Chapter 36

In the fourth quarter, Zhou Yi lost his previous hot shooting form, but that didn’t affect his outstanding performance. Zhou Yi drove with the ball and, just before reaching the free-throw line, gently tossed it. Greg Monroe, inside the paint, wouldn’t miss such a great opportunity—he leaped high, caught the ball, and scored with an alley-oop dunk, even forcing a defensive foul from his opponent. Under Zhou Yi’s leadership, the other Pistons players thrived in the fourth quarter, especially Greg Monroe, who outperformed the first-round draft pick DeMarcus Cousins. Zhou Yi was substituted out with 3 minutes left in the game, as the outcome was already decided. When the Kings’ final offensive attempt failed, the game officially came to an end. At that moment, the entire Pistons bench erupted in celebration, with Will Bynum rushing over to congratulate Zhou Yi. “Haha, you’re insane!” Bynum laughed loudly. Excited, Zhou Yi looked up at the ceiling of the Kings’ home arena—this stage belonged entirely to him. All the Pistons players excitedly piled on top of Zhou Yi, shouting and laughing. McGrady, unlike his teammates, stood aside with his signature smile, recalling his own youth and that unforgettable night that moved even God, remembering how his teammates piled on him. Mo Keer, sitting on the bench, also watched the wild celebration with a smile, unshaken but slightly worried about Zhou Yi’s health. The Pistons won the game 122–101, and our protagonist, Zhou Yi, had a stellar performance in this special game, scoring 48 points—breaking his own career high. In addition, he provided 7 assists and 4 steals, proving his all-around talent and earning him the title of “MVP” for the game. Chapter 146: Celebration After the Game. After the game, as the best player and the most prominent rookie, Zhou Yi was interviewed by an ESPN columnist. After the interview, the Pistons quickly packed up and headed to the hotel they had reserved earlier, with Mo Keer and the others following Zhou Yi. On the bus to the hotel, Zhou Yi and Mo Keer sat hand in hand at the back, happily chatting.

“By the way, Keer, you’re not on vacation yet, right? How did you come to the U.S. so suddenly?” Zhou Yi held Mo Keer’s hand with one hand while gently stroking her hair with the other.
Mo Keer smiled slightly, stuck out her tongue, and playfully said, “I won’t tell you.”
“Hurry up and tell me! You didn’t skip class, did you?” Zhou Yi asked worriedly.
Seeing Zhou Yi’s extreme concern, Mo Keer quickly replied, “Of course not! You still don’t know what major I chose in college, do you?”
“Mm,” Zhou Yi nodded.
“Hehe, I chose journalism. Since you chose basketball, of course I have to support you! A few days before your birthday, I asked my class advisor for leave. You don’t know this, but I took leave for the whole semester!” Mo Keer cuddled into Zhou Yi’s arms and coquettishly said.
Hearing Mo Keer’s words, Zhou Yi held her even tighter. “Thank you, thank you, Keer! The surprise you gave me is amazing. I really didn’t expect to see you here. I’m so touched!”
“Hehe.” Mo Keer leaned affectionately into Zhou Yi’s arms, ignoring everyone around them.
Zhou Yi carefully looked at the beauty in his arms and suddenly noticed something, asking worriedly, “Keer, why do you look so pale? Are you sick?”
Hearing this, Mo Keer’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly showed a sweet smile and replied, “No, it’s probably because I haven’t adjusted to the time difference since coming to the U.S. I’m not used to the environment here yet!”
Zhou Yi thought for a moment and agreed, so he didn’t dwell on it further. Qin Tian and the others sitting in the front row also breathed a sigh of relief in secret.
“Oh, by the way, how did you guys find this place?” Zhou Yi asked curiously, frowning slightly.
“Hehe, you can’t guess, right? We actually arrived in the U.S. yesterday afternoon. We just came to Sacramento earlier, hehe?” Mo Keer replied playfully.
“Oh, I see. It must be Uncle Blake who picked you up and took you to the hotel we booked for our team, right?” Zhou Yi guessed.
Mo Keer glanced at Zhou Yi, nodded helplessly, and replied, “You’re really smart. Yes, a few days before coming to the U.S., we already called Uncle Blake and arranged everything with him. Otherwise, how could we have appeared in front of you so easily?”

