Chapter 207

Two minutes before the end of the second quarter, some of the key players from both teams were sent off to rest again, while Andre Iguodala, who had performed well in the second quarter, was brought back onto the court. At that point, the score was 52:61 in favor of the opposing team.

Time kept passing, with only two minutes left before the end of the second quarter. The Pistons held the ball at that time. Zhou Yi controlled the ball, moving outside the three-point line, while Kobe defended him, moving slowly alongside him. These two talented young players faced off against each other—Zhou Yi did not attack, nor did Kobe try to steal the ball from him. As a result, the cameras on the court kept focusing on them, capturing every subtle movement they made.

All the fans in the arena were on edge, with tens of thousands of anxious and eager eyes fixed on those two players on the court, cheering for Zhou Yi, who held the ball. After both Zhou Yi and Kobe reached the 45-degree angle on the right side outside the three-point line, they stopped moving and stared intently into each other’s eyes, filled with fierce determination.

Time slowly passed, and Zhou Yi’s rhythmic bouncing of the ball gradually accelerated. As the rhythm changed, Kobe’s vigilance also increased. A sharp glint appeared in Zhou Yi’s eyes, and he began to move.

Chapter 444: Victory Means Championship, Loss Means Seven Games (Part 2)

Suddenly, Zhou Yi accelerated, using the purest, simplest, most direct, and perfect form of “speed” to take his first step to the right, followed by quick subsequent steps, aiming to use his speed to break through Kobe’s defense. As soon as Zhou Yi moved, Kobe also started moving. He accelerated almost simultaneously with Zhou Yi, staying close to him, tightly surrounding him to prevent him from reaching his maximum speed or getting a chance to shoot.

After entering the paint, Zhou Yi realized he still couldn’t get rid of Kobe, so he stopped and turned his back on him. After bouncing the ball a couple of times with his back to Kobe, Kobe relaxed slightly and lessened his defense. But it was precisely this relaxation that led to a severe consequence for him.

Zhou Yi moved again. He quickly turned to the right, using his body and subtle movements to block Kobe behind him, then increased his speed to the highest level in the shortest time possible, heading straight for the Lakers’ basket.

Seeing Zhou Yi already at the basket, Paul Gasol, the Lakers’ power forward closest to him, had no choice but to release Greg Monroe and rush back to defend, trying to stop Zhou Yi. After reaching Paul Gasol, Zhou Yi hesitated not for a moment; with a strong push from his right hand, he sent the ball toward the floor beneath Gasol’s legs, causing it to bounce up and land in Greg Monroe’s hands, who now had a chance to score. “Great pass, Zhou!” Greg Monroe exclaimed in ecstasy after catching the ball, jumping up on the spot and slamming it into the basket with a fierce roar. The sound of the basket echoing along with Monroe’s wild cry filled the entire court, accelerating the fans’ heartbeats and prompting them to erupt in thunderous cheers. All sorts of shouts came from the fans—old and young, men and women—all excited by this brilliant teamwork between Zhou Yi and Greg Monroe. “Zhou!” Swift rushed over to Zhou Yi with a triumphant smile after landing, using a simple gesture to express his joy and high-fiving him in celebration. Kobe stared intently at Zhou Yi’s retreating figure, his face expressionless and calm. Outside the three-point line, facing the basket, Kobe received a pass from his teammate Paul Gasol. Immediately after catching it, he lowered his center of gravity, ready to attack, while his other teammates moved around to create space for him, giving him ample room to showcase his skills. Zhou Yi once again spread his arms, watching Kobe like a lurking beast, his face unchanged. Kobe narrowed his eyes, then suddenly widened them, shooting two icy glances, while his body made a move that surprised Zhou Yi. With a slap of his right hand and a step forward, he and the ball broke through Zhou Yi’s defense simultaneously, leaving Zhou Yi staring in shock. This was because Kobe simply threw the ball onto the floor beneath Zhou Yi’s legs, allowing it to easily pass under him. Kobe cut past Zhou Yi’s defense from the left, grabbed the ball, and charged toward the Pistons’ empty paint. This breakthrough by Kobe was similar to the quick pass Zhou Yi had made to Greg Monroe earlier—the difference being that Zhou Yi passed the ball, while Kobe drove past with the ball himself.

