenched their fists, their faces filled with excitement.
……
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the home team’s players onto the court,” an announcer in the arena excitedly said to the audience. As soon as he spoke, the fans erupted in cheers, supporting their home team’s players.
The first to enter the court was Duncan, followed by Prince, Durham-Porter, Villanueva, and others. Zhou Yi appeared on the court after Bynum, with McGrady being the last to enter. Now, McGrady had become the spiritual leader of the Pistons, always able to calm the players’ emotions in the locker room. In the first game, although McGrady didn’t play for long, he still performed admirably, scoring 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. In particular, his game-winning layup at the end was crucial in securing the victory for the Pistons—of course, McGrady’s shot was assisted by Zhou Yi.
All the Pistons players were now on the court, with the home fans giving them the warmest applause and most enthusiastic cheers. The Pistons players waved at the fans in all directions, their faces filled with satisfaction and confidence.
On the other side of the court, the Thunder players ignored the wild enthusiasm of the home fans and focused entirely on their pre-game warm-ups.
“Alright, guys, it’s time for our pre-game warm-ups. We must win this game,” McGrady said to his teammates with determination.
They gathered together, placed their hands on each other’s shoulders, lowered their heads, and shouted in unison, “Victory, victory, victory!”
After that, they began their pre-game warm-ups, ready to face the Thunder.
Chapter 88: Thunder’s Strike

“The game is about to start. The starting lineups for both teams have been shown on the big screen. Let’s take a look at them! Home team: center Ben Wallace, power forward Greg Monroe, shooting forward Tyshawn Prince, point guard James Posey, and shooting guard Will Bynum; Away team: center Nenad Krstić, power forward Jeff Green, shooting forward Kevin Durant, point guard Sapuškaš Vlade Divac, and shooting guard Russell Westbrook,” introduced the commentator wearing glasses from the commentary booth to the audience.

“Now, the starting players for both teams have entered the court,” said another commentator.

Ben Wallace and Krstić stood in the center circle, ready to start the game with a bounce pass. As the referee tossed the ball into the air, the whistle marking the start of the game blew.

Durant grabbed the ball, giving the Thunder their first chance to attack. He dribbled across half-court and passed the ball to Westbrook to orchestrate the offense. Westbrook’s eyes sparkled as he scanned the entire court before immediately launching an attack. Divac and Westbrook executed a pick-and-roll, with Westbrook pulling to the other side for a three-point shot that went in, giving the Thunder an early 3-point lead.

Bynum took control of the ball, used a fake move to deceive Westbrook, and shot a jump shot from the free-throw line, which also went in. However, the Thunder’s star Durant quickly responded with his own three-point shot. James Posey received a pass from Bynum at the baseline, drove past defenders, and passed the ball to Wallace. Wallace raised the ball above his head to confuse his opponent before dunking it.

Westbrook passed the ball back to Durant. Prince tried to close in and stop Durant’s offense. Although Durant is 206 cm tall, his ball-handling skills are exceptional. With a quick crossover move, he broke free from Prince’s defense and scored by driving to the basket.

The Thunder took control of the game, hitting three shots in a row at the start, taking a 4-point lead over the home team, the Pistons. Prince is known for his unusually long arms, a rare trait in the NBA. But compared to Durant, Prince’s arms are slightly shorter. Both Durant and Prince are 206 cm tall, but Durant’s reach is astonishingly close to 230 cm, while Prince’s reach is only 218 cm.

Physically, it was indeed difficult for Prince to defend Durant, but Prince’s defense didn’t rely solely on his strength—it was driven by excellent defensive awareness. Defense was Prince’s forte, with outstanding skills in blocking and stealing balls, as well as great awareness in covering for teammates. Despite his slim build, he wasn’t at a disadvantage in physical confrontations.

Monroe took a jump shot from mid-range after receiving a pass from Bynum, but missed. Durant grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Westbrook. Westbrook moved like lightning, instantly reaching into the Pistons’ paint. Bynum struggled hard to keep up with Westbrook’s speed. Seeing Westbrook about to drive to the basket, Bynum reflexively jumped to try and block him. But Westbrook twisted his body, managed to hover in the air for a moment, and then shot—the ball reluctantly fell through the net.

“Nice shot. Russell’s physical condition is truly excellent,” one of the commentators said with a smile.

Bynum looked serious, breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on the court. So far, the Thunder had made four shots without missing a single one—their offensive efficiency was astonishing.

Bynum drove to the basket with the ball, using Monroe as a screen, but Kostić was already in position waiting for Bynum to drive inside. Bynum’s eyes flashed as he sidestepped and passed the ball to Monroe, who rushed into the paint. Due to his unstable balance, Monroe collided violently with Green, knocking him to the ground. The referee immediately blew the whistle—it was an offensive foul, and the Thunder gained possession.

Westbrook controlled the ball while directing his teammates to spread out. Once they were in position, Westbrook accelerated and drove past Bynum. Bynum gritted his teeth and followed closely, but inwardly groaned: Russell Westbrook’s speed is just too fast—it’s hard to defend.

