Soto was going to turn and shoot.
But Wang Le seemed to have anticipated it. As Soto turned, Wang Le took a step forward.
He got so close that he was almost right on top of Soto. Then, just as Soto released the ball, Wang Le jumped and slapped his right hand directly onto it.
And so Soto was brought down hard, player and ball together, by Wang Le.
Soto lost his balance and was about to fall, but just before hitting the floor, he bounced the ball to Clarkson, who was cutting to the basket down the middle.
After catching the ball, Clarkson went up for a layup, hanging in the air to avoid Wang Le's first block before flicking the ball toward the hoop.
But after landing, Wang Le somehow managed to jump a second time and go after Clarkson's shot.
The ball had barely left Clarkson's hands when Wang Le smacked it away with a huge slap.
Fortunately for the Philippines, the ball didn't fall into the hands of another player. It landed with their Small Forward, Malonzo.
A dunk fanatic, Malonzo had an open lane. He took the ball, dribbled, used an Explosive Dribble, and charged toward the basket to slam it home.
But just as he was about to hammer the ball through the hoop, a hand reached out in front of the basket.
Smack—
The basketball slammed hard into that hand, which proved incredibly strong.
The ball failed to force the hand down into the hoop. Instead, the hand swatted it away.
Three blocks in a row sent the entire arena into a frenzy.
Many people were still unfamiliar with this young Chinese center.
"My God, what's the name of that center from China? His blocks are incredible!"
"Someone this good, and I didn't