Chapter 63

At the start of the fourth quarter, both teams mainly fielded their bench players.
Pistons: Samuel Dalembert, Taylor Hansbrough, Austin Daye, McGrady, and Will Bynum;
Bulls: Omer Asik, Kurt Thomas, Ron Artest, Ronnie Brewer, and CJ Watson.
Will Bynum drove fast with the ball, while Samuel Dalembert moved to a high position to set a screen for him, allowing Bynum to quickly cut toward the basket.
But just as Bynum was about to attack the basket, Omer Asik closed in. Instead of panicking, Bynum casually threw the ball upward toward the backboard.
With a clang, the basket groaned.
Taylor Hansbrough dunked the ball forcefully, then landed and high-fived Bynum before retreating to defend.
CJ Watson steadied the pace, suddenly accelerated, drove with the ball, and executed a sudden behind-the-back dribble to create space from Bynum. James Posey quickly came over to help defend, and CJ Watson decisively passed the ball to Ron Artest, who shot—swish!—and the ball went in!
On the Pistons’ offense, James Posey’s three-point shot missed. Omer Asik secured the defensive rebound and passed it to Ron Artest.
Ron Artest’s shooting form seemed to improve suddenly; he drove the ball across half-court and then stopped abruptly in front of James Posey to take a jump shot, which also went in.
Bynum organized the offense, moving back and forth outside the three-point line, while CJ Watson tried his best to defend him. As a result, Bynum couldn’t find an opportunity for a while.
A bounce pass sent the ball to Samuel Dalembert at the basket. Dalembert shook off defenders a couple of times, then turned and took a backspin jump shot—clang—it missed.
However, Taylor Hansbrough jumped up quickly, tapped the ball, and pushed it back into the basket.
It was the Bulls’ turn with the ball. Kurt Thomas passed it to CJ Watson. After driving across half-court, Watson drove with the ball and threw it inside to Omer Asik.
Asik shook off defenders but missed his layup, and the Pistons grabbed the defensive rebound.

Maddie broke into the Bulls’ paint, with Rolle Dun coming to help defend him. Maddie passed the ball to James Posey behind him. James Posey caught the ball and immediately shot—a three-pointer that hit! As time passed, the Pistons continued to control the game, and the Bulls failed to narrow the score gap to within 5 points, keeping it around 7 or 8 points. CJ Watson drove with the ball, and Will Bynum tried to steal it, but failed instead committing a personal foul. John Kuester glanced at the clock—it was 5:41 in the fourth quarter—and took the opportunity to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Pistons’ Zhou Yi replaced Maddie, while Greg Monroe substituted for Samuel Dalembert; the Bulls’ Joakim Noah replaced Omer Asik, and Carlos Boozer replaced Kurt Thomas. Intense man-to-man defense was a real hassle, and Will Bynum felt extremely uncomfortable as soon as he got the ball. CJ Watson was always in front of him, constantly trying to take the ball away. The key to stealing a pass is to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm. Although CJ Watson hadn’t yet shot, his constant changes in position meant that once he attacked, it would surely be a deadly shot. CJ Watson almost stole Will Bynum’s ball; Will Bynum managed to pass it out with difficulty, but it was almost out of bounds before Zhou Yi caught it. Zhou Yi drove with the ball and then passed it long, aiming to give it to James Posey at the right wing baseline. Unexpectedly, halfway through the pass, a hand suddenly appeared and snatched the ball away. Rolle Dun rushed quickly to the Pistons’ basket and then executed a powerful two-handed dunk! “Zhou, give him one back, give him one back…” The crowd erupted in loud cheers after seeing Rolle Dun’s dunk. Zhou Yi certainly heard the crowd’s calls, but he didn’t rush to deliver an even more violent dunk. Instead, he quickly passed the ball to Will Bynum when he saw him open up. CJ Watson’s defense had always been weak, but he did well this time—having almost forced a mistake from Will Bynum in the previous defense round, he quickly stepped in to stop Will Bynum’s attack again.

