Li Feng’s pass was incredibly deceptive, made without looking back.
The Heat players were momentarily stunned. Wade quickly turned his head, only to see Yi Jianlian receiving the ball and calmly taking a shot!
This was the chemistry between Li Feng and Yi Jianlian!
During training, Li Feng and Yi Jianlian would practice together for over an hour every day.
It wasn’t that Li Feng was giving Yi Jianlian special treatment; in fact, Li Feng had made it clear that anyone on the team could train with him.
For example, when he trained with Yi Jianlian, he would often involve Billups or Bill Walker as well.
With Li Feng’s systematic help, Yi Jianlian not only became stronger in terms of physical strength and endurance but also saw his basketball IQ improve rapidly.
Through pick-and-rolls, they had developed numerous small, practical plays.
Although Yi Jianlian was currently a starter, Amar'e Stoudemire had already requested a trade, and his departure was only a matter of time.
They could execute coordinated plays during their limited time on the court together.
…
After making the basket, Yi Jianlian roared with excitement. He loved the offensive tactics with Li Feng.
Li Feng and Yi Jianlian slapped hands and shouted!
This was the first time they had executed this play in a real game, and both were thrilled.
LeBron James and Heat coach Spoelstra watched with shock.
In their view, the Knicks had no more secrets; it was now a gamble on Li Feng’s shooting touch cooling down.
But Li Feng and Yi Jianlian had developed another play, turning it into Yi Jianlian’s open-shot practice.
Don’t underestimate the pick-and-roll; seventy percent of offense in basketball originates from it.
Pick-and-rolls constitute a high percentage of tactics for all teams.
On the Heat’s offense, James had the ball at the top of the arc and made a special hand signal.
Chris Bosh suddenly moved to the high post, setting a screen on Bill Walker.
James drove into the paint, intending to do the same and pass to Bosh.
This play wasn’t complicated; it was just the first time Li Feng and Yi Jianlian had used it.
James and Bosh occasionally executed pick-and-roll plays together.
Swish!
James tossed the ball backward, trying to get it to Bosh.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng had already anticipated it and flew in, knocking the ball away prematurely.
Bosh reacted quickly. If Li Feng were to counter-attack, he wouldn’t be able to catch up, so he resorted to holding Li Feng.
The referee blew his whistle, and the Knicks fell into a half-court set.
James’s face was ashen. He had intended to retaliate, but Li Feng had disrupted it.
In the subsequent few possessions, the Knicks’ offense flowed more smoothly, while the Heat were stifled everywhere and played awkwardly.
With 7 minutes and 43 seconds left in the third quarter, the Heat’s lead was reduced to just 2 points.
75:73.
Spoelstra had to call another timeout.
This was a game the Heat could not afford to lose!
It didn't matter if the Knicks lost; after two consecutive championships, their goal was a three-peat.
The regular season wasn't that important. Winning was great, but losing wouldn't affect the coach or the players.
It was different for the Heat.
They had assembled their Big Three, causing a sensation, and intended to achieve great things.
Without boasting about building a dynasty or a three-peat, they at least aimed to win one championship.
Therefore, in their second season, the entire Heat team was driven by a strong desire.
If they lost again today, they would truly face widespread criticism.
Li Feng had rallied his teammates, but he remained cautious; the Heat were still leading.
“Kids, we need to improve our defense. The Heat have too many offensive threats, and Li Feng is working hard with his help defense. Everyone needs to put in the effort together!”
With the encouragement of D’Antoni and Li Feng, the Knicks players were full of fighting spirit.
Combined with the home-court advantage, every player possessed the confidence to win.
Perhaps this was the resilience of a championship team.
Even when temporarily trailing, it instilled in them a spirit of never giving up or conceding defeat.
On the Heat’s side, Spoelstra continuously emphasized teamwork to his players, hoping they would complement LeBron James.
He wanted them to set more screens and make more off-ball cuts, rather than standing still whenever James received the ball.
In reality, it wasn't entirely the teammates' fault. James had too many offensive moves; he could score or pass, leading to hesitation from his teammates, unsure of what to do.
This also indicated a lack of chemistry.
Although the Heat seemed to be cruising through the season, facing a championship team like the Knicks exposed their insufficient teamwork.
After the timeout, James did not hold the ball; instead, he let Dwyane Wade initiate the offense, while he moved towards the left sideline.
Wade’s drive remained sharp. Facing Kemba Walker, he executed a sharp change of direction to shake him off, then used a teammate’s screen to get into the paint.