“Oh, haha, I see! You guys had planned this all along without telling me…”
“If I told you, how would it be a surprise?” Qin Tian turned his head and replied to Zhou Yi with frustration.
Hearing Qin Tian’s words, Zhou Yi also nodded. Indeed, if he had known in advance, it wouldn’t have been a surprise.
Soon, the bus stopped in front of the reserved hotel. Zhou Yi led Mo Keer and the others into the hotel. As soon as they entered, Zhou Yi looked up and was immediately stunned.
“Is this… the wrong place?” Zhou Yi asked Baynam beside him in a low voice.
Baynam laughed heartily but said nothing. Guided by the waiter, everyone went to the restaurant. Upon entering, Zhou Yi was even more surprised, his mouth hanging open. The restaurant was empty, but it was beautifully decorated—colorful balloons hung everywhere, and a large table that could seat about thirty people was placed in the center, filled with various delicious dishes, including some Chinese cuisine.
At that moment, Blake pushed a cart over, on which a large, exquisite cake caught everyone’s eye. Seeing this, Zhou Yi finally understood what was going on, and a bright smile appeared on his face.
Blake gave Mo Keer a wink. The clever Mo Keer naturally understood what Blake meant. She quickly stepped forward, took the cart from Blake, and slowly pushed it in front of Zhou Yi.
“Happy birthday, Zhou Yi!” Mo Keer said to him with a sweet smile.
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the room burst into cheers, followed by the English song “Happy Birthday” echoing in Zhou Yi’s ears.
Looking at everything before him, tears welled up in Zhou Yi’s eyes.
“Thank you, thank you all!” Zhou Yi said emotionally, his voice trembling.
Blake gently patted Zhou Yi’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, there’s one more surprise for you!”
Zhou Yi was stunned, then Blake turned him around. As soon as he turned, he was completely frozen.
“Dad… Mom…” Zhou Yi’s voice choked up, his nose stung, and the tears in his eyes finally flowed down.
Zhou Miao and Zhou Yi’s mother walked over to him with smiles, and the three of them hugged tightly together.
“Xiao Yi…” Zhou Yi’s mother’s voice trembled even more, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Everyone watched this heartwarming scene, their faces showing expressions of emotion. After a while, Blake walked up to Zhou Miao and his family with a smile and said, “Alright, Zhou and sister-in-law, let’s start the birthday celebration tonight! When we get back to my place, you three can gather together properly.”

Zhou Miao nodded and said seriously to Blake, “Blake, although we’re brothers, I still want to thank you for taking care of Xiao Yi these past days. Without you, there wouldn’t be the Xiao Yi we know today.”

“Come on, why talk about that? Today is Xiao Yi’s birthday, so let’s have a great time! Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you.” With that, Blake walked over to head coach John Kuster and introduced him to Zhou Miao with a smile, “This is Mr. John Kuster, the head coach of the Pistons. He also takes great care of Xiao Yi.”

Hearing this, Zhou Miao politely walked over to John Kuster, extended his right hand, and said with a smile, “Mr. John Kuster, it’s great to meet you. Thank you for taking care of Zhou Yi!”

“I’m glad to meet you too. Zhou is a great kid, so I’ll do my best to help him!” John Kuster replied in a very polite manner.

“Haha, enough talking! Let’s start celebrating Zhou Yi’s birthday!” Blake said loudly.

“Okay,” everyone replied in unison.

And so, the lively birthday party began. As the star of the evening, Zhou Yi was both excited and touched.

Since there was another back-to-back game the next day, at head coach John Kuster’s suggestion, the players didn’t drink much alcohol. But others like Blake, Zhou Miao, and Qin Tian had no such concerns and drank quite a bit.

The celebration ended amidst laughter and joy, and the happiest and most moved person was none other than our protagonist, Zhou Yi!

“Hehehe…” Zhou Yi walked to his room, smiling foolishly.

Chapter 147: Sweeping the Warriors and Returning Home with 7 Consecutive Wins

Back in his room, Zhou Yi lay down on the bed happily, recalling the warm moments with his family. The scene shifted to the sweet and happy times he shared with Mo Keer. As he was lost in thought, a text message arrived.

Zhou Yi picked it up and was momentarily stunned—it was from Xiang Yun.

