"Well, our advantages are… I think we have more attack points, a larger defensive area, we are more aggressive, and our talent is better!" Durant replied.
The reporter then looked at Harden and asked, "Harden, you've performed very well before, but the Knicks' defense is very targeted. Do you think you can still play well in the Finals?"
Harden replied confidently, "The Knicks have good defense? How good can it be compared to the Spurs' defense?"
His words were quite arrogant, leaving the reporter speechless.
...
Seven-thirty in the evening, outside Madison Square Garden in New York.
The 2011-2012 NBA Finals kicked off!
The Knicks hosted the Thunder.
The Thunder's starting lineup was Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Perkins, and Sefolosha.
The Knicks' starting five were Li Feng, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Bill Walker, and Lowry.
At the center jump ball, Yao Ming easily secured the first possession for the Knicks.
The Knicks' home fans were incredibly supportive today, all wearing classic Knicks blue t-shirts and chanting "Knicks win!" at the top of their lungs.
Lowry dribbled past half-court, facing Westbrook's one-on-one defense.
The Thunder also played one-on-one defense against Li Feng, with the "Swiss Army Knife" Sefolosha sticking close to him.
Seeing that Li Feng didn't want the ball, Lowry lobbed it to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming had an easy matchup against Perkins, but the Thunder were prepared, and Ibaka immediately came to double-team.
Ibaka's athleticism was among the best in NBA history; his vertical leap and quickness gave him an immense defensive coverage area.
The reason the Thunder dared to start a very ordinary Perkins at center was Ibaka's dominant help defense in the paint.
In this regard, Ibaka could be compared to Dwight Howard.
As Yao Ming turned for a jump shot, Ibaka lunged from the side, jumping high, his fingertips actually touching the ball.
The ball changed trajectory, missed the rim, and went over.
Fortunately, Yi Jianlian had anticipated this, drove into the paint, grabbed the ball, and slammed it down with a powerful dunk!
Since Ibaka had gone to help on defense, he couldn't cover Yi Jianlian.
2:0!
The two Chinese Great Walls combined to score the first points for the Knicks.
Thunder's offense.
Westbrook dribbled past half-court and faced Lowry. Westbrook used a change of direction, seemingly breaking through.
However, Lowry's strength and speed had improved significantly. With a collision, they bumped into each other.
In a regular-season game, this might have drawn a foul, but in the Finals, the referees were letting them play, and no whistle blew.
Westbrook was greatly surprised.
In their previous encounter, he felt Lowry wasn't this strong.
At this moment, Durant posted up and signaled for the ball.
Westbrook remained composed at the start, not wanting to get into a tussle with Lowry, and passed the ball to Durant.
Durant was the Thunder's strongest offensive weapon, and they needed to start strong.
Bill Walker had a heavy defensive assignment; he guarded LeBron James in the Heat series, and now he was guarding Durant against the Thunder.
Durant leaned into Walker, then turned for a jump shot, a pure pull-up!
With Durant's physical attributes, Walker truly had no choice but to foul.
Swish!
Two points made.
Durant responded forcefully!
Li Feng had actually intended to double-team earlier because, in the regular season, Li Feng's help defense had made Durant very uncomfortable.
But Li Feng suddenly realized that Durant in the Finals was shooting much faster than in the regular season.
It was clear that Durant had studied the Knicks' game film and knew Li Feng's help defense was quick.
Therefore, he reduced the number of dribbles before shooting, simplifying his moves!
Li Feng had a nagging feeling that something was wrong.
In the next few possessions, Li Feng didn't participate much, only helping his teammates with his movement and screens.
Meanwhile, on the Thunder's side, Durant was hot, making consecutive shots.
Bill Walker was almost in tears; he truly couldn't defend him!
With over five minutes played in the first quarter, the score was 13:6, with the Thunder leading by seven points.
Entering the official timeout.
Li Feng had only taken one shot, which was his habit: letting his teammates initiate in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, the Thunder's defense was very tight, and the Knicks players found it difficult to get open looks.
Yao Ming was 1-of-3, Yi Jianlian was 0-of-2, Li Feng was 1-of-1, and Lowry was 1-of-2.
From the game's appearance, the Thunder seemed to have the advantage, but the Knicks hadn't adjusted yet.
During the timeout, D'Antoni shouted, "We must strictly defend Durant, double-team him!"
Durant was indeed vulnerable to double-teams, but after this Western Conference Finals, Durant's ability to break double-teams had improved.
