But in tonight's game, this had ultimately been nothing more than a particularly impressive fast-break dunk.
At least, that was how Chen saw it.
After landing, he immediately turned and jogged back on defense, his expression utterly calm, as though Kawhi had possessed him.
Wemby, on the other hand, had always been fiercely competitive. After landing, he slapped the padding around the basket support in frustration.
Perhaps he felt he had been just a little short of stopping Chen Xi on that play.
Missing an opportunity like that was truly a shame.
The game moved into the next possession.
The Spurs came back at them.
Brunson took the ball from Wemby, brought it across half court, and arrived at the top of the key to organize the offense again.
Wembanyama first positioned himself below the free-throw line, then strode up to run another pick-and-roll with Brunson. He turned and popped out to receive the ball, once again facing Hartenstein's "mismatch" defense.
He dribbled in place, flowed into a drag step to the right, then repeated his earlier trick with a front crossover and accelerated into his drive.
This time, Hartenstein stayed with him.
But Wemby had more up his sleeve, of course.
After taking two steps toward the paint against Hartenstein, he slammed the ball down and spun, squeezed another step deeper, then gathered and pump-faked before forcing his way up for a layup through the contest.
Missed!
But he had the rebound!
Making full use of his natural gifts, he sprang up again immediately after landing and gently reached out to tip the bouncing ball into the basket.
Wembanyama had put his enormous physical advantages to excellent use.
Clearly, Hartenstein alone could not contain him.
The score reached 9–6, and possession returned to the Knicks.
Rose received the