SpOelstra didn't make any substitutions, feeling that Wade was playing well with the bench and could stay on the court a bit longer.
Additionally, James had expended too much energy in the first quarter chasing Li Feng. SpOelstra had never seen James look so tired.
After Li Feng entered the game, he instructed Lowry to lock down Mike Miller and took it upon himself to contain Wade.
Despite Wade's sharp drives, his effectiveness was significantly reduced under Li Feng's defense.
Of course, completely shutting down a historic superstar like Wade was impossible, but his shooting percentages did decrease.
Li Feng also increased his attempts, hitting another super-long three-pointer to extend the Knicks' lead to eleven points.
SpOelstra had no choice but to call a timeout, preparing to re-insert James and other starters.
While resting, James had engaged in a long discussion with SpOelstra. The Heat had been caught off guard by the Knicks' adjustments in the first quarter.
However, SpOelstra was a capable coach, and James was experienced. After their communication, they decided to bolster their wing offense.
The contrast in strengths between the Heat and the Knicks was clear: the Knicks held advantages both inside and outside.
Only on the wings did the Heat possess a significant advantage with James, and they intended to exploit it.
James's decision to double-team Li Feng in the first quarter was strategically a failure.
They reached a mutual agreement.
After the game resumed, James stopped focusing on Li Feng, knowing he couldn't defend him.
Instead, he focused on attacking the paint.
This adjustment yielded some results, with Stoudemire and Yao Ming quickly picking up their second fouls.
D'Antoni, frustrated, had to substitute them out for Jordan Hill and Bill Walker.
James had also led the Heat on a run, narrowing the deficit to three points.
Li Feng inwardly admired James and SpOelstra's adaptability, effectively leveraging the Heat's strengths.
D'Antoni dared not be careless and called a timeout.
James had scored seven consecutive points during that run, and his scoring total was now tied with Li Feng at twenty points.
It seemed the duel between James and Li Feng today was far from over and would only become more intense and exciting!
During the timeout, Li Feng remained silent, sitting and using the [Curry Stamina Recovery Technique] to quickly regain his energy while contemplating how to limit James.
There was a famous line on the sports channel: "On Earth, who can stop James?"
In the second quarter of today's game, James embodied that question perfectly.
The Knicks' forwards were largely outmatched by James.
If not for Li Feng and the perimeter players' strong performance, the Knicks would have been in serious trouble.
D'Antoni looked at Li Feng and asked, "Li Feng, what do you think about limiting James?"
Li Feng thought for a moment and replied, "To defend James, from the start, we shouldn't let him get into a rhythm. Let him shoot, and prevent him from driving inside."
D'Antoni said with resignation, "But our forwards are all in foul trouble, we can't defend him!"
Li Feng pointed at Lowry and said, "Have Lowry guard him, with Bill Walker providing help defense. That's the only way."
Lowry blinked in surprise. He was a guard, much shorter than James. How could he possibly defend him?
The reason Li Feng said this was because he remembered Barea.
In another parallel universe, during the 2011 Finals, the Mavericks' Barea had successfully defended James one-on-one.
This showed that James struggled against shorter, stockier guards.
With the Knicks' forwards in foul trouble, they had to try this strategy.
At this point, with 3 minutes and 12 seconds left in the second quarter, the score was 54-51, with the Knicks leading.
James had enjoyed his previous run and was feeling confident. As he walked onto the court, he loudly encouraged his teammates to give it their all and catch up, or even take the lead, before halftime.
The game resumed.
James knew the Knicks would make adjustments, but he never expected them to assign Lowry to defend him.
While Lowry had improved rapidly, he was still a guard, barely over 1.9 meters tall.
James sneered inwardly, thinking the Knicks were truly out of options.
Lowry, following Li Feng's instructions, stayed close to James, preventing him from initiating his drives.
The height difference gave Lowry a slight edge in reaction time.
Whenever James attempted to drive forcefully, Lowry would position himself well and then fall straight backward.
It had to be admitted that Lowry's ability to draw fouls was top-notch.
