Wang Yi's three-pointer pierced the Pelicans' net—and the hearts of their players.
After making the shot, Wang Yi turned and shook his head at Rondo.
It was as if he were saying, You think this defense can stop me?
Rondo stared at Wang Yi on the court, his brow furrowed tightly.
Players trash-talked opposing coaches, but it was rare for a coach to trash-talk a player.
After all, it was beneath a head coach to trash-talk a player.
But Rondo, who had once been famous for his trash talk, could only swallow his frustration as he watched Wang Yi swagger around on the court. He couldn't trash-talk him now, and it was eating him up inside.
When play resumed, the Pelicans once again sent Zion to attack in the paint.
Bond couldn't stop Zion from scoring this time, but he did draw a foul.
That meant the Kings' two big men had defended Zion four times: he'd scored three times and drawn a foul once.
That showed why Zion was known as Thanos.
After scoring, Zion pounded his chest repeatedly with his right hand and let out a beastlike roar toward the stands.
Jordan saw this and nodded again and again.
"He's let out that trademark tiger's roar of his again. Zion is only 1.98 meters tall, the height of a guard, yet he's become a giant in the paint. A player like him is truly rare."
McGrady nodded. "Zion really is gifted, but I believe that after these four possessions, De'Anthony understands that his two big men are no match for Zion. So Doug should be coming in next."
Sure enough, while Zion was shooting free throws, the Kings brought Doug in for Tures.
Tures and Doug had somewhat overlapping roles, so Tures was the one to come off.