Wang Yi moved to the corner at a sharp angle.
Facing Brown, who was about the same height as him, he didn't hesitate for a second before rising straight into his shot.
Just as the coach had said, Jaylen Brown reached up with his right hand to block the shot while pressing his left hand against Wang Yi's navel.
He also gave him a slight shove.
The Celtics' players had clearly practiced this move.
The push was small enough that it wouldn't draw a foul, but it could still throw off your balance when you shot.
And with a hand on the shooter's body, the shooter was already uncomfortable taking the shot. That was why the Celtics were the best team in the league at defending three-pointers this year.
The league-wide average three-point percentage this year was 33%.
The Celtics had held their opponents to 29%.
That showed they really knew how to defend the three.
But Wang Yi had learned from experience.
After Brown had disrupted him on the previous play, he made sure to prepare before jumping this time.
Once he was in the air, he didn't shoot right away. He waited for Brown to give him that little shove, then used his powerful core to shift his center of gravity back and launch his shot with a second burst of force.
It was like he had a gyroscope built into him.
You could knock me off balance, but I could still right myself.
A moment later, the ball sailed over the top of the backboard once again, then swished down through the net.
Another nothing-but-net shot!
And this time, he'd drained it with a defender right in his face!
Since defenders had been allowed to put a hand on shooters this year, everyone had started looking for