With only two minutes left, the Mavericks were down by 12. This should have been crunch time.
It should have been time for their Core Player, Frazier, to take over and go one-on-one.
In the NBA, many Stars took matters into their own hands at the most crucial moments of a game. At that point, tactics and off-ball movement went out the window.
Because every extra pass meant another chance to turn the ball over.
So when the game was on the line, everyone else cleared out.
They left the Stars to do it alone.
But Frazier had spent the first and third quarters feuding with Wang Yi, burning too much energy in the process.
On top of that, he'd been guarded by Locke, who was stronger than he was, and later by Tagore, who was like a mad tiger.
That had drained him even further, so at this crucial moment, Frazier didn't even call for the ball.
Their Point Guard, Nate, had no choice but to wait for an opening to pass to Pan Bo.
After receiving the ball, Pan Bo turned his back to Dauding.
He took a moment to observe everyone's position on the court, then dribbled and backed his way in.
Dauding obviously couldn't hold his ground against Pan Bo.
So Locke came over to double-team him.
This time, Pan Bo could tell that Frazier had run out of gas, so he didn't pass. Instead, he faced the two defenders alone.
First, he gave a shoulder fake to the left, shifting both defenders' weight. Then he abruptly gathered the ball and spun.
As he turned, he held the ball high above his head.
Dauding and Locke were both shorter than Pan Bo, so the spin was perfectly safe.
Pan Bo was so strong that his turn