“Happy birthday. Your girlfriend is very beautiful.”

Zhou Yi gave a bitter smile, hesitated for a while, before sending a reply.

“Thank you!”

After that, Xiang Yun didn’t send any more messages, and Zhou Yi didn’t care either. He tidied himself up and lay down to fall asleep slowly. That night, Zhou Yi and the others were destined to sleep soundly, but there were exceptions.
No words were exchanged throughout the night.
Early the next morning, everyone got up very early. The Pistons had another back-to-back game against the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. That night. Fortunately, the Warriors weren’t too strong, and the Pistons had just beaten them not long ago, so there wasn’t much worry among the team. Only Kuster was slightly concerned about the players’ stamina.
After breakfast, the Pistons, along with Zhou Yi’s parents, Mo Keer, and Qin Tian, boarded a bus heading to Golden State. The Warriors and Kings were in the same conference, not too far apart, so they didn’t take a flight.
…
After about three hours, the Pistons arrived in Golden State. Once there, under the leadership of head coach John Kuster, they went to a hotel not far from the Warriors’ home court, Oracle Arena.
“Keer, once we get to Detroit, I’ll take you out for a fun time,” Zhou Yi said softly in Mo Keer’s ear as they walked into the hotel.
Mo Keer nodded happily. With Zhou Yi’s parents around, they didn’t act too affectionately. Soon, guided by the staff, everyone went to their respective rooms to rest.
After resting for about an hour, at 11:30, they came out again to have lunch together. After lunch, they returned to their rooms to rest once more, as traveling by bus was tiring.
Unnoticed, it was already 4:30 p.m. Zhou Yi felt very bored, so he stepped out of his room. As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into Mo Keer.
“Hey, Keer, what a coincidence!” Zhou Yi said with a smile.
“Yeah, it really is! I wonder if this counts as telepathy? By the way, I’m a bit bored, so I came out for a walk. I wanted to call you, but I was afraid it would disturb your rest and affect tonight’s game, so I didn’t.” Mo Keer looked at Zhou Yi, pouting her cute, delicate lips slightly reproachfully.
Hearing this, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Mo Keer asked angrily, gently twisting Zhou Yi’s arm.

“Hehe, I’m laughing because we really are on the same wavelength. I was also feeling very bored, so I came out for a walk. I didn’t expect to meet you,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.
“Really? So we really are on the same wavelength! Then where should we go?” Mo Keer looked around and asked.
Zhou Yi chuckled and said, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Let’s go to my room; we can have a good chat.”
Mo Keer glanced around again, then looked at Zhou Yi and asked worriedly, “Is that okay? Your uncle and aunt are still here!” Her voice was so soft that it seemed only she could hear it.
Zhou Yi thought for a moment and also felt it wasn’t appropriate. So he said with a smile, “Then let’s go to your room. Anyway, no one will go there, and besides, we’re not doing anything wrong—what’s there to worry about?”
After hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Mo Keer’s face turned slightly red. She looked at Zhou Yi and nodded involuntarily.
After returning to Mo Keer’s room, the two began a private conversation. However, just as they were getting into it, someone knocked on Mo Keer’s door.
“Keer, it’s your aunt. Your uncle and the others say dinner is ready and ask if you want to eat,” Aunt Zhou’s gentle voice reached their ears.
Mo Keer made a gesture to silence Zhou Yi, then replied outside, “Aunt, thank you. You go ahead; I’ll be there in a moment!”
Aunt Zhou responded and left. Zhou Yi and Mo Keer sighed in relief. But just as they relaxed, their phones suddenly rang, startling them.
Zhou Yi checked his phone—it was Bynum. He answered the call slightly annoyed and asked in a low voice, “What’s up?”
“Come down for dinner quickly; everyone’s waiting for you!” Bynum replied jokingly.
“Okay, I’ll be down right away,” Zhou Yi said before hanging up.
Zhou Yi and Mo Keer exchanged a few glances, then Zhou Yi said with a smile, “Well, we should go down now too.”
“Mm,” Mo Keer nodded obediently.
Looking at the pure and lovely girl before him, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but embrace her again and kiss her forehead affectionately. Mo Keer cooperated meekly without any resistance. They had such intimate behaviors since high school, but the most intimate thing they ever did was kissing; nothing more advanced had happened.

