After everyone had come off the court, Wang Yi said to the Five Tiger Generals:
"You played well over those last few minutes. It was beautiful basketball. But after all that effort, you're running low on energy, so come off and catch your breath."
Then he turned to the Five Locksmiths beside him. "For the next defensive possession, all five of you are going in!"
The five players immediately perked up.
They had thought they wouldn't get back on the court for the rest of the game, especially not at such a crucial moment.
No coach would put a lineup of players who could only defend and couldn't score on the court.
Hearing Brother Yi say he wanted them to play at such a critical moment, the five couldn't help getting excited and fired up.
Wang Yi continued, "Your job on the court is to stop them on this next possession. Use whatever means you have, but whatever you do, don't let them score!"
The five players understood how important this possession was and nodded. "Yes, Brother Yi!"
Wang Yi said, "If you can stop them, Wang Liang, start a fast break if you get the chance. If there's no fast-break opportunity, I'll call a timeout, then sub you out for the Five Tiger Generals so they can handle the offense."
Everyone nodded.
This was a tactic Wang Yi was using in the final moments that had long been used in the NBA.
It was called breaking down the game.
You split the remaining time into offensive and defensive possessions.
Put the players who excel at offense on the court for offensive possessions, and the players who excel at defense on the court for defensive possessions. Sub out the players with defensive weaknesses.
This tactic was very common in NBA