Rose had played for over nine minutes in the third quarter and exerted himself to the fullest. Now, at the start of the fourth, he was being put back on the court.
According to Thibodeau's plan, Rose was supposed to continuously attack the basket, a move that put immense physical strain on the player.
Furthermore, if the score remained close, Thibodeau would likely have Rose play the entire twelve minutes.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Rose took the court with the reserves.
Since Yao Ming had only played five minutes in the third quarter, he also took the court at the start of the fourth.
Yao Ming already had four fouls, a situation Rose could exploit.
Following his coach's instructions, Rose relentlessly drove to the basket. Because of his foul trouble, Yao Ming hesitated to defend him too closely, allowing Rose to score repeatedly.
Seeing the unfavorable turn of events, D'Antoni quickly substituted Yao Ming out.
With Jordan Hill entering the game, Rose continued his assault on the basket.
Soon, Jordan Hill also accumulated four fouls. Rose, drawing fouls, scored another four points from the free-throw line.
With five minutes gone in the fourth quarter, the Bulls had managed to tie the score again!
D'Antoni hadn't expected Thibodeau to employ such a brutal tactic; he was maximizing Rose's driving force.
However, Rose was truly exhausted. On nearly every play, he threw himself into the air, collided with the opposing team's center, and then fell to the ground.
Despite having played only five minutes, Rose was drenched in sweat and was frequently rubbing his shoulder and right hip, clearly showing the impact of the collisions.
During the timeout, D'Antoni instructed Li Feng to guard Rose again.
In the third quarter, the Knicks had employed a successful strategy of limiting Rose's initial drive.
However, in the fourth quarter, the Bulls countered this by using double, and even triple, screens to break through the Knicks' defense.
The entire Bulls team was supporting Rose's drives to the basket!
It had to be said that the Bulls' top-ranked performance in the league this season was no mere coincidence.
The team's tactical execution was outstanding.
As D'Antoni was shouting, Li Feng suddenly spoke up.
"Coach, let's use the intentional foul strategy and send Rose to the free-throw line!"
D'Antoni was taken aback. He knew that while Rose's free-throw percentage wasn't elite, it was still around eighty-five percent.
With such a percentage, why would they intentionally foul him?
"Li Feng, if we're going to intentionally foul someone, we might as well foul Gibson. Gibson's free-throw percentage is only a little over sixty percent."
Li Feng shook his head. "Rose's stamina is extremely depleted. Also, he's been constantly driving to the basket, and his shoulder has been hit several times. I think he might miss the free throws."
D'Antoni found his reasoning valid and agreed to Li Feng's strategy of "hacking the big man."
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
After the timeout, Rose had recovered some of his stamina, but his shoulder still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
The Knicks on offense, Li Feng scored the first two points with a pull-up jumper.
Subsequently, Rose intended to attack the basket again.
However, as soon as he received the ball on the defensive end, the Knicks' Lowry pounced and grabbed him.
Lowry currently had only two fouls.
Not only Rose, but the entire Bulls team, coaches and players alike, were stunned.
Had the Knicks gone mad?
Intentionally fouling Rose?
The referee's whistle blew, and Rose walked to the free-throw line, utterly confused.
Clang!
The first shot indeed missed, hitting the front rim and bouncing out.
The second shot rolled around the rim and also bounced out. Jordan Hill secured the rebound.
Two missed free throws?
The entire stadium was astonished. Many fans held their heads in disbelief.
They couldn't recall the last time Rose had missed two consecutive free throws.
Rose himself looked frustrated, shaking his head repeatedly.
The Knicks on offense.
After being double-teamed, Li Feng passed the ball to Lowry.
Lowry hadn't driven to the basket much earlier, but this time, after exchanging a look with Stoudemire, the latter stepped out to set a screen, and Lowry drove into the paint.
The Bulls hadn't anticipated this. Rose rushed to provide help defense, but Lowry executed a behind-the-back pass, slipping the ball to Jordan Hill.
Jordan Hill, finishing the play, received the pass and dunked it with authority!
The Knicks' offense was flowing smoothly, but the Bulls were in dire straits.
Because after the Bulls inbounded the ball, Stoudemire again grabbed Rose.
The referee's whistle blew, and Rose was once again heading to the free-throw line.
Rose had been a bit surprised earlier, which affected his mentality at the free-throw line.
This time, he regained his composure and made both free throws.
Li Feng observed this with a hint of apprehension.
If they continued this intentional fouling strategy, and Rose found his rhythm, it would be difficult to win.
The Knicks on offense.
Li Feng continued to move without the ball.
With a sudden stop and a cut, he shook off his defender and drove to the opposite side of the basket.
