Yao Ming laughed and joked with Li Feng.
"Li Feng, I won't go easy on you in this game, watch out for my big block!"
Li Feng didn't back down, smiling, "Brother Yao, you should be careful too. I'll find a chance to dunk over you!"
"Oh really, then you try, humph!"
"Heh heh, I definitely will!"
After a bit of banter, Yao Ming brought up the conflict between him and the Rockets.
"Li Feng, I'm really speechless. Honestly, I don't think I have many days left with the Rockets."
Li Feng found it strange. The rumors about Yao Ming leaving had actually lessened recently, and Li Feng thought he wouldn't leave the Rockets.
"Brother Yao, what exactly is the reason? Is it still about gaining weight?"
"Yes, the coach keeps wanting me to gain weight and doesn't want me to shoot threes, which really annoys me."
Li Feng knew the future direction of basketball development well. Traditional dominant centers would be phased out. For Yao Ming to extend his career, he could only lose weight and improve his three-point shooting.
In his previous life, Yao Ming's performance indeed began to decline after 2009, with frequent injuries and absences.
To prevent this from happening, Li Feng had to urge Yao Ming to change and firmly resist the coach's advice.
If necessary, he should leave the team!
Even if he didn't go to the Knicks, he should find a team that suited his playing style without gaining weight.
"Brother Yao, why don't you request a trade? Honestly, you don't owe the Rockets anything. On the contrary, your arrival has increased the Rockets' market value several times over!"
Yao Ming fell silent.
Although the NBA was a commercial league and players had freedom of movement, Yao Ming had been with the Rockets for too long. He had developed feelings for everything there.
But Yao Ming truly loved basketball. He didn't want to ruin his body for the Rockets and be forced into early retirement.
"Alright, Li Feng, I'll request a trade after tomorrow's game. If possible, can I come to the Knicks?"
Li Feng was overjoyed. Unable to contain his excitement, his voice trembled slightly as he said, "That would be fantastic, Brother Yao! I've dreamed of playing alongside you again!"
Yao Ming felt reassured and said seriously, "Then I know what I need to do. Alright, prepare well for the game. I won't say anymore. See you at the game tomorrow!"
...
The next day, at 8 PM, the Houston Rockets' home court welcomed the challenge of the Knicks!
The Rockets' starting lineup was Yao Ming, Battier, Scola, Brooks, and Ariza.
The Knicks' starting five remained Li Feng, David Lee, Duhon, Gallinari, and Jeffries.
Yao Ming secured the first possession for the Rockets, and Brooks brought the ball past half-court.
Many Rockets fans were familiar with Brooks and affectionately called him "Little Black Bean."
His dribbling was steady, and he had a decent three-point shot. Duhon guarded him tightly.
After crossing half-court, Brooks passed the ball to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming was practically unstoppable against the Knicks' interior defense.
David Lee fought hard to defend, but he couldn't hold his ground, watching helplessly as Yao Ming scored with a little hook shot.
D'Antoni was helpless. He was incredibly envious of Yao Ming. If the Knicks had such an interior player, they would fear no one.
The Knicks' offense. Li Feng crossed half-court and, facing a double-team from Battier and Ariza, launched another logo three-pointer!
Although it was an away game, the Houston fans loved the Knicks because they loved Yao Ming, and they had also grown to like the Chinese player Li Feng.
Furthermore, Li Feng's playing style was genuinely appealing. Many people liked Li Feng not just because of Yao Ming.
When Li Feng sank the long three-pointer, a small section of the Houston fans actually cheered.
In the subsequent game, the Rockets completely dominated the paint, and Yao Ming's dominance was on full display once again!
Li Feng's dominance from the perimeter was also showcased perfectly.
The two Chinese superstars, one inside and one outside, delivered an extremely exciting game for the fans.
Yao Ming played very professionally. He didn't slack off or become passive due to his conflict with the team.
Instead, he played with extra effort today. Respecting another player's performance meant giving his all on the court to defeat them!
The game was intense, with both teams' scores alternating. The point difference never exceeded five points.
At the end of the first half, the score was 55:53, with the Knicks leading by 2 points.
Li Feng had scored 17 points, and Yao Ming had scored 18.
Although Yao Ming had the highest score among both teams, Li Feng could see some dissatisfaction in Yao Ming's play.
Several times, Yao Ming could have pulled up to the three-point line to receive a pass and shoot.
However, Yao Ming hesitated and chose to battle inside the three-point line instead.
