Li Feng's actions were not about winning a verbal argument, but about setting an example for everyone at the Knicks.
It was about facing even the most dire situations with optimism and working together to overcome them!
Winning a championship is never a smooth path.
Especially winning back-to-back titles, which requires even greater unity within the team, becoming a single force, and maintaining a fervent desire to win!
Thinking back, it's incredible how difficult it was for Jordan to win two three-peats.
Especially that final championship in '98, where he, almost single-handedly, carried a faltering Bulls team to the finals.
And the mighty Jazz were so close to touching the championship trophy.
But Jordan's steal and subsequent game-winning shot allowed the Bulls to emerge victorious.
What is a god?
A god is still human, but they do things that others cannot, which is why they become gods!
Li Feng dared not dream of multiple championships at this moment.
All he could do was focus on every detail and step up when the team needed him.
He had to be at his best, both on and off the court!
Despite the presence of many reporters today, most of whom were there to witness Li Feng's downfall.
Li Feng's exceptional eloquence and sharp mind left these reporters empty-handed.
On the contrary, the media headlines were once again dominated by Li Feng.
"Knicks Star Player Li Feng Accepts Interview with Confidence, Full of Desire for Championship Defense!"
"Never Give Up, Never Surrender, Li Feng Expresses Unwavering Confidence in Interview!"
"Li Feng's Interview Acts as a Strong Rejuvenator, Guiding the Knicks to a New Beginning!"
...
In fact, the Knicks' management, coaching staff, and teammates were all watching Li Feng's interview.
They were deeply moved by Li Feng's demeanor.
The entire Knicks team secretly resolved to unite and give their all in the upcoming games to reach the Eastern Conference Finals!
...
Game Six was about to begin!
At Madison Square Garden in New York, the Knicks were set to host the Heat.
With the Knicks trailing significantly in the series, all the players wore serious expressions, seemingly holding their breath.
The Heat, on the other hand, appeared relaxed, having secured the advantage.
Even if they lost this game, they were confident that their "Big Three" could win the decisive Game Seven back on their home court.
Perhaps due to the Knicks players' nerves, their shooting percentages were extremely low in the opening minutes of the first quarter.
Yao Ming, usually consistent, only made one of his first four attempts.
Li Feng hadn't taken any shots, but he had dished out several good passes.
Unfortunately, aside from two baskets made by Stoudemire and Yao Ming, the other passes did not convert into assists.
In contrast, the Heat maintained their hot shooting from the previous game.
Perhaps their relaxed mindset allowed for smoother, more natural movements, as the Heat seemed divinely aided in the opening minutes.
LeBron James' drives to the basket were unstoppable, whether he shot himself or passed to teammates, they scored!
Just over five minutes into the game, the Heat led the Knicks by seven points.
11:4!
A timeout was called.
The home crowd of the Knicks felt a chill.
Even at this critical juncture, the Knicks were still so sluggish.
What was Li Feng doing?
What was Yao Ming doing?
Some extreme fans became furious, standing up and shouting, urging their former heroes to step up and deliver a crushing blow to the Heat!
Li Feng had been focused on defense and orchestrating the offense.
He wanted to unite the team with his own strength and ignite the players' passion.
Unfortunately, while their passion was there and the Knicks players fought hard, their movements were too stiff.
Even Yao Ming carried the burden of being afraid to lose.
It was understandable, as Yao Ming was a sensitive player and thought a lot.
This was his second year with the Knicks.
Yao Ming's inconsistent play during the regular season had brought instability to the team.
Although it wasn't intentional, Yao Ming had a strong sense of pride and wanted to contribute more in the playoffs to alleviate Li Feng's pressure.
However, the more he thought about it, the stiffer his movements became.
Sitting on the bench, Li Feng realized that as the team's core, he needed to be the one to attack first, setting an example for his teammates and boosting morale.
As for whether his teammates could step up later, that would be left to fate.
It was unrealistic for Li Feng to face the "Big Three" alone.
So, before the players returned to the court, Li Feng gathered his teammates and said only a few words:
"Set screens for me, I'm going to attack."
The teammates understood; Li Feng was switching to attack mode!
"Okay, we'll set screens for you."