Fortunately, Bynum was able to barely keep up with Westbrook; otherwise, he would have been completely overwhelmed. Although Westbrook appeared very thin, he was covered in muscles, very strong, and extremely agile.

Seeing no chance, Westbrook passed the ball to Savanier, who drove a bit before taking a jump shot. The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced out. Duncan grabbed the rebound among the crowd and passed it to Bynum.

“Finally, a miss,” Bynum muttered to himself.

But as his thoughts wandered, the ball was stolen by Westbrook. Bynum was extremely annoyed and tried to regain possession, only to be called for a defensive foul by the referee. Bynum took a defensive stance in frustration, deeply regretful inside.

Durant sent the ball to the sideline; Westbrook caught it, dribbled a bit, then passed it skillfully to Green. Green faced Monroe alone, feinted, and although Monroe wasn’t fooled, Green feinted again, causing Monroe to jump. Delighted, Green drove to the basket. Though the layup didn’t go in, it still resulted in a defensive foul on Monroe, achieving the same effect.

Seeing Monroe commit two fouls in less than 4 minutes, Kuster immediately substituted him out with Durham Porter. Green took the free throws, but strangely missed both. Durham Porter grabbed the rebound and passed it to Bynum. Green was frustrated, while Monroe looked pleased, muttering to himself, “That foul was worth it. But I can’t get fooled again.”

Once Durham Porter entered the game, he immediately teamed up with Ben Wallace to form a double tower, putting immense pressure on the Thunder’s frontcourt. Thunder head coach Scott Brooks was speechless, secretly criticizing Kuster for being cunning enough to target his own team’s frontcourt players. Yet Brooks was also helpless, as the Thunder lacked sufficient frontcourt depth.

With Durham Porter on the court, perimeter players like Bynum felt relieved. Ben Wallace and Durham Porter dominated the opponent’s frontcourt, scoring heavily. Kostić and Green couldn’t contain them, and soon the Pistons took the lead under their leadership.

However, the Thunder immediately launched a fierce counterattack, led by their star Kevin Durant. Prince wasn’t in good defensive form today and couldn’t stop Durant’s performance. With his variety of offensive moves—3-pointers, mid-range shots, drives, and dunks—Prince couldn’t contain him. Under his leadership, the Thunder scored a 11–2 run, quickly regaining the lead.

Seeing the opponent getting better, Kuster called a timeout with 4 minutes left in the first quarter to make adjustments.

The score was now 24–15, with the Pistons trailing by 9 points.

The timeout is over, and the game resumes, with both teams making adjustments to their lineups. The current lineups are as follows:
Pistons: Samuel Dalembert, Taylor Hansbrough, Teyshawn Prince, Tracy McGrady, and Zhou Yi;
Thunder: Serge Ibaka, Jeff Green, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.
It’s the Pistons’ turn to attack. Zhou Yi takes control of the ball, facing off against the explosive Westbrook.
Zhou Yi vs. Westbrook — an exciting battle is about to unfold!!!
Chapter 89: He’s Strong
Zhou Yi coordinates the Pistons’ offense, with Tracy McGrady as his partner on the backcourt. McGrady moves to the perimeter to receive the ball, then grabs it with one hand, his sharp gaze scanning the entire court. Harden has already closed in, crouching in a defensive stance. Suddenly, McGrady takes a step, quickly shielding Harden behind him, then stops abruptly and shoots a jump shot. The ball travels in a very low arc — if anyone else shot it, there’s an 80% chance it wouldn’t go in, but for McGrady, this is his specialty. With a “swish,” the basketball goes through the net.
Harden’s eyes twitch slightly, and he thinks to himself, “Although T-MAC isn’t as good as he used to be, his talent and experience are unmatched by most people. He got past me in just one step — I really can’t afford to be careless at all.”
Westbrook glances at the Chinese teenager defending him, his face showing no signs of relaxation, only focus and intense fighting spirit.

Before the game started, Brooks called Westbrook over and told him to be wary of a Chinese player named Zhou Yi. Although Westbrook didn’t know much about Zhou Yi, he took Brooks’ warning seriously right away. Westbrook only had a slight understanding of Zhou Yi, which he learned accidentally from a teammate during yesterday’s practice. The Thunder player who mentioned Zhou Yi was Nenad Krstić, who was sitting on the bench resting. In fact, Krstić also didn’t know much about Zhou Yi; he only became aware of him after learning that Zhou Yi had performed a dunk on Brook Lopez in a game against the Nets. Most NBA players also learned about another Chinese player in the NBA named Zhou Yi through this incident. It can be said that after that game against the Nets, especially with that daring dunk on Lopez, Zhou Yi’s reputation in the NBA spread quickly.

Later, as practice was coming to an end, Brooks played a video of the Pistons’ game against the Nets in the locker room, which gave Westbrook a better understanding of Zhou Yi—more precisely, an understanding of Zhou Yi’s playing style and skills.

