Deathly Embrace

Wang Yi made his first three-pointer after coming onto the court.

The Clippers' head coach didn't think much of it.

Neither did any of the Clippers players.

Of course, they had done their homework on their opponents.

They also knew that in the previous game, Wang Yi had drained nine three-pointers in five minutes.

But a superhuman performance like that was a stroke of luck that might only come once in a lifetime.

Take Tracy McGrady's 13 points in 35 seconds, for example.

There was no way Wang Yi could put on a performance like that two games in a row.

So the coach hadn't made any special arrangements.

The Clippers went on offense.

Wang Yi went straight up against the Clippers' star, Leonard.

With Wang Yi's talent, shutting down the long-limbed Leonard was simply impossible.

In his mind, he said, Use the Deathly Embrace Experience Card.

The system's voice rang out at once:

[Beginner Death Coil Experience Card activated. One-on-one defensive success rate: 70%. Duration: 10 minutes.]

The next moment, Wang Yi felt as if his feet had gotten just a little faster.

His lateral movement had also sped up a bit.

Mad Dog Beverley dribbled past half court and passed the ball to Leonard.

Wang Yi quickly got into position, spread his feet, and faced Leonard.

The commentators were a little surprised.

"What? This Eastern player is going to guard Leonard? Did I hear that right?"

"He's half a head shorter than Leonard and weighs a lot less. If he's guarding Leonard, he'll get shredded."

"I don't know what Vogel was thinking."

The Tencent NBA Live Broadcast Room was soon filled with trolls.

"He's asking to get humiliated."

"He's going to guard the Robot? No way!"

"He got lucky with that three and now he's getting cocky, thinking he can stop Leonard?"

"With his height, Leonard can just shoot over him or use his body to drive right through him. He'll crush him!"

On the court, Leonard didn't choose to pull up for a jumper.

That wasn't his favorite way to score.

His favorite was to drive halfway to the basket, then stop suddenly and rise for a mid-range jumper.

Now, he quickly pushed the ball down with his right hand.

He planned to drive to the right.

But Wang Yi had already read him from the direction his shoulder had dipped.

He slid quickly and cut off Leonard's path.

When Leonard saw he couldn't get past, he pivoted on his left foot and spun to the right.

He planned to drive to the left.

But just after he turned and pulled the ball across, at the moment it hit the floor—

A hand shot out like a ghost and intercepted the ball in midair.

Leonard's dribble came up empty.

Wang Yi stole the ball.

At the same time, a figure was already sprinting downcourt.

Wang Yi looked up and saw James.

He whipped the ball downcourt with his left hand.

James caught it, took one dribble, and leaped after three steps.

Bam—

A signature, thunderous tomahawk dunk!

The arena erupted!

The camera turned to James.

The broadcast replayed his dunk over and over.

But hardly anyone noticed Wang Yi's steal and assist that had set it up.

James didn't forget, though.

When he returned to the backcourt, he slapped hands with Wang Yi.

"Way to go, brother!" he shouted excitedly.

Leonard turned and looked at Wang Yi.

It was only a brief, seemingly casual glance, and he didn't look furious.

But stars had their pride.

If you stole the ball from me, I'd score on you to get it back.

Beverley knew that, too.

After dribbling past half court, he wanted to pass the ball to Leonard.

Wang Yi knew exactly what he was planning.

He played Leonard from the front, denying him any chance to receive the ball.

Beverley couldn't pass to Leonard, so he had no choice but to pass to George on the other side.

George faced Thick Eyebrows' defense and missed his shot.

The Lakers took possession and went on offense.

The Clippers stayed in their zone defense.

Wang Yi moved actively and set up beyond the three-point line in the left corner.

Playing with James made a lot of things simple.

As a three-point shooter, all you had to do was stand beyond the arc.

The ball would find its way to you.

Sure enough, James feigned a drive, drawing in the defense.

Then he passed the ball to Wang Yi in the corner.

George was already rushing toward him.

George was a professional victim of game-winning shots, with twenty years of experience as a poster boy.

He'd been hit with game-winners by James, Lillard, Wade, Booker, and Butler twice...

The people who'd beaten him with game-winners could circle the Earth five times over.

Of course, that was also because his defense was so good.

He was usually the one assigned to guard the opponent's final shot.

But as George rushed toward him, Wang Yi didn't hesitate for a second.

He released the ball with absolute conviction.

Swish!

Three-pointer!

They'd been down by twenty just moments ago, but in less than a minute, they'd scored eight points.

Now they were down by only twelve.

The arena erupted into cheers.

The Clippers' head coach immediately called a timeout.

In the Tencent NBA Live Broadcast Room, Wang Meng said excitedly:

"Two threes in one minute. Is he going to recreate the miracle from last game?"

Su Qun was more levelheaded. He analyzed the situation:

"A miracle like that is lucky enough to happen once in a lifetime. It's hard to imagine it happening a second time. But if Wang Yi can maintain a high three-point percentage, he'll be a huge help to the Lakers."

During the timeout, the Clippers' head coach pointed at Wang Yi from a distance and said to Mad Dog Beverley:

"Mad Dog, when you get back out there, bite down on him and don't let go!"

In American culture, calling someone a "dog" wasn't an insult.

It represented loyalty.

And Mad Dog wasn't an insult, either.

It meant Beverley had a near-fanatical competitive drive and was fiercely loyal to his team.

He was always hungry to play.

So he actually liked the nickname.

"Don't worry, Coach. I'll bite down and never let go!"

After the timeout, play resumed.

When the Clippers went on offense, Wang Yi continued to subject Leonard to the Deathly Embrace.

This time, their coach had made some adjustments.

Leonard used a screen and finally managed to get the ball.

But as soon as he caught it, a phantom hand slapped the ball.

Smack—

The ball dropped to the floor.

Leonard immediately dived after it.

But Wang Yi had already launched himself forward.

Thick Eyebrows was sprinting downcourt.

Wang Yi gave the ball a hard shove with his left hand, sending it after Thick Eyebrows.

Thick Eyebrows caught the ball and threw down another dunk.

The arena erupted once more.

The commentators cried out in delight:

"AD's dunk was fantastic! I loved it. But we can't keep overlooking Wang's defense. He's stopped Leonard three possessions in a row!"

"It's incredibly rare for anyone in this league to make Leonard struggle three possessions in a row. Clearly, we'd underestimated Wang's defense."

"Great three-point shooting! Great defense! A classic 3D Player. That's exactly what the Lakers need right now."

"With James and AD on the team, the Lakers' Role Players have a simple job: defend and shoot threes. And those are exactly the things Wang Yi brings. He's a perfect fit alongside the Lakers' two stars."

"The Lakers should be thinking about giving him a guaranteed contract."