Sure enough, Danny was open. Wang Yi gestured as if he were about to pass him the ball.
Everyone thought Wang Yi was going to pass to him, and Pang Bo hurried out to the three-point line to guard Danny. But that left the paint completely empty.
Wang Yi seized the opportunity and passed to Towns.
Towns caught the ball and quickly returned it to Wang Yi. As the two defenders moved to trap Wang Yi, Towns immediately cut toward the paint.
After catching the ball, Wang Yi made another gesture, as if he were passing to Westbrook in the opposite corner.
That forced Swift to rush over and guard Westbrook.
But Wang Yi pulled the ball back.
Then he slipped it through the gap between the two defenders trapping him, sending it straight to Towns.
The ball sailed between their legs and reached Towns behind them.
With the ball in his hands, Towns found himself facing an entirely empty paint.
He drove straight to the basket.
By the time the Raptors realized what was happening, everyone was stunned.
Everyone knew that Wang Yi was unquestionably the Kings' leader and their undisputed choice to take the game-winning shot.
In every game before this, the Kings had given the final shot to Wang Yi. He would force up a shot no matter what—even against a two-man, three-man, four-man, or even five-man trap.
So no one could have imagined that Wang Yi would pass.
And that was exactly what he had planned.
Just how perfectly had Wang Yi drawn up that play?
So perfectly that when Towns cut into the paint, he even turned to look at Pang Bo, making sure he was still four or five meters away.
So perfectly that after jumping, Towns had enough time to pull off