Chapter 58

In the second quarter, the game became even more closely contested. For over 5 minutes of the second quarter, the largest score difference between the two teams never exceeded 5 points. After Will Bynum fouled Chris Paul, the Pistons’ head coach, John Kuester, called a timeout. “Zhou, get ready to enter the court,” John Kuester said to Zhou Yi after glancing at him. “Okay,” Zhou Yi replied, taking off his jacket before heading onto the court. Zhou Yi vs. Chris Paul – the game grew even more exciting! Chapter 217: Zhou Yi Faces the “Queen Bee” Again. As soon as Zhou Yi entered the court, he made a mistake. While driving with the ball, Chris Paul stole it from him. After stealing the ball, Chris Paul launched a fast break and assisted Trevor Ariza to score a dunk. But before the Hornets could celebrate for long, the Pistons’ backup big men, Taylor Hansbrough and Samuel Dalembert, suddenly took over, scoring 6 points together. Monty Williams watched the game on the court and shook his head helplessly. Normally, the Pistons’ big men should be weaker than his own team’s, but unexpectedly, they erupted in strength at this moment. Zhou Yi drove with the ball and passed it to McGrady, only for Chris Paul to steal it again. Chris Paul successfully stole the ball and drove straight down for a layup. After Zhou Yi entered the court, Chris Paul seemed highly motivated and in great form. John Kuester was worried seeing Zhou Yi make mistakes repeatedly, but he didn’t decide to take him off the court, still believing that Zhou Yi could adjust. Carefully carrying the ball across half-court, seeing McGrady waiting at the top of the key, Zhou Yi passed the ball to him. McGrady faced Marco Belinelli alone, took a step back, and shot from beyond the three-point line. With a swish, the ball went in. This time, after receiving the ball from the backcourt, Chris Paul was a bit distracted and careless due to having scored two fast breaks by stealing the ball from Zhou Yi twice. Just as he was about to speed past Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi suddenly accelerated and rushed straight at Chris Paul, accurately predicting his direction of drive and blocking the ball’s path. As the two passed each other, the ball changed hands and ended up in Zhou Yi’s possession. With an open path ahead, Zhou Yi easily scored 2 points with a low layup. This was Zhou Yi’s first steal of the game, and it was from Chris Paul’s hands.

Chris Paul lost the ball himself, shocked, and stumbled, almost falling to the ground. “Damn it, I was too careless!” Paul was somewhat self-reproachful about the mistake. In fact, Zhou Yi’s steal wasn’t accidental. After his first encounter with Chris Paul and returning to Detroit, he had studied many videos of Paul’s games. Thus, he was well aware of Paul’s habits, and that steal was the result of his analysis. However, the intense schedule lately had taken a toll on Zhou Yi, causing him to struggle in form, which is why he always fell behind in previous matchups. Of course, it wasn’t just Chris Paul—Zhou Yi had also done thorough research on all the famous point guards. Blake gathered many videos of these top-tier point guards, and whenever he had free time, Zhou Yi would carefully watch these edited game clips, analyzing his opponents thoroughly. The Hornets’ offense. This time, Chris Paul was fully focused, not daring to be careless again. He carefully guarded the ball and slowly moved toward the right side of the three-point line at the front court. Seeing this, Karl Landry stepped forward and set up a simple pick-and-roll. Landry blocked Zhou Yi, then suddenly turned and cut into the paint. Somehow, Paul’s pass was off-target, allowing Zhou Yi, who had bypassed him from behind, to steal the ball. Zhou Yi stole Paul’s ball again, and the home crowd cheered immediately. “The omnipotent Zhou Yi is back,” everyone thought. Zhou Yi and Tyshawn Prince launched a double-fastbreak attack, while Chris Paul ran back to the back court along the middle line. As Zhou Yi approached the basket, he suddenly slammed the ball into the backboard, turned around, and used his body to block Chris Paul behind him. Paul could only watch as Tyshawn Prince, who was following up, completed a beautiful alley-oop dunk. It was another backcourt inbound pass. Trevor Ariza picked up the ball and threw it to the referee, thinking, “What’s wrong with this Chris Paul? I’ve been inbounding at the baseline—this time he won’t even make it past half-court!” As soon as Paul received the pass in the back court, the Pistons suddenly implemented a full-court press.

