Rose was a bit flustered.
The Knicks seized the opportunity to narrow the gap, going on an 11-2 run and reducing the deficit to four points.
Thibodeau had no choice but to call a timeout.
The Knicks rarely employed a "one-on-four" defense; this was their first time this season, which also flustered Thibodeau.
The only way to break through this zone defense was to put in players with strong shooting abilities, forcing the opponent's defense to spread out through three-point shots.
Alternatively, players with strong penetration skills could forcefully tear open the defense with their own abilities.
While Rose's penetration was strong, Li Feng's defense was even stronger, preventing him from building up speed.
Therefore, Thibodeau could only substitute Korver and Mike James onto the court.
Both of these players had extremely high three-point shooting percentages this season; Korver reached 44%, and Mike James even hit 48%!
These two players had been feeling hot off the bench just moments ago.
Upon entering the game, Korver received a pass from Rose and immediately shot a three-pointer from the 45-degree angle!
Swish!
It was a hit!
Madison Square Garden fell silent.
Li Feng also frowned, knowing the weakness of the "one-on-four" zone.
If Korver and Mike James started hitting their shots, the Knicks would fall behind by a large margin again.
"Bill Walker, Lowry, spread the defense, don't let them get easy shots!"
It was necessary to have a commander on the court, otherwise, the team's formation would fall into disarray, and the coach couldn't call timeouts continuously.
With Li Feng on the court, he could make adjustments at any time based on the opponent's changes.
This was also the guarantee for the Knicks to win championships for two consecutive years!
Lowry and Bill Walker immediately applied tight defense, no longer giving Korver and Mike James open shots.
The effect was evident; the Bulls' offense was once again stagnant.
Thibodeau, frustrated, scratched his head on the sidelines, realizing how quickly the Knicks adjusted.
The Bulls couldn't even put together a run.
Meanwhile, led by Li Feng, the Knicks hit three consecutive three-pointers, retaking the lead.
Li Feng made one, Lowry made one, and Yao Ming, pulled to the corner, also made one.
The Bulls were starting to crumble.
Seeing that there was only a little over a minute left in the second quarter, Thibodeau stopped calling timeouts and simply sat down.
Seeing the Bulls being contained everywhere, Rose also became anxious.
He seemed to have forgotten Li Feng's advice and started his wild plays again!
In fact, after Rose changed his playstyle, he didn't completely abandon those extreme maneuvers; he just used them less often.
Now that all his teammates were restricted, Rose returned to his signature no-hesitation, no-deceleration drives!
It had to be said that Rose's drives were indeed powerful, and even Li Feng found them difficult to defend.
This was because the defender was at a disadvantage from the start, and with the new rules allowing defenders to not touch the offensive player's body, Rose's no-deceleration drives were essentially impossible to defend.
If Li Feng made a big move, he would get called for a foul.
With Rose playing with all his might, the Bulls managed to score a few more points.
At the end of the first half, the score was actually 57:58, with the Bulls leading by one point!
This game was too intense!
Rose and Li Feng had been neck and neck in the first half, neither giving an inch.
Li Feng had scored 19 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists in the first half, while Rose had 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.
These two represented the strongest guards in the league this season!
Barkley, during the commentary, was thoroughly enjoying himself, cheering enthusiastically.
"Smith, wouldn't you say Rose and Li Feng are the unparalleled duo of this era?"
Smith hesitated for a moment before replying, "Perhaps, but Kobe, LeBron, and Wade are also not bad."
Barkley shook his head repeatedly. "I think Li Feng and Rose are still half a step ahead of the others."
This was characteristic of Barkley's commentary; he loved to stir things up.
Of course, Barkley was also a big-mouthed personality who spoke his mind, but on the other hand, he did it deliberately to get fans arguing and increase viewership.
Smith's commentary style was defined by rationality and objectivity, so he disagreed with Barkley's view.
"Saying half a step ahead is hard to say; it can only be said that Li Feng and Rose's personal peaks coincided with their teams' peaks, allowing them to achieve the recognition they deserve."
"It's most unfortunate for Rose; if he hadn't encountered Li Feng, he might have reached the Finals, or even won a championship."
"I disagree with that. Even without Li Feng, could he have gotten past the Big Three of the Heat? Also, I heard he changed his playstyle, taking Li Feng's advice. If not for Li Feng, he might have been injured."
