The live audience was extremely tense. Despite Kobe Bryant's ability to score consecutively, someone on the Knicks always managed to step up.
This kept the suspense of the game alive.
No one knew the outcome until the very last moment.
Li Feng took very few shots, but had many assists.
After feeding the ball to his teammates all game, the other Knicks players found their shooting touch, which brought a sense of satisfaction to Li Feng.
With 2 minutes and 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks and the Lakers were tied again.
107:107!
Kobe had scored another 16 points in the fourth quarter, while Li Feng only scored 2 points but dished out 5 assists!
The two players, using different methods, were locked in a tight battle, keeping the score close.
Li Feng glanced at the clock and felt it was about time.
"Come on, Kobe, I'll go head-to-head with you!" Li Feng seemed to just remember this.
Kobe was almost choked with anger.
"I've been attacking for almost a quarter, and you're only remembering to go head-to-head with me now?"
However, Kobe's competitive spirit wouldn't allow him to concede.
"Alright, Li Feng, then make one first and show me!" Kobe stood in front of Li Feng, roaring through gritted teeth.
Li Feng dribbled the ball slowly at the top of the arc, looking left and right.
Kobe thought Li Feng was going to pass again and said dismissively, "Hmph, if you have the guts, do it yourself..."
Before he could finish, Li Feng suddenly changed direction to the left and drove.
Kobe hurried to chase, but Li Feng was faking. He immediately followed up with a step-back three-pointer.
Kobe secretly thought: "It's over..."
Li Feng seized the moment when Kobe lost his balance and shot rapidly!
Swish!
The three-pointer was made!
110:107!
Li Feng's shot extended the lead to 3 points.
The fans at the scene were in a panic. Li Feng had actually started to attack himself.
Kobe yelled at his teammates: "Give me the ball!"
He was fired up!
Li Feng stood in front of Kobe, his eyes sharp and completely different from before.
Kobe shivered inwardly. Had Li Feng just entered his zone?
After receiving the ball, Kobe performed a triple-threat move, looking for space to shoot.
In the previous defensive plays, Li Feng had always appeared lethargic.
But now, Li Feng, the sleeping lion, had awakened!
Bang!
Li Feng actually stole the ball from Kobe!
Kobe was shocked and immediately started to counter-press.
But Li Feng reacted extremely quickly, passing the ball to Bill Walker on the right in the first instance.
Kobe was in a hurry and rushed to Bill, hugging him tightly.
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on Kobe and sending Bill to the free-throw line.
This was Kobe's third foul of the game.
Bill Walker made one out of two free throws, and Bynum secured the rebound.
111:107, the score gap had widened to 4 points.
Kobe received the pass from Bynum and launched a counter-attack.
Just as Kobe drove into the paint, Yao Ming appeared out of nowhere, completely shadowing him.
This was Yao Ming's contribution in crucial moments.
Although Yao Ming's leaping ability couldn't match Howard's defensive coverage area, Yao Ming had his own advantage: unmatched static talent.
He didn't even need to jump to restrict most perimeter players.
Kobe was anxious and wanted to dunk over Yao Ming to boost morale.
But the current Yao Ming was not the Yao Ming of the past. After losing weight, his movement speed had increased.
Kobe leaped into the air, only to be slammed down hard by Yao Ming.
Countless centers in the league had been dunked on by Kobe.
But today, Yao Ming refused any dunking attempts!
Boom!
Kobe, with the ball, was slammed down by Yao Ming.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on Yao Ming.
Yao Ming now had four fouls.
Kobe slowly got up and walked to the free-throw line.
He didn't resent Yao Ming because he understood Yao Ming's character very well.
Even with a foul, Yao Ming was playing to win, not to injure anyone.
Kobe made both free throws. 109:111, the Lakers were still trailing by 2 points.
The suspense of the game remained.
There was still 1 minute and 01 second left on the clock.
The Knicks were on offense.
D'Antoni did not call a timeout. He saw that Li Feng had entered attack mode.
Now, all he needed to do was give the ball to Li Feng and rest assured.
This was something Li Feng had proven to the coach and his teammates through numerous games.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court, and Kobe and Fisher immediately double-teamed him.
"Heh, another double-team!"
Li Feng smiled and suddenly used his strength to push towards Fisher.
Fisher was strong, but compared to Li Feng, he was significantly weaker.
Bang!
Fisher was hit so hard he almost fell.
Li Feng used Fisher's body to block Kobe and drove to the baseline.
