Nobody could have imagined that the Knicks' first score would be a three-pointer from Yao Ming.
Rocket fans watching this game would surely exclaim in disbelief!
The Celtics players were in high spirits, having tied the series in the previous game, their confidence soaring.
Turning the tables, Pierce received a pass from Rondo, faked out Scola, and sank a three-pointer.
The score was tied 3:3!
Li Feng knew this would be a tough game.
In the ensuing few possessions, both teams increased their intensity, returning to the rugged playoff style of play!
By the 5:33 mark of the game, an official timeout was called with the Knicks leading 12:10.
The timeout ended, and the players returned to the court.
Li Feng was surprised to see that the Celtics had brought in "Big Baby" Glen Davis earlier than expected.
He was a player with a distinct style, known for being irritating on the court, a player most opponents disliked.
Previously, he had only played with the reserve unit and had never faced Li Feng before.
Thus, Li Feng became more cautious.
As expected, as soon as Big Baby entered the game, he started playing mind games with the Knicks players.
Not only did he constantly shove and trip Yao Ming while fighting for rebounds, but when Li Feng drove to the paint, Big Baby would fiercely pounce, pinning Li Feng to the ground.
Strictly speaking, these actions were fouls, but in the playoffs, referees rarely called them, especially on the Celtics' home court.
When Big Baby once again body-slammed Yao Ming to the ground, Li Feng was truly enraged.
He stormed over and yelled at Big Baby, "You bastard! I'm going to take you all down!"
Big Baby was a defiant player, accustomed to such situations. He made a mocking gesture at Li Feng and said, "You can't even take down one of us! I'll shut you down!"
At this point, with 8:03 remaining in the first quarter, the Celtics led 18:10.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court. Facing a double-team, he didn't pass. Instead, he used flashy dribbling to get past Ray Allen.
As Ray Allen and Rondo desperately chased him, Li Feng had already penetrated the paint.
And he was heading straight for Big Baby Davis.
Big Baby, believing Li Feng to be just a guard, unhesitatingly lunged at him, intending to bring him down.
*Swish!*
Li Feng soared into the air, instantly going over Big Baby's head. Big Baby's vision went black, and then... *BOOM!*
A thunderous dunk!
Not only did he score two points, but Li Feng's leap was so high that he went right over Big Baby's head! It was terrifying!
This was strikingly similar to Carter's iconic dunk over that other center years ago!
After clearing Big Baby, Li Feng looked back at him and calmly said, "One down!"
"Hmph, I was caught off guard just now. It won't happen again!" Big Baby was still defiant.
The Celtics advanced the ball, and it was passed to Big Baby in the paint. Yao Ming was being effectively screened by Perkins, unable to help on defense.
As Big Baby prepared to go up for a layup, Li Feng sprang from behind again, *SPLAT!*
A thunderous block off the backboard!
Glen Davis was furious. He turned around to realize it was Li Feng again!
The ball bounced directly into Gallinari's hands, who then made a long pass to Duhon.
Duhon and Li Feng's chemistry was growing. He had already crossed half-court when Li Feng made the emphatic block.
Duhon drove to the basket for another two points!
With one offense and one defense, Li Feng had helped the Knicks cut the deficit by four points.
Rivers was fuming, mentally cursing, "Davis, Davis, why did you have to provoke Li Feng?"
The Knicks were on offense. Li Feng crossed half-court and, instead of driving, passed to an open Duhon.
However, after passing the ball, Li Feng executed a reverse cut and accelerated, shaking off the two defenders who were double-teaming him.
Then, Li Feng drove into the paint once more.
Duhon, with quick reflexes, passed the ball back to Li Feng.
Li Feng went for a three-step layup, heading directly towards Big Baby Davis.
Davis, still smarting from being dunked over by Li Feng, roared and lunged at him with all his might.
Clearly, this was no longer a basketball play.
Li Feng was prepared. His physical attributes had been enhanced by the system; he possessed Shaq's dominant-level talent.
*CRASH! CRASH!*
Li Feng and Davis collided several times, yet he still managed to make the layup on the three-step drive!
*BEEP!*
The referee's whistle blew, calling a defensive foul on Davis!
And-one!
Big Baby Davis was stunned by Li Feng's intensity. He stared at Li Feng, finding it incredible.
How could this Chinese guard be so tough?
