Airborne Waltz

Under the basket, Little Sabonis secured the defensive rebound, then turned around.

When he saw a figure racing upcourt, he immediately launched a long pass.

The quarterback-style pass looked just like Kevin Love's. The ball flew straight downcourt, crossed the center line, and arrived in front of Butler.

Well, it wasn't quite as accurate as Love's, but it wasn't far off. Butler took two more steps forward and still managed to bring the ball under control.

Jimmy Butler, on the fast break! A one-man transition offense!!

Meanwhile, Chen Xi was hot on his heels.

Since he'd started from a good position while getting back on defense, Chen Xi was able to chase hard without letting Butler pull too far ahead. The two stayed remarkably close.

Besides, after catching the ball, Butler had to dribble it upcourt.

He wasn't in the same class as Westbrook or Chen when it came to pushing the pace, so he inevitably slowed down.

Before long, Chen Xi caught up with him near the free-throw line in the backcourt.

Seeing that forcing his way to the rim was out of the question, JB wasted no time slowing down even more. He gathered the ball, dropped his shoulder, and bumped Chen Xi, then used the momentum to hop toward the basket and fake another shot.

Chen Xi didn't get knocked away by the first bump, but he still fell for the second fake.

Slightly off balance, he leaped into the air and tried to block the shot.

That was exactly what JB wanted.

Butler immediately jumped, brushed against Chen in midair, and laid the ball in.

The ball kissed the backboard and dropped neatly through the hoop.

Two points, plus the foul!!

"And one!!!"

He scored two points and drew a foul on Chen Xi.

As soon