Shua!
Li Feng's long-range three-pointer hit the mark precisely!
Rose sighed and shook his head, truly feeling despair.
Li Feng's playing style completely overturned the NBA's current state; no one played like this.
Rose lacked the vocabulary for "dimensional crushing," but he felt Li Feng was indeed "dimensionally crushing" him!
The New York home fans loved watching Li Feng's ultra-long three-pointers, much like the Golden State fans in his previous life loved watching Curry's threes.
It was even more thrilling than a slam dunk!
108:105!
The Knicks regained the lead with 3 minutes and 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Bulls attacked. Rose gritted his teeth, held the ball at the arc, and initiated the offense.
The Knicks expected him to drive to the basket, and their defense tightened again, but Rose suddenly stopped and shot a long two-pointer!
Rose was actually very smart. Both his outside and inside games were being shut down.
To score, he had to rely on long two-pointers.
Although shooting was originally Rose's weakness, he had been strengthening his shooting in training since last year.
Li Feng's influence on him was immense, leading to a more well-rounded development for Rose.
Seeing Rose score, Li Feng, as his opponent on the court, naturally remained expressionless.
But inwardly, he was happy for Rose.
Rose changing his playing style indicated a longer career, better health, and higher efficiency!
108:107, the score was tightly contested.
In the following few possessions, both teams increased their defensive intensity. The referees' whistles were loose, allowing slightly rough defensive plays from both sides.
With 54 seconds left in the game, the Knicks led by two points, 113:111.
The Bulls called a timeout.
The home crowd at Madison Square Garden was very worried, as Rose had performed no worse than Li Feng during this period.
If the Bulls could convert this possession after the timeout, the pressure on the Knicks would mount.
Li Feng high-fived his teammates and encouraged them, "If we defend this possession, victory will be ours!"
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
The Bulls changed their tactics. Rose did not hold the ball but moved near the sideline, appearing uninvolved in the offense.
However, Li Feng did not relax. He stayed close to Rose, waving his teammates to defend hard.
Lu Deng received the ball at the 45-degree angle and drove towards the paint against Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian's strength was still good, but his speed was slightly inferior to Lu Deng's, allowing Lu Deng to get past him by half a step.
At this moment, Rose suddenly broke free, sprinting along the baseline, while Li Feng was screened by Boozer.
The Bulls' tactic was very clever, and the Knicks' defense was broken.
Lu Deng immediately passed the ball to Rose on the baseline. Rose, circling around Yao Ming, drove and laid it in!
113 all!
A fierce game, an exciting offense and defense!
The home crowd tensed up again.
With 32 seconds left, both teams still had a chance!
A suffocating atmosphere permeated the entire arena.
Old Nelson did not call a timeout, knowing Li Feng would handle this offensive possession!
Li Feng held the ball in the backcourt, with Rose defending him tightly, sticking close to Li Feng.
Rose's stamina was top-tier; he had played 41 minutes today and was still full of energy.
Li Feng knew the referees were lenient at the end of the game, so he made a sharp change of direction, bumped into Rose, and drove past half-court.
Rose was not as strong as Li Feng, but his speed was comparable. He still stuck to Li Feng, not giving him a chance to shoot.
If Li Feng were to hit an ultra-long three-pointer at this point, the Bulls would essentially lose.
It wasn't easy for Li Feng to break free from Rose. He used his back to lean against Rose, observing his teammates' movements.
Suddenly, Yi Jianlian ran over and screened Rose.
Just as Li Feng was about to break through, Boozer immediately rotated to cut off Li Feng's drive.
With 7 seconds left on the shot clock, just as the Bulls thought Li Feng was trapped, Li Feng had a sudden inspiration.
He went around Rose, using Rose and Yi Jianlian to block Boozer.
Rose still wanted to chase, but Yi Jianlian's screen was solid.
If it were Yi Jianlian last season, he would have been easily pushed aside by Rose.
But Yi Jianlian's strength had now reached 90, and there were no more than 15 players in the league with higher strength.
With Rose screened by Yi Jianlian, Li Feng seized the opportunity and drove to the right wing.
Noah still wanted to rotate to defend, but Li Feng made a sharp pass, like a scalpel, to Yao Ming on the baseline.
Yao Ming caught the ball, turned around, evaded the defender, and slammed it in with one hand!
The red buzzer sounded as the ball went in!