Li Feng discovered that the league was not entirely the same after his transmigration.
Perhaps it was the "butterfly effect."
It was likely Li Feng's extremely long-range three-pointers that had accelerated the small-ball era.
Therefore, Durant of the Thunder also had differences in his skills compared to before.
His playstyle was more agile, his three-point shooting percentage was higher, and his release was quicker.
Thus, the Thunder in this world were much harder to deal with, far from the Thunder team that lost to the Heat.
Li Feng found this discovery troublesome.
Sefolosha's defense on Li Feng was very effective. With Sefolosha's height of over 2 meters, speed comparable to guards, and sufficient strength.
It was very difficult for Li Feng to break free.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
The Thunder substituted Harden for Westbrook, which was their usual substitution pattern.
Li Feng主动去盯防哈登，因为哈登太难防守了，如果不限制住，很可能第一节就被打花了。
Harden came on and held the ball at the top of the arc, facing Li Feng's tight defense, and called for a screen.
Ibaka came to set the screen, blocking Li Feng, and Harden drove to the baseline.
Harden was one of the best guards in the league at playing pick-and-roll, with many variations.
Li Feng went around the defense, continuing to stay behind Harden, preventing him from shooting.
But Harden casually tossed the ball towards the basket.
Yao Ming was pinned by Perkins, and Ibaka drove from the middle, flying up for a thunderous dunk!
Ibaka's athleticism was incredible. Yi Jianlian leaped from the side at the same time, but the height difference was significant, so he had to give up.
Bang!
Alley-oop!
Slam dunk!
Harden had another assist.
This play looked ordinary, but Harden's timing of the pass was excellent.
He threw the ball just as Li Feng was about to contest the shot.
15:6, the Thunder's lead widened again.
Knicks' offense, Li Feng felt he should take a shot to boost morale.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court, facing Sefolosha, used a behind-the-back dribble, shifting his weight to the left.
Sefolosha, with his long arms, immediately moved to block, but Li Feng suddenly pulled the ball back and drove to the right again.
If it were someone else, this extreme change of direction would have left the opponent behind.
But the "Swiss Army Knife" actually kept up, and Li Feng was stunned.
Sefolosha's defense was even stronger than in the regular season, or perhaps more targeted.
"What do you think, Li Feng, surprised?" Sefolosha taunted with trash talk.
Li Feng saw that there were only 7 seconds left on the shot clock and gritted his teeth, accelerating from the right again.
Sefolosha continued to block, but Li Feng suddenly stopped and took a fadeaway jumper!
Clang!
Li Feng was wary of Sefolosha's long arms, and his shot missed. Ibaka leaped high, secured the rebound, and passed the ball to Harden.
Harden crossed half-court, stopped abruptly, and before Li Feng could close in, he took a transition three-pointer!
This was the change in the small-ball era.
In previous games, especially in the Finals, players rarely dared to take transition three-pointers like this.
But Harden had learned from Li Feng and took a transition three, and he made it.
The Thunder were playing too smoothly, and the Knicks seemed stunned.
After making the shot, Harden roared to the sky!
He then ran to Li Feng and shouted, "Li Feng, the championship is ours!"
The two had a good personal relationship, but they hadn't contacted each other before this Finals.
Deep down, Harden harbored a sense of disbelief towards Li Feng.
Because Harden's three-point shooting was also good, he actually owed Li Feng thanks; without Li Feng, he wouldn't have so many three-point attempts.
In the parallel world before his transmigration, Harden's game during his Thunder days was primarily mid-range.
He only gradually developed his step-back three-pointer when he joined the Rockets.
However, in this world, Harden's three-point shooting developed earlier, making it very difficult for the Knicks to defend him.
Li Feng sighed inwardly. It seemed that the small-ball era had not only benefited him but also influenced other superstars, accelerating their growth.
By the end of the first quarter, the score was 33:17, with the Thunder leading by 16 points.
The New York home fans were stunned.
Even though the Thunder were very strong, falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter was unthinkable!
Li Feng only scored 5 points in the first quarter, far below his previous performance, and his assists were also limited.
It could be said that the Knicks' tactics had been thoroughly studied by the Thunder.
Durant had 12 points in the first quarter, Harden had 9 points and 4 assists, Ibaka had 8 points, and Westbrook had 4 points.
D'Antoni was overwhelmed by the Thunder's barrage of attacks and had no good solutions.
