Wang Yi sank the shot, cutting the deficit to just three points.
There was no doubt about it—Hornets head coach Steve Clifford immediately called a timeout.
Before Wang Yi had taken a shot, the Hornets had led by eight. Now, after Wang Yi got going, he had cut the deficit to just three in a little over two minutes.
In a situation like this, across the entire league, probably every coach would call a timeout—except Coach Headband.
Clifford had started out as an assistant with the Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy.
He regarded Jeff Van Gundy as his mentor in life.
And what kind of man was Jeff Van Gundy?
He was practically a living demon.
The kind of guy who taped plays onto the court and ran the team through them during practice.
He was responsible for half the blame for running Yao Ming into the ground.
He was extremely demanding when it came to the team's tactics, especially on defense.
Clifford had spent several seasons as his assistant and inherited that coaching style, holding the team to very high defensive standards. Now, seeing them squander a five-point lead in just over two minutes, he naturally couldn't take it anymore.
During the timeout, he looked at Wemby. "You've got to play tougher, understand? You can't let a 1.92-meter guard do whatever he wants over your head, even if he's Wang Yi. If he shoots in front of you, you have to answer him with some toughness."
Wemby lowered his head slightly.
He wanted to play tough, too, but he just couldn't get tough in front of Wang Yi. It wasn't as if Wang Yi were some sexy beauty.
The head coach saw that Wemby didn't look very resolute. Clenching his fist, he roared in Wemby's face:
"Who's averaged more