Popovich knew how terrifying Wang Yi had been at his peak.
He had been an unstoppable force.
Although Wang Yi had never faced the Spurs in the Playoffs during his prime, even the few times they'd met in the Regular Season had been more than the Spurs could handle.
Popovich had tried everything he could think of, but he still hadn't been able to do a thing about Wang Yi.
But while Popovich knew how terrifying Wang Yi had been at his peak, the Spurs' players had no idea.
Almost all the players on the Spurs' current roster had emerged during the three years after Wang Yi retired.
They'd never faced Wang Yi on the court, never experienced just how terrifying he'd been at his peak.
Popo glanced at the players.
He saw that they were all frowning slightly, trying to figure out how to beat Wang Yi.
He couldn't help but laugh bitterly to himself.
How could anyone beat Wang Yi at his peak?
I'd thought about it for five years and still hadn't found the answer.
Or rather, Wang Yi at his peak was unbeatable.
Of course, these were just Popovich's private thoughts.
As head coach, he couldn't tell the players any of this. All he could do was encourage them to make the right cuts, play good defense, and do everything they could on the court.
The rest was up to God.
But there was one thing Popovich hadn't quite figured out: Wang Yi at his peak was God.
When play resumed, the Spurs went on offense.
Hugo had no chance of getting past Wang Yi at his peak, so he used Ali's Pick and Roll to barely shake him.
Hugo drove toward the paint as Ali rolled to the basket. Hugo lobbed the ball high, setting