401.

Semi-finals, vs. Bulls (Nine)

After the official timeout, Tom Thibodeau was very dissatisfied with the team's current offense. The team's offense in the past few minutes was very unsatisfactory. The outside was unable to break the deadlock. The two sneak attacks in the inside made Greg Monroe increase his vigilance in the inside. It is probably not that easy to succeed again below.

Derek Ross had no idea what to do. He used to think that Ben Gordon was average in offense and defense, and his speed was normal, but he didn't expect that just now, he actually posed a great threat to himself. The repeated small moves made his heart continue to rise. Fortunately, he could still control his rhythm. However, Roll Deng seemed to be unable to suppress his heart. After a ball was touched by Andre Iguodala outside the bounds, he actually pushed Andre Iguodala excitedly, and was called a technical foul by the referee.

Under the defense of Pistons players without any effort, the Bulls' offense began to appear more impatient. Derek Ross' pass was still so sharp, but he could not help his teammates. He made several hastily shots in a row, and the ball hit the basket. Greg Monroe's backcourt rebound was well controlled.

When the Bulls suffered repeated setbacks in offense, the Pistons played more solidly. Ben Gordon always controlled the rhythm of the game. It doesn't matter if the fast attack was not done. He immediately entered the positional battle. It doesn't matter if the pass was not in place. The ball was passed back to the outside line. As the ball was constantly running, the Pistons were cautiously looking for opportunities to take action. Such a sports battle was originally the style of play that the Bulls were good at, but now the Bulls' offense was in a mess, and the Pistons played with a sharp and concise look.

When Carlos Boozer grabbed a backcourt rebound, Tom Thibodeau decisively called a timeout. In more than four minutes, the Bulls only made two goals and scored seven points in a row with free throws. Although the Pistons did not set off a scoring frenzy, they also scored nine points. The score between the two sides was 101-90. Without Zhou Yi on the court, the gap was further narrowed.

"Under the desperate defense of the Pistons players, in just over four minutes, the Bulls' offense completely lost its rhythm. Seeing the score narrowed, Tom Thibodeau finally couldn't help but call a timeout. Before Zhou Yi came on the court, he hoped that the team would maintain an absolute advantage. The last scene of the first game was still in front of him, so he naturally did not dare to be careless. To be honest, with Zhou Yi's current physical condition, Tom Thibodeau's concerns are unnecessary, but the Pistons are now thinking about waiting for Zhou Yi to play. Judging from the current performance of both sides, the deadlock on the court will be broken soon. The Pistons and other players on the court will have to support at least three minutes. Once Zhou Yi comes on the court, although it may not have any miraculous effects on the team's defense, the Pistons' deterrent power is the Pistons who else can be." Yu Jia's commentary came to the nail on the head and accurately explained the current situation of the two teams.

Tom Thibodeau has always been gentle in the minds of players, and such loud scoldings were rarely seen in previous games.

But it's no wonder he is so disobedient. This year's Bulls are really unwilling to go. In the first round of the playoffs, seven games against the Orlando Magic caused the Bulls to be seriously injured and they also played seven games in the series with the Pistons. If they still lose with such an advantage, Tom Thibodeau would not accept it at all.

John Custer was not overly optimistic in his performance just now. With the big score leading, the Bulls' players quietly changed their mentality, giving the Pistons a chance to take advantage of it. Tom Thibodeau's timeout is timely. When he still has an eleven-point advantage in his hands, as long as he arranges it properly, the Bulls have an absolute advantage in the face of the Pistons with a shortage of soldiers.

Although he could not see the expression on Zhou Yi's face, the violent ups and downs of Zhou Yi's chest gradually calmed down. It seemed that he had eased the momentum, but it was not a wise move to let him play now.

The team's defense is not a problem now, but the offensive methods are very monotonous. Among the nine points I just scored, six points were the result of Greg Monroe's strong play in the inside. The best defense is offense. In addition to Greg Monroe, the Pistons urgently need a second scoring point on the field.

However, the situation on the court changed rapidly, and the good situation that John Couster expected did not appear. The Bulls' offense seemed to have found its rhythm again after a brief timeout. Derek Ross forced a breakthrough and made a layup to retaliate, and then Ronnie Brewer made a free throw, and the Bulls gained a 14-point advantage.

Some of the Bulls fans in the audience could no longer sit still, so they stood up and raised their fists to celebrate the Bulls' upcoming victory.

However, the Pistons fans sitting next to them stopped doing it and cheered loudly for the home team.