After taking a crossover step, Westbrook turned around, passed the ball to Harden, who drove to the middle and shot a turnaround jumper to score.

On the Pistons’ side, Zhou Yi dribbled under his body several times before suddenly using a crossover to shake off Westbrook’s defense, rushed to the basket from the side, and jumped up. Ibaka quickly jumped up to try and block him. But instead of attempting a layup or dunk, Zhou Yi swiftly passed the ball to Hansbrough behind Ibaka. Upon receiving the ball, Hansbrough immediately jumped up and completed a dunk with ease.

“That kid is not ordinary,” Westbrook said calmly.

Zhou Yi clearly didn’t hear Westbrook’s comment, and even if he had, he would have just laughed it off. Westbrook drove with the ball, executed a neat spin to get past Zhou Yi, but at the moment he turned, he was intercepted by McGrady, who attacked from the side. McGrady quickly launched a fast break, but only Zhou Yi followed. Westbrook reacted swiftly and returned to defend. McGrady passed to Zhou Yi, who dribbled twice before passing it back to McGrady. As they approached the basket, McGrady pretended to shoot but actually passed to Zhou Yi. However, Westbrook wasn’t fooled and closed in on Zhou Yi. Instead of taking the ball, Zhou Yi pushed it toward the upper right corner of the basket. Westbrook muttered under his breath that he had been tricked and hurriedly turned to defend McGrady. But it was too late—McGrady quickly jumped and scored with a layup. Not only that, but Westbrook also committed a defensive foul. This series of dazzling passes immediately earned loud cheers from the fans in the arena. The two commentators also praised the coordination between Zhou Yi and McGrady.

Scott Brooks took advantage of McGrady’s free throws to replace Westbrook with Eric Meno and Durant with DeAndre Cook. The Pistons’ lineup also saw some changes, with Daye replacing Prindzen in the game.

McGrady made his free throw and the extra shot as well. At this point, Eric Meno was facing Zhou Yi, organizing the Thunder’s offense. Meno forced his way past Zhou Yi, who closely defended him. Realizing it was difficult to break through the Chinese player, Meno immediately passed the ball. DeAndre Cook received the ball, feinted, then shot from beyond the arc. With a thud, the ball bounced off the rim, and Hansbrough secured the rebound and quickly passed it to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi rushed down the court unimpeded into the opponent’s three-second zone. After tricking Ibaka into jumping, he shot, but missed. Ibaka easily grabbed the rebound. Meno used Harden’s pick-and-roll to break into the Pistons’ paint, then passed the ball to Harden, who was on the other side of the court. Harden took a three-point shot and made it. Harden is a left-handed shooter, and his shooting style is considered very similar to that of “The Left Hand of God,” Chris Mullin.

Zhou Yi slowed down and stabilized his rhythm. Near the midpoint of the first quarter, he glanced at the timer—23 seconds remained. Zhou Yi dribbled the ball, slowly wasting time. When 10 seconds were left, he moved. With a quick breakthrough, he turned, bypassed his defender Mayo, and rushed to the basket. Facing the opponent’s block, Zhou Yi showed no fear. With a flick of his wrist, the basketball flew toward Daye, who was already waiting at the zero-degree three-point line. Without adjusting, Daye caught the ball and shot immediately, sending the net swaying with a “swish.”

“Nice assist,” one commentator said with a smile.

“Yeah, Zhou’s pass didn’t have any fancy moves, but it was extremely effective,” the other commentator replied.

With 1.5 seconds left in the first quarter, Mayo received the ball at the baseline and threw it straight toward the opponent’s basket, but it was a miss. The whistle blew, marking the end of the first quarter.

Both teams had high shooting percentages in the first quarter, resulting in a close score: 36:31, with the Thunder leading by 5 points.

Zhou Yi returned to the bench, took the towel and drink handed to him by Bynum, smiled slightly, unscrewed the bottle cap, and started drinking. After finishing, he wiped the sweat from his face and sat down next to Bynum.

“Russell is hard to guard, right?” Bynum wasn’t joking like before; instead, he looked serious.

Zhou Yi nodded and replied, “Yeah, he’s strong, both offensively and defensively. I think, across the entire league, Russell Westbrook could rank in the top ten at the point guard position.”

Bynum nodded in agreement with Zhou Yi’s opinion.

At that moment, Koost walked over to the two of them and said seriously, “Regarding the tactics for this game, I’ve already said that we need to focus on the inside and play positional basketball. But you two forgot what I said during the game and didn’t follow my instructions completely. From now on, you must pay close attention to this.”

Hearing Koost’s serious and unyielding words, Bynum and the others nodded in unison.

Then Koost sternly warned all the Pistons players, “In this game, we need to defend the outside and attack the inside. Do you understand?”

“Understood.”

At this point, the second quarter was about to begin. The players from both teams returned to the court, preparing for the second half of the game.

Chapter 90: Turnaround