"You like free throws so much? Then have all the free throws you want."
At that moment, a wave of despair surged through Tony Parker.
If both teams played normally, France might still have a sliver of hope of winning, though it was a tiny one.
But if the game came down to free throws, France had almost no chance at all.
Earlier, France had sent China Team to the free-throw line because they were leading by a lot.
Now Wang Yi was sending France to the free-throw line because, with only 40 seconds left, a five-point lead was still a fairly large one.
Wemby stepped up to the free-throw line.
He made both shots.
109–106.
The lead was down to three.
Years of competing in high-stakes NBA games had given him elite mental toughness and a top-tier touch from the free-throw line.
China Team went on the attack.
They continued to drain the clock slowly.
This time, Zhang Jiacheng ran the clock down until only 20 seconds remained.
Then he passed the ball to Wang Yi. With his energy nearly spent, Wang Yi clearly no longer had the legs to drive past anyone.
So he didn't drive right away.
As soon as he got the ball, he saw the double-team closing in. He raised it, his eyes fixed on Durant's hands.
Then he jumped and shot.
Durant instinctively hit Wang Yi's arm.
Under international basketball rules, even though the shot came from beyond the three-point line, this was a two-shot foul.
France's coach, Tucker, shook his head again.
He had told his players not to foul. They had the defensive personnel to guard Wang Yi, whose scoring efficiency had dropped considerably. There was a good chance he'd miss.
None of China Team's other players looked ready to step up,