De'Anthony was also troubled by Nowitzki. In the previous few games, double-teaming might have had some effect.
But in Game 4, Nowitzki exploded with astonishing energy.
Double-teaming lost its effect on him. Through active off-ball movement and exceptional shooting ability, he treated defenders as nothing!
This performance had already surpassed many superstars.
Li Feng's suggestion was to be more physical with Nowitzki, even if it meant fouling.
Although Nowitzki was strong, he wasn't a muscle man. With more physical contact, his shooting would surely decline.
However, the Knicks' tall interior players were only Yao Ming and Jordan Hill, plus Mozgov.
Mozgov, due to his slower speed, had barely played in the Finals.
Both of them thought of him.
"Coach, let Mozgov go up against the German, he has a lot of strength."
De'Anthony nodded repeatedly. He thought this suggestion was good.
"We also have Anthony Randolph. The young man is quite strong too, let him play with Mozgov."
"Yes, but they can't play for too long. We can try it in the first half."
...
With a strategy in place, Li Feng's mood improved significantly.
The next day, the entire Knicks team arrived in Dallas, preparing for the crucial Game 5.
The Knicks had played many Game 5s before, winning more than they lost.
But this game was very important for the Knicks, because the reporters were right in saying that the Mavericks were gaining momentum.
Nowitzki's sudden outburst could potentially sweep the Knicks.
...
Game 5, the pivotal match, began.
The Knicks' starting lineup was Yao Ming, Li Feng, Amar'e Stoudemire, Bill Walker, and Ty Lawson.
The Mavericks' starting five were Nowitzki, Marion, Chandler, Stevenson, and Kidd.
In the first 3 minutes and some seconds of the first quarter, Nowitzki only took 2 shots, making 1.
Seeing Nowitzki's weak offensive drive, De'Anthony did not rush to substitute any bench players.
Both teams fought fiercely, and the score remained very close.
At the 5-minute mark, the game went into an official timeout with the Knicks leading 11-10 by one point.
After the timeout, De'Anthony substituted both Yao Ming and Stoudemire, bringing in Mozgov and Randolph.
This was because Nowitzki was definitely going to exert himself.
Nowitzki was thinking the same thing. He hoped to take the lead in the first quarter on their home court.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped onto the court, he found two unfamiliar faces beside him.
He sensed something was wrong.
Indeed, just as Nowitzki reached out to receive the ball, Mozgov slammed into his shoulder.
Of course, the intensity was between a foul and not a foul, with no intent to injure.
Nowitzki was so shaken that he couldn't even stand steadily, let alone catch the ball.
Because it was the Finals, the referees did not blow the whistle, allowing this level of physicality.
In 2011, the league did not have as many ticky-tack fouls, so this kind of physicality was encouraged, especially in the Finals.
Seeing this situation, other Mavericks players had to give up passing to the German and initiated offense themselves.
Fortunately, the other Mavericks players had good offensive efficiency and could still score.
Meanwhile, Li Feng started to erupt, scoring consecutively.
The Knicks gained a slight advantage.
Carlisle called a timeout and devised a strategy: have other players set screens to block Mozgov.
But the Knicks were prepared. If Mozgov was screened off, there was still Randolph.
Although Randolph was not as tall as the German, he was also strong. Bang, bang...
This also made Nowitzki very uncomfortable.
In the latter part of the first quarter, Nowitzki only received the ball twice and missed both shots.
Although his second shot was called a foul on Randolph, and Nowitzki made both free throws, overall, he was playing uncomfortably.
The Knicks' objective was achieved.
They wanted to make him uncomfortable!
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 31-23, with the Knicks leading by 8 points.
Nowitzki attempted 6 shots and made 2, a significantly lower shooting percentage than in his previous games.
Although he scored 5 points from free throws, his offensive rhythm was disrupted, and the muscles in his shoulders and arms were sore from the collisions.
At the start of the second quarter, the Mavericks' bench played well, closing the gap by a few points.
At 4 minutes and 31 seconds, the score was 37-33, with the Knicks leading by only 4 points.
The Knicks first brought in some starters: Li Feng, Yao Ming, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups, and Luis Scola.
The Mavericks were still playing their bench lineup, and Nowitzki had not returned to the court.
Led by Li Feng, this lineup clearly had the advantage. First, Li Feng and a fireplace-like defender (assuming "壁炉" is a nickname for a defensive player) locked down Jason Terry.
