This was a small play between Li Feng and Lowry.
Li Feng broke free from his defender, and Lowry immediately passed the ball back. After receiving the pass, Li Feng faked, shook off Battier who came to help, and then pulled up for a jump shot!
Swish!
Two points were scored.
In the playoffs, the importance of the mid-range jumper became even more evident!
Especially against a historical powerhouse like the Heat, scoring was all that mattered.
Under Li Feng's leadership, the Knicks maintained their lead, but James was also playing exceptionally well, capable of scoring on his own and facilitating plays, preventing the Knicks from widening the gap.
With 42 seconds left in the second quarter, the Heat were on offense, the score was 57:51, with the Knicks leading by six points.
James dribbled past half-court, guarded by Bill Walker.
Dwyane Wade moved to screen Walker, and James seized the opportunity to drive towards the paint.
Yi Jianlian bravely rushed over to provide help defense, but once James got going, he was unstoppable. Yi Jianlian was knocked to the ground, and at the same time, James drove for a layup and scored!
Yi Jianlian lay on the ground, looking at the referee, but the referee pointed at Yi Jianlian, calling him for a blocking foul.
Li Feng's teammates quickly rushed over to help Yi Jianlian up.
James completed a three-point play!
There was nothing that could be done; James had excellent touch on his layups. Although he had knocked Yi Jianlian down, his own body was also off-balance.
Even so, he managed to sink the shot steadily.
This kind of ability was truly rare in history!
James stood at the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and clanged!
The free throw was missed, and Chandler secured the rebound, tossing it to Li Feng.
At this moment, with 23 seconds left in the second quarter, the score was 57:53, with the Knicks still leading by four points.
James's three-point play had energized the Heat, and Li Feng needed to respond, to ensure the momentum was on their side by the end of the half!
Battier and Wade double-teamed Li Feng from mid-court, their intention clear: they would rather let other Knicks players score than let Li Feng score.
Li Feng's temper flared. He didn't pass, instead using flashy dribbling to weave between the two defenders.
Time ticked away, and with 4 seconds left, Li Feng suddenly drove to his left.
Battier moved quickly to cut off Li Feng's driving lane.
He was truly fast; Battier's perimeter defense was indeed strong!
Unexpectedly, the moment Li Feng saw Battier move, he executed a spin move and drove again!
Whoosh!
Li Feng actually slipped through the gap between the two defenders!
Truly a display of skill and daring!
Wade, who had planned to cut off from behind Battier, was caught off guard by Li Feng's maneuver. He truly hadn't expected this.
By the time the two defenders tried to catch up, it was too late.
Li Feng's strength and speed made this drive incredibly sharp.
James was prepared; he knew Li Feng too well and understood that the double-team wouldn't work. So, as soon as Li Feng broke through, James rotated to contest.
Considering their physical differences, James could block Li Feng.
Li Feng did not confront James head-on. If they collided, the referee's call would be uncertain, and a charging foul on Li Feng would be a significant loss.
Time was running out, and just when everyone thought Li Feng was out of options, he suddenly pulled up for a contested jump shot.
Mike D'Antoni, watching from the sideline, shook his head slightly at Li Feng's shot.
Li Feng's teammates also sighed. Li Feng was attempting a pull-up jumper directly against LeBron James, practically inviting a block!
He should have at least faked or bumped James to create space for the shot!
A direct pull-up jumper against a taller defender was like suicide!
James almost let out a laugh and yelled, "You're looking for death!"
Then he leaped high, raised his right hand, and swatted at the basketball in Li Feng's hands!
Based on his height and timing, a block seemed inevitable, and a solid one at that!
Just as James's hand was about to touch the ball, Li Feng suddenly switched the ball from his right hand to his left!
The move was like magic, a true phantom touch!
Swish!
James's hand hit Li Feng's right hand, and almost simultaneously, Li Feng tossed the ball with his left!
