With today being their home game, Li Feng decided to offer the home crowd a treat.
So, Li Feng temporarily gave up passing and started attacking himself.
The game reached 7 minutes and 32 seconds, with the score at 16:14, the Knicks leading by 2 points.
Anthony received the ball at the 45-degree angle. Facing Scola's defense, he used a triple threat, shifted Scola's balance, drove into the paint, and hit a pull-up jumper to score 2 points.
With Yao Ming in the paint, he dared not go to the basket and opted for a mid-range shot.
16 all!
Li Feng held the ball on his own end. After crossing half court, the Nuggets also double-teamed Li Feng.
This was their usual tactic against Li Feng.
Li Feng feigned a pass, then suddenly accelerated, leaving Billups half a step behind, and drove to the baseline.
Anthony immediately rushed over to provide help defense.
This was the first one-on-one matchup between the two players in this game.
Logically, their positions were different: one was a shooting guard, the other a small forward, so they wouldn't easily be matched up.
But Anthony understood very well that Li Feng's playstyle was that of a forward.
Moreover, Li Feng was the Knicks' star player. He had to break Li Feng's morale to suppress the Knicks' offense.
He thought it through well, but Li Feng remained unfazed by Anthony's defense.
Li Feng dribbled between his legs, made a crossover, and shook off Anthony, then drove to the center.
"Melon" also moved quickly. Relying on his height and long arms, he quickly blocked Li Feng's layup path.
But Li Feng had too much strength. He actively sought contact, colliding head-on with Anthony. Bang!
Anthony, with his over two-meter frame, was actually knocked aside by Li Feng.
Then, Li Feng smoothly executed a stretch and a one-handed layup, scoring 2 points!
The players, including the fans present, were all stunned.
Unbelievable!
Li Feng had actually pushed Anthony aside!
After all, Anthony's physique was very strong. He could hold his own against strong players like LeBron James!
Anthony snorted in anger, shook his fist, feeling very unwilling.
In the next possession, Anthony once again received the ball at the top of the arc, wanting to score again.
Li Feng suddenly switched to stand in front of Anthony, looking at him provocatively!
It was understandable for Anthony to guard Li Feng, as Anthony had height and long arms and could theoretically limit him.
But Li Feng guarding Anthony one-on-one?
Even with good strength, how could the disadvantage in height and reach be compensated?
Anthony was very confident and shouted, "I'm going to score on you!"
Li Feng shook his head, "Impossible, at least not this possession!"
The two began to contend.
Anthony half-turned, using his large posterior to shield Li Feng, then drove towards the paint.
This was a common tactic for small forwards, relying on their physical advantage to force their way into the paint.
Li Feng did not use brute force to resist. Instead, he stayed close to Anthony, carefully observing his subtle movements.
Anthony, thinking Li Feng had been pushed aside by him, suddenly rose up, intending to pull up for a shot.
For guards, a forward's pull-up jumper was basically unstoppable, unless they fouled him, pushed him down, or grabbed him.
But the moment Anthony gathered the ball, Li Feng struck with lightning speed.
Slap!
The instant Anthony jumped with the ball, Li Feng accurately stole it!
Ah!
Anthony was shocked. He was already in the air, but the ball was no longer in his hands.
After stealing the ball, Li Feng immediately initiated a fast break.
Du Hong and Scola both started simultaneously, crossing half court.
Three on two.
The Nuggets' Billups and Afflalo quickly retreated to defend.
Li Feng did not greedily try to score. Facing Billups' defense, he executed a bounce pass to Du Hong on the right.
Du Hong, facing the help defense from Afflalo, passed again to Scola.
Scola easily laid up, scoring 2 points!
With one offense and one defense, Li Feng extended the lead to 2 points.
Anthony's face turned ashen.
He had intended to dampen Li Feng's spirit, but instead, Li Feng had gained momentum.
The Knicks home fans all stood up, cheering loudly, excited by Li Feng's brilliant performance.
Since this was Li Feng's return after a suspension, the fans had spontaneously made many signs and held them high.
They displayed various encouraging words for Li Feng, which moved him deeply.
After Li Feng's consecutive scores, the Knicks widened their lead.
At 9 minutes and 43 seconds into the first quarter, the score was 28:20, with the Knicks leading by 8 points.
Both teams began to substitute in their bench players.
Yao Ming was subbed out in the 7th minute. The Knicks were protecting him well, already preparing for the playoffs.