On the offensive end, Yao Ming and Scola played important roles, frequently driving to the paint for scores.
The point difference quickly widened to 8 points.
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Mavericks head coach Carlisle quickly brought in his starters.
As soon as Nowitzki came back on the court, De'Anthony again sent Mozgov and Randolph into the game.
Nowitzki felt a headache seeing these two.
The game continued.
Mozgov had committed 2 fouls in the first quarter, but he didn't care. He was a deep bench player, and he would rest after his duty.
Randolph had 1 foul and cared even less. He hadn't played in the playoffs, and being in the Finals was enough for him.
Nowitzki was subjected to continuous physical contact again.
The Mavericks players had fiery tempers. They could tell that the Knicks were doing this intentionally, so they provoked Mozgov.
But Mozgov didn't care at all. He understood his mission and ignored any provocation.
Nowitzki's muscles were sore from the collisions. Even when he received the ball, his shooting accuracy began to decline.
Furthermore, due to his extended playing time in Game 4, his stamina had not fully recovered.
Seeing Nowitzki in so much discomfort, Carlisle simply substituted him out.
After Nowitzki left the court, the Mavericks players seemed to have lost their anchor, and their shooting accuracy also dropped.
Li Feng was invigorated. He hadn't expected this unconventional strategy to be so effective.
The Knicks then pressed their advantage, going on a 9-2 run to extend the lead to 17 points.
Carlisle had no choice but to call another timeout.
At this point, there were still more than 2 minutes left in the first half.
If the Mavericks didn't pick up the pace, the Knicks would extend the lead to 20+.
The Knicks players were very excited. This was a Game 5!
If they could win by a large margin, it would be a huge boost to the team's morale!
After the timeout, the Mavericks still did not put Nowitzki back in, but they switched to a smaller lineup.
Yao Ming was still on the court for the Knicks.
Seeing this, Li Feng frowned. He seemed to understand what Carlisle was trying to do.
As expected, the Mavericks began to play with a small lineup and increase the pace.
It's worth noting that the Knicks' head coach was De'Anthony, the originator of the run-and-gun offense.
However, with Yao Ming on the court, their speed was still limited.
With the efforts of Jason Terry, J.J. Barea, Marion, Peja Stojakovic, and J.J. Redick, the Mavericks achieved a miraculous effect.
Peja Stojakovic, at 2.06 meters tall, had a hot hand from three-point range, hitting two consecutive three-pointers right in front of Yao Ming.
There was nothing that could be done. Although Yao Ming became much more agile after losing weight, he still couldn't keep up with Peja.
Once Peja got hot, he started passing. Terry, Redick, and Barea were all excellent three-point shooters.
They unleashed tremendous energy at this moment, with an extremely high three-point shooting percentage.
In the remaining 2 minutes of the first half, they responded with a 14-3 run against the Knicks.
At the end of the first half, the score was 63-57, and the difference had narrowed back to 6 points!
They thought the game was going to be a blowout, but they were counter-attacked. Now the Knicks were only leading by 6 points.
This made the Knicks players a bit dejected.
Li Feng was also shocked. He looked at Carlisle, feeling immense admiration.
This was the Finals, and he was truly brave enough to make such a lineup change!
This barrage of three-pointers almost extinguished the Knicks.
...
In the TNT broadcast booth, several commentators were discussing the game.
The commentary lineup today was very strong. Besides the regular guests Barkley and Smith, there were also Reggie Miller, Shaquille O'Neal, and Ray Allen.
O'Neal and Allen were both active players.
"Shaq, how's Li Feng's performance today?" Barkley knew O'Neal would likely mock Li Feng, so he spoke first.
O'Neal curled his lips and replied, "It's passable. The Knicks' strategy today is very strange, using two bench warmers to defend Nowitzki. It worked pretty well in the first half?"
Reggie Miller said, "Nowitzki's stamina is an issue. He's not as divine as in Game 4."
Ray Allen shook his head, "Stamina is one thing, but the Knicks' defense is too ferocious. And for the bench players, Mozgov and Randolph don't fear fouls. They'd rather send Nowitzki to the free-throw line."
Smith nodded, "If this strategy was D'Antoni's idea, then it's brilliant. This strategy is very similar to 'hack-a-Shaq'."
