Li Feng was familiar with James's personality, knowing him to be straightforward and honest with his thoughts.
Therefore, Li Feng didn't mind, retorting, "With me here, you can forget about the championship!"
This simple statement immediately ignited James's temper.
He roared fiercely, "Then you just wait and see!"
The game began with a tip-off at center court.
Bosh secured the first possession for the Heat.
This season, the Heat had fully embraced a small-ball strategy, with Bosh playing center and James at power forward.
In the NBA, where three-pointers are increasingly favored and the pace is faster, the Heat were ahead of the curve.
While the Knicks and Suns both ran a fast-paced offense, both teams still fielded a traditional center in their starting lineup.
The Heat had discarded the traditional center.
Their six-game winning streak to start the season proved the success of their lineup change.
James dribbled past half-court, Yi Jianlian stepped up to defend, and Wade positioned himself, signaling for the ball.
Since recovering from his knee injury, Wade had exploded, with his ball possession, shot attempts, and shooting percentage all reaching multi-season highs!
Fans eagerly awaited the return of the Flash, hoping he would recapture the glory of 2006!
James passed the ball to Wade, who faced Li Feng's one-on-one defense. With a spin, he created a half-step advantage.
Li Feng was well-prepared, knowing that Wade this season was even more formidable than last.
Swish!
Li Feng moved quickly, intercepting Wade's path once again.
Wade was also surprised. In the early games of the season, he had been unstoppable, bulldozing through opponents and his drives to the basket were unmatched.
Yet, Li Feng was able to defend him.
Wade paused for a moment, then accelerated again, leaning his body to an extreme, his right hand nearly touching the floor.
This kind of move was something only Wade could pull off. Li Feng exerted all his effort to cut him off, but Wade still drove past.
Li Feng looked up at Wade's retreating back and smiled—
The Flash was truly living up to his name!
Driving into the paint, Wade took a step and soared, finishing over Jokic for a score!
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, pointing at Jokic. A foul, and a three-point play!
Wade, back to his peak, was unstoppable, so powerful!
Jokic helplessly put his hands on his hips and shook his head.
Li Feng went over to comfort him, "It's okay, he blew past me too. Next time, we'll double-team him earlier."
Jokic nodded. He had matured somewhat since the beginning of the season, and his emotional fluctuations were less pronounced.
Wade stepped to the free-throw line and sank the additional free throw.
3-0, the Heat led.
The crowd at the American Airlines Arena erupted in cheers.
They had waited too long.
Ever since the formation of the "Big Three," Heat fans had yearned for a championship.
But every year in the playoffs, the Heat had fallen to the Knicks, causing immense pain to their fans.
With Wade returning to his peak this season, the fans' excitement was reignited!
Their six-game winning streak offered hope. If they could defeat the reigning champions in this game, their championship chances would significantly increase!
The Knicks went on offense, Curry dribbling past half-court.
Chalmers stepped up to defend.
The Heat's small lineup was very targeted. Chalmers possessed good speed and strength, making him a suitable matchup for Curry.
Curry drove left and right but couldn't shake Chalmers.
Li Feng was being double-teamed by Wade and Battier, preventing him from setting a screen.
At this moment, Bill Walker stepped forward to screen Chalmers, and Curry quickly moved laterally.
According to Curry's habits, this was a good opportunity to shoot.
Unexpectedly, James suddenly lunged forward with a quick help defense, taking away Curry's shooting space!
This was the terrifying aspect of the Heat's small lineup.
Every player sacrificed their energy to help and recover, denying opponents any shooting space, especially against perimeter players, creating an impenetrable defense.
With no other option, Curry passed the ball to Yi Jianlian.
However, James's height and long arms disrupted Curry's pass, causing a turnover, and Bosh stole the ball to initiate a fast break!
James, Wade, and Chalmers surged up the court in a three-pronged attack.
Li Feng and Curry quickly retreated on defense, but the Heat's fast break was too potent. Finally, the "LeBron-Wade connection" struck, with Wade lobbing the ball high, and James catching it for a thunderous dunk!
Bang!
The sound reverberated throughout the arena!
The crowd at the American Airlines Arena went wild, their cheers deafening!
5-0!
The Heat's momentum was surging, becoming unstoppable.
Coach D'Antoni sighed.
The Knicks were destined for a downturn this season.
Jokic was a non-factor, practically an ATM for the opponent's inside game.
And Curry, while good with his three-pointers, struggled against teams with strong perimeter defense like the Heat.
