Chapter 3

With three minutes left in the third quarter, the Pistons were still struggling. Koester sighed and kept shaking his head. After Zhou Yi committed an offensive foul on Jones, Koester called another timeout. After the timeout, Koester substituted Gordon for McGrady, as neither Jones nor Miller could defend him effectively due to the size disparity. Jones and Miller are both 2.03 meters tall, while Gordon is only 1.91 meters tall. Additionally, Gordon is easily overwhelmed by taller guards, has poor footwork, and relies heavily on feints, which is why Koester decided to replace Gordon with McGrady. It turned out to be a very wise decision. Once McGrady entered the game, Jones and Miller could no longer shoot as freely as before, and the Pistons gradually closed the score gap. With one and a half minutes left, the Pistons had the ball. After receiving the ball, Zhou Yi quickly moved forward, leaving Chalmers in his wake. With a sudden change of direction, Zhou Yi disrupted Chalmers, who stumbled. Haslem rushed in to help defend, leaving Monroe unguarded. Zhou Yi quickly passed the ball to Monroe. Chalmers, being close to Monroe, tried to cover him again, but Monroe, being tall and strong, ignored Chalmers and dunked with one hand. Not only did Chalmers fail to stop him, but he also committed a foul. The phrase “losing both the wife and the soldiers” fits him perfectly. Monroe made the free throw, reducing the Pistons’ deficit to 13 points, with the score gap on the verge of dropping below double digits. However, Haslem immediately scored another 2 points. In the final minute, Zhou Yi and McGrady combined to assist each other with three-point shots, quickly narrowing the gap to 9 points. The Heat still had 10 seconds left. Chalmers drove to the front court and tried to pass, but was immediately intercepted by Zhou Yi (a tragic moment for Chalmers). Zhou Yi quickly passed the ball to McGrady, who rushed to the basket and scored with a double dunk. As the ball went in, the buzzer signaled the end of the third quarter. The Pistons went from being over 20 points behind to reducing the gap to 7 points, a testament to Zhou Yi’s strategic vision and playmaking skills. After a while, the fourth quarter began. There were no major changes in the lineups, except that the Heat substituted House for Jones, Big Z for Anthony, and Howard for Haslem, while the Pistons’ lineup remained unchanged.

The Heat had possession of the ball. After receiving a pass from Howard at the baseline, Chalmers drove to the front court and passed to Miller. Miller broke through and passed to House, who immediately shot a three-pointer at Bynum, showing his deadly skills.

Zhou Yi looked serious, glanced at the scoreboard, and slowly steadied the pace—only by stabilizing the rhythm could he better coordinate the offense. With a crossover, Zhou Yi once again outmaneuvered Chalmers. Just as Zhou Yi was about to lay up after passing Chalmers, Chalmers suddenly grabbed him from behind. The referee didn’t hesitate and called a defensive foul, giving Zhou Yi two free throws.

To Chalmers’ delight, Zhou Yi missed both free throws, and he thought to himself, “This foul was worth it.”

Howard secured the rebound and passed the ball to Chalmers. Unlike Zhou Yi, Chalmers drove hard toward the three-point line. He used a fake move to deceive Zhou Yi and was about to take a jump shot, but Zhou Yi reacted quickly, even faster than Bynum, who was rushing to help. Zhou Yi leaped like lightning and delivered a thunderous block on Chalmers from the side—poor Chalmers seemed like the reincarnation of a tragic figure.

McGrady grabbed the rebound and quickly launched a fast break, with Bynum following closely behind. McGrady threw the ball toward the basket, and the player who caught it in mid-air wasn’t McGrady nor Bynum—it was Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi grabbed the rim with both hands but quickly let go, as he didn’t want to commit a technical foul.

Right after Zhou Yi scored with a layup, Kuster called a timeout at that moment and substituted Zhou Yi out. It was less than three minutes into the fourth quarter. Zhou Yi looked confused, but he wasn’t reckless—he wisely went to the bench, with White taking his place.

The game continued, with the Heat in possession.

In the next two minutes, McGrady acted like a savior for the Pistons. He kept attacking the Heat’s basket, showing no signs of having just recovered from minor surgery—just like the old T-Mac. In those two minutes, McGrady scored 5 points himself and provided 2 assists, gradually narrowing the gap to just 3 points. At that point, Spoelstra couldn’t sit still and quickly called a timeout, ready to bring back the “Big Three.”

Both teams took a short break before returning to the court to fight again. However, there were significant changes in their lineups. The current lineups are as follows: Heat – D-Wade, Bosh, Miller, Wade, and James. Since the Heat were too weak at the center position, James, with his excellent passing skills and overall game awareness, took on the role of point guard. Pistons – Benetton, Monroe, Prince, Hamilton, and McGrady. Like James, McGrady also took on the role of point guard due to Starks’ illness.

Generally, the most critical and exciting moments in a game often occur in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Pistons vs. Heat – the real battle has just begun!!!

Chapter 38: Lost!?

Pistons vs. Heat – the action is about to get exciting!

The Heat gain possession, with James controlling the ball. After half a court, James quickly moved, broke free from Prince’s defense, and drove to the basket against rookie Monroe to score.

After passing the ball to Hamilton, McGrady rushed to Prince’s side and provided a screen without the ball. Hamilton swiftly passed the ball to Prince, who tried to drive to the basket but missed. Bosh grabbed the rebound and passed it to James. James then passed it to Wade, who was open beyond the three-point line, so he shot a three-pointer—unfortunately, it missed. Benetton secured the defensive rebound and passed it to McGrady. After half a court, McGrady broke through with big steps and then made a brilliant behind-the-back pass to Hamilton, giving him a great opportunity. Unfortunately, Hamilton, the king of mid-range shots, failed to score despite having no defender. Thankfully, Monroe grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it back to Hamilton. This time too, Hamilton missed the chance, shooting twice in a row. James grabbed the rebound. James drove fast with the ball, threw up a high bounce pass, and Wade quickly jumped to catch it in mid-air and score a dunk.

At this point, the Pistons were still 7 points behind. Since the lineup adjustments, no one else had scored except for James and Wade, who each had 2 points. Both teams were struggling with missed shots, especially the Pistons, who had missed six shots in a row. With four minutes left in the game, the Pistons had only two short timeouts and one long timeout. Koestner didn’t hesitate to call for a long timeout.

The Pistons players surrounded Koostert in the center, with Koostert holding a drawing board and explaining tactics to everyone, creating an atmosphere similar to that of regular games. After making the arrangements, the players took their positions on the court—Gordon replaced Hamilton, Zhou Yi replaced Prince, and McGrady returned to the forward-center position.

The Heat’s lineup remained unchanged, and both teams returned to the court. It was the Pistons’ turn to possess the ball, with Zhou Yi in control. After reaching the halfway point, Zhou Yi passed the ball to McGrady. McGrady made a breakaway pass to Big Ben, who fought through Big Z to score a layup and also drew a foul from Big Z, converting the free throw. At this point, the Pistons were still down by 4 points.

The Heat didn’t show any signs of panic but instead played methodically, focusing on set plays. After James bypassed McGrady and was about to lay up, Monroe gently pushed the ball to the ground with his right hand. In the chaos, a figure rushed out and grabbed the ball—it was Wade. Taking advantage of the confusion, Wade passed the ball to Bosh, who scored a layup.

At this moment, Zhou Yi didn’t try to steady the pace but instead drove quickly to the front court. There were still three Heat players who hadn’t returned to defend. Zhou Yi was extremely fast—though not as fast as Wade, he was close. He passed the ball to Gordon, who was waiting on the perimeter. Gordon’s skills came into play here; after receiving the ball, he didn’t hesitate and immediately shot a three-pointer. The basketball traced a arc through the air. The entire court was silent, as if everyone could hear the sound of it cutting through the air. With a “swish,” the ball went in.

McGrady and Gordon high-fived excitedly before returning to defend. Gordon’s ability was evident in critical moments—he became more energetic and performed even better, truly deserving the title of “Mr. Clutch.”

After Wade drove to the front court and reached just outside the three-point line, facing Gordon, he tried to respond with a three-pointer, but the ball hit the backboard. Monroe grabbed the rebound, and the Pistons launched a quick counterattack.

Zhou Yi dribbled and passed the ball to McGrady. McGrady made a breakaway pass to Gordon, who again scored a jump shot from a high position. The Pistons were now only down by 1 point, with two minutes left in the game. Seeing the score gap narrow to just 1 point, Spoelstra quickly called a timeout.

After the timeout, the Heat replaced Big Z with Hasslem, and the game resumed.

James drove to the front court, made a quick stop and shot, scoring 2 points. The Pistons launched a fast counterattack, passing the ball to Zhou Yi, who used a crossover move to shake off James’s defense and immediately shot back, scoring 2 points. James became furious, his eyes filled with anger. He drove to the front court again and charged at Zhou Yi, knocking him to the ground, but the referee did not blow the whistle. After hitting Zhou Yi, James failed to control his momentum, causing Monroe, who was positioned in the three-second area, to stumble. Finally, the referee blew the whistle for an offensive foul.

James angrily rushed at the referee, arguing with him. But the referee immediately issued a technical foul against James, and the Pistons’ Gordon took to the free-throw line. Seeing that the referee really gave him a technical foul, James had no choice but to give up on further protests, knowing that the NBA had introduced a new policy—the “zero-tolerance policy.” He had indeed been a bit impulsive. As he walked away, he muttered to himself, though no one heard what he said.

The so-called “zero-tolerance policy” means that if players or coaches argue with referees over calls or use rude language or offensive gestures during a game, they will be penalized with a technical foul. This is the new NBA rule known as “zero tolerance.”

Since players often complain about referees’ calls, undermining their authority, the league has implemented this “zero-tolerance” policy this season to uphold referees’ authority. Specifically, players are not allowed to curse or insult referees after a call, raise their hands in protest, or make other gestures to express dissatisfaction with calls. This change means that arrogant players must respect and obey referees on the court, otherwise they will frequently receive technical fouls and fines from the league.

NBA Commissioner David Stern explained the league’s intention behind introducing this new rule: “In my 22 years as league commissioner, I have never seen a call changed because of players’ complaints. Players constantly complaining to referees only shows the world the less honorable side of these world’s best athletes.”

Gordon made his free throw, tying the score at 101. The Pistons still held the ball, with only one minute left in the game.