Mentioning hack-a-Shaq, O'Neal's "sensitive spot" was touched again.
"Hey, this is completely different from hack-a-Shaq! They're just using rough defense against Nowitzki. I think Nowitzki is too honest. He should have faked a fall to protest."
Although O'Neal said that, he still admired Nowitzki.
Because the German didn't try to draw fouls with minor contact.
This showed the integrity of the veteran players, who disdained seeking free throws from the referees.
What Nowitzki did was to proactively seek physical contact.
If it were a few years later, he would definitely punish the defenders with a "three-point play foul."
Reggie Miller said, "The other Mavericks players should step up. The run just now was very good. Terry, Peja, Redick, truly amazing."
Barkley also nodded, "Indeed. Carlisle really has the guts to use Peja as a center. Who would dare to use this lineup? But he did it, and it worked!"
As a three-point shooter himself, Ray Allen was deeply impressed by Terry. He said, "Terry's three-point percentage in the playoffs reached 45%, higher than in the regular season. That's really good!"
The guests discussed heatedly, but no one made predictions because both sides had their unique strategies and were countering each other.
It was hard to say who would ultimately win.
...
The second half of the game began.
Since Yao Ming was the first to enter the court in the third quarter, Nowitzki seized the opportunity to shoot.
However, Yao Ming did not shy away from fouling just because he was a starter.
Yao Ming had a very high basketball IQ. He knew how important Nowitzki was to the Mavericks, so he also began to actively collide with Nowitzki and play physical defense against him.
Bang!
Bang!
Under Yao Ming's physical defense, Nowitzki shot 1 for 3, his efficiency still not high.
Helpless, Nowitzki had to give up his individual offense and let his teammates take over.
The other Mavericks players had good shooting touch, continuing the momentum from the latter half of the second quarter, scoring frequently.
The Knicks, led by Li Feng, were also methodically executing their strategy.
The point difference hovered around 5 points.
It wasn't easy for the Mavericks to catch up.
So, with more than 4 minutes gone in the third quarter, Carlisle again substituted Nowitzki and Chandler, bringing in a smaller lineup.
It was their home court today, and the Mavericks had to win. If they lost today, their situation would be dire when they returned to New York.
After the small lineup entered the court, a three-point shower began again.
J.J. Barea suddenly exploded.
Not only was he hitting consecutive three-pointers on offense, but on defense, he was able to contain Amar'e Stoudemire.
In another parallel universe, Barea was affectionately nicknamed "A Mountain in Puerto Rico" by fans!
And after Li Feng's transmigration, fans also called Barea that after Game 5.
This Mavericks lineup was more offense-oriented than defense, but it was effective.
Although the Knicks were also scoring, the Mavericks' small lineup was clearly scoring more fiercely, shooting too many threes with exceptionally high accuracy.
With more than 7 minutes played in the third quarter, the Mavericks had actually taken a 5-point lead.
De'Anthony couldn't stand it anymore and immediately called a timeout.
"What's going on? Are you just letting them shoot threes like that?" De'Anthony yelled.
The Knicks players hung their heads, not saying a word.
They had tried their best during that stretch.
Li Feng had basically locked down Terry, Lawson had locked down Redick, and Yao Ming had tried his best to chase down Peja.
But Barea stepped up again, hitting consecutive three-pointers.
Who could withstand this!
Li Feng also shook his head helplessly.
No wonder the Mavericks could defeat the Miami Big Three. They were truly too strong.
In that era of 2011, having so many three-point shooters on a team was a rare lineup.
In fact, Terry and Barea's regular season three-point percentages were not high.
Terry's regular season percentage was only 36%, but it rose to 45% in the playoffs.
Barea's regular season and playoff percentages were similar, around 35%. However, in the pivotal Game 5, he shot 4 for 6 from three-point range, an amazing efficiency.
Such extraordinary performances could truly make opponents collapse.
Li Feng sighed inwardly: Was God really helping the Mavericks?
After the timeout, Yao Ming rested on the bench. De'Anthony replaced him with Jordan Hill, whose lateral movement was slightly faster and could keep up with Peja.
The Mavericks still used the same small lineup.
This time, Li Feng personally guarded Barea.
Barea was contained, but Terry exploded again.
In the next few minutes, this guy shot 3 for 4 from three-point range, initiating another run.
Even though Li Feng matched him with two three-pointers, Terry was like a madman and hit the third one.