While D'Antoni's run-and-gun tactics were the trend in modern basketball, his ability to adapt on the fly was still lacking.
If not for Li Feng's on-court improvisations and impromptu commands, the Knicks would have suffered many more losses.
During halftime, D'Antoni entered the locker room.
He rarely visited the locker room during games, as he was confident with Li Feng and Yao Ming present.
However, today, the pressure exerted by the Mavericks was too intense, prompting Coach D'Antoni to feel the need to say something.
This was because he noticed Li Feng seemed a bit lost.
In fact, Li Feng's expression was somewhat blank and dazed because he was recalling memories from before his transmigration – the playoff series where the Mavericks defeated the Heat's Big Three.
It was a thrilling and exhilarating experience!
Thus, Li Feng was momentarily lost in thought.
Coach D'Antoni entered the locker room, clapped his hands, and said loudly, "Kids, don't forget, you are the defending champions! No team can easily defeat you. As long as you play to your true potential, victory will surely be ours!"
The players were motivated by this pep talk, and it had a good effect.
At the very least, Li Feng was awakened and resolved to face the Mavericks' defense seriously.
"Coach, brothers, in the second half, we need to play aggressively. I might pass some more difficult passes while increasing the offensive intensity. Everyone needs to stay focused!"
The teammates understood; Li Feng was about to unleash his full power.
But no matter how fierce Li Feng became, basketball was a team sport. When Li Feng was subjected to intense double-teams, his teammates needed to step up and punish the opponents!
"Alright, let's go!"
"Knicks win!"
...
The second half of the game began.
From the start, Li Feng displayed an intense will to win. He used a pick-and-roll to drive to the basket, threw himself into the air, and drew two free throws.
This was an unusual playstyle for Li Feng, but it was a necessary tactic.
He made both free throws, reducing the deficit back to 14 points.
The Mavericks went on offense, and the ball was passed to Nowitzki again.
The Knicks had no player who could defend Nowitzki because he was too tall. Yao Ming couldn't constantly guard Dirk on the three-point line.
And Yao Ming was needed to anchor the paint.
Nowitzki faced Stoudemire and resolutely took a three-point shot!
Swish!
Nowitzki was in great form, hitting another three-pointer!
The lead was extended to 17 points.
Li Feng shook his head in frustration. He had no open three-point looks at the moment; Marion and Kidd were like sticky candy, glued to Li Feng, starting from mid-court.
On the Knicks' offense, Li Feng decided not to hold the ball. He pointed to Lowry, signaling him to initiate the offense.
Lowry was a bit nervous. He faced Caron Butler and opted to drive.
However, Butler, with his height and long arms, completely denied Lowry any opportunities for layups or passes.
Lowry drove left and right, but it was a futile waste of time.
With only 4 seconds left on the shot clock, he had no choice but to pass the ball to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming found it difficult to play against Chandler, and Nowitzki suddenly came to double-team.
With limited time left, Yao Ming could only force up a shot, which missed. Butler grabbed the rebound.
Butler immediately initiated a fast break.
Kidd and Marion were both capable of pushing the tempo, and they surged up the court from both flanks.
Despite Li Feng and Lowry's best efforts to get back on defense, the Mavericks' counter-attack was also sharp. With quick passes, Marion ultimately scored on a layup.
The lead widened to 19 points.
The Mavericks' home crowd was ecstatic; they were facing the defending champions!
In the third quarter, the Knicks were expected to mount a comeback, but instead, the Mavericks, with a targeted strategy, went on a run.
D'Antoni was starting to panic. He wanted to call a timeout, but less than a minute had passed in the third quarter.
Li Feng calmed himself and told his teammates not to panic, urging them to play another good possession.
The Mavericks' morale was soaring, and their defense became even more intense, making it difficult for the Knicks.
In the following few possessions, Li Feng continued to score through his own offense, but his efficiency was clearly lower than the Mavericks'.
The score remained around 20 points, making it impossible to catch up.
With 9 minutes and 37 seconds left in the third quarter, the score was 87:68, with the Knicks trailing by 19 points.
D'Antoni noticed that Li Feng, known for his excellent stamina, was panting heavily.
This showed how hard Li Feng was fighting in this game.
D'Antoni quickly called a timeout, preparing to bring in the reserves to hold on for a bit.
Li Feng was indeed very tired. He sat down on the bench, slowly drinking water, and looked at the scoreboard, sighing.
It was no wonder the Mavericks could defeat the Heat's Big Three; they were truly strong!
