So!
James passed the ball to Chalmers on the right wing.
Just as Chalmers was about to shoot, Lowry arrived and closed down his space.
With the shot clock winding down, Chalmers had no choice but to pass the ball to Wade.
Wade took a hurried shot, it hit the rim and missed, and Yao Ming secured the rebound.
From these two possessions, Yao Ming's presence in the paint was clearly causing the Heat a lot of trouble.
Yao Ming made a long pass to Li Feng near half-court, and Li Feng drove past half-court.
James was close behind, and he was starting to get anxious.
He had come to the Heat precisely for a championship, and the Knicks, as the reigning champions, were the team he needed to beat!
But the Knicks had taken an early lead, which James couldn't stand.
Li Feng crossed half-court and felt James chasing him.
After all, there was a significant difference in their physique, and James was not slower or weaker than Li Feng.
Therefore, Li Feng didn't force his way through. He entered the three-point line and suddenly slowed down.
James didn't know what Li Feng was planning and immediately took a big stride, blocking Li Feng's path.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng used a crossover and suddenly moved to the left.
Li Feng used his skillful dribbling and control to toy with James.
James couldn't shift his weight as quickly and, in frustration, reached out and grabbed Li Feng's jersey.
But Li Feng suddenly accelerated, and with a tearing sound, his jersey ripped.
At the same time, Li Feng drove to the basket and scored with a layup!
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on James, and Li Feng's basket counted!
2+1!
This play was incredibly aggressive, with Li Feng taking a forceful layup despite the foul that tore his jersey!
James was unconvinced and rushed towards the referee, indicating the foul should have been called earlier.
But the referee remained unmoved, believing Li Feng had already started his gather for the layup.
Wade quickly ran over and pulled James away, otherwise, the referee might have called a technical foul.
Li Feng stood at the free-throw line and made the additional free throw!
5:0!
The Knicks, targeting the Heat's weaknesses right from the start, had an ideal opening.
Heat head coach Spoelstra's expression was grim. He was under immense pressure.
As a rookie coach, having the "Big Three" under his command, playing well was the expected outcome.
Failing to play well would undoubtedly draw criticism.
The Knicks were a potential rival for the Heat, so the Heat had prepared meticulously for this game.
Who would have thought they would be hit with such a blow right at the start, leaving them somewhat stunned.
However, he didn't call a timeout or yell. With Wade and James on the court, two basketball minds, they would make decisions during the game.
As expected, James calmly signaled to his teammates, telling them not to panic.
James dribbled past half-court and, instead of attacking himself, passed the ball to Wade.
Li Feng defended Wade, denying him a clear path to drive. Wade called for a screen and drove towards the baseline.
Bosh cut to the basket, and Wade, with quick eyes, immediately passed the ball to him.
Yao Ming was screened by Dampier and couldn't rotate to help.
Bosh received the pass and scored with a layup, getting 2 points!
The home crowd immediately erupted in cheers as the Heat finally scored.
The advantage of the Big Three was that someone would always step up to score!
In fact, the responsibility for this play lay with Amar'e Stoudemire. He was not focused during the switch and allowed Bosh to exploit the opening.
Stoudemire's help defense was average, which was unavoidable.
The Knicks signed him precisely for his offensive prowess; his defense was just passable.
5:2, the Knicks still led.
The Knicks' offense. Li Feng dribbled past half-court and faced Wade. He also called for a screen.
The Heat were prepared and denied Li Feng a three-point shot, employing a "big switch," with James stepping up to defend Li Feng.
Li Feng accelerated and created half a step of separation from James.
James stayed close to Li Feng, having learned his lesson. He no longer focused on completely blocking Li Feng but used his height to deny him shooting opportunities.
Li Feng found it difficult and had to pass the ball to Lowry.
Lowry drove into the paint, intending to pass to Yao Ming, but Bosh, with quick hands, intercepted the ball.
Although Bosh was shorter than Yao Ming, his mobility was quicker.
Swish!
Bosh passed the ball to James, who, like a truck, drove past half-court, unstoppable.
Li Feng had already started to move, but seeing James's momentum, he gave up on the defense.
Boom!
James executed a tomahawk dunk, scoring 2 points.
The dunk was powerful, and the home crowd jumped up in excitement!
