Chapter 93

In the first quarter, he gave his all to defend Rajon Rondo, using up a great deal of energy. Yet even so, he was unable to fully contain Rondo. Rondo was too fast, had better physical strength than Zhou Yi, and possessed excellent vision as well as unpredictable passing skills, making it impossible for Zhou Yi to effectively restrict Rondo’s performance.

Although Zhou Yi allowed Rondo to shoot 6 times with only 2 successes in the first quarter, scoring just 4 points and at a 33.3% shooting rate, he himself managed only 2 successes out of 5 attempts, with a 40% shooting rate and also 4 points. Additionally, he made 2 mistakes due to Rondo’s defense. If not for his teammates’ strong performance, the Celtics might have already closed the score gap.

Rajon Rondo is one of the best point guards in the league today—his sharp drives, unpredictable passing, excellent vision, amazing jumping ability, and superior defensive skills are all flawless. However, Rondo also has a flaw: his shooting, more precisely, his long-range shooting ability. Although it has improved significantly over the past couple of years, among top point guards, Rondo’s shooting skills are among the worst.

“Rajon, we’re now 11 points behind our opponent. What do you plan to do?” asked Celtics head coach Doug Rivers to Rondo.

After hearing this, Rondo glanced at the scoreboard, took a sip of his drink, and said casually, “We’ll close the score gap at the start of the second quarter…”

Doug Rivers smiled in satisfaction and said to his players, “Listen up. Zhou Yi and Tracy McGrady have already used up a lot of energy in the first quarter. So if John Kuester wants to ensure the team is at its strongest in the final moments, he’ll definitely replace them at the start of the second quarter! By then, the Pistons won’t be able to use their ‘Golden Duo,’ so we need to take this opportunity to close the score gap, understand?”

“Understood!” they replied in unison.

Doug Rivers nodded and said, “Remember, if we can’t seize the opportunity to get into top form and close the score gap in the first half of the second quarter, we’re likely to lose this game. So in the second quarter, success is mandatory—no failures allowed, got it?”

“Yes!” the Celtics players responded again.

“Ding~~~” At that moment, the whistle marking the start of the second quarter sounded.
Doug Rivers glanced at the Pistons players walking onto the court, clapped his hands, and said to his teammates, “Alright, let’s go! The victory in this game belongs to us!”
“It belongs to us!” the Celtics players shouted in response, as LaJuan Randolph and his teammates stepped onto the court.