However, the Bulls' pride did not last long. With Greg Monroe's turn and jump shot, John Custer called a timeout. At this time, everyone's focus was on the Pistons' bench. Zhou Yi, who had been lying quietly on the chair, was already relaxing his muscles on the sidelines.

There were five minutes and thirteen seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the Pistons temporarily trailed the Bulls 112-96. At this time, John Custer's expression seemed very relaxed, and the most difficult period of time had passed.

"Thank you all just now, but the real test has just begun. There are five minutes left in the game and we are still 16 points behind the opponent. If we can successfully turn the tables, the Eastern Conference champion will be waiting for us."

"With more than five minutes left in the game, Zhou Yi finally appeared among the Pistons' players, but at this time they were as many as sixteen points behind their opponents. If they wanted to recover the score in five minutes, offense alone was not enough. They also needed to work hard on defense. Zhou Yi, who has always been the core of the Pistons' defense, may become the biggest loophole in the team's defense under the current circumstances." Yu Jia's commentary on Zhou Yi's appearance was quite fair. Indeed, the Pistons' current winning rate is very small.

At the moment when Zhou Yi and Derek Ross passed by, Zhou Yi whispered: "Derick, be careful, the game has just begun now."

Derek Ross just smiled slightly when he heard this. He admired Zhou Yi's strength very much. However, with his current physical condition, the Bulls have a 16-point advantage, the suspense of the game is no longer great, and after experiencing a slump in the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Bulls are in good shape now.

However, John Custer always kept Ben Gordon on the court. One way he was the best among other players, and Zhou Yi also needed him to share the heavy responsibility of the organization on the court. In the remaining five minutes, Zhou Yi's purpose was more focused on scoring.

Ben Gordon quickly led the ball through the half, and his first pass target was naturally Zhou Yi. However, since he came on the court, Keith Bogans has been firmly following him. Among the current members of the Bulls, besides Jokin Noah, he is the most outstanding player in defense, and he is also good at creating offensive fouls. At this critical moment, Tom Thibodeau naturally handed over the heavy responsibility of defense to him, and other Bulls players can come forward to defend at any time.

Although Zhou Yi has no previous speed and the team's organizational burden is not on him, the effect of his playing field is obvious. The Bulls have at least two players at any time to focus on him, and Greg Monroe, the inside, also needs to assist in defense. The Bulls' regional joint defense tactics are still loopholes at the moment.

Ben Gordon's ball was quickly handed over to Spencer Hawyce. The Bulls did not have a dedicated defense for such a player with strong defense and weak attacks. Moreover, they did not expect that after Zhou Yi reappeared, he would hand it to his first shot, so he could only watch him succeed in the mid-range shot.

Spencer Hawys' goal was very important. After Zhou Yi came on the court, the Bulls' main defensive target had already been focused on Zhou Yi, but with his hit, the Bulls had to pay more attention to other Pistons players. In this way, Zhou Yi was under much less pressure.

Carlos Boozer's mid-range shot missed, and the ball returned to the Pistons again. Ben Gordon made a sneak attack from outside the three-point line. The Pistons scored five points in a row within half a minute, narrowing the gap between the two sides to 11 points.

Tom Thibodeau immediately called a timeout. The sudden outbreak of two role players of the Pistons completely disrupted his tactical arrangements. Before Zhou Yi could play, the Pistons recovered five points in a row. In this case, it was naturally careless.

"The game has reached its most critical moment. Tom Thibodeau decisively called a timeout. Now any change may change the final result of the game. The two substitutes of the Pistons made consecutive shots. In fact, it is normal for this situation to happen. Zhou Yi and Greg Monroe were on the court at the same time. The Bulls had to adopt a double-team tactic against both of them, and the opportunities for other players naturally came out." Yu Jia commented.

Carlos Boozer made a very poor shot from close range today, and so far he only made two of eight shots, but his performance at the free throw line is impressive. So far, he has made all nine free throws.

After the timeout, Roll Deng continued his previous performance and made a simple gap with Derek Ross, and made a three-pointer from the bottom line.

Ben Gordon dribbled the ball through the half, and did not stick too much, quickly handed the ball to Zhou Yi. At this time, only Kees Bogans was beside Zhou Yi. Although there were other Bulls players staring at him not far away, the situation was much better than the previous double-team.

One step back, widening the distance between the two, Zhou Yi hung high, and the ball quickly passed over Kees Bogans' head, Ben Gordon turned around and made a jump shot.