Coupled with Bill Walker's help defense, James's driving effectiveness was greatly diminished.
Sometimes, after Lowry fell, the referees would call an offensive foul on James, and sometimes they wouldn't.
Li Feng knew that James, being a superstar, wouldn't be called for fouls every single time.
But even a couple of such calls would make James less aggressive on his drives.
As expected, after a few possessions, James stopped driving and started passing.
D'Antoni watched from the sidelines, stunned. He could never have imagined that Lowry could defend James.
It was simply unbelievable!
Not only D'Antoni, but even Heat coach SpOelstra was furious, smashing his whiteboard on the sidelines!
The most frustrating part was for James, whose drives were being contained by a small guard.
The Knicks extended their lead again, and Li Feng increased his individual offense, scoring 8 points in the final 3 minutes!
Meanwhile, James scored zero points.
At the end of the first half, the score was 65-56, with the Knicks leading by nine points!
Li Feng had scored 29 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists in the first half, while James had 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Looking at the stats, Li Feng had once again outplayed James!
...
In the TNT broadcast booth, the two commentators and a guest were analyzing the game.
"The Knicks are using Lowry to guard James? It seems to be working quite well!" Barkley exclaimed with wide eyes, a look of shock on his face.
The other two were also surprised. Smith commented, "I thought the Knicks had given up, but I didn't expect such a surprising move!"
Reggie Miller smiled and said, "It might be a last resort. Stoudemire, Scola, and even Yao Ming are all in foul trouble. The Knicks have no forwards left."
"I bet other teams would never use a guard to defend James; it's like suicide, haha!"
"During the last timeout, I saw Li Feng pull Lowry aside and whisper for quite a while. Could it be that Li Feng gave him the strategy?"
"It's very possible. Li Feng is a cunning player; such a novel strategy is something only he could come up with."
"Haha, if this was indeed Li Feng's idea, then the Knicks have found a treasure. Li Feng is not only the team's tactical core but also half a coach. The Knicks' dynasty is within reach!"
"Miller, you're getting ahead of yourself. Dynasties aren't built that easily. In so many years of the NBA, how many dynasties have there been!"
"That's true, dynasties are indeed difficult to build. It all depends on whether Li Feng can achieve this miracle!"
...
Halftime, Heat locker room.
James and Wade both wore grim expressions. They had ambitious goals for this season.
Moreover, they had made bold pronouncements during the offseason, vowing to win the championship this season!
However, their previous home loss to the Knicks had poured cold water on the entire Heat team.
Their situation upon returning to the Knicks' home court was still not promising.
Could the much-hyped Heat Big Three really not overcome the Knicks?
Wade, being the heart and soul of the Heat, spoke first, "It's alright. We're only down by nine points at halftime, it's easy to catch up. In the second half, we'll increase our drives, and we'll definitely catch up."
He then said to James, "Starting in the second half, I'll screen Lowry. You continue to drive. I don't believe the Knicks can be contained by just one player like Lowry."
James gratefully patted Wade's arm. What a great teammate, Wade was always thinking about how to help James play better.
"Alright, I won't let my brothers down in the second half. We must break through the Knicks' defense!"
"Let's go! Heat win!"
"Heat win!"
Under their encouragement, the Heat players' spirits were revived.
...
The second half of the game began.
As expected, Wade screened in front of Lowry to help James, freeing him up for drives.
Li Feng understood that Lowry alone wouldn't be enough, so he observed the Heat's adjustments.
When he saw Wade setting screens for James, he immediately devised a counter-strategy.
"Lowry, after Wade screens, you don't need to chase. I'll stop James."
Li Feng, being a smaller guard himself, could also draw fouls on James.
Furthermore, Li Feng possessed more strength and speed than Lowry.
The reason Li Feng hadn't defended James earlier was to create an impression with the referees that the Knicks were using a smaller, ordinary player to guard James.
Drawing fouls not only required quick movement but also depended on making a good impression on the referees.
Because the game's pace was so fast, things happened in the blink of an eye.
The boundaries for fouls were often blurred, causing referees to hesitate.
