Chapter 206

Six minutes into the second quarter, the Pistons began making adjustments to their lineup. Zhou Yi replaced Will Bynum, McGrady replaced Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva replaced Andre Iguodala, and Greg Monroe replaced himself.
In the ensuing play, Zhou Yi struggled due to Kobe’s intense close defense. However, the other Pistons players performed well, maintaining an overall shooting percentage of around 50%, thus keeping ahead of the Lakers.
In contrast, the Lakers’ overall shooting percentage was only about 38%. If not for their slightly higher number of attempts, they might have widened the score gap earlier!
McGrady moved to the perimeter to receive the ball, grabbed it with one hand, and scanned the court with a sharp gaze. Shannon Brown was already close by, crouched in a defensive stance. Suddenly, McGrady stepped forward, quickly blocking Brown behind him, then stopped abruptly and shot a jump shot. With a swish, the ball went through the net.
Kobe took a crossover step, turned past Zhou Yi, and passed the ball to James Harden. Harden caught the ball, cut inside from the middle, and threw up a turnaround shot, scoring.
On the Pistons’ side, Zhou Yi drove the ball repeatedly before suddenly using a crossover to shake off Kobe’s defense, charging toward the basket from the side and jumping up. Paul Gasol quickly jumped to try and block the shot.
But Zhou Yi wasn’t going for a layup or dunk. Facing Gasol’s help defense, he swiftly passed the ball to Greg Monroe behind Gasol.
Upon receiving the ball, Greg Monroe immediately jumped up and dunked with ease.
Kobe drove with the ball, executed a beautiful spin to get past Zhou Yi, but just as he turned, he was intercepted by McGrady, who came from the side.
McGrady quickly launched a fast break, but only Zhou Yi followed. Kobe also reacted quickly, returning to defend.
McGrady passed the ball to Zhou Yi, who drove twice before passing it back to McGrady. As they approached the basket, McGrady pretended to shoot but actually passed the ball to Zhou Yi. But Kobe wasn’t fooled and closed in on Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi didn’t take the ball but flicked it to the upper right corner of the basket. Kobe muttered in frustration, then quickly turned back to defend McGrady.

But it was too late; McGrady quickly jumped up and scored with an alley-oop. Not only that, but Kobe also committed a defensive foul. This series of dazzling passes immediately earned loud cheers from a few Pistons fans. The two commentators also praised the coordination between Zhou Yi and McGrady.

Phil Jackson took advantage of McGrady’s free throws to replace Shannon Brown with Steve Blake and Ron Artest with Lamar Odom. The Pistons’ lineup also saw some changes, with James Posey entering the game in place of Andre Iguodala.

McGrady made his free throws, including the extra shot. At this point, Steve Blake was paired up with Zhou Yi, who drove the ball to orchestrate the Lakers’ offense. Steve Blake forced his way past Zhou Yi, who stayed closely behind him. Knowing Zhou Yi’s skills, Steve Blake didn’t engage in a head-on battle but immediately passed the ball away.

Lamar Odom received the ball, feinted, and then shot a jump shot. With a thud, the ball bounced off the rim. Taylor Hansbrough grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi rushed down the court unimpeded into the opponent’s three-second area. After tricking Paul Gasol into jumping, he shot a jump shot, but it missed, and Paul Gasol easily secured the rebound.

Steve Blake used Kobe’s pick-and-roll to break into the Pistons’ paint and then passed the ball to Kobe, who was already on the other side of the court. Kobe took a three-point shot and made it. Zhou Yi made a quick breakthrough, then turned and bypassed his defender, Steve Blake, to reach the basket. Facing the opponent’s block, Zhou Yi wasn’t afraid at all; with a flick of his wrist, the ball flew toward James Posey, who was already waiting at the zero-degree three-point line.

James Posey caught the ball without adjusting and shot immediately, creating a swirl around the basket. “Nice assist,” one of the commentators said with a smile.

The Pistons inbounded the ball, and Zhou Yi took it to organize the offense. Zhou Yi broke through from the baseline, with Steve Blake closely guarding him. Zhou Yi turned and entered the three-second area, then passed the ball to Greg Monroe. After catching it, Monroe used DeQuan Cook as a screen to go one-on-one and scored with a low-post layup.

Steve Blake broke through and passed the ball, benefiting Paul Gasol, who caught it and immediately shot a jump shot and made it.

After driving to the front court, Zhou Yi passed the ball to McGrady, who was waiting to receive it. McGrady broke through and passed the ball again to Greg Monroe in the paint.

