In other people's eyes, Phil Jackson was unflappable, the kind of man who could watch Mount Tai crumble before him without changing expression.
But in reality, Phil didn't want to call a timeout because he didn't know what to say if he did.
He'd already said everything that needed saying.
The Lakers simply couldn't crack the Raptors' five-man defensive lineup.
And on defense, the Lakers had a hard time stopping a fast-break lineup with Wang Yi in it.
What could he say?
All he could do was keep playing and hope the players could adjust on the court.
And so the game continued.
The Lakers forced the issue on offense, with King Arthur taking on Locke one-on-one and scoring on him twice.
But that was the only thing they could make work. The Raptors' tough defense made everything else incredibly difficult.
Even when King Arthur scored, the Raptors couldn't get out on the fast break. But in the half-court offense, Wang Yi drew the defense's attention, and the Raptors' other two three-point threats were both playing well tonight.
On top of that, whenever Wang Yi made the occasional cut to the basket, he instantly disrupted the Lakers' defensive formation and created openings.
That let the Raptors score with ease.
The Lakers' other players couldn't get anything going on offense. King Arthur wanted to carry the whole team on his shoulders, but he couldn't score on every possession.
Whenever he missed, the Raptors immediately launched a fast-break counterattack, coming back with a two-pointer or a three-pointer.
And so, the gap gradually widened.
It looked like it was heading toward 20 points.
Fortunately, the Lakers were shooting exceptionally well from three tonight. With two minutes left in the third quarter, King Arthur and Little Rivers each knocked down another three.
By the