Chapter 196

In the fourth quarter, Ron Artest seemed like a different person, exuding a “beast” aura with a strong desire to attack. What was even more frustrating was that the “beast,” who had only made one shot out of six in the first three quarters, managed to make four shots out of five in this quarter.

Zhou Yi provided a screen, and McGrady hit a mid-range jump shot.

With a clang, Kobe’s shot missed, and the Pistons secured the rebound in the backcourt.

Zhou Yi used several feints, leveraging his speed to break through Steve Blake. With a backpass, he passed the ball to Greg Monroe, who was unguarded, and Monroe hit a jump shot from deep for 2 points.

Steve Blake held the ball, but at this critical moment, he lost control of it.

Zhou Yi seized the mistake, took the ball, and rushed toward the opposing half. After crossing half-court, instead of rushing to attack out of greed, he attracted Andrew Bynum’s defense and passed the ball backward to Andre Iguodala, who was following up.

Andre Iguodala easily scored by putting it in the basket for 2 points.

Kobe received the pass from his teammate and drove toward the Pistons’ half.

Outside the Pistons’ three-point line, Kobe suddenly accelerated and rushed toward the Pistons’ paint.

After breaking through, instead of attacking, he passed the ball to Ron Artest, the “beast” in the left paint area.

Ron Artest stepped back after shooting a jump shot, hitting it and also drawing a foul from Greg Monroe.

“Great!” Kobe laughed and high-fived Ron Artest.

“This guy is really a beast now,” Zhou Yi thought, watching as Ron Artest made both free throws.

“Ron, this bastard suddenly going wild at this moment is bad for us! Although Kobe hasn’t been attacking much lately, this isn’t a good sign. He’s now drawing defenses to create opportunities for other players. Damn, I hope Zhou can stabilize the situation,” John Kuester said to the assistant coach beside him.

The assistant coach could only nod in anticipation.

Zhou Yi organized the offense, with Greg Monroe providing a screen for Andre Iguodala.

Seizing the opportunity, Andre Iguodala cut to the basket. Zhou Yi flicked his wrist, sending the ball to Andre Iguodala, who immediately drove in for a layup, scoring and also drawing a defensive foul from Paul Gasol.

At this moment, Paul Gasol already has five fouls. Just one more foul and he can leave early to take a shower. Phil Jackson is also very worried—if Paul Gasol goes out, the Lakers’ interior defense will definitely be overwhelmed by the Pistons. Moreover, without Paul Gasol, the Lakers’ triangle offense won’t work at all! Although Paul Gasol has five fouls, Phil Jackson hasn’t substituted him out yet. It’s now a critical moment; without Paul Gasol, the team is close to losing the game. Andre Iguodala takes a free throw, but unfortunately misses the second attempt. Paul Gasol grabs the rebound and passes it to Steve Blake. After halftime, Steve Blake immediately passes the ball to Ron Artest. Now, the Lakers are letting Ron Artest play, as his form is extremely hot right now. Ron Artest drives with the ball, and the Lakers’ players actively provide coverage for him. Using their teammates’ help, Ron Artest drives past the three-point line and shoots a three-pointer. With a swish, the ball goes through the net again. Zhou Yi is too fast, and Steve Blake is also exhausted—he can no longer keep up with Zhou Yi’s pace like at the beginning. His defense is good, but guarding players like Zhou Yi is still difficult for him. “Damn, I really can’t keep up!” Steve Blake shakes his head helplessly as he watches Zhou Yi successfully drive and lay up, then says angrily. “Damn it, I can’t believe your form is still this good,” Andre Iguodala thinks as he watches Ron Artest constantly moving around. Kobe drives alone at Zhou Yi, suddenly speeding up before pretending to do a stop-and-shoot. Seeing this, Zhou Yi dives at him. But Kobe pulls back his hand and shoots right toward Zhou Yi’s body. With a swish and a bounce, Zhou Yi feels like dying in frustration. Not only did he fail to stop the opponent’s attack, but he also got a foul, allowing the opponent to score a 2+1. “But this is Kobe!” Zhou Yi’s fighting spirit grows stronger—he becomes stronger when faced with challenges. Seeing Kobe score again and force a foul on Zhou Yi, John Kuester immediately calls a timeout.

The current score is 104:107, with the Pistons leading by just 3 points. If Kobe’s free throws also go in, the Pistons’ lead will drop to 2 points. Earlier, the Pistons had widened the gap to double digits, but Ron Artest’s sudden outburst, combined with Kobe’s recent two-plus-one play, gradually eroded their hard-earned lead. The Lakers could tie the score in as few as three points if the Pistons don’t do anything in the next few plays. Timeout over, game resumes. Kobe takes another free throw, it goes in—105:107, Pistons now leading by 2 points. “Philosophy” shows a rare relieved smile, while Kobe exhales in relief. Zhou Yi drives with the ball, skillfully handling it behind his back to deceive Steve Blake. Kobe quickly comes to help defend, but Zhou Yi doesn’t even look at the ball, just flicks it to the right, and it lands in Andre Iguodala’s hands. Iguodala takes a jump shot, it goes in—105:109. On the Lakers’ offense, Steve Blake passes to Paul Gasol. Carlos Boozer catches the ball and immediately goes one-on-one with Greg Monroe, scoring 2 points with a backboard jump shot—107:109. On the Pistons’ side, Zhou Yi tricks Steve Blake outside the three-point line. Though he doesn’t score, he earns three free throws. However, Zhou Yi fails to capitalize on these three free throws, missing two of them and only making the last one. Zhou Yi shakes his arm in frustration. “Zhou, it’s okay, keep going!” McGrady pats Zhou Yi’s shoulder before running back to his own half. Zhou Yi nods and stays in the Lakers’ half, guarding Steve Blake closely. Steve Blake is very frustrated because of Zhou Yi’s intense defense. He manages to carry the ball across half-court, but it’s almost stolen by Zhou Yi; fortunately, it goes out of bounds, keeping the ball with the Lakers. Ron Artest inbounds the ball, and Kobe catches it. Facing Zhou Yi, Kobe immediately rushes toward his right side with all his strength. Zhou Yi, of course, won’t let him get past as easily as last time and sticks closely to Kobe, preventing him from scoring easily. Zhou Yi’s defense works—Kobe doesn’t dare to charge recklessly, as if Zhou Yi were to draw a charging foul on him now, it would be counterproductive.

Fortunately, the Lakers had more than just him as a scoring option; there was also the once-fierce “Beast” Ron Artest. Kobe started looking for Ron Artest, and coincidentally, Ron Artest was already at the basket. Kobe decisively passed the ball to him with a bounce pass. After catching the ball, Ron Artest immediately dunked for 2 points, bringing the Pistons’ lead to just 1 point: 109–110. Zhou Yi took the ball at the baseline and rushed toward the Lakers’ half court. Along the way, Ron Artest kept interfering with Zhou Yi’s dribbling, forcing him to make mistakes. But Zhou Yi had excellent ball-handling skills; despite being pressured by the “Beast,” he still managed to carry the ball across half court. After crossing half court, Zhou Yi passed the ball to McGrady to organize the offense. McGrady drove to the basket, and Greg Monroe provided a screen for Andre Iguodala, allowing him to get into an open position. Seeing Iguodala in an open spot, McGrady immediately passed the ball to him. After catching the ball, Iguodala shot right away, but the shot missed despite no one guarding him. To add to the Pistons’ frustration, Ron Artest grabbed the defensive rebound. At this point, the Pistons led the Lakers by only 1 point, with 5 minutes and 43 seconds left in the game—meaning the outcome was still highly uncertain. Ron Artest dribbled across half court without passing. Suddenly, the “Beast” accelerated and drove to the basket. He sped up sharply toward the hoop, putting in all his effort. Even though Andre Iguodala tried his best, he couldn’t stop Ron Artest from reaching the basket. Greg Monroe and Samuel Dalembert were ready to defend both Ron Artest and the inside players. But just as everyone thought Ron Artest was going to attack the basket, the “Beast” passed the ball. The receiver was Kobe, who was lurking just beyond the three-point line! Zhou Yi was right in front of Kobe, but after catching the ball, Kobe immediately jumped up for a three-point shot. Zhou Yi rushed at him, but it was still too late. Although he couldn’t block Kobe’s shot, Zhou Yi still disrupted him. Due to inertia, Zhou Yi still bumped into Kobe in mid-air, but it wasn’t a foul.

Kobe deviated from his intended landing direction, lost his balance, and fell to the floor. As he fell, he prepared to protect himself.
With a loud thud, Kobe crashed to the court, while Zhou Yi remained unharmed.
However, no one paid attention to that; what mattered was that three-point shot. It could be considered the ultimate showdown between Zhou Yi and Kobe—under Zhou Yi’s all-out defense, could Kobe still display his “Black Mamba” prowess and deliver a fatal blow to the Pistons?
If Kobe made that shot, the Lakers would take the lead immediately.
The entire Staples Center was eerily quiet, so quiet that people could hear their own breathing.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the three-point shot arced toward the basket, bounced three times on the rim, and then fell in reluctantly.
The moment the ball went in, the crowd erupted in cheers—Lakers players cheered, and even head coach Phil Jackson smiled.
“MVP, MVP…” The crowd chanted for Kobe.
“Great shot!” After watching the basket go in, Ron Artest waved his fist before rushing over to help Kobe up.
Although it wasn’t “The Beast” who scored, he provided the assist.
“Boss, are you okay?” Ron Artest asked concernfully.
“I’m fine, hehe,” Kobe replied with a smile after moving around a bit.
112:110—the Lakers finally took a 2-point lead over the Pistons. The home crowd cheered loudly, especially those chanting “MVP.”
The game continued with the Pistons’ offense.
Greg Monroe passed the ball directly to Zhou Yi, who drove forward. Boos rang out as he caught the ball, but Zhou Yi remained unfazed and ignored them.
After crossing the midcourt line, Steve Blake quickly followed up in front of Zhou Yi to prevent him from breaking through.
Zhou Yi dribbled step by step toward the front court, while his teammates kept moving around in hopes of creating an opening. Finally, Greg Monroe managed to get open, and the moment he did, Zhou Yi passed the ball to him.
Without giving Paul Gasol any time to react, Greg Monroe jumped and shot—the ball went straight through the net!

“Yay!” The ball went in, and Greg Monroe was naturally very happy, waving his arm excitedly.
Paul Gasol served a ball from the baseline, and Steve Blake caught it.
But just as Steve Blake caught the ball, a strong gust of wind swept past him. When he looked down, the ball in his hands was gone.
Looking up again, he saw Zhou Yi controlling the ball and charging to the basket once more, scoring with a dunk.
“Who the—” Boos filled the arena; there were cheers too, but they were weak compared to the boos.
Kobe glared at Steve Blake for the mistake and then snorted.
The Pistons scored on two consecutive attacks, changing the score to 112:114, taking a 2-point lead over the Lakers again.
These two attacks took less than 20 seconds, showing how efficient the Pistons’ offense was.
Paul Gasol served another ball from the baseline, this time caught by “The Beast” Ron Artest.
“The Beast” watched Zhou Yi carefully and slowly dribbled across half-court.
After crossing half-court, Zhou Yi switched defenses with Andre Iguodala, who guarded Ron Artest.
Ron Artest drove with the ball and then took a quick stop to shoot, hitting the ball again.
114:114, the teams were tied once more.
Andre Iguodala shook his head in frustration; he had done his best but still couldn’t stop him.
“It’s okay, just did your best,” McGrady said, patting Andre Iguodala’s shoulder.
McGrady dribbled across half-court, but Kobe didn’t defend there—he stood at the three-point line, waiting for McGrady.
Instead of playing alone, McGrady drove and passed to Zhou Yi.
With Greg Monroe’s screen, Zhou Yi found an open spot. At that moment, McGrady passed the ball to him. Zhou Yi jumped and shot immediately, and the ball went in awkwardly. Though not perfect, it was still a good shot.
114:116, the Pistons still led by 2 points.
Kobe dribbled four times outside the three-point line before suddenly shooting the ball.
“Thud”—a miss echoed across the Staples Center court. Greg Monroe used his strong physique to push aside several big men and secure the rebound.
Kobe’s miss made the home crowd sigh in disappointment.
Zhou Yi drove with the ball, heading straight toward Steve Blake’s right side.

