When Yao Ming hadn't lost weight, this move was quite useful.
Now that Yao Ming was much lighter, his turns were even faster!
Bynum was caught off guard by Yao Ming's move and was out of position. By the time he tried to defend again, it was too late.
Yao Ming slammed the ball with both hands for a dunk, and at the same time, the referee's whistle blew.
*Whistle!*
It was called a blocking foul on Bynum, a 2+1!
In the battle inside the paint, foul counts were their lifeline.
Whoever could stay on the court the longest would be the victor.
Bynum looked helpless, lowering his head as he walked away.
Yao Ming excitedly clenched his fist and high-fived his teammates, exuding incredible confidence!
Seeing Yao Ming in such good form, Li Feng decided to start with inside play in the first quarter and focus his energy on organizing and defense for himself.
As long as they could keep pace with the Lakers in the first half, they would have a good chance of winning in the second half.
After making the decision, Li Feng intensified his efforts to defend Kobe and simultaneously organized his teammates to focus their offense around Yao Ming.
Yao Ming and the Lakers were old rivals. After being defeated by the Lakers in the second round last time, he had been harboring resentment.
Meeting them again in the Finals this year presented a perfect opportunity for revenge.
Therefore, with the cooperation of his Knicks teammates, Yao Ming wreaked havoc in the Lakers' interior, scoring relentlessly with various offensive techniques.
This included two three-pointers from the corners.
Bynum had experienced Yao Ming's three-point ability during the regular season, but he had assumed Yao Ming was just playing around occasionally.
To his surprise, in the Finals, Yao Ming was even more determined with his three-point shots!
With over seven minutes played in the first quarter, the score was 14:12, with the Knicks leading by 2 points.
Yao Ming alone had scored 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Li Feng had only attempted one shot for 2 points, but he had 3 assists and 2 steals, one of which was against Kobe during his drive.
After being stripped, Kobe, enraged, immediately attempted a steal back. However, his excessive physicality resulted in a foul call from the referee.
Phil Jackson had studied Li Feng thoroughly, yet he still couldn't understand why Li Feng wasn't going head-to-head with Kobe in the first quarter.
Could a rookie truly endure such restraint?
Every player entering the league viewed matchups against Kobe as a prime opportunity to prove themselves.
They wanted to demonstrate that their offense was just as potent as Kobe's.
Wasn't it the nature of youth to be spirited?
Yet, Li Feng remained unperturbed. Apart from his vigorous defense, he seemed invisible on offense.
He had only managed to score against Kobe at the very beginning.
"Is this young Chinese player going to save his energy for the second half?" Phil Jackson murmured to himself.
Even more bewildered than Jackson was Kobe.
He felt like he was punching cotton.
Li Feng wasn't engaging him in an offensive shootout, only relentlessly defending.
But Li Feng's constant movement off the ball was tormenting Kobe, draining his stamina, while Li Feng himself refused to receive the ball.
After a few possessions, Kobe seemed to grasp Li Feng's strategy: playing the waiting game, conserving energy.
"Li Feng, dare you have a scoring contest with me?" Kobe resorted to psychological provocation.
To his surprise, Li Feng completely ignored Kobe, muttering, "Boring..."
Kobe: "..."
On the Lakers' final possession of the first quarter, Kobe sank a difficult pull-up three-pointer, giving them the lead.
In the second quarter, both teams fielded their reserve lineups.
While the Lakers' bench was strong, the Knicks' reserves had developed remarkably quickly.
After several playoff battles, Lowry had developed into a player nearing his peak form.
The reserve units from both teams engaged in a tight contest, with neither side shooting efficiently, leading to a somewhat chaotic game.
Although Kobe's statistics were significantly better than Li Feng's after the first quarter, anyone watching the game could see that Li Feng's influence on the game was far from insignificant.
With over five minutes played in the second quarter, the score was 37:36, with the Lakers leading by 1 point.
Phil Jackson called a timeout, preparing to bring in his starters.
Mike D'Antoni also made tactical adjustments.
At this point, Li Feng again requested that Yao Ming rest longer, and he would lead the other teammates in accelerating the pace.
D'Antoni and Li Feng had employed this strategy frequently in the playoffs: alternating between fast and slow tempos, shifting the offensive and defensive rhythm.
The advantages of this approach were twofold: it made it difficult for opponents to defend and maintain their stamina, and it allowed Yao Ming to get more rest, ensuring he could perform in the critical moments of the fourth quarter.
Yao Ming had faced this issue during his time with the Rockets; in the fourth quarter, his stamina would be limited, and his offensive and defensive efficiency would decrease.
This was not Yao Ming's fault; with his immense build, it was physically impossible for him to exert maximum effort for four full quarters.
The Lakers understood the situation when Yao Ming sat out.
