Then Wang Yi rallied the players as a group:
"You all did very well. Our strategy was to make sure they didn't blow us out in the first three quarters. Now, two quarters in, we're down by 11 points, but they haven't blown us out. We've already achieved more than half of our goal."
"Let's hang in there for one more quarter. As long as they don't blow us out in the third, they'll be the ones getting blown out in the fourth!"
"So here's the goal I'm setting for you: keep the deficit under 10 points by the end of the third quarter! Can you do it?"
All 12 players raised their fists and shouted, "We can!"
Wang Yi raised his voice by an octave. "I can't hear your resolve!"
"We can!"
All 12 players raised their fists and shouted again.
"Your resolve still isn't strong enough!"
Wang Yi raised his voice by another octave.
"We can!"
The players raised their voices by another octave, too.
"I want every one of you to show me your greatest resolve!"
This time, Wang Yi craned his neck and bellowed the words.
Spittle was already flying from his mouth.
Stirred up by Wang Yi, all 12 players craned their necks, sprayed spittle, and shouted until their voices cracked:
"We caaaan—!"
On the other side, Yude's players came off the court looking rather unhappy.
Coach Lan Jingshan gripped the folding fan in his hand tightly, his expression grim as well.
He took a bottle of warmed mineral water in his right hand and passed one to each of the players who had just come off the court. He handed the last bottle to Shan He.
Shan He took the bottle but didn't open it right away. He dropped heavily into a chair beside