The Knicks this season had filled fans and media with anticipation.
The presence of three Chinese players on the same team was a rare spectacle.
When Yi Jianlian first joined the Knicks, many in the media were not optimistic, thinking he was just filling a spot.
However, after a few preseason games, the media were all exclaiming: "The Chinese Trio is too strong, the uncrowned champions are unstoppable!"
Yi Jianlian himself was excited but also a bit worried.
Past experiences had shown similar patterns.
He had had a few highlight moments with the Bucks and the Nets, only to get injured afterward.
During practice, Li Feng noticed A Lian's apprehension and began to comfort him.
"A Lian, getting injured isn't because your body is weak, it's just bad luck. I believe you won't get injured with the Knicks!"
Hearing Li Feng's words, Yi Jianlian felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
"Your words are a good omen, haha. Sometimes I feel so helpless. I hope I can play longer with the Knicks!"
...
The regular season was about to begin.
The Knicks' first game was against the Nets.
Sometimes you had to admire the schedule makers; it was just that coincidental.
Yi Jianlian had been unceremoniously dismissed by the Nets, and their first game was scheduled against them.
The media also heavily promoted this game, creating immense hype.
The NBA did have this tradition, where stars often performed exceptionally against their former teams.
D'Antoni had a chat with Yi Jianlian beforehand, suggesting he start, and Stoudemire agreed.
But Yi Jianlian firmly refused, not wanting to disrupt the team's existing chemistry, and insisted on coming off the bench.
Although A Lian had played well in the preseason games, Stoudemire clearly had a bigger presence.
October 31st, Madison Square Garden.
At 7:30 PM, the Knicks hosted the Nets.
The Knicks' starting lineup remained Li Feng, Yao Ming, Stoudemire, Bill Walker, and Lowry.
The Nets' starting five: Lopez, Deron Williams, Marshon Williams, Sheldon, Humphries.
On paper, apart from Li Feng of the Knicks, the Nets had the stronger roster.
But games weren't just about that; the Knicks still had their championship pedigree.
In the first quarter, the Knicks delivered a statement to the Nets.
Li Feng completely locked down Deron Williams, Yao Ming and Lopez cancelled each other out, Lowry and Marshon Williams were evenly matched, Stoudemire and Sheldon traded blows, and Humphries couldn't gain an advantage against Bill Walker.
In this situation, Li Feng's dominance over Deron was evident.
Deron, at his peak, was indeed very strong, but he was now hampered by injuries, and his performance had declined.
However, even peak Deron couldn't compare to Li Feng, let alone now.
So, right from the start, Li Feng drove past Deron and slammed the ball home.
Deron was proud and not one to be humiliated.
He wanted to retaliate against Li Feng.
Deron's most renowned move was his signature crossover with a drastic change of direction mid-drive.
This move was indeed unstoppable, but it also took a toll on his knees, which were his primary injury concern.
*Swish!*
Just as Deron made his sharp change of direction, intending to blow past Li Feng, Li Feng quickly moved his feet and stretched out his long arms.
*Slap!*
The ball was intercepted by Li Feng.
Deron was shocked, but his momentum carried him forward. Li Feng, after the steal, immediately initiated a fast break.
Although Sheldon was fast and gave chase, Li Feng was even faster. He drove to the basket and dunked again. Sheldon, in his aggressive pursuit, collided with Li Feng and was called for a foul by the referee.
2+1!
The home crowd in New York was ecstatic. They rarely saw Li Feng go off in the first quarter.
Old fans knew that Li Feng's role in the first quarter was usually to facilitate and create opportunities for his teammates.
But Li Feng wasn't rigid; seeing that other matchups were even, he decided to be the primary aggressor.
Deron Williams had been diligent and trained hard during the offseason, aiming to challenge Li Feng.
Unexpectedly, in the very first game, in the first quarter, he was overwhelmed.
In just over five minutes of the first quarter, Li Feng scored 9 points, while the Knicks' entire team scored 11.
The Nets only managed 2 points, which came from Lopez's putback.
Official timeout.
As Li Feng came off the court, his teammates rushed to high-five him. Li Feng was in great form.
During the timeout, D'Antoni gestured again to Yi Jianlian, indicating he would replace Stoudemire soon.
