In the United States, a lot of haters were taking shots at Wang Yi.
With so many haters around, it gave people the false impression that Wang Yi really had lost his edge.
Even Wang Yi's fans thought his ability had indeed declined.
At the same time, after this stretch of one win and thirteen losses, Wang Yi had completely fallen out of the MVP race.
People no longer considered him one of the league's top five players, either.
But some people saw things differently.
Stephen A. Smith analyzed the situation on his show:
"Everyone thinks Wang Yi's performance has been inconsistent this year, but I have another take."
"Have you ever noticed that Wang Yi's form and the Kings' form have risen and fallen in step with the Grizzlies'?"
"When the Grizzlies were third, the Kings were sixth; when the Grizzlies were fourth, the Kings were fifth. When the Grizzlies were second, the Kings were seventh. Now that the Grizzlies have climbed to the top of the Western Conference, the Kings are eighth."
"Doesn't that mean Wang Yi is specifically targeting the Grizzlies?"
"Is he trying to face the Grizzlies in the first round of the Playoffs?"
"I don't know why he'd do that, but based on how the standings have played out, I'm convinced he's targeting the Grizzlies."
Stephen A. Smith's remarks drew ridicule from Nicholas Zhao Si. "Stop making excuses for him. If you can't beat them, you can't beat them."
Bales also posted on Twitter:
"Stephen A. Smith has become Wang Yi's loyal lapdog. Wherever Wang Yi goes, he follows right behind, licking his boots."
"The Kings have lost thirteen of their last fourteen games and dropped straight to eighth in the West. One more loss and they'll fall to ninth, and he's still making excuses