Lori, during his time with the Rockets, averaged 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
Compared to Du Hong, he was not in the same league.
However, Li Feng strongly supported Lori and nurtured him slowly.
After a season of growth, Lori finally became a qualified starting point guard, contributing to the Knicks' first championship.
Burke cleared his throat and nodded, "I admit, I misjudged Lori. The fact is, his potential is indeed great, and signing him was very correct."
Li Feng added, "And Yi Jianlian. Of course, signing Yi Jianlian was your idea, but you weren't optimistic about him back then. You only signed him for the Chinese market and put him on the bench. He performed well later."
Burke's expression turned a bit awkward, and he lowered his head, remaining silent.
Li Feng patted his shoulder and advised him earnestly, "Don't worry, you have to trust my judgment. Signing Jokic is definitely a profitable move. It's okay if you get criticized a few times; the future will prove you right."
Burke sighed and stood up, "Alright, I've said my piece. If the Knicks achieve nothing this season, and the owner blames me, you have to speak up for me!"
"Of course, I'll cover for you!"
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal!"
With Li Feng's assurance, Burke left with peace of mind.
This guy was sly as a fox. He would boast in front of the boss and then let Li Feng take the fall.
If Jokic really played well, Burke would flaunt his ability to the owner.
If Jokic didn't play well, he'd say Li Feng forced him to sign.
Burke had been legendary in the basketball world for the past two years.
What were Li Feng's operations were now being attributed to Burke's brilliant moves.
Li Feng was too lazy to explain. As someone who had transmigrated, it was better to keep a low profile.
The regular season was about to begin, and the biggest suspense of the season was whether the Knicks could achieve a four-peat!
In NBA history, three-peats were not uncommon, but four-peats were much rarer.
Apart from the early Celtics, no other team had achieved a four-peat.
Jordan's first three-peat with the Bulls was a great pity. If he had continued to play in the league, he might have won a four-peat, or even a five-peat.
Unfortunately, due to the accidental death of his father and a feeling of having no equal, Jordan chose to retire and play baseball.
This was because his father's favorite sport was baseball.
The Lakers' OK combination back then was also a great pity.
Now, Li Feng's Knicks had great expectations.
If Yao Ming had stayed healthy and played for one more year, their chances of winning the championship would have been very high.
Because Li Feng was young and injury-free, he was at his peak.
The team composition was reasonable, and the chemistry was good.
Unfortunately, the moves during the offseason left the media and fans very disappointed.
...
Before the regular season began, the media conducted their season prediction polls.
Among them, the team most expected to win the championship was the Thunder, followed by the Heat, then the Spurs, and the Knicks only ranked fourth.
Clearly, the Knicks' roster full of new faces made the fans very unoptimistic.
Li Feng was also gambling.
Jokic indeed had immense potential. Before he transmigrated, Jokic had won two consecutive...
Hill reluctantly passed the ball to Paul George.
Because Granger was out for the season, head coach Vogel had to place the tactical focus on Paul George.
"PG" was already showing signs of superstardom, with explosive leaping ability and accurate shooting, but his ball-handling skills were average, which was his weakness at this time.
Bill Walker was guarding PG.
PG swayed left and right, accelerated, leaving Bill Walker half a step behind, and pulled up for a jump shot!
The move was quite beautiful, and there was space to shoot, but Bill Walker's interference still had an effect. *Clang!*
It was slightly off, hitting the right side of the rim.
Jokic was about to grab the rebound when the Pacers' center, Hibbert, stretched out his right hand, *Slap!*
With a light touch of his fingers, he made a putback.
Hibbert was known as "Black Yao Ming." His post-up game was very refined. Although he was still quite a bit behind the true peak Yao Ming, in today's NBA where interior play was declining, he was still outstanding.
Li Feng sighed softly. He knew that Jokic was going to be taught a lesson again today...
2-0, the Pacers led.
Knicks offense. Curry dribbled across half-court.
The Pacers had studied the Knicks' preseason game footage and knew that Curry's three-point shot was very potent, so George Hill was not careless and guarded him tightly, denying him a chance to shoot.
Li Feng stepped up to screen George Hill, and Curry quickly moved sideways.
However, the Pacers were prepared. Stephenson immediately switched, continuing to guard Curry.
Stephenson was a very interesting player. Chinese fans affectionately called him "Shidi" (Brother Shi).
He had also played in the Chinese CBA for a period.
The reason Stephenson was called an interesting player was that in a regular season game between the Pacers and the Heat, Stephenson was guarding LeBron James. When their faces were very close, Stephenson inexplicably blew a breath onto LeBron's face.
At that time, LeBron was also bewildered and immediately turned his head away.
This famous scene became a hot topic of discussion among fans that year. Thinking about it now, Li Feng still found it amusing.
Facing Stephenson, Curry used a fake move and drove from the left.
Just as Shidi slid his feet to keep up, Curry suddenly pulled the ball back and shot a three-pointer!
*Swish!*
Three-pointer made!
The "Baby-faced Assassin" once again hit the Knicks' first basket!
The home crowd in New York erupted in enthusiastic cheers!
Fans were marveling at how Curry, since joining the Knicks, seemed to have broken a curse and was playing better and better!
Li Feng ran over to high-five Curry, extremely excited.
It was a huge win for the Knicks to sign Curry when he was at his lowest point!
3-2, the Knicks led.
Pacers offense.
This time, George Hill and David West executed a pick-and-roll. Curry was switched onto West.