"What you're saying is all hypothetical, and it's hard to say. But the Heat's Big Three were indeed too much; others couldn't compete."
...
Fans were also furiously discussing the game.
Rose had many fans, and his explosive, no-hesitation drives earlier had excited them immensely.
This was because after Rose changed his playstyle, he was constantly criticized by his die-hard fans, who thought his new approach was too "utilitarian" and not as explosive as before.
These fans were being armchair quarterbacks, completely disregarding the player's health and career longevity.
Of course, the ultimate decision rested with the star player himself.
If a star player sought only that fleeting brilliance of a shooting star, they could choose not to change.
"Why didn't Rose play like this from the start? They would have been leading by 20 points by now!"
"Are you crazy, upstairs? If Rose played like this the entire game, could he sustain his stamina?"
"Exactly, and where do you place Li Feng? If Rose played like this from the start, Li Feng would definitely have targeted him."
"Li Feng is inferior to Rose, just speaking factually!"
"Nonsense, Rose's fans are truly too arrogant."
...
Amusingly, despite Li Feng and Rose having such a good relationship in private, their fans were fiercely arguing, which was quite ironic.
Knicks locker room.
Li Feng saw that his teammates looked a bit lost.
Rose's outburst in the latter half of the second quarter had made the Knicks players uncomfortable.
Especially since Rose had driven past Li Feng several times, which was very rare.
In today's league, explosive guards like Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook couldn't easily break past Li Feng, yet Rose managed to do so!
"It's okay, brothers, I'll handle Rose in the second half. You just need to defend the paint!"
Li Feng said calmly.
His teammates exchanged glances, knowing that Li Feng's words had never proven false.
"But Rose's drives..."
"His drives are very sharp. In the first half, I was mainly focused on defending his shooting. In the second half, I'll change my defensive strategy."
Seeing Li Feng's confident demeanor, his teammates were reassured.
The second half of the game began!
Rose had tasted success in the second quarter, and he also knew that to defeat the Knicks, he had to go all out himself.
Therefore, at the start of the third quarter, Rose attempted another drive.
But Li Feng changed his defensive strategy; he stopped sticking too close to Rose, instead giving him a step of space.
This caught Rose off guard.
With a step of distance, it was impossible to drive past.
So, he could only shoot. Li Feng was clearly giving him the option to shoot.
Rose tried a three-pointer.
Unfortunately, his rhythm was a bit off, and the shot fell short, bouncing off the rim. Yao Ming secured the rebound and passed it directly to Lowry.
The "Little Steel Cannon" quickly brought the ball across half-court. Before the Bulls players could react, they could only watch as Lowry drove to the basket for a score.
With Rose being contained by Li Feng, the Knicks gradually gained the upper hand.
Although Rose made a three-pointer and two mid-range shots, Li Feng adhered to the principle of "let him shoot, don't let him drive."
"If you have the ability, shoot us to death!"
While Rose's shooting had improved significantly, he still lacked explosive scoring ability.
By the time six minutes had passed in the third quarter, the Knicks led by 12 points.
Thibodeau had to call a timeout, not expecting Rose to be "subdued" by Li Feng so quickly.
Rose also returned to his seat dejectedly, covering his head with a towel.
Although he and Li Feng were friends, for the past two years since Li Feng won the championship, Rose had been thinking of defeating him.
Two years later, Li Feng was still suppressing him, and Rose was on the verge of breaking down.
This regular season game wasn't that important to him; what mattered was that Li Feng always led the Knicks to victories against the Bulls.
Barring any surprises, it was highly likely the two teams would meet in the playoffs.
The thought of facing the Knicks every year, and that Li Feng was a year younger than Rose, sent a shiver down Rose's spine...
That sense of despair was something outsiders couldn't comprehend.
During the timeout, Thibodeau had nothing much to say. He could only tell the Bulls players to help Rose with more screens to create opportunities for him to drive.
After the timeout, the game continued.
The other Bulls players ran patterns and set screens around Rose.
This team-oriented play greatly benefited Rose, allowing him to unleash his driving power again.
Despite Li Feng's best efforts to fight through the screens, he couldn't withstand the entire Bulls team's coordinated effort.
In the latter half of the third quarter, the Bulls once again closed the gap.
By the end of the third quarter, the score was 83:80, with the Knicks holding a slim three-point lead.
This made the home fans worried again.
