On defense, the Mavericks began to pay attention to Lowry, extinguishing the Knicks' second engine.
Chandler contained Yao Ming in the paint.
Bill Walker and Sean Williams were both defensive players with weaker offensive capabilities, so the Knicks' offense sputtered once again.
As the first quarter reached 8 minutes and 42 seconds, the score became 19:18, with the Mavericks taking a one-point lead.
This was the ability of Nowitzki; he was unlike traditional big men, and his playstyle had also changed from his earlier days.
He could not only shoot twos but also threes, and the proportion of threes was increasing, as was his accuracy.
This left defenders helpless; whether he made the shot or not depended on his touch.
During the timeout, Li Feng's brow was furrowed.
The Knicks had played very well today, essentially executing what they had prepared before the game.
However, Nowitzki, single-handedly, was carrying the team forward.
D'Antoni was anxious; this was the Mavericks' home court, and if the score gap widened, they would surely lose.
He looked at Li Feng, hoping he would provide a good solution.
Li Feng turned and saw Jordan Hill on the bench, suddenly getting an idea.
Positionally, Nowitzki was a power forward, but he was similar in height to a center.
Therefore, Sean Williams, who was guarding him, couldn't defend him effectively.
Even double-teaming was of little use, given the height difference.
To stop or at least restrict Nowitzki, they needed to match him in height.
"Coach, let Jordan Hill play. Yao Ming will guard Nowitzki."
If it were the Yao Ming from his Houston Rockets days, it would definitely not work; he was too heavy and would get tired after a few laps chasing Nowitzki.
However, after losing weight, Yao Ming was very agile, and Nowitzki, being older, was not moving as much as before.
Therefore, it was fine for Yao Ming to cover him for a while.
D'Antoni still had some doubts when Li Feng suggested this.
But it was a viable idea, worth trying.
So, Sean Williams was subbed out, and Jordan Hill entered the game ahead of schedule.
Li Feng whispered a few words to Jordan Hill.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
Nowitzki didn't mind seeing Yao Ming guarding him; he felt that Yao Ming, being a center, certainly wouldn't be able to keep up with him.
But Li Feng's strategy allowed the Knicks' first "twin towers" tactic to succeed.
He first passed the ball to Yao Ming, who turned and moved to the right of the basket, drawing Chandler.
Then, Yao Ming made a quick pass, feeding the ball to Jordan Hill.
Jordan Hill dunked with his left hand, easily scoring 2 points.
20:19, the Knicks were up by one point again.
Mavericks possession.
The ball was passed to Nowitzki again.
Nowitzki, facing Yao Ming, couldn't just easily shoot.
So, he leaned in first and then repeated his move, attempting a fadeaway jumper.
Unexpectedly, Yao Ming was very familiar with Nowitzki and stayed close to him, denying him any shooting opportunities.
Nowitzki twisted left and right, but couldn't escape Yao Ming's "claws"!
In desperation, he tried to use his speed.
After all, Nowitzki was a power forward, and his play in his younger days was quite explosive.
But he forgot that Yao Ming was actually two years younger than him.
So, after losing weight, Yao Ming's speed was not much slower than his.
Nowitzki drove into the paint, only to find Yao Ming still firmly holding his position, and he still had no chance to shoot.
This shocked Nowitzki!
He never expected to be shut down by Yao Ming.
Even in national team games, they rarely matched up.
With only 2 seconds left on the Mavericks' shot clock, Nowitzki, in desperation, made an extreme fadeaway, resembling the "golden rooster stands on one leg" move.
But Yao Ming's outstretched hand nearly blocked his shot.
To avoid Yao Ming, Nowitzki's shot missed, clang!
The ball hit the left rim and bounced out. Jordan Hill secured the rebound and passed it to Lowry.
The "little steel cannon" immediately initiated a fast break. Li Feng and Bill Walker crossed half-court simultaneously.
The three players exchanged passes twice, and finally, Li Feng dunked with his right hand, scoring two more points!
D'Antoni on the sidelines was almost ecstatic. He never imagined that Yao Ming could defend Nowitzki so effectively.
It seemed that Yao Ming's decision to lose weight was indeed the right one!
Yao Ming himself was also excited. His earlier battle with Nowitzki felt like a guard-vs-guard duel, something he could never have imagined before.