Will Bynum, seeing no chance to attack, broke through and passed the ball to Greg Monroe. Greg Monroe dribbled the ball twice with his back to Joakim Noah, then made a bounce pass. Zhou Yi, who was cutting from the baseline, caught the ball and executed a one-handed dunk with both grace and power. Seeing Zhou Yi return a even more impressive dunk, the home crowd erupted in cheers again, “Zhou, MVP, Zhou, MVP…” Carlos Boozer received a pass from Ron Artest and tried to attack under the basket, but missed. The Bulls’ attack failed this time, and Greg Monroe grabbed the rebound. The moment Greg Monroe secured the rebound, Zhou Yi accelerated toward the Bulls’ half. Without the ball, Zhou Yi showed surprising speed, rushing into the opponent’s half in just a few steps, while Greg Monroe’s long pass arrived just in time. With an easy layup, Zhou Yi sent the ball into the basket. CJ Watson’s three-pointer hit the back of the rim and bounced high. Ron Artest suddenly rushed to the basket from the middle, jumped high, and grabbed the offensive rebound, followed by a layup for 2 points. With Zhou Yi’s screen, Bynum hit a mid-range shot. Zhou Yi used several feints, leveraging his speed to break through Ronnie Brewer. With a backpass, he delivered the ball to an unguarded Greg Monroe, who hit a jump shot from high for 2 points. CJ Watson had the ball, but made a turnover at a critical moment. Will Bynum stole the ball from CJ Watson’s mistake and rushed toward the opponent’s half. After crossing half-court, instead of rushing to attack out of greed, Bynum attracted Joakim Noah’s defense and passed the ball backward to Zhou Yi, who was following up. Zhou Yi easily scored a layup for 2 points. Ron Artest stepped back under the basket, took a jump shot and made it, causing a foul on Tyler Hansbrough. Ron Artest also made the free throw. John Kuester, seeing Ron Artest suddenly go wild and James Posey unable to contain him, replaced James Posey with Teyshawn Prince. Zhou Yi organized the attack, and Greg Monroe provided a screen without the ball for Teyshawn Prince. Teyshawn Prince took advantage to cut to the basket. Seeing this, Zhou Yi flicked his wrist, and the ball went to Teyshawn Prince. After catching the ball, Teyshawn Prince slid in for a layup, scoring and also causing a defensive foul on Carlos Boozer.

At this moment, Carlos Boozer already has five fouls. Just one more foul and he can leave early to take a shower. Tom Thibodeau is also in a dilemma—almost all of his interior players have multiple fouls; none of them are without fouls. Thibodeau maliciously wonders if the referees are favoring the Pistons today. Although Carlos Boozer has five fouls, Thibodeau hasn’t substituted him yet. It’s now a critical moment—the team already lacks Derrick Rose, and if they lose Carlos Boozer too, they might as well give up. Still, Thibodeau is thinking about who would replace him if Boozer really leaves with six fouls. Joakim Noah is also in trouble, with four fouls; Omir Asik has three fouls, Kurt Thomas has two, Brian Scalabrine also has two, and Ty Gibson has one foul plus a technical foul. Sighing at this thought, Thibodeau can’t help but sigh. Tyshawn Prince takes a free throw, but unfortunately misses the second attempt. Carlos Boozer grabs the rebound and passes it to CJ Watson. After halftime, CJ Watson immediately passes the ball to Ronny Dunleavy. Now, the Bulls are letting Ronny Dunleavy play, as his shooting form is exceptionally hot right now. Ronny Dunleavy drives to attack, with his teammates actively providing coverage for him. Using their help, he drives past the three-point line and shoots a three-pointer. With a swish, the ball goes through the net again. “How the hell is this guy hitting shots so accurately? Did he take Viagra?” Will Bynum says frustratedly to Zhou Yi. “Stop talking nonsense and focus on defense. He can’t stay this accurate all the time,” Zhou Yi replies calmly. Hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Will Bynum shrugs and runs with his teammates toward the Bulls’ half-court. Zhou Yi is too fast—Ronny Brewer finds it difficult to defend him because he’s not a speed-oriented player. Though his defense is excellent, guarding players like Zhou Yi is still a challenge for him. “Damn it, I can’t keep up at all!” Watching Zhou Yi break through and score, Ronny Brewer shakes his head helplessly and says angrily.

This guy is too fast; even at his peak, it might be hard to keep up with him. No wonder sometimes even Derek gets beaten by this Chinese kid.
“I don’t believe your shooting form is still this good,” Thaddeus Prince thought as he looked at Raul Dunleavy.
Raul Dunleavy remained calm. Despite hitting so many shots earlier, he didn’t become complacent. Looking at Thaddeus Prince, he carefully searched for an opportunity to attack.
Suddenly, Raul Dunleavy accelerated sharply and feinted a stop-and-shoot. Seeing this, Thaddeus Prince rushed forward as expected.
Raul Dunleavy pulled back his hand and threw the ball toward Thaddeus Prince’s body.
With a “swish” and a “thud,” Thaddeus Prince felt like dying from frustration.
Not only did he fail to block the opponent’s attack, but he also committed a foul, allowing the opponent to score a 2+1.
Watching Raul Dunleavy score another shot and force a foul on Thaddeus Prince, John Kuester immediately called a timeout.
The score was now 89:83, with the Pistons leading by only 6 points. If Raul Dunleavy made his free throws as well, the Pistons’ lead would drop to 5 points.
Earlier, the Pistons had widened the gap to double digits, but Raul Dunleavy’s aggressive play gradually eroded this hard-earned lead. If the Pistons didn’t do anything in the next few plays, the Bulls might tie the score in as few as three shots.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
The Pistons’ Will Bynum was substituted out by McGrady, and Taylor Hansbrough was replaced by Samuel Dalembert.
Raul Dunleavy took the free throw and made it—89:84, with the Pistons now leading by only 5 points.
Tom Thibodeau showed a relieved smile, and Derek Rose’s tension eased slightly.
Zhou Yi drove with the ball, skillfully dribbling behind CJ Watson. Ronnie Brewer rushed over to help defend, but Zhou Yi didn’t even look at the ball; he just flicked it to the right, and it landed in Thaddeus Prince’s hands. Thaddeus Prince shot a jump shot, and it went in.
On the Bulls’ end, CJ Watson passed the ball to Carlos Boozer. As soon as Carlos Boozer caught the ball, the crowd erupted in boos.

