Chapter 85

In the first quarter, the two teams were tied at 29. All seven players on the Pistons scored, with Zhou Yi leading the way with 8 points from 3 out of 5 attempts. This high number of attempts was quite different from Zhou Yi’s usual performance, and the impact of this change was evident—the Raptors had to focus more attention on him.

John Kuester spoke highly of the situation. At this point in the game, it was already quite remarkable for the Pistons. The Raptors’ performance today could be described as above par, especially Linas Kleiza’s ability to combine drives and shots, leaving Teyshawn Prince, who was assigned to defend him, at a loss. Watching him play so freely, John Kuester considered having Zhou Yi defend him, as only Zhou Yi’s speed could keep up with his rhythm. But that was just a thought—given that Zhou Yi was already stretched thin guarding Jose Calderon, he wouldn’t have the energy to handle an additional defender. If Jose Calderon were freed up, the Raptors’ backcourt duo could put the Pistons in a desperate situation.

Teyshawn Prince’s preferred replacement was James Posey, but James Posey couldn’t play today due to discomfort. John Kuester dismissed this option and settled on Austin Daye when his gaze fell on him.

Austin Daye, a rookie last year standing around 210 cm tall, had defensive advantages and some long-range shooting skills on the Pistons’ forward-line defense, but nothing else standout. As a result, he had mostly played as a substitute, averaging only 8.8 minutes per game.

John Kuester had always wanted to give him more playing time, but his offensive performance had been unreliable. Now, at last, he got the chance to show what he could do.

“Ding”—Zhou Yi’s layup missed, but it resulted in a foul on Ed Davis.

“Swish, swish”—Zhou Yi’s free throws remained steady.

Zhou Yi effortlessly dribbled around the top of the key, with Leandro Barbosa maintaining a defensive stance without rushing to steal the ball.

Zhou Yi slowed down, raised the ball with his right hand, ready to shoot. Riviera quickly stepped forward to block, and the ball landed beside his right hand. Instinctively, he tried to hook it, but a shadow flashed by as Zhou Yi blocked his path.

A force came from his right arm; his hand was pushed away as if hit by a speeding car, causing him to stumble and lose his position.

“Swish,” Zhou Yi easily hit his free throw from the line.
Compared to four months ago, Zhou Yi has not only made remarkable progress in his skills but also seen significant improvement in physical confrontation—standing at 188 centimeters tall with a weight of 80 kilograms.
Faced with Zhou Yi’s challenge, Leonardo Barbosa was not willing to back down either. With a clever ground pass, he quickly delivered the ball to Amir Johnson in the paint, who scored with a hook shot.
Next, Greg Monroe scored with a dunk and also drew a foul on Amir Johnson, earning a free throw.
Greg Monroe is an interior player skilled at moving around; during fast breaks, he sometimes even outruns players like Teyshawn Prince. Combined with his size, he’s like a human tank, charging forward with little one able to stop him, and he has many ways to attack under the basket.
Both teams played smoothly offensively, but the Pistons’ head coach, John Kuester, was unhappy and kept shouting for defense from the sidelines.
Seeing this, Zhou Yi also urged everyone to strengthen their defense.
For a while, the Raptors made several mistakes, allowing the Pistons to take advantage and score a 7-0 run.
The Raptors quickly called a timeout and adjusted their lineup. Leonardo Barbosa was moved to the small forward position, where he was at a clear disadvantage against Zhou Yi. Not only could he not contain Lin Xu’s performance, but it also restricted his own offensive capabilities.
The change in position proved effective. Against Teyshawn Prince’s defense, Leonardo Barbosa used his speed to score a solo shot first, then intercepted Prince’s pass to initiate a fast break.
Zhou Yi took a step forward, cleverly evading the opponent’s defense. After drawing their attention, he passed the ball to Teyshawn Prince, who naturally didn’t miss the chance to score a three-pointer.
Zhou Yi stole the ball in the middle of the court and passed it long to Teyshawn Prince, who scored another three-pointer despite Greg Monroe’s attempt to block.
Linas Kleiza tried another tactic, charging straight into the paint from the baseline. But this time, just as he was about to attempt a three-step layup, a muscular figure was already waiting in his path. Having observed him throughout the quarter, Austin Daye had figured out some of his patterns.
Austin Daye withstood his strong impact, but just as he was trying his best to defend, the referee blew the whistle.
However, this call was difficult to make—deciding on offensive fouls has always been tricky.

The referee called a defensive foul. With the call made at home, the home team has a relative advantage. This isn’t really the referee’s fault but rather due to some ambiguous calls; it’s understandable to be a bit biased to please the home crowd.

Austin Daye is definitely an underdog, even a rather unremarkable one. Yet in this game, his performance was praised by the Pistons’ head coach, John Kuester. He was very successful in defending Linas Kleiza, stopping several of his drives. With another key player performing poorly, the Raptors’ offense was initially hindered.

The Raptors’ head coach had no choice but to call a timeout. Their outside shooting was weak, and their inside player, Ed Davis, had little chance to shine under Greg Monroe’s tight defense. Meanwhile, the Pistons were on the offensive surge. The coordination between Greg Monroe and Zhou Yi helped them score an 8-2 run.

Under Zhou Yi’s defense, Leandro Barbosa almost had his pass intercepted. Just before halftime, he passed the ball, and DeMar DeRozan hit a three-pointer from the right wing.

Zhou Yi drove with the ball. After succeeding in his drive, he noticed Greg Monroe quickly cutting toward the basket from the baseline. As the two were about to collide, Zhou Yi used the strength in his waist and abdomen to slightly turn his body, avoiding Amir Johnson, and quickly pressed his wrist downward, causing the ball to hit the floor under Amir Johnson’s arm.

The rebound landed right in Greg Monroe’s hands. By then, his right foot was already inside the three-second line, giving him a perfect position to receive the ball. Andrea Banchani’s heel was already off the ground. Seeing Zhou Yi’s pass, he was shocked and quickly reduced his intensity, trying to cover up. But that brief delay was enough for Greg Monroe to leap high and lift the ball above his head.

Andrea Banchani realized what was happening, but he couldn’t adjust his balance in time. His right hand weakly hit Greg Monroe’s right elbow.

With a thud, Greg Monroe dunked the ball into the basket. Andrea Banchani’s attempt to cover up not only failed but also resulted in a foul call, giving Greg Monroe a 2+1 opportunity.

The basketball swished past the net and fell to the ground.

Samuel Dalembert, who returned to the game, hadn’t shown much improvement despite sitting on the bench for so long, still lagging behind in defense.

When trading for Samuel Dalembert, John Kuester was concerned about his tendency to focus on offense over defense. However, the trade was necessary for the team’s rebuilding process. So far, it doesn’t seem to have yielded much in return. Watching the Raptors’ head coach make two substitutions in a row, John Kuester was so annoyed he wanted to strangle him. As soon as the Raptors’ bench players came in, they performed well—DeMar DeRozan and Jerry Bellerin hit four three-pointers in a row, helping the Raptors take the lead before the end of the first half. To prepare for the second half, Zhou Yi was taken off the court at the halfway point of the second quarter to rest. The Pistons were beaten 12-4 by the Raptors, falling behind 49-53.