In De'Anthony's view, without Wang Yi, the Kings were practically finished.
The Kings might have had a Big Three, but Paul was getting old.
He had averaged 9 points and 6 assists per game in the Playoffs.
In the first two games of the Finals, he had averaged only 5.3 points and 5.5 assists.
James wasn't the full-throttle version of himself anymore, either.
At best, he could only go all out for a half.
So without Wang Yi, the Kings were no more than a Playoffs-level team.
On a blood-and-guts stage like the Finals, they would struggle to put on a dominant performance.
What did Wang Yi being unable to play mean for the Kings? It was obvious.
Wang Yi had played in Game 1, and the Kings had beaten the Bucks by a wide margin;
Wang Yi had been suspended in Game 2, and the Kings had lost;
Now Wang Yi had returned, and the Kings had already crushed the Bucks in two quarters.
It was easy to imagine what would happen if Wang Yi couldn't play in the games to come: the Kings' future would be uncertain.
By now, James and Paul had both heard the news, and their hearts sank.
Gallo's heart had sunk to the very bottom, too.
For Anthony and Paul, this was basically the only championship they would ever have a chance to win.
If Wang Yi couldn't play again, the Kings' shot at the title would likely go up in smoke.
James was also consumed by guilt. If he had stopped Wang Yi just now—held him back no matter what—this wouldn't have happened.
But what was done was done. There was no point dwelling on it. They needed to get Wang Yi to the locker room for an examination, then arrange treatment as