Blocking You Until You Dare Not Shoot (Part 1)

Wang Yi's three-pointers were falling, and it wasn't just the coach who breathed a sigh of relief.

The entire team, every single player, breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning the ball over, the Wizards went on offense.

Wang Yi didn't switch to guard their point guard. Instead, he chased after Hachimura Rui.

Seeing this, the Wizards' backup point guard waited until Hachimura Rui was in position before passing him the ball directly.

Hachimura Rui was 206 centimeters tall, while Wang Yi was 192 centimeters.

That's a full 14-centimeter difference.

This was a classic mismatch.

Duan Ran, commentating for Tencent NBA, looked puzzled:

"What's going on? Wang Yi is actively defending Hachimura Rui?"

Zhu Fangyu said, "This... Wang Yi's mentality is understandable. When I was playing, I was like that too. I'd get fired up when facing players from that country. But you have to consider the actual situation; you can't just charge in blindly. Hachimura Rui has solid fundamentals and good post-up skills. Wang Yi guarding a taller player like this is probably not a wise choice."

Verizon Center Arena.

The 20,000 spectators in the arena saw Wang Yi actually guarding Hachimura Rui.

They immediately erupted in unison:

"Blow him up!"

"Blow him up!"

"Blow him up!"

The live commentators also chimed in:

"This guy is too arrogant, claiming he's here to conquer the NBA. Hachimura Rui needs to teach him a lesson."

Another commentator nodded repeatedly:

"Guys who talk big usually don't have good endings. Hachimura Rui must blow him up and show him what the NBA is. Make him realize how humble and insignificant he is right now!"

Hachimura Rui thought the same thing.

Seeing Wang Yi guarding him.

A hint of disdainful laughter appeared on his face, and he said, "Kid, class is in session, you better listen carefully."

With that, he didn't bother with any fake moves.

Facing Wang Yi, who was 14 centimeters shorter, he directly pulled up for a mid-range shot.

Wang Yi had studied Hachimura Rui extensively before.

He was very familiar with his habitual movements.

Before Hachimura Rui's pull-up jumper, he habitually glanced at the basket.

This movement was extremely subtle, requiring no head movement, just a slight roll of the eyes.

So, almost no one noticed this characteristic.

But Wang Yi, by repeatedly watching game footage and player profiles—he even watched Hachimura Rui's early NCAA games and training videos multiple times—

managed to find this unconscious, habitual movement.

Even Hachimura Rui himself didn't know he had such a habit.

Just before Hachimura Rui pulled up, Wang Yi keenly caught the subtle motion.

He immediately jumped, extending his left hand to block the shot.

At this moment, Hachimura Rui had only just brought the ball up, preparing to jump.

Smack!

A crisp sound!

He was swatted down from mid-air, ball and all!

Moreover, Wang Yi's move was clean, with no physical contact.

Hachimura Rui crashed heavily to the ground.

The Wizards' backup point guard next to him quickly moved to retrieve the ball.

Wang Yi dove for it, cradling the ball in his arms.

Then, he flicked the ball forward.

Harrell sprinted down the court, caught the ball, and immediately threw down a powerful two-handed dunk.

The spectators were stunned.

Their gazes quickly shifted from Harrell to Hachimura Rui and Wang Yi.

This arrogant Easterner had actually blocked a shot from Hachimura Rui, who was more than ten centimeters taller?

This was truly hard to believe.

The two commentators at the scene also found it hard to believe.

"Hachimura player, what is this... what's going on?"

"This... maybe it was an accident. We believe in Hachimura player's strength; this was definitely an accident."

"Mm, one accident doesn't mean anything. Hachimura player will definitely blow this Easterner away next."

At this point, the point difference had been erased.

Hachimura Rui got up from the ground, feeling a bit dazed.

How could this guy block him?

Impossible.

Turning back, the Wizards' offense began again.

Wang Yi was still primarily defending Hachimura Rui.

This time, Hachimura Rui didn't directly pull up against Wang Yi.

Instead, after receiving the ball, he turned around, back facing Wang Yi.

Then he used his body to force his way past Wang Yi.

Wang Yi naturally couldn't withstand Hachimura Rui; the weight difference was too great.

Hachimura Rui leaned in once, and Wang Yi took a step back.

After leaning in three times, he was already close to the basket.

Originally, this was Hachimura Rui's usual offensive position.

He could have turned and shot.

But facing this Chinese man, he didn't just want to score; he wanted to dunk violently.

So he leaned into Wang Yi once more.

However, this time, when he exerted force, he couldn't lean into Wang Yi.

He just felt empty space behind him.

His balance immediately faltered, his steps faltered, and he directly fell to the ground.

He also lost control of the ball, which rolled to the side.

It turned out Wang Yi knew he couldn't win a physical battle against Hachimura Rui.

So this time, he pulled out a chair.

At this moment, the Lakers counterattacked and scored again.

The fans in the arena looked at Wang Yi with astonishment.

The commentators at the scene also seemed a bit subdued.

"This... Hachimura Rui's condition seems a bit off."

"Is he... injured?"

Turning back, the Wizards' offense began again.

Seeing that Hachimura Rui had failed twice in a row, the Wizards' point guard didn't plan to pass to him this time.

But Hachimura Rui pushed Wang Yi behind him and demanded the ball resolutely.

The Wizards' substitute point guard had no choice but to pass the ball to Hachimura Rui again.

This time, the fans no longer shouted "Blow him away."

Instead, their eyes were fixed on Hachimura Rui.

After Hachimura Rui received the ball, he didn't drive inside anymore.

Instead, with his back to Wang Yi, he dribbled the ball once.

Then, with a spin move, he was about to jump and shoot.

But Wang Yi reacted extremely quickly.

As he was halfway through his turn, just about to gather the ball.

Wang Yi suddenly moved to his side.

He reached out and fiercely slapped at the ball.

Smack--

The ball was directly knocked away.

It hit Hachimura Rui's foot and quickly rolled out of bounds.

The referee signaled a Lakers inbound pass.

The audience in the arena erupted in a collective gasp of surprise.

"Oh—"

"This... this guy's defense..."

"He defended Hachimura Rui for three straight possessions!?"

The commentators on the scene were also a bit stunned.

"This Easterner seems to be stronger than we imagined. Especially his defense."

"Hopefully, player Hachimura won't be discouraged, won't be dejected because of these three shots. Against this Easterner, he can go for high post plays, not giving this Easterner a chance to touch the ball."

In the next possession.

The Wizards didn't pass the ball to Hachimura Rui, but Beal took the shot instead.

Beal's three-pointer clanged off the rim.

Hachimura Rui grabbed the rebound and attempted a dunk.

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers.

However, before he could even jump, Wang Yi suddenly flew in from across him, his fingertips touching the basketball.

His dunk attempt missed.

But Hachimura Rui jumped high and grabbed the rebound.

Then he jumped again to shoot.

Wang Yi once again jumped ahead of him, his fingertips touching the basketball, altering its trajectory and making it bounce up again.

Hachimura Rui grabbed the rebound once more.

After shaking off two Lakers defenders who came to help, he prepared to shoot again.

However, as soon as he brought the ball up, before he could even shoot.

Slap—

A sound that pierced through the entire arena.

The basketball was swatted far out of bounds.

Hachimura Rui turned back in astonishment.

He saw Wang Yi staring at him, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

As if saying: Come on, try to score on me.