772 Magician

772 Magician, Running the Court

After messing with France's two big men on offense, Wang Yi didn't let up at all on defense.

He took Fournier as his defensive assignment.

His defense was still just as suffocating.

Facing Wang Yi's defense, Fournier had only one thought: This guy's going to eat me.

Not "kill me"—"eat me."

You'd probably only feel that way when facing a beast like an elephant.

Under that overwhelming defensive pressure, Fournier could barely dribble and had no choice but to pass the ball.

France had three key players.

Their first option: Gobert;

Their second option: Fournier;

Their third option: Batum.

Of the three, Gobert could only serve as a finisher.

Fournier and Batum could both initiate the offense.

But Fournier was currently a little better at initiating plays.

So France usually had him bring the ball up and start the offense.

But with Wang Yi guarding him, that starting point had been shut down.

If he passed the ball, then the third option, Batum, would have to initiate the offense.

But Batum was no longer the player he'd been in his prime.

This season, his average points per game in the NBA had dropped to five.

That number might go up a little in international play, but judging by his performances in the previous few games, he was averaging only around ten points.

If he had to take Sima Ming one-on-one, he could overpower him with ease.

But asking him to orchestrate the entire team's offense was a bit much for him at this point.

Still, there was no other choice. Fournier was being shut down, and there was no opening to pass inside, so Batum had to initiate the offense.

After using his footwork to get past Sima Ming, he decided to shoot from mid-range.