Want to Pick a Fight?

From the way things unfolded, Westbrook had burst into motion, and Wang Yi had moved at the same time.

Then Wang Yi and Westbrook both hit the floor.

"Tweet-tweet-tweet—"

The referee blew his whistle urgently.

Then he gestured with both hands toward his waist. "Blocking foul on No. 1, Lakers!"

Wang Yi frowned slightly.

He and Westbrook had started at the same time.

Though with the 20% boost to his lateral movement, he had reached his defensive position just a fraction before Westbrook.

But everything had happened in the blink of an eye, making it hard for the referee to see clearly.

Even if they challenged the call and reviewed the footage, when two players arrived at nearly the same time and collided, the rules favored the offensive player.

Looks like I'll need to try another strategy.

James and Caruso came over and helped Wang Yi up.

James leaned close and said:

"If you can't stop his drive, there's no need to foul him. Let him in. I'll help."

Wang Yi understood.

Back when Westbrook was still with the Rockets, he had faced the Lakers in the Playoffs.

James had blocked him plenty of times during that series.

The Wizards inbounded the ball, and Westbrook attacked again.

This time, Wang Yi gave Westbrook two steps of space.

He was daring him to shoot while guarding against the drive.

Westbrook's shot had never been very reliable.

He'd let him shoot a couple and see how he did.

Seeing Wang Yi give him room to shoot, Westbrook didn't hesitate. He pulled up from beyond the three-point line.

Clang!

The three-pointer rimmed out.

At the other end, the Lakers attacked, and James assisted Caruso on a three-pointer.

The Wizards went on offense again.

Wang Yi stuck with the same strategy, giving Westbrook room to shoot while guarding against the drive.

After missing his last shot, Westbrook didn't try another.

He dribbled straight over to face Wang Yi.

By now, Wang Yi had retreated to the free-throw line.

Westbrook kept pressing toward the basket.

Wang Yi couldn't back up any farther.

When Westbrook was a meter away, he used another Scissor Step and exploded into motion.

Wang Yi keenly noticed that Westbrook had switched to dribbling with his right hand just before he moved.

And when Westbrook dribbled with his right hand before a drive, his Scissor Step often didn't lead straight to the basket.

Instead, halfway through the drive, he would step back to the left and shoot.

Sure enough, halfway through his Scissor Step drive, Westbrook suddenly gathered the ball and stepped back to the left.

Then came his signature Zombie Jump Shot.

Westbrook got tremendous height on his Zombie Jump Shot.

Under normal circumstances, blocking it was impossible.

But Wang Yi had anticipated Westbrook's move.

So just before Westbrook took off, Wang Yi was already in the air.

As soon as Westbrook raised the ball, Wang Yi swatted it down with a powerful block.

The commentators at courtside immediately cried out:

"Oh my God!"

"He blocked Russell! Oh, my goodness!"

The Lakers seized the opportunity and launched a fast break.

Wang Yi scored two points.

Vogel's eyes lit up from the sideline.

He'd stopped one!

There weren't many players in the league who could stop Westbrook's drives.

Wang had done it!

The Wizards attacked again.

This time, Westbrook didn't use the Scissor Step.

Instead, he called Beal over and ran a Pick and Roll with him.

When two players with tremendous individual ability ran a Pick and Roll, the damage they could do was terrifying.

The Lakers' defensive strategy at that moment was Unlimited Switching Defense.

Wang Yi was supposed to switch onto Beal.

But Wang Yi saw that after using Beal's screen, Westbrook didn't look toward him.

After analyzing hundreds of recordings, Wang Yi knew Westbrook wouldn't pass the ball back to Beal. He planned to attack the basket himself.

So Wang Yi didn't switch.

He left Beal and chased after Westbrook, heading straight for the basket.

By then, James had already come over to help.

Westbrook knew from experience how strong James's blocks were.

So he faked a layup from the right.

But in midair, he switched hands and avoided James's block.

The ball moved to his left hand.

He went up for a left-handed underhand layup.

The ball was already flying toward the backboard.

Westbrook felt halfway relieved.

As long as he avoided LeBron's block, the shot was all but guaranteed.

But just then, a purple figure flew past him from the side.

Smack!

A sharp crack rang out as a palm slammed into the basketball.

The ball crashed hard against the backboard and ricocheted far away.

"Oh—"

The more than twenty thousand fans in the arena gasped again.

Westbrook saw only the big "1" on the back of the purple jersey.

That guy from the East!

A look of disbelief crossed his face.

He knew this Chinese player was good at blocking shots, but this was just ridiculous.

How many times had he blocked him this game?

Seven?

Or eight?

He had no idea that Wang Yi could block him because he knew that when Westbrook faced James, he would definitely switch hands and go for a left-handed layup.

Behind it was not only Wang Yi's 20% block chance, but also his day-after-day analysis and study of every player.

The Lakers counterattacked quickly and added another two points.

As Westbrook passed Wang Yi, he said:

"Hey, brother, that was a nice block. But that's not all I've got, so you'd better be careful."

It wasn't really trash talk.

Westbrook had always liked Chinese people and Chinese culture.

He had worn a Tang suit to press conferences many times.

So when he saw Wang Yi block him, his praise was genuine.

Wang Yi nodded and replied confidently:

"I've got more than that too. Bring it on."

That wasn't trash talk either.

It sounded more like two friends playfully challenging each other on the court.

After that, Westbrook drove past Wang Yi twice more.

But the more he tried, the stranger it felt.

It seemed that no matter how he drove, this Chinese player knew what he was going to do next.

He always made the right defensive move ahead of time.

It was like the guy could see the future.

This was freaking ridiculous.

That ancient Eastern country was mysterious. Could its players be just as mysterious?

Seeing that Westbrook was having trouble getting past Wang Yi, the Wizards' head coach subbed Hachimura Rui in during a dead ball.

Before Hachimura Rui went onto the court, the Wizards' head coach put an arm around his waist and said:

"Remember, this is your last chance."

Hachimura Rui nodded firmly. "Yeah."

Then he looked toward Wang Yi, his expression impossible to read. Was it anger, or determination?

Westbrook had matured by now.

He wasn't as stubborn as before, always refusing to believe what he saw.

Since this Chinese player was such a strong defender, he would pass the ball more and rack up assists.

So on the next possession, he pretended he was going to drive past Wang Yi again.

Halfway through, he forced the Lakers' defense to collapse.

Then he passed the ball to Hachimura Rui, who was unguarded on the left wing.

Hachimura Rui had less than a second to shoot.

This time, he didn't hesitate at all.

He caught the ball and pulled up immediately.

His eyes were full of resolve.

Swish!

The ball went straight through the net.

After landing, he clenched his fist and gave a sharp punch through the air.

A roar that seemed to have been bottled up for a long time escaped his throat:

"Ah—"

The flame in his chest, on the verge of dying out, had been reignited.

After pumping his fist, he looked toward Wang Yi again.

If he wanted to rebuild his confidence, he had to beat this Chinese player!

Seeing him, Wang Yi shook his head slightly.

Looks like someone's itching to get put in his place.