Westbrook's zombie jump shot and breakthrough assists breathed life into the Thunder's offense.
Even with Li Feng personally providing help defense, it was no use, as Westbrook's passing was as unpredictable as ever.
Led by Westbrook, the Thunder gradually caught up in the score.
With over seven minutes left in the third quarter, the score was 75:73, with the Knicks holding a slim two-point lead.
De'Anthoni called a timeout in frustration.
His heart clenched again; they couldn't afford to lose this game!
If they fell behind 1-3 in the series, it would be incredibly difficult to come back.
"Kids, I know you're tired and working hard, but this is the Finals. Push through it, and if we win this game, we can head back to New York!"
De'Anthoni roared, hoping to ignite his players' morale.
Li Feng had been chasing Westbrook relentlessly and was indeed exhausted. Westbrook's exceptional performance had rendered Li Feng's defense ineffective.
"I didn't defend well earlier. After the timeout, Yi Jianlian and I need to double-team Westbrook."
This was the Finals. When you underestimated a player, that player would rise up to punish you!
After all, there were no weak teams in the Finals.
Yi Jianlian seemed to have adapted to his body and skills, feeling that he should play a more significant role.
After the timeout, Li Feng and Yi Jianlian began to surround and pursue Westbrook.
With the defensive prowess of these two, no one in the entire league could withstand them.
As expected, Westbrook's shooting percentage plummeted, and even attempting a shot became difficult.
His passing lanes were also shut down. He attempted three passes and turned the ball over twice.
With Westbrook locked down, the Knicks seized the opportunity and went on a run, extending their lead once again.
By the end of the third quarter, the Knicks were ahead by 16 points.
Thunder head coach Brooks was truly out of options, shaking his head repeatedly on the sidelines.
He couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.
To be honest, he had thoroughly studied the Knicks before the game, even instructing the video team to specifically extract tactical plays between Li Feng and his teammates to develop a targeted defense.
However, in these two home games, the Knicks' performance had completely shattered Brooks's strategy.
He had previously believed that Bill Walker possessed almost no ability to create his own offense, scoring only on fast breaks or cuts to the basket.
But in these past two games, Bill Walker had transformed into Durant, mastering pull-up jumpers, crossovers, and fadeaway shots.
And Yi Jianlian, whose physical abilities were inferior to Ibaka's, had evolved, becoming almost on par with Ibaka, displaying similar aerial prowess and versatility.
Lowry was merely a typical starting point guard with average playmaking abilities.
Yet, in these past two games, he had played at a level comparable to Harden, making shots or passes with equal proficiency.
Brooks had no choice but to instruct his players to increase their defensive intensity.
Otherwise, this game would be lost.
As the fourth quarter began, the Thunder's reserves played with great effort, but the Knicks' reserves also held their own, and the score difference didn't change significantly.
In the latter half of the quarter, De'Anthoni, to ensure victory, brought his starters back in to secure the win.
The Thunder ultimately failed to mount a comeback and lost their second home game!
This year's Finals were too dramatic.
Both teams lost their home-court advantage, while performing at a high level on the road.
This situation had never occurred in previous Finals, making it a unique phenomenon.
For such an outcome, the media should have been the happiest.
Reports were endless, and fans engaged in heated discussions.
The viewership ratings for this Finals were surprisingly the second highest in history, second only to the 1998 NBA Finals between the Bulls and the Jazz!
Upon returning to New York, Jenna went to the airport to pick him up.
The moment he saw Jenna, Li Feng embraced her tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
Li Feng suddenly felt a sense of surviving a great ordeal.
Had they lost these two games, the Thunder would have already lifted the O'Brien Cup.
Jenna understood Li Feng's feelings perfectly. During the third game, at halftime, the Knicks were trailing by a large margin, and Li Feng's dejected expression had pained Jenna deeply.
"Feng, don't cry. We're tied now, we'll start fresh, and we'll definitely win!"
"Jenna, if I win the championship threepeat, will you marry me?"
Jenna's body stiffened, and she remained silent.
Li Feng thought Jenna disagreed and cupped her face, asking, "What, you... you don't want to marry me?"