Carlos Boozer remained in a good mindset. Despite the loud boos, he withstood the pressure, faced Greg Monroe one-on-one, and scored 2 points with a backboard jump shot. It seemed Carlos Boozer wanted to fight back against the boos from the home crowd; after making the shot, he roared loudly and pounded his chest with both hands. Zhou Yi watched Carlos Boozer coldly, thinking of that tactic again. “Get him off the court?” Maddie asked Zhou Yi. “Heh, that’s exactly what I plan to do,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile. After saying that, the two exchanged smiles and prepared their tactic. Chapter 228: Driving Away the Bulls. Zhou Yi controlled the ball, and the Pistons were playing very well together, especially Maddie and Zhou Yi. Of course, Maddie knew Zhou Yi’s intention. Maddie set up a pick-and-roll, and Zhou Yi drove inside with the ball. Carlos Boozer was guarding the basket at that moment. Zhou Yi kept moving fast, heading straight toward Carlos Boozer. Seeing Zhou Yi charging at him, Carlos Boozer felt a badfeeling. “Could this guy also be trying to force a foul on me?” he thought panickedly. He already had five fouls; if he got another one, he’d have to leave the game early. After reaching the basket, Zhou Yi assumed a shooting stance. Although Carlos Boozer was worried that Zhou Yi might try to fake a foul, he refused to be bullied by a younger player, so he rushed forward immediately. Zhou Yi didn’t shoot right away. Only when Carlos Boozer collided with him did he throw the ball forward. “Ding,” the whistle blew. Although Zhou Yi had achieved his goal, he still stared at the ball, muttering, “It would be even better if it went in.” “Bang, bang, bang”—the ball bounced around before finally falling into the basket. Zhou Yi clenched his fist tightly and roared, venting his excitement. “Great shot, Zhou,” Maddie said excitedly, rushing over to Zhou Yi and bumping his chest. Zhou Yi made the free throw as well, bringing the Pistons’ lead to 94:86. Carlos Boozer eventually had to leave early due to six fouls, and Omer Asik took his place. Carlos Boozer gave Zhou Yi a cold look before walking off the court angrily. At that moment, 3 minutes and 41 seconds remained until the end of the game. The game continued, with the Bulls in possession. Joakim Noah attacked hard under the basket but missed. He fought for the offensive rebound and then scored a putback.

“This guy is pretty excited. Should we get him off the court too?” Maddie said to Zhou Yi with a smile.
“Hehe, if it’s possible, I wouldn’t mind,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.
Greg Monroe served from the baseline. After catching the ball, Zhou Yi slowly controlled it, trying to buy time.
CJ Watson naturally understood Zhou Yi’s intentions and kept harassing him, trying to steal the ball. But Zhou Yi’s ball-handling skills were excellent; despite CJ Watson’s intense defense, he still couldn’t steal the ball. As the 24-second offensive clock neared its end, Zhou Yi broke free from CJ Watson’s defense and rushed to the basket to attempt a layup. At that moment, Joakim Noah abandoned his defense of Samuel Dalembert and rushed over to help defend Zhou Yi.
A cold smile appeared on Zhou Yi’s lips as he thought, “But you came to me yourself.”
Just like last time when he forced Carlos Boozer into a foul, Joakim Noah also received his fifth foul of the game. However, Zhou Yi’s attempt this time didn’t succeed, which left him somewhat disappointed.
Zhou Yi took the free throws and made both.
96:86—the Pistons once again widened the lead to 10 points.
The Bulls attacked, with CJ Watson controlling the ball and organizing the offense.
After several attempts to break through, he still couldn’t get past Zhou Yi’s defense. Out of options, CJ Watson passed the ball to Rolando Blackman, his teammate in the best form at the time.
After catching the ball, Rolando Blackman feinted a couple of times, but Teyon Prince wasn’t fooled. So, Rolando Blackman started breaking through with the ball.
Rolando Blackman glanced at the 24-second timer; there wasn’t much time left for an attack. If he didn’t shoot soon, it would be a 24-second violation. With no other choice, Rolando Blackman threw the ball toward Teyon Prince’s long arms, but the hasty shot naturally missed.
At that moment, Greg Monroe suddenly jumped up, grabbed the basketball, and passed it to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi quickly moved forward, but the fast break was no longer possible. Omer Asik rushed up to Zhou Yi and pressed tightly on him. Perhaps because Omer Asik was too eager to defend, his movements against Zhou Yi were excessive, and the referee immediately gave him a defensive foul.
Teyon Prince issued a sideline throw. After catching the ball, Zhou Yi accelerated sharply and rushed toward the Bulls’ basket. Using Greg Monroe’s screen, Zhou Yi easily made it to the basket and scored with a layup.

