Besides, Popovich was certain that in another three to five years, Wang Yi's stamina would decline more and more. By then, using this tactic against Wang Yi would be even more effective.
There was just one thing Popovich couldn't be sure of: would he wear Wang Yi down until his stamina faded, or would Wang Yi outlast him until he died?
After all, he was already over eighty.
The Raptors went back on defense and set up a 2-3 Zone Defense.
From the sideline, Popovich instructed his players, "Stop cutting into the paint. Set screens for Rogers, Martin, and Wemby, and let them shoot threes!"
The simplest, most direct way to break a zone defense was to shoot threes—to put those damn threes in the basket.
Because a zone defense packed the defenders into a smaller area, it inevitably left the three-point line less tightly guarded.
Once you made a string of threes, the other team wouldn't dare keep using a zone defense.
Wemby had the ball beyond the three-point line. Captain America Rogers easily made his way to the right wing.
Wemby's pass came right on time, and Rogers went straight up for a three.
But perhaps because Big Lock Rock had kept him from getting any chances to shoot threes for so long, Rogers' touch was off today. His shot hit the front of the rim and bounced back, missing by a wide margin.
Fortunately, the beastly Power Forward Martin grabbed the rebound with his excellent instincts and tossed it back to Rogers, who passed it on to Wemby.
With Pang Bo guarding him, Wemby used his footwork to drive past him. He drew in the defense halfway through the drive, then passed to Martin.
Martin's three-pointer missed again.
By sheer bad luck, the rebound fell into the