The height difference prevented Li Feng from a direct layup, so he opted for a time-out.
He suddenly stepped back half a pace, faking a jump shot.
Durant immediately followed, knees slightly bent, ready to jump and block Li Feng's shot.
However, Li Feng didn't jump; he simply tossed the ball.
This time-out caught Durant completely off guard.
Moreover, Li Feng's lob shot had a high arc, swoosh!
Durant could only watch as the ball sailed over his head and into the basket.
Two points!
This play was amazing, Durant shook his head in frustration.
Jokic, guarding Ibaka nearby, witnessed Li Feng's offense firsthand and was full of admiration.
Li Feng's grasp of rhythm and timing was legendary.
Especially under tight defense, he could always find the best response, a skill comparable to Jordan's.
The game continued with the Thunder on offense.
Westbrook drove quickly, attempting a surprise attack.
But Green moved too fast. He was already positioned at the edge of the paint, hands at his crotch.
Westbrook couldn't stop and, boom!
He collided with Green, sending him to the ground.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, and he pointed at Westbrook, calling an offensive foul!
Westbrook didn't argue. He nodded at Green, signaling: Fine, you got me!
Li Feng and Curry helped Green up, patting him and praising, "Good defense!"
Possession changed, and the Knicks went on offense. Li Feng brought the ball past half-court again.
The Thunder dared not be careless and immediately double-teamed Li Feng.
Li Feng dribbled slowly, seeing Curry create space by running around Green, and immediately passed the ball.
Curry received the pass, and Durant lunged at him.
But Curry faked, Durant jumped, and then Curry quickly moved sideways, shooting with lightning speed!
He's a real little elf!
Durant could only watch helplessly as Curry sank the three-pointer!
In less than a minute, the Knicks had closed the gap by five points.
In the following few possessions, the Knicks seemed like a different team, especially on defense, where their intensity suddenly rose several notches.
Although Jokic's offense was still lacking, he occasionally made good passes and played hard on defense, showing improvement.
Led by Li Feng, the Knicks went on a run.
With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks trailed by only one point.
113:112.
Brooks had to call a timeout.
He couldn't understand why the Knicks' defense had suddenly become so strong.
Actually, there was another reason for the Knicks' comeback: Durant's stamina was significantly depleted.
Under Green's tenacious defense, Durant shot 2-of-4 in the final possessions, no longer as efficient as before.
After the timeout, Durant went to the bench, replaced by Harden.
Although the Thunder's height decreased, their offensive power actually increased.
Harden had plenty of energy, and his ability to score and pass made him even more threatening.
The game resumed, with Harden holding the ball at the top of the arc, facing Curry's defense. He called for a screen, and Ibaka came up.
Just as Harden prepared to drive off the screen, Green provided a hard hedge, firmly blocking Harden's path.
Harden, not as impulsive as Westbrook, didn't force his way through directly. He aimed to move left and use a change of pace to get past Green.
With Harden's current skill, getting past Green wouldn't be difficult, but Li Feng didn't give him the chance. He immediately came around Ibaka and double-teamed Harden with Green.
No matter how strong Harden was, facing two DPOY-level defenders was too much.
In the ensuing scramble, Li Feng stole his pass and initiated a fast break!
Li Feng, Curry, and Bill Walker crossed half-court, while Westbrook and Ibaka retreated quickly.
Three on two!
Li Feng dribbled to the baseline and passed to Curry on the wing.
Curry, facing Westbrook's defense, passed the ball to Bill Walker, who had cut to the basket.
Walker drove and scored!
It was so fluid.
In the final moments, the Knicks displayed impenetrable defense and fluid offense!
Their consecutive scores sent the home crowd into a frenzy!
The tenth-ranked Knicks in the East were battling the first-ranked Thunder in the West down to the wire!
114:113, the Knicks took a one-point lead.
The Thunder's offense. Li Feng and Green double-teamed Harden again.
Harden had to pass the ball early to Thabo Sefolosha.
Sefolosha took an open shot, clang, it missed.
Jokic roared and boxed out Perkins, securing the rebound.
At a crucial moment, Jokic, who had been yelled at all game, grabbed the rebound and finally earned applause.
The Knicks launched a counter-attack. This time, Li Feng moved to the corner, received a pass from Green, and hit another three-pointer!
117:113!
This three-pointer was truly a dagger.
Li Feng had moved all the way to the corner!