This style of play was precisely why Yao Ming suffered from injuries later on.
After the second half began, the Knicks gradually took the lead as they started to pick up the pace.
With the increased tempo, Yao Ming's stamina began to falter, and Li Feng's unpredictable three-pointers kept the Rockets players from defending effectively.
Additionally, Gallinari and Jeffries had excellent outside shooting today, hitting consecutive shots, which led to several more assists for Li Feng.
Just over six minutes into the third quarter, the Knicks had a 13-point lead.
Yao Ming's expression was grim. During a timeout, he sat on the bench, gasping for breath, saying nothing.
Li Feng noticed the change in Yao Ming's expression and felt that Yao Ming might be about to change his playing style.
As expected, after the timeout, Yao Ming suddenly expanded his shooting range.
He no longer confined himself to the paint but continuously pulled out to the three-point line.
His Rockets teammates were also supportive, with Brooks and Scola starting to pass him the ball.
Swish! Swish!
Yao Ming made two consecutive three-pointers, one from the left and one from the right, instantly narrowing the gap to 7 points.
The Rockets' head coach watched from the sidelines, his face ashen.
However, the Rockets fans in the arena were in high spirits. Yao Ming had actually shot two three-pointers today, was he trying to go head-to-head with Li Feng?
Led by Yao Ming, the Rockets' momentum surged, and with the advantage of home court, they quickly caught up in the score!
Yao Ming was proving in his own way that he could play without gaining weight!
Li Feng also began to exert himself, constantly shouting at his teammates to increase their defensive help on Yao Ming and to attack the paint to put pressure on the Rockets.
Under Li Feng's direction, the Knicks regained control of the game, and the point difference slowly widened.
Many Rockets fans were thinking that if Yao Ming had played like this in the first half, the Rockets would be leading now.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 83:72, with the Knicks leading by 11 points.
The suspense of the game remained. Both teams' starters were resting on the bench, and the reserves came on.
The Rockets' bench was generally not strong, but this year's team was decent. Lowry, Budinger, and Hayes were all capable players.
So, in the matchup between the reserve lineups, the Rockets had a slight advantage.
After five minutes of the fourth quarter, the point difference narrowed to 6 points again.
Li Feng knew that the outcome of this game would be decided in the final moments!
With 5 minutes and 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter, both teams' starters returned to the court.
The score was 92:86, with the Knicks leading.
As soon as the Rockets came back on, Yao Ming received a pass from Brooks and slammed home a dunk, narrowing the deficit to 4 points.
Li Feng wanted to respond, but Brooks and Battier double-teamed him, giving Li Feng no space to shoot.
With no other option, Li Feng passed the ball to Duhon, letting him lead a 4-on-3 situation.
Li Feng's teammates were accustomed to him being double-teamed, so they played smoothly, passing the ball through three hands to an open Gallinari.
Gallinari raised his hand and shot, but unfortunately, it missed.
Yao Ming secured the rebound and initiated a fast break.
Brooks was very fast. Little Black Bean crossed half-court and saw Li Feng trailing him, so he didn't dare to drive to the basket himself.
With a clever pass, he passed the ball to Ariza on the right.
Ariza had a good three-point shot and made it as soon as he shot!
Swish!
92:91!
The Rockets were only trailing by 1 point!
D'Antoni was getting nervous. He hadn't expected Yao Ming to suddenly change his playing style.
The Knicks seemed a bit unprepared for Yao Ming's new approach.
Li Feng saw that his teammates' shooting touch was not good, so he had to take the shot himself.
As the Rockets continued to double-team him, Li Feng used his speed to suddenly shake off Battier.
Battier was a top defender, but guarding speed-oriented players was not his forte.
Li Feng gained half a step on him and pulled up for a jump shot.
Battier used his defensive specialty, reaching out to block Li Feng's vision.
Battier had also used this move when defending Kobe.
Of course, this move was effective against other players, but it had little effect on top scorers.
This was because Kobe's shooting was not based on aiming but entirely on feel.
Many of his shots were almost without seeing the basket; he would throw the ball out based on instinct!
The same was true for Hu Weidong in China.
Hu Weidong was China's most distinctive three-point shooter, and he was the type who shot with defenders on him.
He was highly nearsighted, and it was said that when he stood outside the three-point line, he could barely see the basket.
Yet, his three-point shots were incredibly accurate!
It was truly remarkable.
