"If he wanted to, I think he could do it. And from what I know of Chris, with Giannis and Damian already firing away, he probably won't stay quiet for much longer. At heart, Chris is still a very proud young man."
Chen Xi did indeed have no intention of continuing to pass the ball for now.
After their teammates missed one outside shot after another, he and George, the team's only two stars capable of consistently creating baskets on their own, needed to shoulder the scoring load for this stretch.
Before that, though, they had to face another offensive possession from the Bucks.
Lillard handled the ball at the top of the key and called for another pick-and-roll with Brook Lopez. He successfully drew an aggressive hedge from Hartenstein, then delivered a precise pass to Lopez on the roll.
Lopez caught the ball and entered the paint. Instead of passing to Giannis, he tried to power straight through Horford and finish at the rim.
He had the size advantage, but he had clearly underestimated the difficulty of this attempt.
Horford provided plenty of physical resistance and a strong contest.
Under that defensive pressure, the ball ultimately bounced off the rim.
Horford secured the rebound, then turned and passed it to Rose.
Meanwhile, after exchanging a glance with Nash on the sideline, Chen Xi strode into the frontcourt and held out a hand, asking Rose for the ball.
Chen's show was about to begin early!
Sing! In my name!
He held the ball at the top of the key, facing Middleton's defense.
He waved George off, signaling that he did not need a screen, then launched straight into an isolation attack.
He dribbled in place with a Between-the-Legs Crossover, took a Drag Step to the left, flowed into a