After organizing themselves, the two walked out of the room side by side. Mo Keer went to where the others were first, while Zhou Yi arrived a little later. The main reason for this was to avoid suspicion, as Zhou Yi’s parents were also there.
…
“Phew…” The Pistons players let out a sigh of relief and then hugged each other excitedly.
In the match against the Warriors, it wasn’t until the last two minutes of the game that the Pistons decided the outcome. In the end, they narrowly won 91:87 over the home-standing Golden State Warriors.
In this game, neither team had a high shooting percentage, so their scores were not high, especially for the Warriors, who are known for their offensive skills. Scoring just over 80 points in a game shows how much resistance they faced offensively.
Throughout the game, Zhou Yi played only 22 minutes due to foul trouble, but his stats were decent—9 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. However, this was a huge difference compared to his previous game.
But Zhou Yi wasn’t too worried about it. After all, no one can perform at such a high level consistently, and he still needed time to rest and improve. Coach John Kuest also said after the game that only by playing more games could he fully adapt to the environment, overcome these difficulties, and perform better.
After the match against the Warriors, the Pistons returned to the hotel to rest, waiting to head back to Detroit early the next day with four consecutive road wins and seven in total.
Chapter 148: Special Holiday
Early the next morning, everyone boarded a flight to Detroit. They didn’t return to Detroit until around noon. After saying goodbye to Blake, Zhou Miao and his family, Mo Keer, Qin Tian, as well as Pistons head coach John Kuest and the players, they went back to Blake’s house.
Although Blake’s villa wasn’t large, it was more than enough for them all, and they wouldn’t be staying for long anyway. At that moment, everyone was sitting in the living room chatting.
“Xiao Yi, what did Coach John Kuest tell you secretly just now?” Blake asked with a smile.
Zhou Yi chuckled and replied, “The coach said I don’t need to go to training today. He told me to spend more time with my parents at home. Hehe…”
“Oh? Hehe… Your coach is really good to you!” Zhou Miao said with a smile after hearing Zhou Yi’s reply.

Zhou Yi nodded and smiled, saying, “Our coach treats the players very well. He’s truly an excellent coach.” Everyone nodded. Blake smiled at Zhou Miao and asked, “By the way, how long do you plan to stay here?” “What? You want to send us away already? Haha… Just joking. We think we’ll stay for about a week. After all, they have to go to school, and my work will get busy again in a week,” Zhou Miao replied after thinking for a moment. “Oh, I see! Well, I wanted you to stay longer, but since that’s the case, I won’t insist. By the way, you must be very tired after coming back. I’ll take you to your rooms!” Blake said after thinking for a while. Everyone nodded and followed Blake upstairs. … There was a knock at the door. Zhou Yi got up groggily from bed and asked, “Who is it?” “It’s us,” came the voices of Lin Qixiao and the others. Zhou Yi went to the door and opened it, only to find Mo Keer standing behind them. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?” Zhou Yi asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “We’re just bored, so we wanted you to take us out for a walk,” Hong Ming said with a smile. Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Oh, wait a moment. I’ll change my clothes.” Soon, Zhou Yi and the five of them went out. Before leaving, Blake handed the keys to his Lamborghini to Zhou Yi and said with a smile, “Take them out and have fun.” Zhou Yi nodded and led the four of them out. Qin Tian and the others had never been to Detroit, so they were unfamiliar with this “City of Cars.” As Zhou Yi drove, he introduced the scenery of Detroit to them. Although there were still some places they didn’t know about, after Blake had explained things to him carefully last time, he was now quite familiar with the city. “Zhou Yi, what are some good places to visit here?” Lin Qixiao asked excitedly. Zhou Yi thought for a moment and replied, “Not far from here, there’s an automobile museum. It’s the Henry Ford Museum, funded by Ford Motor Company. It’s located in Dearborn, the headquarters of Ford Motor Company, which is a city near Detroit. You can also check out Greenfield Village nearby, which shows the early village settings and lifestyle in the United States.”

“I need to think… Well, there seems to be another Greek city not far from here where we can go and eat Greek food. I’ve only been there once, with Uncle Blake, and the food there was really good. There’s also the Detroit Science Museum at 5020 John R Street, Detroit. It has an IMAX theater as well, which is great!” Zhou Yi thought for a moment before continuing.

