Called Upon in a Crisis

Thick Eyebrows was injured, and James asked to go back in.

Coach Vogel weighed it for a moment, then nodded. "All right."

Then he turned to Wang Yi beside him. "Wang, it's your time to shine."

Wang Yi had been the most accurate three-point shooter in this game.

With James back on the court, it made sense to pair him with Wang Yi.

Vogel also turned to Drummond.

"Drummond, focus on protecting the boards, especially the offensive boards."

Drummond nodded. "Got it."

Since joining the Lakers, he'd often acted up, and only occasionally played like Drummond.

So he was eager to prove himself too.

At first, he and James hadn't been a good fit.

James's style of play required all five players to spread the floor.

But Drummond couldn't shoot from midrange or beyond, so he couldn't space the floor.

This game was different, though.

Wang Yi's long-range shooting could be trusted.

If the opponents stayed packed in the paint, Wang Yi could punish them with his outside shot.

And if they came out to guard him, James would have room to drive.

Soon, the three players were sent back onto the court.

The Lakers' five players were now James, Drummond, Caruso, Pope, and Wang Yi.

Aside from Drummond being a little slow on his feet, this lineup had virtually no weaknesses on defense.

When Wang Yi had come off the court earlier, the timer on his Deathly Embrace Experience Card had stopped.

Now that he was back in the game, the timer started running again.

He had two minutes of Deathly Embrace left.

The Lakers went on offense.

Wang Yi kept moving without the ball, looking for an opening.

Paul George was now guarding him.

George was also a top-tier defender.

He was known as a highlight-reel victim, but that only underscored how strong his defense was.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been trusted to guard the other team's most important player at the most crucial moments.

Drummond was a big man, and his screens were solid.

Wang Yi used one to briefly shake Paul George.

James had excellent court vision.

The moment he saw Wang Yi get open, he passed him the ball.

Wang Yi caught it on the left wing, just beyond the three-point line.

He didn't bother to set his feet.

He rose and shot.

Thump—swish!

The three-pointer bounced off the backboard and went in!

The lead was down to six.

The game continued.

On the other end, Wang Yi kept up his Deathly Embrace on Leonard.

Meanwhile, James stayed glued to Paul George. James was older and couldn't keep up that level of defense for long, but when it mattered, the pressure he brought was still terrifying.

Caruso went after Rondo.

After driving into the lane, Rondo looked to pass.

George was shut down, and Leonard was tied up by Wang Yi.

Rondo had no choice but to pass to Beverley on the other side.

Beverley considered taking the shot.

But Pope rushed at him, and Beverley was too intimidated to shoot.

He could only dribble and pass the ball back to Rondo.

Rondo tried to set up the offense again.

But with everyone else locked down, he had no choice but to force up a three as the shot clock was about to expire.

Thump!

The three missed.

The Lakers went back on offense!

James grabbed the rebound and immediately passed to Pope, who was leaking out for a fast break.

Pope finished with a dunk.

The lead was down to four.

Over the next minute or so, the Lakers' high-intensity defense held the Clippers scoreless.

The Lakers scored on two fast breaks, added a pair of free throws from James, and got another three from Wang Yi.

They tied the game once more.

The Clippers called timeout.

The atmosphere in the arena reached a fever pitch again.

As James came off the court, he slapped hands hard with Wang Yi!

Wang Yi's left hand stung from the impact.

James was the kind of freak who even had muscles in his palms.

With a slap like that, how could Wang Yi's slight frame take it?

Wincing, he muttered, "LeBron, are you trying to injure my left hand too?"

James laughed. "Don't worry. If I hurt it, Caruso can take care of you."

Inside the Tencent NBA Live Broadcast Room,

Meina was smiling from ear to ear now that the Lakers had tied the score.

Wang Meng grinned at her. "You're happy now, aren't you, Meina?"

Meina put a hand to her chest. "I was terrified when Davis got hurt. I was afraid the Lakers wouldn't be able to hold on. Luckily, it looks like they've weathered the pressure so far."

Wang Meng nodded. "Injuries are an athlete's greatest enemy. I hope Davis isn't hurt too badly. Back to the game: the Lakers just scored nine unanswered points in two minutes. How did they tie the score without Davis? Teacher Su, give us your take."

Su Qun adjusted his glasses. "Over the past two minutes, the Lakers have played some terrifying defense. They held the Clippers scoreless. James went into playoff mode early, and Caruso and Pope both turned their defense up to the max. Drummond may be a little slow on his feet, but he's still a strong presence in the paint."

"What surprised me most was Wang Yi. His defense has been completely top-tier. Some people might think he hasn't contributed much on defense in these two minutes. No steals, no blocks, no rebounds."

"But take a close look at Leonard, the player he's been guarding. Leonard hasn't managed a single successful offensive possession in those two minutes."

"And look at his plus-minus: +29. That means the Lakers have outscored their opponents by 29 points while he's been on the floor—the highest on the team."

"Considering how things have gone so far, I think the Lakers have already gotten their money's worth, even if they ultimately lose. They've uncovered a high-quality 3-and-D player in Wang Yi. That's exactly what the Lakers need right now."

"Of course, that's assuming Wang Yi can keep playing consistently."

By now, most of the haters in the comments had disappeared.

Brother Xiang in particular had gone completely silent.

Of course, some haters could always find the most ridiculous things to criticize.

"Left-handed shooter? Looks weird!"

"Keep hyping him up. Let's see him win this game first."

"He's just padding his stats."

"The NBA is a place for people to show off their personalities, and he still has such a basic hairstyle. He looks like a total dork!"

At Staples Center,

on the Lakers' bench,

Wang Yi took a sip of the terrible Gatorade.

The Lakers were buzzing with energy, but his expression grew more and more serious.

His Deathly Embrace Experience Card had run out.

From here on, his defense would be back to its usual level.

Would he still be able to guard Leonard like this?

Obviously not.

But he had to prove himself in this game.

He had to seize this rare opportunity and earn enough playing time for himself.

So no matter what, he had to stop Leonard!

Besides, he didn't want to become a useless player who could only rely on the system.

Even if he never had the system again, he would give it everything he had and play well enough to amaze everyone.

Coach Vogel keenly sensed that something about Wang Yi's mindset had changed.

"Wang, is something wrong?"

Wang Yi shook his head. His voice was quiet, but firm.

"No."