The entire Knicks team felt a shadow cast over their spirits, having fought so hard in the first half only to be trailing.
The Heat this season had improved at a rapid pace. Before the All-Star break, they still made mistakes, and the chemistry between their Big Three wasn't quite as seamless.
However, after the All-Star break, their hard work paid off, and the full power of their Big Three began to show.
If you only looked at the second half of the season, the Heat were undeniably the top team in the entire league!
And the performance of the Heat's Big Three in the first half today validated that.
The Knicks had Yao Ming back, Li Feng was playing exceptionally well, and while the other players weren't performing above and beyond, they were still contributing.
Even so, they were still trailing the Heat by seven points.
How were they supposed to win this game?
...
In the broadcast booth of the China Sports channel, Yu Jia and Coach Zhang were providing commentary for the game.
Because it was a playoff game, a special guest had been invited: veteran basketball media personality Yang Yi.
As everyone knew, Yang Yi was a die-hard fan of Yao Ming.
In fact, those who were familiar with the situation knew that Yang Yi being a Yao Ming fan was merely a persona.
When Yao Ming first entered the NBA, there were very few domestic basketball media personalities, and it wasn't a very lucrative field.
So Yang Yi saw a business opportunity and latched onto Yao Ming.
Not only did he constantly report on Yao Ming's news, but he also relentlessly belittled everyone around Yao Ming.
Yang Yi wasn't exactly a professional analyst; as long as there was buzz and topics to discuss, he achieved his goal.
Therefore, players like Francis and Sprewell in the early days, and later Tracy McGrady and other Rockets players, were all denigrated in Yang Yi's reports.
At that time, many domestic fans had limited exposure to basketball media, so reading Yang Yi's reports inevitably led to misguided perceptions, with many views being outright wrong.
But Yao Ming was, after all, a Chinese basketball superstar who had achieved a certain level of success in the NBA. Thus, by firmly clinging to this golden opportunity, Yang Yi profited handsomely.
Yang Yi was invited to the broadcast booth today at Yu Jia's suggestion, as Yu Jia had a good personal relationship with him.
"Teacher Yang Yi, do you have any analysis or comments on the first half of the game?" Yu Jia turned to ask him during halftime.
Yang Yi had a good way with words, and his commentary was like telling jokes, so he had quite a few fans.
He smiled faintly, flipping through a few pages of paper, and said, "Looking at the player statistics from the first half, Yao Ming clearly performed better. James and Wade were also good, but the performance of the Knicks' Li Feng was too disappointing."
Yang Yi was Yang Yi; what was bound to happen eventually happened.
Anyone associated with Yao Ming, he had to belittle, and Li Feng was no exception.
Some fans might not understand why Yang Yi, who could make money off Yao Ming, didn't try to latch onto Li Feng.
The key issue was that Li Feng didn't give him the opportunity to latch on!
After Li Feng gained fame, Yang Yi once traveled to the United States, wanting to interview Li Feng to foster a closer relationship.
Who knew that Li Feng would completely ignore him and directly refuse, because Li Feng fundamentally disliked the guy!
Li Feng didn't expect Yang Yi to speak well of him anyway; he played the game based on his own skill.
Li Feng never engaged in bribing the media!
Furthermore, Li Feng had heard about Yang Yi's past practices and knew that if he wanted to latch onto him, he certainly wouldn't agree.
Later, during the offseason, Li Feng returned to China and met many people.
Yang Yi, through friends in the Basketball Association, also wanted to meet Li Feng for an interview.
But Li Feng refused again!
This infuriated Yang Yi!
After years of effort, Yang Yi felt he had become a significant figure in Chinese basketball, with high recognition.
Other basketball figures would give him some face.
Yet, Li Feng had refused Yang Yi's invitation twice, which was clearly looking down on him!
Before these two incidents, his reporting on Li Feng had been relatively objective, neither praising nor criticizing, simply stating facts.
But after these two refusals, Yang Yi completely transformed into a hater of Li Feng.
He not only belittled Li Feng on his Weibo or in his reports but also sarcastically mocked Li Feng during game commentary.
Although many of Li Feng's fans expressed their dissatisfaction with Yang Yi, Yang Yi didn't care; what he needed now was traffic.
Even being cursed at could help him make money!
Coach Zhang, being older, didn't understand the hidden agenda. He thought Yang Yi was being overly critical.
