In two minutes, Wang Yi had defended against five of Hachimura Rui's attacks and blocked him four times.
And on that last possession, he blocked him three times in a row.
The fans in the arena cheered with all their might every time Hachimura Rui got the ball.
But whenever Wang Yi blocked Hachimura Rui, they cried out in shock:
"Oh—NO!"
The commentators at the arena all gasped, one after another.
"Oh, my God! How did he do that?"
"He blocked Hachimura Rui three times in a row! Hachimura's more than half a head taller than him. This is unbelievable!"
"I hope Hachimura can pull himself together and not let those three blocks affect his fighting spirit."
Without even realizing it, the two commentators had already changed their tune.
At first, they were certain Hachimura Rui would beat Wang Yi badly.
Then they said Hachimura Rui wasn't in good form today.
And now, they were hoping he wouldn't let Wang Yi's repeated blocks affect his game.
Earlier, the comments in the Tencent NBA Live Broadcast Room had been full of people cursing Wang Yi.
But after those three blocks in a row, a third of the viewers had already changed their tune.
"Three blocks in a row against Hachimura Rui. That's the spirit!"
"My Brother Yi is a beast. He lets his game do the talking."
"Those three blocks alone—and the guy he's dominating? I'm a fan now."
"But he's a Chinese athlete. When he faces athletes from that country, he should crush them!"
"Brother Yi, I'll forgive your earlier arrogance just because you shut that guy down."
Of course, plenty of people still couldn't stand Wang Yi.
Haters would hate anything.
But even those who hated everything had softened their tone a little.
"Those few plays were pretty good. He just shouldn't be so arrogant."
"Play more, talk less. If he keeps playing like this, he might have a future."
In the arena, the atmosphere had turned somewhat subdued after Wang Yi's three blocks.
Meanwhile, the Chinese-descendant fans who had arrived earlier were now buzzing with excitement.
"Go, Brother Yi!"
"Brother Yi, we'll always support you!"
Their excitement stood in stark contrast to that of the Wizards fans around them.
As Hachimura Rui looked at Wang Yi's confident face, he seethed inwardly:
"Damn it! I'm going to destroy you!"
During the dead ball, the Lakers had already sent James onto the court.
Vogel looked at James and Wang Yi out there.
His eyes were full of anticipation.
James and Wang Yi together—this combination might actually have some potential.
The second quarter was nearly over.
Westbrook had also checked in.
After Westbrook inbounded the ball, he didn't pass it to Hachimura Rui again.
Hachimura needed encouragement, but he'd failed to score on five straight attempts and had been blocked four times.
The coach hadn't taken him out—that alone showed plenty of consideration. And now he wanted to be the main option again?
Westbrook drove hard. When he reached the paint and saw it completely clogged, he hurriedly passed the ball to Beal in the left corner.
Beal passed it again.
After a few passes, the ball found its way back to Hachimura Rui.
Hachimura was near the free-throw line, facing Wang Yi, who was more than ten centimeters shorter. He had a clear chance to shoot over him.
But Wang Yi's four blocks had already left a shadow in his mind.
So he didn't dare shoot right away.
Instead, he chose to trust his solid footwork and post-up game.
With his back to Wang Yi, he took two steps before turning and shooting.
This time, Wang Yi finally failed to block Hachimura Rui.
Hachimura watched the ball sail past Wang Yi's fingertips and toward the basket.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
But just then—
Smack—
A sharp sound rang out.
The ball was swatted away hard once again.
At the same time, a burly figure flew in from Hachimura Rui's side.
It was James.
He had come over to help defend just as Hachimura Rui took the shot.
Wang Yi went over to slap hands with James, and the two exchanged smiles.
Hachimura was practically on the verge of tears.
I only take a dozen or so shots a game.
You've blocked five of them in a row. Do you really have to be this ruthless?
This is just bullying me.
Westbrook patted Hachimura Rui on the shoulder in consolation.
Then he went to inbound the ball.
This time, after a few passes, the ball found Hachimura Rui in the open.
He didn't shoot right away.
Those earlier blocks had left him with a serious psychological shadow.
He couldn't shake the feeling that the moment he shot, someone would fly in from the side and swat the ball away.
So he instinctively glanced to the side.
That moment of hesitation was all Wang Yi needed to get in front of him.
The commentators at courtside said:
"Good! Hachimura Rui is facing the Lakers' number one again. This is the perfect chance to regain his confidence. Take him on!"
"Hachimura, destroy him! Come on!"
Hachimura Rui seemed to hear them. He glared fiercely at Wang Yi.
He roared inwardly, "Die!"
Then he used a fake to get past Wang Yi.
He was now just one meter from the basket, close enough to dunk at any moment.
But he still glanced back without thinking.
Wang Yi had indeed been fooled, so Hachimura prepared to dunk.
But when he looked back, Harrell was already under the basket, both hands raised high to block the way between him and the rim.
Hachimura Rui froze. He could only raise the ball and fake twice more.
He got past Harrell, but Wang Yi had already rotated over to help defend.
Whenever Hachimura Rui saw Wang Yi, he felt uneasy.
Finally, from just one meter away from the basket and facing Wang Yi, who was more than half a head shorter, he made a choice that left everyone baffled.
He actually passed the ball.
Westbrook saw the shot clock was about to expire and had no choice but to hurriedly put up a three.
Thump—
The three-pointer clanged off the rim.
The Lakers seized the chance and quickly pushed the fast break.
This time, Wang Yi took off down the court at just the right moment.
He got the ball and laid it in with his left hand for two more points!
The fans in the arena were now even more subdued.
The two commentators were both bewildered.
"What's wrong with Hachimura Rui?"
"Something's off with Hachimura Rui. He wouldn't shoot at an open basket. He could've dunked, but he didn't. What's going on with him?"
In the Tencent NBA Live Broadcast Room,
Duan Ran watched in amazement.
"What's going on with Hachimura Rui? He won't even shoot at an open basket. He had a chance to dunk, but he didn't. Mr. Zhu, can you explain?"
Zhu Fangyu had been a professional player himself.
He answered with a smile without even needing to think.
"Hesitation! He's playing hesitantly. And why is he hesitating? It's simple: he's lost his confidence."
"Of his five previous shots, Wang Yi blocked four and James blocked one. He's clearly developed a psychological shadow. Every time he takes a shot, he expects someone to fly in and block him."
"It's like getting bitten by a snake once and being afraid of a rope for ten years."
"So confidence is extremely important for a professional athlete. Building it is difficult. It takes years of training and consistent performance on the court. But confidence can be shattered in an instant."
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