Chapter 43

The fourth quarter began, and the Pistons’ key players, who had already had enough rest, took to the court, including Zhou Yi. The reason they were still sent in was that despite leading by such a large margin, the Pistons hadn’t yet won, so to be safe, head coach John Kuester decided to keep them on the court.

Philip Sanders narrowed his eyes at Zhou Yi, thinking to himself: This guy is truly extraordinary and very difficult to deal with.

John Wall received a pass from Yi Jianlian, drove to the front court, and saw Zhou Yi defending him. His expression turned dark.

Glancing at Yi Jianlian in the paint, John Wall glanced around before secretly giving him a nod. After seeing John Wall’s gesture, Yi Jianlian could only shake his head helplessly. He didn’t think John Wall would pass the ball to him after setting up a pick-and-roll. But after all, he was in control of the ball and the team’s rebuilding focus, so he had to follow his instructions.

Yi Jianlian moved to the outside to help John Wall block Zhou Yi. Although blocked, Zhou Yi wasn’t foolish. He warned Tracy McGrady nearby, “Tracy, defend John quickly! I’ll go after Nick Young.”

John Wall easily penetrated past the three-point line, but before he could shoot, someone blocked his path. Seeing McGrady with a sly smile ahead, John Wall grew frustrated.

With no other choice, John Wall passed the ball to Yi Jianlian, who had helped set up the pick-and-roll. But at that moment, Yi Jianlian wasn’t prepared for the pass, so he failed to catch it properly, and Zhou Yi intercepted it.

After intercepting the ball, Zhou Yi drove swiftly to the Wizards’ half-court.

With a loud “clang,” the basket let out a pained scream as Zhou Yi hung his arms around the rim, appearing like a god descending from the heavens, inspiring awe.

He quickly released his arms and landed back on the ground, not wanting to be charged with a technical foul again.

“MVP, MVP, Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi…” The crowd’s enthusiasm was reignited by Zhou Yi once more. He enjoyed it greatly, smiling as he ran back to his half-court to defend.

Another “clang” sounded, but this time it wasn’t from a dunk or slam dunk—it was the sound of a miss. Seeing himself miss again, John Wall was utterly devastated. Darvin Ham grabbed the rebound in the backcourt and passed it to Zhou Yi.

Watching Zhou Yi sprint toward his own half to launch a fast break, the Wizards players could only chase after him. John Wall, though positioned further back and thus the fastest defender on the team, didn’t dare make a move as he saw Zhou Yi charging toward him. At that moment, Zhou Yi, McGrady, and Prince were involved in a three-pronged fast break—Zhou Yi in the center, McGrady and Prince on either side, all charging forward. With only John Wall to defend against these three, how could he possibly stop their fast break?

Zhou Yi glanced at John Wall ahead and smirked coldly, then increased his speed even further. As Zhou Yi advanced like a bulldozer, John Wall swallowed hard, staring intently at his movements. He wasn’t worried that Zhou Yi would charge straight at him but rather that he might use an unconventional offensive tactic—his real concern was Zhou Yi’s passing.

But Zhou Yi didn’t dodge. He headed straight for John Wall, with unstoppable momentum. Just as everyone thought he was about to collide with John Wall, he stopped a step outside the three-point line, then gently threw the ball, which flew toward the basket. Meanwhile, McGrady, who had already reached the left side, soared into the air like an eagle, caught the ball with his right hand, and slammed it hard into the basket. This was what dominance looked like!

Beyond sheer dominance, the dunk was also incredibly beautiful and graceful.

“Yesss, yesss, yesss…”

“Ooooh, Zhou MVP…”

The entire arena went wild—both the home fans and the away fans. The home fans were ecstatic because they saw their team and player delivering a fantastic game that would lead to a victory; the away fans were frantic because they were on the verge of losing.

This aerial alley-oop dunk hit the Wizards’ morale hard, but it didn’t completely destroy their confidence. On the contrary, the Pistons’ motivation made them play more smoothly, with sharper attacks and stronger defense.

“Damn it!” Zhou Yi growled in annoyance when Nick Young managed to score another three-pointer after a series of bad luck, muttering under his breath.

Zhou Yi drove with the ball and, with Prince providing cover, attempted a mid-range shot from an open position—but missed. Frustrated but not impulsive, he watched as the ball bounced off the rim back toward him. Fortunately, Zhou Yi jumped and secured the rebound, then organized another attack.

It was Prince providing cover again, and Zhou Yi found an open spot just outside the three-point line at the bottom corner. Without hesitation, Zhou Yi decided to shoot.
“Bang, bang, bang.” The basketball bounced back and forth inside the hoop before finally falling through.
“The ball went in! Unbelievable…” Charles Barkley exclaimed in amazement.
More applause and cheers went to today’s star, Zhou Yi.
Chapter 176: Crushing the Wizards to Win the Derby (Part 2)