Zhang Yu was being closely guarded, and Wang Yi was too.
In the end, they had no choice. Wang Yi and Zhang Yu crossed paths, then Wang Yi made a sudden backdoor cut.
At last, they created an opening.
Tagore immediately passed the ball to Wang Yi.
The moment Wang Yi got the ball,
the hearts of nearly 20,000 spectators in the arena seemed to clench all at once, as if an invisible hand had squeezed them.
The Timberwolves players also felt their hearts tighten.
The Timberwolves coach's heart had leapt into his throat.
That was the fear Wang Yi inspired. Even though he hadn't touched the ball in over three minutes, the moment he got it, everyone on the opposing team tensed up.
With the ball in his hands, Wang Yi saw two defenders closing in to double-team him. Without hesitation, he rose and fired from beyond the three-point line.
He'd conserved his energy for over three minutes, all for this one shot.
He'd played every one of the 82 regular-season games this year and every game of the Playoffs, all for this final shot!
He jumped so high that his head reached the rim.
Even with two defenders flying at him, they couldn't block the shot. All they could do was watch and hope.
His shot left every Timberwolves fan holding their breath, eyes fixed on the ball.
Everyone's heart was in their throat.
The next instant,
the ball traced a perfect arc through the air.
It looked like a rainbow spanning the sky.
Finally,
THUMP!
The ball slammed into the back of the rim and bounced high into the air.
The three-pointer missed!
The nearly 20,000 spectators let out a collective cry:
"Oh!"
"Thank goodness!"
"That was terrifying!"
Even Wolf King Garnett couldn't help saying,
"That was