The bench players' duel was evenly matched.
Led by Lowry, Larry Hughes, and Jordan Hill, the Knicks maintained their lead.
At 4 minutes and 47 seconds into the second quarter, the score was 38:33, with the Knicks leading by 5 points.
J.R. Smith was the primary scorer among the Nuggets' bench players.
This guy was a wild card. When he was hot, he could make every shot.
However, when he was cold, he was truly a headache.
He had played over 7 minutes and scored 8 points, performing quite well.
With a wave of his hand, D'Antoni put the starters back on the court. The Nuggets also brought their starters back.
Both teams were gearing up for a major confrontation before halftime.
Anthony, having learned his lesson, began to avoid playing against Li Feng, just like other teams.
This was because Li Feng's defense was too strong, especially his steals, which were superb.
With his SSS-rank steal skill, Li Feng seemed to be everywhere.
After changing his tactics, Anthony began to score consecutively, slowly narrowing the point difference.
Li Feng did not choose to attack himself in the second quarter. Instead, he switched to assist mode, frequently passing to his teammates.
He knew that he couldn't defeat the opponent by himself; his teammates had to get into a rhythm.
Gallinari and Scola both received passes from Li Feng consecutively, but their shooting percentages were mediocre.
At 8 minutes and 22 seconds into the second quarter, the score was 47:46, with the Knicks leading by only 1 point.
After calling a timeout, the Knicks resumed their offense.
Li Feng, after drawing a double-team, looked to the right but passed the ball to Yao Ming at the baseline.
Nene moved quickly and immediately went to help defend, but Yao Ming actually dribbled towards the corner.
This...
Was this how a center played?
While Nene hesitated, Yao Ming had already shot from the corner.
Swish!
A three-pointer was made!
This was Yao Ming's first three-pointer of the game.
After making the shot, Yao Ming stylishly held up three fingers and waved his hand fiercely!
Li Feng rushed over to high-five Yao Ming. The fans were ignited by Yao Ming's three-pointer and cheered enthusiastically.
After Yao Ming made the three-pointer, Nene crossed his arms and shook his head in anger.
A center shooting threes?
What kind of joke was this!
The Nuggets' head coach also widened his eyes.
Although Yao Ming had made threes before, seeing him catch the ball at the baseline and run to the corner to shoot a three-pointer still stunned him.
This was completely a guard's playstyle, very impressive.
More than a decade ago, a center playing like this would have been called soft.
However, in recent years, this trend had emerged, with more big men shooting threes.
For example, players like Dirk Nowitzki and LaMarcus Aldridge were like this.
Yao Ming's shot caused confusion in the Nuggets' defensive formation.
The Nuggets' interior defense occasionally showed weaknesses, and Li Feng seized the opportunity to increase his drives.
Bang!
With Li Feng's soaring dunk, the Knicks once again extended their lead to 10 points!
With only 16 seconds left in the second quarter, the Nuggets still had one offensive opportunity.
Anthony, with a stern face, held the ball at the 45-degree angle.
Billups blocked Li Feng. Anthony accelerated, drove to the basket, and prepared for a flying dunk.
Who would have thought that Yao Ming, who had been on the other side, would suddenly appear in front of him, wave his large hand, and slap!
A huge block sent Anthony's sure-thing shot flying away.
The clock lit up!
The first half ended.
Anthony was on the verge of tears. He had finally managed to evade Li Feng's defense, only to be blocked by Yao Ming.
57:47, the Knicks led by 10 points and entered halftime.
In the T.N.T. broadcast booth, Barkley, Smith, and Reggie Miller were providing commentary.
"The Nuggets are in a tough spot today. Anthony is uncomfortable both inside and outside the paint."
"It's not that Anthony isn't strong, it's just that the Knicks' roster is so well-balanced!"
"That's right, the Knicks' trade was truly an S-class move, perfectly addressing the Knicks' weaknesses. I'm really looking forward to the playoffs."
"I'm looking forward to it too, but before the playoffs, the Knicks and Cavaliers have another matchup, which should also be exciting."
"Yes, this game will determine who among Li Feng and LeBron..."
Currently, the Knicks and Cavaliers have the same record, both 58 wins and 20 losses, tied for first place in the league.
With only 4 regular season games remaining, it can be said that whoever wins this game between the Knicks and Cavaliers will most likely secure the league's top seed.
For Li Feng and LeBron individually, the player who performs better will win the regular season MVP.