Li Feng felt worried seeing that Kobe was still prioritizing the overall situation.
The Lakers, with Kobe integrating him into the team, were unbeatable.
At least in the current league, the Lakers were the strongest team!
Though Li Feng felt a bit panicked, the Knicks had not reached this point by chance.
In practice, the dual-engine combination of Li Feng and Lowry showed considerable power.
Fisher dribbled at the top of the arc. Seeing Gasol post up Gallinari, he passed the ball.
Gallinari had trouble defending Gasol. Gasol faked, then turned, and drove to the basket.
Jordan Hill immediately came to help, but Gasol looked up at the rim and with a flick of his wrist, passed the ball under Jordan Hill's arm to Bynum.
Little Shark Bynum loved these easy passes the most. He caught the ball and slammed it down!
Bang!
The Lakers scored the first 2 points!
This offensive play was clear and dominant, energizing the entire Lakers team!
The home crowd in New York shook their heads in lament. Yao Ming's absence was a huge loss for their interior defense.
Li Feng loudly encouraged his teammates, not wanting them to be intimidated at the start of the game.
"Let's play as one!" Li Feng said, holding the ball on the backcourt and making a gesture.
Kobe stepped up to guard Li Feng one-on-one.
Because Kobe had been conserving his energy on offense, his defense on Li Feng had been very effective in recent games.
But today, Li Feng had a backcourt partner in Lowry.
So Li Feng wasn't in a hurry. After crossing half-court, he passed the ball to Lowry.
Facing Fisher, Lowry easily drove into the paint.
Little Fish looked strong, but for some reason, his strength seemed insufficient against anyone. Even Duhon could push him off balance, let alone Lowry.
The "little cannon" Lowry drove into the paint, drawing Gasol's help defense.
Lowry had great court vision and immediately passed the ball to Gallinari near the baseline.
Gallinari made a jump shot, scoring 2 points.
Li Feng hadn't participated in the offense, and Lowry had perfectly replicated Li Feng's drive-and-kick, succeeding!
The home crowd immediately cheered.
Initially, they had some concerns about Lowry starting, but with this impressive drive and kick, Lowry showed them the effectiveness of a slightly weaker version of Li Feng!
Seeing Li Feng not attacking and letting Lowry lead the offense made Kobe a little nervous.
He walked over to Odom and quietly instructed him, "Fisher can't guard Lowry. You need to help out early."
"Okay!"
Odom was a well-rounded player. He might not have the ability to break through defenses, but he could enrich the team's tactics.
On the Lakers' offense, the ball went to Odom this time. Facing Scola, Odom changed direction and drove near the paint.
Gallinari immediately came to help. Odom took the opportunity to pull Gallinari to the three-point line and then lobbed the ball to Gasol.
Jordan Hill was hesitant about whether to help, but Gasol had already taken the shot.
Swish!
He scored with a floater.
Gasol could score on his own and also facilitate the offense; he was impossible to defend!
Without Yao Ming, the Lakers' interior play had indeed become more aggressive.
4-2, the Lakers took the lead.
Knicks offense. Li Feng crossed half-court and passed the ball to Lowry again.
As Kobe instructed, Odom immediately came to help.
Although Lowry had improved significantly, he still had few options against a double-team, appearing flustered.
Scola, on the side, was anxiously jumping, urging Lowry to pass the ball.
Fortunately, Lowry was strong enough. He pushed Fisher away and stumbled as he passed the ball to Scola.
Scola took a long two-point shot, which also went in!
4-4, tied!
Both teams executed their pre-game tactics, and the game was evenly matched.
Li Feng and Kobe, as the absolute cores of their respective teams, had not directly participated in the offense, which was quite rare in previous games.
It was the Lakers' turn to attack. Li Feng wanted to provoke Kobe further.
He shouted into Kobe's ear, "Kobe, the Lakers are a strong team without you too. It seems you're not that important!"
If it were the previous game, Kobe might have exploded.
But today, Kobe was exceptionally calm.
"Li Feng, aren't you the same? The Knicks are a strong team without you, too, hehe."
Seeing that Kobe wasn't taking the bait, Li Feng continued, "Want to go one-on-one a few times? I just learned a few new moves yesterday, and I can definitely crush you!"
Hearing Li Feng say that, Kobe felt a bit tempted. After all, Kobe was a very proud person who believed he had learned all the moves from Jordan.
