When your opponent had a player hit five three-pointers in a row, you might get a little panicked.
You felt like you couldn't stop him, but you weren't terrified.
After all, generally speaking, one player couldn't beat an entire team.
But when two of your opponents combined to hit five three-pointers, you'd get even more panicked.
With both players' threes falling, it became much harder to stop them.
And when three of your opponents combined to hit five three-pointers in five possessions, your chances of winning that game became very, very slim.
When four of your opponents hit five three-pointers in five possessions, it was as if the whole team had caught fire from beyond the arc.
How could you play against that?
You might as well surrender.
But now, all five Raptors had hit a three-pointer each in the span of five possessions.
That left Billups completely shell-shocked.
This was no longer a question of whether to surrender.
The two teams weren't even playing on the same level!
On the sidelines, commentator LeBron James saw the Raptors hit their fifth three-pointer and clutched his head with both hands, looking utterly incredulous.
"Oh my God!"
"Five threes! The Raptors have hit five three-pointers in five possessions, instantly stretching the lead to sixteen!"
"Oh, my God, Detroit!"
"The Pistons are in big trouble!"
Shaquille O'Neal, beside him, spread his hands and exclaimed,
"Pistons, Billups, welcome to the Great Flood Era!"
The Raptors fans at courtside had already gone wild.
Every fan was on their feet, cheering, high-fiving, and hugging as they celebrated the players on the court.
Yes, the game hadn't even reached the end of the third quarter, yet the atmosphere in the arena already felt like a championship celebration.
In those circumstances, it was hard for the Pistons to