Charlie Hannum grabbed the rebound. Seeing no chance to shoot, he spotted Wang Yi cutting in from the middle and immediately whipped him a pass.
After catching the ball, Wang Yi had planned to charge straight in and throw down a dunk. But he saw the opposing backup power forward, Skoru, already blocking his path. Wang Yi knew a little about Skoru and knew the guy was very good at drawing offensive fouls. If Wang Yi so much as touched him, Skoru would definitely throw himself backward onto the floor.
So after catching the ball, Wang Yi didn't go straight for the dunk.
Instead, he suddenly pulled the ball and spun to the right. With his back to the basket, he whipped a right-handed bounce pass between Skoru's feet.
The ball found its way back into Charlie Hannum's hands.
Charlie Hannum paused in surprise after catching it. He hadn't expected the ball to come back to him.
He hadn't expected Wang Yi to get the pass through, either, with a defender between them.
But the opposing power forward, Skoru, and the center had both gone to block Wang Yi, leaving Charlie completely wide open. He rose up, and a thunderous shout burst from his mouth.
He slammed the ball into the basket.
The pass had been brilliant, and Charlie Hannum's dunk had been powerful.
They'd put together such a beautiful play, and the finish had been just as spectacular.
You'd think the two players would acknowledge each other.
But after the basket, Wang Yi went straight back to the other end.
Hannum roared, then went back on defense, too.
They didn't exchange a word—or even the most basic glance. It was as if they were complete strangers.
On the next possession, Wang Yi dribbled across half court. When the double-team