When a reporter tossed Ball Dad this thorny question, Ball Dad smiled faintly and said:
"He can shut down two players. Can he shut down three?"
In the next game, the Raptors gave him an answer.
While Wang Yi shut down LaMelo Ball and kept Big Ball in check, Zhang Yu took care of Second Ball.
It was worth noting that Zhang Yu's defensive ability was now among the very best in the league.
At the same time, the head coach had Mad Tiger Tagore and Big Lock Rock take turns guarding Second Ball.
The final stats looked like this:
Big Ball: 5 points.
Second Ball: 6 points.
LaMelo Ball: 0 points.
The Ball Family Brothers scored just 11 points combined.
Although the Raptors' focus on the Ball Family Brothers left the other two positions open, those players weren't core players to begin with.
Even if they were left open, could they beat the Raptors?
So.
In Game 3, the Raptors crushed the Hornets by 50 points.
People thought Ball Dad would finally learn to behave himself after that.
But Ball Dad still made a bold claim, saying they could get revenge in Game 4 and ultimately come back to win the series 4–3.
Wang Yi didn't go easy on him, either.
After being shut down by Wang Yi for three straight games, LaMelo Ball's Wang Yi Mountain Reaction was much more severe than that of other players. By Game 4, he was practically numb.
Even though Wang Yi didn't put as much defensive pressure on him as before, he still finished Game 4 scoreless.
With Wang Yi freed up to focus more of his energy elsewhere, he was able to keep a closer eye on Big Ball.
That left Big Ball with just 3 points in Game 4.
Zhang