The Best Point Guard

The game was more hard-fought than expected.

Stan Van Gundy certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve. He tailored an offense around Dwight Howard’s talents, tasking Howard with grabbing rebounds and defending the paint while three tall forwards spaced the floor for shooting and ball movement.

Both Turkoglu and Hardaway were skilled playmakers. Although Grant Hill’s physical gifts were no longer at their peak, he had shed his superstar flair and become a grinder on both ends of the court, contributing with solid efficiency.

The Knicks, on the other hand, were in too much of a hurry, and it was costing them.

Kyle Lowry was pushing the pace hard, and his fast-paced passing led to the whole team taking quicker shots than usual.

This was partly due to the Magic’s defense, and partly because they were anxious to put on a show for the home crowd.

As a result, the Knicks’ offensive efficiency was low.

They were relying almost entirely on Su Xi’s powerful drives to generate any offense.

The Magic, in contrast, played with a well-distributed offense. Although Nelson got a bit hot-headed at times, the ball was mostly distributed by Turkoglu and Hardaway.

Both players possessed a high basketball IQ.

As a result, they were playing a rare, balanced brand of basketball.

The Knicks’ defensive efficiency was only about mid-tier in the league. While they had defensive-minded players like Su Xi, Stephen Jackson, and Ariza, and Lowry’s defense was respectable, their interior defense was a significant weakness.

The Magic were able to penetrate the paint with ease, doing a lot of damage.

At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks actually found themselves trailing by 2 points.

The situation didn’t improve much in the second quarter. However, the Knicks slowed down their tempo, running their half-court offense through the inside-out duo of Zach Randolph and Su Xi to match up with the Magic.

The Magic’s tempo was a mix of half-court sets and fast breaks; they could execute in the half-court and also run in transition.

Although Howard’s lower body strength wasn’t quite enough to consistently hold his ground against Randolph’s post-ups, his overall defense still gave the Magic an advantage in the paint.

On top of that, the forward trio of Grant Hill, Turkoglu, and Hardaway were all firing on all cylinders.

The Knicks trailed by 5 points at the half.

This situation was beyond the Knicks’ original expectations. Even some of the home fans hadn’t expected the Magic to be such a tough nut to crack. Before the game, everyone had assumed the Knicks would easily crush Orlando.

Back in the locker room, neither Isaiah Thomas nor Su Xi said much.

The tactical instructions remained the same as before, but with the team trailing, the players’ morale was low.

Just before they headed back onto the court, Su Xi said one thing: "Slow it down. Play steady."

Following Su Xi’s instruction, Isaiah Thomas changed the lineup.

This was where he was ’useful’. When it came to reading the room, Isaiah Thomas had maxed out his stats.

Gary Payton, Su Xi, Stephen Jackson, David Lee, and Zach Randolph followed Su Xi onto the court.

The Orlando Magic, meanwhile, stuck with their previously successful lineup.

The game restarted, and Su Xi immediately called for an isolation to attack. Facing Grant Hill’s defense, he unleashed his offensive skills. After a quick jab step, he exploded toward the basket.

His staggering explosiveness allowed him to gain a step on Hill—after all, Hill was no longer his younger self, the man whose first step was once called the best in the world.

Now, the years had caught up to him, each one a knife carving away at his knees.

Su Xi pulled up for a jumper... SWISH!

He scored.

The dominance Su Xi had displayed this season was the kind that drove defenders to despair.

Some high-scorers relied on their off-ball movement, while others relied on pure athleticism. Su Xi, however, was a combination of elite athleticism and powerful offensive technique.

Even when defenders gave it their all, they could barely slow him down. This only served to multiply their sense of frustration.

On the other end, Su Xi picked up Turkoglu.

Turkoglu was the engine of the Magic’s offense. Although he hadn’t gotten a full chance to prove himself during his time with the San Antonio Spurs, he had gradually become the de facto leader of Orlando’s perimeter offense since arriving in Orlando.

Once the Turk found himself guarded by Su Xi, he made a smart move: he started running hard off the ball and stopped trying to handle it himself.

He let Hardaway orchestrate the offense instead.

Hardaway ended up passing the ball to Hill, who scored on David Lee in a one-on-one matchup.

David Lee’s defensive skills could only be described as... ’hard-working’.

The game continued.

The Knicks continued to rely on Su Xi’s aggressive attacks, letting him overpower his defender.

This couldn’t help but remind many fans of last season’s Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers used this same model: let Kobe go into beast mode.

But could this strategy really beat the Magic?

A question mark hung over many people’s heads.

The game moved forward, with both teams trading blows.

It was incredibly tight.

The third quarter ended quickly, with the Knicks cutting the deficit to just 2 points.

But Su Xi wasn’t just in ’Kobe mode’; he could also pass and get his teammates involved.

That was how the Knicks managed to claw back some ground in the third quarter.

However, once the fourth quarter began, the tide turned again.

The Orlando Magic’s perimeter players caught fire, with Grant Hill and Turkoglu hitting back-to-back threes.

In the blink of an eye, they had extended their lead to 8 points.

They were just one step away from a double-digit lead.

At this moment, Su Xi took another risk, attempting a three-pointer. He missed.

CLANG!

The ball bounced high off the rim. This was where David Lee showed his value. He leaped with reckless abandon and forcefully tapped the rebound out toward the perimeter.

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