Billups wasn't flustered by James Jones' three-pointer; he had been gambling that Jones' three-point touch was off.
Now that Jones had found his rhythm, Billups immediately directed his teammates to defend him closely, applying intense pressure and even denying him the ball.
This was the drawback of a spot-up three-point shooter: they couldn't shoot threes while dribbling and had to rely on off-ball movement for passes from teammates.
This was also the significance of Stephen Curry's rise; he was the first superstar to develop his dribble-and-shoot three-point game to such an exquisite level.
And after Li Feng's transmigration, he had replaced Curry's status, even surpassing it.
Currently, within the league, only Li Feng possessed the skill and qualification to pull up and shoot anytime, anywhere.
With James Jones locked down, the Heat's bench went cold, and the Knicks' reserves seized the opportunity, narrowing the deficit to 2 points.
Just as Li Feng felt he could relax a bit after coming on, Mike Miller of the Heat suddenly ignited.
After being double-teamed earlier, Mike Miller had abandoned shooting and remained stationary in the corner.
As a result, the Knicks' bench players became a bit careless and stopped double-teaming him.
But Mike Miller was also a killer, waiting for his chance.
As it turned out, he hit a three-pointer from each corner, one on the left and one on the right!
The lead immediately stretched back to 8 points!
Billups was dejected; as the core of the second unit, he hadn't narrowed the deficit but had instead seen it widen.
At this point, with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter, neither team dared to be complacent, and both put their starting lineups back on the court.
However, as Li Feng entered the game, he was startled.
He noticed that James Jones had remained on the court.
Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade was sitting on the bench resting.
Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. James Jones had a decent three-point shot, and Wade was excessively fatigued; Coach Spo might have wanted him to rest longer.
But Li Feng had a hunch because James Jones had another role on the team: that of a bodyguard and enforcer.
It was rumored that he had been a professional boxer, so NBA players would definitely be at a disadvantage if they got into a fight with him.
D'Antoni also noticed this and immediately became alert.
He then made tactical adjustments. In the next possession, while the Heat's James was shooting a free throw, he substituted in Douglas, temporarily replacing Lowry.
Douglas was the team's designated bodyguard by D'Antoni.
In a regular season game last season, Li Feng had angrily struck a dirty player from the Spurs to defend Yao Ming, resulting in his ejection and a one-game suspension.
Although Li Feng had enjoyed the fight and the coach hadn't blamed him, for the sake of the team's interests,
D'Antoni had arranged for a team "bodyguard" – Douglas.
Douglas's playing ability was average, but he also had a special background as a former professional fighter.
James Jones, former professional boxer.
Douglas, former UFC fighter.
This was going to be interesting.
Seeing D'Antoni's substitution, Li Feng chuckled internally; it seemed Coach D was truly afraid of him resorting to physical action.
Indeed, in the ensuing offensive possession, Jones started trash-talking Li Feng and looked eager to throw punches.
It was clear he intended to provoke Li Feng into a fight, leading to both players being ejected.
If that happened, the Heat would win easily.
With a lead already established, losing an absolute starter would make it impossible for the Knicks to win.
But Li Feng ignored him and quickly retreated on defense, avoiding the confrontation.
He could dodge it for now, but not forever!
After Li Feng came on, he narrowed the deficit to 3 points with a pick-and-pop three-pointer and a driving floater.
If James Jones didn't make a move soon, it would be too late.
In the next possession, Li Feng went for help defense.
As a result, James Jones charged from behind and violently knocked Li Feng to the ground.
Fortunately, Li Feng had the system skill "Injury Resistance," allowing him to roll a few times on the ground before getting back up.
The collision was severe, and as a young man, Li Feng's temper flared. He glared angrily at Jones.
Jones was waiting for Li Feng to lose his temper; he was in the wrong but acted aggressively, throwing a punch at Li Feng.
If Li Feng retaliated, it would be an exchange of blows, and both would surely be ejected!
Just as Jones hadn't reached Li Feng, a Knicks player suddenly intervened, executing a leg sweep takedown and pinning James Jones to the ground.
This move was a standard mixed martial arts technique.
After Jones was taken down, everyone realized it was the Knicks' Douglas!
Li Feng had already prepared to quickly step back; he wouldn't fight Jones, but seeing Douglas's move, he knew it was safe.
Jones was known as a boxer throughout the league, and he often boasted about it.
