At the forty-five-degree angle, Booker slowly dribbled through a Between-the-Legs Crossover, followed it with a Front Crossover, then took off, driving into the paint against Ethan.
Two strides brought him to the elbow. Realizing his speed wasn't enough to accomplish what he wanted, with Ethan still blanketing him, Booker immediately went into a Spin Move. After gathering the ball, he raised it in a pump fake, hoping the threat of his shot would get Ethan into the air.
But Ethan was a Knicks player, after all.
Whatever else might be said about him, he had more than enough experience defending these mid-range finishing attempts~~
As one of the players Chen regularly "bullied" in team scrimmages, he had developed his own method for reading an opponent's true intentions through that daily abuse.
Fortunately, judging by its results in actual games, that method was pretty accurate.
This possession was a perfect example.
Watching Booker's eyes, shoulders, and other cues, he quickly realized that Booker was only faking.
So Ethan stepped up, raised his left hand high, and stayed tight against him without leaving his feet.
He used his height and wingspan to maintain a strong contest while making sure he gave no grounds for a foul call.
There was no question that it was a smart defensive read.
Unable to find a good shot, Booker had no choice but to turn and pass back out to Haliburton on the perimeter.
After receiving the ball, Hali moved right and waited for another Pick-and-Roll with Ayton.
This time, he drove straight into the paint, seized the opening as Harten stepped out to hedge, then gathered the ball and took his steps to attack the rim.
Smack!!!
With a dull crack, the ball was viciously swatted out of bounds.
Haliburton's layup had been blocked by