Zhou Yi quickly stepped forward to guard Chris Paul closely. Two consecutive mistakes earlier had left him somewhat at a loss; now he couldn’t break free from Paul’s defense nor pass the ball. What should he do? Chris Paul accidentally brought the ball to his own feet. “Ding,” the ball went out of bounds, giving the Pistons the ball. It seemed to fulfill Trevor Ariza’s prediction—the Hornets couldn’t even get past their own backcourt. Seeing Chris Paul perform so poorly, Monty Williams could no longer hold back. Taking advantage of the Pistons’ chance to take a free throw from the sideline, he called a brief timeout. “I know what you’re thinking, but you need to calm down,” Monty Williams, usually so calm, rarely lost his temper with Chris Paul. In fact, all four players on the court were uncomfortable. So far, aside from Trevor Ariza scoring 2 points with an assist from Chris Paul, no one else had gotten a real scoring opportunity as Chris Paul dominated over that Chinese player. Chris Paul went to the bench, covered his face with a towel, and ruminated on the game and his coach’s words, unable to calm down for a long time… After the timeout, both teams made adjustments to their lineups. The Hornets replaced Chris Paul with Willie Green, Emeka Okafor was substituted by David Anderson, and Karl Landry was replaced by David West. On the Pistons’ side, James Posey replaced Teyshawn Prince, Austin Daye replaced Tracy McGrady, and Greg Monroe replaced Taylor Hansbrough. The game resumed, and in the first few attacks, the Hornets played purposefully, using David West as the anchor inside, either scoring on his own or having outside players shoot threes after receiving passes when he was double-teamed. The Hornets quickly narrowed the score gap, with the Pistons only leading by 2 points. On the Pistons’ next attack, Zhou Yi broke through at the baseline and passed to Austin Daye on the outside. Daye shot immediately but missed the three-pointer, with David Anderson grabbing the defensive rebound. It was now the Hornets’ turn to attack. David West stepped up to set a screen for Willie Green, then moved to the side, with the Pistons’ Greg Monroe failing to follow. Willie Green flicked the ball, which flew straight toward David West.

Seeing no one in front of him, David West adjusted slightly before jumping without hesitation to attempt a three-point shot. At the peak of his jump, he released the ball. Suddenly, a large hand appeared in front of him, and with a snap, the basketball was grabbed by that hand.

Before Zhou Yi could land, he passed the ball to James Posey, who was quickly descending. Unmarked, Posey dunked under the basket to score 2 points.

It turned out that Zhou Yi had anticipated David West would come in to provide a screen. He took advantage of the moment West was blocking his view to quickly move around him.

In an effort to increase his shooting accuracy, David West released the ball a bit slowly. Moreover, blocked by Greg Monroe, he couldn’t see Zhou Yi’s movements and certainly didn’t expect him to move so quickly.

“Wow… Zhou, Zhou…” The spectators in the Auburn Hills Palace were extremely excited and surprised by what they saw.

With his 188-centimeter height, it was difficult for Zhou Yi to block David West’s shots as a power forward. But if he succeeded, it would surely amaze the fans.

David West glared fiercely at Zhou Yi, but Zhou Yi ignored him.

Next, the Pistons took control of the game, performing excellently both offensively and defensively.

After being blocked by Zhou Yi, David West became more determined and scored points continuously in the Pistons’ paint. In just a short time, he made 3 out of 4 shots for 6 points.

However, his individual efforts couldn’t save the Hornets.

Zhou Yi drove with the ball, using two quick changes of direction to get past Willie Green. He then rushed to the basket, intending to dunk directly, but Trevor Ariza and David West had already closed in. Shooting at that moment wasn’t a wise move.

So, Zhou Yi waved his hand and passed the ball to Austin Daye, who was open. This time, Austin Daye seized the opportunity and hit a mid-range shot.