With a 12-point lead, the Pistons seemed to see the light at the end of the tunnel, both on and off the court as well as among the home crowd. At that moment, with only 2 minutes and 13 seconds left in the game, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau called another timeout to strategize. The focus was on shooting threes, as time was running out—just 2 minutes and 13 seconds left—with the team still 12 points behind. When the timeout ended, the Bulls substituted Omir Asik for Kyle Korver. Roy Dunbar took the inbounds pass from the sideline, but Teyshawn Prince interfered persistently, and with no open teammates, Thibodeau called another short 20-second timeout. Soon, that timeout was up as well. The Bulls’ players moved aggressively, and finally, Dunbar managed to pass the ball to CJ Watson. CJ Watson scanned the court and suddenly spotted an opening near Dunbar. But he didn’t pass immediately—it wasn’t the right time, as Teyshawn Prince was close by. Passing now might not allow Prince to block Dunbar, but it would still disrupt him. CJ Watson gave a look to Kyle Korver, who glanced at him and then at Dunbar, instantly understanding. As CJ Watson’s pass flew toward Dunbar, Korver quickly rushed to his side to provide a screen, blocking Teyshawn Prince from reaching Dunbar. Dunbar adjusted and shot a three-pointer. “It has to go in!” everyone on the Bulls’ team thought. But with a loud clang, the ball missed its target. Dunbar, who had been hot earlier, lost his touch, frustrating the Bulls and delighting the Pistons. The home crowd cheered loudly, occasionally showering the visiting players with boos. Zhou Yi grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to McGrady, who drove toward the Bulls’ half-court. McGrady looked for an opportunity at the top of the key and saw Zhou Yi backing toward the basket, so he passed the ball to him. Zhou Yi caught it and scored a layup, forcing Jokic Noa into another foul. Jokic Noa was naturally sent off by the referee, replaced by Ty Gibson.

Zhou Yi took a free throw and made it, including the extra shot, which was undoubtedly a further blow to the Bulls. On the Bulls’ side, Rolando Dunham suddenly found his form again, shooting from beyond the three-point line and hitting his long-range shots. However, this was barely enough to make a difference for the Bulls. The Pistons attacked, with Zhou Yi breaking through CJ Watson and rushing into the paint to assist Greg Monroe in scoring. The Bulls were now 14 points behind, with only about a minute left in the game. Moreover, the Bulls had no Derek Rose, no Carlos Boozer, and even Joakim Noah had been taken off the court due to six fouls. The Bulls’ morale was at its lowest, so after Greg Monroe scored, the Bulls’ head coach called the final timeout of the game. After the timeout, the Bulls played with a purely bench lineup, signaling their surrender. Seeing the Bulls replace their starters, the Pistons’ head coach, John Kuester, also replaced his starters to avoid wasting energy, switching to a bench lineup as well. Unsurprisingly, the Pistons defeated the Bulls. The final score was 106:96, with the Pistons winning by a full 10 points, avenging their previous loss. After this game, the Pistons extended their winning streak to 18 games. Eighteen consecutive wins! The Pistons continued to create miracles and astonish everyone. Throughout the game, Zhou Yi played for 40 minutes and 23 seconds, the longest playing time among all players. He shot 10 out of 18 attempts, scoring 28 points, along with 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals, making him the best performer in the game. The second-highest scorer for the Pistons was Teyshawn Prince, with 19 points and 7 rebounds; McGrady scored 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, showing a similarly all-around performance; Greg Monroe had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds; Samuel Dalembert was the best performer among the Pistons’ interior players, with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 assists, showing strong skills on both offense and defense and being a very competent interior player; Will Bynum also scored in double digits, with 11 points and 5 assists. Aside from these five players, no one else on the Pistons scored in double digits. Among these five, Zhou Yi, Greg Monroe, and Samuel Dalembert all had double-doubles, stunning the home crowd.

