The Knicks had six preseason games before the regular season began.
Li Feng only played in three of them, letting his teammates get some practice in the remaining games.
The Knicks won four of the six preseason games, a respectable performance.
...
The 2010-2011 NBA regular season was about to tip off!
This season promised many exciting matchups, and the viewership for the very first regular season game was exceptionally high.
The league had also arranged a schedule with a clear narrative.
As the defending champions, the Knicks' first regular season game was a home opener against the Orlando Magic.
These were the two teams that had faced each other in the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season.
The Magic had made several moves during the offseason, signing Duhon from the Knicks and Richardson from the Suns.
However, these two acquisitions hadn't provided a significant boost to the Magic's overall strength.
In contrast, the Knicks, having gone through the trials of the previous season, boasted excellent team chemistry.
Although the Knicks had a few new faces, players like Billups, Stoudemire, and Felton were all experienced veterans, and integrating into the Knicks' run-and-gun system was not difficult.
October 31st, 7:30 PM, Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks' home arena, already known for its intense atmosphere, was packed to capacity.
As the reigning champions, the Knicks were now the most popular team in the league!
The Knicks' starting lineup consisted of Li Feng, Yao Ming, Stoudemire, Scola, and Lowry.
The Magic's starting five were Howard, Carter, Nelson, Turkoglu, and Bass.
With the referee's whistle, Howard won the tip-off for the Magic.
Nelson brought the ball up the court, and Lowry stepped up to defend him.
Nelson had tried to provoke Li Feng several times last season, only to be completely outplayed.
This season, Li Feng wasn't guarding Nelson, but Carter instead.
Nelson felt relieved, believing Lowry wouldn't be as challenging. He decided to drive straight to the basket.
However, Lowry, nicknamed "The Cannon," played exceptionally aggressive defense.
Nelson drove left and right, but he couldn't shake Lowry's tenacious defense.
Howard, growing impatient, shouted for Nelson to pass the ball to Turkoglu.
Turkoglu was capable of handling the ball, so the Magic intended to make him their primary playmaker this season.
Nelson had initially planned to do so, but he was too focused on Lowry.
Seeing Howard's frustration, Nelson reluctantly passed the ball to Turkoglu.
It was difficult for Scola to defend Turkoglu one-on-one.
Turkoglu faked, creating a half-meter gap between himself and Scola, then drove into the paint.
Howard made a back-door cut, and Turkoglu lobbed the ball up for an alley-oop dunk by Howard!
With Turkoglu on board this season, Howard's opportunities for easy baskets had become even more comfortable.
Although Yao Ming could outplay Howard on offense, he struggled to defend Howard's aerial attacks; the "Superman's" vertical leap was simply too quick.
The score was 2-0!
The Magic took the lead.
Li Feng signaled for his teammates to stay calm and brought the ball up the court.
The Magic feared Li Feng the most. Nelson and Carter immediately double-teamed him. Li Feng didn't force a shot, passing the ball to Lowry.
Lowry had been developing rapidly. Upon receiving the ball, he drove towards the baseline.
With a screen from Yao Ming, Stoudemire cut to the basket, and Lowry immediately lobbed the ball. Stoudemire completed the alley-oop dunk!
One for each team!
Both Stoudemire and Howard showcased their impressive leaping ability and excellent physical condition in those two possessions!
The score was tied 2-2!
On the next possession, the Magic proactively passed the ball to Turkoglu, intending to repeat their previous play.
But Li Feng quickly adjusted his defense, abandoning Carter and appearing like lightning next to Turkoglu, stealing the ball from "The Agent."
This was Li Feng's terrifying ability – he could adapt his defensive strategy on the fly according to the game's situation.
After the steal, Li Feng didn't hold onto the ball. He immediately made a long pass to Lowry, who was near the half-court line.
Lowry's basketball IQ was very high. As Li Feng approached Turkoglu, he had already started retreating, preparing for a fast break.
This was a practice drill for the Knicks.
Of course, this strategy and synergy were based on Li Feng's exceptional stealing ability.
Lowry drove past half-court. Seeing Nelson chasing him closely from behind, he fearlessly drove for a layup.
Nelson tried to use his body to knock Lowry off balance, but Lowry's physique was sturdier. After a slight collision, he only swayed slightly, maintaining his dribble.
Swish, swish... Boom!
Lowry finished with a powerful dunk!
