Yao Ming understood Li Feng's meaning.
"The army trained for a thousand days, used for a moment!"
The Knicks had used this tactic frequently during training.
At the crucial moment, Li Feng truly dared to use it!
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
The Knicks were on offense, and Li Feng continued to be met with frenzied double-teams.
Li Feng ran to the corner, and Lowry passed the ball to Yao Ming this time.
Yao Ming faced Cash, feigning an attack, drawing Bosh over for help defense.
Stoudemire suddenly made a backdoor cut to the other side of the basket. Yao Ming, with his long arms and wide vision, easily flicked the ball with his right hand to Stoudemire.
Swish!
Stoudemire caught the ball and immediately went for a layup, scoring 2 points!
James should have also gone to help defend, but Stoudemire's cut was too fast.
After all, he was a core player of the Run-and-Gun 1.0 era and a master of facing the basket; his cutting speed was naturally incredibly swift.
109:107, the Heat still led by 2 points.
The Heat's offense.
Since James had just made a three-pointer, the Knicks found it difficult to defend him.
During the timeout, D'Antoni had told his players to bet on James's shooting touch, not to double-team him, and to continue defending the drive while giving up the shot!
This was also a gamble.
If James managed to hit a string of three-pointers, the Knicks would have to accept their fate.
But James, with his extremely high basketball IQ and excellent sense of rhythm, saw that the Knicks were still defending him with a single player. He didn't attempt another three-pointer. Instead, he called for a screen and continued to drive!
As he drove, Chalmers ran to the corner, and James immediately passed the ball to him.
However, Lowry's chase defense was swift, and he quickly caught up.
Chalmers's shot was rushed and missed.
James followed up with a put-back!
He was really giving it his all!
In the final moments of Game 7, James scored consecutively, carrying the team on his shoulders.
The home crowd was deeply moved. This was what a Big Three was all about!
In the first half, Wade's explosive performance gave them the lead.
And in the second half, James stepped up again, like a god descending!
After scoring, Wade roared and ran over to chest-bump James in celebration.
Although he was the soul of the Heat, at this moment, he had completely handed over the ball to James.
James had not disappointed Wade's expectations, repeatedly driving to the basket, allowing the Heat to maintain their lead.
At this point, James had already scored 34 points.
Wade, although scoring 42 points, had gotten most of them in the first half.
Li Feng also had 31 points and 12 assists.
But in the final stages, Li Feng was being double-teamed and heavily guarded, seemingly unable to score.
111:107, the Heat still held a 4-point lead.
There were 1 minute and 21 seconds left in the game.
It was a suffocating moment; fans watching the game couldn't even feel their heartbeats.
They unconsciously clenched their fists, secretly cheering for the home team's players!
Some elderly viewers with weaker hearts had already taken their quick-acting heart medication in advance.
The Knicks' offense.
Li Feng still didn't have the ball, crouching in the corner.
Lowry passed the ball to Yao Ming again.
At this moment, Yao Ming's back was to Li Feng. He received the ball at the elbow of the paint. The Heat players couldn't figure out Yao Ming's intentions, unsure if he would shoot or pass.
Suddenly, Li Feng, like a sleeping lion awakening, accelerated and bypassed Wade, driving along the baseline to the basket.
Wade inwardly cursed, quickly chasing after him.
James also reacted swiftly, abandoning his man, Bill Walker, to chase Li Feng.
But Li Feng was too fast. He rarely initiated, but when he did, he was guaranteed to score!
This tactic had been practiced countless times in training. Yao Ming seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. In his peripheral vision, he saw James heading towards the basket and knew Li Feng had made his move.
So, Yao Ming waved his hand and sent the ball ahead to the other side of the basket.
It was tossed high, seemingly out of Li Feng's reach.
But the Knicks' tactic was all about playing at the limit.
Even James, who had arrived to help defend, was stunned, thinking Yao Ming had made a mistake.
Just as the ball was about to fly out of bounds, Li Feng roared, leaped into the air, his head nearly 10 centimeters above the rim. With his right hand, he grabbed the ball.
James was shocked; he wanted to intercept him in the air, but it was too late.
After catching the ball, Li Feng instinctively spun in the opposite direction for a dunk.
It was incredibly difficult.
The basket was essentially behind him.
Even though the direction was off, Li Feng contorted his body and slammed the ball in.