Despite Steve Blake doing his best, he never expected the opponent to break through so quickly. In just one round, he was already left behind by the opponent. Fortunately, Steve Blake was still sharp-minded; seeing Kobe going to help defend Zhou Yi, he quickly went to assist Kobe in guarding McGrady. As expected, Zhou Yi, realizing there was no chance to attack, passed the ball to McGrady. Thankfully, Steve Blake had the foresight to come and help guard McGrady; otherwise, McGrady would have had an open shot again and easily scored. However, McGrady’s physical fitness and experience meant it wasn’t easy to defend him. By using continuous crossover steps and feints, McGrady gradually confused Steve Blake. Then, McGrady took a jump shot over Steve Blake’s head. Fortunately for Steve Blake, McGrady’s jump shot missed. Still, the Pistons secured the offensive rebound. Samuel Dalembert scored a putback. 114:118, a 4-point lead—the Pistons were up by 4 points over the Lakers. “Phil Jackson” could no longer sit still and quickly called a timeout. “Yay, yay, yay…” On the Pistons’ bench, the substitute players cheered loudly. After the timeout, the Pistons’ Andre Iguodala was replaced by James Posey, the Lakers’ Ron Artest was replaced by Lamar Odom, and Steve Blake was replaced by “Old Fish.” “That damn bastard is finally off the court,” Andre Iguodala said gloomily to Will Bynum in the locker room. “Yeah, that guy Ron must have taken Viagra today—his shooting was so accurate. I checked the stats; that bastard made 7 out of 9 shots in the fourth quarter, including 3 three-pointers. Damn it, he scored 19 points alone in the fourth quarter. I suspect he must have been possessed by Kobe—it’s absolutely unbelievable. He’s really a beast!” Will Bynum was also frustrated. Their team had already taken control of the game, leading by double digits, but Ron Artest’s explosive performance quickly reduced the Pistons’ lead.

Actually, the “Zen Master” didn’t want to replace “The Beast” right away, but he noticed that Artest had already shown signs of fading performance. If he stayed on the court, he would likely lose not only his previous form but also his defensive ability. That’s why he decisively used Lamar Odom to replace Ron Artest, which further demonstrates the “Zen Master’s” decisiveness.

Chapter 427: Fighting the Black Mamba Alone

As soon as Derek Fisher got the ball, before even reaching the midcourt, he passed it directly to Kobe ahead.

“Zzzz,” with a loud friction sound, Kobe made a sudden stop and turned, skillfully pushing the defender, McGrady, aside.

At that moment, Greg Monroe was still tangled up with Paul Gasol, leaving the Pistons’ paint empty. Zhou Yi grew anxious and immediately stepped in to fill the gap, hoping others would quickly cover for him.

Kobe shrunk his frame but didn’t slow down his breakthrough at all.

“It seems Kobe is going to rely on his strength to overpower me again.”

With quick thinking, Zhou Yi had decent physical strength, but that was only among guards. Facing this well-known tough player in the league, he wasn’t arrogant enough to try to overcome his weaknesses against the opponent’s strengths. Moreover, given the opponent’s breakthrough speed, direct defense wasn’t the best approach.

“Hmph,” with a grunt, all the strength he had built up was wasted in the fierce collision. His feet lost stability, and he had to take a few quick steps back to barely maintain his balance.

Fortunately, it wasn’t all in vain. He hadn’t made any move earlier and had deliberately raised his hands above his shoulders—a so obvious action that, as long as the referee’s eyes were fine, an offensive foul was inevitable.

“Swish,” the crisp sound of the basket made Zhou Yi frown.

“Shouldn’t it be an offensive foul?” But when he saw the score change to 116:118, he was frustrated.

“Damn, is this the advantage of playing at home?” Zhou Yi cursed in anger.

“Swish,” McGrady’s three-point shot from the right wing hit, making the score 116:121—the Pistons now led by 5 points.

He didn’t expect the Lakers’ perimeter defense to be so weak. McGrady just needed to reverse direction to get a shooting opportunity.

Derek Fisher didn’t wait for the Pistons’ defenders to close in and quickly passed the ball. Paul Gasol was already positioned high up, while Kobe and Lamar Odom rushed inward like arrows leaving the bow.

Zhou Yi quickly chased after Kobe, but Kobe used his teammates’ screens to shake him off.

Just as Kobe was about to shoot, Andre Iguodala stepped in. Kobe gave up the shooting chance and instead pushed Iguodala gently from behind, sending the ball swiftly past the three-point line. After Derek Fisher caught the ball, McGrady quickly took his position.

With little chance left to shoot, Derek Fisher passed the ball to center Paul Gasol. The Lakers’ playstyle followed Phil Jackson’s triangle offense strategy, but the Pistons’ excellent defense neutralized their attacks.

Paul Gasol held the ball in his right hand, while Greg Monroe placed one hand on Gasol’s waist and the other raised high, fully focused on preventing Gasol from shooting. With shoulder shrugs and waist twists, Gasol used quick movements to outmaneuver Monroe, gradually moving closer to the basket. When Monroe’s right foot stepped into the three-second zone, Gasol crouched, lifted his left foot, and spun in mid-air to take a backshot.

Unprepared, Monroe roared and leaped as high as he could, but it was too late—he could only watch the ball fly over his head. With a crisp swish, the net’s sound made Monroe sigh in frustration.

118:121

A blue figure dashed across the midcourt like a hurricane, moving with exaggerated gestures. The ball bounced joyfully between his fingers, and his sharp eyes missed nothing on the court. Kobe rushed over quickly, while Zhou Yi slowed down significantly. Seeing this, Kobe felt pleased—during the earlier collision, he had had a clear advantage in physical confrontation, and it seemed Zhou Yi now hesitated around him.

As the two were about to collide, a hint of surprise flashed in Kobe’s eyes. Zhou Yi lowered his body again, twisted his waist, and just barely avoided the collision by slipping under Kobe’s arm. He pushed off the floor with his left hand and quickly dashed away.

The fans at Staples Center watched in disbelief. What had just happened resembled a circus act—just as the two were about to crash into each other, Zhou Yi mysteriously appeared on the opponent’s right side, tapping the floor with his left hand to perfect the move.

Getting rid of Kobe, Zhou Yi dived into the paint.

Paul Gasol didn’t dare be careless. As Zhou Yi moved forward with the ball in his right hand, he suddenly threw it backward. Paul Gasol was shocked—backpassing, one of Zhou Yi’s strongest passing techniques. Paul Gasol had already noticed that to his left, Greg Monroe was speeding toward the three-point line, and there wasn’t a single Lakers player nearby. He quickly shifted to the left; from that position, no matter whether Zhou Yi passed or shot, he could handle it easily. Zhou Yi leaped into the air, gently guiding the ball toward the basket with his right hand. Paul Gasol was relieved—he hadn’t fallen for Zhou Yi’s trick. Acting swiftly, he lunged forward, his agile right arm already aiming at the ball in Zhou Yi’s hands. Paul Gasol’s mind raced as the basketball grew larger in his vision; he could even sense its unique presence. Just a little more—just a little more, and he could block the shot. But that tiny distance seemed like an eternity to Paul Gasol. The ball, seemingly within reach, vanished into thin air. Floating in midair, Paul Gasol’s mind went blank; he couldn’t predict Zhou Yi’s next move. Greg Monroe rushed to the basket, watching the two players collide in the air. Not knowing what to do, suddenly a large basketball appeared before him. With a gentle push from his pale palm, the ball landed in his hands. After catching it, Greg Monroe stepped forward quickly, jumped high, paused mid-air, then drove the ball hard into the basket. 118:123. Upon landing, Greg Monroe clenched his fists over his chest and shouted excitedly to the sky. “Well done!” Zhou Yi gave Greg Monroe an OK gesture before quickly retreating to defend. Kobe, positioned just inside the right-wing three-point line, received the pass from Paul Gasol. Before the Pistons’ defenders could react, he shot and made the basket. “MVP, MVP, MVP…” All the Lakers fans in the arena chanted this slogan for Kobe. 121:123. After the previous timeout, Kobe intensified his personal attacks. Although the Lakers had narrowed the score gap, their situation wasn’t great.

The Lakers’ frontcourt didn’t perform well in this game, and Ron Artest, who had been in great form earlier, was also resting on the bench, so Kobe carried a heavy burden at that moment. John Kuester took advantage of a dead ball to replace McGrady with Ben Gordon. With a quick fake move, Zhou Yi easily deceived Derek Fisher into jumping, then slid sideways and effortlessly launched a shot—the ball traced a beautiful arc through the air before sinking into the net. 121:125. After McGrady left the court, Zhou Yi intensified his attacks. With Ben Gordon shadowing him, the Lakers’ veteran players couldn’t keep up with Zhou Yi’s pace, allowing him to get plenty of shooting opportunities from outside. John Kuester nodded in satisfaction from the sidelines; with Zhou Yi on the team, he felt the Pistons had a chance to win at any moment. “Lama” Odom caught the ball outside the three-point line and, under Paul Gasol’s screen, shook off his defender Andre Iguodala and charged toward the paint. But upon seeing Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes ready in the paint, he quickly passed the ball to Kobe on the right wing. Kobe, already waiting outside the three-point line, adjusted slightly after catching the ball and effortlessly shot it away from any defense. Swish—the ball went through the net! Kobe scored another three-pointer, narrowing the score to 1 point—124:125. With four minutes and five seconds left in the game, Zhou Yi showed no signs of nervousness. He skillfully controlled the ball near the midcourt, while the other Pistons players spread out, giving Zhou Yi space to play one-on-one. Kobe tried several times to go out and defend Zhou Yi, but Ben Gordon held his position firmly, even preventing him from making a comeback from the baseline. As time passed, the atmosphere in Staples Center became extremely tense. Derek Fisher’s forehead broke out in sweat, his eyes trembled violently, and his mouth was tightly closed. Thud—the ball hit the floor hard and flew out quickly. At the same time, Zhou Yi dashed forward like lightning with a sudden breakthrough. Derek Fisher felt a chill run through his body as a shadow flashed before his eyes, leaving his limbs ice cold.