A buzzer-beating slam dunk!
115:113, the Knicks scored another 2 points, with only 7.1 seconds left on the clock.
The Bulls had one timeout remaining. Thibodeau decisively called it.
Would it be overtime, victory, or defeat?
With a two-point difference and 7 seconds left, many possibilities existed.
This was the charm of basketball.
Despite leading by two points, the Knicks were not secure with only 7 seconds left.
Furthermore, Yao Ming had twisted his arm after the dunk, and the team doctor ruled him out of the game.
Yao Ming's interior defense was crucial.
Reluctantly, D'Antoni brought in Marion and had Yi Jianlian play center temporarily.
Even if the Bulls scored inside against the Knicks, it would only lead to overtime, not a loss.
Seeing Yao Ming injured, Li Feng suddenly felt a little uneasy.
But it was what it was; he could only fight.
The timeout ended, and the Bulls inbounded the ball from the frontcourt.
The vast Madison Square Garden fell silent instantly.
The home fans were incredibly tense. Some frowned, some held their breath, while timid children covered their faces with their hands, only peeking through their fingers.
Bulls head coach Thibodeau had put in several players with strong shooting abilities: Boozer, Korver, Boozer, and Mike James.
Along with Rose.
This was a lineup focused on scoring, with defense being secondary.
Boozer inbounded the ball from the sideline. The Knicks defended tightly, focusing on the perimeter.
With the 5-second count approaching, Rose used a screen and suddenly cut to the corner.
Boozer immediately passed him the ball.
As Rose received the ball, he was about to shoot a three-pointer when Li Feng lunged in front of him, sticking close, hands raised high, completely smothering him and leaving no room to shoot.
Seconds ticked by. Rose had to pass the ball to Korver, who was beyond the three-point line.
Yi Jianlian was defending Korver.
Yi Jianlian's lateral movement was quick. Following the defensive techniques Li Feng had taught him, he stayed low and guarded the ball above, not giving the opponent an easy shooting opportunity.
But time was running out. Even if Korver passed, it would be too late, so he had to force a shot with a difficult fadeaway!
Korver was not Kobe, nor was he Jordan. His specialty was open three-pointers.
As he released the ball, the red buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game.
As a result, his three-point attempt didn't even touch the rim.
Airball!
The Knicks' home crowd erupted in thunderous cheers, ecstatic.
"We won! We won!"
"Yi Jianlian, great defense!"
"Long live Li Feng!"
"Go Knicks!"
...
Li Feng shouted excitedly and ran to chest bump Yi Jianlian in celebration. His teammates also came to high-five Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian was very emotional. He had been in the NBA for several years and had always felt unrecognized.
This year, joining the Knicks and with Li Feng's help, he had finally demonstrated his value.
Yi Jianlian hugged Li Feng, tears welling up in his eyes, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Li Feng, thank you!"
"No need to thank me. You played well yourself, Yi Jianlian. We need to work together from now on to win the championship!"
Li Feng played 38 minutes today, scoring 35 points. Yao Ming scored 26 points, and Yi Jianlian scored 18 points.
The trio from China once again became the heroes of the Knicks' victory.
Of course, in the post-game interview, Li Feng emphasized the importance of teamwork.
Because this was an American league, Li Feng knew that their three players being on the same team would attract envy from many.
They had already won two consecutive championships. If they could win a third, Li Feng would reach a new height.
At that time, discussions about whether Chinese basketball or American basketball was stronger would undoubtedly ignite.
America would not allow its basketball dominance to be challenged.
After this game, the media finally began to acknowledge the Knicks' dominance.
The Bulls were a very strong team this season, having defeated not only the Cavaliers but also the Magic, Spurs, and Thunder.
In the latest power rankings, the Bulls were ranked third, highlighting their strength.
Li Feng was in a good mood. Upon returning home, he found Meng Dong sitting on the sofa, sulking.
When Li Feng returned, Meng Dong did not greet him enthusiastically as before, but quietly called out, "Brother Feng..."
Li Feng sensed something was wrong and sat beside him.
"Xiao Dong, what's wrong?"
Li Feng tugged at Meng Dong's arm and discovered his face was swollen and red.
Basketball was a very intense and passionate sport. Minor collisions between players were normal.
Li Feng occasionally got hit by teammates during training and sustained minor injuries.
But Meng Dong's mood was off, completely different from his usual sunny and positive demeanor.