Under the Knicks' defensive strategy, the Mavericks' offense stalled again. Carlisle reluctantly called a timeout.
Both teams were about to rotate players.
Yao Ming had exerted a lot of energy and needed to rest.
Li Feng, having been double-teamed in the latter part of the quarter, had plenty of energy and remained on the court. Lowry went to rest, and Bynum and Scola came in.
The Mavericks then fielded Terry and Peja, along with Brewer and Novak.
This lineup was the Mavericks' scoring lineup!
Although their defense wasn't as strong, a barrage of three-pointers could overwhelm their opponents.
As expected, Terry hit a three-pointer from the 45-degree angle as soon as he came on.
Terry's three-pointers were distinctive; he wasn't just a spot-up shooter.
He could use his dribbling to shake off defenders and shoot with lightning speed.
Therefore, defending him was challenging.
Despite Bynum guarding him closely, he still managed to make the three-pointer. kanδん
On the other end, Li Feng assisted Scola for a mid-range shot.
But then, Novak hit a corner three-pointer.
These two three-pointers allowed the Mavericks to catch up.
A flurry of shots can beat even the most experienced!
Under the onslaught from Terry and Novak, the Mavericks had once again taken a four-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
32:28!
Li Feng walked off the court, shaking his head in frustration.
The Mavericks were exceptionally strong this year, precisely because someone would always step up during difficult times to turn the tide.
This made it difficult for opponents to standardize their defensive strategies.
When one light fades, another shines; push down one gourd, and another pops up!
Li Feng knew before his transmigration that this Mavericks team had great resilience. They showed this when playing against the Miami Heat's Big Three.
Even J.J. Barea could suddenly explode in crucial moments, delivering a blow to the Big Three!
As the second quarter began, both teams fielded their pure reserve lineups.
Although the Knicks players were well-prepared, their shooting touch was clearly not as good as the Mavericks'.
Terry and Novak continued their hot shooting, with the three-point rain pouring down.
In the first three Eastern Conference series, the Knicks' bench had been very stable, rarely digging themselves into a hole.
But against the Mavericks, they finally couldn't hold on.
Just over four minutes into the second quarter, the deficit had reached 11 points.
D'Antoni sighed and called another timeout.
The Knicks' starting players stood up, preparing to re-enter the game.
Jordan Hill had played eight consecutive minutes and needed to rest.
Nowitzki did not enter the game immediately. He had played well in the first quarter, taking 12 shots, making 8, and scoring 21 points.
So, Carlisle wanted him to rest a bit longer.
Without Nowitzki, fans expected the Mavericks' offense to falter.
However, the combination of Kidd, Marion, and Peja still produced high efficiency.
Although Marion had an odd shooting form, his fast break speed was incredible.
He was also a key member of D'Antoni's 1.0 run-and-gun offense.
Although Li Feng led the team well offensively, defensively, they were once again stretched too thin.
The Mavericks consistently maintained a lead of about 10 points.
D'Antoni paced the sidelines, watching closely. He could see that the Knicks players had executed everything they had prepared for the game.
Yet, they were still at a disadvantage against the Mavericks.
He didn't want to call another timeout, deciding to let Li Feng adapt on the court.
With just over a minute left in the second quarter, the score was 54:44, with the Mavericks leading by 10 points.
Li Feng wanted to narrow the gap to around 5 points before halftime.
So, he made a gesture to his teammates.
The Knicks teammates understood and immediately set up a screen.
The Mavericks defenders who were double-teaming Li Feng were blocked, and Li Feng took advantage, shooting a three-pointer!
Swish!
Three-pointer made!
The deficit narrowed to 7 points.
Just as the Knicks team focused their attention on a good defensive stop, Kidd suddenly crossed half-court. Li Feng was about to close in on him, but Marion firmly blocked him.
As Lowry was about to switch and defend, Kidd surprisingly threw up a deep three-pointer.
Swish!
It went in!
The home crowd in Dallas roared with excitement!
This was Li Feng's "patented" move – the logo three-pointer!
But Kidd, a seasoned veteran, managed to make such a spectacular long-range three-pointer.
It could only be attributed to his immense confidence and mental fortitude!
Li Feng sighed, thinking: Is today destined to be the Mavericks' day?
How could that shot go in?
Nowitzki became even more excited. He ran over and hugged Kidd tightly, almost kissing him.