Entering the free-throw line, Zhou Yi’s agile three-step layup kept Kobe highly focused. With a sidestep, he kept Ben Gordon behind him, as Zhou Yi had already made several runs to the basket in a row.
“Not good…” Kobe shouted loudly and rushed forward quickly.
As he took his second step, Zhou Yi actually completed a drift in mid-air, gently tossing the ball at the same time.
Kobe roared, pushed off with his arms to push Ben Gordon behind him, and launched himself upward like a volcano erupting, his long right arm swinging forcefully.
The basketball flew past his fingertips. Kobe groaned helplessly inwardly—having given it his all with that jump, he could only watch the ball pass over his head.
“Swish”—the crisp sound of the basket hit Kobe like a heavy blow to his heart. At that moment, Zhou Yi’s slender figure appeared incredibly tall in his eyes.
Chapter 428: The Beast Is Back
Kobe sighed secretly, took the ball from Paul Gasol, glanced at Zhou Yi, and drove toward the Pistons’ half-court.
By now, the game had reached a fierce intensity, so both teams were playing full-court pressure defense.
Although Ben Gordon tried his best to defend, Kobe still managed to bring the ball to the front court with little effort. Once there, he passed the ball to “Lama” Lamar Odom.
But Lamar Odom wasn’t in form at all—the ball slipped from his hands and went out of bounds.
Seeing this, the Pistons burst into laughter, while the Lakers were frustrated, especially Kobe, who was furious.
Sitting on the sidelines, “Philosophy” Phil Jackson sighed helplessly, then called over “The Beast” Tyson Chandler nearby, asking him to get ready to enter the game.
It was the Pistons’ turn to possess the ball.
Zhou Yi drove with the ball but was fouled by Old Fish. Phil Jackson took this opportunity to replace Lamar Odom with Ron Artest.
Zhou Yi got the ball again. Just past the midcourt, as he was about to move, Kobe and Derek Fisher closed in on him. Zhou Yi smiled slightly and accelerated even faster.
“That’s it—just that gap,” he thought to himself. He had kept his center of gravity low while driving, and now he lowered it even further, like a cheetah hunting—his figure almost turning into a streak of blue light.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Zhou Yi gently tapped his right foot and made a dominant lateral move, slipping through the narrow gap between the two players and ending up behind Derek Fisher. Years of experience in the league had certainly endowed Kobe with unparalleled skill. Zhou Yi’s lateral move was indeed unexpected, but his two consecutive jumps were powered by the tips of his feet, significantly slowing him down. He quickly spread his arms and shifted slightly to the right. With Zhou Yi approaching so closely, if he could delay him even for a moment while Derek Fisher reacted, Zhou Yi would be in a difficult situation. A sly look flashed in his eyes—as if it were completely unreasonable—he decided to jump. However, his shooting position this time seemed too forward, barely brushing against Kobe’s right hand, yet it didn’t hinder his jump at all. With the referee’s whistle, Zhou Yi soared into the air, easily stretching his arms, holding the basketball with his left hand while gently pushing it forward with his right. The basketball spun rapidly through the air before plunging into the basket. 124:129—the Pistons widened their lead to 5 points. John Kuester waved his fists excitedly on the sidelines. Kobe’s scoring dominance and the return of “The Beast” Allen Iverson worried him a bit. But Zhou Yi’s score came at just the right time. He easily sank the free throw. The Pistons had been in a very unfavorable position earlier, with the opponent gradually closing the score gap. “Swish”—Kobe’s third-pointer hit again, and the crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause. Amidst that applause, there were also some sighs. The Pistons’ defense had been quite good earlier, with timely help defense. But the sheer strength of the Black Mamba made people feel helpless. John Kuester substituted Ben Gordon and brought back McGrady, who had taken a break. The Pistons quickly pushed the ball across half-court. The Lakers focused their defense on the perimeter, but the Pistons started their attacks from there. With McGrady back, the Pistons’ two perimeter players struck repeatedly at the Lakers’ weak point. Zhou Yi took a deep breath, slammed the ball hard against the backboard, and executed a smooth 180-degree turn mid-air, sending the ball onto the floor to Kobe’s left as he darted past like lightning.

The two players colliding together, Zhou Yi took advantage of the momentum from controlling the ball and gently pushed against Kobe from behind. In front of Kobe, Zhou Yi didn’t have an advantage in physical confrontation, but he certainly wasn’t afraid of Kobe and made decisive breakthroughs, catching his opponent off guard. His point of force application was also in a spot where it was difficult for Kobe to exert strength.

Zhou Yi’s continuous breakthroughs worried “Phil Jackson” greatly. To prevent them, the Lakers intensified their double-team defense at the last moment. Just as Zhou Yi crossed the midcourt, Kobe made a counter-run down the baseline, breaking free from McGrady, who had been clinging to him.

Zhou Yi pushed past Kobe but stumbled slightly, needing several quick steps to regain his balance. Yet this brief delay gave Kobe time to react and quickly defend in front of Zhou Yi.

Frowning slightly, just as he adjusted his balance, Kobe’s timely defense hit his weak spot, leaving no room for further breakthroughs.

Lowering his body slightly, Zhou Yi gently pushed with his right hand holding the ball beneath him, then spun 180 degrees while still backed against Kobe.

He lightly caught the basketball in mid-air with both hands, swung his left hand to his right, and at the same time tightly blocked Kobe’s attempt to take the ball.

When Paul Gasol saw Zhou Yi’s move, he thought Zhou Yi wouldn’t make such a pointless move—passing the ball freely must mean there was a receiver in the right wing.

Sure enough, McGrady was quickly running out from the baseline. Paul Gasol was shocked and quickly moved to a high position in the right wing.

“Huh…” Paul Gasol heard a loud gust of wind in his ears and saw a figure flash by out of the corner of his eye. By then, the person had already passed him. Paul Gasol felt a chill—the basketball wasn’t in McGrady’s hands as expected.

Andrei Iguodala cut diagonally from the right wing and caught Zhou Yi’s pass.

By now, there was no one defending under the basket for the Lakers. Andrei Iguodala, who had already started moving, rushed two steps into the free-throw line, then leaped into the air using momentum, soaring like an eagle above the Lakers’ interior players.

Andrew Bynum had just been pushed out by Greg Menzies. The moment Andrei Iguodala cut in, he noticed Bynum’s movement and quickly retreated inward. Iguodala’s jumping point was far enough away, giving Bynum enough time to defend.

With a roar, “Little Shark” Andrew Bynum, whose intensity was no less than Andre Iguodala’s, leaped high under the basket and swung his right hand hard at the basketball held high in the air. A faint smile played on his lips, and his eyes held a mocking gaze. Andre Iguodala quickly pulled the ball to his waist and tilted his body slightly to avoid his opponent’s aerial attack. Roaring in anger, he flipped his wrist and completed a reverse windmill dunk. Extremely excited after the dunk, he roared a few times and happily welcomed his teammates’ celebrations. After catching the ball, Kobe passed it high without hesitation, sending it across most of the court. “The Beast” Ron Artest caught it in the front court, with McGrady being the only player under the Pistons’ basket at that moment. Faced with the fiercely aggressive “The Beast” Ron Artest back on the court, McGrady looked extremely serious, but defense wasn’t his strength—at least not with his current physique. Ron Artest used his strong body to push forward, forcing McGrady to retreat step by step toward the basket. Raising the ball high with his right hand, Ron Artest suddenly crouched, quickly moved past McGrady’s right side, and exploded with all his strength, soaring into the air. McGrady felt a tremendous force coming from his left shoulder, causing him to involuntarily step back from under the basket. “The Beast” Artest completed an easy reverse layup under the basket. The score remained tight: 129:131. With intense clashes in the final moments, Zhou Yi’s stamina declined rapidly. The Pistons needed to improve their situation—they couldn’t rely solely on Zhou Yi if they wanted a chance to win. In fact, the Pistons had only managed to hold their ground thanks to Zhou Yi’s strengths, which worried many of their fans. Taking advantage of a dead ball, John Kuester substituted Ben Wallace out and moved Greg Monroe to center, with Taylor Hansbrough filling in for him. The Pistons failed to score on their offense, and the Lakers grabbed a defensive rebound. However, during the Lakers’ subsequent offense, the Pistons suddenly intensified their defense, catching the Lakers off guard. The Lakers made consecutive mistakes, allowing the Pistons to close the gap to four points. The Pistons finally broke the five-point difference. Kobe personally drove the ball across the midcourt, raising his left hand high and saying, “Don’t rush! Be patient—this shot must go in.”

Under his command, the Lakers’ players moved swiftly. The Pistons were using a zone defense, relying on a single strategy to counter the Lakers’ endless variations. Zhou Yi personally rushed beyond the three-point line. Kobe’s versatile skills, agile footwork, and tenacious style made it difficult for ordinary defenders to deal with him. Although Zhou Yi’s defense was excellent, he was at a disadvantage when guarding Kobe, especially since most of the team’s offensive burden fell on him, putting a severe strain on his stamina. John Kuester changed tactics by bringing in the young, energetic, and solid defender Taylor Hansbrough to share the defensive pressure. Lowering his body slightly and shaking his upper body rapidly, Kobe’s breakthroughs happened in the blink of an eye. Zhou Yi remained calm, ignoring the opponent’s feints and keeping his eyes fixed on Kobe’s shoulders. Despite many breakthrough experts in the league using increasingly realistic feints, the precursors to a breakthrough were unchangeable—calm judgment was key, no matter how many feints there were. Kobe tapped his left foot slightly in front of him, then pulled it back and tapped it slightly in front of his right side. After several attempts, a glint appeared in Kobe’s eyes. “Whoa…” Zhou Yi heard a gust of wind and saw Kobe’s body shoot toward his left side like lightning. He quickly stepped back, spreading his arms to try and stop Kobe. Just as Zhou Yi adjusted his stance, he was shocked—Kobe didn’t try to get past him but instead charged straight at his left shoulder. A defensive foul was called; once a defender had established a legal defensive position, he had to maintain it, not extending his arms, shoulders, hips, or legs to block the player passing by. Yet Zhou Yi’s arms had stretched too far. With these concerns, he instinctively retracted his movements. As the two were about to collide, Kobe stepped forward with his right foot, slamming it onto the floor. His forward-leaning upper body rotated 180 degrees in midair, moving a few centimeters to the left—just enough for him to easily slip past Zhou Yi’s left side. With doubts in his mind, Zhou Yi became hesitant in his defense. By then, it was too late to make up for it, and he could only watch as Kobe sped away. It was a brilliant breakthrough, not only breaking through Zhou Yi’s defense but also catching the Pistons off guard.

At this point, the Pistons had only Greg Monroe left under the basket. With a beautiful pass from behind, Kobe, who was charging forward, made a precise pass, sending the ball to the other side. Paul Gasol easily caught it, stepped forward quickly, and used his momentum to jump into the air. By then, the Lakers had a two-on-one advantage under the basket.

Greg Monroe felt a chill in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he rushed out quickly—allowing the opponent to dunk freely in his own half was undoubtedly the greatest shame for an interior player.

Paul Gasol pushed the ball forward with both hands; it flew just over Greg Monroe’s head. After catching the ball, Kobe tapped his right foot on the ground, lifted the ball with his right hand, and shook his wrist slightly, sending the ball into the net as it brushed against the backboard.

131:135—the Lakers narrowed the score to 4 points again. The Pistons couldn’t widen the gap, as Kobe’s strong performance left their defense completely passive.

With the Pistons’ offense failing, Kobe grabbed a defensive rebound and passed it to “Old Fish” Derek Fisher. Under Zhou Yi’s intense close defense, Derek Fisher staggered across half-court and passed the ball without hesitation to Kobe.

McGrady rushed out quickly, narrowly missing the ball. Yet even so, it still startled Kobe. After catching the ball, Kobe broke through directly, but upon seeing the Pistons’ defense under the basket, he suddenly changed his approach, gently rubbed the ball with both hands, and sent it diagonally toward the top of the rim.

