The Kings' management wanted to give the Bucks a huge surprise.
But when Kings fans and Wang Yi's fans heard the news, they all let out anguished cries.
"Damn, Brother Yi can't play in the rest of the games. It's going to be LeBron against Antetokounmpo from here on out. Can he really go toe-to-toe with him?"
"LeBron is already old. His dominance on both ends of the floor has fallen off a lot. You can see that from this Finals series. Paul hasn't done anything particularly impressive either. It'll be tough for the two of them to take on Antetokounmpo, who's at the peak of his powers."
"With Wang Yi out for the rest of the series, things are going to get interesting. They might have to go all the way to G7."
Meanwhile, Bucks fans were bursting with excitement.
One after another, they made bold claims.
"Antetokounmpo will crush LeBron. The monster will crush the Kings."
"The Kings may be strong, but they're only human. Antetokounmpo is a monster."
"Great, this series is already over. Milwaukee, get ready for your championship celebration."
At that moment, many prominent online commentators and experts weighed in, concluding that it would be difficult for the Kings to win the series.
Before Wang Yi got injured, they had predicted an 87% chance of the Kings winning the series.
After his injury, that probability plunged to 21% in an instant, even though the Kings were already leading 2–1.
Even the bookmakers' odds were heavily against the Kings.
For a time, it seemed the whole world had written them off.
Everyone except the Kings' most devoted fans.
Pierce wasn't backing the Kings this time, either. "It's over. Without Wang Yi, the Kings are done."
Pippen said, "Without Wang Yi, the Kings have virtually no chance