“And Detroit has some nice tourist attractions too, like the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Detroit Zoo, and the Detroit Renaissance Center, where General Motors is headquartered. A bit further away are Metropolitan Park on the Great Lakes at 31300 Metropolitan Parkway, Harrison Township, and Metropolitan Park near Morford. There’s also the casino in Windsor, Canada, across the river, and huge shopping malls along I-75 in Auburn Hills, like Great Lake Crossing at 4000 Baldwin Road, Auburn Hills. For skiing in winter, there’s Mt. Brighton Ski Resort. There are also many golf courses and practice fields. Even further away, it’s about a five to six-hour drive to Niagara Falls; about a three-hour drive to the roller coaster park in Sandusky, Ohio; and about a five-hour drive to Mackinac Island, located between Upper and Lower Michigan, along with the Mackinac Bridge that connects them,” Mo Keer said slowly, then smiled sweetly at the four of them.

Lin Chixiao and the others looked astonished, their eyes wide as they stared at Mo Keer. Even Zhou Yi, who was driving, was surprised and turned to look at her.

“Well? Impressive, right? I did a lot of research when I came here and memorized all this information for days! Hehe…” Mo Keer said coquettishly to Zhou Yi.

After hearing Mo Keer’s words, Lin Chixiao and the others finally understood and kept looking out of the window.

“Impressive? Of course our Keer is amazing!” Zhou Yi laughed heartily.

“Shut up, what do you mean ‘your’ Keer?” Mo Keer said, a bit embarrassed and annoyed.

“I mean, Zhou Yi, you weren’t like this before you came to the U.S. How did you get influenced by this culture and change your personality? You never spoke like this before!” Hong Ming joked with a smile.

Hearing this, Mo Keer also noticed that Zhou Yi’s personality had changed a bit; he wasn’t as naive and innocent as before.
“Maybe so, but isn’t that bad?” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.
“It is good, but don’t get into bad habits!” Mo Keer said worriedly.
Zhou Yi replied gloomily, “Do I look like the kind of person who would get into bad habits?”
“No,” Lin Qixiao and the others replied in unison.
“Hehe, it’s my friends who really understand me,” Zhou Yi said proudly.
“That’s true,” Lin Qixiao and the others added in unison.
“You three… ugh, I made a bad choice in friends—ending up with you three troublemakers.” Three dark lines appeared on Zhou Yi’s forehead as he sighed in frustration.
Hearing this, Lin Qixiao and the others burst into laughter, and even Mo Keer sitting next to Zhou Yi couldn’t help but smile.
…
Unnoticed, the sky gradually darkened. The five of them had explored most of Detroit and were quite tired. Especially Mo Keer, whose health was already poor, seemed even more exhausted.
“Hehe, that Detroit Zoo was really nice—more fun than the Beijing Zoo,” Hong Ming said excitedly to Zhou Yi.
“Mm, and that Greek City too. The food there was really special and delicious,” Lin Qixiao added in praise.
Zhou Yi nodded and said to the four of them, “Today we only visited three places. Next time when we have time, I’ll take you to even more interesting places. You’ve just arrived here and haven’t yet adapted to the environment, and today was indeed tiring. Let’s head back now!”
“Mm,” the four nodded in agreement.
After getting their affirmative responses, Zhou Yi drove them back to Blake’s house.
Chapter 149: A Visit from Los Angeles
“You’ve had a great time these past two days, right? No training at all?” Bynum said to Zhou Yi as he entered the locker room, filled with envy.
Zhou Yi patted Bynum on the shoulder and joked, “I actually wanted to train more. Do you think I’m lazy like you?”
“Uh, you’re such a smart guy. Alright, tell me, have you had a good time these past two days? By the way, your girlfriend is pretty nice,” Bynum asked enviously.
“Mm, she’s okay! I’ve really had a great time these past two days. Hehe, jealous that I have a pretty girlfriend, right?” Zhou Yi replied proudly, then took off his clothes and put them in the closet before changing into workout clothes.