This demonstrated Li Feng's elite off-ball movement, as the Thunder defenders, no matter how hard they tried, couldn't keep up with him.
The Thunder's offense.
Westbrook was getting frustrated and drove into the paint again.
Green was screened by Ibaka and couldn't help with the defense. Westbrook seized the opportunity for a zombie jump shot!
Just as Westbrook released the shot, Li Feng suddenly sprang from behind him on the right, whack!
He managed to block Westbrook's shot and snagged the ball!
Westbrook's zombie jump shot had an extremely high release point; blocking it was incredibly difficult.
But Li Feng, like a cat, perfectly timed the moment!
After the block, Li Feng immediately initiated a fast break. Sefolosha, helpless, fouled Li Feng intentionally.
Li Feng went to the free-throw line and made both shots, extending the lead to six points.
119:113!
With 1 minute and 14 seconds remaining, the Thunder were in trouble.
Brooks had to substitute Durant back in for Sefolosha, making a final desperate effort.
Indeed, after resting for two minutes, Durant's stamina had recovered considerably.
Upon entering the game, he received a pass from Harden and hit a 45-degree three-pointer.
This was his sweet spot, and he was indeed incredibly accurate!
119:116.
Li Feng dared not be careless. He drove with the ball, facing a double-team from Westbrook and Harden. He suddenly threw a direct pass to Jokic near the baseline.
In the fourth quarter, Jokic had mostly focused on defense and screens, not participating much in the offense.
Therefore, the Thunder's defense on him was somewhat relaxed.
After receiving the ball, "Teacher" Jokic used his height to quickly shoot!
Perkins hesitated, wasting valuable time, and Jokic's mid-range jumper was a sure make!
The home crowd was ecstatic. If Jokic could develop Yao Ming's mid-range game, the Knicks would have a chance.
After the basket, Jokic was very excited, pointing at Li Feng, who gave him a thumbs-up.
The Thunder players were somewhat demoralized. How could players who played poorly a few days ago suddenly step up at crucial moments?
121:116, the Knicks led by five points again, with 47 seconds left.
The Thunder's offense. Durant was truly desperate. He drove the ball past half-court.
As Green came to double-team him, Durant also shot a deep three-pointer!
This Durant from this alternate reality was even more ferocious than the one Li Feng remembered from before his transmigration.
Swish!
He made the three-pointer.
Bill Walker could only watch Durant shoot; his height and wingspan were both inferior to Durant's.
121:119, only a two-point difference.
Because Durant attacked quickly, only 38 seconds remained on the clock.
Theoretically, both teams had one more offensive opportunity. If the Thunder could defend this possession and then score 2 or 3 points, they could guarantee they wouldn't lose.
So, the Thunder immediately applied full-court pressure.
D'Antoni didn't give the Thunder a chance to press and immediately called a timeout.
He didn't really have any complex plays to discuss. D'Antoni simply wanted his teammates to give the ball to Li Feng.
But Li Feng refused.
"Give the ball to Green to orchestrate."
When Li Feng said this, D'Antoni and his Knicks teammates were stunned.
Green himself couldn't believe it.
He had made several good passes in this game, but entrusting him with the ball at the critical moment, Green wasn't confident.
Li Feng explained, "Green has good vision, and the Thunder will definitely not expect it. We'll just catch them by surprise."
His teammates nodded, and D'Antoni also found it feasible.
Li Feng and Curry were both excellent off-ball players, so this tactic was indeed good.
The timeout ended, and the Knicks inbounded the ball from the frontcourt.
As expected, the Thunder concentrated their defensive focus on Li Feng and Curry.
Bill Walker inbounded the ball from the sideline. He looked at Li Feng but passed it to Green.
The Thunder players were surprised. Durant rushed to close out, but Green remained calm.
He turned his body, securely protecting the ball, and observed Li Feng and Curry's movements.
Jokic came to the high post, screening Westbrook, who was chasing Li Feng. Green immediately passed the ball to him.
Li Feng received the ball and didn't rush to shoot. The shot clock still had plenty of time, and with the Knicks leading by two points, there was no need for a three-pointer.
He drove around Jokic to the right sideline, spotting Curry cutting along the baseline.
At this moment, Green once again set a screen for Curry, blocking Harden!
The opportunity had arrived!
Li Feng immediately passed the ball to Curry. Curry drove to the basket and, facing Perkins' defense, executed a spin layup!