“Damn it, I was careless…” Zhou Yi thought to himself, realizing the situation was bad. He quickly turned around and chased after Kobe, while the other Pistons players also rushed toward the paint, all trying to stop Kobe. But how could Kobe, who had already broken through, let others catch up to him so easily? By the time the other Pistons players started moving, Kobe had already accelerated to his maximum speed, crossed the free-throw line, and headed straight for the Pistons’ basket. The only person close to Kobe was Zhou Yi, who had reached his right side. Kobe casually glanced at Zhou Yi out of the corner of his eye, a cold smirk forming on his lips. Gritting his teeth, Kobe took three big steps, leaped into the air under the basket, and raised his hands to grab the ball as he soared. With a “thud,” Kobe’s dunk energized the entire arena. Another “clang” came from a missed shot; Greg Monroe happily grabbed the rebound from the backcourt and passed it to Jody Meeks. Through his confrontation with Derek Fisher, Jody Meeks realized that although Derek Fisher was strong, his speed and agility were far from what they used to be, especially when it came to his ability to follow up and his stamina. Jody Meeks felt that breaking through Derek Fisher now didn’t require much effort. Seeing Jody Meeks about to dart past him for a layup again, Derek Fisher became displeased and grabbed Jody Meeks, using a foul to prevent him from scoring easily—Derek Fisher was quite aware of this. But then he realized he couldn’t keep using fouls to restrict him! At that moment, Kobe approached Derek Fisher and whispered, “Leave that rookie to me!” Hearing this, Derek Fisher nodded agreeably. The Pistons inbounded the ball, and as soon as Jody Meeks caught it, Kobe rushed up to him. Jody Meeks was surprised—was Kobe guarding him directly? But he wasn’t panicked at all. Getting to face the best player in the league made him extremely excited, and his fighting spirit reached its peak. Still, being a rookie, Jody Meeks was a bit nervous facing Kobe, the best player in the league. His dribbling under his arm wasn’t as smooth as before, and with Kobe’s vast experience, he swiftly reached in and took the ball away.

After stealing the ball, Kobe drove straight ahead with the ball, rushing to the Pistons’ basket and dunking with both hands from behind his back.
Jody Meeks helplessly wiped the sweat from his forehead before running to his own half to receive the pass. After catching the ball, Jody Meeks took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to steady his rhythm.
“I have to stay calm; otherwise, I’ll still make mistakes,” Jody Meeks thought to himself.
After half a court, Jody Meeks calmly scanned the entire court. At that moment, McGrady came over and passed by Jody Meeks. Jody Meeks immediately handed the ball to McGrady and even set up a screen to block Derek Fisher, who was guarding McGrady.
With no one guarding him, McGrady accelerated to his fastest pace, rushed into the Lakers’ paint, and dunked with both hands, also drawing a foul on Paul Gasol.
It was a brilliant play, made possible by Jody Meeks’ clever coordination.
Commentating on the game today were Yao Ming’s mentor Jeff Van Gundy and Reggie Miller. Since it was a nationally televised game, both provided professional commentary.
To the Pistons’ players’ delight, the Pistons’ owner Bill Davidson and general manager Joe Dumars were also in attendance to watch the game.
So when McGrady completed that dunk, everyone on the Pistons’ team was extremely excited, including owner Bill Davidson and general manager Joe Dumars. If even the owners and general manager were so excited, it goes without saying how enthusiastic the Pistons’ fans must have been.
At that moment, the Pistons’ fans were shouting McGrady’s name loudly, cheering for their team.
“T-MAC…”
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, known as “The Zen Master,” didn’t show much reaction when Paul Gasol got another foul. He only frowned slightly but didn’t replace him. Paul Gasol had only received two fouls so far, so Phil Jackson wasn’t in a hurry to take him out.
McGrady made his free throw and the extra shot as well.
Even with all his starters on the court, Phil Jackson sat there indifferently, as if not a hint of panic could be seen on his face. Of course, if the referee kept blowing whistles against the Lakers’ frontcourt, he would get angry. When “The Zen Master” isn’t angry, he’s fine; but when he is, he’s quite intimidating.