James and Wade constantly waved to the crowd, encouraging them to cheer louder, creating an incredible home-court atmosphere.
Li Feng gestured to his teammates, urging them to stay calm. He could see that the Knicks teammates were a bit shell-shocked.
The Knicks went on offense, Li Feng dribbling past half-court.
Facing the double-team from Wade and Battier, Li Feng didn't dare to be careless, passing the ball early to Bill Walker.
The Heat had thoroughly researched the Knicks, knowing that Bill Walker's offensive capabilities were average, so they were content to leave him open.
As long as he didn't drive to the paint, they wouldn't bother him, focusing their attention on Li Feng and Curry.
Bill Walker received the ball and, as expected, didn't shoot. He surveyed his teammates' positions.
Jokic established position and signaled for the ball.
In terms of height, Jokic was slightly taller than Bosh, so he wanted to exploit that matchup.
Bill Walker immediately passed it to him, and Bosh spread his arms, effectively containing Jokic.
The Heat players didn't come to help or double-team because they had watched game film and knew Jokic's level was no match for Bosh.
As expected, Jokic faked twice and turned for a hook shot, but Bosh reacted with lightning speed, swatting the ball away with his right hand!
A massive block, sending the ball out of bounds.
The entire crowd cheered again; this block was a huge morale booster!
Jokic's face turned pale, his gaze became vacant again.
Teammates patted his shoulder, offering encouragement, but apart from Li Feng, the Knicks players showed expressions of extreme disappointment.
In the vacuum left by Yao Ming's retirement, Jokic simply couldn't fill the void; the gap was too large!
The Knicks went on offense, Yi Jianlian inbounding the ball from the sideline.
Curry made an off-ball cut, shaking off Chalmers, and moved to receive the pass.
As soon as he caught the ball, Chalmers pounced, denying Curry a shooting opportunity.
With no other option, Curry passed the ball to Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian faced James and took a long two-point shot, clang!
Under James's interference, it missed.
Bosh boxed out Jokic, secured the rebound, and passed it back to Wade.
Wade and James quickly crossed half-court.
The fans were going wild, all standing up, anticipating another display of the "LeBron-Wade connection"!
But Li Feng wouldn't allow it!
Bill Walker and Li Feng retreated on defense simultaneously. Li Feng guarded Wade, while Walker guarded James.
Wade changed direction, leaning his body to an extreme, attempting to blow past Li Feng. But Li Feng was also giving it his all, his feet sliding rapidly, sticking close to Wade while keeping his hands raised to prevent a pass.
James was also working hard to get away from Walker, preparing to receive Wade's pass.
However, as Wade reached the baseline, he couldn't find a good passing opportunity.
Li Feng and Bill Walker, acting as two strong defenders, disrupted the "LeBron-Wade connection" with their active positioning and perfect execution.
Wade, with no other option, retreated to the corner, waiting for teammates to come support.
The fast break had turned into a half-court set, and the home fans, greatly disappointed, sat back down.
Seeing Li Feng's impenetrable defense, Wade helplessly signaled Bosh to come set a screen on Li Feng, switching Jokic onto him.
Wade intended to exploit the mismatch against Jokic.
Jokic, looking nervous, crouched slightly, preparing to defend Wade's drive.
But Wade's speed was too great. With a fake and a sharp change of direction, he shook off Jokic and drove into the paint.
Facing Yi Jianlian's help defense, Wade employed his signature "Wade's Footwork," faking out Yi Jianlian, and then slammed the ball down at the rim!
So classic!
Many of Wade's fans would likely shed tears of joy seeing him perform such fearless drives and dunks!
After the basket, Wade excitedly pointed to his knee and gave a thumbs-up to Li Feng.
This gesture was subtle, but the cameraman accurately captured it, and all fans watching on televisions and phones saw this moment.
Wade's message was clear: My knee is healed, and thanks to Li Feng!
The Heat had a dream start, and the Knicks were struggling to keep up.
With over five minutes played, the score was 14-6, the Heat leading by eight points.
Wade alone had scored nine points.
For the Knicks, Curry had scored 3 points, and Yi Jianlian had completed a three-point play.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Wade was single-handedly dominating the Knicks.
The American Airlines Arena became an ocean of joy; the fans had suppressed their excitement for so long and finally witnessed this day!
For the past two years, Heat fans universally believed that, apart from the Knicks, they feared no other team. Their two consecutive runner-up finishes were a testament to that.
This year, the Knicks' roster overhaul had finally taken its toll. With Yao Ming's retirement, it proved that Li Feng no longer had a superstar to lean on.