Greg Monroe jumped high, trying to intercept the ball mid-air. Just as his hands were about to touch it, a strong figure jumped up behind him with even greater momentum, snatched the ball first, and dunked it with both hands.

A coordinated move by Kobe and Paul Gasol allowed the Lakers to easily regain 2 points.

Chapter 429: Lakers Turn Game Around at Home; Pistons Suffer First Loss in Finals

133:135—the Lakers narrowed the score to 2 points once more.

John Kuester didn’t call a timeout. At this point, both teams had few opportunities left for timeouts, as each timeout was crucial for them now.

Andre Iguodala served the ball from the baseline, and Zhou Yi quickly caught it. With the ball in hand, Zhou Yi’s agile figure once again appeared in the Lakers’ half-court. He broke through, passed the ball, and McGrady jumped at the baseline to shoot—sending the ball straight into the net.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yi gently pressed his right hand against his heaving chest. Watching the Lakers players, still full of fighting spirit, he sighed inwardly—he knew his own condition best. With his current stamina, it would be difficult to hold on until the end of the game.

He really wished he could go to the sidelines and rest for a few minutes, but it clearly wasn’t the right time, as both teams were in excellent form. There had been no signs of weakness in previous matches, and he had no idea whether his team could withstand the Lakers’ counterattack if he left the court.

Phil Jackson wasn’t blind either; he noticed every move on the court. As soon as Zhou Yi showed signs of fatigue, feeling victory so close for the first time, Jackson took advantage of a dead ball situation to replace Derek Fisher with Shannon Brown.

Watching Shannon Brown constantly interfering with him, Zhou Yi remained calm.

In a hurry, Zhou Yi drove the ball across half-court and quickly passed it to McGrady, who was waiting to receive it, while he himself darted toward the baseline. He knew well that since the Lakers had realized his lack of stamina, they wouldn’t relax their defense as long as he had the ball.

Although Shannon Brown was energetic, he lacked experience and wasn’t very smart on the court. When Zhou Yi controlled the ball and had his teammates’ support, they could limit his effectiveness to some extent. But once Zhou Yi took off the burden of organizing the play and moved around under the basket, his speed allowed him to easily get ahead of them in just a few steps.

With the help of the interior players, Zhou Yi easily broke free from the defenders and rushed toward the right-side baseline. Kobe, looking at McGrady in front of him and Zhou Yi on the left, had to choose one of them. Gritting his teeth, he chose to abandon McGrady.

Kobe’s plan seemed sound, but things weren’t as simple as he thought. The moment he switched defenses, Andre Iguodala quickly retreated, and the two collided head-on.

McGrady naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity. The pass was aimed at Zhou Yi—once he got the ball, even if he couldn’t shoot, he could still handle it properly.

Facing an unguarded basket, Zhou Yi remained calm. He checked his footing, then jumped high, lifting the ball above his head and gently pushing it forward with his wrists. Feeling the ball slide between his fingers, he felt pleased: “It works…”

“Swish” — the beautiful hollow ball created waves beneath the basket as Zhou Yi swung his right hand forcefully. John Kuester naturally noticed Zhou Yi’s problem; actually, during the previous timeout, he had asked if Zhou Yi wanted to rest, but at Zhou Yi’s insistence, he gave up the idea of letting him rest for a few minutes. Zhou Yi wasn’t the kind of player who acted on impulse. When his stamina ran low, he simply took on less organizational responsibility and focused more on running without the ball, making it even harder for the Lakers’ defense. Although Zhou Yi’s stamina was declining, no one on the Lakers could keep up with his speed when running without the ball. Yet Phil Jackson didn’t have the courage to ignore him. Zhou Yi was the most dangerous scorer on the Pistons’ roster, and his scoring ability was well-known throughout the league — 50+ points per game, with an average of 23+ points per game by the end of the season. And this was only his first season as a rookie. “Swish” — another crisp basket as Zhou Yi hit a turnaround jump shot near the free-throw line. With two consecutive successful shots, Zhou Yi unleashed his full firepower. 136:141 — the Pistons widened their lead to 5 points. The Lakers’ defense was caught off guard, and even the usually calm “Phil Jackson” was anxiously directing from the sidelines. Although he rejected John Kuester’s suggestion to rest, Zhou Yi was fully aware of his own physical condition. He could still hold on for now, but he knew that once he sat down to rest, he might not be able to continue. Zhou Yi’s resilience exceeded everyone’s expectations. Though his body was shaky, like a leaf in the wind or a small boat in the ocean, always on the verge of collapsing, he never gave up. Time and again, he used precise shots to maintain a slim advantage for the Pistons. “Thud” — Paul Gasol caught a brilliant pass from Kobe and executed a powerful dunk. 138:141 — the Pistons still led by 3 points. For safety’s sake, Zhou Yi joined McGrady in the middle of the court. The Pistons weren’t in a hurry with this play; the longer they dragged it out, the more time the Lakers would have to attack.

The Lakers surely couldn’t just sit by while time passed, but Kobe was trapped by McGrady and couldn’t move at all. Paul Gasol also didn’t dare leave the paint easily. Andrew Bynum hadn’t fully recovered from his injury, and that was the position the Lakers were most concerned about. If Gasol left the paint, the Pistons could take advantage to attack the basket.

Faced with the double-team of Steve Blake and Kobe, Zhou Yi calmly passed the ball to McGrady. Zhou Yi, McGrady, and Andre Iguodala stood outside the three-point line, passing the ball back and forth like in tactical drills, keeping the Lakers’ defense on its toes and showing great patience in their attacks.

Affected by the tense atmosphere on the court, the fans in the arena fell silent.

At the last moment, all signs of fatigue disappeared from Zhou Yi. With skilled ball control, he dipped slightly, ready to strike, his muscles tensed like those of a hunting cheetah. His lightning-fast breakthrough shocked Kobe.

Kobe stepped back, but Zhou Yi wasn’t where he expected him to be. Instead, he stepped back, placed his left foot lightly on the ground, and prepared to leap into the air.

Kobe had already lost his defensive position and had no time to think. He quickly jumped up to block Zhou Yi’s shot. At that moment, his eyes were no longer on the basketball but on Zhou Yi, who was smiling below him.

Kobe clearly realized he had been tricked. Using the strength in his waist and abdomen, he forced his body to shift a few centimeters in mid-air. But would Zhou Yi let the prey slip away? Even though Kobe had many skills in the air, he wasn’t as agile as Zhou Yi, who had solid footing. With just a slight shift, Zhou Yi’s swift body collided with Kobe’s.

The basketball flew straight into the air. With Zhou Yi’s current energy level, after committing a foul, he couldn’t throw the ball into the basket while out of balance.

The referee’s whistle blew. At that moment, Zhou Yi got three free throws against Kobe.

The fans in the arena watched in disbelief. It was always Kobe who forced fouls on others; today, he had been tricked into a foul by a rookie—on top of that, in the most important Finals.

Staples Center fell dead silent. All the fans understood what those three free throws meant. With a three-point lead, the Pistons could essentially secure the victory with those free throws. Zhou Yi’s free-throw shooting had always been a guarantee of success.

Many fans closed their eyes; they didn’t want to see the other team score. Many others booed loudly at Zhou Yi, who was preparing to take the free throw, but none of this mattered to him. Taking the ball from the referee, Zhou Yi patted it gently twice, took a deep breath, bent slightly, lifted the ball above his head with both hands, and shook his wrists slightly as the basketball flew out from between his fingers. The basketball, spinning in the air, carried the hopes of countless people; even some Pistons fans there closed their eyes and joined their hands in prayer. With a “swish,” ripples spread across the calm surface of the court, and the Staples Center instantly grew dark. The praying Pistons fans opened their eyes in surprise—the scene on the court and the sound of the basketball going through the net echoed throughout most of the arena. Amid the disappointed expressions of the Lakers fans, Zhou Yi completed another free throw, the ball firmly landing in the net. Without a doubt, a five-point lead had pushed the Lakers into a desperate situation. Just as Zhou Yi was about to take his third free throw, Phil Jackson called a timeout. Although Zhou Yi was accurate with his free throws, he still called a timeout—after all, this was the Lakers’ last chance. Seizing this final opportunity, the Lakers adjusted their lineup, with the five players on court being Paul Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Kobe, and “Old Fish” Fisher. With another “swish,” the crisp sound reached Phil Jackson’s ears, deepening the wrinkles on his face. “Haha, all three free throws made. It’s frustrating after missing the previous two,” Zhou Yi thought to himself as he prepared to defend Derek Fisher. Kobe drove with the ball and then passed it to Lamar Odom, who had just entered the game. Lamar Odom moved around near the top of the key, while the Pistons players focused on the outside, ignoring Kobe, who quickly cut inside. Rising high in the paint, Kobe flapped his arms like an eagle, gently catching the ball passed by “Lama” and scoring with a reverse layup. 140:144—the Lakers were still 4 points behind the Pistons. The Pistons’ offense failed, and Paul Gasol grabbed a defensive rebound. Next, it was Paul Gasol in the paint who took charge of the Lakers’ offense.

In this attack, Paul Gasol positioned himself further inside, giving the offense sudden aggression. He feinted repeatedly to distract Greg Monroe, then dunked over him, drawing a defensive foul. Letting go of the basket, Paul Gasol let out a growl. His free throws were consistent, and he wouldn’t miss an opportunity to tie the score. Having performed poorly earlier, his 2+1 allowed the team to bring the score to 143:144. “Swish” — Paul Gasol’s free throw went in. 143:144, with the Pistons only leading by one point. Most of the home crowd stood up excitedly, while some Pistons fans began to worry that their team might suddenly collapse. “Zhou Yi, MVP! Zhou Yi, MVP! Zhou Yi, MVP…” Some Pistons fan suddenly started shouting, and soon similar calls could be heard from various parts of Staples Center. However, the home crowd soon joined in, shouting loudly — but this time it was for Kobe. Having been dunked on by Paul Gasol, Greg Monroe was obviously upset. During the next Pistons attack, he tried a backhook shot with his back to Paul Gasol, but unfortunately, the ball touched Paul Gasol’s fingertips after being released, bounced twice off the rim, and still didn’t go in. Greg Monroe’s attack was sudden; Samuel Dalembert had already rushed out to support the outside players, but he was blocked by Paul Gasol and could only watch as the rebound fell into Paul Gasol’s hands. With just over a minute left in the game, the atmosphere reached its peak. As soon as Kobe received the ball, he noticed a pair of eyes fixed on him. Holding the ball in one hand, he glanced around and met Zhou Yi’s gaze. Kobe’s stamina was also nearly exhausted, especially after battling with Zhou Yi. He couldn’t understand how Zhou Yi could still have so much energy and stay on the court. After all, Zhou Yi hadn’t rested much during this game, and it was the finals with intense physical confrontation. It was natural for Kobe to be puzzled that a Asian player could keep playing for such a long time.

