Meanwhile, Bales, Pierce, and Pippen appeared together on a sports show.
All three of them had always been Wang Yi haters. Now that they were gathered in one place, it was easy to imagine the kind of crap they'd spout.
When the host asked them about the Raptors' performance in yesterday's game, Pierce said:
"Yesterday was just one game, so it doesn't tell us much. I think Wang Yi's a year older, and the Five-Defense lineup has an obvious weakness: it doesn't have enough offense. So I don't expect the Raptors to have a good record this season."
Pippen shook his head. "Wang Yi's ability to lead a team is nowhere near Michael's. Just look at him. He never lasts long with anyone. He played with LeBron, and then he was the one who got traded. He played with Thick Eyebrows, Chris Paul, and Anthony, and all of them retired soon afterward."
"Then he joined the Raptors and played alongside Pang Bo. They'd barely finished two seasons together before Pang Bo was traded. That just goes to show that Wang Yi is a real burden on his teammates."
Bales said, "The Raptors' defense-and-fast-break style won't last. Defense and fast breaks take an enormous toll on the body."
"I doubt the Raptors can keep playing like this for even three games."
But as it turned out, all three of them were talking nonsense.
Over their next five games, the Raptors played suffocating defense and launched sharp fast breaks in every one.
Three of those five games were against tough opponents.
The Celtics, with their Devil's Home Court;
The Pistons, with Antoine;
The Cavaliers, who had just signed this year's number-one draft pick;
The Grizzlies, with Morant and Noah.
And the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Raptors went 4–1 over those five games,