"That makes sense! It's all that damn Thibodeau's fault! Even if he's reliable, you can't run him into the ground like that! Is he a workhorse to you?!"
"Shocking! The secret behind billionaires: they're actually worked like dogs on the job too!~~"
"Damn the Knicks! Couldn't they find him some help? They didn't make a single move at the trade deadline! Signed two useless two-way contracts, then tossed them out again! Are they messing with us?"
"I really thought Irving was coming back then! Too bad nothing ever came of it."
"If they'd actually traded for Irving, the Knicks definitely wouldn't be in this situation now! At least they'd have another perimeter player to match Lillard's firepower. Chen Xi would have a much easier time."
"Oh, please. What good is that bum Irving? Just an ordinary All-Star—oh, wait! A little guard who hasn't even made the All-Star team these past two seasons. What use would he be?"
"Irving is miles better than your precious Lillard! When he was winning an NBA championship, Lillard was still struggling in the first round!"
"At least... he'd be better than Rose and Hart are now..."
"Hilarious. Now you're trashing Irving? Look across the whole Eastern Conference. Which guard can confidently claim he's better than Irving?"
"Harden, Lillard, Mitchell, Paul, Maxey, Beal. There's a whole bunch right there!"
"Even more hilarious. Harden and Mitchell, fine, but now you're throwing in old man Paul and Beal? I often wonder whether the people I argue with even watch basketball."
"Your man Irving just hasn't played much lately. He's still a beast when he actually takes the court!"
The brief timeout soon ended.
After another round of adjustments, the players from both sides returned to the court.
Play resumed.
To the fans' surprise, however, both teams suffered a