However, they weren't overly concerned about the accelerated pace, as Bynum and Gasol were both quite agile.
Li Feng's first two fast-break attempts were thwarted by the Lakers' quick transition defense, forcing them into half-court sets.
Li Feng was inwardly shocked, realizing that the Finals were indeed a tough challenge!
"Heh heh, want to speed things up? You'll have to get past me first!" Kobe continued to taunt Li Feng.
Although Li Feng was mentally mature, he was still young, and being provoked by Kobe repeatedly began to wear on him.
"Fine, I'll speed things up then. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
As soon as Li Feng finished speaking, he suddenly accelerated, shaking off Kobe and calling for the ball.
Scola immediately passed the ball back, and Kobe once again blocked Li Feng's path.
Li Feng dribbled between his legs and drove to the left, with Kobe sliding his feet to keep up.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng stopped the dribble and changed direction to the right, with Kobe keeping pace again.
Just as everyone thought Li Feng wouldn't be able to shake off Kobe, Li Feng executed an exaggerated crossover, leaving Kobe half a step behind.
Kobe was stunned; this was Allen Iverson's signature move.
After Iverson, many had tried to imitate it, but none had managed to capture its essence.
Li Feng, however, not only mastered the essence but also surpassed the original, delivering a more explosive performance!
"This guy is even faster than Iverson!" Kobe exclaimed, accelerating to catch up.
But once Li Feng got going, Kobe couldn't keep up.
With two quick steps, Li Feng drove into the paint.
Feeling Kobe closing in behind him, Li Feng decided to set up Kobe for a fall.
*Bang!*
Li Feng braked suddenly and then shot the ball.
Kobe, unable to evade, crashed directly into Li Feng's back. Li Feng added a touch of theatrics, falling to the ground.
*Whistle!*
The referee blew his whistle, calling a charging foul on Kobe. Simultaneously, the ball, which Li Feng had thrown almost casually, dropped into the basket.
A 2+1!
Kobe was furious, glaring fiercely at Li Feng. He knew Li Feng had done it intentionally and that he had fallen for the trap.
Li Feng slowly got up, surrounded by his concerned teammates asking about his injury. Li Feng shook his head, indicating he was fine.
Kobe grumbled from the sidelines, "Wouldn't be surprised if you were..."
Li Feng stood at the free-throw line and sank the additional free throw.
Unwilling to be outdone, Kobe intended to retaliate.
He dribbled across half-court and, facing Li Feng's tight defense, faked a move, trying to draw Li Feng into the air.
As soon as Li Feng jumped, Kobe planned to drive into him and shoot, also earning a 2+1!
However, Li Feng didn't take the bait. He had seen through Kobe's feint long ago and simply maintained his position, blocking Kobe's driving lane, completely unmoving.
After all his efforts were in vain and Li Feng didn't bite, Kobe reluctantly retreated to the three-point line, hoping to end the possession with a triple.
Li Feng immediately signaled to Du Hong. Du Hong abandoned Fisher and, along with Li Feng, double-teamed Kobe.
Kobe was caught completely off guard by Du Hong's double-team; he hadn't even seen it coming.
Fisher frantically shouted a warning, but it was too late. Du Hong's hand was already reaching out to steal the ball.
Kobe was Kobe; his individual skill and game experience were at their peak.
Seeing a hand reaching for the ball out of his peripheral vision, he immediately pressed down on his wrist, quickly transitioning the ball to his left side, evading Du Hong's steal attempt.
However, while he dodged Du Hong's reach, he couldn't evade Li Feng's steal.
As Du Hong lunged, Li Feng simultaneously made his move. The instant Kobe changed direction, Li Feng's hand flashed out like lightning, poking the ball.
Kobe was shocked and quickly tried to recover the ball, but Li Feng was a fraction of a second faster, securing possession and launching a counter-attack!
*Bang!*
Li Feng sprinted across half-court and slammed home a dunk. Kobe couldn't catch up and could only watch.
With 7 minutes and 14 seconds left in the second quarter, the score was 43:36, with the Knicks leading by 7 points.
These 7 points were almost entirely contributed by Li Feng alone.
Under the combined defensive pressure from Li Feng and his teammates, Kobe was struggling, losing his superstar aura.
Kobe was an extremely competitive individual and couldn't stand being outplayed by the player guarding him!
In the ensuing possessions, Kobe grew increasingly frustrated and resorted to forcing shots.
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
*Swish!*
...
He made 2 out of 5 shots, with his efficiency not being high.
The point differential gradually widened. By the end of the second quarter, the Lakers were trailing by 11 points.
Kobe was truly starting to panic.
With 14 seconds left in the second quarter, on the Lakers' final possession, Kobe called for a screen. Both Bynum and Odom managed to screen off Li Feng.
Kobe seized the opportunity to drive to the basket and execute a powerful dunk!
