Two Blocks in a Row!

When the Lakers were down by 15 just six minutes into the game and had been forced to take their second timeout.

The crowd at Staples Center was no longer as fired up as before.

They were all reminded of Game 6 last year.

Back then, Booker had also gone 6-for-6 from three, and the Lakers' fortunes had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

They didn't want to see that happen again.

The Lakers were a traditional powerhouse, a team with 17 championships.

Their fans were picky.

They wouldn't encourage the team when it played poorly.

They would only criticize them.

"Vogel, are you going to come up with something or not?"

"What kind of play is this? It's absolute garbage!"

"I spent all this money just to watch you kids play pretend? Fuck!"

Of course, there were plenty of levelheaded fans, too.

"Only if their threes start falling can the Lakers be saved now."

"But these bricklayers can't shoot threes any better than Shaquille O'Neal's grandma."

Then someone thought of Wang Yi.

Wang Yi had been on fire from three in two straight games.

If they weren't going to put him in now, when would they?

"Put Wang in!"

Those words sent ripples through the crowd.

"Put Wang in!"

"Put Wang in!"

A lot of people in the arena joined the chant.

Vogel looked over at Wang Yi.

He had planned to give Wang Yi a few minutes late in the second quarter.

After all, he couldn't put him in the rotation right away just because he'd played well in two games.

It had to happen gradually.

But now, the rotation players hadn't even taken the floor, and the game was already threatening to get out of hand.

There was no choice. He had to send Wang Yi in early and see what he could do.

"Wang, you're in. You're replacing Schroder."

Schroder just nodded and silently took a seat on the bench.

Vogel had a reason for replacing Schroder with Wang Yi.

Schroder was too short.

Booker could shoot right over him whenever he wanted.

With Wang Yi's defense, he should be able to slow Booker down.

At the same time, Vogel hoped Wang Yi could help the team from beyond the arc.

The moment Wang Yi stepped onto the court, the system's prompt rang out in his mind again:

[You can check in.]

Wang Yi thought to himself:

Check in.

[Check-in successful!]

[Check-in reward: 1 Beginner Block Experience Card]

Wang Yi didn't look too closely, and he didn't use it right away.

The Lakers had the ball, so there was no need to block anyone.

Once Wang Yi was on the floor, he found himself matched up against Devin Booker.

His blood began to boil.

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

Devin Booker had once scored 70 points.

He had also scored 50-plus in back-to-back games.

His scoring ability was off the charts.

Facing an opponent like that only brought out Wang Yi's fighting spirit.

Wang Yi and Devin Booker locked eyes.

He saw a hint of fighting spirit in Booker's eyes, too.

Clearly, Booker knew about Wang Yi's performances over the past two games.

First possession.

The Suns were still playing zone defense.

They knew Wang Yi was dangerous from three, but he'd only played well in two games so far.

So they didn't rush to guard him closely.

They wanted to see how his shot was falling.

That gave Wang Yi an easy catch beyond the three-point line, off a pass from James.

Without a moment's hesitation, he shot with his left hand.

Swish!

A clean release, a clean make!

The lead was down to 12.

At last, the crowd erupted in cheers again.

Devin Booker saw that and took the ball himself.

As a star, he had to answer.

Besides, his three-point touch was hot.

Wang Yi could guess what he was thinking.

He silently told the system:

Use the Block Experience Card!

The system's cold, mechanical voice quickly rang out:

[Using Beginner Block Experience Card: 50% block success rate, duration: 10 minutes.]

Booker faced Wang Yi without trying to evade him.

He was taller than Wang Yi. He didn't need to evade.

He simply pulled up for a three right in front of him.

As a former Three-Point Contest champion, he had every reason to be confident.

The commentators were calling the game for the Lakers' home crowd, so naturally, they favored the Lakers.

Seeing Booker prepare to pull up for a three, the commentator shook his head.

"Oh no, Devin Booker's pulling up..."

Before he could finish, Wang Yi had already jumped with him.

The tips of his left fingers grazed the ball.

Its trajectory changed, and after traveling barely two meters, it dropped helplessly to the floor.

The commentator abruptly changed course mid-sentence.

"A block! Wang Yi with the block! He blocked Booker—that was awesome!"

At the same time, Caruso grabbed the ball and immediately pushed the fast break.

Kuzma was already streaking down the court.

He finished with an easy dunk.

The lead was suddenly down to 10.

The fans erupted.

Devin Booker glanced at Wang Yi, anger rising inside him.

After Paul dribbled across half court, he knew what Booker was thinking. The Lakers' No. 1, a nobody, had just blocked him. Naturally, he wanted to get even.

As a veteran, Paul knew how important it was for Booker to answer right now.

He passed the ball to Booker.

Then he motioned for the others to clear out.

Devin Booker went one-on-one against Wang Yi.

This time, he didn't pull up right away.

Instead, he suddenly dribbled to the right, seeming ready to blow past Wang Yi with his speed.

Wang Yi immediately took a step back.

As he retreated, Booker hit him with a step-back, moving beyond the three-point line.

Then he raised the ball and fired.

But Wang Yi charged at him at lightning speed.

Just as Devin Booker raised the ball, before he could release it, Wang Yi swatted it down, taking both Booker and the ball with him.

A Wade-style block!

The commentators were stunned.

"Wang Yi blocked him again!"

"How is he that fast?"

"This... unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable!"

Devin Booker was stunned, too.

His drive fake followed by a step-back should have left the kid behind.

How had he rushed back so quickly?

In fact, when Booker drove, Wang Yi's step back had been a defensive fake, too.

He knew Devin Booker was still smarting from the first block and might try another three right in front of him.

So as he stepped back, he leaned forward, already preparing to lunge in.

The instant Devin Booker stepped back, Wang Yi was right on him.

That was why he seemed so fast.

There was a gamble involved, of course.

If Booker had really driven to the basket, he could have blown past Wang Yi with ease.

But Wang Yi had guessed right.

After knocking the ball away, Wang Yi dribbled quickly toward the frontcourt.

Paul sprinted after him from behind, head down.

Wang Yi had planned to go for the layup himself.

But his right hand was injured, and a one-handed layup with his left wouldn't be as smooth.

So after dribbling past the frontcourt three-point line, he whipped a behind-the-back pass to Pope, who was trailing the play.

Pope caught the ball and leaped high.

Bang!

He slammed it home!

The Lakers had cut the lead to just 8!

The crowd's cheers grew several decibels louder.

At the same time, the arena DJ drew out his words as he announced:

"Pope with the dunk, assisted by Wang—Yi!"