After losing to the Bulls, the Knicks not only fell three games behind Chicago, but
Chaos ensued between the two sides.
Li Feng quickly stood up and pulled his Knicks teammates apart, knowing it was a misunderstanding.
The referees also rushed over, mediating between the players.
Finally, after reviewing the replay, Bibby realized he was wrong and personally approached Li Feng to apologize.
Li Feng smiled and shook his hand, indicating it was nothing.
The referees issued no technical fouls to anyone, as Li Feng had intervened promptly.
Josh Smith, possessing top-tier athleticism, lay on the ground for a moment before getting up and stretching a bit, signaling he was fine and could continue playing.
At 48:41, the deficit widened to seven points, and the Hawks showed signs of collapsing.
The Hawks' head coach did not call a timeout, knowing Li Feng was on a rampage and the game was unplayable.
Even a timeout wouldn't help; they might as well just play it out.
...
The Hawks were not a weak team. Despite being stunned by Li Feng's repeated offensive bursts, they still had one clear-headed player: Joe Johnson.
When the team was in trouble, they would give him the ball!
In the next possession, the ball indeed went to Joe Johnson.
Stoudemire guarded him one-on-one with limited success. Joe Johnson faked once and then pulled up for a three-pointer.
Swish!
Three-pointer made!
The deficit narrowed back to four points!
This was Joe Johnson's capability; he always responded when the team needed him.
However, Joe Johnson also had a weakness: his offense couldn't be a regular weapon.
In other words, if he were to constantly have the ball, he couldn't take over the entire game.
Therefore, in the subsequent possessions, although Joe Johnson would occasionally make a shot, the gap between the two teams continued to widen.
At the end of the first half, the score was 58:50, with the Knicks leading by eight points.
Li Feng scored 20 points in the second quarter alone and had 9 assists in the first half, a near-perfect performance.
The Hawks' players had balanced scoring, but no one stood out.
Yao Ming sat on the sidelines, dressed casually, and was cheering on his teammates.
In reality, he felt heartbroken, having to watch from the sidelines during such a crucial playoff moment.