It seemed the Heat's Big Three had recovered and started to close the gap.
5:4!
Li Feng was shocked by the Heat's help defense. Although he had watched the Heat's game footage before the match,
seeing it live on the court, he was even more amazed by their active help defense and strong fast-break ability.
Wade and James rarely missed an opportunity for a fast break.
James's historically great finishing ability made it difficult for the Knicks' defense to contain him.
Of course, if the game fell into half-court sets, Yao Ming still had an advantage over James.
However, both teams played at a fast pace, and there weren't many possessions that reached half-court sets.
The game continued, with the scores remaining close, mostly a one or two-point difference.
At 5:34 into the first quarter, the score was 11:10, with the Knicks leading by 1 point.
It was time for the official timeout.
During the timeout, D'Antoni kept emphasizing the importance of combining inside and outside play.
Because the Heat's perimeter defense was so strong, the Knicks had to stretch their offense, forcing the Heat to defend both inside and out.
Li Feng remained silent but understood in his heart that in games against other teams, he could prioritize his teammates' offense.
But facing the Heat's Big Three, he had to step up!
Contesting against a strong team was the opportunity for a star player to perform.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
The Heat's offense. James once again used a screen to drive into the paint.
Yao Ming came out to help, but James was prepared and immediately passed the ball to Wade.
Wade cut along the baseline, and as Yao Ming was a half-step slow in getting back, he leaped into the air, preparing for a powerful dunk.
During his college years, Wade had his meniscus removed, which led to a slight decline in his athleticism.
However, even so, Wade's explosive physical talent earned him the nickname "Jordan with shorter shorts" from the fans!
His speed was also astonishing, leading to his nickname "The Flash"!
Just as the fans thought Wade was going to dunk, a figure erupted from the middle, rising into the air almost simultaneously with Wade!
Wade saw blackness in front of his eyes, and with a bang, the ball in his hands was swatted out of bounds!
So fast!
Who was that?
When Wade landed, he finally saw it was Li Feng!
Wade had specifically glanced at Li Feng earlier; Li Feng was near the 45-degree angle.
How did he suddenly appear here?
Did Li Feng have teleportation abilities?
The Heat had just over 2 seconds left on the shot clock. Chalmers inbounded the ball from the baseline.
James suddenly shook off Stoudemire's tight defense and drove to the basket. Chalmers immediately passed the ball to him.
Whoosh!
James leaped high and caught the ball for a dunk!
With such height and weight, he had such explosive leaping ability!
Truly historical physical attributes!
Boom!
The Heat scored another two points!
Li Feng shook his head helplessly. He had defended Wade but couldn't defend James.
Knicks' offense.
Li Feng needed to respond.
He dribbled past half-court and beckoned to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming understood and immediately moved to the high post, screening Wade. Li Feng seized the opportunity to drive towards the baseline.
At this moment, James suddenly appeared in front of Li Feng, raising his hands, denying Li Feng a shot.
Li Feng was waiting for James.
As the team's star player, he had to respond to James!
Whoosh!
Li Feng used a crossover dribble to move to the middle. James moved quickly, staying tight on Li Feng.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng suddenly turned and faked a layup.
James was prepared; his specialty was a rim-protecting block.
Just as he leaped high, Li Feng suddenly pulled the ball back, took a step, and flew past James.
James had no time to block the shot.
Boom!
Li Feng soared for a powerful dunk, and it was a dunk over James's shoulder by half a player.
While not a strict posterization, it was a small humiliation.
James's face turned ashen with anger, and he remained silent.
The score remained tight, with neither team able to pull away.
Li Feng's ball-handling possessions increased significantly, but his shot attempts didn't increase much. He passed the ball to open teammates whenever he had the chance.
Fortunately, the Knicks teammates also had good shooting hands today, allowing them to keep pace with the score.
The Heat's Big Three were indeed formidable, ranking among the best in history, and the Knicks were struggling.
Li Feng felt more exhausted than in the previous finals.
By 9:45 into the first quarter, the score was 27:25, with the Knicks leading by 2 points.
Seeing Li Feng more tired than usual, D'Antoni quickly called a timeout and substituted the starters off the court to rest.
In previous games, Li Feng had always played the entire first quarter, but today, he indeed needed a rest.
