Deng Huasheng laughed heartily, "Li Feng, what are you talking about! How could we lose money? The sales of the products you endorsed in the past few months have already reached two hundred million!"
Li Feng was also shocked. He hadn't expected such massive sales in just a few months.
"Haha, it seems Red Star Sports' products are quite good!"
Subsequently, Yao Ming quickly signed a five-year, fifty-million-dollar long-term contract with Red Star Sports.
When this news spread, many people thought Red Star Sports was foolish.
They believed Yao Ming was already 30 years old and, even if he played well for the Knicks, he wouldn't last many years. Giving him a five-year big contract seemed like a bad investment.
However, only Red Star Sports knew what Yao Ming meant to Chinese fans.
Li Feng also publicly supported Yao Ming, telling reporters clearly, "Yao Ming is our Great Wall of China. He is the representative of skilled centers in the NBA. No one dares to underestimate him!"
...
The Knicks' next game welcomed a strong Western Conference team, the Spurs.
In their first encounter, the Knicks narrowly defeated the Spurs, so the Spurs were coming with a vengeance, determined to even the score.
Since Duncan joined, the Spurs had consistently been a formidable force in the Western Conference.
Every year, the Spurs were a difficult hurdle in the playoffs.
Even if they managed to get past the Spurs, they would be severely weakened. kan Shu Wu. xià
Therefore, with the Spurs' visit, the media once again focused on the two teams.
Duncan was a low-key superstar. He rarely made bold statements, preferring to prove himself on the court through his actions.
However, this time, Duncan uncharacteristically made a couple of strong remarks.
"The Knicks have been in good form recently, especially with Yao Ming joining, making the lineup more balanced. But we Spurs won't let the Knicks win twice."
Duncan's confidence stemmed from the Spurs' recent good form and the increasing chemistry and immense power of the GDP trio.
Li Feng responded to the interview with a smile.
"Duncan is a superstar. Ginobili and Parker, like myself, are international players who have achieved success in the NBA. I respect them greatly!"
"However, today, the Knicks must win. Just wait and see!"
Many fans placed their hopes of defeating the Knicks on the Spurs.
...
At 7:30 PM, Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks hosted the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs' starting lineup was Duncan, Parker, Jefferson, George Hill, and McDaniel.
The Knicks' starting five were Li Feng, Yao Ming, Gallinari, Duhon, and Scola.
McDaniel secured the first possession for the Spurs, and George Hill dribbled the ball past half-court.
George Hill was a very capable guard with great basketball IQ.
He knew Li Feng's prowess from their last encounter. Today, he didn't engage Li Feng in a one-on-one battle. Instead, he called for a screen, drove to the paint, and passed the ball to Parker.
The French Pocket Rocket's mid-range game was exceptional. Upon receiving the ball, he faked a move, throwing Duhon off balance, and drained a floating jump shot!
"He's truly hard to defend," Duhon shook his head repeatedly.
2-0, the Spurs took the lead.
The Knicks' offense. Li Feng dribbled past half-court. The Spurs didn't dare to be complacent and immediately employed a double-team.
Parker and Hill blocked Li Feng from mid-court.
Li Feng didn't rush to attack himself. He passed the ball to Duhon, who organized the team in a 4-on-3 situation.
However, Duncan's help defense in the paint was impenetrable. Duhon was forced to pass the ball to Yao Ming.
With Yao Ming's skill, easily posting up the Spurs' center McDaniel was a simple task.
But Duncan's sudden help defense made it very difficult for Yao Ming.
With limited time on the shot clock, Yao Ming could only force up a shot, which bounced off the rim.
Jefferson grabbed the rebound and directly threw it to George Hill.
George Hill sprinted past half-court and, under Li Feng's defense, passed cross-court to Parker, who hit another mid-range jumper!
The Spurs caught the Knicks off guard right from the start.
It was evident that the Spurs were well-prepared, effectively shutting down both of the Knicks' offensive initiators.
Li Feng and Yao Ming wore serious expressions, fully aware of the Spurs' strength.
They were a team with extreme discipline. Their head coach, Popovich, was a former military man, so he could tolerate missed shots but not mistakes.
Popovich had reprimanded Parker, Ginobili, and other players countless times.
On the sidelines, D'Antoni felt uneasy, but it was still early in the game, so he didn't call a timeout.
He trusted that Li Feng and Yao Ming would respond.