With 3 minutes and 31 seconds left in the game, Derek Ross made two consecutive breakthroughs, and the two sides fought to 116-103. As the game gradually approached the end, the Pistons' hopes became increasingly slim, especially after the timeout, the Bulls not only made great improvements in defense, but Derek Ross' two consecutive successes also suppressed the Pistons' offensive.

Seeing the Bulls stabilize the situation, Zhou Yi's expression became more and more cold, and a trace of cold light flashed through his black eyes. Every Bulls player who was swept by his eyes trembled all over.

The Pistons now have only one chance to stop. Although John Custer is extremely anxious, he is also anxious. The only chance to stop needs to be used at the most appropriate time. The situation on the court is definitely not something that can be solved by a stop. If Zhou Yi and the others can successfully turn into a crisis, then this timeout will become a bargaining chip for the Pistons to finally turn the tables. If there is no way out, this timeout will naturally be unnecessary.

After gently touching the ball, Zhou Yi quickly led the ball through the half and finally met Derek Ross. Looking at Derek Ross's nervous defense, Zhou Yi smiled slightly. The more critical the game was, the more relaxed Zhou Yi could feel.

Derek Ross was unmoved by several consecutive fake moves.

Zhou Yi seemed to have eyes behind his head, and he accurately sent the ball to Ben Gordon. He took a step forward and blocked Derek Ross tightly on the right.

Taking advantage of the opportunity Zhou Yi created for him, Ben Gordon quickly got up and took action without hesitation. Unfortunately, his strength seemed to be a little smaller, and the ball hit the basket and bounced high.

Greg Monroe stretched out his arms and pressed Carlos Boozer behind him, making a quick tip-in.

…………

"Drip", as the referee's whistle sounded, Keith Bogansliso climbed up from the floor, and was deceived by him for another offensive foul.

Zhou Yi's breakthrough just now only touched him gently, but he fell so far. Such fake skills made Zhou Yi really smile a little bitterly.

The Pistons are in full swing. If he does this, it will be a big blow to the team's morale, especially now that the game time is only two and a half minutes left. The Pistons are still behind eleven points. As long as the Bulls do not make any mistakes, the overall situation is almost decided.

Watching Kees Bogans walk onto the free throw line, the Pistons fans in front of the TV couldn't help but shout "missed". However, Kees Bogans' free throw has been stable, with a shooting percentage of 80.1% in the regular season.

Seeing several players muttering to themselves, Zhou Yi couldn't help but pray silently in his heart. At this time, every score of the Bulls pushed the Pistons to the edge of the cliff.

"Bang", what Zhou Yi hated the most in the past was the sound of the ball hitting the basket, but at this time it felt like a fairy music. Keith Bogans' second free throw was not strong enough, and the ball hit the front of the basket. Greg Monroe jumped up and easily took the rebound. He followed the trend and the ball quickly flew out of the penalty area and headed straight for the Bulls' half.

Zhou Yi, who had been waiting in the half, saw the ball passing out, made a little judgment in his heart and immediately rushed to the Bulls' basket. According to his estimate, Greg Monroe's passing was good and he could fly to the free throw line. In this way, he had enough time to get rid of Derek Ross around him.

Derek Ross shook his arms and ran wildly, but what frustrated him was that Zhou Yi had a vague sign of surpassing him after just a few steps. Twenty minutes ago, Zhou Yi was so tired that he stayed on the bench for so long, but he didn't expect that he could still run so fast.

By gently catching the ball, Zhou Yi always maintained the lead on the front line against Derek Ross and scored easily. What made Derek Ross more depressed was that in order to affect Zhou Yi's move, he had never given up on chasing Zhou Yi. However, when he arrived at the basket, his steps were not stopped and hit Zhou Yi firmly. The referee showed no mercy and blew his defensive foul.

Derek Ross did not argue with the referee. After all, the collision just now was so obvious. There was no inappropriateness in the referee's call. He was a little aggrieved. He had never thought about the foul at all and could not stop it. If he had known that it was the result, it would be better to pull Zhou Yi down earlier. At least he could not let him score three points so easily.

Free throws are the most stable scoring method for Zhou Yi. In the game, no matter how bad his hand feels that day, he rarely misses the ball. Zhou Yi's free throw shots in the regular season were as high as 95.3%, ranking first in the league.

