Mills missed a three from outside, and Baynes leaped up hard to grab the offensive rebound.
Simmons called for the ball outside, but Baynes had been repeatedly provoked by Lin Yi's trash talk and chose to force his way in with the ball.
He put in force while adding a little extra contact, bumped Lin Yi aside, took one dribble, and tried to dunk.
But the instant he raised the ball, a palm descended from the heavens and slapped it straight out of his hands.
The knocked-away ball bounced off his knee and went out of bounds. The referee's whistle sounded, awarding possession to the backcourt.
A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd.
Lin Yi's block had been spectacular.
Tang Tian gave Lin Yi a thumbs-up as well. This guy was a very smart player.
Lin Yi was not particularly strong. His rebounding protection relied more on his height and positioning, while defenses like that one just now came more from his judgment and ability to strike after his opponent moved.
Lee Mannis rubbed his forehead. He felt like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Tang Tian alone had already been enough to give him a headache, and now Lin Yi had emerged too. China Team was really out to cause trouble!
Fortunately, on the next possession, Lin Yi took another three-point shot off Tang Tian's pass and missed.
Lin Yi was not Tang Tian, after all. His accuracy outside the three-point line was still a step behind.
As the basketball clanged off the rim, Lee Mannis let out a long breath. If that had gone in too, this game would have been impossible to play.
But before he could finish exhaling, a figure soared into the air.
Yi Jianlian!
Lin Yi had cleared out the