"Same thing I said before: give me the ball!"
At Wang Yi's words, the players all felt a lot more reassured.
From last season through this one, Huang Yi had said "give me the ball" many times.
And whenever he said those words, it usually meant he was about to get to work.
Head Coach Dako immediately nodded and told the other players, "From here on, do as Wang said. Give him the ball!"
As he spoke, the second quarter began.
Wang Yi and Dauding returned to the court with George Shig, A. Nikola, and Charlie Hannam, three reserves, alongside them.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick couldn't help feeling a little surprised at the sight.
Ordinarily, when a player returned after missing several games in a row, the coach would limit his playing time.
He needed time to gradually readjust to the physicality of the NBA and the tremendous toll it took.
But Wang Yi had just returned today, played ten minutes in the first quarter, and was already starting in the second.
He was almost thirty-four years old.
Did this guy really not care about his body at all?
Since Wang Yi was on the court, Redick couldn't afford to sit idle either. He signaled to the referee that he wanted to make a substitution.
He'd originally planned to have Ball Boy and Second Ball lead a group of reserves through this stretch.
But when he saw Wang Yi on the other side, he decided to add another starter: Vanderbilt.
He also warned Big Ball and Second Ball, "You two Ball brothers, double-team Wang like you did in the first quarter. I mean off-ball double-teams. Do your best not to let him touch the ball."
Ball Boy and Second Ball nodded together. "Yes, Coach!"
The second quarter opened with