Li Feng's left hand wasn't as strong as his right; he almost always shot with his right, but this didn't mean his left was incapable.
Swish!
Li Feng's left-handed floater found the net with precision, and at the same time, the referee's whistle blew—
Beep!
Another three-point play!
The red light on the game clock illuminated, signaling the end of the first half!
"Holy crap! Li Feng is amazing!"
"Oh my god! How did that ball go in?"
"That was incredible, hitting a shot over LeBron!"
...
The fans were going wild, and the Knicks teammates were ecstatic. That shot was a massive morale booster.
In a direct confrontation between the two star players, Li Feng not only made the shot but also drew a foul!
James rushed towards the referee, arguing that he didn't hit Li Feng's hand, but the referee had seen it clearly and firmly awarded Li Feng a free throw.
Li Feng stepped to the free-throw line and calmly sank the shot.
60:53!
The lead had extended to seven points!
While this lead wasn't insurmountable, Li Feng's performance in the closing seconds had delivered a cold shower to the Heat players, severely damaging their morale.
The Heat players walked off the court with their heads down, a look of dejection on their faces.
They felt the immense energy radiating from Li Feng.
The score difference wasn't large, but the Heat players could sense that Li Feng hadn't even unleashed his full potential yet.
Meanwhile, the Big Three had seemingly given their all.
Li Feng's control of the game's rhythm had reached a masterful level.
In this regard, he was unmatched in the NBA.
...
Commentators Zhang Jishi and Yu Jia were on site, both sounding excited.
"Commentator Zhang, it seems Li Feng has fully returned to his peak form. He's playing so well!"
"Indeed, with the Big Three's strength, if Li Feng weren't in good form, he definitely wouldn't be able to compete with them."
"I think Li Feng has really ignited the Knicks' morale. That's incredibly rare. There are many superstars in the league, but few can elevate their relatively ordinary teammates to this level."
"Exactly. When Li Feng is off the court, everyone has seen the team's performance. It's truly not good!"
"It's understandable. After two championships, the players' salaries increased, and the team hadn't even paid the luxury tax. If Yi Jianlian hadn't been traded for Stoudemire, the Knicks would have collapsed, and their heroes would have departed."
"That's the aftermath of championships. Three consecutive championships are incredibly difficult; very few teams in history have achieved it."
...
In the Heat's locker room, the Big Three fell silent again.
Dwyane Wade couldn't hold back and said, "It's okay, a seven-point lead is nothing. We'll blow them out in the third quarter!"
Chris Bosh added, "That's right, we've been behind before. Remember the game against the Bulls last time? Weren't we down by more than ten points at halftime? We still blew them out later!"
Although Udonis Haslem had joined this season, he held a significant position within the team.
He also advised, "In the third quarter, we need to form an impenetrable defense and absolutely prevent them from scoring!"
Others chimed in, but LeBron James remained silent.
Wade, sitting next to James, asked softly, "What's wrong with you? This is only the first game, don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself."
James forced a smile and replied, "I'm fine, just thinking about how to play in the second half."
Wade patted his arm, "Let's pick up the pace in the second half, what do you think?"
James pondered, "If we speed up, Li Feng is also quite fast."
"Li Feng is indeed very fast, and Lowry is pretty quick too. But Chandler is slow, and Yi Jianlian's speed is average. As long as you get going, who can stop the Knicks!"
Wade's words greatly motivated James.
James's expression improved significantly.
Although James was the undisputed core of the Heat now, in terms of mentality, he still lagged behind Wade.
Wade had won a championship in '06, winning the Finals MVP.
The Big Three's strength was undeniable, and they would not surrender easily.
Especially in the first game, they were bound to display immense aggression.
Li Feng frowned, feeling a bit anxious.
The double-team from Wade and Battier earlier was far more intense than in the first half, a significant increase in pressure.
It wouldn't be easy for Li Feng to break free.
And Lowry's timing in initiating plays wasn't as consistent.
