Ham, standing on the sidelines, called out to King Arthur:
"Don't let him get to you. Focus on your free throws!"
Only then did King Arthur come to his senses and step up to the free-throw line.
When you were moving around, perhaps you could keep other people from affecting you. But when you stood quietly at the free-throw line, that gesture of Wang Yi's—his hand extended in invitation—would always inexplicably appear in your mind.
King Arthur's composure wavered, and he missed his first free throw.
He made the second one, though.
But for the Kings, one out of two was a success.
They could let him have one point, but they couldn't let him have two.
Over the next few possessions, the Kings' three towers dominated the paint.
Thick Eyebrows had long arms and could cover a lot of ground on defense, but he couldn't guard three players at once.
And there were two sharpshooters stationed outside, too. If you packed the paint too tightly, they could fire away from the perimeter.
When the Lakers were on offense, the Kings' strategy was simple: if King Arthur drove into the paint, defend him if possible. If they couldn't, they would just grab hold of him so he had no chance to shoot.
It would mean committing a lot of fouls, but that was fine. The three towers had only come on in the second quarter.
Besides, Wang Yi planned to rely mainly on the Death Lineup today, not the three towers, so it didn't matter how many fouls they picked up.
The Kings' three towers fouling him over and over left King Arthur thoroughly flustered.
He got the ball beyond the three-point line and used a Pick and Roll to start his drive. He charged into the paint and was