The deficit narrowed back to single digits, a difference of 9 points.
Li Feng was helpless against such plays from Kobe; Kobe's explosive power was immense.
Entering halftime.
In the China Sports Channel broadcast booth, Yu Jia and Zhang指导 were providing commentary.
The atmosphere of the commentary today was somewhat unusual. As everyone knew, Zhang指导 was a devoted fan of Kobe.
Normally, commentators were expected to remain neutral, unless there was a Chinese player involved.
However, whenever Kobe was on the court, Zhang指导 never hesitated to shower him with praise.
But today, Zhang指导 managed to restrain his bias towards Kobe, and in his commentary, he clearly showed more favoritism towards the Knicks.
"Zhang指导, Kobe scored 19 points in the first half, and Li Feng scored 16 points. Who do you think performed better?"
Zhang指导 thought for a moment and replied, "Although Kobe has three more points, it's obvious that Li Feng's efficiency is higher, and he's been more outstanding in defense and playmaking!"
Yu Jia chuckled and teased, "Zhang指导, this isn't like you, haha!"
Zhang指导 smiled awkwardly, "I'm just stating the facts. Kobe's efficiency isn't as high as Li Feng's, but Kobe is also performing excellently. There's no contradiction there!"
"Yes, indeed. Scoring 19 points in a half in the Finals is an amazing statistic. We'll have to see if the Lakers can mount a comeback in the second half; the deficit isn't too large yet."
Zhang指导 nodded, "The Lakers still have a lot of resilience. They will definitely launch a counter-attack in the third quarter. The Knicks currently have an advantage: Yao Ming's stamina is abundant, as he didn't play in the second quarter and got to rest."
Yu Jia heartily agreed, "Exactly. Yao Ming is thirty years old. This way of utilizing him is truly reasonable. I estimate Yao Ming's peak could continue for another three years!"
"That's absolutely true. Yao Ming leaving the Rockets and coming to the Knicks was a very wise decision."
"Ah, actually, I'm an old Rockets fan. When I heard Yao Ming was leaving the Rockets, I was quite perplexed."
"Yao Ming is a person who values relationships. He made this decision after careful consideration."
"Indeed, if it were another player, they would have left long ago. Only Yao Ming hesitated for so long before departing."
"I can guarantee that without Li Feng, Yao Ming might not have left!"
"Very likely."
...
In the Lakers' locker room, Kobe sat on his seat with a grim expression, remaining silent.
Pau Gasol felt the oppressive atmosphere in the locker room and quickly tried to lighten the mood.
"Brothers, we're only down by 9 points. It's nothing! We battled the Spurs for seven games; this is nothing compared to that!"
Lamar Odom added, "That's right. In our Western Conference Finals, there were at least two games where we were down by more than 10 points at halftime, and we caught up in the third quarter, didn't we?"
To cheer up Kobe, his teammates started chatting amongst themselves.
Kobe's expression improved considerably. He was mainly blaming himself because Li Feng had scored quite a few points in the second quarter while being guarded by him.
"Brothers, I didn't play well. We absolutely must catch up in the third quarter. I'll focus on driving more. When I pass to you, please, you must shoot decisively. It's okay if you miss!"
Seeing the determined look in Kobe's eyes, the Lakers players nodded vigorously.
Kobe's competitiveness was too strong; he certainly wouldn't be satisfied with last year's championship.
Back-to-back championships, or a three-peat, were Kobe's ultimate goals!
...
After the halftime break, the third quarter began.
The starting lineups from both teams re-entered the court to continue the game.
The Lakers players were brimming with determination, and led by Kobe, they launched a fierce offensive from the outset.
However, Li Feng and Yao Ming were prepared, rapidly increasing their defensive intensity by two levels.
Despite Kobe's constant drives to the basket, they weren't converted into many points.
Conversely, Li Feng capitalized on defensive rebounds for fast breaks, scoring several times.
The point differential began to widen again.
Kobe was truly getting desperate.
He signaled to his teammates and changed his approach.
Kobe stopped driving and instead began firing from beyond the three-point line consecutively!
Although Kobe was taking a considerable number of three-point shots, he was still an old-school player, and he wouldn't easily resort to three-pointers on the Finals stage.
But there was no other option; if they couldn't close the gap in the third quarter, they would be in trouble in the fourth.
Therefore, Kobe took a gamble and shot three-pointers one after another.
Kobe was Kobe; when he went on a rampage, it was as if he had divine assistance.
*Bang, bang, bang!* Four consecutive unguardable three-pointers quickly narrowed the deficit to 2 points.
Mike D'Antoni was terrified and immediately called a timeout.
In fact, he should have called a timeout earlier, but he was stubborn, believing that Kobe's shooting touch wasn't that great today and he wouldn't be that accurate.