Walker, who had come off the bench, clearly couldn't fill any of Chen Xi's roles.
Whether it was creating offense through his own tough shot-making, organizing and facilitating for the team, or spacing out on the wing and drawing defenders with his offensive threat to create opportunities for his teammates.
Walker couldn't do any of those things.
The only thing he could do was spot up, wait for a teammate to pass him the ball, and then take a set jump shot or drive into the mid-range or to the basket and try to finish.
Of course, his efficiency was nowhere near Chen's, either.
But there was nothing they could do. The Knicks really had no one left.
Forget having a capable backup for Chen Xi. With Chen off the floor, they didn't even have a high-quality floor general.
With no other options, Thibodeau could only extend Hart's and Ingles's minutes to barely meet the team's needs at the point guard spot.
Fortunately, Hart was an ironman who could do a bit of everything. Wherever they had a hole, he could fill it.
Otherwise, with Rose still out, the Knicks would really have to use Fournier...
Time ticked by.
Soon, the First Quarter was winding down.
When all the players from both teams headed off the court and back to their benches,
the score stood at 36–30.
Thanks to Chen Xi's brilliant performance of 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in a single quarter, New York had taken a six-point lead.
The Celtics, meanwhile, had been fairly average overall.
But if they hadn't gone through that scoring drought after the first timeout, they might have been neck and neck with the Knicks by now.
That 10–0 run had hurt them quite a bit.
After New York seized the opportunity,