On the other hand, for the Bulls, the top scorer was not Derrick Rose but Ron Artest. This wasn’t surprising, as Artest’s sudden burst in the fourth quarter was truly impressive. He played a significant amount of time throughout the game—39 minutes in total—scoring 26 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Derrick Rose was the second-highest scorer for the Bulls with 18 points, though that was achieved in less than three quarters, which speaks to his strength. Additionally, Derrick Rose had 7 assists and 5 rebounds, demonstrating his remarkable skill.

After the game, the Pistons players stayed on the court to celebrate their victory with the fans, while the Bulls players returned to the visiting team’s locker room.

Chapter 229: Becoming Friends with Rose

“Dude, you played really well,” Derrick Rose said with a smile as he approached Zhou Yi.

“Thanks, you too. If it weren’t for your injury and your departure from the game, we might not have won. By the way, Derrick, is your injury serious?” Zhou Yi asked concernfully.

Derrick Rose waved his hand and laughed, “It’s not a big deal. A couple of days of rest and I’ll be fine. I think I’ll miss another game, but I’m not exactly sure. Hehe, I’m looking forward to our next encounter.”

Zhou Yi nodded and replied with a smile, “Me too.”

“Can we be friends?” Derrick Rose asked suddenly.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi was momentarily stunned before smiling and saying, “Aren’t we already?”

After that, Zhou Yi and Derrick Rose hugged, with Zhou Yi patting his back and saying, “Derrick, we’re friends. From our first encounter, I knew we’d become friends—really good friends. Take good care of yourself, don’t underestimate just because it’s a minor injury. I’m looking forward to playing against you again.”

Derrick Rose smiled slightly and said, “Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll make you regret it.”

“Is that so? Then let’s see who makes whom regret it next time. Haha…” Zhou Yi laughed heartily.

The two exchanged contact information, after which Derrick Rose said goodbye to Zhou Yi and left the court with his teammates.

Zhou Yi watched as Derrick Rose disappeared from sight, then joined his teammates to celebrate their victory in the game and their 18-game winning streak.

After celebrating their victory on the court, the players returned to the locker room to take a shower before heading home. While everyone was resting in the locker room, head coach John Kuester walked in.
“Guys, pay attention—I have three good news items,” John Kuester said loudly, clapping his hands.
Upon hearing this, the players stopped what they were doing and listened eagerly to his news.
“Coach, what’s the good news?” Will Bynum asked impatiently.
John Kuester smiled as he saw the players ready to listen attentively.
“Guys, you’ve all worked hard after the game, so I won’t beat around the bush. The first piece of good news is that Ben Gordon will return for tomorrow’s game. The second is that, given your hard work over this long period and the great results you’ve helped the team achieve, I’m taking you all out for a big meal tonight…”
“But coach, there’s a game tomorrow, and there seems to be practice in the morning too,” Will Bynum interrupted, curious.
“Heh, the third piece of good news is about that. Morning practice is canceled. So enjoy yourselves tonight, get some good sleep, and gather at the arena at 2 p.m. tomorrow to go kill that little cat,” John Kuester said with a laugh.
Hearing this, the Pistons all burst into laughter, especially when they heard about killing the little cat the next day.
“Okay, let’s go kill that little cat tomorrow,” the Pistons echoed in unison.
John Kuester looked at them satisfactorily and then laughed loudly, “Guys, get ready quickly—let’s go eat!”
“Okay,” the Pistons replied in unison.
The Pistons quickly packed up and, led by John Kuester, headed to the nearest hotel to the Auburn Hills Palace of Auburn Hills Arena.
Tonight, the Pistons were bound to have a great time.
After having a big meal with the head coach and teammates, Zhou Yi drove to Blake’s house.
Upon returning home, Zhou Yi greeted Blake before going into his own room. As soon as he entered, he lay down on the bed.
Lying there, Zhou Yi’s mind was filled with thoughts of facing Derrick Rose.