What Kobe didn’t know was that Zhou Yi was already at his limit, barely holding on before collapsing. Frustrated, Kobe tried to take on Zhou Yi alone but failed to find an opportunity. So he passed the ball to center Paul Gasol. After catching it, Gasol, with Greg Monroe’s help, launched a surprise hook shot. Unfortunately, the ball rotated around the rim before bouncing out. Zhou Yi pushed through the crowd to secure the defensive rebound. McGrady drove to pass to Andre Iguodala at the baseline, but the pass was disrupted by Ron Artest, who then intercepted it. “Defend quickly!” Zhou Yi shouted, retreating swiftly. Fortunately, the Pistons reacted in time, preventing the Lakers from capitalizing on this fast break. Paul Gasol made a clever pass inside, and Ron Artest shot from beyond the three-point line, but missed again. Greg Monroe’s jump shot also rotated around the rim without going in. “Damn it!” Greg Monroe cursed in frustration—no wonder he was so upset when shots like these missed. Paul Gasol grabbed the rebound first and passed long, leaving only “The Beast” Artest and Andre Iguodala racing across half-court. “The Beast” Artest blocked Andre Iguodala and caught Gasol’s pass, but under Iguodala’s fierce defense, he had no chance to attack. Artest tried to take on Iguodala one-on-one with a turnaround jump shot, but missed again; Zhou Yi recovered the rebound and brought it back to the backcourt. In those last two minutes, both teams suddenly lost their touch, with several attacks ending in misses. As the game entered its final seconds, all fans grew more anxious, with those watching on TV appearing even more nervous than those in the arena. Zhou Yi controlled the offense, passing to Greg Monroe before quickly moving. Greg Monroe attempted a turnaround jump shot but missed. Zhou Yi fought for the offensive rebound and then shot decisively—although it missed, it caused Paul Gasol to foul. “&……%%￥” Deafening boos filled the arena, clearly from the Lakers’ fans. Ignoring the boos, Zhou Yi made his first free throw.

Immediately, the players of both teams were called back by their respective coaches to finalize their tactics. A moment later, all the players returned to the court. Zhou Yi took his second free throw, and the boos from the crowd grew even louder, but Zhou Yi remained unfazed and easily scored the second free throw. 143:146, with the Pistons leading by 3 points again. Kobe broke through McGrady twice in a row, entering the Pistons’ paint, and scored after Greg Monroe stepped in to help defend. 145:146. Zhou Yi contributed again, passing behind his back to help McGrady score a three-pointer at the baseline as a counterattack against Kobe. 145:149. Kobe made a clever pass to Lamar Odom, who scored a jump shot inside and drew a foul from Samuel Dalembert. Although Odom’s free throw missed and the Pistons secured the defensive rebound, John Kuester didn’t become careless; instead, he called a timeout carefully. The Lakers’ previous timeout made John Kuester feel a sense of urgency. After the timeout, it was the Pistons’ turn to possess the ball. Zhou Yi took control and organized the offense, trying to run out the clock. With 30.1 seconds left, if the Pistons could execute this offense successfully, their chances of winning would increase significantly. “24, 23, 22…” Zhou Yi steadily controlled the ball, and despite Kobe’s constant interference, it remained in his hands. “14, 13, 12…” As the 24 seconds neared their end, Zhou Yi executed a clever fake shot followed by a real pass, delivering the ball to Andre Iguodala in the corner. He was completely open, so he immediately shot a three-pointer. Unexpectedly, however, Iguodala’s open three-pointer missed, and worse, the Lakers grabbed the rebound. Phil Jackson didn’t call a timeout because he no longer had any left. Kobe drove the court with the ball, with Zhou Yi closely following him to prevent him from scoring. Kobe took advantage of a pick-and-roll with Paul Gasol to head straight to the basket. McGrady quickly abandoned “Old Fish” Fisher to help defend against Kobe. But when Zhou Yi saw Kobe’s move, he immediately shouted, “Bad! Watch out for Derek!” It was too late; by the time Zhou Yi shouted, the ball was already in Derek Fisher’s hands. No one expected that at this critical moment, Kobe, who usually took the last shot, would pass the ball to a teammate—this was highly unusual.

Zhou Yi rushed at Derek Fisher with all his might, but unfortunately, due to lack of stamina, he was still a step slow. After receiving the ball, “Old Fish” Fisher paused for a moment before shooting immediately. Everyone stared at the basketball in the air, including Kobe, Zhou Yi, and Derek Fisher himself. At that moment, time seemed to stand still, but the next sound brought despair and frustration to the entire Pistons team. With a swish, the ball went in!!! 150:149—the Lakers took the lead by one point!!! John Kuester quickly called the final timeout, with 2.3 seconds left, giving the Pistons a chance. After using the last timeout, the Pistons players returned to the court. Greg Monroe stood at the sideline to inbound the ball, while Paul Gasol stretched his arms wide to disrupt Monroe’s pass. The remaining four Pistons players tried their best to move around, but the four Lakers players clung to them like stickers. Finally, taking advantage of a moment when McGrady blocked someone for him, Zhou Yi found an open space. Naturally, Greg Monroe didn’t miss this opportunity and passed the ball to Zhou Yi. However, he underestimated Paul Gasol’s ability to steal the ball. His extremely long arms were one of his strengths in stealing passes. Under Gasol’s interference, Kobe intercepted the ball. The Pistons’ foul was called on Kobe, but with two accurate free throws, the Lakers secured the win 152:149. With only 0.9 seconds left in the game, the Pistons had no more timeouts and had to take free throws at the baseline. With Zhou Yi’s mid-court shot, the Lakers narrowly defeated the visiting Pistons 152:149 at their home court, Staples Center, winning this crucial match. Zhou Yi delivered impressive stats in the game—31 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block—but he wasn’t happy at all because he hadn’t won the most important thing: the game. McGrady scored 27 points, while Andre Iguodala added 21 points through shooting and free throws. Yet none of these stats mattered anymore, as they had lost the game, and they no longer held any significance for them.

On the Lakers’ side, Kobe scored a double-double with 35 points and 11 assists; Paul Gasol performed excellently in the final moments, scoring 18 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and adding 3 blocks. “The Beast” Ron Artest was also one of the key contributors to the Lakers’ victory—his aggressive performance in the first half of the fourth quarter helped the Lakers narrow the score gap. Throughout the game, Artest scored 27 points and added 3 steals, delivering an outstanding performance.

Chapter 430: Finals, Game 4

“Hello, viewers watching at home. We are now broadcasting the 2010-2011 NBA Finals match between the Pistons and the Lakers. In this game, the Pistons are playing away from home. So far in the finals, the two teams have met three times, with the Pistons leading 2:1. In the last game, the Lakers managed to pull off a last-minute victory thanks to a crucial assist from Kobe, allowing their teammate Fisher to nearly seal the win over the Pistons. This game is still extremely important for the Lakers—they can tie the series if they win again. They certainly don’t want the Pistons, who are just starting to rebuild, to win the championship, so they will play just as fiercely as in the last game. Coach Zhang, what’s your opinion on this game?”

“Teacher Yu is right—this game will be very intense. It’s crucial for the Lakers, but it’s also very important for the Pistons. If the Pistons win this game, they’ll return to home court with a 3:1 lead, and their morale will surely be high, giving them a great chance to win the championship.”

“Well, that’s true. But the Lakers certainly understand this, so they won’t let the Pistons win this game. If they really lose, their next game at the Pistons’ home court will be a do-or-die situation. Alright, the game has started now—let’s turn our attention to the court…”

Amidst the cheers of the fans, the starting players from both teams stepped onto the court, while the jump ball players, Greg Monroe and Andrew Bynum, went to the center to prepare for the jump ball.

The referee walked to the center of the court with the basketball. After glancing at the players from both teams, he blew the whistle, and at the same time the ball was thrown into the air. Greg Monroe and Andrew Bynum immediately leaped up to grab it.

With a soft thud, Greg Monroe’s fingertips touched the ball before Andrew Bynum’s, and he gently passed it to his teammate Zhou Yi.

“Good catch,” Zhou Yi said, seizing the ball right away to capitalize on Greg Monroe’s effort. Winning the rebound boosted the Pistons’ morale significantly.

The Lakers players defended quickly, taking their positions and waiting for the Pistons to approach.

After crossing half-court, Greg Monroe and Ben Wallace started competing for position under the basket, while Andre Iguodala and McGrady kept moving around to break free from their defenders and create shooting opportunities.

In this game, the Pistons’ Haitian center, Samuel Dalembert, who had started most of the previous playoff games, did not start and sat on the bench. Instead, the veteran Ben Wallace, who had been the starting center most of the regular season, took his place.

“It seems Dalembert was too exhausted from the previous finals games, which is why he’s on the bench today. Having Ben Wallace start, given his good physical condition and the fact that he’s had time to rest, along with his experience and presence under the basket, is not a bad thing for the Pistons,” Yu Jia explained calmly while looking at the computer.

“Yeah, that’s right. I guess the ‘Philosophy Coach’ also realized the Haitian center was too tired! Hehe, I think the Lakers will focus heavily on the interior in the next games,” Teacher Zhang said with a smile.

With a swift motion, Zhou Yi passed the ball directly to McGrady while quickly moving out of position.

Zhou Yi started running from beyond the three-point line, used Greg Monroe’s screen to get away from his opponent, and then moved around to the left wing at the zero-degree angle beyond the three-point line, gaining a shooting opportunity. The ball reached his hands almost immediately.

After catching the ball, Zhou Yi turned, jumped, raised his arm, and shot a three-pointer as his opponents failed to recover in time to defend. The ball met the hoop just as he expected, going through cleanly.

3:0 — Zhou Yi gave the Pistons the lead.

The Lakers counterattacked, using a tactic similar to that of the Pistons. Derek Fisher controlled the ball, while Kobe and Ron Artest moved around, with Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol competing with the Pistons’ two big men inside. Yet even so, the Lakers seemed less tactical in this aspect; after some scrambling and movement, they failed to find a good opportunity to shoot. So, Derek Fisher, who had the ball, suddenly tried to break through Zhou Yi’s defense. But he couldn’t get past Zhou Yi, who kept him tightly covered. “Damn it, this guy’s defense…” ‘Old Fish’ was furious. Derek Fisher gritted his teeth, pushed the ball, and passed it to Kobe on the outside. After catching the ball, Kobe immediately tried to break through, but McGrady, who was defending him, stopped him from succeeding, so the ball was passed again. The ball returned outside the three-point line, this time caught by Ron Artest. Ron Artest was already in his thirties, and since joining the Lakers, with Kobe and Paul Gasol around, he had few chances to attack with the ball. As a result, his offensive ability had declined significantly; he mostly focused on helping the team’s defense, and his defender was Andre Iguodala, whose defensive skills were roughly on par with his own. So, his chances of scoring on his own were slim. He knew that his near-30-point performance in the last game was largely due to luck. Therefore, the experienced Ron Artest, after catching the ball, promptly passed it to Andrew Bynum, who had just run to the free-throw line. After catching the ball, Andrew Bynum naturally turned and jumped, smoothly pushing the ball with his wrist to shoot a mid-range jumper. “Swish!” The basketball hit the backboard and went in. 3:2—the Lakers regained 2 points through precise teamwork. Immediately afterward, the Pistons and Lakers engaged in two more back-and-forth attacks, but under tight defense from both sides, neither team managed to score, keeping the score at 3:2 until the third minute of the first quarter when a score was finally made.