But Douglas, a fighter, was less known.
In terms of record, Douglas had a decent track record; although he only competed for two years, he had an impressive record of 24 wins and 6 losses.
However, a cervical spine injury forced him to retire reluctantly.
His father was a former professional basketball player, so Douglas had good basketball fundamentals and came to the NBA.
Douglas was a minimum-salary player, earning a decent income.
He also had a straightforward personality and was very loyal, making him well-liked after joining the Knicks.
This time, he stepped up for Li Feng not just to fulfill his coach's "mission" but more importantly because Li Feng took good care of his teammates in various aspects of the team.
Douglas was a minimum-salary player with a low salary, but Li Feng often gave gifts to his teammates on holidays or important occasions.
This made the players feel warm and cared for, and Douglas considered Li Feng a close friend.
He was 6 years older than Li Feng and had once declared that anyone who dared to mess with Li Feng would have to go through him first!
Therefore, the moment Jones threw a punch, Douglas didn't hesitate to charge forward.
Otherwise, with Jones's punching speed, Li Feng might not have been able to dodge it.
Pinned to the ground, Jones was furious; he had never experienced such humiliation.
He tried to get up and fight Douglas, but Douglas applied a ground submission from jiu-jitsu.
With a rear-naked choke, he had Jones securely trapped, unable to move.
However, Douglas was careful with his application; he didn't go for a hard hold, or Jones's arm would have been broken.
Even so, Jones felt intense pain in his arm and struggled to breathe, on the verge of suffocation.
Jones, being experienced, knew he was facing a fighter and quickly tapped the mat a few times, signifying surrender!
Douglas ignored him and looked at the referee.
The three referees quickly came over, and only then did Douglas release his hold.
Jones knew he had met his match today; he glared at Douglas but dared not make a move.
Douglas smirked, looking at Jones as if he were an idiot.
The live audience was ecstatic.
They had bought tickets for a basketball game, but they got a bonus fight!
My goodness, those moves were professional; a leg sweep takedown and a rear-naked choke, incredibly executed!
Li Feng walked up to Douglas and patted his shoulder, whispering, "Thank you, Douglas. If there's a fine, I'll pay it for you."
Douglas smiled bashfully and said nothing.
Finally, after deliberation, the referees decided that James Jones's foul on Li Feng was unsportsmanlike and ruled it a Flagrant Foul 1.
Furthermore, for his subsequent attempt to punch Li Feng, a non-basketball action, he was ejected from the game!
Knicks player Douglas, for intervening on behalf of his teammate with excessive force, was also ejected from the game!
A case of punishing both sides equally!
Since neither player was a starter, their absence had little impact on the game.
However, in terms of morale, it significantly affected the Heat.
The Knicks clearly had a huge advantage in this altercation, with Jones tapping out in submission.
The Knicks players were thrilled; they had heard some stories about Douglas during casual team chats before.
Seeing him in action today confirmed he was indeed an expert!
In just two moves, he had Jones completely flustered!
...
After the commotion, the game resumed.
LeBron James had been watching from the sidelines, hoping Jones could trade himself for Li Feng and get him ejected. But seeing the outcome, he was extremely disappointed.
With 3 minutes and 37 seconds remaining in the game, the score was 104-102, with the Heat still leading by 2 points.
The Heat had possession, with 14 seconds on the shot clock.
Wade was back on the court, but he was playing off the ball, with LeBron at the top of the arc with the ball.
LeBron saw Bill Walker guarding him isolation and immediately called for a screen, driving quickly to the edge of the paint.
Just as Amar'e Stoudemire moved to help defend, LeBron passed the ball to Chris Bosh.
Bosh had just made a long two-pointer and felt good about his shot, so LeBron let him take another one.
Swish!
Because Yao Ming was protecting the basket, Bosh didn't dare drive to the hoop and could only attempt a mid-range jumper.
His touch was indeed good, and the two-pointer was made!
106-102, the Heat still led by 4 points.
With 3 minutes and 22 seconds left.
The Knicks' offense.
Li Feng received the ball in the backcourt and was immediately double-teamed.
In the crucial final moments, this was Li Feng's usual treatment.
He didn't force anything and passed the ball to the cutting Lowry, then ran to the corner.
Wade and Chalmers wouldn't fall for it; they trapped him in the corner, guarding him tightly, completely denying him the ball.