The teammates knew clearly that in the opening minutes, no one else could be counted on; everyone was too nervous.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
Coach Spoelstra once again anticipated Li Feng's anticipation.
As soon as Li Feng got the ball, the Heat sent a triple-team.
Spoelstra watched Li Feng from the sidelines with a smile, as if to say, "You want to attack yourself? Then I'll give you a fortress to break!"
Seeing LeBron, Wade, and Chalmers swarm him, Li Feng felt a flicker of panic.
But at this moment, he had to go all out.
"Lowry!"
Li Feng called out, and amidst the triple-team, he passed the ball to Lowry, simultaneously drawing a circle in the air with his right index finger.
This was a signal he and Lowry had devised during practice!
Lowry, understanding implicitly, received the pass and, without looking at Li Feng, slowly dribbled the ball, looking towards the paint.
The Heat players assumed Lowry was going to pass to Yao Ming and immediately defended Yao Ming closely. Bosh also lurked near the three-second line, ready to help.
Just then, LeBron and Chalmers spread out, guarding Stoudemire and Lowry respectively.
This highlighted the Heat's defensive mobility; they could quickly shrink the court from three-point range to the paint.
Only Wade was left to guard Li Feng.
Wade had undergone knee fluid aspiration again before the game, so he was back to his peak this game.
He could use his speed to mark Li Feng off the ball.
Suddenly, Bill Walker ran in front of Wade, screening him, and Li Feng took advantage of the opening to slip past Wade and into the paint area.
Lowry, without looking at Li Feng, knew exactly where Li Feng was heading.
So, as soon as Li Feng was in position, Lowry flicked his right hand and passed the ball straight to him.
Li Feng caught the ball smoothly and immediately drove to the basket.
Bosh had been waiting for this moment. He knew something was up when Lowry didn't pass to Yao Ming.
So, as soon as Li Feng caught the ball, Bosh was there, blocking his path.
Having played against him in many games, he had a rough idea of Li Feng's moves. He simply didn't jump, extending his long arms to cover Li Feng with his height advantage.
At the same time, he spread his legs, denying Li Feng any driving space.
This was a successful defensive stance.
Unfortunately, he was facing Li Feng, the master of technique!
Li Feng knew it would be difficult to break through, as Bosh had a large defensive coverage area, and the paint was crowded.
So, a flash of inspiration struck Li Feng, and he simply tossed the ball off the backboard.
Bosh was startled; he had seen Li Feng do this before.
However, it was usually on fast breaks, where Li Feng would use the backboard to pass to teammates.
But this was a half-court set, Yao Ming was firmly screened by Ka-Ching, Stoudemire was screened by LeBron, and no one else had a clear cutting lane. Who was this pass intended for?
But in the next second, Bosh knew who Li Feng was passing to.
He was passing to himself!
After releasing the ball, Li Feng turned and drove to the other side of the basket.
Bosh was well-positioned, but he only prevented Li Feng from driving to the basket, not from moving to the other side.
By the time he turned around, Li Feng had already leaped high, caught the ball bouncing off the backboard in mid-air, and BANG!
He slammed it home with a thunderous dunk!
In his previous life, only McGrady had pulled off such a move in an official game.
Other players could only attempt it once in the All-Star Game.
Yet, Li Feng had managed to execute such a play in such a crucial game.
The home crowd stared in disbelief, hands on their heads, looking up at the big screen.
They wanted to see it again; it was absolutely explosive!
Li Feng was also extremely excited after scoring. In fact, he hadn't fully decided how to score when he received the ball.
It was only when Bosh stood in front of him that he thought of using this move.
It had to be said that although Li Feng had the system's help, his own reaction speed was also rare, which could be considered a form of talent.
This dunk not only ignited Madison Square Garden but also resonated with the Knicks players.
It was incredibly inspiring!
The Knicks players rushed over, chest-bumping and roaring with Li Feng, shouting encouragement!
Li Feng also high-fived his teammates, telling everyone not to be nervous!
Perhaps inspired by Li Feng, the Knicks players were no longer as stiff and slowly returned to their normal state.
Li Feng then followed up with a deep three-pointer, narrowing the deficit to five points.