On the Hornets’ side, Trevor Ariza took on Tyshawn Prince and attempted a backdoor jump shot. Despite Prince’s intense interference, the ball still went in. One had to say Ariza was lucky that day.

Zhou Yi quickly brought the ball across half-court, breaking the slow pace. Willie Green was very cautious on defense, determined not to fall for Zhou Yi’s fake moves no matter how realistic they seemed.

Zhou Yi’s shoulders shifted slightly as he dashed out like lightning. The lesson from earlier still left Willie Green shaken; his body stiffened slightly as the figure before him vanished in an instant. Zhou Yi was fast, especially when starting his move, but his speed wasn’t necessarily on par with players like Allen Iverson or Chris Paul—indeed, it was slightly inferior to John Wall’s. However, what truly set him apart was his speed once he got moving; during his bursts across the court, his speed became astonishing. Once he made that initial move, Zhou Yi was confident that no one on the court could catch up to him. Willie Green only saw a blur before his eyes, and his instinctively outstretched right hand failed to even catch a speck of dust from the opponent. By then, Marco Belinelli had closed in, while David West was already waiting inside the paint for Zhou Yi. David West, who had been humiliated by Zhou Yi earlier, would not allow himself to be embarrassed by this Chinese kid again. Yet Zhou Yi ignored Marco Belinelli and David West completely. Faced with the double team from the Hornets, Zhou Yi’s expression grew even more frenzied, his eyes glowing with a bloodthirsty light. Clutching the basketball tightly, he charged forward without hesitation. With a grunt, Zhou Yi felt his chest constrict as he squeezed through the gap between Marco Belinelli and David West. The opponents reacted quickly, allowing him to slip his arm through but trapping him against the floor. Just before hitting the ground, however, Zhou Yi shook his wrist forcefully, launching the basketball high into the air. Upon landing, he quickly turned to check—his instinct told him the shot had a good chance of going in. The basketball flew over the top of the rim before falling, hitting the inner edge of the hoop and bouncing back up before finally slipping inside as it brushed along the rim. As the ball entered the basket, a “ding” sound amplified Zhou Yi’s already excited mood. Clenching his right hand into a fist, he slammed it down loudly, letting out low roars. Free throws were Zhou Yi’s most reliable scoring method, and he was quite accurate. From the start of this season, he had missed only a handful of free throws. Moreover, he held a record for consecutive successful free throws—63 in a row. Carefully adjusting the basketball in his hands, Zhou Yi took a deep breath.

“Swish.” The feeling of taking a free throw was great; Zhou Yi raised his consecutive successful free throws to 64.
Willie Green drove to the basket under David West’s screen and scored with a layup. Immediately afterward, the Pistons failed to score, and David West turned and scored a layup, helping the Hornets regain 2 points.
With just two simple passes, the ball quickly crossed half-court. Shortly after reaching mid-court, Zhou Yi received a pass back. His figure moved like a gust of wind—Willie Green’s right hand was still raised in front of his chest, but his defender had disappeared. Though this wasn’t the first time he encountered such a situation, a sense of frustration still arose in him.
Trevor Ariza hadn’t yet adjusted his defense, and Zhou Yi had already leaped up from beyond the three-point line. Trevor Ariza jumped as hard as he could, raising his right hand high, but Zhou Yi smirked coldly. Seeing that smirk, Trevor Ariza felt uneasy, even though Zhou Yi was already in the air. With a slight twist of his body and a downward motion of his wrist, Zhou Yi sent the ball straight to Taishawn Prince at the baseline.
“Damn it,” Trevor Ariza exclaimed.
Chapter 218: Capturing the Hornets at Home, Achieving 16 Consecutive Wins
However, David West had already noticed Taishawn Prince’s movement. Faced with David West’s aggressive pressure, Taishawn Prince didn’t hesitate at all when shooting—but the force behind the shot seemed a bit too strong, causing the ball to fly over the top of the rim.
David West felt relieved, but what happened next took him by surprise. A figure leaped high and snatched the rebound right above David Anderson’s head. After grabbing the rebound, Greg Monroe shook David Anderson slightly before scoring a putback.
With 2 minutes and 51 seconds left in the first half, the Hornets’ head coach, Monty Williams, called a timeout and substituted in Chris Paul. As soon as Chris Paul entered the court, he assisted Marco Belinelli in scoring a three-pointer. Then, he drove to the Pistons’ basket and scored a layup, adding 2 more points.
But then, Zhou Yi’s counterattack began again. First, he used his teammates’ pick-and-roll to score a mid-range jump shot. Then, he stole the ball from Trevor Ariza and scored a layup in one smooth move.