“I lost again in today’s match,” Zhou Yi murmured to himself.
In fact, Zhou Yi was right—he did lose this match against Derrick Rose.
Throughout the game, Zhou Yi played for about 40 minutes, scoring 28 points and providing 10 assists. Although his stats were much better than Derrick Rose’s, Derrick Rose played less than three quarters, roughly 25 minutes at most.
In just 25 minutes, Derrick Rose scored 18 points and had 7 assists, and he held an upper hand in every confrontation with Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi was able to achieve such good stats partly because of Derrick Rose’s departure, and the Pistons’ ultimate victory was also greatly influenced by Derrick Rose’s exit.
Of course, this was also closely related to the strength of the Pistons and Zhou Yi’s own abilities, but Derrick Rose’s impact cannot be ignored.
After thinking for a while, a smile gradually appeared on Zhou Yi’s face.
“Hehe, I’m now friends with Derrick Rose too, hehe…” Zhou Yi said to himself with a smile.
It’s no wonder Zhou Yi felt this way. Since arriving in the United States, he hadn’t made many friends. Apart from Tracy McGrady and Will Bynum, the other Pistons players were at best his teammates. In the NBA, aside from McGrady and Bynum, Zhou Yi hadn’t made any other friends.
However, his relationship with Kobe Bryant was also good, though they weren’t friends yet—they simply admired each other.
Zhou Yi was very happy today because he had gained another friend.
…
On December 27th, local time in the United States, the NBA official website announced the results of the second round of voting for the 2011 NBA All-Star selection.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers topped the league with 1,153,694 votes, while Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder came in second in the West, just behind Bryant.
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic led the East, with LeBron James of the Miami Heat in second place. Zhou Yi, the Chinese player from the Detroit Pistons, rose to third in the East, right behind Howard and James.

The 2011 NBA All-Star Game will be held on Sunday, February 20, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. TNT and ESPN will broadcast the event live in over 40 languages to fans in more than 200 countries and regions around the world.

In the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant topped the guard voting, followed by Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets with 585,690 votes. In the forward voting, Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma Thunder, the league’s top scorer last season, led with 735,521 votes, while Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets came in second with 602,516 votes. Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets took the lead in center voting with 637,527 votes, followed by Andrew Bynum from the Los Angeles Lakers with 376,283 votes.

In the Eastern Conference, Dwight Howard led center voting with 988,572 votes, followed by Shaquille O’Neal from the Boston Celtics with 410,663 votes. LeBron James from the Miami Heat, who won the All-Star MVP award in 2006 and 2008, once again dominated forward voting with 969,459 votes. Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics, the 2003 All-Star MVP, came in second with 712,555 votes. Zhou Yi from the Detroit Pistons ranked first in guard voting with 958,402 votes, while Dwyane Wade from the Heat, the 2010 All-Star MVP, finished second with 938,402 votes. Trae McGrady, also from the Pistons and Zhou Yi’s teammate, followed closely with 897,310 votes. Derrick Rose, the star player for the Bulls and a recent friend of Zhou Yi, ranked fifth, ahead of Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics.

The results of the second round of voting have been released, and the results of the third round will also be announced regularly, determining the final starting lineup for the All-Star Game.

It wasn’t surprising that Zhou Yi ranked third in the Eastern Conference All-Star voting, just behind Dwight Howard and LeBron James. After all, given Zhou Yi’s skills and the support of hundreds of millions of Chinese fans behind him, it was only natural for him to achieve such a ranking.

Yao Ming, who joined the Houston Rockets in 2002, made it to the starting lineup for the Western Conference All-Star game in his first season, even pushing “The Shark” Shaquille O’Neal to the bench. This shows the power of Chinese fans.

Moreover, Zhou Yi performed much better in his first season than Yao Ming did, so he had every reason to rank third in the Eastern Conference or even higher.

On the morning of the 27th, Zhou Yi was awakened by a call from Will Bynum. The purpose of his call was to tell Zhou Yi his result in the All-Star voting. After hearing Will Bynum’s message, Zhou Yi ignored him, hung up the phone, and went back to sleep.

Chapter 230: First Meeting with the “God of Basketball”

After being awakened by Will Bynum, Zhou Yi couldn’t fall back asleep. He checked the time—it was only 6:15 in the morning. “How can that jerk Will get up so early? It’s so unusual,” Zhou Yi muttered, jumping out of bed abruptly.

As usual, he did dozens of push-ups on the floor before getting dressed. After getting ready, he opened the door to go wash up. Just as he opened the door, he happened to see Blake coming out as well.

“Didn’t we have no training this morning? Why are you up so early?” Blake asked, patting Zhou Yi’s shoulder.

“Uh, I actually wanted to sleep a bit longer, but that guy Will suddenly called me. After being awakened by him, I couldn’t fall back asleep,” Zhou Yi said honestly, scratching his head.

“Oh? What did Will want from you so early?” Blake asked curiously.

Zhou Yi shook his hand in frustration and said, “What could it be? That guy seemed to have seen some news and told me that I ranked third in the Eastern Conference in the second round of the All-Star voting. That’s about it.”

Hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Blake smiled and asked back, “Aren’t you happy to hear this news, kid? It’s the All-Star game after all!”

