This time, the Raptors focused on cutting off Jokic from his teammates. None of the others managed to get open. With the shot clock about to run down to 24 seconds, Jokic faced Pang Bo and launched a three-pointer.
Jokic had a very distinctive shot.
When most players shot, some pushed the ball out from their chest.
Others raised it in front of their forehead.
Some lifted it above their heads before shooting.
Jokic's shot looked as if he had already raised the ball behind his head.
His shooting form looked like that of someone who didn't know how to play basketball—completely unorthodox.
Yet with that unorthodox form, he had shot 39.7 percent from three this season.
And his style had one advantage: it took him longer to release the ball.
So when opponents saw him raise the ball, they often jumped to block him, even though he hadn't shot yet.
Then, just as they were about to come back down, he would release the ball, creating a timing mismatch.
Pang Bo fell for it this time.
Pang Bo could jump high and had long arms, but when he reached his peak, Jokic had only just raised the ball behind his head. By the time Pang Bo was coming down and nearly back on the floor, Jokic finally let the three-pointer fly.
The ball traced a less-than-beautiful arc.
Swish!
The three-pointer dropped cleanly through the net.
The moment it went in, the arena erupted.
Dauding went beyond the baseline to collect the ball and inbound it, but Wang Yi didn't immediately go over to receive it. Instead, he looked back to survey the situation on the court.
The other Raptors had already started getting back on defense. Only King Arthur had come over to guard him closely. Wang Yi understood