Zhou Yi drove with the ball, used feints to his left and right to turn and bypass Kobe, who was defending him, and headed straight into the Lakers’ penalty area. Paul Gasol, the Lakers’ player closest to him, had no choice but to abandon Ben Wallace and rush to cover Zhou Yi. As Paul Gasol rushed toward him, Zhou Yi remained calm, gently pushed his right hand holding the ball, sending it onto the floor beneath Gasol’s legs. The ball then, due to inertia, landed steadily in Ben Wallace’s hands behind Gasol. After catching the ball, Ben Wallace immediately turned and jumped, aiming to finish the attack with a powerful dunk. However, as he jumped, Andrew Bynum, who was defending Greg Monroe, also rushed toward him and jumped with his arms raised. With his offensive path blocked, Ben Wallace didn’t force a shot instead pulled back and used a rare skillful pass to hand the ball to Greg Monroe. Yet even after receiving the ball, Monroe failed to score, as Kobe and Ron Artest quickly surrounded him. Unable to shoot, the ball was passed again. Greg Monroe moved his hands and threw the ball to McGrady, who was unguarded beyond the three-point line. With the ball in hand, Derek Fisher, the only Lakers player who hadn’t yet moved to cover anyone, also couldn’t stay idle. Derek Fisher quickly moved forward and reached McGrady before he could shoot, but what he faced was the ball moving away from him once more, as McGrady had already passed it to Zhou Yi, who had an open shot. When Zhou Yi received the ball, there wasn’t a single defender within three meters of him. So he definitely wouldn’t miss this chance. Zhou Yi decisively jumped to shoot a three-pointer, and with a swish, he completed the attack, adding three more points for the Pistons. 6:2, the Pistons led by 4 points temporarily. The Pistons’ recent attack perfectly demonstrated the principle that “basketball is a game of five players.” At first, Zhou Yi controlled the ball, then, after half the game, he passed it to McGrady. After a few quick passes, the ball returned to Zhou Yi’s hands, who brought this seamless coordination to a perfect end. Such unity and cooperation are rare throughout the league—and this is the standard approach of a team-oriented squad, characterized by selfless understanding and teamwork.

In the first quarter of Game 4 of the finals, both the Lakers and Pistons played in coordination, quite different from the individual plays seen in the previous three games. Although the game had just begun, Pistons fans were convinced that their team could win this match. As long as they continued to play with such high-level coordination, they would surely triumph in this tough battle. The next two offensive attempts by both teams failed. With a swish, Kobe faced the incoming basketball, gently dragged it at the bottom with his right hand, sending it over his head to Ron Artest behind him, while he himself launched forward like an arrow from a bow. Artest, still unsteady after catching the ball, staggered and lifted it high, pushing it with his right hand so it flew diagonally at a 45-degree angle toward the basket. Zhou Yi saw the solitary yellow figure rushing toward him and hurried after him. Kobe stepped heavily on the floor, launching himself into the air; the immense momentum caused his right foot to step forward. As he looked at the basket right in front of him, Artest’s pass arrived just above Kobe’s head, and he quickly grabbed the ball. With a quick spin, he brought the ball to his waist as he soared through the air. “Ah…” With a roar, the “Black Mamba” expanded his body in mid-air, straightened his waist, and somehow stopped in mid-air, slamming the ball into the basket above his head. The loud thud of the dunk echoed throughout Staples Center, leaving the nearly 20,000 fans in the arena silent. Kobe’s airborne catch and dunk were smooth and dominant—everything was perfect. Under the astonished gazes of nearly 20,000 fans, the “Black Mamba” raised his right hand high, and under the spotlight, Kobe let out a loud shout. “Kobe… Bryant…” The DJ on site shouted Kobe’s name loudly, energizing the atmosphere in the arena. “MVP, MVP, MVP…” “You are the king…” “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe…” … Various voices filled the arena. With this offensive move, Kobe dealt a heavy blow to the Pistons—this dunk was far more than just two points; its value was reflected in the cheers of over 10,000 fans.

Morale is up, the Lakers’ morale is up!
“Damn it, we need to show some spirit too,” McGrady said unhappily as he walked up to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi just nodded, staying silent, his gaze fixed on the man who had already reached the pinnacle of basketball.
6:4, the Pistons leading by 2 points.
McGrady took control of the offense, and after half-court, he passed the ball to the team’s brain—Zhou Yi.
After catching the ball, Zhou Yi immediately did a crossover, broke past “Old Fish,” and tried to shoot a jump shot, but sadly, the ball bounced off the rim.
“Ah…” Greg Monroe yelled, pushing aside two Lakers giants to grab the offensive rebound.
But he didn’t push further, as Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum were right beside him. Greg Monroe passed the ball to Big Ben behind him.
Big Ben caught the ball and easily scored with a layup.
Greg Monroe and Big Ben high-fived, then quickly retreated to defend under the basket.
“Nice pass, man,” Big Ben said, smiling for once again.
“Heh, the most important thing is that you scored, haha…” Greg Monroe replied with a smile.
After facing Zhou Yi so many times, Derek Fisher had gradually adapted to his man-to-man defense, and it wasn’t as difficult to deal with as before. After all, “Old Fish” was quite skilled and experienced.
Derek Fisher dodged Zhou Yi’s attempts to block him and quickly drove past half-court.
Ron Artest caught the ball on the right wing and tried to break through several times, but Andre Iguodala remained unfazed. Ron Artest had no choice but to pass the ball away.
Kobe caught the ball, accelerated instantly, got away from McGrady guarding him, and before Andre Iguodala could cover him, he stepped hard with his right foot, barely slipping past Iguodala’s defense. With his third step, he leaped into the air.
Ben Wallace was already in position inside the paint, raising his hands to block the opponent’s shot. Kobe twisted and turned in mid-air, gently pushing the ball away.
Derek Fisher caught the ball outside the three-point line, passed it again, and Kobe took a slight step forward, catching the pass from “Old Fish” and shooting a hook shot from a tight angle under the basket. The ball grazed the backboard before going through the net.
8:6, the Pistons still leading by 2 points.

Zhou Yi quickly drove the ball to the midcourt. By then, Andre Iguodala had already moved in for a pick-and-roll. Ron Artest, anxious, stepped back quickly to get around it. But when he tried to block Zhou Yi again, the orange basketball had already flown over his head—Zhou Yi had completed his shot, and the ball landed firmly on the floor through the net. The pick-and-roll tactic was both easy and difficult to counter. The Lakers had always used double-team strategies to break up the Pistons’ pick-and-rolls, but this time Derek Fisher was a step slow in covering, allowing Zhou Yi to score directly. With a swish, Zhou Yi’s three-pointer hit, giving the Pistons a 5-point lead at 11:6. Ten seconds later, Paul Gasol scored a turnaround layup under the basket, bringing the score back to within two points. Two simple passes later, the ball quickly crossed half-court. Zhou Yi, just past the half-court line, received a pass back. With a crisp bounce, Zhou Yi moved like a gust of wind. Derek Fisher’s right hand was still raised in front of him, but his defender had disappeared. Though it wasn’t the first time he faced this situation, a sense of frustration still arose in him. His strength meant “Old Fish” was never afraid of collisions, but it also limited his mobility. He was an excellent help defender and a machine for drawing offensive fouls, but he was by no means a great one-on-one defender. Against players like Zhou Yi, who had lightning-fast feet, his defense was inadequate. Diligence and awareness were his strengths in defense, making him a solid part of the overall defensive system. At 1.85 meters tall, Derek Fisher was confined to the power forward position. Compared to his fairly decent ball-handling and shooting skills, his passing was merely passable, and his playmaking awareness was equally lacking. He could follow the coach’s tactics diligently—hold the ball near half-court, then wait patiently at the top of the key for teammates to set up plays, either by posting to the interior or passing to the star swingman to initiate an attack. But you could never expect him to have a brilliant idea. His skills were as straightforward and solid as his appearance. Even when organizing fast breaks, you’d never see him make a behind-the-back pass or a “no look pass.” A super center and an all-around swingman were the ideal pairing for “Old Fish” Fisher—allowing him to avoid too many playmaking responsibilities while still having plenty of open shooting opportunities, so he could focus on doing whatever he could best.

“Old Fish” Fisher is a natural role player who strictly follows tactics, defends with all his might, takes steady shots from open positions, and can psychologically intimidate his opponents. However, “Old Fish” also has something to be proud of: his legendary 0.4-second game-winning shot against the Spurs. Before Ron Artest could react, Zhou Yi had already sprung up outside the three-point line. In that split second, thanks to his excellent reflexes, Ron Artest leaped with all his strength, his right hand raised high. Yet a faint smile on Zhou Yi’s lips sent a wave of unease through him, even though Zhou Yi was already in the air. With a slight twist of his body and a downward motion of his wrist, the ball traveled across half the court and landed in McGrady’s hands at the baseline. Andrew Bynum had already noticed McGrady’s movement. Facing Bynum’s aggressive presence, McGrady shot without hesitation, though the force behind the shot seemed a bit too strong, causing the ball to fly over the rim. Bynum felt relieved for a moment. But then, heavy footsteps—“thud, thud, thud”—shattered his dream. A figure rushed out from beyond the three-second line and snatched the ball right above Paul Gasol’s head. Andre Iguodala slid under the basket to the other side, pushed hard with his waist, and dunked with a powerful wrist motion. “Ding!” Paul Gasol instinctively dodged, stepped into the three-second area with his right foot, and slapped Iguodala’s body with his raised hands. Iguodala’s free throw sank smoothly into the net, allowing the Pistons to widen their lead. The Lakers’ offense remained as monotonous as ever: Paul Gasol set up pick-and-rolls in the high post, Ron Artest broke through to the inside, drawing the Pistons’ defenders away before passing the ball to the outside. Through these triangular passes, the Lakers could easily break through their opponents’ defenses. But today, it seemed the Lakers’ core trio was missing one crucial piece. Zhou Yi’s man-to-man defense made it extremely difficult for Kobe to even pass the ball, let alone find an opening for a shot. Derek Fisher scored a layup after cutting to the basket with Bynum’s screen. McGrady’s drive to score missed, and Paul Gasol secured the defensive rebound. Finally, Kobe took advantage of a screen from Paul Gasol, rushed into the Pistons’ paint, and threw up a one-handed shot that bounced off the backboard and went straight in.

The moment Kobe hit his shot, McGrady quickly returned to the Lakers’ half of the court. Zhou Yi’s pass crossed most of the court and landed in McGrady’s hands, who easily dunked it—his smooth dunking motion appearing extremely graceful. Taking advantage of the opponent’s unsteady footing, they launched a fast break; this was McGrady’s instinct, combined with coordination with Zhou Yi. Whenever an opportunity arose, he was always at the forefront—a scenario that had become common throughout the season. From the pass to the final score, the entire process took less than four seconds. The scores of both teams rose alternately; both teams played patiently, with surprisingly high shooting percentages, both over 50%. Despite the support of their home crowd, the Lakers failed to narrow the gap. The Pistons’ offense was straightforward, with quick passes, often targeting the Lakers’ unsteady defense, and their pace was fast with clever coordination. Up to this point in the game, most of the Pistons’ attacks were coordinated, with few individual plays. The Lakers did the same, but not as well as the Pistons. Coupled with Kobe’s recent poor form, they fell behind the Pistons. Kobe struggled under Zhou Yi’s defense, and Derek Fisher had little scoring ability from outside. The Lakers’ outside players posed almost no threat to the Pistons. The Pistons focused their defense on the inside, even allowing Derek Fisher to move outside the three-point line. “Phil Jackson” was well aware that the Pistons were deliberately letting their outside players play freely. Kobe’s poor form and Derek Fisher’s lackluster long-range shooting were the Lakers’ biggest weaknesses. Even if he managed to score one or two three-pointers by luck, it wouldn’t make much of a difference overall. In contrast, the Pistons had success both inside and outside, with all five players on the court scoring. “Ding”—the Lakers called their first timeout of the game. John Kuester was extremely pleased. He never expected the Pistons to play so well at the start of the game, leaving the Lakers almost unable to fight back against their own team. Now, more than five minutes into the first quarter, the score was 16:8, with the Pistons leading by 8 points.

