Li Feng immediately understood what was happening, a cold smile forming in his heart.
In the previous few games, the opponents had avoided him. Now, this Nelson was actively seeking him out.
He truly had no idea how high the sky or how deep the earth was!
"Newcomer rookie, don't get cocky. Is it just because you can jump high?"
"I've seen plenty of high jumpers. It's useless!"
"Watch me blow you out!"
...
Nelson dribbled the ball while spewing trash talk!
Li Feng's lips curved into a smile, but he didn't reply. He focused intently on Nelson.
Admittedly, Nelson did have some skills. Li Feng had intended to steal the ball from him and teach him a lesson.
Unexpectedly, Nelson's dribbling was incredibly steady, and he protected the ball very securely, leaving Li Feng with no opening.
Li Feng wasn't in a hurry. Having stable dribbling was fine, but without offensive threat, stability alone was useless.
Nelson glanced at the game clock. When there were only 5 seconds left on the shot clock, he made his move.
He suddenly accelerated to the right, intending to shake off Li Feng, but Li Feng was faster and quickly cut off his driving lane.
Nelson was startled and quickly pulled the ball back.
With little time left on the shot clock, Nelson had no choice but to shoot!
His pull-up three-pointer had a decent hit rate, reaching 39% this season.
Swish!
Nelson shot quickly, but Li Feng was already prepared, stretching out his long arms to contest the shot.
Swoosh!
Li Feng's fingers brushed the basketball, altering its trajectory!
A millimeter's difference can lead to a thousand-mile divergence. The basketball hit the backboard and didn't even touch the rim.
David Lee secured his position, and Gallinari grabbed the rebound!
Nelson angrily waved his hand. He hadn't expected Li Feng to be so fast.
Li Feng didn't retort. Instead, he nodded approvingly and said, "Not bad, your shot is quick enough. Unfortunately, you ran into me, hehe!"
Those words were worse than any insult. Nelson almost fainted from anger.
"Don't you get arrogant, wait until the next possession..."
Before Nelson could finish, Li Feng had already turned and was heading for a fast break.
Li Feng received a long pass from Gallinari and crossed half-court.
This time it was Carter's turn. He had been outplayed twice and was feeling a bit dejected.
But as a seasoned professional player, he still had to try his best to challenge Li Feng.
Carter and Li Feng moved side-by-side, preparing to disrupt Li Feng's fast break.
Having learned from Howard's previous experience, Carter knew he couldn't expect to get a block. He had to make his move early.
So, while running, Carter started pushing and bumping Li Feng.
However, Li Feng, who looked a size smaller than Carter, possessed incredible strength. Despite being continuously interfered with, he maintained a stable dribble and drove to the basket for a powerful dunk!
Bang!
Li Feng hung on the rim, looking at Carter with dominance!
Carter shook his head helplessly. He had given his all, but Li Feng was like a little tank that couldn't be stopped!
Under Li Feng's pressure on both ends of the court, the Knicks built a run in the first quarter.
At 5 minutes and 47 seconds into the first quarter, the score was 12:3, and an official timeout was called.
It was baffling to many that two Eastern Conference powerhouses with four-game winning streaks were playing such a one-sided game from the start.
In previous games, the Knicks had started by falling behind, and then Li Feng would slowly catch up.
But today, he was playing against the norm, with Li Feng launching a strong offense in the first quarter.
This indicated that Li Feng was a player who rose to the occasion against strong opponents. Carter's and Howard's aggressive play had triggered Li Feng's early explosion.
He recalled what some basketball legends contemporary to Jordan had said about him.
That was, don't provoke him.
If you praised him and flattered him, Jordan would hold back, score in the thirties, and win the game.
But if you provoked him, not only would he go on a rampage, but his matchup would also suffer a dismal stat line, perhaps even being shut out.
Li Feng's performance in the first half of the first quarter was exactly like that.
Carter's pre-game bravado and Howard's willingness to guard Li Feng had both enraged Li Feng.
Combined with Nelson's taunts, Li Feng was firing on all cylinders, and the Magic simply couldn't withstand it.
During the timeout, D'Antoni excitedly shouted, "Other teammates must offer more support to Li Feng, and the defense needs to be more aggressive. We must double-team Howard and prevent him from driving inside. It's better to send him to the free-throw line!"
The "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy already existed at the time, so Howard was fouled frequently.
The Knicks knew that Howard wouldn't be easy to contain, and Li Feng alone wouldn't be enough. Therefore, they planned to employ the Hack-a-Shaq strategy.
