Wang Yi's Overlord Dunk sent the rim crashing down and the backboard shattering across the floor, while all five Japanese players lay sprawled on the court.
After the team doctors examined them, they found that all five had suffered injuries of varying severity.
Yada Koji had strained muscles in his shoulder joint.
Kawakami Takusawa had a slight fracture in his leg.
Hachimura Rui had the mildest injury; he had merely been winded by the impact.
Watanabe Yuta had been knocked flat on his back. He might have suffered a concussion or a back injury, and needed further examination.
Nakamura Shuichiro was the most seriously injured.
He had passed out as soon as he landed. The team doctor diagnosed him with a broken nose and said he almost certainly had a concussion.
At that moment, although China's fans kept cursing the referee, the referee stood firm under the pressure and called a foul on Wang Yi.
His explanation was that when Watanabe Yuta was standing at the free-throw line, Wang Yi had jumped straight into him, violating Watanabe Yuta's cylinder.
Wang Yi didn't care about any of it.
He simply walked off the court, sat on the bench, unscrewed a bottle, and gulped down some water. He looked as if he hadn't done anything at all.
None of his teammates said a word. They were still in shock.
The coach came over and asked Wang Yi, "Are you all right?"
Wang Yi smiled, screwed the cap back on, and nodded toward the Japanese bench. "You should be worried about them."
The game was suspended for a full 45 minutes while the arena crew cleared away the glass shards and replaced the backboard.
Finally, once the new backboard was in place, both teams returned to the court.
This time, though, Japan had