With precisely measured force, he sent the ball tracing a beautiful parabola through the air.
It sailed over Robert Williams's head, continuing smoothly toward the net.
Swish!
Two points!
"Chris!! He hits the floater at the buzzer! Facing two defenders, he gets it off before they can contest, before the first quarter runs out! A steady release! A clean finish!"
"And that brings the first quarter to a close! As you can see, the score is now 40–31! Thanks to outstanding play from Chris and their role players, the New York Knicks have built a nine-point lead!"
"Forty points in a single quarter. What an incredible offensive display!"
Chen Xi strolled off the court and exchanged light high fives with his teammates as they rose from the bench, encouraging and celebrating with one another in their own way before dropping into his seat.
Beside him, Ethan had the "good sense" to hand him a towel right away.
Clearly, he had endured plenty of Chen's "workplace bullying."
He got yelled at on the court and had to "wait on him" off it, too. Poor Ethan...
"Guys, we played very well in the first quarter. Our offensive efficiency was excellent, and we never lost our rhythm. That deserves recognition."
Once all the players were seated again, Thibodeau stood in front of the bench and began reviewing the first quarter with them.
"But defensively, I still don't think we did enough.
"Our traps near half court were a little slow, in particular. And in the latter half of the quarter, I don't think Chris and the others applied enough defensive pressure up top, either. You should be capable of better.
"That's something we need to watch! I want you to make those adjustments over the next three quarters and play with greater focus!