After the timeout, the players returned to the court.
The Magic made adjustments, increasing their pick-and-rolls.
They had begun to fear Li Feng's defense, which had almost become a pattern in their games.
Every opponent started with defiance, and then Li Feng would handle it. Afterwards, they would resort to screens and evasions, and finally, there would be nowhere to escape.
Li Feng knew that this was when team defense was crucial.
Unfortunately, the defensive performance of the other Knicks players was truly lacking. Despite their best efforts, they were quickly overwhelmed by Carter and Howard's strong attacks.
Lewis was in hot shooting form. He lurked in the corners, received passes from Howard, and hit consecutive three-pointers.
Despite Li Feng's efforts to defend from left to right, he was only one person. He struggled against the Magic's "one star and four shooters" lineup.
As long as the Magic didn't directly confront Li Feng, their overall strength was still superior to the Knicks'.
Slowly, the Magic caught up and took the lead, 24:23.
D'Antoni, feeling helpless, called a timeout at 9 minutes and 21 seconds into the first quarter.
Although Li Feng's stats in the first quarter were good, David Lee and Gallinari performed poorly, especially after the first official timeout, where they were completely outplayed by Howard.
D'Antoni was in despair. Despite his constant emphasis, the team's overall strength was evident. No matter how strong Li Feng was, he couldn't play a five-on-one game!
"We need to speed up the offense and pass the ball faster! On defense, pay attention to help defense and close-outs!"
D'Antoni kept shouting, but the players wiped their sweat and sighed helplessly.
Although Howard was a center, his speed was remarkable, and he wasn't afraid of a run-and-gun style.
David Lee and Gallinari both had a weakness: their mobility was a bit slow. Under the Magic's attacks, there were leaks everywhere.
Li Feng frowned and suddenly stood up, saying, "Coach, why don't we try Bill Walker and Jordan Hill?"
D'Antoni's eyes lit up!
Indeed, while these two might not have had the scoring ability of Gallinari and David Lee, their defense was stronger and their speed was faster.
"Alright, Bill, Hill, you're going in! I don't have any demands for the offense, but you must hold the defense!"
Bill and Hill stood up, their eyes resolute. As reserves, they had to make an impact when they entered the game, otherwise, it would be difficult to establish themselves in the NBA.
After the timeout, the game resumed, and the Knicks' adjustments yielded immediate results!
Under the double-team of Hill and Bill, Howard found it difficult to score. And when he passed the ball to his Magic teammates, Hill and Bill quickly rotated to cover them.
Li Feng also intensified his offense. Jordan Hill's mid-range jumpers were very accurate, allowing Li Feng to either score himself or pass.
Bill's pull-up jumpers were also effective and efficient.
As one side improved and the other declined, the Magic's offense became stagnant and less comfortable than before.
Doc Rivers had no choice but to substitute all his starters and let the reserves try.
The Magic had a deep bench, including future Clippers sharpshooter J.J. Redick, the three-point artillery Anderson, and the French Air Force Pietrus.
Since Li Feng played the entire first quarter, the Magic reserves couldn't gain an advantage.
However, at the start of the second quarter, with Li Feng resting on the bench, the Magic reserves began to exploit the Knicks' reserves.
The Magic once again caught up and took the lead, with the score at 37:32, the Magic leading.
Li Feng couldn't sit still any longer. After signaling to D'Antoni, he prepared to enter the game.
Bill Walker and Jordan Hill also entered the game with Li Feng.
This was their best lineup to counter the Magic.
But Howard, the "Superman," had been caught off guard in the latter half of the first quarter. However, while sitting on the bench, Van Gundy had a long talk with him and had already found the key to victory.
Therefore, Howard returned to the court and intensified his inside offensive attacks.
He increased his drives to the basket and incorporated more pump fakes and feints.
Bill Walker and Jordan Hill, with their lack of experience, were repeatedly fooled by Howard.
If it weren't for Li Feng occasionally providing help defense, Howard would have crushed these two.
The Magic still held the advantage on the court.
Li Feng felt a sense of helplessness for the first time. The Magic's interior play and shooting were both performing exceptionally well today, making it impossible for the Knicks to defend effectively.
After playing for more than ten minutes in the second quarter, the Magic had extended their lead to 17 points, and it looked like it was heading towards 20+.
Li Feng's stats were very good, having scored 22 points and dished out 9 assists.
But the team was still trailing, and such a result could easily lead to him being labeled a "stat padder."
