Wang Yi continued, "Of course, even while we're attacking relentlessly, we still have to conserve our energy. Leave all the offense to me. You just need to do your part on defense and stick to the zone."
Even if they were relying on their reserves, they still had to save some energy.
Otherwise, if everyone was exhausted after the first few minutes, then forget 40 points—even 80 points' worth of reserves wouldn't be enough.
The 15-minute halftime break felt all too short for the Raptors players, who were short on rotation players.
Before anyone had rested enough, both teams were back on the court.
As the third quarter began, Curry once again posed a question to McGrady:
"Tracy, how do you think the Raptors will play in the second half?"
McGrady pondered briefly, stroking his grizzled beard as he replied:
"They're up by 25, which is a pretty big lead. I think they'll conserve their energy in the third quarter and save it all for a push in the fourth. Wang Yi especially—he's the team's star player, and he took on too much of the offensive and defensive workload in the first half. He's burned through a tremendous amount of energy, so he needs to save some for the latter part of the fourth quarter."
"As a Superstar, you have to learn to manage your energy. As the Chinese saying goes, 'Save the best steel for the blade.' LeBron James played that way late in his career."
Curry nodded slightly. "I agree with you on that."
As they spoke, the third quarter got underway.
The Raptors inbounded from the backcourt.
After receiving the ball, Wang Yi shook off Horton Tucker with one step, instantly accelerating to full speed and charging downcourt.
Keegan Murray was right in Wang Yi's path, but