"Popovich isn't the same Popovich he was ten years ago. Back then, he had a fiery temper and demanded absolute efficiency on the court. He would never allow any player on his team to chuck threes whenever he felt like it."
"But as he's gotten older, he's started treating his players—especially Wemby—like his own children."
"Sometimes, when a kid wants to be reckless, you just let him have his way."
Just as James had predicted, Popovich didn't call a timeout.
Instead, he watched as Wemby came over and launched another three.
But Wemby wasn't Wang Yi. Hitting two threes in a row was already impressive, but he missed this third attempt.
In the NBA, with its high level of physical play, hitting three threes in a row was incredibly difficult.
And Wemby shooting threes was disadvantageous for the Spurs in one respect: with him shooting from outside, Little Duncan was the only one left inside to grab rebounds.
Little Duncan was already a whole lot smaller than Pang Bo. And with him having to contend with both Pang Bo and Dauding, he naturally couldn't out-rebound them.
In the end, Pang Bo grabbed the rebound.
As soon as Pang Bo had the ball, he naturally looked for Wang Yi.
Wang Yi had been standing on the three-point line guarding Wemby. Now, once he took off running, nobody could catch him.
This time, when he dribbled beyond the three-point line, he once again waited for Wemby to come over and defend him.
But as soon as Wemby got there, Wang Yi shot before he could get set.
Then, the moment the ball left his hands, Wang Yi bent forward and sprinted straight toward the paint.
The ball struck the back of the rim and bounced high into the air.
Wang Yi charged