Li Feng, although he didn't participate in the offense in the first two rounds, he attracted two defensive players, creating more space for his teammates to attack.
On the defensive end, Li Feng was everywhere, making it very difficult for the Celtics, forcing them to play around him.
After 5 minutes and 21 seconds of the first quarter, the score was 11:7, with the Knicks leading.
Li Feng had scored zero points but had 1 assist and 1 steal.
Yao Ming dunked over Perkins for 2 points, Scola scored 4 points, Gallinari 3 points, and Duhon 2 points.
Pierce scored 4 points, and Ray Allen had 3 points.
Judging by the performance of both teams, the Knicks had more offensive outlets, while the Celtics' only reliable scorers were Pierce and Ray Allen.
Although the scores were close, the Celtics players and coaches felt a heavy burden.
That burden was Li Feng!
It was clear that Li Feng hadn't exerted himself yet.
That was the most frightening aspect.
Without Li Feng even trying, the Knicks were already performing exceptionally well!
How could they possibly win this game?
Celtics coach Rivers was in a difficult situation. His game plan focused entirely on Li Feng, but Li Feng was not making any offensive moves.
This caused chaos in the Celtics' defense.
After the timeout, the players returned to the court.
The lineups for both teams remained unchanged, and the duel continued!
Rondo dribbled past half-court, and Perkins set a high pick on Li Feng. Rondo seized the opportunity to drive into the paint.
This was Rondo's first drive.
During the timeout, Rivers had told Rondo to be more aggressive with his drives, as the Celtics had too few offensive options and could easily be contained.
At this moment, Rondo's drive was sharp. He reached the paint and, facing Yao Ming's help defense, directly passed the ball to Garnett, who was near the baseline.
Rondo's large hands made his passing lanes very tricky and difficult to defend.
Garnett received the ball and threw down a powerful dunk, scoring two more points for the Celtics.
It seemed the Celtics' timeout had paid off.
Li Feng, not to be outdone, also entered his personal offensive mode after being "low-key" for five minutes.
Facing a double-team, Li Feng faked and then used his speed to shake off Ray Allen.
Ray Allen was shocked and quickly tried to chase, but Li Feng's acceleration was even faster, and he was at the basket in the blink of an eye.
Garnett rushed over to help defend. Li Feng took to the air and dunked under Garnett's defense!
The home crowd cheered excitedly; Li Feng's powerful dunks were always so impactful!
That was Garnett, no less!
Garnett was very frustrated today. Not only had he been toyed with by Scola earlier, but he had also been dunked on by Li Feng!
With Li Feng finally making his move, the game became even more exciting.
Not only could Li Feng score himself, but his drives also frequently tore open the Celtics' defense, and he then passed to open teammates.
Yao Ming, Scola, and Gallinari also had good shooting touches, converting Li Feng's passes into assists.
Despite the Celtics' all-out effort, they couldn't stop the Knicks' surging offense!
Rivers sighed repeatedly from the sidelines. He had prepared thoroughly for this game, aiming to take a lead in the first half, as the Celtics players were older and their stamina would decrease in the second half.
However, before the first quarter was even over, the Celtics were already trailing.
If this continued, how would they play in the second half?
The Celtics players and coaches felt similarly depressed.
They couldn't even compete without Yao Ming, and now with Yao Ming, the game was even more one-sided.
Yao Ming was substituted out for rest after only a little over six minutes into the first quarter.
Li Feng was also replaced by Lowry after a little over eight minutes.
Unexpectedly, even in the second round of the playoffs, the game was proceeding so easily.
However, just as the Knicks were substituting out their starters, the Celtics surprisingly kept their starters on the court.
Facing the Knicks' bench players, the Celtics' starters unleashed their full power and scored continuously.
Li Feng and Yao Ming sat on the sidelines with serious expressions, realizing that the Celtics' strategy had changed today.
Because the Celtics players were older, they had previously substituted their starters out early for rest in past games.
But today, the Celtics kept all their starters on the court for the entire first quarter!
They were truly giving it their all!
By the end of the first quarter, the score was 28:23, with the Celtics surprisingly leading by 5 points!
Madison Square Garden fell silent; the earlier excitement had completely vanished.
Many fans were surprised, wondering how these old Celtics veterans weren't tired.
In reality, they were tired, but in the playoffs, they showed a fighting spirit and caught the Knicks off guard with an unexpected adjustment in playing time.