After the timeout ended, the Lakers replaced “The Beast” Ron Artest with “The Lama” Odom, while the Pistons also made adjustments, swapping Samuel Dalembert for Ben Wallace.
Kobe launched a sudden shot from just above Zhou Yi’s head, hitting a three-pointer.
“Ah!” Kobe’s furious cry startled Zhou Yi. He had only briefly distracted himself watching the movements of the other Lakers players, delaying his reaction, only for Kobe to score right above him.
“Old Fish” angrily shook his fist; Zhou Yi’s fancy dribbling moves became fewer and fewer. After several games, both teams had learned each other’s tactics well, making their moves simpler and more effective.
Moreover, Zhou Yi improved his timing and control in breaking through, relying more on speed. “Old Fish,” who had strength but no speed, would end up watching helplessly as Zhou Yi sped away after just taking one step to defend.
Andrew Bynum simply made sure his feet were indeed outside the three-second line. Facing the aggressive Zhou Yi, he didn’t rush to defend. His understanding of Zhou Yi made him realize that defending while in motion had little effect on him—Zhou Yi’s speed was among the best in the league, and he was one of the few who could perfectly combine ball control with speed.
Clinging to Andrew Bynum’s solid frame, Zhou Yi tapped his left foot on the ground and shot straight past the baseline, his right hand reaching toward the basket.
Andrew Bynum was pleased—this angle was highly advantageous for a defender, as it avoided physical contact inside the three-second line, and with the attacker stretched beyond the baseline, there was little room to shoot.
A smile even appeared on Andrew Bynum’s lips, but he was cautious in his move. While blocking required momentum, given Zhou Yi’s current state, he didn’t want to recklessly send the ball out of bounds.
But the moment the ball touched the hoop, Zhou Yi suddenly dropped his wrist, causing the ball to bounce high off the floor. As Andrew Bynum was stunned, he felt a huge dark shadow cover his entire body.
Following a thunderous dunk sound, a round object hit the back of his head.
Zhou Yi moved his wrists a few times—Andrew Bynum had hit him hard, leaving several red marks on his wrists.

Samuel Durhamport excitedly pulled Zhou Yi to his feet—the dunk he had just seen thrilled him greatly. Zhou Yi had completely drawn the Lakers’ defense away, and with the perfect pass, he only needed to leap slightly to send the ball into the basket.
“Swish”—Kobe’s backdoor jump shot from the right wing hit the rim.
The Pistons failed to score on their attack, and the Lakers secured the defensive rebound. Then Kobe made a clever pass from beyond the three-point line to “Lama” Odom at the corner, who also hit a three-pointer.
The Lakers gradually narrowed the score gap. In just a few minutes, thanks to Kobe’s coordination, the Lakers suddenly played brilliantly, with consecutive successful shots throwing the Pistons’ defense into disarray.
John Kuester called a timeout. The Lakers were building momentum, and Kuester’s timeout was merely tactical—aimed at cooling down the opponents and interrupting their strong offensive push.
Zhou Yi slowly drove the ball across half-court. It had taken seven seconds to complete the offensive half-court drive, which was quite slow for him.
Facing “Lama” Odom’s defensive positioning, Zhou Yi stepped under the defender and skillfully passed the ball to McGrady, then darted past “Lama” like a flash.
“Lama” Odom, of course, wouldn’t let him get away easily, but Zhou Yi’s speed was beyond his reach, leaving him to watch as the distance between them grew.
The ball didn’t pause in McGrady’s hands at all. With a gentle push from his right hand at the bottom of the ball, it slowly arced from the left wing toward the basket.
Just before Kobe could steal the ball, a pale hand touched it in a flash.
Before the ball could be secured, he stepped forward first, gently placing the ball at his waist, bending slightly, and nimbly slipping past Andrew Bynum. The Lakers’ defenders couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him. With his agile body, he leaped lightly, forming a half-circle with his right hand in front of him and shaking his wrist slightly—the ball went through the backboard and into the net.
The arena’s lights flashed again. Zhou Yi’s dunk once more captured countless frames—his light steps, swift speed, he was like a sharp sword cutting through the Lakers’ defense, easily dodging defenders with his clever dunking move, bringing this attack to a perfect conclusion.

For the rest of the time, both teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle using team tactics. Although the Pistons played well and coordinated well, the Lakers were no weak opponents either; with “Black Mamba” Kobe, they fought fiercely against the Pistons. Neither team could completely overwhelm the other, whether in offense or defense, and neither could defeat the other. As a result, the score remained closely tied. With three seconds left, Kobe failed to hit a last-second three-pointer, leaving the first quarter tied at 28:27, with the Pistons temporarily ahead by one point. “Everyone played very well in the first quarter,” John Kuster praised his players. “Zhou, you did great in the first quarter—you contained Kobe completely. He couldn’t get inside, and his shooting percentage wasn’t high either. That’s all thanks to you. I hope you can keep this up in the rest of the game.” “Yes, coach,” Zhou Yi replied. John Kuster then turned his attention to Greg Monroe and said, “Greg, you take a break in the second quarter to conserve your energy so you can give your best in the rest of the game.” “Okay, I understand,” Greg Monroe nodded. After hearing this, John Kuster turned to Zhou Yi again. “Zhou, you fought hard in the first quarter. Be careful not to exhaust your energy. Don’t end up unable to give your best at a critical moment! In the last few minutes of the last game, I know you were running out of energy—you were barely holding on, right?” Zhou Yi was momentarily stunned by these words. “Heh, I don’t want you to run out of energy at the last moment of this game, understand?” John Kuster said with a smile. Zhou Yi smiled confidently and said, “Coach, don’t worry. I still have plenty of energy. I’ll give my best while also conserving my strength. I think I can play the whole game. Besides, we can’t afford to slack off or be careless now, can we?” “That’s perfect.” Satisfied with Zhou Yi’s response, John Kuster nodded. Then he clapped his hands and said loudly, “Alright, everyone, let’s go! Today’s victory belongs to us. Because we’re the best.” “Yes.”

Lakers head coach Phil Jackson glanced at the Pistons’ bench, then turned to his players and said, “You all did an excellent job in the first quarter. Although the Pistons are ahead now, it’s only by one point, so we’re actually tied with them at this point. Listen, Greg Monroe should be taken out of the game at the start of the second quarter. That will greatly weaken the Pistons’ interior play, and we must seize this opportunity to overwhelm them from inside, just as we did in our previous victories over them. Andrew, Paul, you two need to work harder on offense. Paul, especially you—Taylor Hansbrough is a rookie who won’t be able to contain you, so focus on him if possible. Try to get him to foul and force him to leave the game, understand?”
“Yes,” Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol replied in unison.
“Ron, Derek,” Phil Jackson turned his attention to the two of them, “I’m disappointed with your performance in the first quarter.”
Due to the close defense from Zhou Yi and Andre Iguodala, the two combined to make only 2 out of 11 shots, scoring just 5 points. Additionally, each committed 2 turnovers—such results would disappoint anyone.
Hearing this, “The Beast” Ron Artest and Derek Fisher both lowered their heads in self-reproach. Even the proud and unruly “Beast” had to admit that his performance in the first quarter was barely passable. As a result, he was taken off the court by Lamar Odom after about five minutes.
“Ron, I hope your performance from now on will be like that in the fourth quarter of the last game. Do you understand what I mean?” Phil Jackson said seriously.
“I understand, Coach Phil,” Ron Artest nodded in response.
“Coach, don’t worry. I’ll do my part,” Fisher quickly said before Phil Jackson could ask him.
Phil Jackson nodded and then said to the two, “Alright, go!”
Soon, the second quarter began.
After driving across half-court with the ball, Derek Fisher immediately passed it to Gasol in the paint. At the same time, Derek Fisher and the other Lakers players started moving around to create space for Paul Gasol to thrive.

Paul Gasol turned his back on Taylor Hansbrough, who was playing in place of Greg Monroe, and used the corner of his eye to observe his surroundings, looking for an opportunity to attack. Zhou Yi, the other Pistons player closest to him, remained vigilant, ready to rush in and provide help defense the moment Gasol made a move.

Fully focused, Zhou Yi had to keep an eye not only on Gasol but also on Kobe in the outside. With his experience from three previous matchups against the Lakers, he knew that as soon as he tried to double-team Gasol, Gasol would immediately pass the ball to Kobe, who would then easily score a three-pointer. That’s why he couldn’t just rush in to double-team Gasol as he did before.

Two seconds after getting the ball, Gasol finally took action. He dribbled at the low post, pushing his way past the inexperienced Taylor Hansbrough in a back-to-back situation, quickly making his way into the paint. Zhou Yi also moved in to try and double-team Gasol. However, just as Zhou Yi was about to reach him, Gasol suddenly turned around, slipped past Hansbrough, raised the ball with his left hand, jumped, and with a slight motion of his wrist, sent the ball off the backboard and into the basket.

“Swish.”

The ball went in—28:29, the Lakers took a 1-point lead over the Pistons.

“Damn it,” Taylor Hansbrough muttered in frustration, turning to reset the play at the baseline. Gasol, who had completed this attack, returned to the backcourt excitedly with his teammates.

“Taylor, don’t be upset. Respond to him with a score. In a moment, position yourself well, and I’ll pass the ball to you. You can’t let us down!” McGrady took the ball from Hansbrough’s hands and moved toward the Lakers’ half-court.

“Tracy, don’t worry. As long as you pass the ball to me, I’ll definitely hit back hard at those bastards,” Taylor Hansbrough said through gritted teeth.

Chapter 431: Zhou Yi’s Fury

After McGrady dribbled past half-court, the ball was passed to Zhou Yi as usual. This time, instead of immediately launching an attack after catching the ball, he signaled to the others to create space for him—he wanted to go one-on-one with Kobe.

“Kid, want to go one-on-one with me? Heh, go ahead then. I’m curious to see if that same dribbling style you’ve used so often can still get you past me.”

Kobe adjusted his stance, ready to defend, while Zhou Yi slowly dribbled the ball at a 45-degree angle outside the three-point line on the right wing—neither attacking nor passing, just wasting time.
“Damn it, what is he going to do? Pass? Drive? Shoot a three? Hell, forget it—just guard him closely. That’s the only way to contain him.”
Kobe closed in on Zhou Yi, sticking closely to him. Zhou Yi didn’t dare be careless; he turned his back on Kobe and moved slowly with the ball, preventing Kobe from stealing it. This continued until Zhou Yi reached the top of the arc outside the three-point line, when he finally made his move.
Suddenly, Zhou Yi pushed the ball with his left hand, causing it to drop from Kobe’s left side behind him. At the same time, he turned right, slipping behind Kobe from his right side—Zhou Yi had bypassed him.
Zhou Yi regained possession of the ball and charged boldly into the Lakers’ paint.
He entered the paint, and now the only one capable of stopping him was Andrew Bynum, who was rushing back to the basket.
“One, two, three…”
Zhou Yi used all his strength to leap off one foot, stretching his body like a sharp sword in the air, raising his right hand holding the ball as he rushed toward the basket at high speed. His gaze was level with the basket.
“Ah~~~” With a roar, Andrew Bynum, who had just arrived at the basket, also jumped up with his hands raised. But though he had a clear height advantage, his explosive power and impact were far inferior to Zhou Yi’s. So when the two collided in mid-air, Zhou Yi’s trajectory wasn’t hindered at all, while Andrew Bynum was forced backward due to the intense force.
“Ding~~~”
“Ah~~~”
The referee’s whistle sounded at the same time as Zhou Yi’s roar. Driven by these two distinct sounds, Zhou Yi’s right arm swung like a sharp axe, slamming the ball into the basket.
“Bang.” The basket let out a pained groan.
Andrew Bynum couldn’t steady himself upon landing due to the force and fell to the ground, while Zhou Yi grabbed the basket with one hand, looking down at Andrew Bynum from above like a king.
The sound of the basket faded, and the court became utterly silent.
“Sss~~~” Countless fans gasped, placing their hands on their chests to calm their racing hearts, their eyes fixed on Zhou Yi’s blue figure hanging from the basket.

