Wang Yi continued:
"The Spurs' chances of winning are closely tied to Wemby's three-point percentage that night. The higher his percentage, the easier it'll be for them to win."
"The lower his percentage, the harder it'll be for them to win—and they might even lose."
"So I'm thinking we use two different defensive strategies against Wemby."
"If he attacks in the paint, we'll have Pang Bo guard him. If he initiates the offense beyond the three-point line, we'll put a guard on him."
"The advantage of using a guard is that he can reach in below Wemby's knees to disrupt his dribble. That'll make it hard for him to drive, leaving him no choice but to shoot threes from the perimeter."
"And forcing him to shoot threes from the perimeter is my strategy."
The three coaches considered this for a moment. Then Coach Gao Feng said:
"Before the Playoffs began, that would've been a great strategy. But as the Playoffs have gone on, Wemby's three-point shooting has improved."
"In the first round, he shot just 35 percent from three. But by the Western Conference Finals, his three-point percentage had climbed to 39 percent, close to 40."
"With a percentage that high, if we put a smaller player on him at the perimeter, he'll be able to shoot threes without any interference."
Wang Yi smiled and nodded.
"Of course, I know that. But even close to 40 percent is still lower than my percentage."
The three coaches exchanged glances. It seemed they had picked up on the main point.
Steve Nash asked:
"You mean your 45 percent three-point percentage can offset his 38 percent, and you're even a little more accurate than he is?"
"So we can go ahead and force him to the perimeter and let him shoot threes?"
Wang