On this possession, Adams used his outstanding nose for rebounds to wrestle the offensive board away from right between Giannis and Portis.
Aquaman was still a beast, a god on the offensive glass~~
Immediately afterward, Adams tried to go back up for a second-chance basket and drew a defensive foul on Portis as he jumped.
At the free-throw line, he made one of two, ensuring the Knicks at least came away with something from the possession.
Possession switched again, and it was the Bucks' turn to attack.
Lillard brought the ball across half court, called for a pick-and-roll with Giannis at the top of the key, then drove and passed it back.
Giannis caught the ball on the perimeter, squared up to the basket, and began his drive.
He accelerated into mid-range, pulled off a behind-the-back crossover on the move, then spun through contact to get underneath the basket. Finally, he gathered and jumped, trying to power through Adams' defense for a dunk.
But the dunk missed.
Aquaman's height and strength were still pretty formidable, after all.
Having just turned thirty, he was actually in the prime of his career. If injuries had not repeatedly plagued him over the previous few seasons, the Knicks could never have signed him for an annual salary of thirteen million dollars, even with his connection to Chen.
Fortunately, precisely because they wanted to handle elite big men such as Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, and Wembanyama, New York had stockpiled a large number of interior players this season.
Hartenstein, Horford, Adams, and Drummond.
Four towering big men took turns holding down the team's paint.
That also indirectly helped Adams by reducing his playing time and lowering his injury risk. Several benefits in one move.
Although... without anyone really noticing, Drummond had actually gone quite a while