It was unfortunate that Chalmers and O’Neal's coordinated intention was too obvious.
The moment O'Neal caught the ball, Li Feng once again cut in from the side.
He abandoned Wade and quickly rotated to help, *smack!*
With a quick steal, he actually stripped the ball from O'Neal's hands!
Wade was speechless.
He had intended to use his gravity to draw Li Feng away, allowing his teammate to run a play.
Who would have thought Li Feng's basketball IQ was so high, making an instant decision to abandon Wade.
O’Neal tried to get the ball back, but his reaction speed was half a beat slower than Li Feng's, and Li Feng had already initiated the counter-attack.
*Whoosh!*
With a long pass, Li Feng sent the ball to Du Hong.
Du Hong and David Lee crossed half-court.
Wade and Beasley quickly retreated to defend, their speed impressive as they blocked Du Hong and David Lee respectively.
Li Feng had also crossed half-court by this time, and David Lee immediately passed the ball back to Li Feng.
This was the Knicks' strategy: when in doubt, give it to Li Feng!
Li Feng received the ball beyond the three-point line and without hesitation, launched a chase-down three-pointer!
Wade's heart sank; he had witnessed Li Feng's incredible long-range three-point ability.
*Swish!*
The three-pointer was good!
The Knicks had taken the lead!
28:26!
The Heat's timeout seemed to have had no effect, and instead, the Knicks scored again.
Wade's on-ball and off-ball plays had both been nullified by Li Feng, leaving Wade speechless.
After the basket, the Heat's home crowd fell silent; Li Feng's three-pointer had become an away-game muffler.
Li Feng's Knicks teammates rushed over to chest bump him in celebration; that basket was a massive morale boost.
No one's chase-down three-pointers were as fierce as Li Feng's.
Only Curry in his previous life had had a similar impact to Li Feng.
The Heat offense, Wade once again held the ball, he was truly fired up.
Being played like this on his home court, how could he maintain his reputation?
So Wade initiated again, driving towards the paint, while Chalmers and Haslem positioned themselves to block Li Feng.
These two players employed constant small fouls, completely tying Li Feng down. Wade seized the opportunity to drive to the basket and threw up a floater!
28 all!
The Heat's home crowd erupted in cheers; it had to be their team captain Wade!
D'Antoni once again complained to the referee, only to be hit with a technical foul.
Wade stood at the free-throw line and made the shot.
29:28!
With 37 seconds left in the first quarter, the Heat had regained a one-point lead.
While Wade was shooting his free throw, Li Feng walked over to coach D'Antoni and advised him a few words.
After all, it was their home court, no need to be so serious.
Knicks offense.
Theoretically, both sides still had one offensive opportunity.
After crossing half-court, Li Feng faced a double-team and passed the ball to Du Hong.
Du Hong understood Li Feng's intention; while Li Feng was being double-teamed, other teammates had to quickly execute a four-on-three.
Barron screened O'Neal, David Lee cut to the baseline for an open shot, and Du Hong quickly passed him the ball.
David Lee was a strong scorer. After receiving the pass, he faked, sending Haslem flying.
Then he drove to the basket and scored with a bank shot!
This offensive possession was fluid and seamless, not even giving the Heat a chance to react.
Wade let out a sigh; he realized his help defense was far inferior to Li Feng's.
In other words, Li Feng's ability to draw double-teams was stronger. Wade dared not leave Li Feng unguarded.
This was because Li Feng's shooting range was too vast, covering the entire frontcourt.
If the Knicks teammates passed the ball back to him, Li Feng could still score.
30:29, the Knicks took a one-point lead!
With 16 seconds left in the first quarter, the Heat had one last offensive chance.
The spectators in the arena stood up, cheering for their home team.
Li Feng's expression was solemn as he directed his teammates; they had to defend this possession.
To lead by one point in the first quarter gave the Knicks a psychological advantage!
Wade held the ball at the top of the arc, facing Li Feng, and quickly called for a double screen.
Single screens could no longer stop Li Feng, as Li Feng's ability to fight through and navigate screens was too strong.
Beasley and Chalmers screened Li Feng, allowing Wade to drive towards the baseline.
Facing David Lee's help defense, Wade executed a classic turn-around, circling back to the middle, and jumped for a floater!
This sequence of moves was smooth and graceful.
Unfortunately, Barron's help defense for the Knicks was excellent. With a sweeping motion, *smack*, he swatted the ball away.
*Beep!*
Unexpectedly, the referee blew his whistle.
Barron looked at the referee innocently, but the referee insisted that Barron had hit Wade's hand.
At this moment, there were 1.3 seconds left in the first quarter.
Wade stood at the free-throw line, taking a deep breath.
*Clang!*
Wade missed his first free throw!
The Heat lost their chance to take the lead.
The Knicks players on the sideline were roaring with laughter, huddling together, constantly trying to distract Wade during his free throws.
However, Wade, being a player for the big moments, steadied himself and made his second free throw.
29:29, tied!
The first quarter ended with both teams tied!
For an ordinary regular-season game, the first quarter was not that important.
But the Heat and the Knicks played with the intensity of a playoff game, refusing to yield an inch.
The duel between Li Feng and Wade attracted the attention of countless fans.
Li Feng played the entire first quarter, scoring 17 points, dishing out 6 assists, and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Wade also played 12 minutes, scoring 14 points, dishing out 3 assists, and grabbing 3 rebounds.
Whether in terms of statistics or individual performance, Li Feng was superior!
Before this game, some media outlets favored Wade.
They were all waiting for Wade to teach Li Feng a lesson and put the top pick in his place.
Who would have thought that Wade would be stunned by Li Feng, his eyes vacant and a little dazed.
The media fell silent.
Yao Ming, who was commentating courtside, was overjoyed.
He and Miller constantly praised Li Feng, while also providing tactical analysis.
Li Feng's impact on the court was immense, and the more they analyzed, the more impressive he seemed!
Wade was exhausted by the end of the first quarter.
Although his stamina was also top-tier, playing 12 minutes and going toe-to-toe with Li Feng had drained him significantly.
Li Feng, to be honest, was also very tired.
However, in the days prior, he had used the system's training methods, which greatly improved his stamina and durability.
Therefore, after sitting for a short while on the sidelines, he could recover.
The matchup between the bench players, on paper, favored the Heat.
But the Knicks employed the run-and-gun offense, and their bench players had received guidance from Li Feng during training, improving rapidly.
They used team coordination to compensate for their individual skill deficiencies.
This allowed the Knicks' bench unit to see an overall increase in strength.
Li Feng and the starters cheered on the bench for their reserve lineup.
On the other hand, Wade sat on the sidelines, his eyes still vacant.
He was still pondering how to limit Li Feng.
Having been in the league for so many years, Wade had faced all sorts of top guards.
No one had ever given him such immense pressure as Li Feng.
Furthermore, after the first quarter, Wade could not find any weaknesses in Li Feng.
Instead, Wade's own weaknesses were being exploited by Li Feng.