Watching Zhou Yi’s smug expression, Bynum curled his lips. Just as he was about to tease Zhou Yi a bit, head coach John Kuester walked in. Kuester glanced around and said to everyone, “Take a good rest. I’ll explain today’s tactics to you on the court in 30 minutes.” Everyone responded and then sat down in their respective positions to rest. “By the way, Zhou, did your girlfriend come today?” Bynum asked curiously. “Yes, she should be on the court now! Why?” Bynum chuckled, scratched his large forehead, and replied, “Nothing, just asking!” … The Pistons’ game attracted a lot of fans’ attention, not because the Pistons had been performing exceptionally well recently—winning seven straight games to dethrone the Eastern Conference leaders, the Celtics, and take their place—but because their opponent today was the powerful Los Angeles Lakers, led by the current Western Conference leader, Kobe Bryant. Lately, the Pistons have outshone almost all teams, even superpower squads like the Lakers, Celtics, and the Miami Heat, who had just formed their “Big Three.” Their recent seven-game winning streak and four-game winning streak on the road allowed them to finally knock off the Celtics, ending with a record of 9 wins and 2 losses—half a game ahead of the Celtics. Compared to the Lakers in the West, however, the Pistons were slightly behind, with the Lakers at 11 wins and 1 loss. Another reason the Pistons received attention was the emergence of a highly promising rookie within the team. This rookie had performed astonishingly well at the start of the season, even better than this year’s top draft pick, John Wall. Take last weekend’s game against the Sacramento Kings, for example—the talented rookie scored a staggering 48 points, leading his team to a decisive victory. It was because of his outstanding performance that he overcame John Wall and other talented rookies to be named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Week. This was already the second time he had been chosen as the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Week since the start of the season. Despite being a rookie who hadn’t even gone through the draft, no one dared to underestimate him now.

This promising rising star is naturally Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi never expected to become so famous. Yesterday, when he drove out with Mo Keer and three others for a trip, many people recognized him, and most of them asked to take photos with him or get his signature. Zhou Yi was quite helpless about this, which truly fits the old saying: “Fame scares people; size scares pigs.” Due to the Lakers, this game became a nationally televised event. It was also streamed live in various places in China, and China’s media, which tends to exaggerate, described this matchup as a confrontation between a grassroots Chinese player and the Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant. Of course, this grassroots player is Zhou Yi, but facing Kobe Bryant, known as the “Black Mamba”? Zhou Yi doesn’t think he has the strength yet. Besides, his opponents are “Old Fish” Derek Fisher and Steve Blake, who have almost nothing to do with Kobe. Half an hour passed quickly, and the Pistons players packed up and left the locker room. As they passed through the player’s tunnel, Zhou Yi encountered Xiang Yun. Both nodded at each other and went their separate ways without saying much. The Pistons were playing at home against the Los Angeles Lakers today, so the Auburn Hills Palace was even more lively than usual, with exciting music playing. As Zhou Yi and his teammates were about to enter the court, the DJ started introducing the home team’s players. The first to appear was the Pistons’ veteran Ben Wallace. When Ben Wallace stepped onto the court, the home fans in the stands cheered loudly to welcome their hero. The big screen also played highlights of Ben Wallace’s recent performances. The second player to appear was also a Pistons veteran, Tashaun Prince. Cheers erupted again as he entered, and the big screen switched to show Tashaun Prince. Then, the Pistons’ players entered one after another, and their appearances also drew enthusiastic cheers from the fans, though not as intense as those for the older Pistons veterans. Zhou Yi was the second-to-last to enter, and his appearance immediately ignited the enthusiasm of almost all the fans in the arena. Deafening cheers greeted him as he stepped onto the court. Zhou Yi seemed to have become the true leader of the Pistons team now, but he knew he hadn’t yet reached that level. Excited and very polite, Zhou Yi waved at the fans with a smile. Seeing this, the fans cheered even more enthusiastically for him.

The last player to take the court for the Pistons was Tracy McGrady, and no one questioned his order of appearance. Although McGrady no longer possesses the level of a superstar nor the same treatment as before, he is now the spiritual leader of this Pistons team, without any doubt—this was officially stated by head coach John Kuester and agreed upon by general manager Joe Dumars. So, it’s entirely justified for McGrady to appear last. Moreover, McGrady’s skills are gradually recovering; in one game, he even came close to achieving a triple-double.