Madison passed the ball from the sideline; Zhou Yi asked James to catch it, then stepped forward to drive. Seeing Gordon open up, Zhou Yi instantly passed the ball to him. But just as the ball was about to reach Gordon’s hands, a figure intercepted it in front of him—It was Wade. Wade took the ball and dashed forward like lightning, reaching the basket. By then, Zhou Yi and Madison had already returned to defend under the basket. Wade used his signature “Dazzle Step” to slip past Zhou Yi and Madison, dunked with both hands, and also forced a foul on Madison. Kuster quickly called a long timeout, with 47.3 seconds left in the game. Zhou Yi wiped his sweat while listening attentively to Kuster’s tactical instructions. When the timeout ended, the players returned to the court. Wade made his free throw, and the Pistons received the ball at the baseline. After catching the ball, Zhou Yi took a deep breath, slowed down, and moved the ball forward. He scanned the area before passing it to Madison. Miller was defending Madison; the two had been good friends for years and had even played together on the Magic team. Madison grabbed the ball with one hand, feinted several times, putting his fake moves to the extreme, but Miller’s defense was formidable. Madison stepped back and jumped, and Miller quickly jumped as well. However, instead of shooting, Madison passed the ball steadily to Monroe. Monroe attempted a hook shot, but it bounced off the rim due to Bosh’s interference. Big Ben grabbed the offensive rebound and scored a putback. The Pistons were still down by 1 point, so Spoelstra called a timeout—both teams now had only one timeout left. Soon, the duo returned to the court. Miller passed the ball from the sideline; James caught it and found a good opportunity to pass to Bosh. Facing the inexperienced Monroe, Bosh hit a mid-range shot, giving the Heat a 3-point lead again, leaving the Pistons with 17.4 seconds left. Kuster called the team’s final timeout. After laying out the strategy, he whispered something in Zhou Yi’s ear. Zhou Yi gave Kuster a deep look, smiled knowingly, and followed his teammates onto the court. The Pistons struggled to get the ball from the sideline. After catching it, Zhou Yi tried to drive to create opportunities for his teammates. But the Heat’s defense had become much stronger. After much effort, they managed to pass the ball to Madison. Madison drove and passed to Gordon, who was waiting outside the three-point line. Gordon shot a three-pointer with precision.

All the fans in the arena, even the players, held their breath as Spoelstra and Kuster stood up at the same time from the coaching bench. It seemed as if time had stopped, as everyone quietly watched the basketball in the air. A swishing sound broke the silence. The fans’ expressions turned disappointed, but not desperate, because this only tied the score, and the Heat still had a chance.

Spoelstra used up the Heat’s last timeout, leaving them with 1.5 seconds left. James didn’t follow Spoelstra’s tactics but focused on Zhou Yi instead.

Back on the court, everyone, including the staff working on the court, paid close attention.

Miller sent in a corner shot, with Maddie standing in front of him, constantly interfering. James raised his eyebrows and gave Miller a look. Miller understood immediately and threw the ball hard toward the basket. At the same time, James broke free from Zhou Yi’s defense and rushed toward the basket. Everyone quickly grasped James’s intention, and rookie Monroe also jumped up as James leaped.

James caught the ball with his right hand and dunked it into the basket as everyone stared intently at him.

“Is that it? Are we losing like this?” Zhou Yi thought inwardly, filled with unwillingness.

Chapter 39: Don’t Mock the Poor Youth

Just as James was about to seal the win with an alley-oop dunk, the home fans stood up immediately, starting to cheer in celebration ahead of time.

But James didn’t dunk the ball, as a hand fiercely swatted it away. The owner of that hand was the Pistons’ rookie, Greg Monroe.

As James rushed toward the basket, Monroe, who was already there, quickly understood the coordination between James and Miller. So when James jumped, Monroe used his height and reach to block his dunk attempt.

At that moment, the final buzzer sounded, and the game went into overtime. Seeing this, Zhou Yi’s face lit up with joy as he let out a long sigh of relief.

James’s eyes seemed to blaze with anger. Being provoked repeatedly by a rookie—how could he not get angry? Chalmers stepped up to James and whispered, “LeBron, teach them a lesson.” James glanced at Chalmers, then turned and walked toward the bench. Chalmers shrugged and followed LeBron.

Zhou Yi and the others all felt as if they had survived a disaster, but they didn’t slack off in the slightest. They gathered around Koester, who patted Monroe on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Good job, kid!” The others echoed his words, leaving Monroe a bit embarrassed.

Soon, Koester’s expression turned serious as he said to the players, “In this game, you must give it your all. I’ve seen your efforts, so don’t let them go to waste. Strive for the final victory and show the other teams that Detroit is still a team of kings.”

Everyone nodded, their eyes filled with a desire for victory.

Overtime was about to begin, and both teams made some changes to their lineups. Heat: Juwan Howard, Haslem, James, Wade, and Arroyo; Pistons: Monroe, Wilcox, Daye, McGrady, and Zhou Yi.

In Koester’s eyes, Zhou Yi had become an essential part of the team. On the court, he could effectively coordinate the team’s offense—he was a standard playmaker with excellent defense as well.

The teams took a jump ball, and the Heat won possession. As soon as James got the ball, he launched a fierce attack. By now, he was completely enraged. Although it was just a preseason game, he treated it like a playoff match. First, he faced Daye’s defense and hit a quick stop-and-jump shot. Then he stole Zhou Yi’s pass, threw it to the front court, and Bosh leaped high to catch it and dunk. But that wasn’t the end. After McGrady’s three-point attempt missed, James grabbed a rebound in the backcourt and passed again. This time, Wade benefited—after receiving James’s pass, he shot from beyond the three-point line and scored. In the blink of an eye, the Heat scored a 7-0 run, forcing Koester to call a long timeout.

After the timeout, the Pistons’ situation hadn’t improved much. Aside from Daye hitting a open three-pointer, their other shots all missed. Meanwhile, although the Heat also missed a few shots, they still led the Pistons by 9 points. With only one minute and thirty seconds left in the game, the Pistons had little chance left.

But Koester didn’t give up. He substituted Daye out with Gordon and Wilcox with Prince, and the game continued.

Zhou Yi organized the attack. Prince came up to set a pick-and-roll for Zhou Yi, who broke free from defense and rushed toward the basket, while Prince also moved back toward it. Zhou Yi passed the ball to Prince, who instead of catching it, swiftly passed it to Gordon at the perimeter. At that moment, McGrady provided a brilliant screen for Gordon, who shot a three-pointer that went through the net.

To keep the game flowing, neither team called a timeout, allowing the players to play freely. Arroyo drove past half-court and passed the ball to James, who threw it high toward the basket in an attempt to complete a alley-oop with Bosh. Perhaps because the three stars had just come together and hadn’t developed much coordination yet, Bosh failed to catch the ball; it hit the backboard, and Prince secured the defensive rebound.

Prince passed the ball to Zhou Yi, who quickly advanced to the front court. Zhou Yi broke through Arroyo and crossed him before, with James rushing in to cover him. Zhou Yi feinted a shot and actually passed the ball to McGrady. McGrady took a jump shot, and the ball went in.

The Heat led by only 2 points, and the game entered its final seconds. James broke through and passed the ball to Bosh, who was completely open. But as if the basket was against Bosh that day, his mid-range shot missed. Monroe and Haslem fought for the rebound, with Haslem committing a foul, giving the Pistons the ball.

Zhou Yi drove with the ball and passed it to Monroe, who had no chance and passed it to the perimeter. McGrady shot from high up, but the ball bounced off the rim. Monroe jumped to rebound, but was blocked by Howard; the ball still fell into Monroe’s hands. Monroe tried another rebound, but was blocked by Haslem again. However, the two referees discussed it and ruled that the previous shot was a foul. Thus, the Pistons were once again tied with the Heat.

There were only 3.1 seconds left in the game, and the Heat had one last chance to score. Spoelstra didn’t call a timeout, nor did Kuster. The coaches, bench players, and even all the fans in the arena stood up, holding their breath as they watched the Heat’s final attempt.

The arena was completely silent; people could only hear their own heartbeat and the sound of the basketball hitting the ground. James rushed to the front court like lightning. One step away from the three-point line, he jumped high, releasing the ball. Prince rushed toward James but didn’t touch it. The ball spun in the air, tracing an ungraceful arc. At that moment, Zhou Yi’s eyes turned blood red as he stared intently at the ball.

With a whoosh, Zhou Yi’s heart trembled violently. His lips twitched, and a bitter feeling rose from deep within him. The referee’s whistle officially marked the end of this thrilling match, with the Heat narrowly winning 3 points against the Detroit Pistons. At first, the arena was dead silent, then it erupted into bursts of cheers and shouts. Fans were dancing wildly, with cries of “MVP” echoing continuously.

James walked up to Zhou Yi, said nothing, but gave him a look filled with mockery. James raised his hands and looked at the fans around him, as if he were a king overlooking the world.

McDyess approached Zhou Yi, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, “Hey, you did well. Although we lost in the end, we gave it our all. Don’t be discouraged; it’s completely normal. Next time, we’ll crush them. Hey, let’s go.”

Zhou Yi remained silent, neither angry nor discouraged. He understood that none of this mattered—only by becoming stronger and improving the team could people recognize him. To be honest, in the NBA, it’s all about strength.

Walking behind McDyess, Zhou Yi felt extremely conflicted. This was his first game in the NBA, and he had already suffered a loss. Though it was just a meaningless preseason game, the defeat still hit him hard.

“Fortunes change; don’t look down on the poor young man!”

Chapter 40: Back to Detroit

The Pistons players all had disappointed expressions as they followed Koester into the locker room. Once inside, Koester wasn’t angry but rather excited.

“Guys, you all performed extremely well. Don’t look at me like that—I’m not trying to comfort you. You know, you were playing against a team that’s aiming for the championship this season, and you pushed them into overtime. I have to praise you. We’re truly a rising force in the league. Believe me, this is my sincere opinion—you’re really great. Alright, keep working hard. We need to win the next game. Damn it, I can only say today was the Heat’s lucky day—they managed to score the game-winning shot. I bet that shot by James was just a random throw. He must have had God’s favor today, haha…” Koester joked with the players casually, not at all like someone who had just suffered a loss.

