Bales had figured out how to trash-talk Wang Yi.
He could make outrageous claims.
Like saying the Ball brothers could beat Wang Yi.
The audience could tell claims like that were ridiculous, so they wouldn't damage Wang Yi's image. But they would draw plenty of attention from fans.
And bring in a huge amount of traffic.
Which meant he could make money.
So he'd come into this game planning to make a few outrageous claims.
But the Raptors had played flawlessly over the past few minutes, and Wang Yi's individual performance had been impeccable.
For the moment, Bales couldn't think of a single way to trash-talk Wang Yi.
James had finished praising Wang Yi, and it was Bales's turn to respond. With no other choice, he forced himself to say:
"Edwards just returned to the court and isn't in good form yet. Besides, the game's barely started. It's only been a minute and a half. That doesn't prove anything."
James knew the guy was being stubborn, so he said:
"I'm not going to argue with you now. Let's just see how things look at the end of the first quarter."
By then, the five Raptors players had come off the court and received a warm welcome from their teammates on the bench and the staff.
During the preseason, the Raptors had played terribly, which had left some of the younger players and staff feeling down.
Everyone knew that the starters hadn't really played during the preseason. They'd just been having fun, keeping in shape, and getting a feel for the game.
Still, it hadn't been easy to see the team finish with such a poor record in the preseason.
Now, just a minute and a half into the Regular Season, everyone had seen the form those five Raptors starters were