The game once again reached a suffocating climax.
Neither coach seemed inclined to call a timeout, appearing to be committed to seeing this shootout through.
Carlisle and D'Antoni stood on the sidelines in almost identical postures, arms crossed, eyes fixed on their players.
The Mavericks advanced the ball.
Barea dribbled past half-court. Seeing Peja jostling with Sean Williams and establishing position, he called for the ball and passed it over.
Peja was not only a skilled three-point shooter but also capable in the post.
However, Sean's defense was top-tier. Peja jabbed twice but couldn't find an opening to shoot.
With no other option, he spotted Terry open and passed him the ball.
Li Feng was defending Terry.
Terry, outmatched by Li Feng in both size and strength, could have been prevented from even receiving the ball.
But Li Feng deliberately left him a sliver of space.
A trap was being set!
As soon as Terry caught the ball, Li Feng closed in instantly, giving him absolutely no room to shoot.
Moreover, with the shot clock winding down and no teammates in position to set a screen, Terry was forced to rely on his individual skill to create space.
Terry had a signature move: a between-the-legs crossover followed by a pull-up jumper.
He had fooled many with this move.
So, in this critical moment, Terry deployed it once more.
*Swish!*
Terry faked Li Feng to the left, then suddenly pulled the ball back to his right.
Just as he was about to shoot, Li Feng sprang back like a coiled spring, extending his left hand and snatching the ball right out of Terry's grasp!
Note, it wasn't a block; he caught the ball directly in his hand.
A legendary "grab-and-steal"!
It was incredibly humiliating.
Terry, enraged, immediately tried to steal the ball back, roughly grabbing Li Feng's arm.
*Beep!*
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on Terry.
The foul was worth it, otherwise Li Feng would have driven past half-court and scored at least two points.
Li Feng stepped up to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and sank both shots!
117:115. The Knicks had finally taken the lead in the closing moments of the game!
With 41 seconds remaining.
Carlisle began to panic. He realized the Mavericks' problem wasn't just their three-point shooting.
It was their complete inability to get off a shot!
This Knicks lineup, in addition to their shooting prowess, possessed an incredibly suffocating defense!
Carlisle hastily called a timeout.
With 41 seconds left, both teams theoretically had one more possession.
The Mavericks, trailing by two points, desperately needed their next offensive possession.
If they failed to score again, their fate would be sealed.
Carlisle, holding his clipboard, gestured emphatically as he spoke.
However, the Mavericks players' eyes were somewhat glazed over. They had been so tightly defended by the Knicks that their confidence had waned.
This was the defensive intensity of a team destined for championship contention.
D'Antoni had devised no specific tactics, including defense, because he knew Li Feng had already brought this lineup to its peak defensive performance.
The home crowd in Dallas stood up in nervous anticipation, some even praying for their team to win this crucial game.
The tense atmosphere hung heavy as the timeout ended and the game resumed.
The Mavericks inbounded the ball from the sideline. Stevenson held the ball, looking to pass to Nowitzki.
But Yao Ming defended Nowitzki tightly, and Sean applied frontcourt defense.
With the clock ticking down, Stevenson, in frustration, first passed the ball to Barea, who was positioned outside near the half-court line.
To prevent him from shooting a three-pointer, Lowry immediately closed in.
Although Barea possessed considerable strength, the "Little Steel Cannon" was no less formidable; he couldn't budge Lowry.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
A mountain from Puerto Rico couldn't dislodge Lowry, the Little Steel Cannon!
With the shot clock nearing its limit, Nowitzki drove towards Lowry, screening him. Barea used the screen to cut towards the left.
At this point, Nowitzki was matched up against Lowry, creating a mismatch. Barea immediately passed the ball to Dirk.
This was Carlisle's strategy: find opportunities for Dirk to exploit mismatches.
This play didn't involve fixed movement; it was originally intended for Nowitzki to post up Bill Walker, but Yao Ming and Bill Walker were too close together.
Nowitzki, with his high basketball IQ, saw Barea and Lowry entangled and immediately drove towards them.
Facing Lowry, Dirk calmly turned and shot!
The Knicks players knew Nowitzki possessed this ability; he had hit a near game-winner last time.
But his screen was too quick, and Yao Ming couldn't recover, forced to watch Dirk take the shot!
Everyone watched as the basketball, on a high arc, soared towards the rim.
Yao Ming sprinted towards the basket, preparing for the rebound, as Peja and Yao Ming fiercely battled for position.
