At the end of the first two quarters, the crowd had been fired up because Wang Yi could often claw back the deficit.
But when the third quarter ended, with the team trailing by as many as 17 points, the arena fell quiet.
Wade analyzed the situation.
"When Wang Yi was on the floor in the first two quarters, Big Snake was already on the bench. That let Wang Yi create chances in the mid-range and around the rim. But when Wang Yi came on this quarter, Big Snake stayed in the game, so it was hard for Wang Yi to find openings in the mid-range or inside."
Stephen A. Smith analyzed it too.
"Exactly. Wang Yi's game now relies more on the mid-range and shots around the basket. Big Snake has long arms and legs, and he can cover the entire paint and the areas around it. That makes it difficult for Wang Yi to handle the ball, so he didn't have much success against Big Snake in the third quarter."
"The Kings are down 17 now. We'll have to see what De'Anthony comes up with when the fourth quarter starts."
In truth, neither Wade nor Stephen A. Smith believed the Kings could turn things around today, even with Wang Yi on their roster.
Although Wang Yi now had a mid-range shot, for one thing, it was already the fourth quarter, and he'd used up a lot of energy.
For another, with the game entering its decisive fourth-quarter stretch, there was no way the Thunder would let Wang Yi keep taking mid-range shots so freely.
Big Snake would definitely be on the floor whenever Wang Yi played in the fourth.
Big Snake had long limbs and tremendous explosiveness, giving him a wide defensive range. When he stood under the