Chapter 149

With 4 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter, Zhou Yi broke through Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan in succession, passed the ball to Andre Iguodala at the perimeter just before Andrea Bagnani could recover, and Iguodala easily scored with no defender around him. Immediately afterward, Zhou Yi intercepted Calderon’s pass in the middle court, passed it long to Greg Monroe, who scored by driving to the basket. DeMar DeRozan quickly cut to the basket, received a perfect pass from Calderon, and dunked the ball through the hoop. Greg Monroe was a step slow; DeRozan quickly drove the ball into the basket, shaking his fist in frustration. Zhou Yi attempted to break through twice, but Calderon thwarted both attempts in advance. Although Calderon wasn’t as fast as Zhou Yi, his years of NBA experience had taught him a lot about skilled breakthrough players, and he managed to anticipate Zhou Yi’s moves each time. As time passed, Zhou Yi grew increasingly anxious. Greg Monroe stepped in just in time. As soon as Monroe stepped forward, Zhou Yi sensed his intention and dashed past him in an instant. Calderon could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yi rushed into the paint. Andrea Bagnani’s timely withdrawal from the paint gave the Raptors’ players a slight respite. Although Bagnani’s defensive skills weren’t strong, it wouldn’t be easy for Zhou Yi to get past him. Zhou Yi plunged into Bagnani’s arms. Bagnani was pleased inwardly—his large frame and outstretched arms almost completely enclosed Zhou Yi. But before his excitement could fade, he saw the disappointed expressions of the fans. Not understanding what was going on, he turned to see Greg Monroe’s right hand gripping the rim while the ball kept bouncing beneath it. At that moment, the large screen in the middle of the arena was showing a replay of the previous moment. Just before Bagnani contained Zhou Yi, the ball was passed from behind him—a very subtle and precise pass. With no defender around him, Monroe stepped forward and dunked the ball. After landing, Monroe let out a furious roar. The Raptors launched an attack—Calderon broke through and passed the ball, and DeMar DeRozan caught it and hit a jump shot. With the shift in offense and defense, Zhou Yi passed the ball to McGrady beyond the three-point line, who took a quick jump shot and scored a three-pointer.

Jose Calderon moved around beyond the three-point line with the ball, desperately searching for an opportunity to break through. However, Zhou Yi’s excellent defense thwarted all his attempts, and as the 24-second timeout neared, Calderon grew anxious, urgently trying to locate his teammates.

Constantly watching his movements, Zhou Yi noticed the anxiety in his eyes and the apparent confusion in his ball-handling rhythm. His experience told him the opponent was distracted. Lowering his body slightly, like a cheetah ready to pounce, he rushed forward and swung his right hand hard at the bouncing ball.

Feeling a sudden lightness in his hand, Calderon’s heart sank—the basketball, which should have bounced back into his grasp, seemed to have disappeared. Realizing his ball had been knocked away, he turned to look, only to see a dark shadow flash past him, with a gust of wind hitting his face, forcing him to step back instinctively.

By the time he regained his composure, Zhou Yi had already grabbed the ball and crossed half-court. With no players from the Raptors on that side, Zhou Yi easily scored a dunk.

The Raptors failed to counter, and the Pistons secured the defensive rebound. Extending his right wrist, Zhou Yi caught the ball in mid-air. After a brief pause, he rushed forward like an arrow released from a bow, heading toward the opponent’s half-court. This was what John Kuster wanted from him—using his speed and breakthrough skills to create more opportunities for the team. Against an experienced veteran like Jose Calderon, Zhou Yi’s greatest asset was his speed, leveraging his strengths to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses.

Jose Calderon watched Zhou Yi closely, thinking to himself. As he got older, his pace slowed down. His greatest asset now was his rich experience. Against a rookie like Zhou Yi, he had many strategies to counter him, but he didn’t dare underestimate him either. Zhou Yi’s speed terrified him; seeing his breakthroughs reminded him of Allen Iverson, the king of speed and breakthroughs in the league—both possessed terrifying speed.

With his feet spread apart, his center of gravity slightly lowered, and his upper body slightly leaning forward, Calderon’s arms swung as Zhou Yi approached. On his home court, he had much to prove. He couldn’t afford to lose such a game, so even before Zhou Yi reached half-court, he had already prepared himself, waiting for him to arrive.

