After the first two games, the Kings hadn't been routed by the Lakers as some people had imagined.
But a loss was still a loss.
And since they were playing in the United States, most American fans supported King Arthur.
So although Wang Yi and Arthur had been about evenly matched in their performances, American fans treated them very differently.
They called King Arthur the undisputed core of the team and the League's Number One. They said his performance had grown more consistent in the Playoffs, making him the clear favorite to win this year's championship.
As for Wang Yi, they called him a stat-padder, saying he only cared about making his own numbers look good and didn't care whether the team lived or died.
Those haters criticized him for anything and everything. They didn't compare the differences between the two teams' lineups, nor did they mention that Wang Yi had only recently returned and still hadn't gotten his conditioning back.
Even when the Kings won, they could find ways to criticize him. Losing only made it easier.
As for Wang Yi, he didn't bother to defend himself.
In his view, a loss was a loss. Even if he came up with ten thousand reasons and excuses, he couldn't change the result.
At that point, the outside world unanimously believed the Lakers would win the series.
Experts put the Lakers' odds of winning at 97.3%.
The Kings' chances were just 2.7%.
Some even called it the most lopsided series in history.
Against that backdrop, April 13 arrived.
That evening, the teams' third game would be played back in Sacramento.
It was also Wang Yi's birthday.
Before the game, Sacramento's official account posted a tweet celebrating Wang Yi's birthday. The NBA's official account did the same.
They even made a special