Next, after the opponent missed a shot, Zhou Yi grabbed the rebound and then passed the ball long to assist McGrady in scoring a dunk. The Pistons kept pressing the Hornets throughout the game, and even though Chris Paul returned to the court with nearly 3 minutes left in the first half, he failed to make a significant impact for the Hornets. Eventually, the first half ended with David West’s three-point attempt falling short. At the end of the first half, the score was 48:40, with the Pistons leading by 8 points. During halftime, Zhou Yi, who had performed exceptionally well in the second quarter, gave an interview to reporters. He was very cooperative and graceful in answering the questions from the attractive female reporter. This game was undoubtedly a high-quality match, featuring exciting offensive plays throughout the first half. One was the best point guard currently in the league, and the other was the most outstanding rookie so far. These two top point guards used their skillful passes to guide the game, delivering thrilling fast breaks time and again; every pass they made seemed to carry great potential for scoring. Nine assists and eight assists—these were their numbers for the first half. Seeing their stats, fans everywhere marveled at this fantastic battle of point guards. After halftime, the second half began. Right at the start of the second half, Teyon Prince scored a dunk after receiving a brilliant pass from Zhou Yi. Such an effortless way of scoring angered Trevor Ariza, who was defending Teyon Prince. It was bad enough that Teyon Prince could score so easily, but even worse was that his strong arms clung to him like glue, leaving him at a loss. In just a few exchanges, John Kuester noticed another problem: Taylor Hansbrough was at a severe disadvantage in physical confrontations, and Emeka Okafor’s aggressive style made it difficult for him near the basket. Coupled with Chris Paul’s masterful passing, Emeka Okafor got more opportunities to score powerfully. Taylor Hansbrough came in as a center; being older, he is likely to retire after this season. Samuel Dalembert played too much in the first half, which is why John Kuester brought in Taylor Hansbrough to play center. Who would have thought that Taylor Hansbrough would be completely outmatched by Emeka Okafor?

“Swish.” Zhou Yi passed the ball, and McGrady slipped past the defender at the zero-degree angle on the right. After catching the ball, he turned smoothly and took a jump shot, scoring the three-pointer easily.
The Hornets’ outside defense wasn’t very strong at the moment. Trevor Ariza’s individual defensive skills were indeed top-notch, but Marco Belinelli’s defense was simply unacceptable.
“Swish.” Another three-pointer. Marco Belinelli watched the net shake and shook his head helplessly. He had done his best to defend, but he was still a step slow, forced to watch as McGrady took the shot and made it.
Monty Williams tapped his back of his head in frustration. Marco Belinelli’s defense had always been a major problem. But this clearly wasn’t something that could be solved in a short time. In previous encounters with other teams, the Hornets’ quick rotations could somewhat compensate for their individual defensive weaknesses. But their opponent today was the Pistons, another fast-paced team with an almost league-best passer. As long as the Hornets’ defense showed even the slightest flaw, his ball would appear immediately—high-quality passing was a combination of speed and awareness.
Jason Smith was a good substitute with excellent defensive skills, but his offensive abilities were far from impressive. Moreover, he was young and lacked experience, clearly unable to fill the role Marco Belinelli played.
“Swish.” McGrady’s three-pointers seemed like a death sentence, leaving Marco Belinelli utterly embarrassed.
“Damn it, why is this guy’s shooting percentage suddenly so high?” Marco Belinelli finally snapped and cursed.
Monty Williams shook his head dejectedly and called a timeout. He needed to strategize and scold the players for their poor defense.