He, a big guy over 6'7", couldn't even move Li Feng, yet Li Feng could still easily score?
Li Feng held up two fingers to him: "Two down!"
Li Feng had said he'd take them all down ten, and now he was at two.
Big Baby felt a chill down his spine.
Rivers, unable to watch any longer, quickly substituted Big Baby out during Li Feng's free throw.
Even though Davis was off the court, Li Feng had ignited the Knicks' momentum!
Li Feng made the free throw, and the Knicks were now only trailing by one point, 18:17.
In the next few possessions, Li Feng treated Perkins like Big Baby, continuing to dunk over him!
After each dunk, Li Feng continued his count—
"Three!"
"Four!"
...
Perkins was on the verge of tears, thinking, "Davis provoked you, why are you taking it out on me..."
It wasn't just Perkins; even Garnett became a backdrop for Li Feng's plays.
During a pick-and-roll between Li Feng and Yao Ming, Li Feng had a mismatch. He drove to the paint, a smaller player against a larger one.
Garnett immediately came to help defend.
Li Feng roared, "It's you!"
Then Li Feng took off, catching the ball with his right hand and soaring towards the basket.
Garnett, though older, was still a formidable force and a former Defensive Player of the Year. He couldn't allow Li Feng to dunk over him.
So, he also jumped high, extending both hands, trying to block Li Feng.
Both players were fierce in their offense and defense, like a collision of planets.
*CRASH!*
They made contact in the air.
If it had been another guard, they would have been sent flying.
But when Li Feng collided with Garnett, it was Garnett who flew backward!
Garnett flew backward, while Li Feng continued to rise. At the apex of his jump, Li Feng powerfully slammed the ball towards the rim with his right hand!
*BANG!*
The North End Garden arena fell silent.
After landing, Li Feng told Garnett, "Six down!"
The first quarter ended with the Knicks leading 31:24, a seven-point advantage!
Li Feng alone had scored 21 points, a terrifying performance!
Even more frightening, he had dunked over opponents six times, leaving the Celtics players both enraged and helpless!
D'Antoni watched Li Feng's performance from the sidelines, marveling. He had to admit he didn't know Li Feng's limits.
And whether he could effectively utilize Li Feng remained an unknown.
At the start of the second quarter, the bench units faced off. Lowry, leading the reserves, maintained the Knicks' lead.
Rivers was getting anxious. If they couldn't win this home game, they would likely be eliminated by the Knicks in the next away game.
So, with a wave of his hand, he brought the starters back into the game just over four minutes into the second quarter.
The Knicks, however, were not in a hurry. Li Feng and Yao Ming were chatting and laughing on the sidelines, cheering on their teammates.
Lowry was indeed a star player in the making. Since joining the Knicks, he had learned many skills from Li Feng, and his progress was rapid.
Already strong physically, with the addition of three-point shooting and driving ability, he contributed significantly off the bench.
When the Celtics' starters returned, they surprisingly couldn't gain much ground.
The score remained between seven and eight points, with the Knicks leading.
It wasn't until over seven minutes into the second quarter that D'Antoni brought his starters back onto the court.
Once Li Feng entered the game, he resumed his dominant performance.
He knew his teammates' shooting touch was off that day, and the Celtics' rough play made it difficult for them to perform.
For now, he had to rely on himself.
So, as soon as Li Feng stepped onto the court, he used two screens to hit a three-pointer.
On the defensive end, he and his teammates combined to steal the ball from Pierce's dribble, leading to a fast break.
Crossing half-court, Li Feng faced Rondo's defense. With a simple crossover dribble, he left Rondo over a meter behind and drove to the basket for a dunk!
Li Feng's immediate onslaught created a small surge, forcing the Celtics to call a timeout.
The most spectacular moment was when Li Feng once again dunked over Perkins and said, "Ten down, completed!"
Perkins had a darkened expression, muttering, "I didn't provoke you..."
Rivers called a timeout, but there was nothing to say because they couldn't contain Li Feng.
Even employing fouls only resulted in penalties.
This was the terrifying aspect of Li Feng!
During the timeout, D'Antoni instructed the Knicks players to focus all their offense around Li Feng.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
The game situation remained unchanged; Li Feng continued his relentless scoring spree.
The Celtics were reminded of the night Li Feng scored 78 points...
At halftime, the Knicks held a 17-point lead.
