Smith also heaped praise on him.
"We used to say that it was impressive enough for a veteran to score 20 points in the Finals."
"Wang Yi told us that veterans could still put up a 50-point triple-double and deliver a game-winning block."
"This one game directly elevated his historical status to a place no one else could reach."
The headlines from major American media outlets were more exaggerated than the last.
ESPN: <A Miracle at Forty! Wang Yi Posts 57+14+11, Becomes a Finals God!>
Sports Illustrated: Wang Yi Redefines the Limits of Human Basketball
Bleacher Report: <The Detroit Pistons Lost to Wang Yi, Not the Los Angeles Lakers>
Yahoo Sports: <That Block Is Worthy of the NBA's 100 Greatest Plays Ever>
The domestic media was even crazier.
CCTV Sports cut in with a breaking news bulletin: "Wang Yi explodes for a 57-point triple-double in the Finals, making history again at forty!"
Sina, Tencent, TikTok, Kuaishou—the top trending topic across every platform was Wang Yi.
#WangYi57PointTripleDouble#
#FortyYearOldVeteranBecomesAFinalsGod#
#WangYiGameWinningBlockOnAntoine#
#WangYiCrushesThePistons#
Every single trending topic surpassed one hundred million views.
The fan comment sections completely exploded. Everyone was praising Wang Yi, and they simply could not stop.
"I actually cried watching this. He's forty! When I'm forty, I probably won't even be able to run."
"He chased him down from the free throw line for that block and even adjusted his angle. That reaction speed is insane."
"We used to say forty-year-old players were just squeezing out the last of their value. Wang Yi is setting off a nuclear explosion."
"The area of Antoine's psychological shadow must be as big as a basketball court."
"The entire Detroit Pistons team got beaten senseless. Billups couldn't even say a word after the game."
"This is the strength of the greatest player in history. You