So he retorted, "Although Li Feng's statistics aren't that good, he's drawing double-teams, his defensive impact is significant, and his assists are also decent."
Yu Jia, worried about them starting an argument, quickly intervened to smooth things over, saying, "Yes, Li Feng's position in the Knicks is still very important. He and Yao Ming are the dual cores; neither can be replaced!"
However, Yang Yi didn't accept this notion. He shook his head and said, "How can Li Feng be compared to Yao Ming! Look, when Yao Ming was injured last season, the Knicks' record plummeted. Li Feng's leadership ability is just average."
Yu Jia looked troubled. He felt Yang Yi was going too far, but Yang Yi was a guest and his friend, so he couldn't directly refute him.
Coach Zhang, being straightforward, couldn't stand it anymore and raised his hand to interrupt Yang Yi.
"Yang Yi, you can't say that. During the time Yao Ming was injured, other Knicks players were also injured, and the lineup was incomplete. Li Feng managed the team reasonably well. Although they lost to the Heat and the Bulls, they rarely lost to other teams."
Yang Yi argued, "Yang Yi was the MVP and FMVP last season. Can he be held to average standards? Losing to these two teams was unacceptable because the Heat and the Bulls are the Knicks' biggest obstacles to emerging from the East!"
Although his words seemed to have some logic, at that time, the Knicks had significant internal problems, and Yao Ming's absence did have an impact, which Li Feng had never denied.
Yu Jia quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let's stop here. Let's talk about this game. If the Knicks want to win, what adjustments do they need to make in the second half?"
Yang Yi spoke first, "For the Knicks to win, Li Feng must deliver a better performance. They can't rely solely on Yao Ming. Their opponents have a Big Three!"
Coach Zhang, tired of arguing with Yang Yi, remained silent.
Yu Jia gave an awkward laugh and said, "Indeed, Li Feng didn't have a very strong performance in the first half. Hopefully, he can heat up in the second half!"
...
The second half of the game began.
Perhaps Li Feng sensed Yang Yi's assessment of him. As soon as he stepped onto the court in the third quarter, Li Feng announced his intention to take over the game with a steal and a fast-break layup.
In fact, Li Feng knew that to defeat the Heat, he needed an extraordinary performance.
Because their opponents were a historically great combination!
So Li Feng's eyes were a little red. He vowed to himself that he would reverse the score in the third quarter and win the game in the fourth quarter!
Despite Li Feng's strong play, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were equally aggressive.
Moments after Li Feng scored two points, James drove to the basket. Seeing Camby screening Yao Ming, he executed a tomahawk dunk!
Amar'e Stoudemire had come to help, but he couldn't stop the airborne James.
*Bang!*
James dunked, and the score difference remained at seven points.
Li Feng was not discouraged. He gestured to Lowry and passed him the ball from the backcourt.
Lowry brought the ball past half-court and executed a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire.
Stoudemire screened Chalmers, and Lowry drove into the paint.
At this moment, Li Feng suddenly cut backdoor, gaining half a step on James.
James, being over two meters tall, couldn't stay glued to Li Feng at all times.
But his help defense was strong. Even if Li Feng drove past, James could use his speed to disrupt Li Feng.
Li Feng shook off James and, before Wade could catch up, drove to the baseline. Stoudemire immediately passed the ball to Li Feng.
Li Feng faked a drive, forcing the Heat's center, Camby, to guard him.
Bosh was also waiting to help, as they all knew Li Feng's capabilities.
But Li Feng executed a dribble-pass, *swish!*
The ball accurately found Yao Ming.
Yao Ming easily finished with a one-handed dunk, scoring another two points!
The score difference returned to five points.
It seemed both teams understood the importance of the third quarter, as every possession was fiercely contested, making the game incredibly intense.
The Heat's offense, the ball was still in James's hands.
After Li Feng's shout, the Knicks players suddenly double-teamed James in the backcourt.
While James wasn't afraid of double-teams, passing the ball from the backcourt significantly reduced his driving threat.
But there was no choice. The double-team from Li Feng and Bill Walker was too aggressive. Even James had a high probability of turning the ball over.
In desperation, Wade returned to the backcourt, and James passed him the ball.
Wade intended to pass the ball back to James after crossing half-court.
However, Bill Walker was quick and positioned himself in front of James, playing deny defense to prevent him from receiving the pass.
