It wasn't just Smith. Pippen, Pierce, and others had also come forward to criticize Wang Yi.
Pippen: "There's no question about his ability on the court. The problem is his attitude. It was a serious issue today, and we've seen it several times this season. It just hasn't been as bad as it was today."
Pierce: "Without a doubt, he's gotten carried away. He's become arrogant. And arrogance is the most dangerous thing for a team—especially for its leader. If you don't respect your opponents, you'll pay a hundred times over."
At Golden 1 Center, the Grizzlies used their final timeout of the game.
They were up by two, but the game was far from over. Jenkins stressed two things to his players.
First, they absolutely could not turn the ball over;
Second, they had to run out the 24-second clock.
Even if they couldn't score, they had to use up the entire 24-second possession.
On the Kings' side, the head coach put in their strongest Death Lineup.
He'd originally planned to bring Capela in to secure the rebounds. But Wang Yi had been excellent on the boards tonight, and with him on the floor, they could use the Death Lineup to make their defense even stronger.
So they left Capela out.
De'Anthony continued, "After we stop them on their final possession, I'll call a timeout. So be ready."
Wang Yi shook his head. "No. We don't need a timeout. If we get the stop, give me the ball. You don't need to worry about anything else."
If he'd said that in the past, there would've been nothing wrong with it. But now that James and Paul were both on the team—both capable of hitting clutch shots—Wang Yi still insisting on taking the ball surprised the Kings' players.
There was