At the start of the second quarter, both Li Feng and Yao Ming stood up, ready to enter the game and reclaim the lead.
However, D'Antoni was not in a hurry, as he knew that the Celtics' stamina was limited, and their intense effort was simply an early exhaustion.
"You guys continue to rest, no need to rush."
D'Antoni had Li Feng and Yao Ming, two trump cards, and could afford to be patient.
The Knicks continued with their reserve lineup, and the Celtics also substituted their starters out, letting their reserves come onto the court.
The Celtics maintained their lead.
The home crowd started to get restless, shouting, wanting the coach to put Li Feng and Yao Ming back in.
But D'Antoni seemed not to hear them, remaining calm and letting the reserves play.
Lowry was playing very determinedly today. Although they had been outplayed by the Celtics starters for a few minutes, they showed great spirit against the Celtics' reserves.
He, Jordan Hill, and Larry Hughes formed a strong triangle, performing excellently on both offense and defense, not only preventing the deficit from widening but even closing the gap.
With 4 minutes and 48 seconds left in the second quarter, the score was 39:36, with the Celtics only leading by 3 points!
D'Antoni then called a timeout, preparing to bring the starters back onto the court.
The Celtics starters also stood up; they had only rested for 4 minutes in the first half before needing to return.
As soon as Li Feng entered the game, he launched a fierce attack.
He felt a bit guilty, feeling he had let down the home fans.
Because he was young, he hadn't played as many minutes as the older Celtics players, which had led to the deficit.
Therefore, he also adopted a desperate posture.
Li Feng drove to the baseline and, facing Garnett's help defense, executed an extreme step-back three-pointer.
Many players could perform step-backs, but Li Feng's step-back had an immense stride!
It was like a triple jump as he retreated to the three-point line and released the shot lightning-fast!
Despite his height and long arms, Garnett was still a fraction of a second too late, and Li Feng made the three-pointer.
After making the shot, Li Feng excitedly held up three fingers.
Garnett was helpless and shook his head in frustration.
The Celtics' strategy today was to let the Knicks' other players beat them rather than let Li Feng score.
However, although Li Feng didn't take many shots, his shooting percentage was extremely high; he was 3-for-3 so far!
Garnett had even abandoned Scola and Yao Ming to close in on Li Feng, yet he still conceded a score.
This basket was a significant blow not only to Garnett but also to the other Celtics players.
39 all!
Li Feng tied the score as soon as he entered the game.
The Celtics initiated offense. Rondo crossed half-court, saw Pierce in a good position, and passed him the ball directly.
Pierce was also efficient today, shooting 5-for-7 for 11 points.
So Rondo wanted him to continue attacking Scola.
Pierce, familiar with the situation, faked and drove into the paint.
Just as he was about to shoot, Li Feng suddenly appeared in front of him, made a quick move, and stole the ball.
The Celtics had studied Li Feng thoroughly, knowing he had a tendency to steal the ball.
In modern terms, Li Feng was a "rat" player!
But Pierce had clearly glanced at Li Feng earlier; he was still near Rondo.
How had he suddenly flashed to his side?
Before he could figure it out, Li Feng had already initiated a counter-attack with his teammates.
Duhon, Gallinari, and Li Feng crossed half-court. With three passes, the ball finally reached Gallinari for a dunk!
Pierce's face turned dark; despite his caution, he had fallen for Li Feng's trap!
The Celtics launched another offense, and Rondo passed the ball to Garnett.
Garnett had been focused on defense throughout, not participating in the offense.
But Rondo saw Garnett open and wanted him to take a shot.
Yao Ming knew Garnett's turnaround jump shot was formidable and didn't dare to be careless, immediately coming over for help defense.
Garnett dribbled aggressively towards the basket, with Yao Ming tightly guarding him, denying him space to shoot.
Unable to do anything after two attempts, Garnett had to pass the ball to Perkins.
Perkins, relying on his strength, tried to power through, but Yao Ming didn't need to contest him directly; he jumped and swatted the ball away!
*Pak!*
The block was incredibly crisp, sending the ball out of bounds to the stands. The crowd erupted in laughter, and Perkins' face turned grim with embarrassment.
The Celtics' shot clock had only a little over 2 seconds remaining.
Garnett threw an inbound pass from the sideline directly to Ray Allen.
Ray Allen's shooting touch was still good, and his stamina was astonishing. Upon receiving the ball, he pulled up for a three-pointer!
