De'Anthony was very broad-minded and had no complaints about Li Feng calling a timeout.
He also intelligently stood to the side, letting Li Feng say a few words to the players.
Li Feng was not polite; the situation was critical.
Although the game had just started, Li Feng saw that the Heat were playing with great precision on both offense and defense. If the Knicks didn't quickly come up with a counter-strategy, they might be blown out in the first quarter.
"Guys, the Heat are playing fiercely today with a layered defense. We need to increase screens and cuts to find open shots!"
"Also, on defense, we'll temporarily adopt a tight defensive strategy, gambling on the Heat's shooting touch!"
If it were just a small issue, Li Feng wouldn't have needed to call a timeout; he could have directed things on the court.
But the Heat were playing outstandingly in every aspect, forcing Li Feng to call a timeout to address the problems.
The timeout was timely. Most of the Knicks players were a bit stunned. After listening to Li Feng's words, they all perked up.
After Li Feng finished speaking, he automatically took a step back, allowing De'Anthony to say a few more words.
De'Anthony said with a smile, "Li Feng is absolutely right. Don't panic, everyone. Do your job and be a bit more aggressive!"
The timeout ended, and the players from both teams returned to the court.
The Knicks were on offense.
Lowry dribbled the ball past half-court.
Yi Jianlian timely moved up to screen Chalmers.
This screen was much quicker than before.
For a strong small-ball team like the Heat, speed was essential!
Every aspect needed to be fast!
This was already the second year of the Heat's Big Three integrating, and they had found the best tactics suitable for them.
That was to fully utilize the fast-break capabilities of James and Wade, sacrifice height, and actively increase the pace!
Unlike De'Anthony's run-and-gun tactics, the Heat's pace increase was across the board.
And because the Knicks had Yao Ming as a strong inside presence, they could only accelerate moderately, not comprehensively.
...
Lowry used Yi Jianlian's screen and drove along the sideline towards the paint. James immediately rotated over.
Although the "little steel cannon" was fierce and powerful, he was still no match for James.
He paused briefly and made a bounce pass to Yao Ming.
Facing Bosh, Yao Ming easily scored with a little hook shot.
The key to this play was that Lowry drew James away, preventing him from helping on Bosh, thus giving Yao Ming a one-on-one opportunity.
Heat head coach Spoelstra's heart tightened upon seeing this basket.
The Knicks were also accelerating!
Although the Knicks accelerating was not new, they rarely picked up the pace when Yao Ming was on the court.
James and Wade also felt the change in the Knicks.
The Heat were on offense. Bosh made a long pass from the baseline directly to James near the half-court line.
This was also a trick play for the Heat that had often been successful: the quick inbounds pass for a fast break.
There was no choice; James and Wade's fast-break ability was astonishing, possessing strength, speed, and excellent chemistry.
Often, after the opposing team scored two hard-earned points, James and Wade would rush past half-court and easily score two points with a James-Wade connection.
It was truly infuriating.
But the Knicks, after the timeout, were prepared. Li Feng, Yi Jianlian, and Lowry had already returned to half-court.
This was the result of their tireless effort.
As soon as James caught the ball, Bill Walker stepped in front of him. Looking at Wade, Lowry was also in front of him.
Furthermore, Li Feng was already standing in the paint.
Although Yao Ming had not yet returned, the Knicks' defense was already tight, leaving no fast-break opportunities!
Reluctantly, James dribbled the ball, transitioning into a half-court set.
James made a gesture, Bosh came up to set a screen, and Yao Ming prepared to hedge.
Li Feng watched from afar and understood that James wanted to exploit the mismatch, bullying Yao Ming.
However, James was disappointed.
He made a sharp change of direction, then accelerated and drove past Yao Ming on the left.
Suddenly, with a bang...
Li Feng stood precisely in James's driving lane and then fell straight backward.
At the same time, Li Feng protected his groin with both hands, without any other small movements.
Beep, beep, beep...
A rapid whistle sounded. The referee pointed at James, calling him for an offensive foul.
James was already annoyed at being blocked.
When the referee called him for a foul, he became even more unbearable and rushed over to argue with the referee.
His demeanor was so frightening that the referee involuntarily retreated a few steps.
Wade remained calm and quickly rushed over to intercept James, pulling him aside.