The Heat's Big Three were also very tired. Although James had the stamina of an iron man, he was involved in both offense and defense, which consumed a lot of energy.
Therefore, Coach Spoelstra also brought in the reserve lineup.
The Heat's reserve lineup didn't have many famous players, but their strength was not weak. James Jones, Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, and Juwan Howard were all practical players.
In terms of overall strength of the reserves, the Knicks were slightly stronger, but the Heat, with the home-court advantage, were shooting well.
Especially Mike Miller, who made a string of three-pointers, catching the Knicks' reserves off guard.
Fortunately, Billups was also angered. He switched to tight defense on Mike Miller, which finally silenced Miller.
Raymond Felton was playing well today, driving to the basket repeatedly and going on a scoring run, catching up to the score.
Li Feng cheered on his teammates from the sidelines, knowing that today's game would be exceptionally tough.
The performance of the reserve unit might set the tone for the rest of the game.
If the reserves lost too many points, it would be difficult for the starters to catch up.
By 5:21 into the second quarter, the score was 42:41, with the Heat leading by 1 point.
Both Spoelstra and D'Antoni didn't dare to be careless and put their starters back in.
The starting lineups of both teams returned to the court, striving to gain a lead in the first half.
Li Feng took the initiative, driving strong to the frontcourt and making an extremely long three-pointer, regaining the lead.
This was the ultimate weapon to crack the Heat's Big Three – the three-point shot!
Because the Heat's interior defense was too formidable.
Just like in soccer, against a packed defense, only a sudden long-range shot could break open the opponent's gate!
Li Feng's extremely long three-pointer made the Heat players a little flustered.
James whispered a few words to Wade.
On the Heat's offense, Wade dribbled past half-court, while James moved to the corner.
This sudden change alerted Li Feng. He directed his teammates to tightly guard James in the corner and told the inside players to secure their positions to prevent the opponent from cutting to the basket.
Wade used a screen and drove into the paint. As expected, James pushed past the defender and cut along the baseline to the basket.
The "LeBron-Dwyane" connection!
Wade faked a lob pass but actually made a bounce pass to James.
After receiving the ball, James didn't hesitate and leaped for a powerful dunk.
Yao Ming and Stoudemire couldn't keep up with his pace and could only watch him dunk.
The Knicks players were shocked, realizing that James seemed to have evolved further after joining the Heat.
Perhaps this was the result of good chemistry, allowing James to play more easily and fluidly.
The score remained tight, with someone on the Heat stepping up every time Li Feng made a shot.
In the next few possessions, Li Feng scored two himself, and assisted one each to Yao Ming and Scola, all of whom made their shots.
However, the Heat also responded without hesitation. Wade, James, and even Chalmers and Bosh, were all able to answer.
It felt like it had come down to a test of willpower, whoever could hold on.
If one side suddenly faltered, they might fall behind and find it difficult to catch up.
Li Feng gritted his teeth and persisted, constantly warning himself not to make mistakes, not to err, because he was the soul of the Knicks.
This wasn't Li Feng being arrogant; it was the reality.
The first half ended with the score at 63:60, the Heat leading by three points.
With just over 4 seconds left in the second quarter, the teams were tied.
But the Heat suddenly substituted in Mike Miller.
Despite Li Feng reminding his teammates to guard him closely, Mike Miller still hit an extremely long three-pointer.
Although there was an element of luck, Mike Miller certainly possessed that ability.
The Knicks players wore solemn expressions as they walked off the court, heads down.
The pressure from the Heat's Big Three was too great.
The players all understood clearly that without Li Feng, the Knicks would have collapsed long ago.
Although Li Feng was physically and mentally exhausted, he still managed a smile, high-fiving his teammates and encouraging them.
"Brothers, don't be discouraged! We'll catch up and turn this around in the second half!"
His teammates didn't reply to Li Feng's words; they lacked confidence.
Yao Ming was a little angry.
Since arriving at the Knicks, he had always been smiling and rarely lost his temper with his teammates.
But seeing the Knicks players so dejected and discouraged, he became furious.
"What's wrong with you guys? We are the defending champions, what is there to be afraid of!"
"Pull yourselves together! We must make a comeback in the second half!"
Under Yao Ming's roar, the Knicks players finally regained their spirit.