This time, Billups could no longer hold back and immediately called a timeout.
Seeing the point difference shrink to 3 points, the China fans erupted in cheers.
Xu Jingyu exclaimed in admiration:
"Brother Yi! It had to be Brother Yi! It had to be Brother Yi!!"
"With the point difference having been stretched to 9 points, Brother Yi came on and, in just 4 possessions, cut it down to 3!"
"Look at how the Lakers cut the point difference to 3 points."
"Almost every possession had something to do with Brother Yi. On the first possession, he scored on the fast break. On the second, he got a block and then led a fast break, dominating both ends of the floor."
"On the third possession, he hit a three himself. On the fourth, he drew the defense and assisted Zhang Yu for a made three."
"Have to say, Brother Yi was just too well-rounded!"
During the timeout, Billups faced a difficult question: should they continue using Man-to-man Defense on Wang Yi, or double-team him?
In fact, from the start of this game, his strategy had been to use Man-to-man Defense on Wang Yi. Even if Wang Yi made a few shots early on, there was no way his stamina could carry him through the fourth quarter.
But Man-to-man Defense had immediately gone wrong. Wang Yi had put up 44 points in the first half, then rested for half of the third quarter in the second half.
Then, once he came back on, he went to work nonstop.
The Pistons had finally managed to stretch the point difference to 9 while he was resting.
Yet when Wang Yi came on again in the fourth quarter, he went right back to work.
In just a few moves, he had cut the point