And with the Lakers still in the lead, he naturally had the leisure to sit there, watching the game while chewing gum casually. Kobe controlled the ball, with McGrady closely following, constantly using small moves to disrupt him. Yet these attempts didn’t cause Kobe to make any mistakes. With a behind-the-back dribble and a quick pull to the left, he jumped up to shoot. With a swish, the basketball smoothly dropped into the basket. In the next offensive sequence, the Pistons failed to score. Paul Gasol grabbed a rebound in the backcourt and passed it to Derek Fisher. Derek Fisher dribbled past the half-court line and, seeing Kobe make a upward gesture, quickly threw the ball toward the top right corner of the basket. However, the pass was a bit too far, and Kobe didn’t catch it easily. Still, he managed to complete the alley-oop in mid-air. Due to poor coordination, it wasn’t a dunk but just a simple alley-oop layup. Though it seemed simple, it was actually extremely difficult. After completing the layup, Kobe lost his balance due to the difficulty of the coordination and fell from the air. Fortunately, he had a strong sense of self-protection and wasn’t injured. Jody Meeks still had a speed advantage, thanks to his youth, while Kobe was in his thirties and no longer had his former speed, making him slightly inferior compared to these rookies known for their speed. With a steady mindset, Jody Meeks wasn’t as nervous around Kobe as before. With consecutive dribbles under his arm and a crossover, he broke away from Kobe. Seeing Kobe get beaten, Derek Fisher immediately rushed over to help defend Jody Meeks. As Derek Fisher lunged at him, Jody Meeks remained calm, effortlessly passing the ball behind his back to McGrady, who was farther away. McGrady caught the ball and took a smooth jump shot, securing 2 points. Seeing Jody Meeks break through Kobe and complete that beautiful pass with McGrady, especially that effortless and clever behind-the-back pass, the crowd erupted in cheers once again.

Watching the situation on the court gradually change, Tyreke Evans could also sense some issues with the Lakers’ defense. Take that last shot for example: although Kobe tried his best to defend, he stopped chasing after falling behind by half a body length, and once Derek Fisher came over to help defend him, there was no one left to cover McGrady. Being ahead by a few points made the Lakers’ players a bit complacent. There might be another reason as well—Lakers’ fatigue, as both games were played away from home, so their poor defense could also be attributed to this.

However, despite some lapses in defense, the Lakers’ offense remained sharp. Kobe caught the ball at the high post, broke past McGrady, and faced Tyreke Evans’ help defense. With a fake move, he turned and took a backspin jump shot—swish—another successful shot.

“Good defense!” Kobe said to Tyreke Evans after making that shot, smiling at him.

Tyreke Evans did indeed provide solid help defense on that play; McGrady had no way of stopping Kobe. As soon as Kobe broke through, Tyreke immediately closed in. Although he defended well and timed his block attempt perfectly, Kobe’s backspin jump shot was too powerful, so Tyreke couldn’t stop it.

Samuel Dalembert’s jump shot left Andrew Bynum, who couldn’t defend it, helpless. Seeing Samuel Dalembert getting hot, Tyreke was happy to pass the ball to him for an attack.

As the Pistons gradually closed the score gap, the Lakers were indeed a bit worried. But in critical moments, they could trust in handing the ball to their leader, Kobe—after all, he hadn’t yet lost his composure!

When Kobe stepped past James Posey’s defense in one stride, Tyreke immediately rushed over to help.

Tyreke Evans had quick feet and high agility, making it somewhat difficult for Kobe to go one-on-one with him. But this didn’t deter Kobe, as he was one of the most lethal offensive players in the league. Kobe faced Tyreke one-on-one, pushed him twice, then suddenly turned and used his signature backspin jump shot. However, under Tyreke’s tight defense, Kobe’s shot missed, and Tyreke felt a hint of satisfaction.

However, Paul Gasol grabbed the rebound, and they scored on the second possession. Fortunately, Samuel Dalembert responded with a layup inside the paint. On the Lakers’ offensive drive, Kobe drove from the left wing, used Andrew Bynum’s screen to get past Jody Meeks’ defense, and made his way into the paint. Faced with Samuel Dalembert’s defense inside, Kobe didn’t back down—he simply shook him off and attempted a beautiful layup. Unfortunately, the layup missed, and Samuel Dalembert secured the rebound. Kobe looked disappointed at the basket, made a shooting gesture, then shook his head.