*Clang!*
Perhaps due to fatigue, or perhaps due to the rushed nature of his shot, the ball hit the right side of the rim and bounced out.
Bill Walker, capitalizing on the space created by Yao Ming's box-out, secured the rebound.
With 17 seconds remaining, the Knicks held a two-point lead!
The Mavericks, in desperation, fouled prematurely. Stevenson grabbed Bill Walker's arm.
Bill Walker was an average free-throw shooter, with a season percentage of 68%. He made one of two free throws.
118:115. The Knicks led by three points, and Carlisle called another short timeout.
The crucial final moments were always difficult to endure, but most of the game's spectacular moments originated from this phase.
The home fans were praying, hoping to witness a miracle!
The timeout concluded, and the game resumed.
The Knicks tightened their defense on Nowitzki, with Yao Ming and Bill Walker sandwiching him.
At this moment, Marion inbounded the ball from the sideline, passing it directly to Terry in the corner.
Terry had shot 3-for-5 from three-point range in the fourth quarter, a respectable percentage. Li Feng immediately closed in.
But this was a tactic by the Mavericks to draw Li Feng out. Terry had no intention of shooting; seeing Li Feng charge towards him, he quickly passed the ball to Stevenson.
Just as Stoudemire moved to defend, Nowitzki suddenly pushed Bill Walker aside and moved to the top of the key.
Strictly speaking, this was a foul, but in the final stages, both sides engaged in minor physical contact, so the referee didn't blow his whistle.
With 2 seconds remaining on the clock, Stevenson passed the ball to Dirk.
Despite missing a three-pointer earlier, Dirk was a superstar, and his confidence remained unwavering as he shot without hesitation!
As soon as he released the ball, the game clock illuminated.
Therefore, the Mavericks, trailing by three points, would either lose or force overtime, depending on this final shot.
No one attempted to rebound; they all stood frozen, staring at the basketball soaring through the air.
*Swish!*
Nothing but net!
The entire stadium erupted with a deafening roar almost simultaneously!
They had tied the game!
"Dirk, I love you!"
"Go Mavericks!"
"Win in overtime!"
…
Fans' eyes welled up with tears of excitement.
The Mavericks players mobbed Nowitzki in their exhilaration.
They embraced each other in their excitement.
Li Feng offered a wry smile and spoke encouraging words to his teammates, as the game was not yet over.
Only Nowitzki among the Mavericks remained composed.
This was because he had been "hurt" by Li Feng before.
In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Nowitzki's near game-winning shot had almost pushed the Knicks to the brink of elimination.
But with 5 seconds left, Li Feng had delivered a stunning, buzzer-beating dunk for the counter-kill!
That was a pain that would forever remain etched in Nowitzki's heart!
Today, he would not allow such a scenario to repeat itself.
So, while his teammates celebrated wildly, Nowitzki pushed them aside after a few seconds and shouted, "It's overtime! The game isn't over yet!"
His teammates were startled by Dirk's fierce demeanor, and then they too calmed down.
Indeed, they were back to square one.
This Finals series had been epic. Five games, with the first four tied at 2-2, and the fifth game also tied in regulation!
It was truly a clash of titans!
Before overtime began, both coaches were intensely shouting instructions to their players.
However, the players could no longer hear their coaches' words; now it was a test of willpower!
Li Feng suggested to D'Antoni that they continue with the same lineup in overtime, as it offered both three-point shooting and defense.
The only concern was Yao Ming's stamina.
Yao Ming sensed Li Feng's worry, smiled, and walked over to Li Feng, saying, "I can play for at least another 10 minutes, no problem!"
Li Feng had also observed Yao Ming during the final minutes of the game. He noticed that Yao Ming was indeed in good form; although a little tired, he could definitely hold on.
"Okay, Yao Ge, let's fight together and win overtime!"
Their large hands clasped firmly!
…
The tense and thrilling overtime period commenced.
Yao Ming, who had already played 32 minutes, once again secured the first possession for the Knicks.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court. Facing a double-team, he chose not to pass.
He made a gesture, and Lowry and Bill Walker immediately came to set screens, blocking off Terry and Marion.
Li Feng accelerated and drove into the paint.
Stevenson rushed to meet Li Feng. Li Feng glanced at the basket, and Stevenson leaped.
Li Feng seized the opportunity and drove to the basket again.