Li Feng immediately moved to help defend. Wade, knowing how difficult Li Feng was to deal with, lobbed the ball directly to Bosh.
Bosh saw Yao Ming being effectively screened and prepared for a scoop layup.
But just as he stepped to attempt the layup, a tall figure lunged from the side, long arms flailing, and swatted the ball out of Bosh’s hands!
Bosh initially thought it was Li Feng but realized it was Yi Jianlian upon closer inspection!
Not only were the Heat players stunned, but the Knicks teammates were also surprised and delighted!
Yi Jianlian's defense wasn't particularly strong for the Knicks initially due to his slower foot speed.
However, after joining the Knicks, Li Feng had upgraded and trained him, improving his lateral movement.
Furthermore, with his increased basketball IQ, his timing for help defense became much better.
One could imagine the Brooklyn Nets’ front office spitting blood seeing Yi Jianlian’s current performance.
With this kind of play, a $20 million annual salary wouldn't be enough to sign him!
Li Feng excitedly rushed forward first, chest-bumping Yi Jianlian in celebration while shouting.
Yao Ming was also very excited, wrapping an arm around Yi Jianlian.
As Yao Ming’s age gradually increased, he felt increasingly strained.
If Yi Jianlian could grow and help Li Feng win a few more championships, Yao Ming would be truly gratified.
The Chinese trio would become a legend, spoken of fondly by Chinese fans!
The Heat had just over 2 seconds left on their shot clock. Battier inbounded the ball from the sideline directly to James.
James, in a hurry, took a shot that missed, and Yao Ming secured the rebound.
Without losing a second, Yao Ming flung the ball to Lowry, who was near half-court.
Lowry quickly crossed half-court. Wade pursued him desperately, but Lowry, lacking complete confidence, stopped first.
Bill Walker cut in from the right, and Lowry immediately passed to him.
James was a bit late in his attempt to help defend. Bill Walker had a high efficiency in fast breaks and directly dunked with one hand, scoring 2 more points!
75 all!
The Madison Square Garden erupted with the roar of the fans.
They had finally tied the score!
Coming back from a nearly 20-point deficit to tie the game in the third quarter was a huge boost for both the players and the fans!
Spoelstra shook his head in frustration. For a coach, it was embarrassing when an offensive play after a timeout failed, and instead, the opponent tied the game.
But there was nothing he could do; he couldn’t call another timeout and could only hope that the Heat players on the court would go on a run and regain the lead.
James felt the same way. Seeing the Knicks’ momentum, he knew that as the leader, he had to respond strongly!
Bringing the ball past half-court, James didn’t call for a screen or make any signals; he suddenly exploded!
Despite Bill Walker’s best efforts to defend, James’s speed and strength were superior.
Bang!
James shoved Bill Walker aside and drove into the paint.
Before Yao Ming could come over to help, James pulled up for a jump shot and hit it precisely!
James’s shooting was peculiar; people thought he wasn't accurate, but when he was determined, he truly made shots!
77:75, the Heat regained the lead!
Now, it was a matter of who could persevere.
If the Knicks couldn’t respond, they might fall victim to a Heat run.
Li Feng had the ball in the backcourt and signaled to his teammates.
Lowry slowly crossed half-court, feigning disengagement from the offense. Under Yi Jianlian’s screen, he quietly moved to the corner.
Since Battier and Wade were double-teaming Li Feng, Lowry found himself wide open.
James, with his high basketball IQ, noticed Lowry and loudly called for Bosh to rotate and defend.
But it was too late. Li Feng’s pass was like a missile, directly hitting Lowry.
Lowry was ready, and the ball was at a comfortable height for him to catch. He immediately shot a three-pointer!
Although Bosh had rotated, he was still half a step too late and could only watch as Lowry’s three-pointer went in!
Swish!
78:77, the Knicks took a 1-point lead again!
Spectacular!
This game was breathtaking and thrilling for the fans!
The games between the Knicks and the Heat had always been like a collision of planets.
The two teams entered a stalemate, with the score alternating.
James’s expression was serious, showing a desire to take over the game.
On the Knicks’ side, the offense was still multi-faceted. Li Feng didn’t take many shots, but he was involved in every offensive and defensive possession.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 86:84, with the Heat leading by 2 points.
The score should have been tied, but Wade hit an irregular, buzzer-beating long two-pointer at the last moment.
The Flash was truly unpredictable.
The Heat’s momentum had somewhat recovered, and the players were showing great effort.