Li Feng now faced two choices.
One was to force his own offense, relying on his individual performance.
The second was to let his teammates take over, gambling on their shooting touch.
During the timeout, D'Antoni had also addressed this issue, telling the other players to be more assertive when Li Feng was double-teamed.
He also emphasized reducing plays in the paint and increasing mid-range jumpers.
After the timeout, the Knicks made adjustments.
However, the Heat still held the advantage, with the Big Three's offensive power on full display.
Even though Li Feng was everywhere on defense, the Big Three simply had that advantage; when one wasn't scoring, another would.
On offense, the other Knicks players were still struggling to break free.
Even with Li Feng drawing the double-team, the remaining four players were still at a disadvantage in a 4-on-3 situation.
Li Feng was truly getting desperate.
The third quarter was crucial; if the Heat extended their lead, the fourth quarter would be perilous.
The Heat were not the Celtics; once they led by more than 15 points, they had never lost that season and had never been overturned!
With 8:16 remaining in the third quarter, the score was 83:71, with the Heat leading by twelve points.
The home crowd in New York was greatly disappointed, not expecting the game to unfold this way in the first home game.
The Heat's Big Three were too powerful; were they going to lose today?
D'Antoni called another timeout.
Although he appeared outwardly calm, he was inwardly panicking.
The Heat had gone on a run that needed to be stifled, but Li Feng was being defended too effectively, and the other players were not stepping up.
Yao Ming sat on the sideline, his expression grim. If he were on the court, he could have attacked the paint and relieved some of the pressure on Li Feng.
But the current Knicks lacked interior presence. Chandler was a pick-and-roll big man, more of a role player, and lacked offensive initiative.
D'Antoni looked at Li Feng, hoping he could come up with a solution.
Li Feng thought carefully. Yi Jianlian and Bill Walker were considered good defenders among the Knicks players, but their offensive capabilities were average.
They couldn't score and couldn't defend effectively, making their impact on the game minimal.
Instead of that, it would be better to put in players with good shooting, at least to make some shots, which would then open up the Heat's defense.
With this in mind, Li Feng said, "Coach, let's substitute Novak and Shumpert in for Yi Jianlian and Bill Walker."
D'Antoni was momentarily surprised. He understood the substitution of Bill Walker, given his offensive struggles.
But Yi Jianlian's mid-range game was still decent.
However, D'Antoni quickly reconsidered and understood. Novak and Shumpert were both good three-point shooters, and at this crucial juncture of trying to catch up, bringing in two shooters was appropriate.
Furthermore, Shumpert's defense was strong and could replace Bill Walker's defensive role.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
LeBron James observed the Knicks' lineup changes. Seeing Yi Jianlian and Bill Walker substituted out for Novak and Shumpert, he immediately understood.
"Old LeBron's" basketball IQ was extremely high, making him a rival to Li Feng.
So, James went to his teammates and shouted loudly, "We need to tighten up our perimeter defense!"
Responding to challenges!
The Knicks were on offense, Li Feng dribbled past half-court, and facing the double-team, he passed to Lowry again, letting him control the offense.
Lowry saw Novak had an open look and immediately passed him the ball.
LeBron James was truly giving his all, immediately lunging forward. Novak hesitated to shoot and passed to Shumpert instead.
This time, James was truly helpless; he was too far away.
Wade was more than a meter away from Shumpert, but he hesitated and didn't close out, as he still considered Li Feng the greater threat.
Shumpert confidently took the three-point shot, swish!
It was a hit!
James shook his head repeatedly, but he didn't blame Wade, as it was a matter of choice.
Li Feng excitedly ran over and chest-bumped Shumpert in celebration!
The Heat were on offense, James dribbled past half-court, and Shumpert guarded him.
Although Shumpert's defense was good, his height was insufficient, and his strength was significantly inferior to James. James directly shoved him aside and drove into the paint.