Just as he was about to layup, Nowitzki suddenly appeared in the paint, hands raised high, covering Li Feng.
Li Feng was shocked. Where had Dirk come from?
With the shot clock dwindling, Li Feng was forced to dribble back out of the paint. Nowitzki closely guarded him, denying him any shooting opportunity.
Just as Nowitzki was about to force Li Feng into the corner, Li Feng suddenly executed a fake, shifting Nowitzki's weight, and drove back into the paint.
It was astonishing.
Nowitzki's body seemed frozen, completely unable to react.
Li Feng drove into the paint and, before the buzzer sounded, executed a floater for a score!
119:117!
Li Feng scored the first points of overtime!
This was the mark of a superstar, a franchise player!
Li Feng, with his exceptional dribbling and control, had outmaneuvered Dirk.
His unparalleled, spectacular crossover made Li Feng seem to enter an open field!
Nowitzki turned to watch Li Feng's floater go in, sighing inwardly. Li Feng was truly an elite superstar in the league.
There was still enough time, and the Mavericks launched a counter-attack.
Facing tight defense, Nowitzki passed the ball to Peja.
Peja attempted a three-pointer, but under Sean's influence, it missed.
The home crowd's hearts sank.
Overtime demanded momentum, a response!
Peja's missed three-pointer put the Mavericks in jeopardy again.
As expected, the Knicks exploited their fast-break advantage. In just over 4 seconds, Li Feng passed the ball to Lowry, who drove in for a layup, scoring 2 points.
121:117!
The Knicks extended their lead to four points with 4 minutes and 12 seconds remaining.
Over the next few possessions, the Knicks maintained their upper hand. Their defensive aggression was too intense, making it extremely difficult for the Mavericks to score.
Even though Nowitzki fought his way into the paint and scored a three-point play, drawing Yao Ming's sixth foul, it had little impact on the direction of the overtime period.
After Yao Ming left the game, Jordan Hill entered, continuing to apply defensive pressure for the Knicks.
Dirk made the subsequent free throw, and the Mavericks still trailed the Knicks by five points.
With only 53 seconds left on the clock.
Carlisle called another short timeout.
The Mavericks now had only one timeout remaining.
This offensive possession was crucial; if they didn't score, they wouldn't even have a chance for a second overtime.
Barea lived up to expectations. After the timeout, he launched a surprise attack, hitting a three-pointer from the 45-degree angle!
The Mavericks still had a chance!
The entire crowd gave Barea a thunderous ovation and cheers.
Terry and Barea had brought so many pleasant surprises to the Mavericks in this Finals series!
If the Mavericks were to win the championship, Terry and Barea's contributions would be undeniable.
With 32 seconds left, the Knicks held a two-point lead.
128:126.
The Knicks initiated their offense. D'Antoni didn't call a timeout.
This was another advantage for the Knicks; after playing so many games, they still had ample timeouts.
This was because, as long as Li Feng was on the court, he could save them timeouts.
He could quickly direct his teammates on the court and make the correct adjustments.
Li Feng dribbled the ball in the backcourt. Seeing the fierce glares from the two defending players, he first passed the ball to Lowry near the half-court line.
Lowry accelerated, taking advantage of the 4-on-3 situation, and drove to the baseline.
At this moment, Bill Walker was open. Lowry immediately passed him the ball.
Bill Walker drove to the basket.
Peja lunged forward, attempting to physically stop Bill Walker.
But the passing gene had spread to every Knicks player. With a no-look pass, he fed the ball to Jordan Hill, who was open.
Jordan Hill possessed shooting ability; he just didn't prefer shooting three-pointers, but his mid-range jumpers were very accurate.
*Swish!*
2 points secured!
130:126!
With 11 seconds remaining, the Knicks widened the gap to four points.
The Mavericks were once again on the edge of a precipice.
Carlisle didn't call a timeout. Instead, he waved his arms vigorously from the sideline, urging his players to push the fast break, score first, and then foul.
While 11 seconds wasn't much time, it was their only option.
Terry, proving his worth, sprinted past half-court, received an inbound pass from a teammate, and hit an incredible long-range three-pointer!
Meanwhile, Li Feng was being held tightly by Marion, a fact the referee did not see.
With 4.3 seconds remaining, the Knicks led by one point.
As soon as the Knicks inbounded the ball, Barea fouled Li Feng. Li Feng stepped up to the free-throw line.
This was standard procedure in the closing stages of a game; miracles could happen at any second.