After taking the court, the Pistons players gave polite responses to the fans before heading straight to head coach John Kuester’s position. As Zhou Yi approached Kuester, he glanced toward the other side of the court, where the players of the visiting Los Angeles Lakers were also on the court. Honestly, no matter where he went, “Air Jordan” Kobe Bryant was always the absolute focus. Seeing the array of weapons in front of Kobe Bryant made players like Bynum extremely envious—this is what it means to be a league superstar!

Chapter 150: First Encounter with Kobe

It seems Kobe was in a good mood today. It’s no wonder—he’s been having an outstanding performance in the Lakers’ recent games, with an 8-game winning streak. Besides the strong record, another reason for Kobe’s good mood was the excellent play of his teammates Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum, which made his job much easier. As a result, Kobe’s playing time has significantly decreased recently, allowing him to get enough rest.

Due to the reduced playing time, Kobe’s stats have clearly declined lately. But as long as the team wins, he doesn’t care about these numbers. After all, Kobe has matured and is no longer the kind of player who places too much emphasis on personal stats.

Watching Kobe’s treatment as a superstar, Zhou Yi secretly vowed that he must also reach such a level. Although he admitted his skills were far behind Kobe’s, his fighting spirit remained undiminished—indeed, it was stronger than ever before.

“Zhou? Heh, I know him. He’s a pretty good rookie, and his performance has been quite good lately. Heh, I believe he’ll do even better.” Responding to a question from an ESPN columnist, Kobe smiled before leaving the interview area.

Although the Pistons’ achievements are incredible, most people don’t think they have the strength to challenge the powerhouse Lakers. In their view, the Pistons are just underdogs with capabilities at most on par with a first-tier team, not matching the strength of superpowers like the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat. Yet still, in the eyes of the media, this game is considered a clash between the East and West leaders and is highly attractive. Plus, since it’s broadcast nationwide, it has drawn the most attention among all games so far this season.

“We still have a significant advantage against the Lakers today. They’re playing back-to-back games, all on the road. So, they’re definitely less physically fit than us. Secondly, their star player Lamar Odom is injured from the last game and won’t be playing, which will surely weaken their team. As we all know, the best way to deal with the Lakers is to target their point guard lineup. Derek Fisher is old and his performance has declined greatly, so it’s up to you to handle him!” Coach Kust turned to Zhou Yi with a smile.

“Me? Sure, no problem!” Zhou Yi replied seriously.

John Kust nodded and then said to his players, “The task of guarding their top star, Kobe Bryant, falls to James Posey and Tashawn Prince. As for the interior, Samuel Dalembert and Ben Wallace will form a double tower to counter their Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol. I don’t expect you two to score many points, but you must restrict them as much as possible. The Lakers use a triangle offense, so we need to disrupt their strategy. That task goes to Zhou and Will—start with Derek Fisher. Well, I’ve said everything. Go back to the court and do your warm-ups!”

Everyone nodded and headed toward the court.

“Zhou, stay behind,” Coach Kust called out to Zhou Yi.

“Coach, is there anything else?” Zhou Yi asked curiously.

“You’ll start in this game,” Coach Kust said calmly.

“Huh?” Zhou Yi widened his eyes, looking at Kust in disbelief.

Kuster smiled slightly and said, “What’s the matter? Not happy? I know what you want to say, but this is a unanimous decision by all the coaches. And General Manager Joe Dumars also believes you have the ability to start. I know you get along well with Will and don’t want to take his starting spot. Heh, I’ve already talked to Will, and he has no complaints. He also thinks you’re capable of starting, so don’t worry.”

Hearing head coach John Kuster’s words, Zhou Yi could only nod slightly. What worried him the most was the possibility that Bynum might hold a grudge against him over this. To be honest, he valued his friendship with Bynum quite a lot. But since Bynum wasn’t upset with him, why not go for it? After all, no player wants to sit on the bench unless they’re an idiot.

As Zhou Yi walked toward the court, he winked at his parents and Mo Keer sitting on the sidelines before rushing onto the court to do some warm-ups.

Soon, the pre-game warm-ups were over, and all the players from both teams left the court. The Pistons’ cheerleaders then took the stage and delivered a fantastic performance for everyone present.

