Obi Toppin caught the ball, immediately jumped, and finished a layup close to the rim.
The two points made it 53–43, a ten-point gap.
The moment he returned to the court, he brought his teammates to life and created better shooting opportunities for the role players. That was what a playmaking core could do, and it was a resource every high-level team needed.
Next came another Nets possession.
It was time for the other master playmaker on the court, James Harden, to put on a show.
He received the inbound pass in the backcourt, leisurely dribbled across half court, then waited for Zhao Si's screen on the left wing before dribbling toward the left sideline.
Pretending he wanted to target Drummond, he drew Toppin out as Toppin voluntarily switched onto him.
In reality, he was waiting for his two teammates on the weak side to cross paths.
Then, spotting his opening, Harden sent a lob straight into the air.
The ball sailed all the way across the three-point arc and straight into the Knicks' paint.
Meanwhile, after exchanging screens with Shamet in the corner, Durant cut toward the basket, pushed off the floor, and soared into the air. He caught the ball with both hands and slammed it down with a powerful dunk.
Bang!!
KD stuffed the ball through the net.
An alley-oop connection from Brooklyn's Twin Stars!
After landing, Durant immediately pointed excitedly at Harden.
"You know it. When it comes to passes from my little brother, I'll always give him the highest praise!"~~
The game moved on to the next possession.
The Knicks went on the attack again.
Chen Xi brought the ball into the frontcourt and faced Durant again at the top of the key.
Once again, he looked for a Pick and Roll Screen first, then