*Swish!*
The three-pointer was also made!
He truly was the man who saved LeBron James in his previous life; his three-point shooting was so steady!
Li Feng's attention had been on Pierce, so he was unable to do anything about Ray Allen's three-pointer.
Both teams were playing well. Although the Knicks held a slight advantage, they couldn't extend the lead.
With 2 minutes left in the first half, the score was 51:50, with the Knicks leading by only 1 point.
Celtics head coach Rivers was satisfied but also concerned about his players' stamina. He quickly called another timeout to allow the veterans more rest.
Li Feng was displeased.
This was the first game of the series, and if they couldn't win convincingly, it would have a negative psychological impact on the upcoming games.
After all, the Knicks were almost entirely composed of young players with no playoff experience.
Despite having the best regular-season record in the league, the players were mentally fragile.
If they didn't play well in the first game, it might affect their performance in the subsequent games.
The Celtics' home court was difficult to play on, especially their floor; the Knicks were not accustomed to it.
During their last game on the Celtics' home court, the Knicks players frequently slipped, and their shooting touch was poor.
During the timeout, Rivers didn't discuss any specific tactics; his sole purpose was to let the players rest.
He only emphasized that the Celtics players should avoid Li Feng on offense, as Li Feng's ability to steal and block was too strong.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
Rondo dribbled past half-court and again used a pick-and-roll with Perkins, then passed the ball to Ray Allen in the corner.
Since Ray Allen had already made two shots, Duhon applied tight defensive pressure on him.
Ray Allen couldn't break free from Duhon's defense and had to pass the ball to Pierce.
Pierce looked at Li Feng and, finding him at a considerable distance, felt relieved and drove to the baseline.
Scola couldn't keep up, but Yao Ming immediately came out to provide help defense.
Pierce reacted extremely quickly, slipping the ball to Garnett in the middle.
Garnett received the ball and dunked, scoring 2 points!
The Celtics played unselfishly, with fluid passing and cutting, posing a significant threat to the Knicks.
Although the Knicks' offense was also good, their defense didn't exhibit the same intensity as in the regular season.
Therefore, the score remained close, and the game was tied.
At the end of the first half, the score was 57:55, with the Knicks leading by only 2 points.
...
In the TNT broadcast booth, Barkley, Smith, and Reggie Miller were providing commentary.
Although Barkley's opinion of Li Feng had changed, he remained cautious in the playoffs.
"The Celtics are tough to deal with. These veteran players have too much experience. If the score remains close in the fourth quarter, the Celtics might take the game!"
Smith agreed with him: "That's right. The Celtics' execution of their game plan today is very clear: try to prevent Li Feng from getting the ball and, on offense, stay away from Li Feng. So far, it seems to be working quite well."
Reggie Miller was confident in the Knicks: "I still think the Knicks have the advantage because the Celtics' veteran players played too many minutes in the first half. Their stamina might become an issue in the second half."
Barkley disagreed: "This is the playoffs, and starting players have to play long minutes. I don't think the Celtics will have a problem."
"But in the previous round, they went through a seven-game series with the Hawks, exhausting their stamina. In contrast, the Knicks are well-rested!"
Smith said: "Being well-rested isn't always a good thing. Look at the Knicks today; they seem out of sorts, like they're still waking up, while the Celtics are full of energy."
"That makes sense, but D'Antoni's lineup management today is interesting. He doesn't seem anxious, perhaps he'll go all out in the second half?"
"Indeed, Li Feng has had many games where he exerts himself in the second half. Perhaps this is a strategic delay by the Knicks."
...
Not only the three commentators but also many fans found this situation unbelievable.
Given the Knicks' performance in the first round, shouldn't they have crushed their opponents in this game?
It wasn't that simple; the Celtics' strength should not be underestimated.
...
The second half of the game began.
Both teams were still playing a tight game, with the defensive intensity increasing further.
Every point scored was a difficult achievement, with players frequently tumbling on the floor to fight for the ball.
Li Feng continuously observed the physical condition of the Celtics players to decide when to launch their final offensive push.
This was based on Li Feng's game experience.
After more than five minutes into the first quarter, the two teams were tied again!
65 all!
The home crowd felt the pressure exerted by the Celtics.
As expected, the Celtics in the regular season and in the playoffs were two completely different teams.
The veteran players not only had their mental fortitude at its peak but also possessed exceptional stamina, showing no signs of a team that had just completed a grueling seven-game series!