Greg Monroe didn’t rush to attack. Instead, he drove with the ball, used his body to shield himself from Paul Gasol, then made a beautiful pass to Greg Monroe on the other side. At this point, Greg Monroe was playing as a power forward, facing Andrew Bynum. Pushing against Andrew Bynum, Greg Monroe suddenly spun around and took a backspin jump shot, which also succeeded. McGrady took the ball and organized the offense, while Zhou Yi moved around to find an open spot. Suddenly, McGrady twisted his wrist sideways, sending the ball straight toward Zhou Yi, who was charging toward the paint. Steve Blake hurried after it, while Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum prepared to help defend. But Zhou Yi didn’t catch the ball; instead, he deflected it, causing it to change direction and land in Greg Monroe’s hands behind Paul Gasol. Without hesitation, Greg Monroe caught the ball and immediately jumped up for a dunk. Steve Blake drove across half-court, accelerating his break to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Seeing Paul Gasol charge into the paint from the wing, Steve Blake quickly passed the ball directly to him. Paul Gasol tried to lay it up right away but missed, and Zhou Yi grabbed the rebound. Zhou Yi held the ball and organized the offense before passing it to McGrady on the left wing. McGrady drove with the ball, constantly observing the situation on the court. Suddenly, he turned his back, stepped back quickly, and faced Steve Blake head-on. Leveraging his experience and skill, he tilted slightly to the side, bent down, and lowered his center of gravity. Even before making any move, he already made Steve Blake nervous. “Tap, tap, tap”—McGrady suddenly sped up his dribbling, leaned his upper body forward sharply, and took a big step forward with his right foot. Already feeling nervous, Steve Blake instinctively stepped back. For him, it was enough as long as he didn’t give McGrady an easy chance to shoot. At that moment, he chose to follow defend. But he still misjudged! McGrady, who had already straightened up, bent down again like an arrow, speeding past Kobe’s left side toward the three-point line. He stopped abruptly near the right side of the free-throw line and easily made a jump shot. This time, his teammates had created plenty of space for him.

“Thud!” Paul Gasol’s shot missed, and James Posey quickly grabbed the rebound. He immediately passed the ball to Zhou Yi, who, without hesitation, threw it to McGrady, who was speeding up on the left wing. McGrady dashed forward, soon encountering the Lakers’ defensive line retreating. Once again, he chose to pass, handing the ball to Zhou Yi, who was closing in.

Zhou Yi accelerated his drive, and Kobe, defending McGrady, quickly stepped back to guard him. But Zhou Yi didn’t do that instead; he leaned against Kobe and passed the ball to McGrady, who was lurking just beyond the three-point line.

“Swish!” After catching the ball at the top of the key, McGrady immediately took a three-point shot. Steve Blake and Lamar Odom, standing behind Zhou Yi, could only pray the ball wouldn’t go in—but against all odds, it did.

McGrady lowered his right hand after shooting and high-fived Zhou Yi, who had rushed over, before retreating to defend.

Lamar Odom received a pass from Kobe and used his strong frame to push against McGrady, then stepped back for a jump shot, which also went in.

Zhou Yi, who was coordinating the offense, deliberately slowed down and slowly approached the right baseline where Kobe was. He moved diagonally inward, breaking into the three-point line—now was the time.

Zhou Yi pushed backward, spun sharply, easily blocking Kobe’s left side, and accelerated toward the basket. At the moment of his drive, he exchanged a brief glance with McGrady, who immediately understood and started moving into position.

Kobe moved ahead, taking big steps to block Zhou Yi’s path, closely following him, but he soon faced consequences.

“Thud”—the ball hit the floor and bounced toward McGrady, who was alone just beyond the three-point line. With confidence, he shot, and “swish”—the ball went in. McGrady waved his arm wildly and roared in triumph.

As soon as Kobe caught the ball, he rushed toward the Pistons’ half-court at an astonishing speed. Lamar Odom came over to screen, and Kobe took the opportunity to drive to the Pistons’ basket and score a layup.

On the Pistons’ side, after Zhou Yi’s missed jump shot, Greg Monroe grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Samuel Dalembert, who scored a layup.

With a thud, Kobe’s jump shot missed, and Greg Monroe secured the rebound in the backcourt and passed it to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi orchestrated the offense, used his teammates’ screens to get past Kobe’s defense and reach near the paint, feinted at Kobe, then passed the ball to Samuel Dalembert while running to the other side.
Paul Gasol spread his arms and stayed close to Samuel Dalembert. Left with no choice, Dalembert saw Zhou Yi open up behind him and quickly passed the ball to him, then went to screen Kobe behind him.
Zhou Yi took a deep breath and shot a jump shot, but once again, a thud echoed through Staples Center. Zhou Yi shook his head helplessly and quickly retreated to defend.
Lamar Odom grabbed the rebound and quickly drove to the front court, paired up with Kobe, and finally scored near the free-throw line.