The Mavericks also began substituting their reserves.
Billups, with his veteran experience, immediately set the tone with a trailing three-pointer upon entering the game!
However, the Mavericks' Terry immediately responded with an unguardable three-pointer.
Li Feng watched from the sidelines and managed a wry smile. Terry was truly the Mavericks' "bench bandit," incredibly fierce.
By the time it was over four minutes into the fourth quarter, the Mavericks still led by 21 points.
The Knicks' hope for a comeback was slim. D'Antoni didn't want Li Feng to play anymore, but Li Feng insisted on returning to the court to try again!
Reluctantly, D'Antoni put Li Feng and some other starters back on the court, but Yao Ming did not play because he had just returned from an injury, and the team doctor advised that his playing time should not exceed 30 minutes.
After returning to the court, Li Feng was highly focused and instructed his teammates to change their defensive strategy.
For instance, against Nowitzki, he had Bill Walker guard him with an "on-ball" defense, preventing him from receiving the ball even if it resulted in a foul.
Additionally, he had Scola position himself to disrupt Nowitzki's base.
The results proved that Nowitzki found this defensive tactic very difficult.
Concurrently, Li Feng and Lowry exchanged a few words, and he asked Lowry to intensify his perimeter defense, preventing Kidd from initiating the offense.
The Knicks' sudden tactical shift caught the Mavericks off guard.
Nowitzki, caught between double-teams from the front and back, committed frequent turnovers. Under Li Feng's organization, the Knicks executed long-awaited fast breaks.
Within a few minutes, the deficit was narrowed to within 10 points by the Knicks.
The score was 97:88, with the Mavericks leading by only 9 points.
Carlisle immediately called a timeout, shocked by the Knicks' strategic adjustment.
The Mavericks, with their lofty ambitions this season, and Carlisle, with his own drive, only worried about the Knicks.
Even before the fourth quarter began, Carlisle had predicted a scoring run from the Knicks.
What was expected had indeed arrived!
Nowitzki was furious, feeling the Knicks' defense was fouling, but the referees were not blowing their whistles.
Carlisle said to Nowitzki, "Dirk, you can post up deeper. That way, the Knicks' defense will hesitate, and since Yao Ming is not on the court, they'll also have to worry about Chandler."
Nowitzki immediately understood; his coach was telling him to put the Knicks' defense in a difficult position.
After the timeout, Nowitzki made his move on offense, dropping deep into the post to demand the ball.
Meanwhile, Chandler was also battling for position in the paint.
This created a situation where the Knicks' defensive resources were stretched thin.
Nowitzki seized the opportunity, received the ball, and took the shot directly, making it!
Carlisle, indeed a tactical master, used Nowitzki's height advantage to dismantle the Knicks' defensive strategy.
Li Feng sighed again; the Mavericks were truly a precision-engineered machine, incredibly perfect.
As time in the fourth quarter dwindled, the deficit did not shrink further, remaining around 15 points.
With 1 minute and 46 seconds left in the game, the score was 107:93, and the Knicks' chances were gone.
D'Antoni substituted Li Feng and several other starters.
Li Feng played 38 minutes today, giving his all, but the Mavericks played a perfect game, not only shooting well but also executing their strategy flawlessly, suppressing the Knicks.
Ultimately, the Mavericks defeated the defending champion Knicks on their home court.
Li Feng played 38 minutes today, scoring 34 points. Nowitzki played 36 minutes and scored 43 points.
Based on the statistics, Nowitzki had a superior performance, but Li Feng did more on defense and playmaking, accumulating 13 assists and 4 steals today.
After the game, Li Feng and Nowitzki embraced tightly, with Nowitzki offering words of comfort.
"Li Feng, one regular-season game means nothing. You are still the best. Keep fighting for the championship!"
"Thank you. It will be tough this year, with many strong teams. But you Mavericks will definitely make it out of the West, and you too, keep it up!"
Nowitzki was taken aback. Although he was confident and ambitious about the Mavericks this year, Li Feng's sudden words were unexpected.
"This... Li Feng, you're not trying to fool me, are you? It's too hard to get out of the West."
Li Feng smiled mysteriously, patted Nowitzki's arm, and encouraged him, "Believe in yourselves. You will definitely make it out of the West. If we can also make it out of the East, then I'll see you in the Finals!"
With that, Li Feng turned and left, leaving Nowitzki standing alone, bewildered...
The media did not lambast the Knicks for this loss, especially since Yao Ming had just returned from injury, and the Knicks were playing away.