Bang!
To avoid injury upon landing, Li Feng held tightly onto the rim, swinging for a couple of seconds before landing gracefully.
Amazing!
Almost everyone at the scene, upon seeing that play, had these two words in their minds.
Even the opponents, with their poker faces, shared the same thought.
To be honest, Yao Ming's pass was indeed a bit high, as Bosh had already gone to double-team.
But Li Feng still managed to execute a difficult dunk, which made Yao Ming both excited and relieved.
He was the first to run over and embrace Li Feng.
111:109, the Heat still led by 2 points.
There were 59 seconds left.
The Heat still held the advantage.
Spo gestraed with his arms crossed, maintaining a composed expression, but it was for show.
Li Feng's incredibly difficult shot had made him break out in a cold sweat.
Although they were leading, he truly had no confidence.
At this point, he had no other options but to give the ball to James.
In crucial moments, it was all about the caliber of the superstar.
James dribbled the ball past half-court, slowly moving, his face impassive.
He knew the importance of this possession.
With 59 seconds left, as long as they scored within 24 seconds, the Heat would most likely win the game.
Bill Walker was nervous.
Ever since being moved to the starting lineup, he had been tasked with guarding James.
Although the results were mediocre, the Knicks only had him to defend James to some extent.
James didn't pay attention to Bill Walker. He suddenly signaled to his teammates and then, with a sudden change of direction, drove past Bill.
At this moment, Cash was firmly pinning Yao Ming, and Bosh was blocking Stoudemire.
Wade was holding Li Feng, and Chalmers was running to the perimeter, forcing Lowry to follow him out.
A clear path opened up in front of James, unimpeded.
Almost all the Heat fans stood up, expecting James to dunk again.
Just as James reached the free-throw line, a figure appeared beside him.
Li Feng had originally intended to position himself early to draw an offensive foul on James.
Even sending James to the free-throw line would have been a success.
But Wade had blocked him tightly, causing Li Feng to be a step late.
Li Feng, with his superior strength, used a pump fake and then a backdoor cut to get beside James.
Just as James leaped into the air, Li Feng seemed to have springs under his feet and shot up.
They both jumped simultaneously. James saw Li Feng in his peripheral vision but paid no mind.
After all, he was a forward, over two meters tall with incredible jumping ability. No matter how well Li Feng could jump, he was still just a guard.
"You think you can stop me?"
"At most, you'll commit a foul!"
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
"You want to give me a 2+1?"
Just as James confidently slammed the ball towards the basket, Li Feng roared and arched his body in the air like a drawn bow.
It was like playing volleyball!
He poured all his strength into his hands!
Honestly speaking, due to the height difference, the reach of Li Feng's hands was indeed inferior to James'.
If James had gone for a floater, Li Feng would have been helpless.
But James was determined to dunk, and he had to knock Li Feng away to do it!
This was a prime opportunity to humiliate Li Feng.
Li Feng vaguely remembered watching a game before his transmigration where James had a powerful dunk that sent Terry crashing to the ground!
Was that scene about to unfold here?
Just as James was about to slam the ball into the basket, Li Feng slapped the ball!
Smack!
The slap was angled, directly hitting the ball off the rim.
With a *boom*, the ball bounced away.
James was shocked, lost his balance, and was about to fall sideways.
Fortunately, Yao Ming, who was preparing to grab the rebound, reached out and steadied him.
Li Feng was also excited by his successful block, but the ball hadn't gone out of bounds, and the referee hadn't blown the whistle.
The ball bounced more than three meters away, landing in front of Stoudemire.
Slo Mo caught the ball and immediately passed it to Lowry at the top of the arc.
The "little steel cannon" galloped past half-court.
He knew the importance of this shot. The Knicks were trailing by 2 points, and time was running out.
If he scored 2 points, it would be a tie.
A tie would boost the Knicks' morale significantly, while the Heat players would surely be disheartened.
Chalmers stayed close to Lowry, having already decided to disrupt the play at all costs.
In the first half, Chalmers had disrupted Lowry's fast break.
Although Lowry got two free throws, he was still dissatisfied with himself.
Here was another opportunity, and Lowry was determined to seize it.
Swish!
Entering the three-point line, Lowry initiated a three-step layup.
Chalmers mirrored his steps, preparing to grab Lowry's arm the moment he went up for the shot.