If it had been someone else, James might have been assessed a technical foul, but this was the Heat's home court, and James was the league's superstar, so the referee hesitated.
The ball possession changed.
Li Feng slowly got up and winked at James, enraging him.
James was determined that if Li Feng dared to drive to the basket to score, he would give Li Feng a poster dunk and humiliate him properly!
The Knicks attacked again. Lowry dribbled past half-court, and Bill Walker came up to screen.
Lowry was about to break through using the screen, but Wade suddenly rotated over.
This was the speed of adjustment by the Heat; they were too fast and wouldn't make the same mistake!
Lowry couldn't get past Wade, so he had no choice but to pass the ball to Yao Ming.
James quickly double-teamed. Under the double-team of Bosh and James, Yao Ming passed the ball to Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian drove along the right side, attempting a layup, but James rotated again and stuck to Yi Jianlian like glue.
James was everywhere; it was terrifying.
At that moment, Li Feng suddenly broke away from Battier and drove into the paint.
Yi Jianlian was in a difficult situation. Seeing Li Feng cutting, he quickly passed the ball to him.
James saw this and thought, "Great, here he comes!"
He didn't rotate immediately but stayed behind Li Feng, planning to steal the ball.
Li Feng had already seen him out of the corner of his eye but didn't slow down. Instead, he took a step and took off.
James adjusted his steps and also jumped, raising his right hand high, preparing to block Li Feng!
Just as James's hand was about to touch the ball, Li Feng suddenly bent down, retracting the ball. James's block missed!
James was stunned, and his body began to descend.
But Li Feng, after dodging James's swipe, pushed off again, rising for a second time, bang!
A spectacular dunk!
My goodness, that play was beautiful!
Li Feng seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, completely anticipating James's movements and making the optimal adjustment!
The entire Heat arena instantly fell silent.
Only the jubilant shouts of Li Feng's teammates, rushing over to chest bump him in celebration, could be heard.
James's face was grim. He turned and walked away without a word.
He had wanted to humiliate Li Feng, but instead, he became the background for Li Feng's highlight reel.
This play was bound to be the top play of the day's top five, and even a highlight reel for recent broadcasts, played repeatedly.
Led by Li Feng, the entire Knicks team played with all their might, with a crazy effort.
At 5:47 into the game, the score was 14:9, with the Knicks leading by 5 points.
This marked the official timeout.
Li Feng and his teammates high-fived each other, encouraging each other loudly as they walked off the court.
In contrast, the Heat players all hung their heads, looking dejected.
During the timeout, De'Anthony emphasized to the players that the Heat were a strong team and not to be complacent.
Li Feng also chimed in, stating that the Big Three's individual abilities were formidable, and they were difficult to handle even when playing randomly.
The timeout ended, and the players returned to the court.
Neither team made substitutions, and the Heat were on offense.
James had the ball at the top of the arc and called for a screen.
Li Feng had been observing the Heat's offensive formation and found no changes.
Bosh came out to screen Bill Walker.
Just as Yao Ming was preparing to hedge against James, Bosh suddenly broke away from Bill Walker and sprinted towards the paint.
Li Feng was shocked; this screen from the Heat was a fake screen!
In Li Feng's memory, the Warriors years later often used this tactic.
This was because Curry and Thompson's threat from the perimeter was so great that once they set a pick-and-roll or a screen, the defenders' attention would be focused on the Splash Brothers.
This allowed the interior players to drive directly to the basket, and Curry or Thompson could lob the ball directly to the interior players for easy scores.
Bosh drove to the basket, and James immediately passed him the ball.
Because Yao Ming had stepped out to hedge, he had no time to rotate back, and could only watch as Bosh scored easily!
This was the brilliance of small-ball tactics; they could have multiple variations, making them impossible to defend!
De'Anthony watched from the sideline, his brow furrowed.
He hoped Li Feng could quickly adapt and make adjustments on the court, not allowing the Heat to score so easily.
Li Feng knew it well; he learned from experience.
First, on offense, through penetration, he passed to Yi Jianlian, who made a long two-pointer.
Then, on defense, he strengthened his roaming in the paint.
James, having tasted success earlier, tried to repeat his move.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng was prepared.
As Bosh drove to the paint, Li Feng positioned himself early, blocking Bosh's path.
Since Bosh's attention was entirely on James behind him, he didn't notice at all. Bang!