Li Feng had expended a lot of energy in the third quarter. When he went to the bench to rest, he once again used the [Curry Stamina Recovery Technique], sitting there silently with a vacant gaze.
At the start of the fourth quarter, both teams fielded their reserve lineups.
Since Amar'e Stoudemire hadn't played much in the third quarter, he came on with the reserves in the fourth.
Amar'e was still playing well, putting the team’s interests first without complaint, and played diligently upon entering the game.
The point differential remained tight, fluctuating between two and three points.
Li Feng’s stamina had recovered significantly after four or five minutes of rest.
He stood up and requested to re-enter the game.
D’Antoni, also wary of the Heat widening the gap, nodded in agreement.
Yao Ming had played about 9 minutes in the third quarter and was quite tired, so he was resting on the sidelines for now.
Li Feng and Amar'e led the reserves.
Li Feng’s return had an immediate impact, dominating the game on both ends of the court, and the Knicks quickly extended their lead to 6 points.
Spoelstra quickly called a timeout, preparing to bring his starters back onto the court for the final showdown!
James, Wade, Bosh, Battier, and Joel Anthony – the main starters entered the game.
D’Antoni waved his commander’s flag, and Yao Ming, Bill Walker, and Lowry also entered the game.
Amar'e remained on the court, a gesture of respect for him.
After all, he hadn't been traded yet, and Amar'e was still in the Knicks' starting lineup!
On the Heat’s offense, James dribbled the ball past half-court.
Given James’s successful consecutive isolation plays in the latter half of the third quarter, the Knicks were cautious and temporarily employed a double-team.
For an all-around player like James, a double-team was not effective, but it was necessary to use it occasionally.
James reacted quickly, immediately passing the ball. Swish!
Battier, who was open, received the ball and prepared to shoot a three-pointer from the 45-degree angle.
But Li Feng had anticipated it and quickly rotated over.
Battier was not a strong ball-handling three-point shooter, so he wouldn’t shoot easily without an open look. He had to pass the ball back to Bosh.
Bosh faced Amar'e, wanting to establish position.
But Amar'e Stoudemire aggressively screened Bosh, preventing him from getting a shot off.
Bosh was puzzled; in his memory, Amar'e was a player whose offense outweighed his defense, but today, Amar'e was playing with exceptional ferocity.
He didn’t know that Amar'e was motivated by Yi Jianlian’s performance, making him work hard on both offense and defense.
Competition was the best way to break a monopoly!
Seeing that the shot clock was about to expire, Bosh forced a drive, but Amar'e managed to block it.
Beep!
The referee blew his whistle.
Actually, the play was on the borderline between a foul and no foul, but with the Heat trailing, the referee leaned slightly in their favor.
Amar'e was furious, shaking his head repeatedly and muttering to himself.
The referee didn't hesitate and assessed a technical foul!
Li Feng and Bill Walker quickly pulled him back.
Amar'e had already committed his fifth foul. D’Antoni, seeing his agitation, substituted him out and brought Yi Jianlian back in.
Bosh made all three free throws, and the deficit returned to 3 points.
95:92, the Knicks still led.
On the Knicks’ offense, Li Feng had Lowry bring the ball up while he moved to the right sideline.
Lowry crossed half-court and executed a pick-and-roll with Yao Ming.
Yao Ming suddenly retreated two steps, moving beyond the three-point line. Lowry immediately passed the ball to him.
The Heat players were shocked. They knew Yao Ming could shoot three-pointers, but he hadn't shot any today except from the corner.
Unexpectedly, at a crucial moment in the fourth quarter, Yao Ming was going to shoot a three-pointer. It was bold!
Heat center Joel Anthony was slow to contest. Yao Ming shot comfortably, and swish!
Clutch player!
The three-pointer was good!
The Knicks’ home fans erupted in cheers again!
This basket was crucial, not only extending the lead but also causing the Heat’s defense to collapse.
With Yao Ming stepping out to shoot threes, especially from the top of the arc, how could they defend?
If the Heat’s big center followed him out, the Knicks’ other players would surely find it even harder to drive.
Li Feng and Yi Jianlian could completely turn the paint into chaos.
A 6-point deficit again, 98:92!
James was getting anxious. He shouted loudly, urging his teammates to inbound the ball quickly, and then he sprinted all the way from the backcourt, crossing half-court.
Once he got going, it was impossible to stop. Li Feng quickly alerted his teammates that they had to contain James.
Bill Walker and Yi Jianlian combined to slow down James’s momentum.
But James had exceptional court vision. He noticed Battier had quietly moved to the corner again.