His teammates were being shut down and couldn't make an impact.
So for the past few minutes, Wang Yi had been forcing things on his own.
Although that had stopped China Team from bleeding points and kept the gap from growing—and it had even begun to shrink, slowly closing to six points—
Wang Yi's stamina had clearly taken a hit. At this rate, he wouldn't last until the fourth quarter.
China Team desperately needed someone to step up and help him.
Whether it was Zeng Fanbo or Cui Yongxi, one of them had to step up.
But Cui Yongxi and Zeng Fanbo were at a physical disadvantage compared to their opponents. Zeng Fanbo in particular always had one of the opposing team's taller players nearby, leaving him unable to make an impact.
Cui Yongxi was being hounded by France team's Shooting Guard, Cordiniye, and couldn't make an impact either.
Wang Yi had drawn a double-team twice and passed to Cui Yongxi, but Cui Yongxi's shot just wasn't falling today. He couldn't put either one in.
If he'd made just one of those two threes, China Team would already have cut the deficit to three.
Unfortunately, there were no what-ifs on a basketball court.
Seeing this, Wang Jianhua waved a hand and made a substitution.
He took Cui Yongxi off and sent Zhang Yu in.
Zhang Yu wasn't quite as good as Cui Yongxi at handling the ball, but his defense was a little better, and he was a little more accurate from three.
There were two minutes left in the first half. China Team had possession.
With France team's Point Guard, Moro, putting too much pressure on Zhang Jiacheng, Zhang Jiacheng passed the ball to Wang Yi this time and let him bring it up the court.
Two opposing players