Calling out Gobert on the perimeter, Chen Xi first used a series of Crossover Dribbles, then stopped and started suddenly. He took two quick steps to the right before stopping again, used a push dribble to change direction, and drove from the left.
But that still was not his ultimate goal.
After pulling Gobert to the left, he made another between-the-legs pullback stop, seamlessly transitioning into a Step-back.
That move completely shook Gobert off.
Then he took an easy Three-Point Shot.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc and obediently dropped through the net.
3-7
Neither side had gotten off to a particularly smooth start.
But the Thunder had the stronger raw talent and quickly found their own rhythm.
With the Big Three taking turns shooting, their efficiency could not be low.
The Jazz, on the other hand, saw Mitchell looking somewhat lost. After missing his first attempt, he surprisingly stopped shooting altogether and repeatedly passed the ball to his teammates.
In an environment like the Playoffs, relying on role players to suddenly explode was no different from giving up on the game.
And with even Mitchell, their core, looking a little lost, the others were obviously even less reliable.
They could not exactly have Gobert lead the offense. They might as well surrender directly.
Quin Snyder frowned. After seeing Mitchell pass to Favors once again and watching Favors miss a three, he finally called the first timeout of this game.
He needed Mitchell to take on more of the primary scoring burden and increase his Offensive Desire.
Even though they were not down by much yet, the momentum in front of them was still looking rather ominous.
Chen Xi sat on the bench. There was not much tactical adjustment on his side; Donovan had only one thing to say.
"You're