Listening to Kuster’s jokes, everyone was amused except Zhou Yi.
“In the next game, we’ll play at home against the Bucks—we must win,” Kuster said.
“Yeah, we definitely have to win,” the Pistons players said in unison.
Kuster took a stack of data from the assistant coach and began to summarize the game.
“I have some thoughts to share with you about this game. Relax, guys—it’s not like we’re handing down a judgment in court; it’s just about drawing some conclusions based on your performance.” Kuster paused before continuing, “In this game, our team’s shooting percentage was 46.5%, which is quite good. But believe me, you can do better. We did well from three-point range, with a shooting percentage close to 50%. Free throws weren’t great, at only 67.8%. As for rebounds, I’m satisfied—you grabbed 10 more than those guys, including 6 more offensive rebounds. Heh, I’ve said before that you have tremendous potential. Oh, let me check the assists—good heavens, our whole team gave out 30 assists! That’s amazing. You have great teamwork, and you also did well in steals and blocks, which shows your defense is excellent too. Now, I’ll talk about some areas that need improvement. First, we made too many mistakes—18 in total. Oh, God, 18 mistakes. I noticed that most of these were coordination-related issues, meaning there are serious problems with teamwork. But it’s not entirely your fault; after all, our team lineup has changed a lot this year, and it takes time to get together. As for fouls, I don’t want to say too much—think for yourselves about when fouls are necessary. I also have the Heat’s stats here, so let me share them with you.”

Kuster glanced at everyone and said, “Their team’s shooting percentage is higher than ours, at 48.9%. But when it comes to three-point shots, they’re not as good as us—actually, they’re far worse, at only 38%. In free throws, they perform better than us, with a shooting percentage of 89.6%. As for rebounds, I already mentioned that. In terms of assists, we’re much better than them—they only had 17 assists throughout the game, while we had almost twice as many. Hehe, in terms of steals and blocks, the numbers are pretty similar between the two teams, but that’s just based on statistics. You should understand what I mean. So from now on, everyone needs to work harder on defense. I won’t say anything else. Let’s pack up and head back to the hotel. We’ll rest there for a while before heading back to Detroit!”
After saying that, Kuster left the locker room. Everyone began packing their bags, while Zhou Yi stared blankly at Kuster, who had disappeared from sight.
“Hey, Zhou Yi, do you have time?” A clear and melodic voice reached Zhou Yi’s ears.
Zhou Yi looked up and saw Xiang Yun.
“I’m sorry, I’m not in the mood for an interview right now,” Zhou Yi replied weakly.
Xiang Yun giggled and said, “Who said I wanted to interview you? Stop being so pretentious.” Hearing Xiang Yun’s words, Zhou Yi tilted his chin and asked gloomily, “Then why did you look for me?”
“Nothing much. I just wanted to chat with you.”
“I’m not in the mood to chat either.”
“How can you be so easily discouraged? It’s just one lost game. We can win it back next time!” Xiang Yun pretended to be angry and scolded him.
Zhou Yi glanced at Xiang Yun and said, “I won’t be depressed just because of one lost game. I’m just thinking about other things.”
“Oh, so what are you thinking about?” Xiang Yun asked curiously.
“Hey, Zhou, we’re about to head back to the hotel. Hurry up and pack your things,” Bynum urged.
“Okay, I know.”
Zhou Yi stood up and said to Xiang Yun, “Alright, Xiang Yun. I don’t have much time. Let’s talk again next time!”
“Oh, fine! Then give me your phone number!”
Zhou Yi was momentarily stunned. After hesitating for a while, he nodded. The two exchanged their numbers, and then Xiang Yun left in a hurry.
……

On the way back to Detroit, Zhou Yi kept his eyes closed. In his mind, James’ words and gaze kept appearing. Zhou Yi gave a bitter smile and silently vowed to practice hard to make a name for himself in the NBA, never giving up easily.
Ever since he gave Xiang Yun his number, Zhou Yi had felt a strange sensation, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. Shaking his head, he started chatting with McGrady sitting next to him.
It wasn’t until evening that they returned to Detroit. When they arrived at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Karl was already waiting for Zhou Yi and Blake at the door.
“Hey, where’s Dad?” Karl asked Zhou Yi curiously, not seeing Blake.
“Oh, he hasn’t come back yet. At the end of the game, he said he needed to meet an acquaintance and wouldn’t be returning with us,” Zhou Yi explained.
Karl nodded and drove them home.
When they got home, Phoebe was sitting in the living room. Seeing Zhou Yi enter, she said happily, “Hi, Zhou Yi! You did an amazing job today.”
“Hehe, thanks! But we lost,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Phoebe fell silent, and the atmosphere became awkward. It was Karl who broke the silence, saying to them, “Since Dad will be back late, let’s have dinner first. I prepared a lot of delicious food today!”
…
After dinner, Blake finally returned home. Zhou Yi and the others were sitting in the living room chatting.
“Hey, Xiao Yi, do you know how outstanding you were today?” Blake, who had been on the go all day, spoke in a strong voice, showing no signs of fatigue.
Noticing no sign of joy on Zhou Yi’s face, Blake shrugged, sat down next to him, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, “I know it was your first NBA game. Losing naturally makes you feel bad, but we need to look at both the good and the bad sides.”
“Mm.”
“In this game, you scored 14 points, had 15 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Although you also made 3 turnovers and 4 fouls, that doesn’t overshadow your excellent performance. You’ve already made a great impression on the coaches. As long as you can maintain this level in future games, you’ll definitely get many opportunities to shine during the regular season,” Blake said cheerfully to comfort him.
“Really? Is everyone satisfied with my performance?”

“That’s obvious. Head coach Kuster told me after the game that he would give you more opportunities in the upcoming preseason games so you can seize them.”
Hearing Blake’s words, Zhou Yi felt a bit better.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be the headline in the Detroit News tomorrow. I bet on it,” Blake said with a smile.
Zhou Yi replied helplessly, “I really don’t want that.”
“There’s nothing you can do about it. You performed so well.”
“Uh, okay!”
“Haha…” Laughter echoed through the living room.
…
Lying in bed, Zhou Yi couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. What echoed in his mind wasn’t the loss of the game, but James’s words and that look in his eyes. Suddenly opening his eyes, Zhou Yi’s gaze shone brightly in the darkness, strikingly intense. “I’ll win it back!”
Chapter 41: Sincerity
The next day, Zhou Yi got up early. After having breakfast with Blake and the others, he went to the basketball court to practice. Although the team didn’t have any training requirements that day, Zhou Yi still wanted to improve his skills as quickly as possible.
Since playing against the Heat, Zhou Yi had become increasingly aware of the importance of physical strength. Before, he had only seen James’s impressive performance on TV and hadn’t thought it was that amazing. But after facing him in person, Zhou Yi understood just how formidable James was. James was one of the league’s most terrifying scoring machines, with unmatched skills in driving to the basket and drawing fouls. Thanks to his extraordinary explosive power and physical strength, he was almost always the king of 2+1 plays and driving dunks, boasting an astonishing field-goal percentage of 70.3% inside the paint!
Zhou Yi had studied that James’s post-up shooting ability wasn’t very strong, and his shooting percentage from the baseline was poor, but this didn’t affect his overall offensive game at all. Although James’s lateral movement wasn’t fast, his high basketball IQ and keen sense allowed him to block opponents’ cuts in real time. His explosive power, jumping ability, and long arms could also effectively disrupt opponents’ shots, though he seemed prone to being fooled—something Zhou Yi could clearly sense during their confrontations. James wasn’t very good at one-on-one defense, as he focused too much on offense and playmaking, sometimes failing to stay closely attached to top-tier swingman scorers. Compared to one-on-one defense, James was better at helping defense, with his aggressive rebounding and good coordination with teammates enabling him to help the team build a strong zone defense system.

Zhou Yi was best at organizing and coordinating, so he could always provide his teammates with a steady supply of “ammunition.” Thinking about how several free throws had missed during the game, Zhou Yi chuckled lightly and began practicing free throws.

At that moment, a graceful figure appeared in his sight.
“Zhou Yi, do you have time?” Phoebe asked softly.
Zhou Yi, holding the ball in one hand, looked at Phoebe and nodded. Seeing this, a smile appeared on Phoebe’s face. The two sat on chairs by the basketball court, and Phoebe handed Zhou Yi a bottle of drink.
“Thank you,” Zhou Yi said as he took the drink.
Phoebe gazed intently at the boy she deeply loved, feeling an inexplicable pain in her heart.
“I’m going back to school tomorrow. It will probably be a long time before I can come back,” Phoebe said casually.
Zhou Yi frowned slightly, turned to look at her, and smiled, saying, “Hmm, study hard over there. Also, take care of yourself. If anything happens, just call us.”
“Okay, I know. You too, take care here, especially when playing basketball. By the way, has your injury from last time healed?” Phoebe asked concerningly, looking at the scar on Zhou Yi’s forehead.
Zhou Yi chuckled and said, “It’s much better now. Don’t worry. Hehe…”
“Only you can still laugh. Be careful with the wound; it could get infected if not taken care of.”
“Don’t worry, I know.”
“Actually, I have a lot to tell you,” Phoebe said in a low voice as if only the two of them could hear.
“Oh? What is it?”
Phoebe’s face turned red as she stammered, “Ever since you got injured for me that day, I’ve thought a lot. Before I met you, I was just a child who hadn’t grown up yet—ignorant, willful, and not knowing how to understand others. But since that day, I feel like I’ve changed. It’s not a huge change, but I can still feel it. I used to like other boys too…”
“Phoebe…”

“Hehe, let me finish speaking. I used to like other boys too, but it was only after meeting you that I understood what true affection really means. From the first moment I saw you, I felt a good impression of you. As we spent more time together, I got to know you better. You’re very innocent, hehe. Although I’m younger than you, you’re truly the most innocent person I’ve met among your age group. You’re also very understanding, know how to respect others, and are extremely polite. In short, you’re the best boy I’ve ever met. What makes me like you even more is that you can play basketball and even made it to the NBA—did you know that? My dream since I was little has been to make it to the WNBA, so when I heard you made it to the NBA, my feelings for you grew even stronger. I really thought at that moment that you were a gift from God. Hehe, that’s exactly what I thought. During the days we trained together, I noticed that you were completely different on the basketball court compared to your usual personality. Usually, you act like a ‘good boy,’ but on the court, you change—becoming cold, violent, unyielding, and fearless, which really attracted me.”

Zhou Yi listened quietly as Phoebe spoke, frowning at times and letting out a sigh at others. He smiled bitterly inwardly, turned to Phoebe, and said, “I’m very grateful for your warm care during my time at your home. Actually, you’re a great girl. Although you can be a bit willful sometimes, which girl your age isn’t? It’s normal. I really like you, but I’ve always treated you as a sister, so I’m sorry.”

