After catching the ball, he instinctively settled into a Triple Threat stance, then dribbled and moved to the left.
After two steps, he pulled the ball back with a Between-the-Legs Crossover, then chained into a series of behind-the-back dribbles. Keeping his rhythm, Chen Xi was still trying to control the pace of the possession.
Only when Kawhi's patience began to wear thin and he stepped up to pressure him did Chen Xi seize the moment. He pulled the ball behind his back and stepped back, then took a lateral step to the right to create space. After a Hesitation Bait Buddha, he accelerated into the lane.
Relying on his superb explosiveness, he squeezed alongside Leonard and continued toward the low post. He pounded the ball, made a Half-turn, and seamlessly shifted into a post-up before putting on another display of low-post footwork.
After backing him down with a dribble, he suddenly let go of the ball, quickly shaking his shoulders to give Kawhi a wide range of misleading cues. Then he scooped the ball back up, spun toward the baseline, gathered, and leaped into a difficult Fadeaway Jumper.
Relying on his excellent core strength and soft shooting touch, he sent the ball on its way. It skimmed past Kawhi's fingertips and dropped straight through the net.
"Here it comes! Chris's best skill! The more important the moment, the more accurate his shot!"
"Clutch shots so steady they're ridiculous, tough shots over any defense—those will always be his deadliest weapons!"
"The lead is down to six! Miami's advantage, which they'd protected all game, has completely disappeared! Now they're the ones chasing! If they can't quickly sink another shot over the Knicks' big lineup, they'll be out of contention for the win!"
The Heat, of course, weren't about to give up