For seven consecutive games, physical strength has become a fatal injury for the Bulls players. Therefore, in this game, Tom Thibodeau maintained a strong offensive against the Pistons in the first half, hoping to lock in the game in the first three quarters. Facing the Pistons with a lack of soldiers, Tom Thibodeau's wishful thinking played in the first half. However, with the joint counterattack between Zhou Yi and Greg Monroe of the Pistons, the Pistons bit the score tightly and maintained the hope of the team's turnaround.

At the moment when Zhou Yi's physical strength was about to be exhausted, Tom Thibodeau was extremely reluctant to see a scene appear. Other players of the Pistons exuded invincible fighting spirit as if they were awakened from their sleep, narrowing the score difference little by little until Zhou Yi came on the court. However, the physical strength problems of the Bulls players have finally been exposed. If Derek Ross's foul just now, it would be completely restrained under normal circumstances.

Knowing this, Tom Thibodeau still did not call a timeout. Both teams currently only have one timeout, and the only one chance to be used properly. In his opinion, although the Pistons showed a strong counterattack momentum, in the remaining time, they could only wait for a miracle.

In Tom Thibodeau's view, those great moments that are legendary in the league, in the view of Tom Thibodeau, they can achieve such success. The team coaches they face must bear great responsibility. They are careless in the end and give them the conditions to create opportunities. As a successful coach, the situation on the court must be firmly grasped in their hands. No matter how big the advantage is, they must never make mistakes at the moment before the end of the game. Otherwise, no matter how high your coaching level is and if you cannot win in the game, you will not be considered a good coach.

With one minute and fifty seconds left in the game, the Pistons finally narrowed the gap to single digits, and the fans of Auburn Mountain Palace Arena were in full swing.

With the Bulls' offense still going smoothly, the Pistons actually approached the score little by little. In less than two minutes, they still maintained the advantage of nine points, but the fans could not see the difference of nine points, how can the team's victory be guaranteed?

Suddenly, Keis Bogans made a small mistake in dribbling. For some players, in just a moment, it was enough for them to complete many moves. Zhou Yi, who was just defending him, was the best among them. At the moment when Keis Bogans made a mistake, his right hand spitted a letter like a poisonous snake, and cut off the ball in his hand like lightning, turning around and making a long pass.

The Bulls players were obviously not prepared for this mistake. They watched Greg Monroe jump high in the three-second zone, holding his hands high above his head, and when the person reached the top, they smashed it hard. Such a powerful dunk made the entire arena tremble.

117-110, looking at the dazzling red letters on the scorer, Tom Thibodeau finally called a timeout. In just four minutes, the Bulls' advantage of more than ten points was exhausted. What made him even more annoyed was that since Zhou Yi came on the court, three Pistons players scored one after another, and Spencer Hawys, the inside, defended very well, and resolved the Bulls' key goals twice.

This is definitely not the strength of the Pistons, nor is it the strength of the Bulls. However, the performance of the two teams on the court is exactly the opposite of their real strength. There is still one and a half minutes left in the game. As long as the timeout is properly used this time, the initiative in the game is still in his own hands.

"The Bulls' timeout is very important. Judging from the current scores of both sides, the Bulls still have absolute initiative. However, according to the performance of the two teams just now, the seven-point advantage is not enough, and there will be no two round trips. The Bulls must pay the most attention to now, and they must not make mistakes." Kenny Smith, who served as the live commentator, analyzed.

Tom Thibodeau is not only worried about this, but the Bulls' rebounds also took advantage of the problem. Within more than three minutes just now, Greg Monroe took three frontcourt rebounds in a row, giving the Bulls three attack opportunities. Now the game is at a critical moment of every second, and each rebound is worth a thousand gold.

The Bulls have just insisted on playing a lineup with a big team with four small teams. This lineup wins in speed, but its weakness in rebounding is destined to be unavoidable. Now it seems that the lineup just now has little effect for the Pistons. In order to regain the balance of rebounding, Tom Thibodeau sent Curt Thomas again. Jockin Noah has already committed six fouls in the defense of Greg Monroe. The only thing the Bulls can rely on is veteran Curt Thomas.

In this way, he and Carlos Boozer teamed up to gain the upper hand in the inside Bulls.

On the Pistons' bench, John Custer looked very serious, and he clicked a few times on the tactical board, and arranged the following tactics to the players in a deep voice.

"At this stage of the game, both teams have become the last of their strength. Now they are fighting for one breath. Once someone's anger is released first, there will be no hope for the game." Yu Jia's expression also seemed very serious.