As soon as Zhou Yi said these words, he regretted them. To his surprise, Phoebe wasn’t angry. Instead, she smiled and said, “Hehe, being a sister isn’t bad either. But one day you’ll change your mind. I’ll wait for you. I’ll wait until you change your heart.”

“Phoebe, you…”

“Hehe, it’s okay. I’m only 16 after all; I have plenty of time. You don’t have to like me, but you can’t stop me from liking you, right? Hehe, go train. I have some things to do, so I won’t disturb you anymore.”

After saying that, Phoebe stood up and walked away from the basketball court. Zhou Yi stared blankly at her retreating figure and sighed. Suddenly, a voice appeared in his mind: “One day, you’ll fall in love with me.” It was clearly Xia Tingting’s voice.

Zhou Yi stood up in confusion, holding the basketball in his hand. He walked to beyond the three-point line and threw the ball casually; it traced a beautiful arc through the air, missing all three targets.
“Sigh, what the hell is going on?” After grabbing the ball, Zhou Yi threw it hard onto the ground, picked up his clothes, and left the basketball court.
After leaving the court, Zhou Yi went to the gym. But no matter how hard he trained, those three beautiful figures kept floating in his mind. Giving up, he returned to his bedroom, lay down on the bed, buried his head under the covers, and closed his eyes, trying not to think about matters related to relationships. But it was all in vain; he just couldn’t get over it. With no other choice, he turned on his computer, found a movie he had wanted to watch for a long time, and lay down to watch it.
As he watched, his eyes grew heavy. Before he knew it, he fell asleep, the sounds from the movie filling the room.
Chapter 42: Jessica Goes Wild
When Zhou Yi woke up, it was already night. While he was sleeping, Carl came to knock on his bedroom door, but Zhou Yi didn’t wake up. He casually took out his phone to check the time and found as many as 10 missed calls, all from Carl. Checking the time, he realized it was already past 7 p.m. He had slept from around 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.—he couldn’t help but admire his own ability to sleep so long.
Zhou Yi quickly got up, saw that the computer was still running, so he shut it down right away, washed up, and headed downstairs. Carl, sitting in the living room, jumped up in surprise when he saw Zhou Yi.
“Hey, Zhou, you weren’t staying in your bedroom the whole time, were you?”
Zhou Yi scratched his head and replied sheepishly, “Yeah, sorry. I must have been too tired and fell asleep. I didn’t hear the phone.”
“Okay, okay. It’s good as long as you’re fine. At noon, I tried to call you to eat, but there was no response when I knocked on your door. So I thought you weren’t in the bedroom and had gone out to train. But we couldn’t find you at the basketball court or the gym, so we called you urgently, but no one answered. We were really worried, thinking something might have happened to you. Later, we called your dad. Dad said you’d be fine and told us not to worry.” Carl explained what had happened, and Zhou Yi’s embarrassment grew as he listened.
Seeming to notice Zhou Yi’s discomfort, Phoebe quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, you’re going back to school tomorrow. Have you packed all your things?” Zhou Yi asked.
“There’s not much to pack; everything is at school.”
“Hmm, then be careful over there. If anything happens, remember to let us know,” Zhou Yi said concernfully.
Hearing this, Phoebe smiled, feeling a warm current flow through her body, warming her whole being.
“By the way, where’s Uncle Blake?” Zhou Yi asked curiously, as he still hadn’t seen Blake despite it being late.
“Oh, the company is too busy today. Dad has to work overtime and might not come back at all,” Carl explained.
Zhou Yi nodded. Suddenly, a “gurgle” sound came to the three of them. Phoebe and Carl immediately turned their attention to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi’s face turned red as he scratched his head awkwardly and said with a wry smile, “I only had breakfast today and still haven’t eaten anything yet, hehe…”
Phoebe covered her mouth and laughed. Carl couldn’t help but laugh too and said to Zhou Yi, “Alright, dinner is ready. Dad probably won’t be back, so he told us to eat first without waiting for him. Let’s eat!”
Zhou Yi followed them awkwardly into the dining room. He thought to himself that he had never felt so embarrassed before and sighed inwardly before sitting next to Phoebe.
Seeing Zhou Yi’s red face, Phoebe laughed again. Carl glared at her, and she stopped laughing. Phoebe looked at Zhou Yi and said, “I didn’t expect you to be this humorous.”
Zhou Yi gave a sheepish smile, remained silent, and lowered his head to eat his food.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. You guys better not miss me, or else you’ll give me an excuse to come back and find you,” Phoebe joked.
Carl rolled his eyes at her and replied, “Don’t worry, we won’t give you that excuse.” Then he continued eating his food with relish.
Phoebe didn’t take Carl’s words too seriously. She tilted her head and stared at Zhou Yi, saying, “Hey, I won’t be back for so long. Will you miss me?”
“Of course, I’ll miss you,” Zhou Yi replied while drinking red wine.
“Hehe, I knew it. My character is still pretty good,” Phoebe said with a giggle.
“Stop it. Xiao Yi is just comforting you because he’s afraid you can’t handle the shock. Once you’re gone, things will be much quieter for us!”
“You… fine, I won’t argue with you. Are you guys going to see me off tomorrow?”

Zhou Yi shook his head, took a sip of red wine, and said, “I’m afraid I don’t have time. I have to train with the team tomorrow.” Hearing this, Phoebe looked a bit disappointed. But soon, she smiled again.
“It’s okay. You should train hard and strive to make a name for yourself in the NBA. I’ll watch every one of your games at school and cheer for you.”
“Thank you. I will,” Zhou Yi said with a smile.
The three of them chatted for a while after dinner, then went back to their rooms.
The next morning, after breakfast, Carl took Phoebe to school, while Zhou Yi hailed a taxi to the Auburn Hills Palace of Auburn Hills. It wasn’t long before he arrived at the gym, where there weren’t many people. Some of the staff recognized Zhou Yi, so he didn’t encounter any obstacles and quickly made his way to the training court.
After changing clothes in the locker room, Zhou Yi took a basketball and went onto the court to practice. Before long, a graceful figure with golden hair appeared on the court. Concentrated on practicing, Zhou Yi didn’t notice her arrival.
It was Jessica, whom he had met before. She walked lazily to a seat on the sidelines and watched Zhou Yi practice.
After a while, Jessica grew impatient and called out to him with a smile, “Hey, Zhou.”
Zhou Yi turned around and saw Jessica, looking surprised. He asked, “Are you calling me?”
“Of course. Is there anyone else here? You can’t have forgotten me, can you?” Jessica frowned and stared at him intently, making him shiver.
Zhou Yi really couldn’t remember who this beautiful woman was. He shook his head and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I really don’t remember you. Have we met before?”
Jessica wanted to slam this guy like a basketball into the hoop. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, “We met on the first day of training camp, when you came to the team scrimmage.”
Zhou Yi lowered his head and thought for a while before finally remembering who she was.
“You’re Jessica, part of the team’s medical staff, in charge of the players’ health. Am I right?” Zhou Yi tapped his forehead, as if realizing something suddenly.
“Hmph, finally remembered? How could you forget someone as beautiful as me? Hmph…” Jessica snapped.

Zhou Yi walked over to Jessica and said apologetically, “I’ve been busy with training and competitions these days and didn’t remember you. I’m really sorry; it wasn’t intentional.”
“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to. I saw you were so focused during training and didn’t want to disturb you. But a couple of days ago, the head coach told me you have an injury on your head, so I wanted to check if you’re okay,” Jessica said in a slightly serious tone, showing concern.
Hearing this, Zhou Yi touched the scar on his head and smiled, “It should be fine. Thanks for your concern.”
Jessica slowly approached Zhou Yi, glanced at the scar on his forehead, and gently touched it, saying, “Hmm, it’s not serious, but you still need to be careful not to get an infection.”
Being so close to Jessica, Zhou Yi felt a bit short of breath. He swallowed hard and replied slowly, “Okay, I understand.”
“Alright, go back to training. I have things to do, so I’m leaving first.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
Watching her gradually walk away, Zhou Yi felt relieved. Jessica was also beautiful, with a tall stature and an exceptionally pretty appearance. Her face could rival any man’s dream girl, especially paired with her golden hair, which made her look insanely beautiful. However, Jessica clearly seemed cold toward others. Having been so close to her and having her touch his forehead, Zhou Yi naturally felt a lot of pressure.
Just as Jessica left the court, Zhou Yi turned around to continue training. Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind.
“If you still can’t remember me next time, I wouldn’t mind leaving you with a lasting impression.” Hearing this, Zhou Yi shuddered and slowly turned around to face Jessica’s murderous gaze.
Jessica snorted and turned away.
Chapter 43: Xiang Yun’s Invitation
Hearing Jessica’s warning, Zhou Yi stood frozen in place. The basketball in his hand slipped and hit the floor with a thud. Thinking about her warning, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow, thinking to himself, “This woman is really hard to deal with. I guess I’d better stay away from her from now on.”
Zhou Yi picked up the basketball and continued his training. About an hour later, two people entered the training ground. Upon closer look, it was Monroe and White. Zhou Yi smiled and greeted them, and they responded politely.

Speaking of which, Zhou Yi and the other two are rookies this year. Monroe is the seventh pick in the first round this year and has a bright future ahead. ESPN draft expert Ford once described Monroe as “the kind of center who appears once every 20 years.” Perhaps Ford was exaggerating a bit, but it’s clear that Monroe has considerable talent. For the Pistons, whose interior defense is relatively weak, Monroe might gradually become the backbone of their front line. White, on the other hand, is a rookie selected sixth in the second round this year and is Zhou Yi’s biggest competitor. However, based on previous training camps and the first preseason game, White is at a clear disadvantage in this competition. Still, anything can happen—whether Zhou Yi can stand out ultimately depends on fate.

After changing into their uniforms in the locker room, the two quickly went to the court to start training. The three worked hard on the court, sweating profusely without any laziness, as they were still rookies. In a team, rookies must train diligently to earn the coaches’ favor and gain more opportunities.

It took some time before more players arrived at the training court. It was not until about three hours later that all the Pistons players were present.

After changing into their uniforms, the players stood neatly in front of Koost, waiting for training to begin. Koost smiled at the energetic and passionate players before him and said happily, “There aren’t many requirements for today’s training. Just train seriously. No scrimmages—train freely.”

