The referee's whistle blew, calling a blocking foul on Westbrook.
At the same time, the basketball precisely swished through the net!
The referee extended three fingers and waved them heavily, signaling a successful three-point shot!
A three-point-plus-one!
Westbrook was furious, turning away and muttering something under his breath.
The Knicks teammates were energized. Li Feng had hit a strong three-point-plus-one right at the start, indicating he was in good form.
They all rushed over to high-five Li Feng in celebration.
Li Feng also roared loudly, hoping to boost his teammates' morale.
After making the free throw, the Knicks led 4-0.
The Thunder offense began, Westbrook dribbled past half-court.
Ibaka stepped out to screen for Lowry, and Westbrook drove into the paint.
Yi Jianlian immediately rotated to help, and Westbrook suddenly passed cross-court to an open Durant.
The moment Durant was about to shoot, Li Feng closed in. Although Durant had a long reach, Li Feng stayed tight on his lower body, making it difficult for Durant to elevate.
Durant, with no other option, passed the ball to an open Thabo Sefolosha.
The Swiss Army Knife was unguarded because Li Feng had rotated to help on Durant.
Swish!
Sefolosha hit a three-pointer, answering the basket.
4-3!
This was the Thunder, with so many players capable of scoring.
Furthermore, after progressing through several playoff series in the West, the Thunder players were all brimming with confidence.
Especially now, with a 2-0 series lead, their confidence was sky-high, and their shooting percentages naturally increased.
In the following few possessions, even though Li Feng had entered his "crazy streak" state early, the Thunder responded calmly, with someone always stepping up to match their scoring.
With over five minutes gone in the first quarter, the score was 15-13, with the Knicks leading by two points.
Li Feng alone had scored 9 points and dished out 2 assists.
It could be said that Li Feng was still carrying the team by himself.
The Thunder, on the other hand, had Durant with 5 points, Westbrook with 2, Ibaka with 3, and Sefolosha with 3.
Li Feng felt exhausted…
At the first official timeout, Li Feng silently walked to the sideline.
D'Antoni didn't say much. He met Li Feng and simply patted his shoulder, the message conveyed without words.
After the timeout, Harden came onto the court, replacing Westbrook, marking the Thunder's most potent offensive lineup.
Despite Li Feng's continued efficient scoring, the Thunder's offensive power grew, and by the end of the first quarter, the Thunder had taken a two-point lead.
34-32, Thunder leading.
Harden had dominated the latter part of the first quarter, orchestrating the team smoothly and leading the Thunder on a scoring run.
In the second quarter, the Thunder continued to hold the advantage.
To the deafening cheers of the home crowd, the Thunder extended their lead.
By halftime, the score was 68-51, with the Thunder again leading by 17 points.
Li Feng had scored 26 points in the first half, again being the leading scorer for both teams, but there was not a hint of a smile on his face.
…
Commentators Zhang and Yu Jia, at courtside, also wore dejected expressions.
The Chinese trio in this Finals were clearly outmatched by the Thunder's "Four Aces."
Aside from Li Feng, the gap in talent and age was too vast.
"Director Zhang, if the Knicks lose another game today, they might get swept," Yu Jia said in a low voice.
Director Zhang sighed, "What can we do? The talent gap is right there. Li Feng and Yao Ming have already played beyond expectations. Yi Jianlian and Durant, and Ibaka in their matchups, will definitely be at a disadvantage."
"Three consecutive championships are too difficult. I thought Li Feng could create a miracle."
"There are very few three-peat champions in history. Li Feng is still young. If he can wait for his teammates to develop, there's still great hope for the future."
"Indeed. Except for Magic Johnson, other historical superstars spent their early years in the league leveling up. For example, Jordan was defeated by the Celtics and the Lakers, but he didn't fall. He kept honing himself and finally overcame all the mountains!"
"If Li Feng wants to leave a mark in history, he needs to overcome these mountains. The Thunder are standing in his way now. If they lose this year, they can seek revenge next year!"
"Li Feng is very mature. I believe he won't be defeated and will definitely get back up. Failure isn't scary; what's scary is not daring to face failure!"
…
The two commentators spoke with genuine emotion, and like countless Chinese fans, they had placed immense hope on Li Feng.
True fans don't criticize their stars just because they fail.
Only by facing failure fearlessly and continuously strengthening oneself can one reach the pinnacle of the world again one day!
…
Knicks locker room.