Although LeBron had also driven to the basket and dunked for two points earlier, the Knicks' morale had been lifted.
Led by Li Feng, his teammates' shooting touch began to warm up. After scoring a few baskets himself, Li Feng occasionally passed the ball out.
Lowry, Amar'e, and Yao Ming all converted Li Feng's passes into assists.
With over nine minutes left in the first quarter, the Knicks took the lead!
21:19, the Knicks led by two points!
Seeing the unfavorable turn of events, Spoelstra quickly called a timeout.
He had expected Li Feng to erupt, but he hadn't anticipated such an explosive performance.
D'Antoni let out a sigh of relief. Standing on the sidelines, he eagerly welcomed Li Feng with a big hug.
Generally, coaches maintain a slightly aloof demeanor during games.
Even if a player performs exceptionally well, the coach might offer a high-five for encouragement at most.
But D'Antoni made no attempt to hide his gratitude towards Li Feng.
There was no need to hide it; to win this game, Li Feng had to be the savior.
Spoelstra shouted loudly to the Heat players: "Not only double-team Li Feng when he has the ball, but also when he's off the ball!"
"Don't spare your energy; if you win this game, you'll have many days of rest!"
Spoelstra was genuinely anxious. He knew Li Feng's capabilities.
While coaching the Eastern Conference All-Stars, Spoelstra had witnessed Li Feng's terrifying scoring ability firsthand.
Therefore, even in the first quarter, Spoelstra was determined to lock down Li Feng and prevent him from erupting!
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
After returning to the court, Li Feng continued his aggressive posture.
However, Li Feng played smarter, starting to draw fouls from defenders!
In real games, not all plays are spectacular; every detail counts.
The art of drawing fouls has always held significant influence in important games.
After all, basketball is a sport that relies on referees, and to win, one must actively influence the referees' impressions.
Of course, drawing fouls in the playoffs carries significant risks, unlike in the regular season.
For example, the later-stage Harden was a master of drawing fouls in the regular season; a mere raise of his hand would result in two fouls.
Although this style of play drew disdain from many fans, it must be said that Harden achieved incredibly explosive stats and high efficiency in the regular season.
However, in the playoffs, Harden's foul-drawing methods were inconsistent.
Li Feng's foul-drawing technique, on the other hand, combined the skills of numerous masters.
After the loss in the previous game, Li Feng trained relentlessly and unexpectedly unlocked another skill package from the system.
"Ding, the host's relentless training has triggered the unlock function, rewarding the host with a gift package."
"The gift package includes: foul-drawing techniques of Wade, Bird, Jordan, and Harden."
When Li Feng first saw this skill package, he wasn't particularly excited.
Because Li Feng felt that playoff stages were about true skill, and drawing fouls wasn't much of an ability.
However, the system's explanation in the gift package provided a detailed breakdown.
Once a star player gains fame, the league will conduct meticulous research on them, and they will find that scoring becomes increasingly difficult.
There's no way around it; the players in the NBA are incredibly talented, not only offensively but also possessing monstrous defensive capabilities.
When they execute highly targeted defensive plays, the offensive player's efficiency is greatly reduced.
Even a player as great as Jordan was repeatedly thwarted by the Pistons in his early career, who employed every dirty tactic imaginable on defense!
Finally, Jordan strengthened himself and overcame that hurdle.
While the Bulls did become stronger, it's also a fact that the league increased its protection for Jordan.
Jordan certainly wouldn't rely on the referees for advancement, but the league couldn't let this cash cow be ruined by actions unrelated to basketball.
It was only after seeing the system's explanation that Li Feng truly began to value the art of drawing fouls.
He discovered that drawing fouls indeed requires immense skill and extensive game experience.
For instance, in the playoffs, your movements must be truly impeccable for the referees to give you a call.
To illustrate, when you drive to the basket, your intention must be to score.
If the referee detects that your primary intention is not to score but to draw a foul, then the referee will certainly not favor you.
This is where the fundamental concepts of drawing fouls differ greatly!
Li Feng mastered the essence of foul-drawing techniques. When driving, he always exerted maximum effort, executing all sorts of moves perfectly.
However, when opponents defended too closely, Li Feng would "accidentally" be tripped or pushed while performing his driving moves.