Just as Gasol came to help defend, Li Feng suddenly jumped and took a fadeaway jumper!
Although Gasol had height and long arms, Li Feng's jump timing was too sudden, and Gasol didn't have time to react.
Swish!
113:109, the Knicks led by 4 points again!
With only 41 seconds left in the game.
At this crucial moment, Li Feng, with his ultimate individual offense, pushed the Lakers to the brink of defeat once more.
Kobe's face turned ashen. He had played exceptionally well in the second half, but in the final moments, he was upstaged by Li Feng.
Being upstaged was a minor issue. If the Lakers lost their first home game to the Knicks, it would be a huge blow to the Lakers' morale.
So, Kobe once again received the ball from the backcourt and drove past half-court.
Facing Li Feng's defense, Kobe unleashed his ultimate move: a pull-up jump shot from beyond the three-point line.
Actually, the most potent pull-up jumper from beyond the three-point line was by Tracy McGrady in his prime.
Kobe and McGrady were very good friends and often trained together.
If McGrady hadn't had congenital spinal disease, his career would have been even more brilliant.
Kobe was slightly taller than Li Feng, and his pull-up jumper from beyond the three-point line was too sudden, so Li Feng couldn't defend it properly.
Swish!
The three-pointer was made!
113:112!
The fans at the Staples Center erupted in cheers. Kobe had once again become their hero!
With only 13 seconds left in the entire game, the Knicks led by 1 point.
The suspense of the game remained; a one-point lead was not secure.
D'Antoni hesitated for a moment before calling a timeout.
Although the Lakers players were excited, they were still trailing by one point, and the Knicks held the advantage. The subsequent strategy was crucial.
During the timeout, D'Antoni devised a play for Li Feng.
However, the Lakers would certainly not let the Knicks complete this play; they needed to foul intentionally.
After the timeout, the Knicks inbounded the ball from the frontcourt.
Gallinari took the sideline pass.
Knicks players set screens for Li Feng, and Li Feng ran to the 45-degree angle to receive the pass.
Odom immediately hugged Li Feng, sending him to the free-throw line.
Li Feng was astonished by the Lakers' tactical awareness and quick reactions; he didn't even have time to shoot.
Now it was time to test his mental fortitude.
If Li Feng made one out of two free throws, the Lakers would have a chance for a three-point buzzer-beater.
If Li Feng made both free throws, the Lakers would still have a chance to tie.
Li Feng's mental fortitude was top-notch, but he had been hit in the shoulder by Bynum earlier.
It didn't hurt much at the time, but as Li Feng went to shoot his free throws, it started to have an impact.
For the first free throw, the ball bounced off the rim a few times and rolled out.
Li Feng shook his head in frustration, and his teammates quickly came to comfort him.
For the second free throw, Li Feng took a deep breath, stretched his shoulder, and then calmly made the shot.
114:112, the Knicks led by only 2 points.
With only 11 seconds left in the game, the Lakers called their final timeout!
Li Feng lowered his head, still blaming himself for the missed free throw.
Now the Lakers had a chance to win at the buzzer.
If the Lakers managed to pull off a game-winning shot in the remaining 11 seconds, Li Feng would truly regret it.
Seeing Li Feng's dejection, D'Antoni walked over to comfort him.
"Don't be like that. You've done more than enough. Leave the rest to God!"
As he spoke, D'Antoni patted Li Feng's shoulder.
He was telling the truth. Without Li Feng, the Knicks would have lost long ago and wouldn't have made it to the final moments.
"The Lakers' final possession will most likely be taken by Kobe, or possibly Fisher."
"Li Feng, you guard Kobe. Duhon, you guard Fisher."
"They might also go for two points, which will be up to Yao Ming. Make sure to prevent them from scoring inside!"
D'Antoni had considered all possible scenarios.
However, as defending champions, the Lakers were experienced, and the Knicks players needed to react on the fly.
Li Feng was also very nervous. He had decided that they could concede two points from the Lakers; they could play overtime if needed.
But they had to shut down any three-point attempts!
The timeout ended, and both teams' players returned to the court for the final offensive and defensive plays.
The atmosphere at the scene was incredibly solemn, and even the spectators in the stands were silent.
The referee's whistle blew, and the Lakers inbounded the ball from the sideline.
The Knicks players displayed the tenacity of hyenas, tightly guarding every Lakers player.
Especially Li Feng, who stuck to Kobe like glue, making him his man.
No matter how Kobe cut or stopped, he couldn't shake Li Feng!
With 5 seconds about to expire, the Lakers couldn't even inbound the ball!