Stoudemire also stood up and high-fived Yi Jianlian, offering him encouragement.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
Li Feng saw Yi Jianlian matched up against Sheldon and wanted him to test himself.
Although Yi Jianlian had played well in the preseason, those were not official games, and the teams had held back.
Only in the regular season would it be a real battle.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court and saw Yi Jianlian had established good post position, with Sheldon leaning into him heavily.
*Whoosh!*
Li Feng passed the ball to A Lian.
After receiving the pass, Yi Jianlian faked against Sheldon before executing a turnaround jump shot!
Since joining the Knicks, A Lian's game had become more efficient, a result of Li Feng's guidance.
*Swish!*
A Lian's shot was smooth, and despite Sheldon's effort to contest, he was half a step slow.
It was good!
After making the shot, Yi Jianlian let out an excited roar.
Scoring the first basket against his former team felt incredibly satisfying!
Sheldon, having been teammates with Yi Jianlian, was quite familiar with him and believed he could easily defend him.
However, A Lian's performance in that play far exceeded his expectations.
Seeing Sheldon's surprise, Yi Jianlian let out a cold snort and shouted, "You can't guard me!"
This ignited Sheldon's competitive spirit, and he retorted, "I was just caught off guard. Just you wait!"
The two began to challenge each other.
Li Feng was pleasantly surprised. He knew A Lian to be a good-natured and quiet person.
Such a personality could be a disadvantage in the NBA.
But after this period of training with the Knicks, Yi Jianlian had become more outgoing, and today he was even talking trash.
His passionate side was finally showing.
Li Feng rushed to Yi Jianlian's side and continued to encourage him, "A Lian, you can do it, keep it up, blow him away!"
On the Nets' offense, Deron Williams took advantage of Li Feng's momentarily lapse in focus and launched a surprise three-pointer.
Li Feng was annoyed. He made a gesture to his teammates, indicating he had been careless.
When it was their turn, Li Feng didn't pass to Yi Jianlian; he wanted to punish Deron.
*Swish!*
Li Feng accelerated to the right side, feigning a drive.
Deron stuck close to Li Feng, denying him space to shoot.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng executed a behind-the-back dribble, quickly shifting his weight to the middle.
Deron was out of position, but unwilling to concede, he continued to pursue from behind.
At this moment, Sheldon had to abandon Yi Jianlian to come over for help defense.
This was exactly what Li Feng wanted. He pretended to continue driving but suddenly executed a "pocket pass."
The basketball, with an unbelievably deceptive trajectory, landed in Yi Jianlian's hands.
Sheldon knew he had been tricked and quickly turned to block.
But A Lian lived up to Li Feng's expectations; after receiving the ball, he took just one dribble before soaring through the air.
*Bang!*
A powerful two-handed dunk!
Yao Ming had also subtly helped A Lian by firmly screening Lopez.
Lopez was a capable player, and if he had come to help defend, A Lian might not have succeeded.
This thunderous dunk instantly ignited the home crowd's atmosphere.
*Roar!*
The entire stadium jumped to their feet, cheering loudly.
The Chinese Trio's chemistry was improving, which was delightful!
Li Feng's drive-and-pass, Yao Ming's screening, and Yi Jianlian's explosiveness were all on display!
After the score, Yi Jianlian pounded his chest and roared.
The frustration suppressed for over two years was finally released!
Stoudemire, sitting on the bench, had an unhappy expression.
Although he had appeared magnanimous earlier, it was out of respect for Li Feng.
After all, both A Lian and Li Feng were Chinese, and mutual support was normal, with Li Feng being the team leader and having more influence.
Even though A Lian had played well in the preseason, Stoudemire didn't believe he posed a threat to him.
But as the regular season began, Yi Jianlian played better and better, with Li Feng and Yao Ming giving him ample support, which made Little Si feel unbalanced.
...
With the efforts of the Chinese Trio, the Nets couldn't withstand the pressure.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 34:21, with the Knicks leading by 13 points!
A Lian played 6 minutes, scoring 8 points, along with 3 rebounds and 1 block, yet another perfect stat line.
Li Feng and Yao Ming, in the latter half of the first quarter, were focusing on assisting A Lian, so their stats were average.
But anyone who understood the game knew that their impact on both offense and defense was significant, completely suppressing the Nets.