Furthermore, the Mavericks were among the top teams in the Western Conference, trailing the Spurs by only 1.5 games and the Knicks by half a game.
After defeating the Knicks, the Mavericks' win percentage surpassed that of the Knicks.
Li Feng spoke to the media after the game.
Seeing Li Feng's dejected expression, the reporter cautiously asked, "Mr. Li Feng, what do you think was the biggest reason for this loss?"
Li Feng took a deep breath and replied slowly, "There are many reasons. The biggest reason is Nowitzki. He is a great player. This game belonged to Dirk."
The reporter then asked, "Li Feng, are you satisfied with your performance? Do you think you have a chance to win against the Mavericks next time?"
Li Feng frowned, tapped the table, and raised his voice, "Of course, we have a chance to win. We are the defending champions. Are we that fragile?"
The reporter quickly changed the topic, "What do you think of Yao Ming's performance in his return today? Has his body fully recovered?"
Li Feng nodded, "Yao Ming's body is fine. The decision in the fourth quarter was mainly based on the doctor's advice not to let him play too long. However, in the next game, there will be no time restrictions for him."
...
Despite his disappointment, Li Feng still insisted on giving interviews.
The Knicks' next game was an away match against the New Orleans Hornets in the West.
The New Orleans Hornets were later renamed the Pelicans.
The Hornets' star player was Chris Paul.
As an all-time great point guard, Paul had already received multiple All-NBA First Team selections, All-Defensive First Team selections, and had won multiple scoring titles and assist titles.
Although only 1.83 meters tall, Paul was a giant in terms of his ability to organize the team!
In the previous season, the Knicks had won both of their matchups against the New Orleans Hornets, but Paul had not played in one of them, and Li Feng had not played in the other, resulting in a narrow victory for the Knicks.
This season, the Hornets were still hovering around the playoff picture, so their overall strength was certainly not as strong as the Knicks'.
Paul was in good physical condition recently and performing well. Li Feng was also eager to compete against Paul head-to-head.
...
New Orleans Arena, 8 PM.
The Knicks faced the New Orleans Hornets on the road.
The Hornets' starting lineup consisted of Paul, David West, Ariza, Belinelli, and Okafor.
The Knicks' starting five were Li Feng, Yao Ming, Stoudemire, Scola, and Lowry.
Okafor secured the first possession for the Hornets, and Paul brought the ball up the court.
Li Feng immediately stepped up and blocked Paul's path.
Paul, a highly competitive superstar, had been eager to face Li Feng last season when he didn't have the chance.
Finally, seeing Li Feng lead the Knicks to the Finals, Paul had developed a newfound respect for him.
However, as an all-time great player, Paul still hoped to defeat Li Feng and the Knicks.
Facing Li Feng's defense, Paul played steadily, turning his body sideways and dribbling past half-court.
Li Feng discovered that despite his quick hands and superior wingspan over Paul, he had no opportunity to steal the ball from Paul.
No wonder Paul was called the "God of Point Guards"; he was incredibly steady.
Paul, under Li Feng's defense, passed the ball to David West.
West, guarded by Stoudemire, executed a turnaround jumper and scored 2 points.
There was no helping it; while "Big Baby" possessed unparalleled offensive skills when facing the basket, his defense was indeed average.
2:0!
The Hornets immediately delivered a warning shot to the Knicks.
On the Knicks' offense, Li Feng dribbled past half-court, and Paul defended him one-on-one.
Based on Li Feng's understanding of Paul, he knew Paul's limitations were his astonishing organizational skills, but his personal scoring ceiling was not high.
This was why, years later, he still hadn't won a championship.
Li Feng intended to show Paul today that for a guard to win a championship, personal scoring ability must be strong!
Therefore, facing Paul's one-on-one defense, Li Feng opted not to pass. Instead, he utilized his "offensive kaleidoscope" skills, stepping across and pulling up for a three-pointer!
Swish!
Nothing but net!
Paul could only watch helplessly as Li Feng sank the shot.
"An inch longer, an inch stronger!"
Li Feng was slightly taller than Paul, and his longer arms allowed him to score in the simplest way.
Despite multiple Defensive First Team selections, Paul was still unable to defend Li Feng one-on-one.
3:2, the Knicks took the lead.
Paul reacted quickly. After Li Feng scored, he knew that defending him one-on-one was impossible. Therefore, he signaled to his teammate Belinelli, asking him to double-team Li Feng later.