Chapter 24

After the start of the second quarter, both teams continued to play intensely. Sean Livingston assisted Gerard Henderson twice in a row, and with Gerard Henderson’s own successful shot, he scored 7 points in a row, quickly taking a 3-point lead. However, the Pistons’ veteran James Posey, with assistance from Zhou Yi, hit two three-pointers in a row, regaining the lead. The score remained close and fluctuated back and forth. When DeSagana Diop scored inside and forced Samuel Dalembert into a free throw, turning it into a two-plus-one situation, the teams were tied again. At 8:03 of the quarter, the game went into an official timeout. After the timeout, Zhou Yi stepped up and scored 5 points with both shots and free throws. The Pistons maintained a slim lead, while the Bobcats’ bench players fought hard, several times closing the gap, only to be pushed back by the Pistons. At 6:11 of the second quarter, both teams started substituting in their starters. In the last two minutes of the first half, only Gerard Wallace scored 4 points for the Bobcats, while the Pistons took advantage to score 8 points. In the final seconds, Pringle hit a last-second three-pointer. At the end of the first half, the Pistons widened the gap slightly thanks to the last two minutes, with a score of 51:44, giving them a 7-point lead heading into the third quarter. “You all did great in the first half! Keep it up in the second half; we’ll definitely win this game!” John Kuester said to the Pistons with a smile. It must be said that Kuester is good at coaching—he always manages to inspire his players, and he often encourages them when things get tough. But he can also be quite strict when necessary. He’s a competent coach, at least that’s what Zhou Yi thinks. Unnoticed, the second half was about to begin. The Pistons’ players walked out of the home team’s locker room and headed toward the court. When they appeared on the court, the home fans gave them warm applause. “It’s great to be at home with such enthusiastic fans, haha…” Bynum said with a smile, hugging Zhou Yi. “Hehe, we need to work harder in the second half to widen the gap even more!” McGrady said with a smile, walking beside Bynum.

“Mm.” Zhou Yi and the other person nodded in unison.