Wang Yi launched from the three-point line and shot toward the basket like lightning, blocking the ball.
But at the same time, because he'd jumped so high and charged in so fast, his chin had already reached the height of the rim.
Throwing himself into that block left him no way to avoid the basket. He could only turn his face aside as it slammed into the rim, and his whole body came crashing sideways toward the floor.
Boom—
A deafening crash!
Wang Yi hit the floor hard, his body almost parallel to it.
The crowd let out a collective gasp:
"Oh!"
Up in the fourth-floor box, Nicole and the two children had seen it happen. They clapped their hands over their mouths, their faces gone deathly pale.
The ball Wang Yi had blocked fell to the floor and looked ready to bounce out of bounds.
Just then, to everyone's surprise, Wang Yi—who had already hit the ground—used the slight bounce from his fall to brace his upper body with his left arm. He kicked hard with both feet—
Whoosh!
—and launched himself in a diving leap beyond the baseline.
While he was in the air, he stretched out his right hand and desperately scooped the ball back into play.
Though Wang Yi had thrown himself out of bounds to save it, his pass was remarkably precise.
The ball sailed over Little Danny, who had rushed in to intercept, and dropped behind him, where Gates leaped high to take possession.
At that moment, Coach Dako hurriedly called a timeout from the sideline.
He needed to check right away whether Wang Yi was hurt after striking the rim in midair and then crashing sideways onto the floor.
Every spectator in the arena was watching Wang Yi on the sideline with concern.