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, calling Nelson for an offensive foul!
Nelson rushed towards the referee, arguing that it was a clean charge, but the referee ignored him and assessed him a technical foul.
Van Gundy, standing on the sideline, shook his head in frustration. Nelson was being too impulsive today, a real liability for the team.
Therefore, he substituted Nelson off the court just over a minute into the game, giving him a chance to calm down.
Li Feng stepped up to the free-throw line and sank the technical foul shot.
Lowry then made the subsequent free throw.
The Knicks took the lead.
The Magic replaced Nelson with Duhon.
Duhon had contributed significantly to the Knicks last season, starting most of the games.
However, in the Finals, Lowry had replaced him in the starting lineup, which left Duhon quite dissatisfied.
Furthermore, D'Antoni had informed him that Lowry would be the starting point guard next season.
Duhon immediately requested a trade.
Although he had successfully joined another strong team, Van Gundy still relegated him to the bench.
Duhon felt helpless but had no choice but to comply.
Upon entering the game, Duhon positioned himself in front of Lowry, determined to teach him a lesson on the court.
After all, it was Lowry who had pushed him to the bench, so he was looking for revenge today.
The Magic's offense. Duhon dribbled past half-court, also aiming to get past Lowry.
However, Duhon was similar to Nelson. After several attempts, he couldn't shake Lowry's defense.
Van Gundy was so frustrated he nearly fainted.
As soon as Nelson was taken out, Duhon started a one-on-one battle with Lowry.
It seemed the guards were hesitant to challenge Li Feng directly and were instead targeting Lowry.
But Lowry was no longer the same player he was before. His defensive ability was astonishing; how could anyone easily break past him?
Helpless, Duhon passed the ball to Turkoglu.
Turkoglu, having just had his ball stolen by Li Feng, was extremely alert. He kept an eye on Li Feng while driving towards the basket.
Li Feng didn't double-team this time but signaled to Lowry to come over for help defense.
Lowry, who was completely obedient to Li Feng on the court, immediately sprinted from the back side.
Turkoglu had been focused on Li Feng and hadn't expected Lowry to charge in. Swish!
The ball was swiped away by Lowry.
Turkoglu was shocked. He looked back and saw it was Lowry!
By the time he tried to recover the ball, it was too late. Lowry had already passed it cross-court to Li Feng.
Duhon immediately stepped up to block Li Feng, believing he knew Li Feng's tendencies well enough to disrupt his fast break.
However, Li Feng was even more familiar with him. With a behind-the-back dribble, he left Duhon behind and drove inside the three-point line.
Since it was a home game, Li Feng decided to give the fans a treat: a foul-line-to-foul-line dunk!
Boom!
Li Feng took off from the free-throw line with his left foot, soaring through the air like a golden eagle, utterly magnificent!
Clang!
A soaring dunk!
Whoosh!
The entire arena erupted in excitement. The fans stood up, cheering and applauding Li Feng's dunk!
A foul-line dunk was something usually seen only in dunk contests, yet the fans were witnessing it in a live game!
The applause continued for a long time.
After his dunk, Li Feng, also energized, interacted with the crowd, encouraging them to cheer even louder.
The Magic players seemed dazed, heads bowed in dejection.
Van Gundy was forced to call a timeout to break the Knicks' offensive momentum.
At this point, the game had only been played for 2 minutes and 46 seconds, with the score at 8-2, the Knicks leading!
Li Feng had scored 3 points, along with an assist and a steal.
The Magic, who had been on par with the Knicks last season, were completely overwhelmed from the opening whistle.
In just over two minutes, it was evident that the Knicks had reached a new level after their playoff and Finals experience last season.
The Magic, on the other hand, appeared intimidated and hesitant, as if they had forgotten how to play.
Their mentality was particularly affected, filled with a sense of oppression.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
The Magic adjusted their strategy and executed a few well-designed plays.
However, under Li Feng's leadership, the Knicks maintained a clear game plan and consistently held the lead.
With 8 minutes and 32 seconds left in the first quarter, the score was 21-14, with the Knicks leading by seven points.
Yao Ming had dominated Howard again, making the story of "eating, sleeping, and beating the Magic" continue.
Van Gundy sighed softly. He had invested significant effort into building the Magic over the years, yet they had only reached the Finals once.
After losing to the Lakers, they then encountered the rapidly rising Knicks in the Eastern Conference, which filled Van Gundy with a sense of despair.