Therefore, making a good impression was crucial.
If Li Feng were to defend, the referees might feel that Li Feng had more strength, and James was at a disadvantage.
The Knicks' offense.
Facing a double-team, Li Feng passed the ball to Lowry and then sprinted off.
As Li Feng ran towards the baseline, he suddenly changed direction, leaving Chalmers behind.
Scola, quick with his hands, passed the ball to Li Feng.
James was prepared and appeared in front of Li Feng. One had to admit James's basketball IQ was truly high. Although he couldn't match Li Feng's speed, he could quickly come over to provide help defense the moment Li Feng received the ball.
Li Feng remained calm. Upon catching the ball, he immediately faked a shot.
This was the advantage of having a good jump shot. A mere glance at the basket and a shooting motion was enough to make defenders jump reflexively.
Although James didn't jump, he still raised his hands.
Li Feng seized the opportunity, ducked low, and flew past James.
By the time James tried to chase him, it was too late.
Li Feng drove to the basket and, facing Bosh's defense, leaped high, faking a layup.
Bosh, the "Dragon King," roared and extended his massive hands, attempting to swat the ball away.
But Li Feng was still ascending. Seeing Bosh's fierce approach, he rotated his body 180 degrees, switched the ball to his left hand, and flicked it upwards!
This shot was incredibly artistic; no one expected Li Feng to finish the layup in this manner.
Bosh's hand missed the ball and, due to inertia, struck Li Feng's shoulder.
Li Feng effortlessly flicked the ball into the basket with his left hand.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, calling Bosh for a blocking foul.
A three-point play!
This shot was spectacular and was already a lock for the day's Top 5 plays.
The crowd at Madison Square Garden erupted in excitement, jumping to their feet and cheering for this incredible basket.
Fans looked up at the big screen, admiring the replay of the basket from every angle.
Each shot was breathtaking!
Li Feng high-fived his teammates in celebration and walked to the free-throw line.
In reality, Bosh's swat on Li Feng's shoulder did hurt.
It was also on his right shoulder. Despite rubbing it a few times, Li Feng still felt a dull ache.
This caused him to miss the subsequent free throw.
The Heat's center secured the rebound and initiated a fast break.
James received the pass and quickly pushed the ball up the court.
Bill Walker, closest to James, immediately went to chase him.
But the charging James was like an unstoppable tank.
Bill Walker's tugging and pulling couldn't stop him, and he could only watch as James drove in for a layup.
The two teams engaged in a battle of wits and strategies in the third quarter, exchanging blows and fighting hard, both pushing themselves to their limits.
However, the Knicks held a nine-point lead from the first half, giving them the upper hand on the court.
James, seeing the score remain static, grew anxious.
On the next possession, he signaled to Wade and passed him the ball.
Wade, understanding his intention, used James's screen to drive into the paint and then passed the ball back to James.
James received the ball deep in the court, naturally drawing the Knicks' defense towards him.
But James didn't drive or shoot; he simply lobbed the ball high into the air.
The Knicks' basket area was left unguarded as Bosh cut in, caught James's lob pass, and completed an alley-oop for 2 points!
The Heat's offensive tactics were indeed rich and difficult to defend.
This play was a classic combination involving the Big Three. Although they didn't use it often, it was highly effective.
Its use in the third quarter indicated that the Big Three were truly desperate and were bringing out their best plays.
The Knicks were slightly out of sync, and the Heat scored several consecutive baskets, narrowing the gap to just 2 points.
Before D'Antoni could call a timeout, Li Feng called for one on the court.
The Knicks needed to stabilize their morale and then devise a new strategy.
After all, the Heat's tactics were diverse, and the Knicks players were not yet adapted.
D'Antoni held up his tactical board and drew the Heat's recent play.
"This is the Heat Big Three's strategy. We must shut down the play at Wade and ensure no one is left open in the paint."
D'Antoni understood Li Feng's intention and immediately explained the strategy. Li Feng nodded slightly, acknowledging that Coach D'Antoni had some good insights.