Ever since Wang Yi joined the Kings, almost everything he'd claimed he could do had come true.
When Wang Yi said he'd hit a game-winner, he did.
When he said he'd hit it from a certain spot on the court, he hit it from that very spot.
In the Playoffs, he said he'd hit game-winners in four straight games, and he really did it.
He said they'd go down 0–3, then stage an incredible 4–3 comeback, and that was exactly what happened.
Whenever that guy said something on the court, he never went back on his word.
That was what worried King Arthur most.
And when he thought about his free-throw percentage this season, he grew even more worried.
Like James, King Arthur might have become too strong from all his training, and his free throws had never been particularly consistent. This season, he was shooting just 65 percent.
At the thought, a ripple of unease stirred in King Arthur's heart.
That unease made him look hesitant as he headed to the bench.
Lakers head coach Ham's heart gave a jolt. He hurried over to Arthur and asked,
"What did he say to you?"
King Arthur furrowed his brow, his expression so grave it seemed water might drip from it.
"He said... I'd better make both free throws."
He didn't repeat the rest—"I could hit a game-winner against you as a player, and I can do it as a coach, too"—because it was too humiliating.
Coach Ham frowned as well and said,
"I get it. That's why that guy used his last timeout before the free throws—to come over and talk trash to you."
"And the longer this kind of trash talk has to sink in, the more it gets to you. He called that timeout on purpose to give