Hachimura Rui was 2.03 meters tall and weighed 105 kilograms.
Wang Yi was 1.92 meters tall and weighed 100 kilograms.
By all rights, Wang Yi was eleven centimeters shorter than Hachimura Rui, putting him at a serious disadvantage when guarding him.
When Hachimura Rui saw Wang Yi come to guard him, he tried to use his strength to drive Wang Yi toward the basket.
But after dribbling once with his body turned sideways, he found that he couldn't budge Wang Yi at all as he tried to muscle his way in.
He collided with Wang Yi as if he'd run into a wall.
More precisely, it was like running into a cliff.
The cliff didn't move an inch.
Hachimura Rui was astonished. Wang Yi had guarded centers and the like before, and it was clear that he was very capable of defending in the paint.
But Hachimura Rui had never experienced the feeling of colliding with Wang Yi and finding himself up against a cliff.
"Did this guy grow up eating rocks?"
Hachimura Rui wondered.
After failing to push past Wang Yi twice, he could only pick up the ball and prepare to pass it to Watanabe. But the moment he raised the ball, Wang Yi struck.
His hand shot out like a serpent, flashing toward the ball in an instant.
Smack!
With a sharp crack, the ball was knocked away.
Hachimura Rui was startled and bent down to grab it.
But Wang Yi was already crouched low after swiping the ball, poised like a sprinter at the starting line.
He accelerated in an instant and seized the ball.
By the time Hachimura Rui bent down to retrieve it, Wang Yi was nearly at midcourt.
Meanwhile, behind him,
Japan Team point guard Kawakami Takusawa reached for Wang Yi's jersey, but