Swish~~
The basketball swished through the net!!
When it mattered most, a clutch veteran really was steadier than the youngsters!
With Lillard's three-pointer falling,
the gap stretched back to eleven points!
The New York Knicks' hopes of victory grew increasingly faint.
Then Tom Thibodeau called another timeout.
The starters came off the court one after another and returned to the bench.
"Sorry, guys. I couldn't knock that one down."
Toppin's face was filled with frustration, the missed shot still eating at him.
"It was a good shot. If we created an opening, it was a good shot. That proves we're playing the right way."
Chen Xi reached out and patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"It was just one miss. That's normal. Even Stephen can't guarantee he'll hit every open three. Don't let it get to you."
"But that shot was so important..."
"All right, that's already in the past. What we need to focus on now is how to play the last minute and twenty-nine seconds of this game."
"Chris is right. Put aside your regret, frustration, anger, and any other emotions that might affect your play. Once this game is over, I'll go through it with all of you. But until then, we need to get our heads back on the court!"
Thibodeau gave Chen Xi an approving look, then quickly took over and began laying out their final plan.
"On our next possession, we'll keep running the offense through Chris. Milwaukee's defense is still focusing heavily on him. So I need you to put more energy into it. Cut harder, move faster, and find opportunities to shoot.
"When necessary, Jerami can do what he just did: find a mismatch against Damian or Grayson, then force their defense to react.
"And if the offense stalls, don't hesitate. Get the ball