Everyone let out a sigh of relief and started training freely with their basketballs. Just as Zhou Yi was about to return to the court with his basketball, Koost’s voice called out.

“Zhou, come here for a moment. I need to discuss something with you.” Hearing this, Zhou Yi frowned slightly and quickly walked over to Koost.

“Your injury on your head should be fine now, right?” Koost asked concerningly.

Zhou Yi paused for a moment before nodding and answering, “Yeah, it’s healed. Thank you for your concern, coach.”

“That’s good. I plan to have you start in tomorrow’s game. Is that okay?” Koost’s eyes were filled with expectation as he patted Zhou Yi’s shoulder and smiled.

Hearing Koost’s words, Zhou Yi was overjoyed inside, but he didn’t show it too much. Instead, he asked curiously, “Coach, why do you want me to start? Was Rodney seriously injured in the last game?”

“Well, Rodney is indeed not feeling well, so he probably won’t play in the next game. But that’s just one reason,” said Kuster while watching the players train on the court.
“What other reasons are there?”
“You performed very well in the last game, which surprised the coaching staff. Right now, the team is lacking a competent point guard, and your presence could fill that gap nicely. As long as you can maintain that strong performance in the upcoming preseason games, we’d be happy to give you more opportunities in the regular season—maybe even make you the starting point guard.”
“Well, I’ll definitely try my best and not disappoint the coach,” Zhou Yi replied firmly.
Kuster nodded and smiled, saying, “Heh, go train then!”
Zhou Yi threw himself into training with great enthusiasm. To secure more opportunities, he needed to put in more effort than usual.
Before long, training came to an end. Kuster gathered the players together, spoke about the upcoming game and gave some words of encouragement, then announced that today’s training was over.
The players returned to the locker room to pack up and head home. As Zhou Yi was getting ready to leave, his phone rang. He checked it—it was Xiang Yun calling.
Frowning slightly, he answered the call. Xiang Yun’s clear and loud voice came through.
“Hello, Zhou Yi. Do you have time?”
“Yes, I do. What’s up? Are you trying to interview me again?” Zhou Yi joked.
“Interview you? Even Huang Shiren isn’t like you—never letting people rest!” Xiang Yun replied angrily.
Hearing this, Zhou Yi laughed and asked, “Then why are you calling me?”
“I’m inviting you out for dinner. I don’t have any close friends here, so I thought you’d be a nice company. Will you come?” Xiang Yun asked eagerly.
“Sure, how could I not? Where?”
After agreeing on a time and place, Xiang Yun hung up. Zhou Yi quickly packed his things and then called Karl to tell him he wouldn’t be having dinner at home and would be returning later.
Leaving the gym, Zhou Yi hailed a taxi, gave the driver the address, and the car rushed toward their agreed location. Soon, he arrived at his destination.

Zhou Yi glanced around several times before entering the hotel where the two had arranged to meet. According to Xiang Yun, the hotel was owned by a local overseas Chinese, and most of the staff were Chinese students. As soon as Zhou Yi entered the hotel, a waiter came up to him. The waiter asked if his surname was Zhou, and when Zhou Yi nodded, the waiter immediately led him to a certain place. Looking closely, Zhou Yi saw a woman sitting at a table ahead—by her back, it was clearly Xiang Yun.

Xiang Yun had a slender figure, long hair cascading down like a waterfall, and a delicate face. Wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, she looked incredibly fresh and attractive, with perfectly proportioned limbs. She also exuded a hint of cleverness. Especially her long legs, tightly wrapped in jeans, showed off their curves, full of youthful vitality—no wonder she became a journalist.

Zhou Yi went up to Xiang Yun, sent the waiter away, and sat down in front of her. Xiang Yun glanced at him and smiled, saying, “You came pretty fast. Were you eager to see me, so you rushed over?”

Hearing this, Zhou Yi’s face lit up, then he rolled his eyes and said, “I’ve seen narcissists before, but never one at your level.”

“That’s because you didn’t see me earlier,” she said, taking a sip of green tea before asking Zhou Yi, “So, what do you want to eat? The Chinese food here is great, including some simple home-style dishes. I’ll treat you today as a host should!”

Because of what Kuster had said to him that day, plus his strong rapport with Xiang Yun, Zhou Yi was in high spirits. He smiled and replied, “Then I won’t be polite.”

The two ordered many dishes and indulged in eating without caring about appearances. During that time, many people recognized Zhou Yi—after all, he had performed exceptionally well in the preseason game against the Heat. Even Pistons fans and some locals who weren’t into basketball smiled at him, making him seem very approachable.

Xiang Yun said to Zhou Yi with a smile, “Not bad! Everyone’s competing to get your autograph. Sigh, why is no one interested in me, a little journalist?”

Hearing Xiang Yun’s words, Zhou Yi was speechless. After a while, sensing that there were more and more fans around, the two quickly ended their meal and left the hotel at top speed.

“Do you want me to take you home?” Zhou Yi asked, glancing at Xiang Yun.

Xiang Yun shook her head and smiled, “No need. You should go back early too; it’s almost ten o’clock now. My place is very close from here; it won’t take more than twenty minutes to walk back.”
“Alright then, be careful,” Zhou Yi said with a smile.
“Mm, you too, be careful. Well, bye then.”
“Bye.”
As he watched Xiang Yun walk away, Zhou Yi suddenly called out to her. Xiang Yun turned around and asked with a smile, “What is it? Haven’t I gone far yet, and you already miss me?”
Hearing this, Zhou Yi was speechless for a moment before responding with a smile, “Thank you for the dinner. I had a great time!”
Xiang Yun didn’t say anything. She turned around, waved at Zhou Yi, and then left.
Zhou Yi also turned around and walked in the opposite direction, looking up at the starry sky. In the darkness of the night, the little stars twinkled playfully, soft and enchanting.

Chapter 44: Milwaukee Attacks

The Auburn Hills Palace is the home arena of the Detroit Pistons.
Completed and put into use on August 13, 1988, it cost 70 million dollars—more than the famous “Great Western Forum,” the home of the Los Angeles Lakers at the time. The Auburn Hills Palace now has 22,076 seats, 180 luxury boxes, and 1,000 club member seats, including three restaurants owned by the palace. Located 80 kilometers away from downtown Detroit, it is the home arena of the NBA’s 30 teams that is farthest from the city center.
The Auburn Hills Palace is also one of the notorious “hell arenas” in the NBA. It not only witnessed the peak era of the “Bad Boys” led by Isiah Thomas but also helped the new “Bad Boys” squad defeat the Lakers’ F4 powerhouse lineup in 2004, leading to the collapse of the Lakers’ OK duo and securing an unexpected NBA championship for the 2003–2004 season. The arena gained further notoriety due to a violent brawl on November 19, 2004, and threatening phone calls in March 2005.
At this moment, the Auburn Hills Palace was packed to capacity, with fans even sitting in the aisles. The Pistons’ first preseason home game of the 2010–2011 season was about to begin, with the Milwaukee Bucks as the visiting team. The players from both sides were warming up on the court.
After a while, the referee signaled the starting players to come to the center court, signaling that the game was about to start.

Zhou Yi started as the Pistons’ point guard in this game, facing off against the league’s rising star, Brandon Jennings. Pistons fans were surprised by this decision, but after learning about Zhou Yi’s outstanding performance in his last game, they didn’t express much dissatisfaction—after all, in the NBA, strength speaks loudest.

The starting lineups were as follows:
Pistons: Big Ben, Monroe, Prince, Hamilton, and Zhou Yi; Bucks: Andrew Bogut, Luke Richard Bamforth, John Salmons, Carlos Delphino, and Brandon Jennings.

Bogut and Big Ben took a jump ball to kick off the game. Prince got the ball and passed it to Zhou Yi to orchestrate the offense. Halfway through the first quarter, Zhou Yi quickly passed to Hamilton, who attempted a jump shot but missed; Bogut grabbed the rebound. He passed it to Jennings, who drove fast and quickly reached beyond the three-point line. Zhou Yi guarded closely, and Jennings feinted before being stripped by Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi then launched a fast break, and Monroe, after receiving a long pass from Zhou Yi, dunked right at the basket.

Jennings took a deep breath and slowly regained his rhythm. After advancing to the middle of the court, he immediately passed the ball to Salmons. Jennings broke away from Zhou Yi, rushed to the basket, and scored after receiving a pass from Salmons.

Zhou Yi controlled the ball calmly, having gathered a lot of information from his research on the Bucks. Jennings was fast, highly athletic, and possessed solid point guard skills, with a natural understanding of the position—he knew how to both drive to the basket and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He had a wide field of vision and strong passing ability, enabling his teammates to perform better.

However, Jennings also had some weaknesses. His physical strength was limited, and his driving efficiency was not high, putting him at a slight disadvantage compared to Zhou Yi. Although Zhou Yi wasn’t much stronger than Jennings, he still had an edge when facing him one-on-one.

After moving to the front court, Zhou Yi didn’t rush to pass but chose to drive hard. He knew full well how to exploit Jennings’ weaknesses. Zhou Yi broke through Jennings at high speed, with Jennings guarding tightly. Zhou Yi pushed past Jennings and passed to Prince, who then passed to Big Ben. Big Ben tried to drive to the basket against Bogut but was pushed out of bounds by Bogut, giving the ball back to the Pistons.

Prince took the shot from the baseline, leaving the Pistons with little time to organize an attack. After receiving the ball, Zhou Yi shot straight up, and the ball swished through the net. On the other side, Jennings assisted Salmons in scoring a 2-point shot. Zhou Yi moved quickly and coordinated skillfully with Prince, who caught the pass and drove to the basket for a successful shot. In the following period, both teams’ shooting percentages only increased rather than decreased. After Jennings forced a foul on Zhou Yi, Koostert called a timeout; at that point, the score was 12:10, with the Bucks leading by 2 points. Koostert harshly pointed out the Pistons’ poor defense and urged the players to improve it. Seeing the anger on Koostert’s face, several players nodded meekly. Neither team made any lineup changes. Back on the court, Jennings took to the free-throw line and made both shots. Monroe took the shot from the baseline, and after receiving the ball, Zhou Yi slowly moved forward. After Koostert’s stern reprimand, the Pistons’ defense improved significantly in the next few minutes. Prince and Hamilton combined to deliver an 8-0 run, while the Bucks missed four shots in a row. The Pistons seized the opportunity again and widened the score gap. By the time the Bucks’ head coach Scott Skiles called a timeout, the Pistons were already leading by 10 points, 24:14. During Zhou Yi’s time on the court, he didn’t contribute much to the team, scoring only 2 points, providing 3 assists, along with 1 turnover and 1 foul. With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, Koostert substituted Zhou Yi out for Bynum, Hamilton for McGrady, Prince for Gordon, Big Ben for Wilcox, and Monroe for Monroe. The Bucks also switched to their all-reserve lineup: Corey Maggette replaced Salmons, Kenyon Duren replaced Jennings, Eisen Iliasova replaced Bamut, and Larry Sanders replaced Bogut. The Bucks gained possession; after receiving the ball, Duren drove past Bynum and passed to Iliasova, who easily scored by driving to the basket. Bynum launched a counterattack and assisted McGrady in hitting a three-pointer from close range. The Bucks weren’t to be outdone either; Maggette forced Gordon into a tough shot, which he converted with a turnaround jump shot. Both teams intensified their defense. After Gordon missed a three-pointer, Sanders grabbed a rebound and passed it to Maggette. After Maggette missed a last-second three-pointer, the first quarter ended with the Bucks trailing by 8 points, 21:29.