"Is this a proposal?" Jenna's eyes also glistened with tears.
"No, this is too informal. Once I win the championship, I will formally propose to you!"
"Okay, I'll wait for you!"
Jenna embraced Li Feng tightly once more, as if they would never part.
Li Feng's Knicks teammates watched from a distance, applauding and cheering for their sweet moment!
...
Before the fifth game of the Finals even began, the media had already built immense excitement.
However, both teams' players seemed unwilling to speak.
The pivotal Game 5 was expected to determine the direction of the Finals.
Upon flying to New York, the Thunder players refused all interviews, heading straight to training after checking into their hotel.
Watching the duck fly away from their grasp must have been a lifelong regret for the Thunder players.
...
At the Knicks' pre-game press conference, Li Feng and Yao Ming accepted interviews.
The media turnout was exceptionally high today, given it was the crucial Game 5.
"Mr. Li Feng, returning to the home court in New York, are you feeling scared?"
The reporter asked with a hint of mockery.
Li Feng smiled, "Honestly, I'm a little scared. But as soon as I remember that we also won two away games, I'm not scared anymore, haha!"
The reporter burst into laughter at Li Feng's humor.
"How have you prepared for Game 5?"
Li Feng replied seriously, "Our biggest concern right now is fatigue. But at this stage of the series, we will fight to the very end. As long as we can stand, we will not give up."
This statement was powerful, conveying the attitude of all the Knicks players.
Yao Ming nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, his expression resolute.
The reporter then turned to Yao Ming, "Mr. Yao, what adjustments do you think the Knicks need to make to win Game 5?"
Yao Ming pondered for a moment and replied, "We don't need to make any adjustments. If any change is to be made, it's that we need to work harder than in the previous game!"
The reporters rose to their feet and applauded, deeply moved by the unwavering confidence of Yao Ming and Li Feng.
It was hard to imagine that after losing two home games, they would come back to win two consecutive away games!
...
At 7:30 PM, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The fifth game of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Thunder tipped off!
The Thunder players appeared full of confidence, having won two consecutive games on this court before.
The Knicks players, on the other hand, wore solemn expressions, not daring to be careless.
The Knicks' starting lineup remained Li Feng, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Bill Walker, and Lowry.
The Thunder's starting five were Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Sefolosha, and Perkins.
The first quarter was a closely contested battle between the two teams.
As the saying goes: "Finals rarely have good starts."
Today's critical Game 5 proved this saying true.
Both teams were eager to win this game, so the defensive intensity was high from the outset, leading to somewhat sloppy play.
After more than five minutes, the score was only 7:5, with the sound of missed shots echoing throughout the arena.
The game entered the official timeout.
Despite playing for only just over five minutes, both teams' players were heavily fatigued.
Li Feng noticed an unfavorable trend: Yi Jianlian, Bill Walker, and Lowry were all panting heavily.
Furthermore, their movements were slightly slow, clearly showing the significant impact of these past games on their stamina.
Li Feng's heart tightened.
The system's rewards came with a price, as mentioned in the system's description.
It stated that it would greatly deplete the stamina of the benefiting players, making one game feel like two.
During practice yesterday, Li Feng had already noticed Yi Jianlian's pale complexion, while Bill Walker and Lowry's footwork was slightly unsteady.
The Finals were already extremely taxing on players, let alone the Knicks, who had reached the Finals for three consecutive years.
If it weren't for Yao Ming's intermittent play and rest period, he wouldn't have been able to guarantee his playing time in the Finals.
As expected, after the timeout, the Knicks began to show signs of fatigue.
The Thunder's high-intensity defense proved highly effective.
By the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led by 8 points, 31:23.
Yi Jianlian, Bill Walker, and Lowry, who had played for just over seven minutes in the first quarter, were substituted out.
It was inevitable; the consequence of being physically unable to keep up was an inability to score or defend effectively.
De'Anthoni started to panic again, unable to comprehend what was happening.
Why had they lost their form upon returning to their home court?
The New York home fans, like De'Anthoni, attributed this strange phenomenon to home-court disadvantage.
Li Feng knew the reason and was also anxious.