Especially Durant and Harden, they were too difficult to defend.
Durant passed the ball out quickly against double-teams, and Harden's passing was like surgery, always finding open teammates.
Li Feng realized that all the tactics prepared before the game were useless.
The Thunder's defense was too good, with Ibaka, Durant, and Sefolosha all having long arms.
In later terms, this was a "wing group"!
It was difficult for Knicks players to even get an open shot.
Seeing Li Feng with his head down, D'Antoni understood that Li Feng also had no good ideas at the moment.
It was time for the bench players to come on.
The Thunder's bench was very strong, not to mention Harden, but Fisher, Reggie Jackson, Collison, and Cook were all very good.
Starting the second quarter, Harden led the bench to gain an advantage, going on a run.
As a result, with over four minutes played in the second quarter, the Thunder had already extended their lead to 21 points.
D'Antoni stood by the sideline with his arms crossed, his expression blank; he was utterly speechless.
Li Feng, sitting on the bench, covered his head with a towel, his mind filled with the Thunder players' offensive schemes.
With the Knicks' current defensive resources, they simply couldn't defend these historically great offensive players of the Thunder.
Both teams had brought their starting lineups back onto the court.
D'Antoni hoped Li Feng could lead the team to narrow the deficit to within 20 points.
Li Feng had no choice but to switch to his individual offensive mode, doing whatever he could.
Knicks' offense.
Li Feng faced Sefolosha, called for a screen, and drove towards the paint's edge.
Ibaka immediately came to help, and Li Feng turned with the dribble, creating a half-step separation from Ibaka.
Just as he was about to shoot, Ibaka lunged again.
Li Feng was helpless and passed the ball to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming made a hurried shot, and fortunately, it bounced in.
Although they scored, Li Feng's offense was clearly restricted.
If Yao Ming hadn't made this shot, it might have resulted in another turnover.
Thunder's offense, Harden was resting on the bench, and Westbrook re-entered the game.
Westbrook used a screen to get past Lowry and drove to the basket, making a layup.
Too fast!
Prime Westbrook was like LeBron James among point guards, unstoppable in the paint.
The Thunder seemed to be playing with a frenzy, while the Knicks' offense had stalled.
By halftime, the Thunder still led the Knicks by 23 points.
Halftime break.
The Knicks players walked off the court with their heads down, and Li Feng also looked listless.
The Thunder, tempered by the playoffs, had indeed made qualitative leaps, and they were vastly different from the regular season.
Both their offense and defense had reached top-tier league levels.
Although Li Feng had emphasized in his talks with his teammates that they must not underestimate the opponent in the Finals.
Li Feng had, in his heart, underestimated them.
He thought that since they had eliminated the Heat 4-1, the Thunder would be a sure win.
However, after the first half, the score on the court had slapped Li Feng in the face.
"No! I want to win three consecutive championships, I absolutely cannot lose!" Li Feng shouted in his heart.
Back in the locker room, Li Feng saw his teammates all with their heads down and silent.
Everyone's morale was extremely low.
The situation was clear: if his teammates saw that Li Feng's offense was being shut down, then others would fare even worse.
Li Feng had become the team's spiritual pillar; Li Feng was the soul of the Knicks.
To make a comeback in the second half, Li Feng had to unleash his offensive power and instill confidence in his teammates.
"Don't be discouraged. This is the Finals, and the opponent is the Thunder, who fought their way through the powerful Western Conference. They are definitely strong!"
"This is just the first game. Even if we lose, it's okay. Consider it a probe!"
"The Finals are different from the regular season. We need to re-evaluate the Thunder and try to find their weaknesses!"
Under Li Feng's comfort, the Knicks teammates felt a little better.
Lowry said, "Li Feng, the Thunder's offense is too unstoppable. What do you think we should do?"
Li Feng actually had no good ideas. The Knicks' other players lacked the talent to compensate for the defensive gap.
He couldn't say it directly, so he could only console them, "We're just not used to it. If we push hard in the second half, we'll be able to defend them. Come on, brothers!"
Li Feng had no other way, so he had to give his teammates a big dose of motivation first!
Analyst Zhang and Yu Jia were providing live commentary for the game, and both sounded a bit subdued.
"The Thunder are playing really well in this first Finals game. The Knicks seem to be struggling to keep up."
"Indeed, Zhang, I want to ask, were there players like Durant in your playing era?"