His gaunt face tightened, with flashes of intensity in his eyes from time to time. One had to admire Jose Calderon’s experience—he had solid defensive moves, nothing fancy. If not for his own speed advantage, breaking through his defense would indeed be difficult.
Through continuous shifts in positioning, Jose Calderon remained unfazed, sticking to his own area, yet he managed to thwart Zhou Yi’s attempts to break through several times.
Although Zhou Yi failed to break through, his teammates were already in position. With a clever pass from behind, he delivered the ball to McGrady, who scored with a moving jump shot.
Typical playmakers, when organizing attacks, face the basket to better protect the ball, but this has a clear drawback: they can’t see the overall situation of the game. However, excellent point guards, when organizing attacks, face the basket as well. Their superb ball-handling skills make it hard for others to take the ball from them, allowing them to control every move in the game—whether organizing attacks or making passes for breaks—whenever they want.
Jose Calderon’s direct pass went to Andrea Bagnani in the paint, with Greg Monroe immediately closing in. Andrea Bagnani feinted a few times before turning and scoring with a jump shot.
The Raptors’ players quickly adjusted their defense against Zhou Yi, but it didn’t seem very effective. When they had no chance, Zhou Yi could always pass the ball in time.
After receiving a clever pass from Zhou Yi, McGrady took a jump shot, but unfortunately, the ball rotated a few times inside the hoop before bouncing out, with Andrea Bagnani grabbing the defensive rebound.
It was DeMar DeRozan again, who scored after receiving a pass from Jose Calderon near the free-throw line.
Andre Iguodala’s three-point attempt missed, but Samuel Dalembert scored on the rebound.
On the Raptors’ side, Andrea Bagnani also scored with a hook shot.
After drawing two Raptors defenders, Zhou Yi made a behind-the-back pass to McGrady, who promptly hit a beautiful three-point shot.
What frustrated Jose Calderon even more was that prolonged injuries had affected his stamina. He started to feel exhausted after just one quarter. His pale face and heavy sweating clearly revealed his stamina issues, prompting the Raptors’ head coach to replace him immediately.

For an injured player like Jose Calderon who had been out for a whole season, the Raptors’ coach hadn’t planned to give him much playing time. He was also quite dissatisfied with his performance in the first quarter. Not only had his skills and stamina not yet recovered, but more importantly, he acted too selfishly during that quarter. In several confrontations with Zhou Yi, he seemed at a disadvantage. Frustrated, he became even more aggressive, significantly affecting the team’s offense.

Jose Calderon quickly drove the ball across half-court, with Zhou Yi already waiting at the three-point line. The only player on the team capable of keeping up with his speed was Zhou Yi. Without holding onto the ball for too long, he passed it to Linas Krezas shortly after crossing half-court. Krezas caught the ball, immediately shot, and the ball traced a beautiful arc before swishing through the net.

Samuel Dalembert’s recent performance has increasingly disappointed the coaching staff. He has lost his offensive impact, and his defensive performance has also been disappointing. However, since the team has just made major moves, no major trades are likely in the short term.

Zhou Yi and Jose Calderon were guarding each other. Facing a player known for his speed in the league, Zhou Yi was naturally highly focused and slowly drove the ball across half-court.

As the two got closer, Jose Calderon’s expression grew more serious. In their last match, they had been evenly matched. Zhou Yi’s sharp breakthroughs had left a deep impression on him, especially after studying the opponent’s tactics before the game.

Now, Zhou Yi was the biggest threat to the team. To deal with him, Jose Calderon was naturally the first choice.

Changing direction, using feints—none of these tricks fooled Jose Calderon. After several failed attempts to break through, Zhou Yi showed no sign of frustration; instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

While Jose Calderon couldn’t read his expression, Zhou Yi suddenly shrugged his right shoulder backward, turning 180 degrees with the ball and himself, shifting his center of gravity slightly backward and pressing his body tightly against Jose Calderon’s.

Jose Calderon’s reaction was far from pleased. After figuring out Zhou Yi’s intentions, his mind raced, but his response was still a fraction too slow. By the time he tried to pull back, Zhou Yi had already moved to his right, using his right hand holding the ball to push slightly backward, his elbow hitting Jose Calderon’s waist just enough to stop his movement. It happened so fast that not only could the referee not see his subtle move, but Jose Calderon himself suspected it was an unintentional action.

It was a complicated situation, but it was done in the blink of an eye. The Raptors players didn’t have time to react and could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yi made a successful jump shot.

Being overwhelmed like this by Zhou Yi, Jose Calderon naturally felt upset, but it didn’t affect his judgment of the game. After half a quarter, he quickly passed the ball to Linas Krezas on the right wing.

The Pistons player closest to Krezas was Samuel Dalembert, but Krezas managed to score with a quick stop-and-jump shot.

Greg Monroe executed a powerful dunk, his forceful slam even pushing Ed Davis out of the three-second area. Ed Davis then took a mid-range jump shot, hitting the backboard and putting the ball in the basket.

Zhou Yi drove to the baseline, received a pass from the inside, and made a successful three-point shot.

Krezas’s layup resulted in a foul on Samuel Dalembert, earning him two free throws, one of which he made.

In the first quarter, the Raptors abandoned their usual steady playstyle and engaged in a back-and-forth battle with the Pistons.