Chapter 1357: An Eight-Point Gap Like an Impassable Chasm "With all due respect, the situation the Nets Team faced now was exactly the same as—if not even worse than—the predicament they faced in last season's playoffs!"
"How so?"
"The suffocating lockdown imposed by Chris and PG, two elite wings, placed far too many restrictions on Durant. Look at that last possession. He had finally received the ball after his teammates patiently moved it around and shaken Joe in front of him, only to immediately have to face Chris again..."
"Even if KD had gotten past Chris on that play, Horford, an excellent defender, was still waiting for him in the Knicks' paint. So KD either had to pass the ball or settle for a heavily contested Mid-range jumper like that."
"But that was precisely what Chris wanted. He had been waiting for the moment KD went up for the shot."
"So what exactly was Brooklyn's predicament? Was it KD's matchup? The fact that the Knicks were targeting him so aggressively?"
"No, it was James Harden's offensive decision-making! He had once again slipped into a somewhat invisible state."
"Just look at the Knicks' lineup! The twin wings of Chris and PG, the twin towers of Horford and Hartenstein—how were Durant and Siakam supposed to handle the ball comfortably against such a high-quality defensive lineup?! Not to mention Claxton. Brooklyn's 1-5 Pick and Roll had barely worked at all."
"So under these circumstances, where was New York's only exposed weakness? Naturally, Derrick Rose!"
"Sure, Rose had performed very well over these two possessions, and he seemed to be in excellent form. But that didn't mean he could guard Harden. No matter what, he was still an undersized guard at only 1.88 meters, someone who had suffered multiple major injuries and experienced a