At the start of the second quarter, Durrin assisted Maggetti in hitting a three-pointer. McGrady assisted Daye, who responded with a three of his own. Barmot’s jump shot from deep missed, and Wilcox grabbed the rebound and passed it to Bynum. Acting like a small cannon, Bynum charged into the Bucks’ paint, dodged defenders, and managed to score after a tough layup. Seeing Bynum score with a spin move, Zhou Yi sitting on the sidelines immediately smiled. Then it was Bynum again—he first stole Durrin’s pass and quickly rushed to the opponent’s basket, but this time he wasn’t reckless. After drawing defenders, he passed the ball to Wilcox, who was open, who immediately hit a jump shot. When 8 minutes remained in the game, an official timeout was called.

Chapter 45: Unlimited Shooting Rights

After the timeout, play resumed with no changes to either team’s lineups. Bynum drove with the ball, got past Durrin’s defense, and hit a jump shot. Durrin controlled the ball and passed it to Maggetti, who suddenly accelerated down the baseline and scored a layup. On the Pistons’ side, they started focusing on the paint. Wilcox received a pass from Bynum and hit a hook shot. After that, Wilcox blocked Iliašova’s layup and passed the ball to Bynum, who quickly passed it to McGrady, who drained a three-pointer from beyond the arc. The Bucks gradually couldn’t withstand the Pistons’ fierce attack, and the score gap widened to 15 points.

But Skiles didn’t call a timeout. He frowned, glanced at Kuster, and then turned his attention back to the court. Maggetti proved to be a powerful scorer, earning 5 points through shots and free throws. Then he stole Bynum’s pass and assisted Durrin in scoring a layup, shrinking the 15-point gap to 8 points in no time. Bynum’s fast-break layup missed, and Wilcox grabbed the offensive rebound and immediately passed it to Daye on the perimeter. After receiving the ball, Daye tried to shoot a three-pointer but missed. During the rebound scramble, Iliašova knocked the ball out of bounds. Daye sent a baseline pass, and Bynum caught it, cut through the crowd, and scored a reverse layup.

At this point, Skiles finally couldn’t sit still. With 6 minutes left in the first half, he called a long timeout.

If Skiles didn’t call a timeout, Cooster would have called one immediately to bring in the starting players. Zhou Yi returned to the court, along with D’Antoni, Monroe, Prince, and Maddie. The Bucks also basically went with their starters: Jennings, Bogut, Bamut, Salmons, and Maggetti.

The game resumed, with the Bucks in possession. Jennings drove to the basket and passed to Salmons. After catching the ball, Salmons attempted a mid-range jump shot, but was blocked by Maddie who rushed in from the side. Still, it was the Bucks’ turn. Bogut faced up to D’Antoni, used his height advantage, and scored with a hook shot.

Next, with Bogut, Jennings, and Maggetti working together, they scored a 17-2 run, taking the lead. Cooster stood up from his seat, resting one hand on his chin, deep in thought. The Pistons were completely in trouble, with no one able to step up.

The Bucks expanded their lead to 10 points. During this time, only D’Antoni scored 2 points for the Pistons via free throws. As the gap grew larger, Cooster grew anxious and immediately called a timeout. He gathered the players together, scolded them first, then explained some tactical plays, glancing at Zhou Yi meaningfully as he spoke.

The players quickly returned to the court. As Zhou Yi stepped onto the court, Cooster called him over and whispered something in his ear. Zhou Yi listened, his face showing suspicion, then nodded and returned to the court.

With 2.5 minutes left in the first half, the score was 53-43, with the Pistons trailing by 10 points. After receiving a sideline pass from Prince, Zhou Yi rushed toward the opponent’s basket like lightning. Jennings naturally wouldn’t let Zhou Yi enter the paint and stayed close to him. But Zhou Yi had an advantage in physical strength; he turned and scored with a backjump shot.

Jennings was frustrated. The opponent wasn’t much stronger than him, yet he couldn’t overpower him. Disappointed, Jennings dribbled to the half-court, forced his way past Zhou Yi, and attempted a step-back jump shot, but was blocked by Zhou Yi. Fortunately, Salmons grabbed the ball and passed it to Bogut. Bogut’s jump shot in the paint missed, and D’Antoni secured the defensive rebound. He quickly passed it to Zhou Yi, who drove fast, fumbled the pass, and passed it to Monroe, who dunked over Bamut with a powerful one-handed slam.

Seeing the Pistons closing the score gap, Salmons glanced at the 24-second timer and passed the ball to Bogut, who was waiting inside for the ball. Bogut turned to take a float shot but was disturbed by Big Ben and missed. Prince grabbed the rebound and passed it to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi took a deep breath, steadied himself, moved to the front court, and passed the ball to McGrady. McGrady feinted, then shot directly at Salmons; the ball spun several times around the rim before reluctantly going in.

By then, the Pistons had scored a 6-0 run, narrowing the deficit to just 4 points. With 35.2 seconds left, the Bucks organized an attack, with Jennings in control of the ball. He used a fake move to trick Zhou Yi into jumping, then immediately took a shooting attempt. The referee called a defensive foul on Zhou Yi, fortunately as Jennings’s shot missed. Jennings made one out of two free throws, but the Bucks secured an offensive rebound. Bogut passed the ball to Salmons on the outside; Salmons was completely open. He glanced briefly, then attempted a three-pointer, but it still missed despite his aim. McGrady grabbed the defensive rebound and quickly passed it to Zhou Yi, who launched a fast break. The Bucks players quickly defended, but the Pistons had a three-on-one advantage. Eventually, Monroe caught McGrady’s clever pass and scored by puttingback the ball. With this attack completed, the first half of the game ended.

During the break, Zhou Yi was interviewed by Xiang Yun. This time, Xiang Yun conducted the interview seriously, without any of his usual mischief. Zhou Yi cooperated fully, and the interview went smoothly. After the interview, Zhou Yi chatted with Xiang Yun for a while before returning to the court. The game would start in a few minutes, and Zhou Yi sat on the bench, looking at the enthusiastic fans. Koostert sat down next to Zhou Yi and said with a smile, “What I said just now—it seems you still haven’t understood.”

Zhou Yi gave a wry smile and said awkwardly, “After all, I’m just a rookie. If I compete with the veterans for shooting opportunities, it will definitely cause controversy.”

“On the basketball court, such things don’t matter. As long as you have the ability, no one will criticize you. By stepping onto the court, it means you have unlimited shooting rights in that situation,” Koostert said in a low voice to Zhou Yi.

Hearing Kuster’s words, Zhou Yi’s face was filled with shock. He never expected Kuster to speak to him so bluntly—this clearly showed Kuster’s, no, the coaching staff’s, trust in him. Zhou Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said in a low voice, “Okay, I’ll do my best to complete the task you’ve assigned me.”

Kuster nodded and smiled, “I and the assistant coaches all believe in your abilities. Your organizational and coordination skills are well-known to everyone. Now let’s see your offensive tactics. Don’t disappoint us!”

“Mm.”

“Alright, the game is about to start. Go out there!” he said to Zhou Yi.

With mixed feelings, Zhou Yi walked onto the court and glanced at Kuster, who gave him a gentle nod. Zhou Yi slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his dark pupils sparkled with an unusual light. He clenched his fists tightly; it was as if a giant hand inside him was dispelling the fog of hesitation and modesty, lighting up his heart with a ray of light.

Chapter 46: A Strong Start

With Kuster’s approval, Zhou Yi was extremely active in the second half. Within the first two minutes, he kept scoring by attacking Jennings alone or passing to teammates for points. Jennings not only failed to defend Zhou Yi but also committed two fouls. Out of desperation, Skiles quickly assigned the shorter Earl Boekens to guard Zhou Yi, hoping to use his speed advantage to contain him.

But it seemed as if Zhou Yi had some superpower—no matter how Boekens tried to defend him, Zhou Yi could always find a way to score either by himself or by assisting teammates. In no time, the Bucks’ lead vanished, and the Pistons regained a 5-point advantage.

Watching the situation on the court, Kuster nodded in satisfaction, then went over to sit with the assistant coaches, discussing something with a smile on his face.

Suddenly, Zhou Yi stepped back and passed the ball to Monroe. Unfortunately, Monroe was too deep in position and had no chance to attack. So Monroe passed the ball to the outside again. After catching it, Zhou Yi shot a three-pointer despite Boekens’ defense. With a swish, the basketball went through the net. Zhou Yi excitedly high-fived his teammates before returning to defend.

Maggetti wasn’t willing to stay inactive on the court. First, he scored a three-pointer after receiving a pass from Bogues from outside the arc. Then, after Monroe’s layup missed, he grabbed a defensive rebound and drove to the opponent’s paint to score. Maddie watched in frustration as Maggetti kept scoring despite being under his defense. In a fit of anger, he scored 8 points in a row, helping the Pistons widen their lead to over 10 points.

Bogues used his small size and speed to dodge Zhou Yi’s defense and attempt a layup, but missed. Bogut grabbed an offensive rebound and tried to layup, only to be blocked by Prince from behind. After grabbing a defensive rebound, Prince passed it to Maddie. Maddie quickly passed it back to Zhou Yi, who drove with the ball and hit a quick stop-and-shoot.