Swish!
Two points!
Perkins also collided with Curry, who went down and rolled a few times.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, calling a blocking foul on Perkins.
And-one!
It's worth noting that Curry's free-throw percentage this season was 90%; he rarely missed.
The Thunder players sighed. Durant put his hands on his head; the Thunder's momentum was gone.
Li Feng and Green rushed over, helped Curry up, and the three of them shouted and chest-bumped in celebration!
This basket was the game-clinching play, a victory for team basketball.
All five players on the Knicks had contributed to this offensive possession!
This was exactly the effect Li Feng wanted.
With his ability, Li Feng could have taken several shots himself, and the probability of making them was high.
But the Knicks didn't need a superhero; they needed team members to grow together. This was the path to a championship team.
With 16 seconds left, Curry made the additional free throw, making the score 124:119.
The Thunder had virtually no hope.
Head coach Brooks called a timeout for a final, desperate attempt.
Historically, comebacks from 16 seconds down were countless, so there was still hope.
D'Antoni didn't relax. He substituted Chandler in and took Curry out for Shumpard.
The five Knicks players on the court were all defensive stalwarts!
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
As expected, the Thunder gave the ball to Durant.
But the Knicks were prepared. Green and Bill Walker double-teamed him, forcing Durant to pass to Ibaka.
Now trailing by five points, they had to force a shot. Ibaka threw up a three-pointer.
This was a shot the Knicks intentionally conceded. They would let anyone shoot threes except Durant and Harden!
Clang!
It missed.
Chandler roared and secured the rebound.
Durant had to foul Chandler, sending him to the free-throw line.
Chandler made one of two free throws. The Thunder called another timeout.
After several back-and-forth possessions, Durant and Harden had no opportunities to shoot.
Li Feng had completely locked down Harden!
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Thunder in this Christmas Day game!
Li Feng scored 30 points, Curry had 29, Durant had 37, and Harden had 26.
Although Li Feng's scoring wasn't as high as Durant's, Li Feng's impact on the game was significantly greater than Durant's.
Especially on defense, Li Feng provided help defense all over the perimeter, forming a formidable net with Green for the Knicks.
Furthermore, Li Feng's passing was sharp, breaking through the Thunder's defense multiple times.
If not for Jokic's inexperience, the Knicks would have dominated the paint.
The fans at Madison Square Garden were overjoyed. They remained in their seats long after the game, cheering continuously.
After all, their opponent was the Western Conference's top team!
This Christmas Day game caused a sensation among the media and fans.
No one expected the struggling Knicks to defeat the Thunder.
Major media outlets featured headlines about the game.
"When the losing Knicks faced the winning Thunder, both winning streaks were snapped."
"Durant scores 37 points in vain; Thunder once again fall to the reigning champions. Is it a matter of skill or a mental block?"
"Li Feng leads new teammates to a strong offensive and defensive performance, defeating the Western Conference's top team, earning respect!"
For the Knicks, this victory was a timely godsend, sweeping away their recent slump.
The pressure on D'Antoni also eased considerably.
If they had lost this game, his coaching position might have been in jeopardy.
Only Li Feng remained calm.
He saw that the team still had many issues to address.
For example, Jokic's defense and offensive rhythm were still very immature.
He had potential, but his current skill level was indeed lacking.
With one-third of the season already played, Li Feng didn't know how much Jokic could improve before the playoffs.
However, Green had brought Li Feng a great deal of pleasant surprise.
Draymond's defense was truly a treasure.
Curry, under tight defense, was still somewhat limited.
But Curry had improved greatly, and Li Feng was helping him progress towards his peak form!
If Li Feng could reach the level of Curry in the 15th and 16th seasons of his previous life, he would be truly invincible.
The third Christmas Day game was between the Spurs and the Lakers.
After being swept 4-0 by the Mavericks in the 2011 season, the Lakers had been in decline and unable to recover.
Playing at home, the Lakers were outplayed by the Spurs throughout the entire game.
Although Kobe played well, the Spurs, with the combined efforts of their Big Three, maintained a firm advantage.
Ultimately, the Spurs defeated the Lakers by 18 points.
Kobe scored 32 points in the game, but it was to no avail.
After the Christmas Day games, the Knicks' performance improved, and they won two more games.
The Knicks' ranking rose to eighth in the Eastern Conference.
However, the Knicks were about to face another heavyweight opponent—
The Golden State Warriors.