In the Chinese sports channel broadcast booth, Yu Jia and Zhang Weizhi were providing commentary.
Since the Knicks entered the playoffs, the two commentators had been extremely excited.
This was because Yao Ming had never advanced past the second round with the Rockets, which was a great regret for many Rockets fans.
Now, with Yao Ming and Li Feng teaming up, there was genuine hope of breaking through the second round and even achieving greater goals!
"Director Zhang, Li Feng has gone wild again today, scoring points as if it were effortless!"
"Exactly, that's the brilliance of Li Feng. He can organize his teammates and also score himself. However, he seems to be having a personal contest with Davis today."
"Yes, I saw that too, hahaha. That Big Baby player commits too many cheap fouls; it's no wonder Li Feng dislikes him."
"Li Feng is clearly playing with emotion today. He's had so many dunks over opponents!"
"Li Feng always had a penchant for dunking over big centers, but usually, it was just one or two. Today, with so many, it seems he's genuinely angry."
"It shows he intends to carry the game himself and then return home to win the series 4-1!"
"Although there are Celtics fans watching this game, I truly believe the Knicks are the better team!"
...
The second half began, and Li Feng's stamina was fully recovered. He resumed his scoring mode.
The Celtics were desperate and began to double-team Li Feng.
However, with Li Feng's explosive impact, the Celtics' double-teams proved futile.
Li Feng's teammates also helped him with screens, allowing Li Feng to operate with ease, scoring relentlessly in various ways.
By the end of the third quarter, Li Feng had already scored 46 points, and the Knicks led by 24 points.
This turned the fourth quarter into garbage time.
If Li Feng had continued scoring in the fourth quarter, he might have set another playoff scoring record.
But Li Feng played for victory. Unless the Celtics mounted a comeback, Li Feng wouldn't be on the court.
Ultimately, there was no suspense. The Knicks defeated the Celtics on the road, extending their series lead to 3:1!
Winning an away game, the Knicks had completed their mission.
Results of other games:
The Cavaliers and Magic were tied 2:2. The Lakers led the Nuggets 3:1.
The Suns and Spurs were tied 2:2, another fiercely contested series.
...
Returning to their home court in New York, the Knicks players were filled with renewed energy!
In Game 5, the Celtics only managed to hold on for just over a quarter before conceding defeat.
By halftime, the score had already widened to an 18-point difference.
Li Feng didn't go all out today, simply switching between personal offense and organized plays.
Back home, the Knicks players' shooting accuracy returned.
Although the Celtics mounted a comeback at the beginning of the third quarter, the Knicks, with the combined efforts of Li Feng and Yao Ming, weathered the storm and widened the gap again.
Finally, the Knicks defeated the Celtics at home with a score of 114:101, thus eliminating their opponents with a 4:1 series lead and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals!
Madison Square Garden erupted in a joyous celebration, with fans moved to tears.
After so many years, the Knicks had finally risen!
The Knicks also became the first team to advance.
Results of other games:
The Magic led the Cavaliers 3:2. The Lakers led the Nuggets 3:2. The Suns led the Spurs 3:2.
The Knicks would have ample time to rest, study the play styles of other teams, and conduct targeted training.
The day after the Knicks advanced, Jenner again sought out Li Feng, wanting to have dinner with him.
But Li Feng refused.
Despite being somewhat superstitious, Li Feng believed that members of the Kardashian family had a detrimental effect on a player's performance.
Li Feng was unwilling to risk his Eastern Conference Finals run for a woman.
Jenner was disappointed. She felt that Li Feng was at the peak of his popularity, and she could leverage that for significant exposure.
Who would have thought Li Feng would give her no face at all.
Li Feng felt that directly rejecting Jenner was a bit inhospitable, so he specifically tagged Jenner on his Twitter.
Li Feng's Twitter follower count had surged, reaching over twenty million.
Therefore, every update from him garnered immense attention.
After he tagged Jenner, Jenner understood Li Feng's intentions and was delighted because Li Feng's ambiguous gesture would lead to extensive media hype.
Li Feng leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, his impressive record, also led to a surge in sales for Red Star Sports.
Red Star Sports seized the opportunity to launch several new products, all bearing Li Feng's distinct personal touch.
Yao Ming, as a dominant center, had limited commercial value in the United States, but his commercial influence in China was immense.
His product lines also sold exceptionally well.