Bales, Nicholas Zhao Si, and the other Yi-haters were still refusing to back down.
They all took the same shameless stance: "The series isn't over yet. What can you tell from just two games?"
But in Game 3, Wang Yi continued to play brilliantly.
He scored 64 points and led the Kings to a 137–100 victory over the Lakers, beating them by 37.
By then, many prominent commentators had switched sides and were backing the Kings, predicting they would sweep the Lakers 4–0.
But just before Game 4 tipped off, something suddenly went wrong with Wang Yi.
He'd been perfectly fine that morning.
The game was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. As usual, Wang Yi ate something two hours before tipoff to replenish his energy.
It was no different from what he usually ate.
A serving of grilled salmon, a few vegetables, and a bowl of Chinese beef soup.
But half an hour after eating, he suddenly felt a pain in his abdomen.
It was that urgent, unmistakable feeling you got after eating something that didn't agree with you—the desperate need to rush to the bathroom.
Wang Yi hurried to the restroom.
After relieving himself, he immediately felt much better.
An athlete's job meant nearly exhausting all their energy during a game. If they didn't keep up with their nutritional needs, their body's regulation could fall out of balance.
Sometimes, they got diarrhea.
Even when it happened to Wang Yi, though, it usually only meant one or two trips to the bathroom. With his body's ability to recover, he'd soon be back to normal.
But today was different.
He'd just finished, stood up, and pulled up his pants. As he was about to leave the restroom, another intense, urgent cramp hit him.
He hurriedly doubled back and continued to