While Game 5 was crucial, his teammates' health was even more important.
If they continued to push hard, Yi Jianlian and the other two were highly likely to collapse from exhaustion.
With this in mind, Li Feng made a resolute decision—
Before the start of the second quarter, he walked over to De'Anthoni and suggested, "Coach, Yi Jianlian, Walker, and Lowry have expended too much energy. They can't play today."
De'Anthoni was taken aback, his expression instantly turning serious.
"Li Feng, do you know what you're saying? This is the Finals!"
Li Feng replied earnestly, "I know it's the Finals, but player health is more important. They are very susceptible to injury right now. If they get injured, they won't be able to play in the subsequent games."
De'Anthoni frowned. He hadn't realized it was so serious. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then let the team doctor take a look."
Li Feng shook his head, "No need. The three of them are indeed very tired; I see it most clearly from the court."
De'Anthoni nodded slightly, "Alright, we'll do as you say. But this game..."
"It's okay, even if we lose, I'm confident we can win it back!"
Li Feng had already planned that if these three players rested in Game 5, they could carry the load in Games 6 and 7.
De'Anthoni walked over to Yi Jianlian and the other two, saying, "A Lian, Walker, Lowry, you don't need to play today. Get some good rest."
Upon hearing this, the three felt a surge of emotion, touched by the coach's considerate decision.
"Coach, I'm fine, I can still play..."
"I can do it, Coach, no need to rest."
"Let me play, Coach, this is the Finals!"
De'Anthoni shook his head firmly, "You must rest, understand? Because this was Li Feng's suggestion."
"Li Feng?" The three found it unbelievable.
"Yes, he knows you're too tired, so he told you to rest."
The three looked at Li Feng, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
Li Feng smiled and high-fived them, saying, "You guys rest for one game, we still have a chance!"
In the subsequent game, reserve players took the court.
In fact, Li Feng still had another plan; he could continue to complete the system's tasks and replicate the abilities of the Thunder's key players to other players.
However, when he submitted the request to the system, the system replied—
"Ding, the system's task was limited to the third game of the Finals."
Li Feng sighed. He should have dunked on a few more players in that game if he had known.
In the following game, despite the Knicks players showing resilience and Li Feng scoring a high number of points,
Without three key players, the Knicks were still no match for the Thunder and lost the game.
The final score was 107:98.
Li Feng, who scored 65 points in this game, had given his all.
...
Although the Thunder won the game, Durant and several other players were bewildered, wondering what the Knicks' coach was doing.
Given how well Yi Jianlian and the other two had played in previous games, why were they suddenly not allowed to play?
If they were injured, it was unlikely that all three would be injured simultaneously.
Not only were the Thunder players confused, but the Knicks fans were even more so.
After the game, most of the home fans did not leave, instead chanting curses at De'Anthoni in unison.
"Sh*tty coach, doesn't know how to use players! Why didn't Yi Jianlian, Walker, and Lowry play?"
"Three starters benched just like that, is his brain f*cked?"
"Wasted Li Feng's high scoring, coach, go die!"
...
De'Anthoni remained expressionless, silently bearing it all.
Li Feng couldn't let the coach take the blame, so he explained to the reporters in his post-game interview.
"I want to clarify that during the first quarter, I saw that three of my teammates were experiencing physical issues, so I alerted the coach. The coach, considering the players' health, decided not to let them play today!"
The reporters suddenly understood.
The fans also learned the reason, which caused them to let De'Anthoni off the hook, otherwise, he would have been severely criticized.
In the post-game locker room, De'Anthoni entered.
Seeing Yi Jianlian and the other two with apologetic expressions, he walked over with a smile and said, "It's alright, it's just one game. You must get plenty of rest."
The three were deeply moved and nodded repeatedly.
Li Feng smiled and said, "Coach, these three guys are fine. After a few days of rest, they'll definitely win Games 6 and 7!"
"That's good, I'll await your good news!"
...
Although the atmosphere in the locker room was positive, the media, after this game, severely criticized the Knicks from top to bottom.
From the coach's personnel decisions to the team's management, everything was subjected to harsh criticism.