Deron Williams only scored 4 points in the first quarter, all in mismatches.
Facing Li Feng, Deron was helpless.
In the second quarter, both teams brought in their substitute lineups.
D'Antoni had intended to let A Lian continue playing, but Stoudemire suddenly stood up.
"Coach, let Yi Jianlian rest for a bit. I'll go in!"
D'Antoni noticed Little Si's unhappy expression and understood, nodding and substituting him into the game.
Yi Jianlian was full of drive and wanted to continue playing, but the coach substituted in Little Si, so he had to sit down.
As Stoudemire entered the game, Yi Jianlian extended his hand to high-five him.
But Stoudemire seemed not to see it and walked past, leaving A Lian feeling slightly awkward.
Li Feng noticed this detail and worried that Yi Jianlian might be affected mentally, so he sat beside him.
"A Lian, you're playing very well, but don't rush. You'll have your time."
A Lian smiled, "I know. I'm just content to be playing healthy."
In reality, A Lian truly had no intention of fighting for the starting position with Stoudemire.
Stoudemire played with great intensity after coming on.
The "Little King" was indeed very capable.
Especially after the experience of the Finals, his offensive and defensive abilities had both improved.
Under the leadership of Little Si and Billups, the Knicks went on another run.
Within nearly six minutes of the second quarter, the Knicks had extended their lead to 23 points.
They had completely blown out the game.
The Nets' coach and players were silent.
The Knicks were too strong this season; the Nets simply couldn't cope.
Later, the Nets brought back their starters, attempting to narrow the deficit.
D'Antoni hesitated. He wanted to substitute Stoudemire out, but Little Si's expression was clearly not right.
As expected, just as D'Antoni was about to make a substitution, Stoudemire showed no intention of leaving the court.
D'Antoni understood and had no choice but to let Little Si continue playing. Yi Jianlian sat on the bench with a calm expression, showing no anger.
He even jumped up and waved his towel to cheer for Stoudemire when he scored!
As a result, at the end of the first half, Stoudemire played the entire second quarter without rest.
Under the Knicks' ferocious offensive assault, the Nets collapsed, trailing by 34 points at halftime.
72:38!
The home fans were overjoyed; it was a winning start!
Little Si scored 21 points in the second quarter, showcasing his dominance.
As he walked off the court, Yi Jianlian was the first to rush over and chest bump him in celebration.
However, Little Si's face remained without a smile.
Li Feng watched silently from a distance, knowing that this issue needed to be resolved.
Otherwise, lingering resentment among the players would affect the team's chemistry.
Winning three consecutive championships was incredibly difficult, primarily due to internal team divisions.
For instance, salary disparities, competition for team status, complacency among veterans, and so on.
Now that Yi Jianlian was playing better and better, Li Feng believed that after a few more games, as Yi Jianlian's stats improved, he would definitely have the ability to start.
And Stoudemire was also in good form, meaning one of them would have to come off the bench.
Conflict was inevitable.
...
In the Chinese sports channel's live broadcast room, Yu Jia and Coach Zhang were commentating on the game.
Today was perhaps the most joyous day for the broadcast booth, as all three Chinese players were playing in the same game, a rare opportunity!
"Coach Zhang, did you ever imagine this scene? Haha!"
Coach Zhang was beaming with a smile, "No, no, I never dreamed of it! I'm so excited! Our Chinese basketball has hope!"
"Yi Jianlian played well today, but my heart was always in my throat, worried about him getting injured."
"Me too. I hope A Lian can stay healthy and play for many more years. His physical condition is rarely seen in Asians; he's exceptionally talented!"
"Perhaps after joining the Knicks, he'll avoid injuries like Yao Ming did."
"Very likely. The Knicks have high-level medical care, and Li Feng's assistance to them is significant, which is very important."
"That's right. Li Feng has considerable influence in the team. He won't force Yao Ming to gain weight or have A Lian engage in physical battles like other coaches; instead, he tailors the approach."
Not only the two commentators, but fans were also sending in their messages to express their views.
Chinese fans were extremely excited; it was an unprecedented occasion.
...
The second half of the game began.
Stoudemire continued to start.
Due to the large point difference, the starting lineup only played for 5 minutes before being substituted out entirely, clocking off.
To complete the task Li Feng had given him, Yi Jianlian returned to the court.