Before the next possession, Li Feng and Yao Ming exchanged a few whispered words, and Yao Ming nodded slightly.
Li Feng again dribbled the ball past half-court, signaling his teammates simultaneously.
His teammates understood and quickly spread out.
After crossing half-court, Li Feng passed the ball to Duhon again.
The moment Duhon received the ball, Li Feng suddenly cut to the basket on a backdoor.
The Spurs players were shocked and quickly collapsed their defense, all moving to intercept Li Feng.
At this moment, Yao Ming, who was battling the opposing center under the basket, suddenly moved to the corner.
Spurs center McDaniel was prepared to follow, but Li Feng suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
Duhon made a quick pass to Yao Ming.
Duncan realized he had been tricked and it was too late to chase him down. Yao Ming's height made his shot unguardable.
Swish!
Yao Ming's first three-pointer of the game went in cleanly!
The Knicks fans roared with excitement.
After the Spurs' 4-0 run, the Knicks delivered a powerful response!
This play was something Yao Ming had never executed with the Rockets.
If he had tried to force his way through under the basket as before, Duncan would have surely disrupted it.
Popovich became tense again. He had made thorough preparations before the game, but he hadn't anticipated the Knicks' tactical richness.
And the tactic of Li Feng screening for Yao Ming.
On the Spurs' possession, Li Feng personally defended Parker, and Duhon guarded George Hill.
Under Li Feng's defense, Parker couldn't get the ball.
George Hill was forced to pass to Duncan.
Duncan was the Spurs' last line of defense and their ultimate offensive weapon.
When the team was in trouble, the ball was always passed to Duncan in the final seconds.
Duncan received the ball, and Gallinari stepped up to defend him closely.
Duncan had established a solid foundation in college, and his basketball skills were largely complete.
Hence, he was nicknamed "The Big Fundamental" by fans.
Despite Gallinari's diligent defense, Duncan executed a half-turn and hit a bank shot, scoring two points.
Yao Ming had tried to help defend but was effectively pinned by McDaniel.
Both teams were playing at their best, and the score was tightly contested.
After more than five minutes of play, the score was 12-10, with the Knicks leading by 2 points.
It was time for the official timeout.
Despite the lead, Li Feng clearly felt the strain, being constantly challenged.
More surprisingly, after the official timeout, Ginobili entered the game earlier than expected.
As the league's best sixth man, Ginobili's importance to the Spurs was undeniable.
D'Antoni's brow furrowed. He had watched a lot of Spurs game footage, and Ginobili typically wouldn't play this early unless it was a crucial game.
This showed that Popovich was indeed treating this game as a playoff match.
The Knicks had also made meticulous preparations to counter Ginobili.
As soon as Ginobili stepped onto the court, he executed a serpentine drive to the basket.
Yao Ming moved to help defend, but Ginobili faked him out with a deceptive move.
Just as Manu was going up for the layup, Li Feng suddenly emerged and swatted Ginobili's shot out of bounds!
In fact, George Hill was already trying to impede Li Feng, but Li Feng's speed and strength were far superior to Hill's. A quick change of direction left him behind.
Ginobili's expression turned grim. He knew Li Feng was good, but the team had a defensive strategy in place. He hadn't expected Li Feng to still provide help defense.
Ginobili glanced at Hill, who shrugged helplessly, as if to say, "I tried my best, but I couldn't stop Li Feng..."
Popovich, watching from the sidelines, shook his head and sighed again.
The Spurs, renowned for their tactical depth, had all their strategies countered by the Knicks.
Popovich and D'Antoni were old rivals. He knew D'Antoni had a knack for utilizing guards but lacked tactical richness on both offense and defense.
Therefore, Popovich was puzzled by the Knicks' current strength. Had they hired a new assistant coach?
But he hadn't seen any new assistants on the Knicks...
With over eight minutes gone in the first quarter, the Knicks led by seven points.
Ginobili had scored zero points and recorded only one assist.
As the primary offensive threat off the bench for the Spurs, Ginobili's performance was below par.
This was largely due to Li Feng's help defense.
Ginobili looked frustrated. His task hadn't been completed; instead, he had become a scoring opportunity for the Knicks.
Popovich, resigned, substituted him out early.
The Knicks also subbed out Yao Ming and Li Feng to rest.
The battle between the reserve lineups was evenly matched.
Although Lowry maintained high efficiency, Bonner, Bogans, and Jackson of the Spurs were all playing well.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 32-27, with the Spurs trailing by five points.
