Kings vs. Nets: A Do-or-Die Game 7
When the Kings led the Nets 3–1, everyone in the world thought the championship was all but theirs.
Many famous stars made predictions about the final score of the series.
Even the well-known Stephen A. Smith, a notorious hater, didn't think the Nets could come back.
On his own show, he predicted the series would end 4–2, with the Kings winning the championship.
Eighty percent of people also predicted 4–2.
The other twenty percent predicted 4–1.
At that point, a sense of pride and complacency had spread through the Kings, from top to bottom.
When owner Ranadivé visited the players at the Training Hall, he called them two-time champions;
General Manager Divac also said in an interview that the Kings would definitely win the series 4–2 this time.
The three assistant coaches and head coach De'Anthony were relaxed during practice, showing little sign of pressure.
As for the players, they were all excited.
While joking around with Mitchell, Hield held up both hands. "For this second ring, should I wear it on my left hand like the first one, or on my right? One on each hand?"
Mitchell chuckled. "I think you should wear both of them on your feet."
Wang Yi saw all this, but he didn't try to stop them.
Once that kind of pride and complacency set in, there was no way to suppress it with a few words.
The only way was to let them experience failure.
Only then would they come to their senses.
Of course, that didn't mean Wang Yi wasn't going to fight.
In Game 5, he gave it everything he had, scoring 43 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, dishing out 12 assists, and getting 10 steals for a quadruple-double.
But first, his teammates had an average