Westbrook eyed Li Feng. Seeing Li Feng defending Harden, he immediately drove to the basket again.
Jordan Hill suddenly exploded upwards, covering Westbrook.
Although Westbrook had explosive power, Jordan Hill’s height and reach, combined with his perfect timing, left Westbrook with no space to shoot.
*Bang!*
A huge block sent Westbrook’s shot flying.
Li Feng grabbed the ball and launched a counter-attack once more.
Harden, helpless, could only grab Li Feng, sending him to the free-throw line.
Li Feng calmly sank both free throws. 103:101, the Knicks led by two!
Li Feng had already scored 46 points, completely dominating!
The Thunder did not call another timeout. Westbrook and Harden seemed a little flustered.
Harden attempted a three-pointer, which rattled the rim and went out. Ibaka grabbed the offensive rebound and scored two points.
103 all!
Ibaka’s leaping ability was truly quick. The Knicks’ interior defense couldn't withstand it.
With 31 seconds left in the game, the Knicks had possession.
A Summer League game had escalated into a breathtaking, decisive moment!
Li Feng took the ball, crossed half-court, and was immediately double-teamed.
At this critical juncture, Li Feng chose to trust his teammates, passing the ball to Landry in the corner.
Landry caught and shot immediately, but his three-pointer missed.
As Ibaka contested for the rebound, just as his hand touched the ball, a figure soared from his left, grabbed the ball, and slammed it into the basket!
Ibaka roared in anger and turned to see it was Li Feng!
I’m already dunked on, and now you’re snatching rebounds over me?
Li Feng smiled, winked at Ibaka, almost driving him mad.
105:103, the Knicks led.
With only 7 seconds remaining, the Thunder had possession and called their final timeout.
Seven seconds was enough time for one offensive possession.
Li Feng instructed his teammates to focus on perimeter defense.
Even if they conceded two points, it would lead to overtime. A three-pointer would be a game-winner.
Both Harden and Westbrook had the ability to hit game-winners, especially Westbrook.
Despite his inconsistent three-point shooting, he dared to shoot more in crucial moments and often made them!
The timeout ended. Harden and Westbrook stood on opposite sides.
Li Feng had to guard one of them, positioning himself in front of Westbrook.
The Thunder seemed prepared. Their strategy depended on Li Feng's positioning.
As expected, Mullens, who was inbounding the ball, saw Li Feng next to Westbrook and passed to Harden.
Harden received the ball, dribbled twice, and suddenly found himself double-teamed by the Knicks.
This was Li Feng's strategy.
You're trying to avoid me? Then I'll have my teammates double-team you!
While Harden possessed exceptional individual skill, his weakness was also evident: he struggled against double-teams.
Of course, any player in the league feared double-teams.
The ones who feared them the least were LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
And Curry, in previous years, also feared double-teams, but he had been hardened by the Cavaliers.
Harden fumbled, trying to pass but with poor vision. In his haste, he threw up a wild shot!
The buzzer sounded!
The Knicks won by two points against the Thunder!
Harden was dejected. The Thunder's loss today was quite embarrassing.
Three key players had been outplayed by the Knicks.
Li Feng not only held the advantage in skill but also in basketball IQ!
The game concluded with Li Feng scoring 48 points, dishing out 13 assists, and grabbing 11 rebounds!
A triple-double!
Li Feng, without question, became the
"Li Feng, congratulations! Your performance was incredible, simply unbelievable!" Yu Jia exclaimed excitedly.
Although Li Feng had experienced significant events, he was still exhilarated by this victory.
"Thank you all. Thank you to the fans who support me. Our Knicks are great, and my teammates are great!"
Coach Zhang commented, "Your put-back dunk over Ibaka earlier decided the game's momentum. How did you jump so high?"
Li Feng smiled and nodded, "I observed Ibaka's position. He jumped quickly, but I still anticipated the ball's trajectory beforehand."
This was Li Feng's basketball IQ; his judgment of the ball's path was incredibly accurate.
After expressing his gratitude to the fans, Li Feng returned to the locker room.
Following this game, the Knicks players' confidence soared, and the team atmosphere continued to improve.
...
In the subsequent Summer League games, the Knicks went 5-1.
In the lost game, Li Feng did not play, but his teammates performed well, ultimately losing by only 4 points.
In his five games, Li Feng averaged a formidable 35.8 points.
The media highly praised Li Feng's Summer League performance, with many headlines focusing on him.
ESPN Headline: Summer League, Knicks Stand Alone, Li Feng's Divine Power Racks Up Average of 35.8 Points!
Sports Illustrated: Li Feng Carries the Knicks Single-handedly, Leading the Team to Five Consecutive Victories!
Yahoo Sports: Chinese Top Draft Pick Li Feng Unstoppable, Dominating the Summer League with a Powerful Performance!
...
For a rookie to become a global focal point through just a few Summer League games was nothing short of miraculous.
After the Summer League concluded, Li Feng and his teammates immediately returned to New York to continue training.
Having observed Li Feng's performance firsthand, D'Antoni further solidified Li Feng's status as the team's tactical core.
During a conversation with Li Feng, he pointed out an issue.
"Li Feng, last season our Knicks averaged only 25 three-point attempts per game. That's not enough! What do you think?"
Li Feng also felt the Knicks' proportion of three-point attempts was somewhat low.
Of course, in 2009, 25 attempts wasn't considered low.
However, according to Li Feng's playing style, the entire team needed to increase their three-point attempts to maximize their aggressive scoring runs.
Stephen Curry was not yet heavily utilized by the Golden State Warriors, but Li Feng had already been entrusted with a crucial role by his head coach.
Therefore, Li Feng mused, "Curry, I apologize, but I'm going to create the three-point era first!"
"Coach, I think it's fine, 35 attempts would be normal, but our regular training must emphasize three-point shooting!"
"Okay, since you agree, our role players will have higher demands, and we will continue to sign 3-and-D players."
Li Feng nodded, "I think it's better to cultivate our own players, but we can sign cost-effective players as well."
On this point, Li Feng's thinking was similar to the future management of the Warriors; they preferred to develop their own talent rather than pursuing trades.
Of course, in a commercial league, trading players was normal and not necessarily bad, but developing players fostered better chemistry and was beneficial for the team's long-term growth.
D'Antoni understood Li Feng's thoughts and smiled, "I understand what you mean, but sometimes there are no prospects to develop. How about this, we will consult you on our trades!"