When the Pistons’ players left the court, McGrady and Kobe, two good friends, hugged each other warmly and whispered in each other’s ears. Then, to Zhou Yi’s surprise, after hugging McGrady, Kobe came straight over to him and tried to hug him as well.

Zhou Yi immediately became nervous and politely but warmly hugged Kobe. Kobe whispered in Zhou Yi’s ear, “Play well, kid. I’ve got faith in you.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Yi replied, extremely nervous.

After that, the players from both teams returned to their respective benches. Moments later, the cheerleaders left the court, and at the referee’s signal, the starting players from both teams took to the court.

The DJ on site then began introducing the starting players of each team.

Lakers: Center is Andrew Bynum, power forward is Paul Gasol, small forward is Ron Artest, shooting guard is Kobe Bryant, and point guard is Derek Fisher;

Pistons: Center is Ben Wallace, power forward is Samuel Dalembert, small forward is Tashawn Prince, shooting guard is James Posey, and point guard is Zhou Yi.

When the on-site DJ introduced Kobe Bryant, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Everyone had to admit that no matter where he played, Kobe was always a fan favorite—almost every arena seemed like his home court, with away games hardly differing from home games for him. In some away arenas, many fans even chanted “MVP” for him; he was truly the undisputed king of the league.

But when Zhou Yi was introduced, the applause and cheers were even louder than those given to Kobe earlier. Zhou Yi was somewhat pleased, but then he remembered that this was his own game. As for Kobe, he didn’t seem too concerned about these things.

As the game was about to start, Samuel Dalembert and Andrew Bynum stepped to the center to start the jump ball. The referee glanced at them before gently throwing the ball into the air, and at the same time, the whistle marking the start of the game blew.

Chapter 151: The Battle for the Top Spot

Veterans are still veterans—clearly more experienced than younger players. Samuel Dalembert pushed Andrew Bynum aside and directed the ball to his teammates, with James Posey catching it. After handling the ball a couple of times, Posey passed it to Zhou Yi across half-court.

Zhou Yi stabilized his position. Now wasn’t the time for fast breaks; all five opponents were in the defensive zone, so it would be unreasonable to go for a fast break. Derek Fisher, once known as “TheThe little fish,” had now become an experienced player. Although he tried his best to defend, guarding a fast and skillful player like Zhou Yi proved very difficult for him.

On the first play, Zhou Yi didn’t rush to take control of the offense. After all, in the game against the Kings, it was because of his birthday that his teammates had tried to let him drive to the basket. But this was different—Zhou Yi wasn’t a selfish player.

Zhou Yi glanced toward the interior, and Big Ben came out from there to set up a pick-and-roll for him. Zhou Yi was surprised, as usually it was Greg Monroe, Taylor Hansbrough, and McGrady who coordinated with him. Big Ben rarely played alongside him, yet today he voluntarily set up a pick-and-roll for him.

In fact, Zhou Yi didn’t know that Ben Wallace initially didn’t really regard him as a teammate, so he wasn’t interested in Zhou Yi. As for tactical needs, they were to be handled by the two rookies, Greg Monroe and Tyler Hansbrough. But once Ben Wallace saw Zhou Yi’s strength, he truly started to see him as a teammate and would actively set screens for him. With Ben Wallace’s help, Zhou Yi could more easily get past Derek Fisher’s defense. After breaking into the paint, facing Kobe’s off-ball defense, Zhou Yi flicked the ball to Prince in the right corner. Prince immediately shot a three-pointer, which swished through the net. Kobe smiled slightly and gave Zhou Yi a thumbs up. Zhou Yi felt a hint of joy, but quickly suppressed it and retreated to defend. After controlling the ball for most of the first half, Derek Fisher passed it to Kobe without hesitation. Instead of attacking, Kobe passed it to Paul Gasol, who was performing well at that time. After catching the ball, Paul Gasol dribbled a few times behind his back, then pulled up with a hook shot, which also went in. With a thud, Zhou Yi’s jump shot missed, and Kobe grabbed the rebound. Another swish came from Paul Gasol. By the end of the first quarter, the Pistons had only scored 14 points. But it couldn’t be blamed on them; the two teams engaged in a fierce defensive battle in the first quarter. The Pistons scored 14 points, while the Lakers scored only 18, leading the Pistons by 4 points in that quarter.