“I’m a bit happy, but also a bit helpless,” Zhou Yi replied with a smirk.
“Oh, why?” Blake became even more puzzled after hearing Zhou Yi’s answer.
“Maybe my performance has impressed many fans, and they’ll vote for me to make it to the All-Star game. But I think my skills aren’t yet at an All-Star level. In other words, the reason I’ve gotten so many votes is largely because I’m Chinese. Uncle, as you know, I have 1.3 billion people behind me. If even a small portion of them vote for me, I can make it to the All-Star game,” Zhou Yi said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders.
It was only after hearing Zhou Yi’s explanation that Blake understood why he wasn’t extremely excited.
Logically, a player supported by so many fans and chosen for the All-Star game should be very excited and happy. But Zhou Yi wasn’t like that, which was indeed surprising.
“Xiao Yi, it might not be as you think. If it were really as you say, and most of those supporting you are your compatriots, that would mean you’re considered excellent in their eyes. If you perform poorly, wouldn’t choosing you for the All-Star game be a form of mockery? I believe most of them support you because your performance has impressed them. Of course, there are those who support you because you’re their countryman, but I think that’s rare,” Blake said earnestly, patting Zhou Yi’s shoulder.
After hearing this, Zhou Yi fell silent for a moment before nodding and saying, “I also believe in myself. I believe they support me because they recognize my skills. And I believe I can perform better in future games, earning the recognition of more fans, who will support me based on my actual abilities.”
“Hehe, Uncle supports you,” Blake said with a smile.
Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Mm.”
“Alright, you should go wash up. Hurry up!” Blake said.
“Mm, okay.”
With that, Zhou Yi turned and headed toward the bathroom.
“By the way, Xiao Yi, if you really make it to the All-Star game, play well and prove to everyone that you truly have the skills to be there,” Blake suddenly said to Zhou Yi.
“Hehe, got it,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.

Watching Zhou Yi walk into the bathroom, Blake smiled before turning and going downstairs. Soon after, Zhou Yi arrived downstairs, where Blake was sitting in the living room looking at some documents. “Are you done washing?” Blake asked, glancing at Zhou Yi. “Mm,” Zhou Yi nodded in response. “Then let’s have breakfast together!” Blake put down the documents, stood up, and headed toward the dining room. Seeing this, Zhou Yi smiled and followed behind Blake. After having breakfast with Blake, Zhou Yi sat in the living room with him for a while, chatting. Zhou Yi knew he might not get to sit and eat, chat with Blake as often in the future, so he decided to spend more time talking to Blake these days. After a while, Blake received a phone call. He then told Zhou Yi that there were some matters at the company that required his attention, and he left. Watching Blake walk away, Zhou Yi sighed and said, “I still haven’t brought this family together!” Zhou Yi stood up, took a few steps, and murmured, “I must bring this family together—it’s my promise.” … At noon, Zhou Yi appeared at the entrance of the Auburn Hills Palace Arena. Before that, he had been exercising in the gym at Blake’s villa. After entering the arena, Zhou Yi went straight to the locker room. After changing clothes there, he headed to the training court. Last time, Samuel Durham Porter had taught him techniques for inside attacks, and Zhou Yi had practiced hard during that time. But now, it seemed impossible to practice inside attacks since he was alone, and it was best to have a partner for such practice. With a wry smile, Zhou Yi took a basketball out of his car and started practicing left-handed dribbling, stop-and-shoot, and close-range attacks. By now, stop-and-shoot was no longer difficult for Zhou Yi, and he was also very skilled at catch-and-shot. His main weakness was the lack of offensive options. Therefore, McGrady often trained with Zhou Yi, teaching him many offensive techniques. However, these skills couldn’t be learned overnight; they required extensive practice to master. After training on the court for about an hour and a half, Zhou Yi returned to the locker room, took a shower, changed into different clothes, and waited there for his teammates to arrive.