Bosh crashed into Li Feng, knocking him to the ground.
The referee immediately pointed at Bosh, calling him for an offensive foul!
Bosh was furious and rushed over to yell at the referee. The referee didn't humor him and immediately called a technical foul.
Who did you think you were? Did you think you were James?
Wade quickly pulled Bosh away.
Li Feng had drawn an offensive foul on Bosh and earned a free throw; he had gained a lot.
The two teams countered each other's moves, but Li Feng was always able to quickly neutralize the Heat's tactics.
As a result, the Knicks' advantage became increasingly apparent.
James became more anxious as he played, and the more anxious he was, the less accurate his shots became.
At 9:46 into the first quarter, the score was 27:20, with the Knicks leading by 7 points.
Heat head coach Spoelstra sighed and substituted both James and Wade out.
It seemed that no matter how well-prepared they were before the game, they couldn't withstand Li Feng's on-the-fly coaching!
James scored 5 points in the first quarter, Wade scored 8, and Bosh scored 8.
Meanwhile, Li Feng scored 13 points in the first quarter, stealing the show.
James sat on the bench, his face dark. He was thinking a lot.
If his stats at the end of the game were significantly lower than Li Feng's, then the All-Star starter vote would definitely go to Li Feng.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became!
He quietly clenched his fist and shouted in his heart: No matter what, he couldn't let Li Feng take the starting vote!
The Knicks substituted Yao Ming off the court, while Li Feng and Yi Jianlian remained on the court.
This was to protect Yao Ming, as he was getting older and needed to conserve his energy during the regular season.
Li Feng played the entire first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 34:24, with the Knicks leading by 10 points.
The lead was neither too large nor too small; it was easily catchable.
But the Knicks' current form was outstanding, and Li Feng was always one step ahead.
This gave Spoelstra a headache.
Although the Heat also had James, who had a very high basketball IQ, he always seemed to be suppressed by Li Feng.
The difference in the star players made it difficult to catch up.
It was like when the Cavaliers reached the Finals and faced the Spurs.
Although they were swept 0:4, which sounded scary, the Cavaliers didn't lose by too many points in the four games.
The point difference was small, but they just couldn't catch up, and the Cavaliers were very desperate back then.
Today's game was very similar to that year's Finals.
Both teams were scoring, but the point difference remained around 10 points; it was difficult to extend the lead, and also difficult to shrink it.
The second quarter began, and both teams substituted in their bench players.
The Knicks' bench played with a completely different style, which was the result of discussions between Li Feng and De'Anthony.
Billups was accustomed to playing slowly; he had won a championship with the Pistons by relying on tough defense.
The Pistons' offense was steady and rarely fast-paced.
Now that the slow pace strategy was confirmed, Billups was in his element, and the other bench players were also comfortable.
Chandler, Marion, and Shumpert's chemistry was improving.
Four minutes into the second quarter, the Knicks had extended their lead to 13 points.
James and Wade couldn't sit still any longer; they stood up immediately and requested to play.
Spoelstra was also helpless; he had wanted them to rest more, but now it seemed impossible!
The Heat called a timeout, preparing to bring in their starters.
The Knicks had no intention of bringing in their starters. De'Anthony told the bench players to stay steady and slow down the pace as much as possible.
Billups and the bench players gave their all, wanting to help the starting lineup rest more.
However, the Heat's Big Three were a historic combination and were truly formidable.
In just over two minutes, they aggressively narrowed the gap to 4 points.
Especially the James-Wade connection, which executed several fast breaks and stunned the Knicks' bench.
De'Anthony had no choice but to put his starters back on the court.
At this point, with over six minutes left in the second quarter, the score was 48:44, with the Knicks leading by 4 points.
After Li Feng entered the game, he smiled at James and said, "Alright, stop bullying our bench!"
James was furious and shouted, "Then I'll bully you!"
Li Feng sneered, "Okay, bring it on!"
The Knicks were on offense, and Li Feng dribbled the ball past half-court.
Facing Wade's defense, Li Feng asked Lowry to come over and set a screen.
Lowry blocked Wade, and Li Feng suddenly accelerated, driving to the left. Chalmers closely followed.
James had been watching Li Feng intently. He was determined that if Li Feng dared to drive into the paint, he would block him!