Rose had scored 11 points in the latter half of the third quarter.
Although Li Feng also scored 6 points, his energy was spent on defense, and he was constantly being bumped by the opponent's screens.
Were the Bulls going to make a statement this year?
Li Feng was struggling with the Bulls' strategy.
Rose was extremely excited. As he walked off the court, he enthusiastically high-fived every teammate because he knew that run was the result of team collaboration.
D'Antoni hadn't expected the Bulls to use this tactic and felt that they absolutely had to lock down Rose in the fourth quarter, or the game would be in jeopardy.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the reserve players from both sides battled again. The Bulls, with renewed momentum, retook the lead, mirroring the first half.
Li Feng pondered for a moment, then called Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming to his side.
"Brother Yao, A-Lian, when I defend Rose later, you guys come over for the double-team. If any Bulls players try to set screens, push them aside and block Rose!"
Li Feng had roughly figured out the referees' tendencies: they called fouls very strictly in the first three quarters but would let more go in the fourth quarter.
Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian understood why Li Feng was doing this only in the fourth quarter: it was for the final showdown, leaving no chance for the Bulls to adjust further.
Li Feng often did this against strong opponents.
This was because the first three quarters were for experimentation. If it were a weaker team, they could easily finish them off in three quarters.
But against strong opponents, the first three quarters were for probing. As long as the score difference wasn't widened, they would unleash their true killing blow in the fourth quarter.
Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Bulls led the Knicks by eight points.
95:87.
D'Antoni quickly substituted all the starters back in.
The final decisive battle had begun!
As soon as Rose came on, he wanted to continue the previous strategy, with Boozer and Brewer blocking Li Feng tightly.
Just as Rose was about to drive to the paint, Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming suddenly converged in a double-team, engulfing Rose.
Poor Rose's vision went dark.
He had no passing or shooting lanes.
Li Feng and Lowry also locked down the other Bulls players.
Finally, the 24-second shot clock expired, and Rose couldn't even get a pass off.
The referee blew his whistle, possession changed, and it was the Knicks' offense.
Rose was frustrated, shaking his head in annoyance. He couldn't understand why Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian would abandon the basket to double-team him.
This defensive strategy was actually quite risky, but the Knicks still executed it.
On the Knicks' offense, Li Feng passed the ball to Yi Jianlian. Yi Jianlian drove to the basket, drawing two defenders, and passed the ball to Yao Ming, who slammed it home!
On both offense and defense, it was another masterpiece by the Chinese trio!
In the following few possessions, Rose's drives were completely thwarted; he couldn't penetrate at all and committed frequent turnovers.
Eight minutes into the fourth quarter, the Knicks finally tied the score.
105 all!
This was likely the third tie of the game.
Thibodeau saw that Rose was heavily fatigued from constantly driving and colliding with Knicks players.
So, he called a timeout.
The home crowd at Madison Square Garden was ecstatic. Having been down by eight points earlier, their hearts had sunk.
Li Feng nodded continuously and hugged Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.
Tying the score was the result of everyone's collective effort.
Thibodeau was a bit anxious; he didn't want to lose this game, and neither did Rose!
As the team's ace player, the Bulls would only have confidence if Rose was confident.
And Rose was clearly a bit dejected.
The Knicks might not care too much about a regular season game, but the Bulls did!
So, Thibodeau made another tactical change.
He called Boozer and Luol Deng over and instructed them, "You guys need to actively cut to the basket, making sure Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian can't provide help defense."
Indeed, Thibodeau's countermeasure was good, but his reaction was a bit slow.
If he had done this earlier, the effect would have been excellent.
After the timeout, the Bulls increased their cutting plays.
However, Li Feng was already prepared.
As these two players cut, Lowry and Bill Walker were constantly lurking near the paint. As soon as someone drove to the basket, they would pounce, raising their hands high and defending from the front to prevent them from receiving the ball.
Rose, with the ball in his hands, tried to pass it between Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, but there was no space at all.
As a result, the Bulls were once again held to a 24-second violation.
Rose was helpless. He glanced at Li Feng unintentionally, seemingly accepting his fate.
As long as Li Feng was around, Rose would likely be unable to get out of the Eastern Conference.
On the Knicks' offense, Li Feng feigned a pass but suddenly pulled up for an extremely long three-pointer.
It couldn't be helped; his continuous passing had already drawn the Bulls players' attention.