Nene and Chandler's Melee!

George's insults were harsh, but he had a point.

Martin was furious, but there was nothing he could do. Even at his peak, he had never been the core of the team.

Even in his All-Star year, he had only been one part of the "Nets Big Three."

He understood his own level, his role on the team, and what he was supposed to do.

His urge to argue with George dissipated at once.

Of course.

With Billups controlling the floor, he did not continue feeding Martin the ball. Instead, he handed it back to Anthony.

Anthony was the strongest core and the most reliable scorer.

Every other player had to serve Anthony and create the best possible finishing opportunities for him.

Once an opening appeared, Anthony truly delivered.

Martin had to do it, Billups had to do it, and Nene, the paint protector, had to do it as well.

Bam!

He battled Chandler off the ball in the paint, fighting fiercely for position and claiming the best spot to protect the rim.

He protected the offensive basket for the team, giving his teammates more opportunities for Second Chance Points and even Third Chance Points.

The more of those opportunities, the better.

Chandler was the same.

With Su Yan and Curry, the team's two great shooters, as long as they grabbed an offensive rebound, scoring was almost inevitable.

He fought just as fiercely.

Protecting the rim was part of his responsibility as well.

The two wrestled fiercely in the paint. At first, it was merely muscle colliding with muscle.

But as the clashes continued and both men grew more fired up, the intensity of their physical battle for position kept escalating.

Hooking arms, driving knees into thighs, elbows, pinching, grabbing, pulling—anything went.

Their off-ball battle grew increasingly vicious.

During one