By this point, he already understood the Pistons’ intentions clearly: take advantage of McGrady’s hot shooting form to attack the Hornets’ weakest defensive points. Monty Williams didn’t dare send Trevor Ariza to guard McGrady, as Tyshawn Prince also posed a strong offensive threat, and Trevor Ariza had to assist in guarding Zhou Yi as well. Zhou Yi was the player who worried Monty Williams the most; with the help of the Hornets’ two interior players, Tyler Hansbrough and Greg Monroe wouldn’t be able to do much under the basket. So he focused his defense on Zhou Yi, with Chris Paul sticking closely to him, plus Trevor Ariza providing assistance—using the team’s defensive ace strategy.

Chris Paul was an excellent defender, but that depended on who he was guarding.

After the timeout, Monty Williams still decided to send Jason Smith out to guard McGrady, while Trevor Ariza faced a very tough defensive task.

Under Monty Williams’ arrangement, Trevor Ariza had to primarily guard Tyshawn Prince while also assisting in guarding Zhou Yi and McGrady. Trevor Ariza felt helpless about this, and of course, Monty Williams was too.

The Pistons were shooting at a rate of 60% at this point, while the Hornets’ shooting percentage was lower, at only 40-50%.

Ultimately, with the Pistons firing on all cylinders, the third quarter ended with them leading 74-61, a 13-point advantage.

McGrady was the brightest star of the third quarter, hitting three three-pointers, and his 19 points made him the highest-scoring player on the court.

However, despite the Pistons’ 13-point lead after three quarters, John Kuester wasn’t very happy.

The reason was simple: in the third quarter, the Pistons’ offense was too monotonous, relying too much on outside shots. McGrady hit three three-pointers, Zhou Yi hit two, Tyshawn Prince hit one, and Austin Daye, who came in as a substitute, also hit two—so the Pistons hit eight three-pointers in that quarter, repeatedly shutting down the Hornets’ attacks with a barrage of threes.

But shooting percentage depends largely on form. No one could say for sure whether McGrady and the others could maintain such hot shooting form in the final quarter.

But once the outside players lose their touch and players like Greg Monroe in the paint fail to make progress, the Pistons’ home advantage will quickly be eroded by their opponents, eventually leading to a loss at home. On the bench, John Kuester voiced his concerns. Hearing Kuester’s analysis, the upbeat atmosphere among the Pistons faded, as his worries were quite valid. “Coach, I think the key issue lies with me. In the final quarter, I’ll give it my all to create an opening in the paint and relieve pressure on the outside players,” Greg Monroe assured, slapping his chest. Despite this, Kuester’s furrowed brows didn’t relax; he continued to ponder the problem. “Coach, you don’t need to worry too much. To be honest, I think the Hornets are under much greater pressure than we are. Marco Belinelli has become their biggest weakness in defense, and to ensure efficient team offense, he’s crucial. In other words, no one on the Hornets’ bench can replace his role. Yet his defense is their most fatal flaw. If Monty Williams wants to address this, there are only two options: either take Belinelli off the court, which would create issues for their offense since his role is to complement Chris Paul, whose performance I’ve already limited to some extent, so if he’s taken out, the Hornets’ offense will definitely struggle; or have Trevor Ariza step in for defense, which would require David West to move back a bit, reducing their advantage at the basket,” Zhou Yi analyzed thoroughly. John Kuester felt embarrassed—he hadn’t realized even he, as a coach, couldn’t analyze things as clearly as rookie Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi’s words also eased the tension throughout the team. This was the Pistons’ home court, and they wouldn’t allow anyone to take the win away from them there. In the final quarter, Monty Williams ultimately decided to keep Marco Belinelli on the court; he couldn’t afford to lose him, especially in this crucial fourth quarter. Moreover, even if Belinelli were taken off, the Hornets might not gain any advantage.