But he suddenly saw the head coach Phil Jackson on the sidelines and immediately came to his senses.
So Kobe ignored Li Feng. After crossing half-court, he ran to the corner.
Gasol got the ball in the middle. Seeing no teammates open, he hesitated. Kobe suddenly made a backdoor cut, gaining half a step on Li Feng.
Gasol, with quick hands, immediately passed the ball to him. Kobe caught it and drove straight for a layup!
Despite Li Feng's desperate chase, he was still half a step too slow.
Kobe's off-ball movement was already masterful, and it was impossible for Li Feng to completely contain him.
Kobe's combination of on-ball and off-ball play made him a more difficult part of the Lakers' team to defend.
With over 5 minutes gone in the game, the score was 13-11, with the Lakers leading.
An official timeout was called.
D'Antoni frowned. The Knicks had played well today, but the Lakers were playing more rationally and still held the advantage.
If the game continued like this, the Lakers would surely win another game and take the crucial fifth game.
"Li Feng, you should attack more. This situation isn't good!"
D'Antoni had no other option. He knew Li Feng hadn't exerted himself yet, but if Li Feng didn't start playing harder, the Knicks would be in danger.
Li Feng wasn't unwilling to exert himself, but he knew he couldn't win the game alone.
So he said to the coach, "I'll increase my shot attempts, but coordination between teammates is even more important. I'll adapt to the situation on the court."
D'Antoni could only nod, forcing a smile, "Whether we can win this game depends on you."
Everyone knew how important Li Feng was to the Knicks.
But Li Feng's thoughts were not that simple.
After the timeout, the game resumed. After Li Feng entered the court, he increased his offensive intensity.
With Li Feng's increased offense, Lowry's pressure lessened, and both Li Feng and Lowry improved their efficiency.
Seeing Li Feng start attacking, Kobe's heart stirred again.
So in the next possession, he called for the ball at the elbow of the paint.
Phil Jackson saw this and shook his head in anger again.
Li Feng was overjoyed to see Kobe wanting to go one-on-one.
The moment Kobe caught the ball, Li Feng suddenly darted behind him and ¡bang!
Li Feng's lightning-fast hands poked the ball away.
The ball happened to land near Lowry. Lowry grabbed the loose ball and immediately initiated a fast break.
Kobe was anxious and chased after him. Lowry noticed Kobe behind him, so he instinctively drove to the basket and tossed the ball off the backboard!
Li Feng leaped high, caught the ball in the air, and then fiercely slammed it into the basket!
The Knicks' twin guards toyed with Kobe!
Kobe was furious. He stomped his foot and went to get the ball for the inbound.
Li Feng and Lowry's exquisite cooperation ignited the entire arena. Madison Square Garden roared like thunder again!
In a crucial Game 5, only Lowry and Li Feng would dare to play like this.
Li Feng and Lowry slapped hands heavily and roared.
This basket brought out the Knicks' momentum. Kobe also knew he had made a mistake. He heard his coach's angry shouts from the sideline.
In the next possession, Kobe didn't try to go one-on-one but instead cooperated with his teammates on offense.
However, the Knicks players suddenly increased their defensive intensity!
This was the effect of an improved morale on their defense.
While talent is paramount in defense, an increase in effort can compensate for a lack of talent when the talents are equal.
Under the Knicks' defense, the Lakers' offense was significantly hampered, and their efficiency dropped.
Gasol wasn't strong enough. With the collisions from Gallinari and Jordan Hill, he committed consecutive turnovers.
The Knicks took advantage and went on a 10-3 run.
At 9:24 in the first quarter, the score was 26-19, with the Knicks leading by 7 points.
D'Antoni was ecstatic on the sidelines. He finally saw the Knicks' overall defense improve again.
Offense wins regular season games, but defense wins championships—this is an eternal truth!
Phil Jackson was very helpless and had to call a timeout.
He understood the importance of momentum in a game. Kobe's mistakes just now had lowered the Lakers' morale, while the Knicks' morale soared.
Sometimes, the turning point of a game can happen in a single possession.
When the Lakers' starters walked off the court, Phil Jackson did not look at Kobe.
Kobe felt guilty and walked to his seat with his head down, not daring to look at his coach.
"Do you know what game this is?" the Zen Master yelled loudly.
Gasol replied with his head down, "Game Five!"
"And you know it's Game Five? If we lose this game, we'll be on the brink of elimination!"
