Chris held the ball in triple threat, jabbed, then drove left.
After two strides, he stopped sharply, hung the ball, and spun into another drive.
He attacked down the middle to the free-throw line, then jumped and passed to Paul George near the weak-side sideline.
George caught it and gave a shot fake, but couldn't get Tatum off his feet.
So he put the ball on the floor and accelerated inside.
Two strides later, he stopped, pulled the ball back between his legs, and flowed into his signature sideways step-back. Then he gathered, jumped, and launched a three.
It was a difficult shot.
Tatum hadn't lost position at all. If anything, he had defended it extremely well.
But the man taking the shot was Paul George.
And contested shots were his specialty.
With Tatum's hand almost in his face, PG followed his muscle memory and released the ball in his most comfortable rhythm.
A moment later, it swished through the net.
Paul George had buried a contested three!
George might make only two or three shots like that in a game, or none at all. But there was no denying he could hit them.
What troubled the Celtics most was the timing.
It came just as Boston was gearing up to close the gap.
The Knicks had fired back with an answer ball.
Their lead was back to six.
Then came the next possession.
The Celtics counterattacked.
White held the ball at the top of the key and ran a pick-and-roll with Porzingis. After driving off the screen, he passed it back.
Porzingis caught it on the perimeter, matched up against Hart after the switch.
He chose to drive.
His long strides carried him past Hart and to the edge of the paint. He gathered and faked, trying to draw