Cote Thomas is worthy of being a powerful player. After playing, he immediately took a frontcourt rebound and passed Derek Ross to a three-pointer in seconds. The gap between the two teams widened the double digits again. This goal can be said to be the most valuable goal of the Bulls so far, with only one minute and thirteen seconds left in the game, with a tenth advantage, and the Bulls' victory is close.

Jokin Noah off the court and a group of substitutes could no longer sit still, stood up, raised his fists to celebrate the Bulls' victory. A few Bulls fans at the Auburn Mountain Palace Arena also immediately active, and many people began to cheer for the arrival of victory.

John Custer's face suddenly turned pale. He was still full of confidence just now, but the Bulls' goal made him give up completely. There was less than a minute left, unless McGrady's magical thirty-five seconds and thirteen points were reproduced, but that was hard to come by. Perhaps there was only one time in the history of NBA.

Derek Ross enjoyed the wonderful moments with his first demonstration. Zhou Yi, who could not forget what Zhou Yi said to himself after he reappeared, and he wanted to tell Zhou Yi: Although you are excellent, you want to take away the victory from the Bulls. I'm sorry, I have to ask me first.

But when he looked around, he saw Zhou Yi running towards his half-time, and in a blink of an eye, he reached outside the three-point line. At this time, a black shadow quickly passed through his ear. With a "huh", Derek Ross suddenly felt a sense of coolness from his head, but none of this was as cold as in his heart.

Zhou Yi's movements were so slow in front of him, and there was no omission in every movement. Seeing Zhou Yi's elegant jump, the ball quickly flew out of his fingers.

"Swish", in fact, Derek Ross doesn't need to listen, and he knows that this ball will definitely be scored. Zhou Yi's shooting standard just now is like a textbook.

Keith Bogans did not notice Derek Ross' distraction. Seeing that he was still in the Pistons' half, he felt a little happy. This was an excellent opportunity to launch a fast break. As long as Derek Ross plays this fast break, he can truly lock in the victory.

Derek Ross had just come back to his senses, and a huge basketball flew quickly to his eyes. His instinctive head flashed, Zhou Yi easily caught the ball, and a long pass quickly handed it to Greg Monroe. At this time, there was no Bulls' defense player in front of Greg Monroe. Greg Monroe's dunk seemed to be about to smash the Chicagoers' rebound.

With one minute and five seconds left in the game, the Pistons' internal and external combinations exploded one after another, scoring five points in just half a minute, and everything seemed dim and unclear again.

At this critical moment, the referee's whistle sounded.

This call was too insignificant, and the whole audience's eyes were aimed at the referee. At this time, the Bulls' ball had not been sent yet. The players of the two teams were just keeping their positions and did not make any extreme moves. Where did this call come from?

The answer soon appeared. When Tom Thibodeau saw the Pistons succeed one after another, he suddenly felt hot and called a timeout. Unexpectedly, the Bulls' last timeout was finished just now. It was too late for his assistant to hold him up. The sharp-eyed referee had already noticed his gestures, so he would not be polite. In fact, as the referee, he hoped that the suspense of the game would be left to the last moment.

He is a referee with relatively low qualifications. Although the referee has always been favored by the league, there has never been a few games in such an important game. If this game becomes a classic, he, as the referee, has a bright face. In the scale of the referee, he has gradually turned to the Pistons without realizing it. However, he is still very sure of his sensibility and has not left any handle for the Bulls.

The technical free throw at the critical moment was naturally handed over to Zhou Yi. He did not disappoint his teammates' trust and accurately sent the ball into the basket. The two teams played 120-116. Now the Pistons only have a short 20-second stop left for the two teams, but obviously John Custer would not foolishly help the Bulls call the timeout.

The Heat, who just beat the Celtics 119-111 in the away game, eliminated the opponent with a total score of 4-3 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

At this time, all the members of their team were paying attention to the game in front of the TV. They happened to catch up with the end of the third quarter. Under the circumstances, the Heat had already confirmed that their opponent would be the Bulls, especially after Zhou Yi sat on the bench, but the strong counterattack momentum of the Pistons at this time made the game more suspense, especially after Zhou Yi appeared again, the Pistons completely suppressed the Bulls.

With Zhou Yi hit a free throw, the suspense of the game was reborn. There was no previous attention to the victory or defeat of the two teams, but instead put all their attention on the game. In the playoffs this season, in the dozens of games so far, the first game of the Bulls and Pistons was rated as the most surprising game, but if this situation continues, this game will definitely be more likely to surpass the previous game.
To be continued...