Wade tried a couple of times, but it didn't work, so he had to attack himself.
Facing Lowry's defense, Wade used a crossover and drove past him.
The Flash was truly fast, there was nothing to be done.
However, the Knicks' overall defensive intensity was at its peak. The moment Wade drove into the paint, Stoudemire stood in his way.
Concurrently, Yao Ming was also waiting for him under the basket.
Wade, with his high basketball IQ, knew he couldn't break through. He opted to pass the ball to Bosh on the right side.
Although Bosh was an inside player, he possessed strong shooting ability.
Upon receiving the pass, Bosh shot without hesitation. But suddenly, a figure emerged, leaping high from behind and swatting Bosh's shot away!
It was Li Feng!
After the Heat's backcourt double-team on James, he saw James pass the ball and seized the opportunity to rotate for the help defense.
When Wade drove into the paint and stopped the ball, Li Feng noticed Bosh, who was already preparing to catch and shoot.
As expected, Wade passed the ball, Li Feng planted his feet and took off, delivering a powerful block on the Dragon King!
This play showcased Li Feng's defensive prowess, making him seem omnipresent.
He truly spared no effort!
The ball was blocked directly beside Stoudemire, who grabbed it and immediately passed it to Lowry near the half-court line.
The "Little Cannon" dashed past half-court and scored on a layup, leaving the Heat players completely unable to react!
The Knicks' Run-and-Gun 2.0 had reappeared!
If there were statistics for player distance covered on the court, Li Feng had covered the most distance among all players in that possession.
Driven by Li Feng, the Knicks' entire team's defensive mobility had improved by a notch, making the Heat quite uncomfortable.
After more than four minutes into the third quarter, the Knicks had gone on a 9-2 run, tying the score again!
In those four minutes, Li Feng not only scored 4 points but also had 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
He had dominated the game on both ends of the court!
Spoelstra saw the unfavorable situation and quickly called a timeout.
Li Feng once again used his explosive personal performance to counter the Heat's Big Three!
D'Antoni on the sidelines excitedly pumped his fist. He had been somewhat dejected during halftime.
He knew very well that only with Li Feng's outburst could they even compete with the Heat.
He had finally witnessed Li Feng's breakout performance in the second half, but Li Feng was expending too much energy. He wondered if Li Feng could sustain it.
During the timeout, Spoelstra repeatedly emphasized the importance of defending Li Feng. He had coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the All-Star Game.
That experience allowed Spoelstra to further understand Li Feng's formidable capabilities.
Therefore, he knew that to defeat the Knicks, they absolutely had to lock down Li Feng.
Everyone thought the same thing, but which team could truly lock down a superstar?
Li Feng's off-ball and on-ball movements were both top-tier historically. More importantly, Li Feng spared no effort, running a marathon all over the court.
Defending such a player was truly a nightmare!
During the timeout, Li Feng covered his head with a towel, not saying a word. He was using the "[Curry Stamina Recovery Technique]."
In a mere five minutes, Li Feng's covered distance was astonishing. He could only use this method to contend with the Big Three.
Because the Big Three were the most aggressive help-defending team in NBA history, it was incredibly difficult to break through their defense.
And Li Feng's constant movement not only created offensive opportunities for himself but also opened up a lot of space for his teammates.
The Knicks teammates also recognized Li Feng's contributions, especially Yao Ming, who felt tired just looking at Li Feng.
So he sat beside Li Feng without speaking, but he gently patted Li Feng's shoulder, conveying everything that needed to be said.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
After the players from both teams returned to the court, Li Feng noticed that his defender had been changed to Chalmers and Wade; James was no longer guarding him.
This was normal. James's physical build was significant, and he also had to be the team's primary offensive initiator, so he couldn't stick to Li Feng all game.
Even with a switch in defenders for the double-team, Li Feng didn't feel any easier, as Chalmers was also a very capable defensive guard, and his speed was also very high.
It was very difficult for Li Feng to break free from Wade and Chalmers.
However, Li Feng continued to use his off-ball movement to create opportunities for his teammates, and Yao Ming stepped up again.
As Li Feng moved, he also expanded his offensive range.
Yao Ming could not only receive passes and shoot from the free-throw line but also frequently moved to the corners to catch Lowry's passes and shoot three-pointers!
This was giving the Heat players a headache.