The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!

Dior, basking in the cheers of the crowd, felt quite satisfied, yet his face said:

"Just so-so!"

And with that, he made a gesture:

"Sit tight, sit tight!"

"The real show is just starting!"

The Celtics countered, with Rajon Rondo handling the ball in an attempt to break through.

Since the start of this season, Rondo had officially become the centerpiece of the Celtics, with Rivers and the entire coaching staff encouraging him to attack aggressively, creating opportunities from his end.

Faced with Stephen Curry, Rajon Rondo wasn't concerned.

He thought he could push Stephen Curry aside with the first contact.

But unexpectedly...

On contact, not only did he fail to push Stephen Curry away, but he stumbled himself.

The resistance Stephen Curry posed took him by surprise.

In fact, Curry's defensive abilities were underestimated.

He had always been singled out by teams with LeBron.

But note that the ones calling his name were generally shooting guards or small forwards; only a few players of the same position could challenge him.

And of course, this did not include Rajon Rondo, who only had his breakthrough as a weapon.

Curry kept an arm's length from him, and when Rondo charged with the ball, he braced himself and successfully intercepted Rondo's drive.

This was also why Rondo couldn't become the team's core.

He didn't even reach the heights of Chris Paul or Jide.

He had the ability to be the team's absolute playmaker, but his individual offensive skills were too weak. The team couldn't break the game open just relying on him, making it easy for him to get ignored by the opponents' defense during offense.

And for "traditional Point Guards" like them whose main weapon was Passing, once the opponent didn't double-team, their passing threat greatly diminished.

Especially this season's Celtics, who no longer had the "Three Giants"; Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were a year older.

In the end, he wasted seven or eight seconds, and the ball still ended up in Pierce's hands.

Right after a solid defensive play, Paul George entered the next round full of energy.

But it was then that Pierce displayed his "kaleidoscope" offensive capabilities.

He slithered like a reptile, and after what seemed like an eternity, Pierce executed a turnaround jump shot. Paul George, somehow, found himself out of position, and could only watch as Pierce took his shot.

This was no longer an issue of his defensive ability, but rather a lack of experience.

Pierce scored and arrogantly gestured to George, "Get someone else to try, get someone else, rookie, you're no match!"

The Knicks struck back.

Stephen Curry brought the ball up the court.

Bill Walton was surprised to find that it was not Su Wan, but Dior, who came out to receive the ball.

The "French Magician" got the ball at the arc while Stephen Curry and Su Wan performed a cross move along the baseline, throwing the entire Celtics defense into disarray. They chose to guard Su Wan.

Stephen Curry came out from the other side, to the 45-degree angle, and Dior's pass reached him.

He shot as soon as he caught the ball...

After changing his shooting style, Curry's motion increasingly resembled his peak "One-step". He seemed to float off the ground, but Curry's upper body strength still ensured a steady shot.

"Swoosh!"

Curry's "Quick Draw" happened in an instant, and Rajon Rondo, who was following, didn't even have time to raise his hand.

That was the advantage of the "One-step" shot—fast release, hard to defend against.

The downside was its extreme instability.

But this was also the terrifying aspect of Curry's play.

As the ball went in, another cheer erupted from the crowd.

Not only was the atmosphere already buzzing.

The main thing was that this round provided a new surprise from the New York Knicks.

This play was clearly something that developed after Dior joined the team.

Visually, it was incredibly stunning.

And the final basket was eye-catching.

Is this really New York?

Last season, New York was one of the teams with the highest three-point shot volume in the League, with the Spurs being another.

But in contrast to the Spurs, the New York Knicks' three-pointers felt more frantic and lacked some teamwork.

Now...

Dior's arrival had filled that gap!

In the next round, Dior also proved that the assist to Stephen Curry wasn't a fluke, nor was it a "private custom" between the two of them; he saw all fleeting opportunities.

This time it was Su Wan.

With a beautiful "Fake Move," he got the chance to receive the ball.

The shake-off was a testament to his personal skills, but...

Being able to deliver the ball to Su Wan in that moment showcased Dior's level.

"Swoosh!"

He shot as soon as he raised his hand.

In under 30 seconds, the New York Knicks scored their second three-point shot, instantly igniting the crowd.

The Celtics were hit hard and called a timeout.

As Barkley looked at the 8-2 score, he shared his thoughts, "I think this season's New York Knicks will have stronger firepower than last season!"

Kenny Smith nodded in agreement, "That's exactly what I was thinking, especially their firepower from beyond the arc!"

The Celtics had certainly realized this as well.

After the timeout, they stepped up their defense against the Knicks' three-point line.

Especially against Su Wan and Curry...

But the double act's movement was just...