Even though Li Feng squatted in the corner, he wasn't idle. He made a gesture to Lowry from afar, and Lowry nodded slightly.
Whoosh!
Li Feng passed the ball to Amar'e Stoudemire.
Amar'e was matched against Bosh, which wasn't an easy matchup, but Amar'e didn't hold the ball because Lowry, after passing, quickly ran to the baseline and weaved through the paint.
This was Lowry's role; his constant cutting and movement could disrupt the opponent's interior defense.
Indeed, Joel Anthony was drawn by Lowry's movement, and with a moment of inattention, he allowed Yao Ming to establish position.
After securing position, Yao Ming immediately signaled for the ball, and Amar'e lobbed it to him.
Yao Ming received the ball, faked against Joel Anthony, and exploded to the basket!
With his reduced weight, Yao Ming made fewer such plays.
But today, in the crucial final moments, Yao Ming knew that only this type of play could maximally ignite his teammates' morale!
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, pointing at Joel Anthony, calling him for blocking!
Yao Ming excitedly pumped his fist and roared, hoping his teammates would play with passion and win the Game 7!
Li Feng rushed over, high-fived Yao Ming, and hugged him.
Although no words were spoken, the hug conveyed a thousand emotions.
When Li Feng was tightly double-teamed, his teammates stepping up to punish the opponent made Li Feng extremely gratified.
Yao Ming stood at the free-throw line and calmly made the additional free throw!
It was rare for a big man on a team to shoot free throws this accurately; Yao Ming's touch was truly historic.
106-105!
The Knicks were now only trailing by 1 point.
With 3 minutes and 2 seconds left in the game.
LeBron was getting anxious; he saw that if they couldn't extend the lead, danger would always exist.
He had witnessed Li Feng's clutch-winning abilities.
Although LeBron was also a big-heart player and had Wade on his team,
Li Feng was clearly the more magical one!
Therefore, LeBron gritted his teeth and wanted to score quickly, extend the lead, and gain the advantage.
Heat possession, LeBron with the ball at the top of the arc.
It was truly difficult to defend a superstar like LeBron; he could drive, pass, and while his shooting wasn't top-tier, he could still hit crucial shots.
Precisely because of his driving threat, defenders were hesitant to get too close.
And LeBron's elite court vision and elusive passing ability made opponents afraid to double-team him!
These few abilities determined LeBron's immense influence on the court.
LeBron faced Bill Walker's isolation defense, and instead of immediately calling for a pick-and-roll, he dribbled slowly, observing his teammates' movements.
Just as everyone expected him to drive or pass, he suddenly pulled up and shot a three-pointer.
This was completely unexpected!
Bill Walker was half a meter away from LeBron, with his arms spread wide, defending his drive.
Who would have thought he would shoot a three-pointer!
Could he make it?
Everyone looked at the basketball; the big men, including the forwards, were jostling for position, preparing to rebound the ball.
Who would have thought—
Swish!
The three-pointer was made!
The home crowd erupted in cheers; everyone stood up, applauding LeBron's sudden long-range attack!
"LeBron is awesome!"
"Haha, LeBron can shoot threes too!"
"Heat will win! The Big Three will win!"
...
Amidst the roaring cheers of the home fans, the Knicks players felt immense pressure.
If LeBron's shooting touch was this good, the game would be unplayable.
D'Antoni immediately called a timeout.
He could tolerate LeBron driving and passing, or making quick passes to teammates, because those were anticipated.
But if LeBron suddenly found his rhythm, a timeout was necessary to break his momentum!
109-105!
The Heat still led by 4 points!
And only 2 minutes and 41 seconds remained.
Li Feng walked off the court with a solemn expression, wiping sweat as he spoke quietly with Yao Ming.
"Da Yao, how's your stamina?"
"It's good, no problem. I rested for seven or eight minutes in the third quarter."
"Okay, in a bit, you'll be the hub, and I'll run off the ball. Make sure to pass me the ball."
Yao Ming's playmaking ability had improved significantly, but he didn't use it often.
He only passed out of necessity when double-teamed.
However, in training, Yao Ming and Li Feng had been continuously reinforcing this skill.
Yao Ming had the height, the skill, and high basketball IQ.
As long as he wanted to be a facilitator, he would be no worse than Gasol.
Moreover, this style of play would also extend Yao Ming's career.