However, the disparity in strength between the two sides was evident. Not to mention others, Harden alone was enough for the Knicks' bench lineup to struggle with.
The Thunder's bench quickly reversed the score and took the lead.
Billups was trying his best, but his age, 35, made it difficult to adapt to such a high-intensity Finals.
With over five minutes played in the second quarter, the Thunder led by eight points, 52:44.
D'Antoni called a timeout, preparing to bring in the starters.
Upon Li Feng's entry, he continued his dominant performance, entering a rampage mode.
But the Thunder's defense was more targeted and aggressive. They realized Li Feng was truly on fire!
Li Feng's scoring became increasingly difficult, while the Thunder's play became smoother.
Durant scored consecutively against Bill Walker, and Westbrook utilized his speed to frequently drive into the paint for assists.
The Thunder's lead continued to widen.
At the end of the first half, the score was 69:57, with the Thunder leading by 12 points.
The home crowd in New York had lost its usual passion, with fans staring in disbelief, unable to fathom how the reigning champions were being completely outplayed by the Thunder.
More terrifyingly, Li Feng hadn't held back; he had given his all, deploying all his skills.
Even so, the Knicks were slowly falling behind, indicating a grim outlook for the game.
Li Feng walked off the court with his head down, not speaking to his teammates, his heart filled with despair.
He knew that the Thunder's star players had progressed too quickly in this parallel world; they had already matured into...
In the parallel world before his transmigration, the extreme small-ball era had not yet arrived, and Curry was still an injury-prone player.
Therefore, the Thunder, despite their talent, were still constrained by traditional basketball thinking, and their stars' potential was not fully realized.
However, these stars were perfectly suited for the small-ball era.
After Li Feng's transmigration, the small-ball era arrived early, thus accelerating the development of these stars.
In fact, Li Feng already knew the outcome in his heart, but he would still strive and fight!
This was because countless children who loved the sport were watching him, and countless fans of Li Feng were also watching him.
He couldn't disappoint them; he couldn't let them see him give up. Never!
...
Eight PM, Oklahoma City, Ford Center Arena.
The Thunder hosted the reigning champions, the Knicks.
This was the most famous home-court advantage in the NBA, as this small city only had one major professional sports team.
Consequently, fans arrived early for every Thunder home game.
During the playoffs, they all wore the Thunder's signature blue t-shirts, cheering on their heroes!
Li Feng and his teammates walked onto the court, seeing the ocean of blue and hearing the deafening cheers, truly awestruck.
The Knicks' starting lineup remained Li Feng, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Bill Walker, and Lowry.
The Thunder's starting five were Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Perkins, and Sefolosha.
With a significant lead and playing at home, the Thunder players were full of confidence, likely already envisioning their championship moment.
Westbrook, in particular, deliberately walked past Li Feng during the entrance and bumped his shoulder.
"Today ends with a 3-0 sweep!"
Westbrook dropped that statement, unable to hide his smile.
Li Feng didn't respond, his expression grim. He had already made up his mind: even if they lost, he would make them pay dearly!
In reality, the Thunder's core players held a great deal of respect for Li Feng.
In the previous game, Li Feng had scored a staggering 73 points, and no one on the Thunder could stop him.
From an individual performance standpoint, Li Feng was undoubtedly the best player in the league today!
Center court tip-off.
Yao Ming fought hard to secure the first possession and passed the ball to Li Feng.
However, Li Feng didn't hold the ball; he passed it to Lowry.
He still hoped his teammates could find their rhythm and play to their normal level, so even if they lost, there would be no regrets.
Lowry understood Li Feng's intention. After bringing the ball past half-court, he set a screen for Yao Ming and passed the ball to him.
This play was a classic Knicks tactic, consistently effective.
However, against the Thunder, its success rate was very low due to Ibaka's fierce help defense.
As Yao Ming received the ball, preparing for a little hook shot, Ibaka suddenly flew up and swatted it!
It was a clean block on the backboard. Yao Ming truly hadn't noticed it.
The ball bounced far away, landing between Li Feng and Westbrook.
Westbrook took a big stride, intending to grab the ball, but Li Feng's initial burst was faster. With a "swish," Li Feng's body was almost parallel to the ground as he snatched the ball into his arms. Then, dribbling with his left hand, he spun and quickly stood up.
This steal was exceptionally beautiful. If it were on their home court, it would have earned thunderous applause.
But this was on the road, and even though the Thunder fans might have admired it, they wouldn't express it.
As soon as Li Feng secured the ball, Westbrook and Sefolosha converged on him. They knew Li Feng was the Knicks' sole strong point and vowed not to let him shoot.
Seeing Westbrook approach, Li Feng's mind raced. He wanted to teach him a lesson for his earlier taunt.
Li Feng executed a step-back, but it wasn't a large one. He quickly gathered the ball and faked a shot.
In the previous game, Li Feng had used the step-back jumper at least four or five times, so Westbrook reacted almost reflexively, leaping forward to contest.
Durant, watching from afar, felt a pang of unease, knowing Westbrook had fallen for the deception.
Indeed, Li Feng's shot was a fake. After luring Westbrook into the air, he bumped into him and threw the ball away.