West had a stable mid-range game, so facing the smaller Curry, West didn't hesitate to take a long two-pointer!
*Swish!*
It went in too!
The Pacers truly had many scoring threats, and they were definitely not to be underestimated this season.
In the following few possessions, both teams showcased their offensive strengths.
Curry and Yi Jianlian accounted for the Knicks' baskets, while Hibbert, West, and PG all scored.
With over five minutes played in the first quarter, the score was 13-12, with the Pacers leading by one point.
The game went into an official timeout.
Although the score was close, the Pacers were playing more relaxedly because they had multiple scoring threats.
The Knicks were only barely keeping pace thanks to Curry's two three-pointers, Yi Jianlian's one and-one, and Li Feng's one three-pointer.
Jokic's performance was still poor. He was suppressed by Hibbert, scoring zero points, with only 2 defensive rebounds, 1 turnover, and 1 foul.
However, Jokic seemed to have heeded the advice of Li Feng and Sabonis, no longer fixating on his stats, but simply wanting to integrate into the team quickly.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
Knicks offense.
During the timeout, Li Feng had a brief chat with Jokic, preparing to run a few plays.
Li Feng brought the ball past half-court and, facing Stephenson's defense, asked Jokic to come up high to screen Shidi.
Then, Li Feng drove towards the baseline.
Jokic immediately rolled to the free-throw line area, creating open space.
Li Feng passed the ball to him instantly.
The pass was very subtle, extremely fast, and in a good position.
Unfortunately, Jokic's reaction was a bit slow, and he had butterfingers. As soon as he caught the ball, it slipped out.
Paul George grabbed the ball and initiated a fast break.
Jokic dejectedly clutched his head. Li Feng immediately retreated to defend, patting Jokic on the shoulder and shouting, "It's okay, get back on defense!"
Li Feng and Curry quickly retreated to half-court. The Pacers' fast break failed, and they had to settle for a half-court offense.
The fans in the arena, as well as the commentators on the sidelines, were even more disappointed with Jokic. Some extreme fans started yelling again.
"Trash!"
"What's the point of Jokic? Did he take a bullet for the boss?"
"He's a crony, right? Otherwise, why would he start?"
"He's useless at everything, and his turnovers are the highest!"
"Li Feng's pass was so beautiful, and he couldn't even catch it. These butterfingers are ridiculous..."
...
Paul George once again had the ball, facing Walker. After a series of fakes, he drove into the paint and made a floater!
The Pacers had indeed evolved this season, with good chemistry among their players.
In the next few possessions, Li Feng did not give up, continuing to run pick-and-rolls with Jokic.
Unfortunately, Jokic was either blocked by Hibbert or turned the ball over out of bounds, never successfully completing a play.
The Pacers took advantage of this to go on a run.
At 8 minutes and 43 seconds into the first quarter, the score was 21-15, with the Knicks trailing by 6 points.
D'Antoni's face was ashen as he called a timeout.
Jokic walked towards the sideline with his head down, looking dejected.
His teammates on the bench were shaking their heads. They also couldn't understand why Li Feng insisted on running plays with him.
Li Feng's expression was impassive; he didn't care about others' opinions.
Since the goal was the championship, they had to sacrifice something in the short term.
He sat next to Jokic, likely chatting with him and expressing his continued support.
Jokic, with a crestfallen face, asked in a low voice, "Brother Feng, what... what should I do?"
Li Feng smiled, "It's okay, your movements were all correct, just a little lacking in experience. A few more tries and it'll be fine."
"I've lost all confidence."
"Why no confidence? Don't you believe in my judgment?" Li Feng pretended to be angry.
"No, I didn't mean that... I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
D'Antoni was truly disappointed. After the timeout, he benched Jokic and brought in the backup center, Chandler.
Curry and Yi Jianlian also went to rest. Li Feng and Bill Walker played with three reserves.
After Lin Shuhao came on, Li Feng played off the ball.
Under Lin Shuhao's organization, the Knicks played smoothly and slowly closed the score gap.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 32-30, with the Knicks leading by 2 points.
The second quarter began with all the starters resting on the bench. Lin Shuhao led the all-reserve lineup.
The Pacers' bench also had a formidable player, Augustine.
Augustine, as a capable playmaker, was very strong at driving to the basket and had a rich repertoire of offensive moves.
He also excelled at playing in transition and was very fast.
The reserve units of both teams played a back-and-forth game.
Although Lin Shuhao was good at organizing, his defense was currently average, so he couldn't guard Augustine effectively.
Augustine scored consecutively, causing a headache for the Knicks.
In desperation, Lin Shuhao and Iman Shumpert double-teamed Augustine, which finally managed to contain him.
Five minutes into the second quarter, the score was 42-41, with the Pacers leading by one point.
Both teams subbed their starters back in.
Now, the focus of the Knicks fans was on Jokic.
They had started calling Jokic a "comedian."
Although such fans were a minority, they represented the thoughts of many fans.
In their opinion, Jokic was a joke and should never have come to the Knicks.
In this appearance, Li Feng did not intentionally run plays with Jokic.
He first attacked himself, scoring 2 points, and then assisted Curry for a three-pointer.
In the next possession, Jokic finally made his first good play of the game.
During one of Paul George's drives, Jokic suddenly emerged and delivered a chasing block on PG!
*Slap!*
The ball bounced far away, and Bill Walker grabbed it, immediately launching a fast break.