After a while, the teammates gradually arrived at the gym. By 1:55, all the players were there. At 2 o’clock sharp, head coach John Kuest appeared before them.
“Guys, we’re about to head out. Our goal is to go to Charlotte and take down that little cat. Guys, do you have the confidence?” John Kuest said passionately.
“Yes,” replied all the Pistons players in unison.
John Kuest looked at them satisfactorily and then said, “Good, let’s go now.”
With that, John Kuest turned and headed toward the locker room, with Zhou Yi and the others quickly following after packing up their things.
…
At 6 p.m., the Pistons team came out of the hotel they had reserved earlier and boarded a bus to head to the Charlotte gym.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the gym. Led by the staff, Zhou Yi and the others quickly entered the visiting team’s locker room.
“Hey, buddy, have you ever met ‘The Basketball God’ Michael Jordan?” Will Bynum asked, patting Zhou Yi’s shoulder.
“You mean seen him in person? Honestly, I’ve never met him. By the way, isn’t Michael the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats now? Will he be at the court today?” Zhou Yi asked excitedly.
Michael Jordan was not only a player Zhou Yi liked but also one of his greatest idols. So, being able to see Michael Jordan in person was naturally very exciting for him.
“You really haven’t met him?” Will Bynum asked, somewhat incredulous.
“Yes, I really haven’t,” Zhou Yi replied, nodding firmly.
Will Bynum pursed his lips and said, “When we first came in, Michael happened to be walking in. I didn’t see his face, but from his back, I knew it was definitely Michael Jordan. Michael is one of my favorite players. His strength and his ability to do anything are things I admire greatly. So I’m quite familiar with him. I’ve even met him a few times and shaken his hand.”
Seeing Will Bynum’s proud expression, Zhou Yi felt a bit envious and then said, “You mean Michael is in this gym? Will he show up at the game? I mean, can I see him?”

“Well, I’m not too sure about that. I guess Michael will be in the stands during the game, after all, he’s the owner of the team, so his presence will definitely boost the players’ morale. But it’s hard to say; maybe he’s there to handle some business,” analyzed Will Bynum.
Hearing Will Bynum’s words, Zhou Yi nodded with some regret.
After changing clothes in the locker room, it was already around 6:30. Led by John Kuster, everyone walked through the player tunnel and entered the stadium.
As soon as they entered the stadium, Will Bynum nudged Zhou Yi.
“What’s up?” Zhou Yi asked curiously.
Will Bynum pointed and said excitedly, “Look, Michael is sitting in the stands next to the Bobcats’ bench!”
Hearing Will Bynum’s words, Zhou Yi quickly turned to look. Sure enough, in the direction Will Bynum indicated, there was a slightly overweight middle-aged man sitting there. And that man was none other than the “God of Basketball,” Michael Jordan.
“Michael… Jordan…” Zhou Yi murmured to himself.
Chapter 231: The Arrogant Pistons
“Good morning, everyone! I’m Sun Zhengping. Welcome to this live broadcast by Court Five TV of the NBA 2010-2011 regular season game where the Detroit Pistons take on the Charlotte Bobcats away from home. Sitting next to me is coach Zhang Weiping, and together we’ll be commenting on this game. I wonder what strategies coach Zhang has for today’s match?” Teacher Sun turned to coach Zhang with a smile.
“I think the outcome of this game will depend on the performance of the golden duo, Zhou Yi and Tracy McGrady. If they perform well, the Pistons have a good chance of winning. But on the Bobcats’ side, their defense poses a significant threat to the Pistons, as their defense ranks among the top ten in the league,” said coach Zhang, looking at the notes in his hand.
“Hmm, coach Zhang is right. But in this game, the Pistons’ Ben Gordon will be returning. His return should help the Pistons,” Teacher Sun added.
Even before the game started, Teacher Sun and coach Zhang were already discussing in the studio how the game should be played, as if following their plans would guarantee victory.
But what were Zhou Yi and the others doing at this moment?

Zhou Yi and his teammates were on the court doing warm-ups, while the home team’s players had also arrived. As he warmed up, Zhou Yi kept glancing at Michael Jordan sitting on the sidelines. Up to this point, he was still a bit excited. Soon, both teams’ players returned to their benches, and the Bobcats’ cheerleaders rushed to the center of the court to perform an energetic and dazzling dance for the audience. The cheerleaders finished their performance quickly, after which both teams’ starters returned to the court and gathered near the center circle. “The game is about to start! Nazr Mohammed and Greg Monroe are ready to tip off!” Although the Pistons were considered stronger than the Bobcats, this would definitely be a tough match. From the very beginning, it was clear this would be a defensive game. Right from the start, the two teams engaged in a fierce battle. The Bobcats’ starters played extremely aggressively, seemingly determined to prevent the Pistons from achieving their 19th consecutive win. Center Nazr Mohammed, power forward Boris Diaw, small forward Gerald Wallace, shooting guard Stephen Jackson, and point guard—Zhou Yi’s opponent today—DJ Augustin—were all relatively easy for Zhou Yi to defend. The Bobcats’ real offensive strength lay in their second, third, and fourth players; Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, and Boris Diaw were almost the same height—two meters zero three, with Gerald Wallace being two meters zero one—allowing them to play as power forwards, small forwards, or shooting guards. In other words, they could switch positions freely among these three roles. Each of them had skills in driving, shooting, and passing. However, having these skills doesn’t mean anything unless they’re utilized effectively—otherwise, it’s just useless.