Li Feng now possessed the "Offensive Kaleidoscope" skill, giving him first-class shooting ability.
Therefore, facing Battier's defense, he made the shot even without seeing the basket!
Swish!
Battier was astonished!
Li Feng was shorter than Kobe, so theoretically, the difficulty should have been greater.
Yet, he still made the shot accurately, and it was nothing but net!
With Li Feng's desperate efforts, the Knicks maintained their lead.
However, Yao Ming also showcased another characteristic today, with extremely high efficiency, leading the Rockets to stay close in the score.
With 46 seconds left in the game, the two teams were tied again!
103:103!
The Rockets' head coach called a timeout. They had to make this next possession count!
It was evident that the Rockets' head coach was displeased with Yao Ming's playing style. While he didn't dare to yell at Yao Ming, his face was grim.
Most unbelievably, after the timeout, Yao Ming was benched!
This caused the Rockets fans in the arena to boo.
The boos were directed at the head coach.
Yao Ming shook his head in anger. He hadn't expected the coach to prefer losing over letting Yao Ming play basketball comfortably!
Li Feng witnessed this and sighed. He finally understood that the conflict between Yao Ming and the head coach was irreconcilable.
Without Yao Ming, the Rockets' weakness was completely exposed.
After stealing the ball, Li Feng drove straight to the Rockets' paint and easily dunked, regaining the lead.
Despite their best efforts, the remaining Rockets players were still lacking without Yao Ming anchoring the paint.
Li Feng contributed on both offense and defense twice in a row.
In the end, the Knicks defeated the Rockets on the road with a score of 109:105, securing the victory.
Although Yao Ming was in a bad mood, he still came over to hug Li Feng in congratulations and exchanged a few words.
Li Feng couldn't say much in that situation, so he just patted Yao Ming on the shoulder, letting their actions speak for themselves.
Yao Ming made four three-pointers today, more than in all his previous games combined.
However, this performance also intensified the conflict between him and the Rockets' head coach, suggesting that Yao Ming might truly be traded.
...
Back in New York, Li Feng discussed Yao Ming with D'Antoni.
"Li Feng, have you talked to Yao Ming? Is he..."
Seeing Coach D's expectant gaze, Li Feng hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes, the conflict between Yao Ming and the Rockets is significant. Coach, please inform the management and be ready. If Yao Ming is traded, the Knicks should make a good offer."
"Yes, absolutely!"
Coach D was thrilled. He was already looking forward to the Chinese duo of Li Feng and Yao Ming playing together.
...
While Li Feng was training, the system's voice sounded again.
"Ding, the host has completed ten consecutive triple-doubles, rewarding a treasure chest."
Li Feng hadn't received any rewards for many days and was very excited. He immediately opened the treasure chest.
The golden treasure chest opened, revealing a card with a red cross on it.
Li Feng was stunned, wondering what kind of card this was, with a red cross.
A line of text read—"Curry's Stamina Recovery Technique!"
What did this mean?
Li Feng checked and found out.
Curry had his own unique method of stamina recovery.
Observant fans might notice that when Curry rested on the sidelines, he appeared dazed with vacant eyes.
That wasn't Curry spacing out; he was using a special breathing and circulation method to rapidly slow his heart rate back to normal.
For basketball players, slowing down the heart rate significantly aided shooting.
This was because an accelerated heart rate could make one's hands unsteady.
This was also why interior players generally had poor shooting.
The physical collisions in the paint caused rapid heart rate increases, which naturally affected shooting.
Now that Li Feng had this skill, he could quickly return to normal.
This skill was particularly useful in the latter half of games.
This was because in the final stages, with immense fatigue, an unstable heart rate would lead to a sharp decline in shooting accuracy.
...
The Knicks' next game was at home against the Trail Blazers. Li Feng once again recorded a triple-double and easily secured the win.
The following game was a rematch!
Last month, the Knicks had been defeated by the "Thunder Four" on the road.
In his previous life, those four players from the Thunder were indeed formidable.
Three MVPs, plus Ibaka, the block champion.
It was truly a shame that this lineup didn't win a championship.
...
Before the game, the media began to hype it up again. Since the Knicks were the top seed in the league this season, they had very few losses.
Therefore, the game against the Thunder once again became a focal point.
Li Feng was the number one pick this year, and the Thunder were a young team; both represented the future of the NBA.
However, Li Feng had too few supporting players, so even though they lost the previous game, the media did not criticize Li Feng but instead showed understanding.