Grizzlies head coach Jenkins watched Wang Yi score eight straight points, instantly stretching the lead from 27 to 35. He hurriedly called another timeout.
After calling it, he reflexively asked the assistant coach beside him, "How many timeouts do we have left?"
It felt like he'd already called quite a few today.
At this rate, they might run out before the game was over.
As the Raptors players came off the court, the starters all went over to Wang Yi for high-fives or chest bumps. After all, scoring eight points in just a few dozen seconds was something any player would be happy about.
The bench players, however, sat motionless in their chairs, looking lifeless.
Watching this, Reggie Miller sighed. "It seems there are still serious issues between the Raptors' starters and their bench. Look at them. After Wang Yi scored eight straight, everyone else celebrated, but the Raptors' reserves just sat there without a word. It's genuinely worrying."
Dragon King Bosh bobbed his long neck. "What's strange, though, is that while the starters and reserves hardly interact, once the reserves get on the court, they play incredibly hard—seemingly even harder than the starters. That's the strangest part."
It wasn't just the two commentators who found this strange. Fans and many basketball analysts were puzzled too.
Stephen A. Smith posted on Twitter right then: "I've watched basketball for years. I've seen teams at odds with each other, teams struggling badly, and teams trailing by a huge margin. But this is the first time I've seen a team with obvious internal conflict leading by a huge margin."
Shaquille O'Neal immediately posted a clip comparing the expressions of the Kings' starters and reserves.
He added just one word: "Amazing."
At the Anta Center,
Wang Yi, resting on the sidelines, could naturally tell