Li Feng waved to his teammates, encouraging them not to get discouraged and to keep going!
After crossing half-court, Li Feng didn't call for a screen but passed the ball to Lowry.
However, just after passing, Li Feng accelerated and, unnoticed by the defenders, drove into the paint.
Lowry immediately passed the ball back to Li Feng.
This was a precise coordination between the two; although they didn't use it often, when they did, the opponent would usually fall for it.
It was too sudden.
Li Feng received the ball in the paint without any hesitation and directly made a floater. Swish, another basket.
This play showcased Li Feng's speed, timing, and other strengths.
The Mavericks players were also shocked but not panicked, as the deficit was still 8 points.
Nowitzki received the ball again. Facing Yao Ming's defense, he didn't attack himself but passed to Stevenson in the corner.
Stevenson's touch seemed ordinary today, so the Knicks eased their defense on him a bit.
They didn't expect him to shoot, but after receiving the ball, Stevenson shot a three-pointer without hesitation!
Swish!
It was another three-pointer.
Another responding shot!
This is truly strange.
Every time the Knicks score, someone from the Mavericks steps up. Is it some kind of voodoo?
And this was Stevenson's first three-point attempt, and it went in.
Despite Li Feng's efforts and his teammates playing well offensively, the Mavericks kept scoring as well.
By the end of the first half, the score was 65:53, with the Knicks trailing by 12 points.
Since the playoffs began, Li Feng felt a sense of helplessness for the first time.
He and his teammates walked into the locker room with dejected expressions, sighing.
...
In the China Sports Channel broadcast booth, Yu Jia and Coach Zhang were commentating on the game.
Today's guest was Yang Yi again.
Although Li Feng leading the Knicks to the finals had proven Yang Yi wrong,
his face was still swollen, yet he began to spout nonsense again.
"See? Li Feng has no answer for the Mavericks. Although the score difference isn't large, the Knicks just can't turn it around."
Yang Yi was smug, as if he had forgotten his pre-Western Conference playoffs prediction that the Mavericks would lose to the Thunder 4-1 and advance to the finals.
Who would have thought that the Mavericks would suddenly erupt, winning three consecutive games without giving the Thunder any chances.
Coach Zhang ignored him and said in a low voice, "Trailing by 12 points at halftime is acceptable; it's not impossible to catch up."
Yu Jia stated, "The Mavericks' resilience is too strong. They were underestimated throughout their journey but have overcome it all. They are now showing championship mettle, and the Knicks are in a bit of danger."
Yang Yi felt Yu Jia was supporting him and immediately agreed, "The entire Mavericks team has great chemistry; everyone is fighting bravely, truly difficult to deal with. Plus, the Knicks are missing Stoudemire, so their chances are slim."
Coach Zhang disagreed and continued, "That's not necessarily true. As long as Li Feng and Yao Ming are healthy, there is hope. The series is best-of-seven; even if they lose this game, it doesn't mean the championship belongs to the Mavericks."
Yang Yi replied with a sly grin, "For the Mavericks to win, Yao Ming must have an extraordinary performance. Li Feng, on the other hand, doesn't have much impact on the outcome."
Coach Zhang frowned and turned his head away.
Yu Jia quickly said, "For the Knicks to make a comeback, both Yao Ming and Li Feng must perform; one cannot be missed. Additionally, other players need to find their shooting touch quickly."
Yang Yi nodded, "That's right, the others need to find their touch, just like the Mavericks, with the entire team erupting."
Fans sent in many messages cursing Yang Yi, and Yu Jia dared not read them.
...
After the second half began, Li Feng entered a personal scoring spree, constantly taking shots.
The Mavericks' defense couldn't stop Li Feng.
However, Li Feng might have been too eager; although he took many shots, his shooting percentage wasn't very high.
On the other hand, the Mavericks, spurred by the cheers of their home crowd, had a hot shooting hand.
Nowitzki only took 6 shots in the third quarter; his teammates shot frequently and with high accuracy.
By the end of the third quarter, the Mavericks had extended their lead to 25 points.
This was the NBA Finals, and trailing by 25 points after three quarters stunned many media outlets and fans.
Li Feng poured all his effort into this quarter, scoring 17 points, but it couldn't withstand the Mavericks' entire team explosion.