Stoudemire immediately passed him the ball. Upon receiving it, Li Feng spun and dunked!
Both teams were scoring.
As the Bulls inbounded the ball, Rose assumed the Knicks wouldn't foul him again.
But this time, Li Feng himself grabbed Rose.
He sent him to the free-throw line once more.
Rose smiled helplessly.
His emotions fluctuated again, and he muttered to himself, "Are the Knicks going to foul me all the way until the last two minutes?"
He made one of two free throws!
...
Thus, the Knicks continued their strategy of intentional fouling from 5:44 in the fourth quarter all the way to 9:31.
Rose kept shooting free throws, and Thibodeau, stubborn as ever, refused to substitute him out.
At 9:31, after Rose made one of two free throws, the Knicks had extended their lead to four points.
97:93!
Thibodeau sneered from the sidelines, knowing that intentional fouling was no longer permitted within the final two minutes.
A four-point deficit was still surmountable.
The Eastern Conference Finals were proving to be highly dramatic. No one could have predicted that the Knicks would resort to such a tactic in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks on offense.
Yao Ming had re-entered the game during Rose's free throws.
With four fouls already, he no longer cared; there were only two minutes left in the game, so he could play without reservation.
Li Feng signaled to the entire team without holding the ball.
After crossing half-court, Lowry lobbed the ball to Yao Ming.
The Bulls' help defense was quick, with Boozer immediately stepping up to assist Noah.
At this moment, Bill Walker suddenly cut in, and Yao Ming immediately passed him the ball.
Although Bill Walker's offensive repertoire was average, he was adept at surprise plays like this and possessed a strong mentality.
Upon receiving the pass, he drove for a three-step layup, completely unnoticed by the Bulls.
Swish!
Two points were added!
The Knicks now led by six points.
99:93!
The home crowd felt a surge of tension. A six-point lead was neither large nor small, and it wouldn't be easy to overcome.
Rose once again held the ball. He felt as if it had been an eternity since his last offensive play; he had been solely focused on free throws.
After crossing half-court, with the help of his teammates' screens, Rose continued to drive to the basket.
Yao Ming had four fouls, and he expected Yao Ming to avoid contact again.
However, Yao Ming had no intention of evading him and lunged forward.
Boom!
The two collided. The referee pointed at Yao Ming, calling him for blocking. Rose once again stepped up to the free-throw line.
Rose shook his head, thinking, "Free throws again!"
The repeated free throws hadn't helped him find his rhythm; instead, the collision had aggravated his shoulder pain.
He made one of two free throws, bringing the score to 99:94!
With 1 minute and 35 seconds left on the clock, there was still enough time.
The Knicks on offense.
Lowry received the ball. After crossing half-court, he saw that the Bulls were employing an over-the-top defense on Yao Ming and passed the ball to Stoudemire.
Stoudemire's mid-range jumper had been inconsistent recently, so he hesitated to shoot. He looked left and right with the ball.
Li Feng shouted, "Shoot it! I'll get the rebound for you!"
Stoudemire's confidence immediately bolstered, and he quickly took the shot.
Clang!
As expected, it was an airball.
When Li Feng had spoken those words, the Bulls players had also heard him.
Especially Rose, whose vertical leap was comparable to Li Feng's, felt challenged.
He thus prepared himself.
Seeing Stoudemire's shot miss, he and Li Feng jumped simultaneously, raising their right hands to contest the rebound.
This was truly a memorable scene!
Li Feng and Rose rushed towards the ball from opposite directions.
In terms of height, they seemed evenly matched. It was uncertain who would secure the ball.
However, halfway through his jump, Li Feng suddenly straightened his body and executed a second leap!
This was something no one had anticipated.
In fact, Li Feng himself didn't know when he had developed this talent.
Just two months prior, after practice, Li Feng heard a "ding" sound from the system.
He checked, but nothing seemed to have changed.
His jumping ability value remained at 100, the same as before.
However, above the 100 value, a red dot had appeared.
Li Feng didn't pay much attention at the time.
Later, during a game, Li Feng discovered he possessed a second jump, somewhat like the "Tiyun Zong" from martial arts films!
Therefore, in this rebound contest against Rose, Li Feng's hand suddenly rose more than ten centimeters higher than Rose's. Bang!
Li Feng was the first to secure the ball and then roared, "Let's go again!"
Before landing, Li Feng flicked the ball to Stoudemire, urging him to shoot again.
If it weren't for Rose, Li Feng could have gone for a put-back dunk. However, Rose was not to be underestimated, and a put-back would certainly be contested by him.
Furthermore, Li Feng's actions were also intended to boost Stoudemire's confidence.