On the Bucks’ side, Bogut scored 2 points with strong interior attacks. As Bogut quickly accumulated two fouls, Iliaševič came in to replace him with 8:33 left in the third quarter. However, Iliaševič performed mediocrely and didn’t provide much help to the Bucks. Big Ben and Monroe dominated the Bucks’ interior, scoring 8 points in a row. The Bucks were already 15 points behind the Pistons. Bogues stole Zhou Yi’s pass, rushed to the basket, and scored a three-pointer that firmly went through the net. This three-pointer acted like a boost, giving the Bucks a huge morale boost. Maggetti and Salmons’ frontcourt duo started to take control, with Barmot delivering an impressive performance of scoring 6 points in a row.

Kuster used a timeout to replace Zhou Yi, Big Ben, and Maddie with Bynum, Gordon, Wilcox, and others. However, Prince’s consecutive two three-pointers quickly doused the Bucks’ offensive fire. For most of the third quarter, the Pistons held a lead, though it was only around 5 points. By the end of the third quarter, Maddie’s jump shot helped the Pistons take a 10-point lead, 70-60.

In the final quarter, Jennings still didn’t play due to a foul problem. The Bucks’ lineup was Bogut, Dulin, Iliaševič, Drew Gordon, and Chris Douglas-Roberts. At the start of the final quarter, Bogut and Dulin’s inside and outside combination combined to score 6 points. The Bucks launched a strong offensive push, clearly aiming to secure a road victory.

In their first preseason game, the Bucks surprised everyone by winning against the Bulls thanks to home-court advantage, while the Pistons lost their first away game against the Heat. Both the Bucks and Pistons are in the Central Division, so competition between them is fierce.

At this moment, Guden has become the leader of the team’s offensive efforts. Whether it’s easily slipping past defenders for layups or shooting from medium to long range, Guden handles it with ease. For a while, the Pistons were unable to stop Guden’s attacks. On the Pistons’ side, neither Gordon nor Wilcox was in top form. With 9 minutes left in the game, Wilcox’s three-pointer helped the Pistons maintain a 7-point lead.

Bogut formed a solid defensive barrier in the paint, effectively curbing the Pistons’ interior attacks. Coupled with his quick lateral movement and strong ability to assist defensively under the basket, the Pistons found themselves in a difficult situation. Fortunately, Bynum’s three-pointer stabilized the game’s momentum.

In this match, both teams took turns leading—the Bucks led by up to 10 points, while the Pistons led by as much as 15 points. But with the current situation, it’s still uncertain who will emerge victorious.

The score is currently 88:82, with the Pistons leading by 6 points. With 5 minutes left in the game, an official timeout was called.

After the game resumed, the Pistons brought in their starting lineup, and the Bucks’ starters also entered the court. Taking advantage of Salmons’ passing mistake, the Pistons scored an 8-2 run. Zhou Yi might have been running low on energy; while attempting a forced drive, he fell to the ground, and Jennings intercepted the ball. Zhou Yi quickly got up and rushed back to defend. However, Jennings was extremely fast and quickly capitalized on the opportunity by scoring a layup.

There is still a lot of suspense in the game, with Pistons fans watching intently.

In the crucial second half of the fourth quarter, both teams played hard, especially on defense. Although it was just a preseason game, it felt like a real fight.

However, the Pistons clearly had the upper hand. The continuous scoring by rookies Zhou Yi and Monroe kept them ahead by about 8 points.

With only 2:30 left, the Bucks were still 10 points behind. But instead of giving up, the Bucks became even more determined to win.

Salmons and Jennings hit two consecutive three-pointers, instantly narrowing the gap to 4 points. Zhou Yi took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. At this final moment, there was no room for panic or relaxation. Zhou Yi drove past twice with quick dribbles, forcing Jennings to back up repeatedly. It seemed Zhou Yi was about to score a layup, so Bogut had no choice but to commit a foul.

Zhou Yi steadily made both free throws, keeping the Pistons in control of the game. But soon after, Skiles substituted in Maggetti, who was good at shooting from distance. As soon as Maggetti entered the court, he hit a three-pointer, keeping the Pistons ahead by 3 points.

As the game entered its final seconds, the Bucks did not opt for a fouling strategy. Zhou Yi drove to the basket and passed to Da Ben, who was inside, but Da Ben didn’t have time to pass the ball to Monroe, who then scored with a layup.

At a critical moment, Jennings had his dribble stolen by Zhou Yi. With little time left in the game, Jennings immediately fouled.

Zhou Yi blew on his hands and tapped the ball; making both free throws meant the Bucks had little chance of turning the game around. In the end, the Pistons won the game 103:95.

The fans in the arena cheered, celebrating the victory, with some even shouting Zhou Yi’s name. Although his performance wasn’t as stunning as in the previous game, it was still quite impressive. Playing as the starting point guard for 29 minutes, Zhou Yi made 5 out of 9 shots, including one three-pointer, and 5 out of 6 free throws, scoring 16 points. He also provided 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. The only thing that slightly worried head coach Koester was that Zhou Yi committed 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in those 29 minutes.

Regardless, the Pistons finally secured their first preseason victory of the season, and the players happily hugged each other to celebrate.

Chapter 47: Confusion

After securing their first preseason victory, the Pistons, at head coach Koester’s invitation, went out for dinner at a hotel near the arena. After dinner, Zhou Yi bid farewell to Koester and rushed to Blake’s home.

Since Carl and Phoebe had returned to school, only Blake and Zhou Yi were at home. Due to being busy with work these past few days, Blake hadn’t had much time to rest, and his irregular diet had left him sick. It wasn’t serious, but he still needed someone to take care of him. Zhou Yi rushed back to take care of Blake.

Upon returning home, Zhou Yi hurried to Blake’s bedroom. After knocking on the door and getting a response, he slowly stepped inside.

“Uncle Blake, how are you feeling today?” Zhou Yi asked anxiously, his face filled with concern.

Blake propped himself up slightly on the bed, smiled at Zhou Yi, and said, “I’m feeling much better. Thanks to you taking care of me these past few days. Otherwise, cough cough…”

“Uncle, lie down quickly, lie down now,” Zhou Yi said while gently patting Blake’s back.
Blake waved his hand and smiled, “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m a bit hungry; I haven’t eaten much today. After watching your game, I felt great and now I have some appetite. Please get me something to eat!”
Zhou Yi nodded happily and said to Blake, “Okay, just wait a moment.”
Soon, Zhou Yi brought some food to Blake. After eating a little, Blake asked, “Have you had dinner? Do you want some too?”
Zhou Yi shook his head and replied with a smile, “I’ve already eaten. Coach Kuster treated all of us to dinner today. Don’t worry about me; eat more!”
“Mm,” Blake, clearly very hungry, began eating heartily without caring about manners.
Zhou Yi poured another cup of water for Blake. Blake gave a relieved look, took a couple of sips, and said to Zhou Yi, “Bringing you to the United States was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Zhou Yi paused for a moment before smiling and saying, “Why would you say that, Uncle?”
Blake lay back slightly and looked at Zhou Yi with satisfaction, saying, “Whether you succeed in the NBA in the future or not, I will never regret bringing you here. After spending these days together, I can’t say I understand you 100%, but I understand you at least 80%. You’re simple, kind, smart, hardworking, very serious about everything, and you have perseverance and an indomitable spirit.”
Zhou Yi nodded with a smile.
Blake thought for a moment before continuing, “I’ve watched both games. Your performance is obvious to everyone. I think that if Kuster isn’t a fool, you’ll be his top priority for development. Right now, the Pistons need an organizational point guard who can take charge of the game—someone like Billups used to be for the Pistons. And you’re exactly the kind of player the team needs.”
Zhou Yi listened quietly to Blake without saying a word.

Blake took another sip of water and continued, “In two games, you’ve averaged 11 assists per game in a limited time—really outstanding performance. From conversations with Kuster and Dumars, I learned that if you can maintain this level of performance in the upcoming preseason and even the first few regular-season games, the team management intends to use you as the cornerstone for a complete rebuild. Of course, that’s assuming you can keep up this performance. Preseason results will be part of what the management uses to observe you, but the most crucial thing is your performance in the first few regular-season games. I just inferred this from my talks with Dumars; I’m not sure if it will actually happen. But I’m confident that if you can do it, you’ll at least become a key player on the team. After telling you all this, you should understand what I mean, right?”
Zhou Yi lowered his head and remained silent for a while before saying seriously, “I know what you’re trying to convey. I’ll work hard. Since I’m here, I need to give it my all. I definitely won’t give up easily, nor will I disappoint those who care about me. This is a promise to myself and to everyone else.”
Blake gave Zhou Yi a deep look, smiled, then suddenly started coughing violently. Zhou Yi quickly patted Blake’s back, helped him sit up on the bed, and handed him water.
After taking care of Blake, Zhou Yi returned to his own room. Lying in bed, he kept thinking about Blake’s words, his expression growing increasingly serious. Finally, he sighed softly and murmured, “It seems I need to work even harder.”
Suddenly, his phone rang—it was Mo Keer. Zhou Yi’s mood immediately improved, and he quickly answered the call.
“Hey, Keer, are you missing me?” Zhou Yi asked jokingly as he sat up in bed.
There was silence on the other end for a while before Mo Keer’s voice came through slowly.
“Are you doing well over there?” Mo Keer’s voice sounded strange, as if tinged with sadness.
Zhou Yi didn’t notice anything wrong and replied with a smile, “I’m fine. Everything’s good here. How about you? You should be in college now, right? How are you adjusting?”
“Then why haven’t you called me for so long?” Mo Keer’s voice was soft, carrying a hint of resentment and longing.

