After another clever cut from Payton ended in a one-handed dunk, the Knicks finally called another timeout.
In fact, this might have been the first time all season that Thibodeau had found himself in such a helpless position.
Whatever the case, he could not stomach any more of it.
If he kept sitting back and letting the game unfold like this, the gap between the teams would only grow wider...
So Thibodeau had no choice but to play his trump card—putting Chen Xi back in.
Before long, the timeout ended and play resumed.
The Knicks now had Rose, Chen Xi, George, Ethan, and Drummond on the floor.
Aside from Drummond, it was practically their full starting lineup.
That also signaled that the Knicks were about to make another push to fight back and cut the deficit.
Kerr had anticipated this, and he dared not take it lightly. He brought his core lineup back in at the same time.
And so, a fresh round of battle began.
The Knicks had possession for the first play after the timeout.
Rose received the ball in the backcourt, brought it across half court, and passed it straight to Chen Xi.
Chen Xi then advanced with the ball and initiated the offense two steps beyond the three-point line.
Once again, he opened with the most basic, most common action in modern basketball—a high Pick-and-Roll.
This time, however, Chen Xi chose George as his screening partner.
Using George's screen, he stepped over to the right wing at a forty-five-degree angle from the top of the key, then attacked Wiggins after the switch.
After a stationary Between-the-Legs Crossover, Chen Xi quickly split his feet, feinted a drive to the right, and immediately flowed into a Sam Good crossover.
His left hand pulled the ball back with silky