Upon receiving the ball, Stoudemire felt an inexplicable sense of gratitude and no longer hesitated, taking another mid-range shot!
Swish!
A clean swish!
101:94! The Knicks now led by seven points!
With only 1 minute and 06 seconds remaining.
The Bulls' chances of a comeback were diminishing.
Thibodeau let out a sigh and quickly called a timeout.
Now, for the Bulls to catch up, they would have to rely on three-pointers.
It was no longer realistic to have Rose continue driving to the basket and drawing fouls.
As expected, after the timeout, the Bulls substituted in Korver and Watson, replacing Gibson and Boozer.
Rose drove to the basket again, but following the established play, he passed the ball to an open Watson.
Watson's three-point percentage this season was an excellent thirty-nine percent.
In this crucial moment, he didn't let Rose's pass go to waste, and made the three-pointer!
111:107, the deficit was back to four points.
With fifty seconds left, hope surged!
D'Antoni didn't call a timeout, letting his players decide.
Li Feng whispered a few words to Lowry, and then had him bring the ball across half-court again.
Due to Lowry's effective playmaking in the previous few possessions, the Bulls' Watson stepped up to guard him tightly.
Li Feng suddenly cut around the defender and set a screen for Watson.
The two guards were actually running a pick-and-roll?
The Bulls' perimeter players were somewhat bewildered.
Lowry seized the opportunity and drove to the baseline.
At this moment, Li Feng feigned a drive into the paint but instead screened Noah.
Yao Ming suddenly moved to the corner, and Lowry smoothly passed him the ball, simultaneously blocking Luol Deng, who was closing in.
The brilliance of this play lay in the fact that everyone assumed Li Feng or Lowry would be the one to take the shot, as both possessed three-point shooting ability.
Who would have thought it would be Yao Ming taking the three-pointer?
Swish!
Yao Ming's three-pointer was exceptionally steady. His shooting touch was actually well-suited for a stretch big man.
If they had played like this a few years earlier, Yao Ming's peak performance would have lasted longer.
114:107, the lead was back to seven points.
And there were only 28 seconds left on the clock.
The Bulls players' morale began to waver. Although the Bulls had played well in the previous sequences, the Knicks consistently managed to score.
Following this, the Bulls continued to fight, but the Knicks did not falter, securing the victory.
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Bulls on their home court, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Li Feng scored 43 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out 11 assists today.
His assist count was relatively low today, mainly because his Knicks teammates' shooting was quite ordinary in the second half.
Rose's statistics also looked good today, especially with his consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter driving his score up.
He also scored 40 points today.
However, anyone who watched the game understood that Rose's control of the game's flow was clearly inferior to Li Feng's, particularly in the critical final moments.
...
In the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls played with even more intensity.
Perhaps the league didn't want the Bulls to be eliminated too early, as the home-court officiating seemed to favor them significantly.
In the first quarter, Yao Ming, Li Feng, and Lowry were consecutively called for two fouls each.
D'Antoni was furious and yelled at the referees from the sidelines, resulting in him being ejected from the game.
Sitting on the bench, Li Feng understood that today's game would be a difficult one.
Despite the Knicks bravely holding on under Li Feng's leadership, the Bulls performed exceptionally well today.
Rose's drives were still sharp, and his shooting also showed improvement, with a mid-range shooting percentage of sixty-eight percent.
Facing the Bulls' surge, the Knicks couldn't hold on and ultimately lost the game by a margin of three points.
The series score was tied at 1-1.
Although the entire Knicks team refrained from discussing the officiating with the media, the fans were outraged.
Many fans of Li Feng and Yao Ming hoped the league would provide an explanation.
But the game was over, and all of that was meaningless.
The Knicks needed to regroup and prepare thoroughly for the home games.
Li Feng was in a bad mood when he returned home. He meticulously rewatched the game footage.
He noticed that his Knicks teammates had once again succumbed to overconfidence and complacency.
Before the training session the next day, Li Feng, as captain, wore a stern expression.
He gathered all his teammates and said a few brief words.
"Brothers, do you want to play in the Finals?"
The players looked at Li Feng, puzzled, unsure of his intent.
"Yes!" the players replied in unison.
"If you do, then you need to treat every game in the Eastern Conference Finals as if it were the first game! Do you understand?"
They were all adults, so Li Feng's words were meant to be understood implicitly.
The Western Conference Finals were also intensely competitive, with the Mavericks and Thunder tied at 1-1.
In the first game, the Mavericks defeated the Thunder 121-112 at home.
However, in the second home game, they lost to the Thunder 106-100.
Durant, Westbrook, and Harden all played well, showcasing the spirit of young athletes.
Despite still having many turnovers, their offensive capabilities were immense.