The Knicks' starting lineup remained Li Feng, Earl Barron, Landry, Jordan Hill, and Douglas.
The Thunder's starting five were Harden, Westbrook, Ibaka, Byron Mullens, and Anderson.
From the opening tip, Harden displayed sharp offensive plays. His drives and pull-up three-pointers left defenders overwhelmed.
However, the Thunder also couldn't contain Li Feng, leading to a back-and-forth scoring battle between Li Feng and Harden.
The game was exhilarating, with the crowd on the sidelines cheering enthusiastically.
Soon, however, Li Feng discovered Harden's weakness: his defense.
To be honest, Harden's defense wasn't weak. He was formidable when defending against heavier forwards, maintaining his position and anticipating plays, making it difficult for offensive players.
But when defending smaller, faster players, Harden clearly couldn't keep up, as if experiencing network lag.
For instance, when Harden switched onto Li Feng, Li Feng's mid-range shots or three-pointers would see Harden merely extend a hand defensively, without truly exerting effort.
The Knicks then decided to have Li Feng continuously target Harden.
Harden was incredibly frustrated. Li Feng scored a lot against him, truly racking up the points!
However, one man can't fight four hands!
Westbrook and Ibaka began to assert themselves.
Meanwhile, on the Knicks' side, apart from Li Feng, no one else managed to step up.
Westbrook's speed and strength were truly exceptional at this level of summer league play.
Li Feng even struggled to keep up with him during his drives.
Coupled with Ibaka's rim protection and second-chance opportunities, the other Knicks players were completely lost.
At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led 33-25.
As Li Feng and Westbrook went head-to-head on the court, the tension escalated, and they began to exchange trash talk.
After Westbrook missed a mid-range jumper, Li Feng advised him, "You should practice your damn shot more, you're bending the rim!"
Westbrook was highly dismissive, believing his speed and explosiveness were enough to dominate the game.
Consequently, Westbrook became overly aggressive.
In the latter half of the second quarter, he specifically targeted Li Feng, aiming to lock him down.
As the top pick this year, Li Feng certainly wasn't going to let Westbrook bully him. He began to unleash his "Kaleidoscope of Offense" skill.
Post-up, jump shot!
Pull-up three-pointer!
Driving floater!
Li Feng scored on Westbrook five or six times in a row, leaving Westbrook demoralized.
Seeing the situation turning sour, Ibaka quickly came over to help defend, trying to bail Westbrook out.
Ibaka at this period was indeed formidable, with astonishing quickness off the ground. He had already swatted three Knicks players in the first quarter.
Li Feng knew Ibaka was a threat and, without being reckless, immediately shifted his offensive approach to distribution and playmaking.
With Li Feng orchestrating the offense, the Knicks teammates quickly found their rhythm.
Jordan Hill hit consecutive long two-pointers from the high post, and Landry's cuts were also sharp.
Soon, the Knicks caught up in scoring.
However, Li Feng didn't back down from Ibaka.
During a drive to the basket, Li Feng saw Ibaka rotating to help defend again.
Ibaka expected Li Feng to pass to a teammate as usual.
To his surprise, Li Feng soared into the air, grabbed the ball, and slammed it towards the rim.
Ibaka, in his prime, wasn't about to let a guard like Li Feng dunk over him.
He let out a roar and, like a great bird, descended upon Li Feng like a mountain!
The other players from both teams were stunned, standing still, awaiting this collision of titans!
Everyone knew Ibaka's rim-protecting ability, and they were all worried for Li Feng.
Li Feng continued his ascent, without hesitation, and with his right hand, he forcefully jammed the ball through the hoop between Ibaka's outstretched arms!
At the same time, Li Feng, undeterred by the contact, collided with Ibaka.
*Bang!*
To be honest, Ibaka's strength was considerable. If they had truly collided in mid-air, Li Feng would have suffered.
But Li Feng was too smart. He completed the dunk with his right hand *before* making contact with Ibaka.
Although the timing was a mere fraction of a second, the sequence of events was crucial for controlling his body.
After the dunk, Li Feng held onto the rim firmly with his right hand, his body rigid!
Ibaka felt like he had been hit by a small truck, and his body was sent backward!
The crowd was astonished!
A 6'3" guard had knocked over the 6'10" Ibaka!
The arena erupted!
Immediately, thunderous applause and cheers filled the air!
"Li Feng is awesome!"
"Amazing, Li Feng!"
"He truly is the top pick, so fierce!"
...
Coach D'Antoni watched from the sideline, equally stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief.
It wasn't over yet. The next sequence of plays further thrilled the audience!
Since Li Feng had dunked on Ibaka, Westbrook wanted to retaliate for his teammate.
Westbrook drove to the basket against Li Feng, also aiming for a dunk.
It had to be said, Westbrook's strength was formidable, comparable to Li Feng's.
Because Westbrook had already built up momentum, if Li Feng had met him head-on with force, it might have been called a foul. So, Li Feng strategically stepped back repeatedly.
Westbrook rejoiced inwardly, thinking Li Feng had yielded.
Just as Westbrook leaped into the air, intending to dunk on Li Feng, Li Feng suddenly jumped, striking from behind to get there first!
Though their bodies didn't collide, Li Feng's long arms reached out from the side, *smack!*
The timing was perfect. As Westbrook jumped, he suddenly felt his hands empty – the ball was gone!
After the block, Li Feng landed gracefully and roared at the sky!
The basketball was emphatically slammed against the backboard, bouncing towards the top of the arc.
Teammate Douglas caught the ball and initiated a fast break, scoring another two points.
Westbrook hadn't even recovered, standing dazed under the basket, staring at Li Feng.
He still couldn't understand how he had been blocked.
He had clearly pushed Li Feng away...
These two possessions, one offense and one defense, showcased Li Feng's terrifying dominance to everyone present.
At the end of the first half, Li Feng had led his team to catch up, and the score was tied again!
56:56!
Li Feng had truly carried the team single-handedly.
Of the team's 56 points, Li Feng himself had scored 28 points and dished out 7 assists!
It was like a divine intervention.
Harden also had a good first half, scoring 21 points, Westbrook 15, and Ibaka 12.
Li Feng, facing three opponents, had powerfully tied the game!
Although it was just a summer league game, its excitement was comparable to a Finals game.
...
Chinese basketball fans were all following this game.
CCTV Sports Channel was broadcasting it live. Coach Xu Jicheng and Yang Jian were temporarily acting as commentators, as Yu Jia and Coach Zhang were on-site at the summer league.
Their connection brought firsthand information to the fans.
"Hello Yu Jia and Coach Zhang, this is Yang Jian, and beside me is Coach Xu!"
"How is the atmosphere at the venue?"
Yu Jia, holding a microphone, replied loudly, "The atmosphere here is incredibly passionate, the decibel level is not inferior to any regular season game, and it can even rival a playoff game!"