The referee was already urging both teams to get back on the court.
He stepped to the free-throw line to take his and-one shot.
Jalen Green stood on the left side of the lane, with Little Kevin on the right.
Sengun was under the basket, ready to rebound.
Wang Yi stood at the free-throw line, facing the Rockets' Big Three, and deliberately raised his voice.
He grinned and said, "Youngsters, watch closely and learn."
He was deliberately trying to leave a shadow in their minds.
He wasn't just going to beat them. He was going to beat them so badly they'd be haunted by it.
The next time they saw him, they wouldn't dare act cocky again.
The three of them looked grave. They had no idea what Wang Yi was about to do, but they knew he was planning something big.
And they had to stop him.
The referee tossed the ball to Wang Yi.
Every spectator in the arena stared intently at him.
All the players were watching him too, especially Jalen Green.
He figured Wang Yi would deliberately bounce the ball off the rim, grab the rebound, step out beyond the arc, and shoot a tie-breaking three-pointer.
His job was to keep Wang Yi from getting the rebound.
If he could stop Wang Yi from grabbing it, the Rockets were guaranteed to win.
But to his surprise, Wang Yi did what he always did. He took the ball from the referee and, without dribbling, casually and effortlessly shot toward the basket. It was as relaxed as a shot during practice.
The ball floated gently through the hoop.
The lead was down to two points.
No one had seen that coming.
In the Chinese cosplay livestream, the three young women watched Wang Yi make the free throw instead