“Wow…” A roar went up from the entire crowd.
“Zhou… Yi, Zhou… Yi, Zhou… Yi…” Suddenly, Zhou Yi’s name echoed everywhere in the Staples Center—clearly, many Pistons fans had come to this game.
The crowd’s cheers filled the air as Pistons fans shouted wildly, cheering and roaring, all for Zhou Yi, who had just scored a stunning goal.
“Beep~ beep~” An unpleasant sound suddenly rang out.
The referee pointed at Zhou Yi and waved his hands, indicating that he had committed a foul by bumping into someone, making the goal invalid.
Instantly, boos erupted from the fans, and even some Lakers fans joined in the heckling—proving that Zhou Yi’s perfect dunk had won over most of the crowd.
“I committed an offensive foul? Damn it…” Zhou Yi was furious and cursed out loud.
He was no longer the well-behaved kid he used to be; he had fully adapted to these intense and exciting games, and his personality had changed greatly. Though he wasn’t as aggressive as Greg Monroe, his temper was by no means as mild as before.
Zhou Yi released his right hand from the basket, stepped back onto the court, and rushed toward the referee.
“Referee, I didn’t commit any foul on that play. Andrew clearly moved when I rushed at him—how could I possibly commit an offensive foul?” Though angry, Zhou Yi tried to control his emotions. He knew that if he wasn’t polite to the referee, the other side could easily call him for a technical foul.
Zhou Yi spoke loudly enough for the nearby fans and players to hear. Yet his tone remained polite, even though he was very angry.
After hearing Zhou Yi’s words, the referee shook his head and said nothing.
Seeing this, Zhou Yi could no longer hold back his anger. Although that shot wasn’t crucial for the Pistons, it could have boosted the team’s morale and inspired his teammates and fans.
If it really was an offensive foul, he would accept it, but since he hadn’t committed any foul at all, how could he tolerate it?
If he were still that rookie player when he first joined the league, he might have endured it, but now, he wouldn’t.

As the most valuable player of the 2010–2011 regular season, the best rookie, and the All-Star MVP, he led his team to 28 consecutive wins—the second-longest streak in NBA history—and guided them to the finals. Zhou Yi had every right to challenge any player.

Moreover, Zhou Yi’s temperament had changed drastically at this point, so it was even less likely he would hold back.

“Referee, all the fans in the arena saw it—I didn’t commit any foul at all. If you insist on calling this a foul, I’ll appeal to the league after this game ends,” Zhou Yi said, no longer polite, his voice rising slightly. He wanted everyone present to know he wasn’t saying nonsense but was simply negotiating normally with the referee.

“Fine, you may go. But right now, I have the right to call you for a technical foul,” the referee said, making a gesture indicating that Zhou Yi had committed a technical foul.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi was filled with rage, but he couldn’t lose control. If he did, he’d receive two technical fouls and be ejected, putting the Pistons at a severe disadvantage.

A sliver of reason gradually suppressed his anger. He glared at the referee, snorted coldly, and returned to his teammates.

“Zhou, this guy secretly supports the Lakers. Plus, this is a Lakers home game, so it’s not surprising he’s biased. But it’s absolutely outrageous that he called you for a technical foul after you tried to negotiate normally. After this game, we’ll appeal to the league together,” McGrady said, walking over and patting Zhou Yi’s shoulder to comfort him.

Zhou Yi nodded. His eyes were now completely cold, yet beneath that coldness, a faint flame could be seen.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the scoreboard showing 28:29, his expression turning serious once again.

Damn it, his mistake just cost his team another scoring opportunity. And with the technical foul, the opponent got another free throw.

Zhou Yi knew regretting it was useless. All he could do now was stay focused and work hard with his teammates to catch up—only then could they win the game.

Even though anger burned within him, Zhou Yi remained calm. That was just how he was.

Kobe took his free throw for the technical foul, but to Zhou Yi’s slight relief, Kobe missed.

Although Kobe didn’t receive a free throw for a technical foul, the ball remained with the Lakers. Right after halftime, Derek Fisher immediately passed the ball to Kobe. Then, along with his teammates, he created space for Kobe to thrive. Zhou Yi lowered his center of gravity and stared at Kobe with the gaze of a lurking beast. Yet, that dangerous look only made Kobe more excited, more eager, more frenzied. Kobe knew that Zhou Yi was truly angry now. He flashed a cold smirk for a moment, then, with a cold expression, attempted to break through from the right. But in the next instant, he suddenly changed direction, taking his first step to the left, dribbling with his left hand and charging toward the Pistons’ interior with pure speed. Though his feint this time was simple, it gave a sense of fluidity. By his third step, Kobe had already entered the Pistons’ paint. In front of him were the Pistons’ twin towers, Taylor Hansbrough and Samuel Dalembert, while Zhou Yi was chasing from behind. Before the two Pistons players could close in, Kobe threw a quick shot that went through the basket. After shooting a look at Zhou Yi to declare victory, he turned and returned to his team’s half with his teammates. Zhou Yi shook his head and slowly ran toward the front court to continue the game—he wouldn’t be defeated by just one of Kobe’s shots. McGrady caught the ball, ignored Ron Artest in front of him, and shot decisively from 45 degrees outside the three-point line. “Swish.” The ball went in—31:31. McGrady helped the Pistons tie the score. The Lakers counterattacked; after halftime, the ball was immediately passed to Kobe again, and the others, just like before, skillfully created space for him to excel. It was Kobe again, and Zhou Yi again. Could Zhou Yi stop Kobe this time? The answer would only be known in the upcoming confrontation. Chapter 432: This Is Zhou Yi! This time, Zhou Yi defended more closely than before, almost in close proximity, making it impossible for Kobe to accelerate and break through to the basket as easily as before. After several failed attempts to break through, Kobe suddenly changed tactics—dribbled backward while stepping sideways, then jumped as he did so, leaping from just over half a meter away from the three-point line. “Not good.”

Zhou Yi inwardly cursed. He had focused all his defensive efforts on stopping drives, completely forgetting that Kobe wasn’t just good at breaking through but also an excellent three-point shooter. Moreover, Kobe’s most powerful and consistent scoring method was shooting threes.

It was too late for Zhou Yi to regret it. No matter how good his explosive power and jumping ability were, it was useless. By the time he jumped to block Kobe, the ball had already left his hands, tracing a beautiful arc through the air like a high-velocity projectile.

“Swish.”

After flying through the air for over a second, the ball landed perfectly inside the basket.

31:34—the Lakers took another lead.

“Damn, it even goes in like that? This guy, Kobe, is really insane…” Zhou Yi cursed under his breath, filled with frustration.

McGrady took the free throw at the baseline and passed the ball to Zhou Yi, who was waiting to receive it. Zhou Yi carefully controlled the ball as he made his way across half-court, constantly scanning the surroundings. When he reached about two meters outside the Lakers’ three-point line, he passed the ball to McGrady and then suddenly changed direction, circling around from the left before finally shedding Kobe and breaking into the Lakers’ paint. By then, McGrady had already released the ball, sending it toward the basket.

Zhou Yi glanced at the ball, quickly calculating the time difference between it and himself. Then, as the ball passed the free-throw line, he used his remaining momentum to leap upward.

“Here it comes!” Zhou Yi shouted loudly, his earlier fury now evident in every move.

This was a coordination between Zhou Yi and McGrady, a partnership between the Pistons’ two star shooters. Fans and everyone watching the game held their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

“Swish.” Zhou Yi caught the ball mid-air and dunked it with great skill using both hands.

“Boom.” The sound of the dunk echoed throughout the court, through the arena, and deep into people’s souls.

All the fans stared at the figure still hanging on the backboard—that slender figure, which now seemed impossibly tall to them. And from Zhou Yi, they sensed anger. Yes, pure anger.

That dunk was Zhou Yi’s retaliation against the unfair calls from the referees earlier.

“Zhou… Yi, T-MAC…” The fans went wild again, shouting Zhou Yi’s name passionately, going crazy, excited, thrilled, and ecstatic over it.

Many fans also chanted Maddie’s name; clearly, Maddie and Zhou Yi were the perfect duo in the Pistons’ fans’ eyes.
“Great pass.” “Great dunk.” Maddie and Zhou Yi slapped each other’s hands simultaneously before jogging back to the backcourt.
As he ran toward his own half, Zhou Yi smiled and said to the referee beside him, “Sir, I didn’t foul on that play, right?”
Immediately, the smile vanished from Zhou Yi’s face, replaced by utter coldness, as he retreated to his own half.
That referee was the same one who had called a foul on Zhou Yi’s previous scoring play; now his expression was grim. However, he didn’t dare show favoritism to the Lakers any longer, because Zhou Yi indeed hadn’t fouled on that play, yet he had called a technical foul on him, which had already sparked outrage.
33:34—Zhou Yi’s dunk helped the Pistons narrow the score to 1 point.
Next, Derek Fisher assisted Andrew Bynum, who confidently hit a hook shot after receiving the pass.
Zhou Yi drove with the ball, reached the baseline, and passed it directly to Taylor Hansbrough on the other side. At that moment, Paul Gasol was watching Zhou Yi, but unexpectedly, Zhou Yi passed to Taylor Hansbrough.
“Hey…” Without hesitation, Taylor Hansbrough jumped high and dunked powerfully after catching the ball.
35:36—the Pistons were still down by 1 point.
The Lakers’ offense missed, and Zhou Yi grabbed a defensive rebound.
Ben Wallace received a pass from Zhou Yi and forced Paul Gasol into a foul by driving to the basket, making one of two free throws.
36:36—the two teams were tied again.
Andrew Bynum used a pick-and-roll, and Kobe Bryant drove, stopped abruptly, and hit a jump shot.
36:38—the Lakers led by 2 points again.
In the first half of the second quarter, the Pistons were always behind the Lakers, though by only 2 or 3 points. The Pistons couldn’t close the gap. Moreover, both teams had shooting percentages over 50%, resulting in continuous scoring and many exciting goals, greatly enhancing the game’s excitement.
However, this style of play wasn’t beneficial for either team. Neither the Lakers nor the Pistons were teams known for high shooting percentages or fast breaks; continuing like this, the players might run out of energy.
When seven minutes into the second quarter, John Kuester finally called a long timeout, giving the players from both teams a chance to catch their breath.
It was the first timeout so far in the second quarter.

After a short period of adjustment, the players from both teams stepped onto the court again, but their lineups had been changed by this point. The Pistons’ Ben Wallace, Andre Iguodala, and Taylor Hansbrough were taken off the court, while Greg Monroe returned. The Lakers’ Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol were replaced by two taller players with stronger defensive skills.