He read Tatum's intentions perfectly, then reached out and intercepted his pass.
After making the steal, he did not pause for even a moment, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Then the [Quick First Step] badge activated right on cue. Chen Xi raced upcourt with the ball faster than anyone else on the floor, gathered just outside the paint, and took off.
He drove both feet hard into the floor, launching himself into the air. Twisting his body with the strength of his core, he unleashed an impossibly smooth 360-degree spinning dunk.
BANG!!
With a thunderous crash, the ball was once again hammered through the rim.
"Chris!! A coast-to-coast slam after the steal!! A 360-degree spinning dunk! Ho, ho, ho!! That's insane!"
"Coming out of the timeout, the New York Knicks still have a firm grip on this game! Chris was practically everywhere on that last possession! Two absolutely terrifying help-defense plays in succession. Simply suffocating!!!!"
"A block, a steal, and a fast-break slam off that steal. He's crushed what little morale Boston managed to recover during the timeout!!"
"The gap has grown to ten points! The Celtics are in serious trouble..."
On the court.
After throwing down another vicious dunk, Chen Xi hung on the rim to absorb his momentum, then landed steadily. He turned and took two slow steps toward the stands and his own bench, pointing one finger skyward in a swaggering pose.
"Grandma once said..."
The game continued.
In the end, Mazulla still lacked the nerve to call a second consecutive timeout.
And so the Celtics had no choice but to grit their teeth and launch another attack while the Knicks' morale was at its peak.
Holiday brought the ball across half court, initiated a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, drove