Li Feng didn't try to encourage his teammates or give them a pep talk. Instead, he chatted casually with them.
The reason for this was that the other Knicks players were too nervous.
The Thunder's "home of horrors" was no joke; it was truly intimidating.
Especially for newcomers like Yi Jianlian, Novak, and Shumpter, who hadn't experienced the Finals.
They were playing very cautiously, making more mistakes than usual.
After a brief chat, Li Feng fell silent, as all the players were deeply blaming themselves.
Li Feng had scored 26 points, and as expected, he would likely score fifty or sixty by the end of the game.
However, the other players were performing so poorly, they all felt they had let Li Feng down.
The locker room was silent…
[Ding, the system has detected that the host's team is in a slump and has issued a new mission!]
The system's voice suddenly sounded in Li Feng's ear, startling him.
"Holy crap! System, can you give me a heads-up? That 'ding' sound scared the life out of me…"
[Ding, doesn't the host need a new mission? In that case, never mind!]
The system seemed to get angry. Li Feng quickly put on a smile and said, "Yes, yes, of course I do! We're about to lose, so tell me the new mission quickly!"
[New Mission: The host must dunk over an opponent player once. This will copy the opponent player's talent and skills to a teammate at the same position. The effect is limited to the duration of the Finals!]
Li Feng listened, not quite understanding at first. But after carefully reading the accompanying explanation, he finally understood.
The new mission meant: if Li Feng dunked on Durant, Durant's skills would be copied to Bill Walker, who played the same position.
If Li Feng dunked on Ibaka, then Ibaka's talent and skills would be copied to Yi Jianlian!
If Li Feng dunked on Harden, then Harden's talent and skills would be copied to Lowry!
Good heavens, this mission was amazing!
However, Li Feng knew that he absolutely must not dunk on Perkins. If he did, and Perkins' skills were copied to Yao Ming, Yao Ming would be in trouble.
"Received! System, you're too awesome, this mission is incredible!"
Li Feng communicated excitedly with the system in his mind, while his teammates looked on in disbelief.
They saw Li Feng widen his eyes at one moment and then burst into laughter the next, thinking he had snapped.
Yao Ming sat next to him, nudged Li Feng, and quietly asked, "Li Feng, are you alright?"
"No, no, I'm just thinking about the second half," Li Feng quickly explained.
Yao Ming sighed and said nothing, thinking to himself: What else is there to think about? This game is already lost.
Suddenly, Li Feng stood up, a smile on his face, and said, "Brothers, let's go all out in the second half! We must make a huge comeback!"
The Knicks teammates looked at Li Feng in surprise, stunned.
Seeing that his teammates were silent, Li Feng knew they lacked confidence, so he continued, "Believe me, brothers, we can definitely come back! As long as the ball is in your hands, don't hesitate, just play with confidence!"
"Play with confidence?"
The players exchanged glances.
Apart from Li Feng and Yao Ming, the other Knicks players had very poor individual offensive abilities.
Under the Thunder's defense, others had very few opportunities to even shoot.
Li Feng clenched his fist and loudly encouraged them, "Yes, you just focus on offense, don't worry. It's already like this, so why not give it your all?"
The Knicks players nodded one after another. They thought about it and realized that since things were already this way, they couldn't let Li Feng carry all the burden alone.
The others needed to step up.
Even if they didn't play well, it would mean they had tried their best.
Otherwise, after the game, the media and fans would definitely criticize Li Feng's teammates.
"Okay, Li Feng, don't worry. We have to give it our all!"
"Yeah, we can't make Brother Feng carry us alone anymore. Whoever gets the ball, go for it hard!"
"That's right, it's settled!"
…
The teammates' morale was reignited.
Although they still didn't hold out much hope, the process of the game was equally important.
They were all professional players, and they had to maintain their professional attitude!
…
The second half of the game began.
Cheered on by the home crowd, the Thunder players took the court again.
Durant wore a smile, already imagining the championship celebration.
However, when he saw the Knicks players, the smile froze on his face.
At the end of the first half, most of the Knicks players had seemed on the verge of collapse.
Especially Yi Jianlian, Novak, and Shumpter, who had kept their heads down, looking like they were about to cry.
But at the start of the second half, the Knicks players' faces were filled with renewed excitement, their spirits high.
"What's going on? Have they gone crazy from losing? Trailing by 17 points at halftime, and they still want to catch up?"
