Chapter 88

After the start of the third quarter, the Kings’ three-point strategy suddenly failed. Only Terrence Evans managed to score a shot early in the quarter, while several other players’ attempts from beyond the arc seemed to miss the basket, including one particularly poor performance with no shots made from three points. Losing this potent scoring option, the Kings didn’t panic and instead focused on driving to the basket. After Omari Cassby and Beno Udrih scored, the Kings trailed the Pistons by only 3 points, 54-51, with 6 minutes and 44 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Pistons made a substitution, with Zhou Yi replaced by Will Bynum. After Zhou Yi left the court, the Pistons’ offense clearly struggled. Several bench players were solid defensively but poor offensively, wasting scoring opportunities due to poor timing. If not for Greg Monroe’s two consecutive successful drives to the basket, the Kings might have closed the gap.

After the official timeout, John Kuester was dissatisfied with the team’s offense. Their performance over those few minutes had been poor, with no progress from beyond the arc. Two successful interior attacks had raised Greg Monroe’s alertness, making it harder to score further.

Terrence Evans was frustrated—he had always thought Zhou Yi was average in both offense and defense, with ordinary speed. But just now, Zhou Yi posed a significant threat to him, with constant tricky moves that angered him. Fortunately, he managed to control his emotions. However, Jason Thompson seemed unable to stay calm; after a ball was touched out of bounds by Will Bynum, he angrily pushed Bynum, resulting in a technical foul called by the referee.

Under the Pistons’ relentless defense, the Kings’ offense became more hasty. Terrence Evans’ passes remained sharp, but they didn’t help his teammates much. Several rushed attempts ended with the ball bouncing off the rim, while Greg Monroe controlled the rebounds well.

While the Kings’ attacks kept failing, the Pistons played more steadily. Zhou Yi maintained control of the game’s pace. It didn’t matter if a fast break didn’t work—they would immediately switch to half-court play. Even if a pass wasn’t perfect and the ball went back out, the Pistons carefully looked for shooting opportunities as the ball kept moving. This kind of offensive style was originally the Kings’ forte, but now with the Kings’ offense in disarray, the Pistons played with precision.

When Karl Landry grabbed a defensive rebound, the Kings’ head coach promptly called a timeout. In just over four minutes, the Kings managed only two shots, scoring seven points through both field goals and free throws. Although the Pistons didn’t score heavily either, they added eight points, bringing the score to 64–56 in favor of the Pistons under Zhou Yi’s leadership.

Paul Westphal, the Kings’ head coach, was generally seen as a gentle person among his players, so such loud reprimands were rare in previous games. John Kuester wasn’t overly optimistic about their recent performance. Though he couldn’t see Zhou Yi’s expression, the intense rising and falling of his chest gradually subsided, suggesting he had calmed down. But it wouldn’t be wise to bring him back into the game now.

The team’s defense wasn’t an issue, but their offensive tactics were very limited. Six of their eight points came from Greg Monroe’s strong interior play. The best defense is offense, and beyond Greg Monroe, the Pistons urgently needed a second scoring option.

However, the situation on the court changed rapidly. The favorable outcome John Kuester hoped for didn’t happen. After a brief timeout, the Kings’ offense seemed to regain its rhythm. Tyreke Evans forced his way through defenses for a layup, followed by Omari Casby making one of two free throws, narrowing the score gap to five points.

But the Kings’ crisis wasn’t over. After Greg Monroe hit a turnaround jump shot, John Kuester called another timeout. All eyes turned to the Pistons’ bench—that young Chinese player with yellow skin. With 3:10 left in the third quarter, the Pistons led 71–64, by seven points.

At this point, John Kuester appeared very relaxed, as the Pistons were gradually taking control of the game. In the remaining time of the third quarter, the Pistons followed their previous tactics, slowly widening the score gap, while their morale also rose steadily.

At the end of the third quarter, the Pistons led the Kings by 10 points, 78-68.
“Everyone has worked hard so far, but the real test has just begun. The final quarter is about to start, and we only lead by 10 points. If we get careless, that 10-point advantage can be quickly erased by them, allowing them to turn the game around. I don’t want to work so hard only to end up failing. I’m sure the home crowd wouldn’t want to see that either. So I expect everyone to give it their all in the final quarter, following the tactics we’ve planned. That way, winning the game shouldn’t be a problem. Do you have the confidence?” John Kuester asked firmly.
“Yes!” all the Pistons players replied loudly.