Chapter 153

At the start of the third quarter, Zhou Yi and Tracy McGrady of the Pistons were taken off the court to rest, while Landry Fields and Raymond Felton of the Knicks also did not play, getting a chance to catch their breath. In the first half of this quarter, the Pistons and Knicks engaged in positional battles, led by their key big men Greg Monroe and Amare Stoudemire respectively. The two teams exchanged attacks, with intense physical confrontations, and the score remained closely tied as it climbed. Greg Monroe scored a 2+1 after being double-teamed and driving to the basket. 60:62… Amare Stoudemire took on Greg Monroe alone, spun around to shake him off, and successfully scored a layup. 63:66… Greg Monroe assisted Samuel Dalembert, who hit a precise mid-range shot. 67:69… The Knicks’ Sean Williams ran to the outside, received a pass from a teammate, and hit a three-pointer… 70:71… The positional battles continued, not particularly exciting in terms of flair but still fiercely competitive. Every attack and defense by both teams held everyone’s attention, as every goal could determine the outcome of the game. During these battles, both teams were aggressive defensively, but their shooting form wasn’t as good as in the second quarter, reducing their shooting percentages to around 40%. Yet this didn’t diminish the intensity of the game. The fans’ hearts raced as the players rushed back and forth on the court. By the 7th minute of the third quarter, Zhou Yi and McGrady finally returned to the court, while Greg Monroe was replaced by Ben Wallace to rest and conserve energy for the final moments of the game. Joining Zhou Yi and McGrady back on the court were the Knicks’ Raymond Felton and Landry Fields, suggesting that another intense scoring period was about to begin.