The jeers, like an erupting volcano and a crashing tsunami, briefly weakened.
After all, Wang Yi had made five three-pointers in a row. That was pretty terrifying.
And this one had come with Morant right in front of him, a pull-up jumper from three meters beyond the arc.
But after that momentary lull, the jeers surged back with a vengeance, several times louder than before.
Amid the deafening noise, Wang Yi made the shot, looked at Morant, and still said nothing or made any gesture.
He simply looked at him, yet Morant felt a tremendous sense of pressure and provocation.
James called out:
"It's in! He had room to shoot, but didn't take it. He waited for Morant to rush up and defend him. And even then, he didn't shoot—he let the clock run down to the final second before taking the shot. The provocation couldn't be more obvious!"
Stephen Curry chimed in beside him:
"I'm thinking back to the first time I saw Wang Yi score 28 points in five minutes against the Lakers. The shock I felt then was exactly the same as seeing him make five threes in just over two minutes today."
"And that last three-pointer of Wang Yi's came with the clock down to the final second. It was truly astonishing... So now, let's see how Morant responds."
When play resumed, Morant did indeed respond.
Facing Mad Tiger Tagore's defense, he used a crossover dribble behind his back to get past Tagore and drive into the paint. Then he contorted his body in midair for a layup, twisting past Pang Bo's defensive wall and banking the ball in from behind him.
After scoring, he crashed right out of bounds.
The spectacular basket sent the crowd's cheers up another level.
Of the Celtics' Big Four, Morant