Popovich, being an old fox, surprisingly brought all his starters back onto the court at the beginning of the second quarter.
Both D'Antoni and Li Feng were taken aback by the Spurs' move.
Was this the legendary "staggered lineup" strategy?
Indeed, this change by the Spurs yielded excellent results.
Within the first three minutes of the second quarter, the Spurs went on a run and took the lead.
Duncan and Parker played easily against the Knicks' reserves.
Lowry possessed good strength, but his experience in defending pick-and-rolls was still lacking, and he was repeatedly beaten by the pick-and-rolls of Parker and Duncan.
D'Antoni started to panic, unable to comprehend Popovich's strategy.
"Li Feng, Yao Ming, how are your stamina levels?"
Li Feng stood up and said, "I'll go in. Let Yao Ming rest a bit longer."
D'Antoni nodded vigorously, "Good, good."
Li Feng's presence on the court would at least significantly reduce the effectiveness of the Spurs' pick-and-rolls.
Lowry remained on the court, and this was the first time he and Li Feng were on the court together.
Upon entering the game, Li Feng high-fived Lowry and encouraged him, "You're playing well. I'll switch on defense later, and you focus on the ball handler."
"Okay!"
Once Li Feng entered the game, the Spurs' offense immediately became more difficult.
With Li Feng's assistance, Lowry's defense became much easier, and Parker lost his opportunities to shoot.
The Spurs' offense shifted towards Duncan. Without Yao Ming, Duncan began to pound the ball inside.
Duncan truly lived up to his "Big Fundamental" moniker. Although he was over 30 and had suffered major injuries, he could still inflict damage when he exerted himself.
The teams remained locked in a stalemate for several minutes before Yao Ming returned to the court.
With Yao Ming back, the Knicks once again gained the upper hand.
Popovich, fearing that Duncan might get too tired and risk injury, substituted him out again at the 7-minute mark of the second quarter.
The Knicks maintained a lead of five points or more.
Just as the home crowd thought the Knicks would easily win the game, the situation on the court took a sudden turn.
Yao Ming attempted a jump shot against the Spurs' reserve center.
This was a crucial scoring method for Yao Ming, a sure thing.
However, the moment Yao Ming released the ball, the Spurs' reserve center, Ratliff, forcefully shoved Yao Ming to the ground.
The Spurs did have a tendency to resort to "special tactics" in important games.
Yao Ming, with his massive frame, crashed to the ground, writhing in pain.
Li Feng, momentarily losing his temper, immediately rushed over.
Yao Ming was already thirty years old. After losing weight, he had found a new lease on life with the Knicks.
If he got injured again, he might have to retire.
Ratliff's foul was incredibly dirty and had the potential to cause a serious injury to Yao Ming.
Thus, the usually calm Li Feng couldn't control himself and landed a heavy punch on Ratliff.
Bang!
Ratliff's face was bloodied, with a broken nose, and he collapsed to the ground.
Players from both teams immediately got entangled, and chaos erupted in the arena!
Referees and security personnel rushed in, and it took considerable effort to separate the players.
D'Antoni on the sidelines let out a sigh, realizing he had been tricked again.
Li Feng had hit the opponent's reserve center. Even if he was ejected, it wouldn't significantly affect the Spurs.
But Li Feng's punch was bound to result in a severe penalty from the league.
Li Feng had indeed been overwhelmed with emotion when he threw the punch, but he felt no regret afterward!
Even if he was ejected from the game, he felt it was worth it!
Because he believed team cohesion was the most important thing!
If losing one game could foster better relationships among players, then it was a worthwhile trade!
The referees were reviewing the replay on the sidelines, discussing the severity of the penalties for the players.
The fans in the arena were all on Li Feng's side, shouting loudly, "Well done! That dirty player deserved it!"
A few minutes later, the referees announced the ruling.
Spurs center Ratliff received a Flagrant 1 foul and was ejected. Li Feng, for his excessive retaliatory action, was also ejected!
Although Li Feng had mentally prepared for this, he still felt a sense of unease, as he would no longer be able to fight alongside his teammates on the court.
He waved to the spectators and, accompanied by security, headed towards the players' tunnel.
The fans at Madison Square Garden all stood up, applauding and shouting Li Feng's name.
"Li Feng is awesome!"
"Li Feng, we love you!"
"Li Feng, well done!"
...