Thinking this, Durant let out a cold laugh. He had already decided that within five minutes, he would increase the lead to over 25 points and completely crush the Knicks' fighting spirit!
The Thunder offense began. Westbrook dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to Durant.
After receiving the ball, and before Li Feng could rotate over, Durant immediately pulled up for a shot!
Bill Walker could only watch helplessly, utterly unable to intervene. Durant's pull-up jumper was perfected; his release was too quick, and his shooting point was too high, making it impossible to defend!
Swish!
Two points scored!
70-51, the Thunder's lead expanded to 19 points!
The Thunder's home crowd erupted again with thunderous roars, already celebrating victory.
After the basket, Durant yelled arrogantly at the Knicks players, "You're finished!"
Li Feng remained silent, inwardly grumbling, "Durant, you just wait. I'm going to dunk on you!"
Knicks offense.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court and gestured to Bill Walker. Walker immediately stepped up, screening Sefolosha.
This forced Durant to switch onto Li Feng.
Li Feng didn't wait for Sefolosha to come for a double-team and immediately drove towards the basket.
In fact, with Li Feng's speed, he could have easily outrun Durant.
But his objective in this play was to dunk on Durant, so he deliberately slowed down, allowing Durant to stay close behind him.
Upon reaching the paint, Durant immediately took a big step, blocking Li Feng's path, his hands raised high.
Durant's height of over 2.1 meters completely overshadowed Li Feng.
Just as everyone else thought Li Feng would pass, Li Feng suddenly changed direction and drove towards the basket.
Durant, unwilling to let Li Feng score, immediately shifted his feet and cut him off.
Swoosh!
Li Feng took flight without hesitation!
Durant was furious. Li Feng was being too arrogant!
He was over 2.1 meters tall. Although he claimed to be 2.08 meters officially, he was definitely over 2.1 meters in reality.
Combined with his wingspan, Li Feng still wanted to dunk?
However, as Li Feng flew into the air, he performed a drifting maneuver, soaring over Durant's left shoulder.
Durant was stunned. He never imagined Li Feng would actually attempt to dunk on him; his vertical leap was astonishing.
By the time he tried to pull Li Feng down, it was already too late.
Bang!
Li Feng slammed the ball forcefully into the basket with his right hand, 70-53!
Simultaneously, Li Feng lifted his right foot and placed it on Durant's shoulder.
Durant was enraged and shoved him hard. The two were on the verge of a fight.
The referee, seeing this, quickly rushed over to separate them.
[Ding, the host has completed the mission. Durant's talent and skills have been copied to the matching Bill Walker. Please continue to dunk!]
Li Feng was overjoyed. He didn't retaliate against Durant, but instead grinned at him.
This only made Durant angrier, as he felt Li Feng was humiliating him, causing him to roar in frustration!
Thunder offense.
Westbrook dribbled the ball past half-court. Seeing Durant's ashen face and his hand reaching out for the ball, Westbrook knew Durant was enraged.
Whoosh!
Westbrook passed the ball to Durant.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng had already anticipated Durant calling for the ball and suddenly jumped behind Westbrook to intercept it!
He actually stole the ball.
Westbrook panicked and chased after him, but Li Feng didn't initiate a fast break. He wanted to test the system's reward.
Now that Bill Walker had Durant's skills, he should be able to use them.
Li Feng directed his teammates to set up for a half-court offense.
It was worth noting that the Knicks also played a run-and-gun style. Usually, if Li Feng intercepted a ball outside the three-point line, he would initiate a fast break.
Even D'Antoni on the sideline was stunned. He stared blankly at Li Feng, wondering, "What is this kid doing? Such a great fast break opportunity! Why is he setting up for a half-court offense?"
As the players took their positions, Li Feng gestured to Bill Walker, telling him to make a play!
Bill Walker was slightly shorter than Durant, with no advantage in height or reach.
Most importantly, Bill Walker had very limited offensive moves.
But since Li Feng told him to play, he had no choice but to go for it.
Whoosh!
Li Feng passed the ball. Bill Walker held the ball, his back to Durant, preparing to make a solo move.
The other Knicks teammates looked at Li Feng incredulously, completely bewildered.
Wasn't this forcing someone to do something they couldn't?
Walker didn't have the ability to single-handedly create for himself, especially against Durant.
While Durant's isolation defense wasn't top-tier, it was still above average, making it too difficult for Bill Walker…