Combined with the injury on his face, Li Feng vaguely felt that Meng Dong had encountered something.
"It's... it's nothing, Brother Feng. I was waiting for you to come back. I'm going to bed. Goodnight..."
Saying that, Meng Dong stood up and headed for the bedroom.
"Stop!" Li Feng's voice rose.
Meng Dong stopped, his fists clenched.
"Xiao Dong, tell me, what happened at the training camp today?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Meng Dong confessed the truth to Li Feng.
It turned out that today, while training with other young players, Meng Dong had an altercation.
Meng Dong attacked and scored on a player named Ronnie several times in a row.
One was a step-back three-pointer, another was a drive and foul for a three-point play, and the third was a turnaround jump shot.
Ronnie became enraged, falsely accused Meng Dong of offensive foul, and suddenly punched Meng Dong, initiating physical violence.
Although Meng Dong was honest, he didn't want to take such abuse and fought back.
He was then pulled away by other players and received several punches.
Later, Reggie Miller arrived and criticized both parties.
Meng Dong felt wronged and left the stadium before training was over.
Li Feng was also angry after hearing this, but he knew that Chinese players faced some discrimination here.
Meng Dong wasn't psychologically prepared for it.
Moreover, minor conflicts and scuffles between players were considered normal.
After an argument or a fight, they would be good brothers again; this was also a part of sports culture.
Li Feng thought for a moment, asked Meng Dong to sit back on the sofa, and persuaded him earnestly, "Xiao Dong, this is just a small matter. Don't take it to heart. However, there is indeed discrimination here in the US. How about this, I'll accompany you to take a look tomorrow."
Meng Dong didn't want to waste Li Feng's time and shook his head, "It's nothing, Brother Feng. I'm fine now. I'll continue training tomorrow."
"I don't have much to do tomorrow morning, so it's settled. You go to sleep!"
[Ding, the system has detected that the host's friend is in trouble and rewards the friend with a Fighting Gift Pack!]
Li Feng was taken aback, wondering what kind of reward this was.
Below was a small line of text explaining: The gift pack includes beginner Jeet Kune Do techniques and beginner Sanda techniques.
So, there were rewards like this. It would be interesting tomorrow.
Li Feng had initially been thinking about how to stand up for Meng Dong. Now, with the system's help, Meng Dong could resolve it himself.
The next morning, Meng Dong got up and washed up.
Children were still children, and with his passion for basketball, Meng Dong had already put the unpleasantness of yesterday behind him.
"Brother Feng, I can go by myself today. You don't need to worry about me. I guarantee I'll dominate them!"
Li Feng liked this spirit from Meng Dong, so he nodded and said, "Alright, you're a big kid now. You can handle it yourself."
Meng Dong changed his clothes, ate breakfast, and bounced off to the training camp.
Although Li Feng said he wouldn't go, he was also curious, wondering about the effects of the system's reward.
So, he drove himself to the training camp a while later.
...
When Meng Dong arrived at the training camp, as soon as he entered, the young players started teasing him.
"Meng Dong, did you enjoy getting beaten yesterday?"
"Hahaha, you still have the nerve to come? If I were you, I'd go back to China."
"Let me tell you, Meng Dong, you're not welcome here!"
...
Listening to the barrage of taunts from these guys, Meng Dong was furious.
He shouted loudly, "This training camp isn't owned by you. Why can't I come?"
A tall black guy with dreadlocks named Carlos, Ronnie's old classmate and good friend, was from high school.
Actually, his position was power forward, which didn't conflict with Meng Dong's position. But Ronnie was 1.92 meters, and he played point guard like Meng Dong.
So, he stepped up to defend Ronnie and pointed at Meng Dong, shouting, "I just don't want you here! Because you can't adapt to the NBA's physicality!"
From his physique, Meng Dong was indeed thinner than the other young men.
But Li Feng had coached him and told him about the importance of physicality. Since then, Meng Dong had intensified his strength training.
Therefore, when he came to the training camp, Meng Dong did not suffer disadvantages in terms of physicality.
"I can't adapt to the NBA? Then none of you can!"
Seeing Meng Dong neither subservient nor fearful, Carlos sneered, "Fine, then keep coming. Let's see if you can last until noon!"
It was evident that they had all conspired. If Meng Dong dared to continue playing training games with them, they would all gang up on him and take him down.