"All you starters, think about it. The bench players, go in!"
Phil Jackson was furious and decided to make a complete substitution, putting all the bench players on the court.
This move was unusual. Usually, two starters would be substituted first, and then all of them would be taken out.
On the Knicks' side, Li Feng remained on the court. Lowry and Jordan Hill went to the bench for a rest, replaced by Larry Hughes and Bill Walker.
Under Li Feng's leadership, the Knicks continued to hold the lead on the court, and the point difference continued to widen!
The Lakers' bench players were no match for Li Feng.
Farmar came in aggressively and matched up against Li Feng, but Li Feng overwhelmed Farmar, scoring two dunks and drawing two fouls on Farmar.
On defense, Li Feng also showed great aggression.
He not only swept the perimeter but also played a crucial role in interior help defense.
It could be said that Li Feng had an extremely perfect performance in the first quarter of this pivotal Game 5.
17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 5 assists!
Li Feng led the entire team in his own way.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 32-21, with the Knicks leading by 11 points.
Kobe played 9 minutes in the first quarter and only scored 6 points.
Of course, he also took very few shots.
When the second quarter began, Li Feng rested on the bench, and Lowry came on to lead the reserves.
This was the benefit of Lowry's growth. He could not only play a crucial role in the starting lineup but also be the core of offense and defense in the reserve lineup.
Most importantly, Lowry was young and had unlimited stamina!
Back then, Li Feng and Curry at Davidson College were called the "Splash Brothers."
Now, some fans had started calling Li Feng and Lowry the "Steel Cannon Brothers."
This was because both of them were very strong and often knocked defenders off their feet during their drives.
However, Lowry's three-point shooting was also very good. He had been practicing three-pointers with Li Feng.
Although his talent wasn't as high as Li Feng's, the "little cannon" was diligent.
After every practice, he would shoot an extra two hundred three-pointers.
Diligence could compensate for lack of skill, and besides, Lowry wasn't unintelligent, so his three-point shots became increasingly stable.
At the start of the second quarter, Lowry hit a transition three-pointer.
Although his shot wasn't as stunning as Li Feng's logo threes, it was very practical.
Immediately after, he assisted Larry Hughes for a layup.
The Lakers' reserves were also strong and quickly responded.
But Lowry didn't give the Lakers a chance to close the gap, immediately hitting another corner three-pointer, widening the lead again.
Phil Jackson's expression was grim.
He had expected the Knicks to be demoralized with Yao Ming out today.
Instead, the Knicks played their two-point guard offensive strategy and completely controlled the game.
With more than 4 minutes gone in the second quarter, the Knicks were leading by 15 points.
The Zen Master had no choice but to bring in his starters early.
While Kobe was resting, the coach didn't say a word to him.
This indicated the problem. Kobe knew he had made a mistake.
So, after returning to the court, Kobe reintegrated himself into the Lakers' team and played extremely rationally.
After all, they were the Lakers' starters. The Knicks' reserves gradually faltered.
D'Antoni waved his command flag, bringing Li Feng and other starters back onto the court.
Lowry remained on the court without resting.
This was how the Finals played out, with very limited rotations.
Often, only six or seven players were rotated.
Otherwise, other players would become weaknesses and be exploited.
In a matchup between top teams, the decisive factor was not who was more talented, but who had a more balanced strength.
This was the "theory of the bucket."
The amount of water a bucket could hold was determined not by the longest stave, but by the shortest stave.
Li Feng and Lowry once again dominated the game. The Lakers' starters gritted their teeth and held on.
On one Lakers possession, Gasol, using Bynum's screen, drove to the basket.
Just as he was about to layup, Lowry suddenly came to help and bumped Gasol.
Despite being a guard, Lowry possessed immense strength. Gasol was bumped, and the ball slipped from his hands.
Gallinari dove fiercely and snatched the ball, then passed it to Scola.
Scola crossed half-court and passed to Li Feng.
Kobe was sticking tightly to Li Feng, not wanting this basket to be scored, as this possession was crucial for both teams' morale.
If Li Feng scored another dunk, the New York home crowd would erupt in passion, making it even harder for the Lakers.
After receiving the pass, Li Feng knew Kobe would use a fouling tactic, so he didn't stop the ball and directly passed it to the open Scola.
Scola was startled. He had just passed the ball to Li Feng, and now it was passed back.
But he saw Li Feng pointing to the corner.