AD caught the ball and tried to initiate a post-up, "challenging" Toppin's defense.
Once again, Toppin had to guard a power forward with size and exceptional physical talent!
Why did I always get stuck with this?
He worked hard to anchor his lower body, holding his position as best he could and putting pressure on Davis in an attempt to push him farther out.
Unfortunately, it did next to nothing.
A difference in weight was usually far more noticeable than a difference in strength.
After putting the ball on the floor, AD only needed one hard bump to reach a spot where he could finish comfortably. He powered into a spin move, gathered the ball, and threw in a fake that easily sent Toppin airborne. Then, before Hartenstein could arrive with help, he quickly put up a layup for two.
7–4.
Oklahoma's starting lineup simply had too many favorable matchups.
Even a defense on the Knicks' level struggled to consistently contain all those threats at once.
By the same token, their only option was to look for a breakthrough on offense.
Rose quickly brought the ball into the frontcourt and looked to get it to Chen Xi again.
Chen Xi caught the pass on the move, then continued dribbling toward the left side of the top of the key, attacking Barrett as he switched onto him.
Clearly, although the Thunder wanted to answer on offense, that did not mean they would keep letting Chen Xi wear Alexander down on defense.
That would hardly have been a wise choice.
Even with Barrett guarding him now, Chen Xi still chose not to pass.
The same principle held: as long as he faced single coverage, Chen considered it a mismatch—an opportunity.
*So what if you're bigger than SGA, Barrett? So what if you're