“I’m very busy here, busy with training and games every day. How would I have time to call back? Are you angry at me? I’m sorry, Keer, I neglected you. I’m sorry.” Zhou Yi seemed to sense Mo Keer’s resentment and quickly apologized to her.
“Oh, it’s okay. I’m not angry. By the way, it must be night there now. Go rest early!”
“Mm, take care of yourself too. Don’t overwork yourself studying,” Zhou Yi said concernfully.
“Mm, wish you success in achieving your dreams!”
After saying that, Mo Keer hung up the phone. Zhou Yi held the phone in his hand, sitting on the bed in a daze, Mo Keer’s image lingering in his mind.
After talking to Mo Keer, Zhou Yi felt something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Shaking his head vigorously, he called Lin Qixiao to ask about Mo Keer’s situation.
Lin Qixiao stammered a few words, telling Zhou Yi not to worry as his brothers were taking care of her and he should focus on playing basketball in the U.S. Zhou Yi wanted to ask more, but then gave up the idea. Lin Qixiao said something unclear to Zhou Yi in a somewhat serious tone. Lin Qixiao said, “You must play well in the U.S. and never give up. Otherwise, we brothers won’t forgive you.”
They talked about some other things before Lin Qixiao hung up. After the call, Zhou Yi was even more confused, as if something was blocking his mind, leaving him inexplicably irritable.
After thinking for a while with no results, Zhou Yi gradually fell asleep.
There were two days of rest after the game against the Bucks, but Zhou Yi spent both days training, so he forgot about his previous confusion through hard work.
Two days later, at the Auburn Hills Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pistons hosted the Atlanta Hawks. In this game, Zhou Yi once again appeared as the team’s starting point guard. But slightly differently, McGrady was also on the starting lineup, and he seemed quite excited about it.
At this moment, both teams’ starting players were on the court, and the game was about to begin!!!
Chapter 48: The Downward Atlanta
Pistons’ starting lineup: Zhou Yi, McGrady, Prince, Monroe, and Ben Wallace; Hawks’ starting lineup: Al Horford, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson, and Mike Bibby.
Horford and Ben Wallace jumped for the ball, and Johnson got it.

At the start of the game, the Eagles’ Bibby delivered an astonishing performance. Under Zhou Yi’s defense, he used his years of experience to hit two three-pointers in a row. Later, he stole Zhou Yi’s pass and quickly passed it to Johnson, helping him score with a layup. In less than 2 minutes, the Eagles took an 8-0 lead over the Pistons.

The Eagles turned the game around on their home court, catching the Pistons off guard, and Zhou Yi’s lack of experience became evident during this period. Fortunately, Zhou Yi adjusted in time and assisted McGrady to score 4 points in a row.

Bibby has a career shooting percentage of 44.6% and exceptional mental strength, never hesitating in critical moments. His offensive skills surpass his playmaking abilities; he is a precise executor of tactics with outstanding mental resilience. Bibby has a versatile offensive game—his one-on-one plays mainly involve diagonal breakthroughs and quick-stop jump shots, with sudden dribbling changes and realistic fake moves. He also has a great feel for layups and is adept at using his sturdy frame to protect the ball near the basket. As a result, despite average physical attributes, he is rarely blocked. Additionally, Bibby’s jump shots are accurate, and he is skilled at using screens from taller players and pick-and-roll tactics (a classic example being his game-winning shot in Game 5 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals). Of course, his biggest flaw is his reliance on jump shots after using screens.

After getting the ball, Bibby quickly advanced to the front court. Facing Zhou Yi’s defense, he executed a highly realistic fake move, and due to his lack of experience, Zhou Yi was deceived. Bibby took the opportunity to pass the ball to Johnson, then quickly ran to an open spot, caught Johnson’s pass back, and hit a jump shot.

Up to this point, Bibby had made all three of his shots, scoring 8 points and providing 1 assist, while Zhou Yi had only 2 assists and 1 turnover. Zhou Yi looked grim, thinking about how to deal with Bibby and lead his team in a counterattack.

Zhou Yi drove with the ball, but just as he tried to slip past Bibby, Bibby quickly reached out and stole the ball. After picking it up, Bibby immediately launched a fast break. Zhou Yi closely followed Bibby, thinking to himself, “In terms of both ability and experience, Bibby is far stronger than Jennings and Arroyo I’ve faced before. I must find a way to contain his performance.”

Bibby attempted a layup during the fast break, but was disturbed by Zhou Yi, who came from behind. The ball bounced off the rim, and Zhou Yi seized the opportunity to grab the defensive rebound and quickly advance to the front court.

“After all, Bibby is getting older now; his speed definitely can’t keep up with mine. I need to use my speed advantage to counter him,” Zhou Yi thought to himself.

Zhou Yi’s idea made sense—Bibby was already 32 years old, and he lagged behind Zhou Yi in both physical confrontation and speed. Zhou Yi took a cross-step, then feinted to trick Bibby into committing a foul—a move taught to him by McGrady. This was McGrady’s signature tactic, using feints to get defensive players to foul so as to score points from free throws. McGrady watched as Zhou Yi took to the free-throw line, a slight smile on his face. Both free throws were successful, bringing the score to 10:6, with the Eagles still holding a 4-point lead. However, that lead vanished in an instant due to a counterattack led by Zhou Yi. The Pistons’ jump shots were extremely sharp, and Zhou Yi’s playmaking skills were also recognized by the coaches during this period. Zhou Yi went one-on-one with Bibby and scored by hitting a small throw-up over him. The Eagles only had Bibby scoring; the rest seemed to be off form. Finally, the other Eagles players broke their scoring drought, but that was only after receiving a clever pass from Bibby, allowing Johnson to score from a high position. It could be said that in the first quarter, Bibby was the Eagles’ shield. In the first two minutes of the game, the Eagles had a 4-point lead thanks to Bibby, but the Pistons, led by Zhou Yi, scored from multiple positions and quickly took the lead, later widening it to 12 points. At 8 minutes into the game, both teams switched to their bench players. Three minutes later, the first quarter ended with the Pistons leading 30:20, a 10-point advantage. In the first quarter, Bibby scored 12 points alone, while the entire team scored only 20 points; although Zhou Yi scored just 6 points, he provided 4 assists and 4 rebounds, helping his team end the quarter with a double-digit lead. At the start of the second quarter, the Pistons’ bench players performed exceptionally well. Led by Wilcox and Hamilton, the Pistons had another 12-2 run, pushing the score gap to 20 points. When 8 minutes remained in the game, an official timeout was called. The Pistons’ cheerleaders took to the court for a spectacular performance. At that moment, Blake walked from the player’s tunnel to the sidelines, but Zhou Yi didn’t notice. Blake still looked pale, clearly not yet recovered from his illness. The game continued, with the Pistons swapping Daye for Prince, with no other changes to the lineup; the Eagles, on the other hand, swapped Jeff Teague for Johnson, with no other changes.

Now, both teams are playing with one starter and four substitutes. Prince continues to perform excellently with the substitutes, keeping the score gap at around 25 points. After grabbing a rebound in the backcourt, Bynum immediately passed the ball long, and Gordon caught it and dunked right away. With Gordon’s powerful dunk, the Eagles’ head coach, Larry Drew, called for a 100-second timeout. With 5 minutes left in the first half, both teams switched to their starters. Perhaps due to their loss to the weaker Grizzlies in the previous game, the Eagles wanted to secure their first preseason win against the Pistons. However, the Eagles, playing away, were clearly not good at it; despite a good start, they struggled afterward. Zhou Yi drove the ball and passed it to McGrady, who floated it to Duncan inside. The two connected to execute the most exciting attack of the first half. After receiving McGrady’s pass, Duncan feigned an attack but actually set a screen for McGrady. McGrady slipped down the baseline, and Duncan passed the ball behind him. McGrady caught it, turned around, and dunked successfully, also drawing a foul on Williams, resulting in a free throw that completed a two-plus-one. Joe Johnson’s superstar skills were on display with 3 minutes left in the game. First, he caught a brilliant pass from Bibby and hit a three-pointer from beyond the arc. Then he repeatedly attacked the Pistons’ interior, scoring 3 points through dunks and completing 2 two-plus-one plays. Next, he hit a jump shot just inside the three-point line against Prince’s defense. In just that short time, Johnson made 5 out of 6 shots, scoring 13 points wildly. Fortunately, the Pistons were also in good form, especially Duncan, who scored after receiving several smooth passes from Zhou Yi and McGrady. Under Johnson’s leadership, the Eagles had a 17-8 run, narrowing the score to 45:58, only 13 points behind. With 36 seconds left in the first half, both teams still had one last chance to score. Zhou Yi controlled the ball, scanned his teammates, smiled slightly, then suddenly accelerated and rushed toward the opponent’s interior. Bibby naturally wouldn’t let Zhou Yi succeed and stayed close to him. Because he was too close, Zhou Yi changed direction, shook off Bibby’s defense, and headed to the basket to attempt a dunk. Unexpectedly, Smith came to help defend, but Zhou Yi remained calm and passed the ball to Monroe, who was near the paint. Smith didn’t have time to react, and Monroe smoothly threw Zhou Yi’s clever pass into the basket.

In the Eagles’ final attack, Bibby drove to the basket. Zhou Yi did not adopt close defense, knowing that Bibby was best at feints, so he stayed half a step away from him. Seeing little time left, Bibby immediately took a jump shot. Zhou Yi leaped like lightning and delivered a solid block on Bibby, sending the ball out of bounds and ending the first half of the game.

Seeing Zhou Yi’s powerful block, the fans in the arena cheered wildly, supporting Zhou Yi and the Pistons. Standing in the corner, Blake also smiled slightly, chuckled a few times, then turned and left.

Chapter 49: Slaughter

Just as Blake was leaving the court, Dumars came towards him. Noticing Blake’s pale complexion, Dumars’ expression darkened as he stepped beside him.

“Hey, buddy, why do you look so pale?” Dumars asked anxiously.

Blake smiled slightly and replied, “Heh, it’s nothing serious. I’ve been really busy with company matters these past few days, so I’m just a bit overworked.”

“Oh, then you need to get more rest. Did you come here to watch Zhou Yi?” Dumars’ expression relaxed immediately as he asked with a smile.

Blake patted Dumars’ shoulder jokingly, “The guy I recommended to you is pretty good, right? You really should thank me this time!”

Dumars glanced at Blake, thought for a moment, and said, “Everyone can see the contributions you’ve made to this team. Zhou Yi is extremely talented, but this is just preseason—his performance isn’t very indicative. It’s still the regular season that matters most. Still, we can’t deny his strength. In the first two games, the team management is quite satisfied with him. Even if we don’t build the team around him, considering China’s huge market, we’ll still focus on developing him, especially since he has the talent.”

Blake looked pleased and nodded. “Yeah, he definitely deserves to be nurtured by the team. Well, I still feel a bit unwell. I think I’ll head back first.”

“Okay, you don’t need to come these days. Get some good rest!” Dumars patted Blake’s shoulder before walking back towards the court.

Watching Dumars walk away, Blake smiled faintly on his pale face, then stepped out of the arena one by one.

At the start of the second half, the Pistons’ shooting percentage declined after Zhou Yi and Prince each hit a three-pointer, while the Eagles grew more aggressive, quickly narrowing the score gap to under double digits. Although Zhou Yi provided consecutive assists to Monroe and McGrady for layups, the Eagles also maintained strong shooting, keeping the score gap around 8 points.