But the "little steel cannon" was prepared. Just as he went up for the layup, he suddenly switched the ball to his left hand and flicked it up.
Swish!
The basketball hit the glass and went in.
At the same time, the referee's whistle blew!
Chalmers had fouled Lowry's arm, an illegal block!
2+1!
After scoring, Lowry excitedly dropped to one knee and pounded the floor three times!
Li Feng and the Knicks players rushed over, surrounding Lowry and shouting excitedly.
"Awesome, Lowry!"
"Well done!"
...
Spo shook his head in frustration on the sideline. Chalmers's foul was completely unnecessary.
With only 17 seconds left, if Lowry made the free throw, the Heat would fall behind by 1 point.
So, he quickly called a timeout to strategize for the final possession.
Regardless of whether Lowry made the free throw, the Heat's next possession had to result in a score.
During the timeout, Spo drew up a play that designated James for the final shot.
Wade had no objections, as James had been the Heat's best player in this stretch.
James was uncharacteristically a bit nervous.
He had been shaken by Li Feng's disruptive slap earlier.
"This kid is really ruthless!"
"He actually blocked my dunk without fouling?"
He had been looking up at the big screen the entire time, trying to figure out how Li Feng had done it.
The timeout ended, and Lowry walked to the free-throw line.
Swish, he made it steadily!
112:111, the Knicks took a 1-point lead.
There were 17 seconds left in the game.
With the ball in the Heat's possession, the outcome was still uncertain.
Bosh inbounded the ball from the frontcourt sideline, passing it directly to James.
The Knicks still didn't double-team James, letting Bill Walker defend him one-on-one.
The other Heat players began to move, and James started his triple-threat hesitation dribble at the arc.
Time ticked away, and the tension in the arena was palpable, making fans' hearts pound in their chests.
The faint-hearted covered their eyes, only peeking through their fingers.
With 5 seconds left in the game, James suddenly made his move.
He faked, then dribbled behind his back, got past Bill Walker, and drove into the paint.
Li Feng shouted, and immediately three players converged on James.
This was D'Antoni's defensive strategy.
Doubling him early would only allow James to pass the ball comfortably.
But once he drove into the paint, they would immediately triple-team him, catching him by surprise!
Who were the players double-teaming him?
Yao Ming, Stoudemire, and Bill Walker from behind.
Li Feng and Lowry meticulously guarded the sides of the paint, preventing the Heat's interior players from scoring close to the basket.
Despite his unparalleled court vision and elite passing ability, James, facing these three big men, lost his passing lanes.
With only 2 seconds left, James, out of options, passed the ball to Bosh at the 45-degree angle.
Bosh had no time left. By the time the ball reached him, there were only 0.6 seconds remaining.
A rushed shot!
The ball didn't even touch the rim!
The buzzer sounded!
The Knicks had the last laugh, narrowly defeating the Heat's Big Three by 1 point and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals!
The Heat fans cried out in disbelief, unable to accept the reality.
James sat on the floor, his eyes vacant. Wade held his head in his hands, and Bosh, with tears in his eyes, blamed himself by hitting his own head.
Li Feng and the other Knicks teammates wept. They understood the pressure of this game better than anyone.
In a Game 7 on the Heat's home court, at a critical juncture, they had managed to survive!
Even now, the players couldn't believe they had actually won.
D'Antoni watched his young men from the sideline, nodding with a smile. He knew that after this battle, the Knicks' team cohesion had been elevated to a new level.
After the celebrations, the Heat players came over one by one to hug and congratulate the Knicks players.
Everyone else seemed okay, but the expressions on the faces of the Big Three were truly painful. Their eyes were red.
James, in particular, was filled with unconcealed frustration.
Li Feng played 38 minutes today, scoring 34 points, but he also had 10 rebounds, 17 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
James also had a good game today, scoring 34 points like Li Feng.
However, Li Feng's contribution to the team was clearly greater, especially at the end, where he not only acted as the core and captain but also as an assistant coach.
He had seamlessly integrated the entire Knicks team into a cohesive unit, and their defense was impenetrable.
...
After this thrilling Game 7, the media no longer had any negative voices about Li Feng and the Knicks.
In competitive sports, results speak for themselves!
As long as you achieve results, those voices will naturally fall silent.
Li Feng understood this principle, so he completely ignored the reporters' nonsensical chatter.