He decided to substitute his starters, allowing the reserves to get a feel for the game.
The Knicks, in turn, replaced Yao Ming and Scola with Jordan Hill and Bill Walker.
As a result, the Knicks quickly widened the point differential.
While the Magic's bench was also strong, they were overwhelmed by Li Feng and Lowry.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 31-21, with the Knicks holding a ten-point lead.
The score difference wasn't overwhelming, but on the court, the Knicks were clearly dominating the Magic.
In terms of individual ability and tactical systems, the Knicks were superior.
Howard, facing Yao Ming, could only manage a few opportunistic baskets and was no match for him otherwise.
The perimeter was no different. Li Feng, Lowry, and Billups were a nightmare for the Magic's perimeter defense!
The addition of Stoudemire had enriched the Knicks' offensive tactics. Li Feng had more options when driving into the paint.
Yao Ming and Stoudemire could both receive the ball and attack the basket, making the offense incredibly effective!
At the end of the first half, the score was 64-48, with the Knicks leading by sixteen points.
Li Feng had played sixteen minutes in the first half, scoring 17 points, making him the leading scorer for both teams.
The Magic players all looked defeated at halftime.
The gap in class had instilled a sense of powerlessness in the players.
The Magic made some tactical adjustments at the start of the second half, increasing the connection between their perimeter and interior play.
However, they only succeeded once before Li Feng's help defense disrupted their efforts.
Li Feng, having won Defensive Player of the Year last season, lived up to his reputation.
For a guard to win this award, not only did he need to possess imposing perimeter defense, but also excellent help defense capabilities.
Lowry had also improved rapidly with the Knicks, actively participating in help defense under Li Feng's guidance.
Stoudemire's offensive prowess outweighed his defensive capabilities, requiring his teammates to provide help defense.
This further enhanced the Knicks' overall defense.
The Magic's offense was stifled, unable to showcase their strengths.
Howard was completely shut down by Yao Ming, making it difficult even for him to get easy baskets.
With Stoudemire on the Knicks, Yao Ming's offensive possessions decreased, allowing him to focus more on defense.
The point differential continued to widen.
At the end of the third quarter, the Knicks led by twenty-seven points.
The Magic's chances were dwindling.
Despite Howard grabbing seven rebounds in the third quarter, it was of little consequence.
In the fourth quarter, Li Feng did not play, and Yao Ming was also rested.
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Magic in their first regular season game, securing their initial victory!
After the game, the entire Magic organization, from the coaching staff to the players, appeared bewildered.
As a team aiming for a championship, being completely suppressed by the Knicks had shattered their confidence.
The psychological blow was immense.
However, in the Eastern Conference this season, many media outlets had excluded the Magic from championship contention, as the Heat had formed a "Big Three."
The media unanimously believed that the Heat's "Big Three" and the Knicks were the true Eastern Conference finalists.
Despite the media and fan expectations, the Knicks' internal sentiment was different.
D'Antoni was constantly motivating his players, warning them not to be complacent and to forget their championship status!
Throughout NBA history, very few teams had managed to win back-to-back championships.
There were many reasons for this.
The most significant reason was the players' tendency towards complacency, which was the most dangerous pitfall.
The NBA's enduring success was attributed to the league's constant maintenance of a balance mechanism between teams.
Through the draft and trades, the league ensured that no team became too dominant over the others.
Under the warnings from D'Antoni and Li Feng, the Knicks players remained clear-headed.
...
The Knicks' second regular season game was an away game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks were a formidable team in the Eastern Conference, with a stable roster and strong chemistry over the past few seasons.
Especially with their core players Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford, combined with the still potent Bibby, they were a tough opponent.
In their first regular season game, the Hawks had defeated another Eastern Conference powerhouse, the Celtics.
As a result, the media lauded the Hawks, considering them a disruptive force in the East.
There was a possibility that the Knicks might lose to the Hawks!
Li Feng also took this game very seriously.
Upon arriving in Atlanta, the entire team watched game footage of the Hawks.
Li Feng observed that Josh Smith possessed strong driving ability, Joe Johnson was consistent in clutch situations, and Horford was accurate both inside and from three-point range, resembling a weaker version of Yao Ming.
...
The following evening at eight o'clock, at the Philips Arena in Atlanta.
The Knicks faced the Hawks in an away game.