Then Wang Yi gathered the players who were about to go on and said,
"When you go back in, I'll run point. Shan He, if they start double-teaming me in the backcourt, come back to help me. Once you get the ball, take them on one-on-one with confidence. Don't be afraid of anyone!"
Shan He nodded emphatically, as if making the most important promise of his life. "I understand, Brother Yi!"
Wang Jianhua nodded as well.
At thirty-six, Wang Yi was no longer as composed as he had been in the past two years when facing a double-team.
He could still break a double-team on his own, but they couldn't rely on him to do that every single possession.
That was why they were bringing in Shan He, whose offense was more potent, to help Wang Yi in the backcourt. As soon as Wang Yi passed him the ball, he'd have a one-on-one matchup.
Over the course of these games, Shan He had already proved what he could do one-on-one.
He was still far behind the American players in one-on-one ability, but with Wang Yi and Pang Bo drawing so much defensive attention, Shan He would have plenty of opportunities.
So for China Team, Shan He was the key to breaking the deadlock.
The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.
China Team went on offense.
The last time down, Team America had blocked the ball out of bounds, so China Team was inbounding from the sideline.
Wang Le went to take the inbound.
Wang Yi ran up to receive the ball, immediately drawing two defenders.
Pang Bo drew almost two defenders in the paint as well.
Zhang Yu drew another defender.
That left Shan He completely open.
Wang Le passed him the ball.
Shan He turned around.