Even if Li Feng didn't care what others said, the team's loss was what made him feel the most uncomfortable. He had to find a solution.
Howard was too strong; he had to be taken out!
At this moment, Howard only had 2 fouls.
Li Feng held the ball and drove from the right side.
The Magic executed a double-team, but Li Feng broke through the trap with dazzling dribbling and his explosive first step, driving straight to the basket.
Seeing Li Feng heading towards him, Howard instinctively took a step back.
It was clear that he was somewhat intimidated by Li Feng, preferring to concede two points rather than risk a foul.
But Li Feng wasn't just looking to score those two points; he wanted to draw a foul from Howard.
So, Li Feng continued to drive towards Howard.
Howard was startled. Why couldn't he avoid it?
He was the last line of defense for the Magic and couldn't completely evade the play. Thus, he symbolically spread his arms, making a show of contesting.
Li Feng took to the air, switched hands mid-air, and his left arm perfectly hooked onto Howard's arm.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, and sure enough, Howard was called for a foul.
Before Li Feng could fall, he tossed the ball into the air, and swish, it went in!
And-one!
Howard felt unjustly treated and shouted at the referee.
However, the slow-motion replay showed that Howard had indeed hit Li Feng's arm.
Howard shook his head in frustration. He now had three fouls.
Van Gundy, helpless, had to substitute him.
Li Feng made the ensuing free throw, and his mission was accomplished!
Van Gundy was shocked. He felt that Li Feng's style of play was too seasoned, completely unlike a rookie!
The fans at Madison Square Garden were ecstatic. They knew Howard had played well today and caused significant trouble for the Knicks.
And Li Feng, with his intelligent foul-drawing tactic, had managed to get Howard off the court, bringing a sigh of relief to the entire Knicks team.
Indeed, after Howard left the court, the Knicks began to gain momentum.
They scored frequently from both inside and outside.
And without Howard, the Magic's offense and defense both declined a notch.
In previous games, when Howard sat, the Magic's offensive focus would shift to Hedo Türkoğlu, but he had been traded to the Raptors this season.
The Magic had to rely on Nelson and Carter from the perimeter.
But under Li Feng's pressure, these two were completely neutralized.
The Knicks began to close the gap.
By halftime, the score was 57:51, with the Knicks trailing by only 6 points.
This brought a sigh of relief to the Knicks players. A 6-point deficit was entirely reversible.
Howard, sitting on the bench, had a livid expression on his face. He glared at Li Feng but was powerless.
In the Chinese sports broadcast, Yu Jia and Zhang Zhi were providing commentary.
During the pre-game analysis, both of them felt that the Knicks would have a tough time today, with dire prospects.
This was because Howard was too difficult to contain.
Basketball was, after all, a game of giants. Although Li Feng was strong, his shooting percentage couldn't be 100%, and his teammates were of average ability.
Howard's defensive coverage was too extensive.
It was equivalent to suppressing all of the Knicks' mid-range and inside scoring options.
The game unfolded as they had predicted. David Lee and Gallinari had almost zero points in the paint, only occasionally attempting three-pointers.
"Alas, Li Feng will wear himself out playing like this. He just sacrificed himself like a human shield to get Howard off the court, otherwise the game would have been over."
"Yes, Coach Zhang, what do you think will happen in the second half?"
"In my opinion, Li Feng will definitely continue to attack Howard in the second half, to get him into foul trouble."
"But the Magic won't stand idly by; they'll surely try to protect Howard."
"Indeed, it's a battle of wits and strategies. We'll see who comes out on top!"
...
The second half began, and Howard returned to the court.
To protect Howard, every time Li Feng drove to the basket, other Magic players would tightly block him, doing their best to prevent Howard from defending Li Feng.
While this adjustment protected Howard, it also disrupted the Magic's defensive formation, which Li Feng exploited.
Howard became hesitant and his defensive capabilities diminished.
The Knicks continued to close the gap. About three minutes into the third quarter, with Li Feng's successful floater, the two teams tied again!
The Magic were only scoring through Lewis and Carter.
Van Gundy's expression was solemn. He had spent years building the Magic's roster, and they could hold their own against any NBA team.
Even if they lost, they wouldn't be dominated on the court.
But the Knicks, led by Li Feng, were pressuring the Magic, making the entire team uncomfortable.
Even Nelson, usually confident and even a bit arrogant, seemed subdued.
At 5 minutes and 23 seconds into the game, Li Feng drove to the basket again. Howard hesitated for a moment before stepping up to defend.