It was time for the Heat to rise!
The Knicks players were disheartened, especially Jokic, who lowered his head and fell silent again.
Li Feng sat on the bench and said loudly, "There's no need to be sad. The Heat are a historically great team. Their Big Three have been together for three years, and they are a very mature team. We are still building chemistry, so losing is normal, and we haven't even lost yet!"
Under Li Feng's encouragement, the Knicks players' spirits lifted slightly.
After the timeout, Jokic was sent back to the bench by Coach D'Antoni, and Chandler entered the game.
Curry was also subbed out, replaced by Lin Shuhao.
Coach D'Antoni's intention was for Lin Shuhao and Chandler to improve their offense through pick-and-rolls.
Chandler still had plenty of energy left and was capable of anchoring the paint. He was content to be a backup and had no objections to Jokic starting, even helping Jokic improve his defensive techniques in practice.
The Knicks were fortunate to have such a veteran presence.
After Chandler entered the game, the Knicks' interior defense was no longer a disadvantage. Lin Shuhao's speed, combined with Li Feng's off-ball movement, temporarily stabilized the situation.
However, Wade remained an unsolvable problem.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 33-18, with the Heat leading by 15 points!
Those who understood the game could see that the Heat had undergone a qualitative transformation this season!
James's playmaking, drives, and defense had reached elite levels, and Wade's offensive capabilities had returned to their peak.
Bosh playing center in the small lineup made him even more mobile. Not only was he dominant on both ends in the paint, but he also possessed the ability to shoot from beyond the arc.
This was quite rare in 2012.
In the second quarter, despite Coach D'Antoni experimenting with several lineup combinations, the score difference continued to widen.
By halftime, the Heat led the Knicks by 22 points, 65-43.
Wade had scored 28 points in the first half, while Li Feng had 21.
Was Wade truly superior to Li Feng at this point?
Not necessarily.
Of course, Wade, often called the "5-centimeter shorter Jordan," was undoubtedly a guard of historical caliber.
However, Li Feng wasn't pushing himself to his absolute limit today, as his ambition wasn't focused on this particular regular-season game.
It wouldn't be entirely fair to say Li Feng wasn't giving his all; he was expending a great deal of energy today, but he was prioritizing defense and playmaking.
His shot attempts were limited, and he didn't have as much ball possession.
This was a new team, and Li Feng couldn't hoard the ball for his own statistics.
Team chemistry had to be built.
This was precisely why repeating championships was so difficult.
A team's peak performance didn't always coincide with a star player's peak performance, requiring the star player to make sacrifices.
Some star players appeared exhausted, playing thirty to forty minutes every game and scoring forty to fifty points, yet the team's record remained poor.
The worse the record, the harder the star player tried, leading to less ball possession for teammates. Even when they got the ball, they played nervously and hesitantly.
This created a vicious cycle, further worsening the team's record.
However, with the star player's excellent statistics, the media and fans would then say that the star player was a beast and the teammates were subpar.
Li Feng was not that kind of player. Before his transmigration, he was already a knowledgeable fan.
After transmigrating, his mindset became more mature, knowing how to transform a team into a championship-caliber unit.
Therefore, as long as Jokic and Curry were on the court, Li Feng would do his best to create opportunities for them.
Even if they made mistakes, Li Feng wouldn't blame them, actively high-fiving and encouraging them.
The second half began, and the Knicks' situation didn't improve. The Heat's momentum was surging, and they unleashed another run.
By the end of the third quarter, the Heat were leading the Knicks by a staggering 35 points.
Since Li Feng led the Knicks to three consecutive championships, they had never been so thoroughly dominated.
The Heat fans at the American Airlines Arena acted as if it were a festival, dancing and screaming wildly!
Li Feng did not return to the court in the fourth quarter, knowing that the game was effectively lost.
However, his expression wasn't one of dejection. He continued to encourage his teammates, even in garbage time, cheering for their every offensive play, defensive effort, and every basket.
Coach D'Antoni's face was grim; he had been dissatisfied with the team's offseason acquisitions for a long time.
Jokic was a non-starter, scoring a mere 2 points again today.
Lin Shuhao was a pleasant surprise.
But Curry, apart from his three-point shooting, seemed to lack other significant contributions.
He didn't have the same impact as Lowry, lacked physical strength, and his drives to the basket were not a significant threat.
Coach D'Antoni truly couldn't understand why Li Feng had passed on Lowry to sign Curry. They had achieved good results in college, but that was NCAA, and the NBA was a completely different league!