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Coach Phil Jackson quickly called another short timeout.
They were close to a five-second violation.
Li Feng and his teammates high-fived each other, encouraging each other for that perfect collective defensive effort.
Being able to push the defending champions this far showed that the Knicks had grown.
D'Antoni, ever the strategist, explained: "Of course, your defense was excellent just now, but this could also be Coach Phil's strategy!"
"He might be testing our defensive tactics and calling another timeout to adjust the game-winning strategy."
The Knicks players nodded in agreement. The veteran coach was knowledgeable.
Li Feng also nodded, learning another trick.
Although his on-the-fly adaptability was already top-tier, some things could only be learned through experience.
As expected, after the timeout, the player inbounding the ball for the Lakers changed from Odom to Pau Gasol, indicating they had changed their strategy.
Li Feng maintained his composure and continued to stick closely to Kobe.
Pau Gasol passed the ball directly to Fisher.
Duhon, who was guarding Fisher, immediately stuck close to "Little Fish," preventing him from taking a shot.
As time ticked away, Bynum suddenly came up to the high post, screening Duhon.
Just as Fisher was about to shoot, Yao Ming suddenly appeared beyond the three-point line, shadowing Fisher!
This was the terrifying aspect of Yao Ming after losing weight: he could quickly defend out to the three-point line.
Fisher saw darkness before his eyes, knowing he couldn't take a shot.
In his haste, he passed the ball to Gasol.
Gasol was still looking for Kobe, but Li Feng was defending Kobe too tightly.
With just over 3 seconds remaining, Kobe became anxious, pushed Li Feng aside, and reached for the ball.
Gasol immediately passed the ball to Kobe, who took a long two-point shot!
When Li Feng was pushed aside, he glanced at the referee, but the referee didn't blow the whistle, so Li Feng didn't complain and continued to close in.
But Kobe had already shot.
Li Feng dared not touch Kobe anymore, fearing a foul and an 'and-one' situation!
All he could do now was pray that Kobe's shot would miss!
Unfortunately, Kobe was a ruthless killer; he showed no mercy in crucial moments!
Swish!
The two-point shot was made, tying the score!
Almost simultaneously, the game clock buzzer sounded!
The Staples Center erupted in roars!
Kobe had once again saved the Lakers!
Li Feng and his Knicks teammates shook their heads in helplessness.
There was nothing they could do. Li Feng had given his all!
The game was tied at the end of regulation, and both teams would head into overtime!
Li Feng raised his hand to his teammates and said, "It's my fault. Blame me!"
In reality, this kind of shot was a "super shot." It was impossible to defend no matter who was guarding.
After making the shot, Kobe's face was ferocious as he hugged his teammates tightly.
However, Kobe quickly pushed his teammates away and shouted loudly, "The game isn't over yet! Let's win overtime!"
The Lakers players stacked their hands together and chanted in unison: "Lakers win!"
The pressure on the Knicks players was immense. Playing on the road, they could only hear cheers for the Lakers.
There were also shouts of abuse from some extreme fans.
Although Li Feng had experienced the Olympics and NCAA finals, the atmosphere of the NBA Finals was even more terrifying.
...
Overtime began.
Back on equal footing, both teams displayed their full capabilities.
This game was too important; the outcome would determine the direction of the championship!
Neither side could afford to lose!
Kobe displayed an extreme competitive spirit in overtime. As soon as he crossed half-court, he demanded the ball, wanting to go at Li Feng again.
Li Feng was unhappy about being pushed aside by Kobe and then watching Kobe tie the game.
Therefore, Li Feng was unwilling to give any ground this time, even resorting to physical play.
Since the referees weren't calling fouls, he might as well be a bit more aggressive.
Under Li Feng's fierce defense, Kobe had no comfortable shooting space.
But Kobe didn't complain; he became even more excited!
He constantly drove left and right, engaging in intense physical contact with Li Feng!
The fans were fortunate to witness such a memorable one-on-one duel between top guards.
Seeing that the Lakers' offensive time was running out, Kobe gritted his teeth, suddenly broke through to the left, and then took a pull-up jump shot!
For anyone else, such a shot would have a very low success rate.
Especially a shot taken while drifting in mid-air.
But for Kobe, this was all in a day's work.
Just as Kobe felt this shot was a sure thing, Li Feng's long arms managed to get a touch on the ball from the side!
It was important to note that Li Feng was shorter than Kobe and had shorter arm reach as well.
Yet, Li Feng, with his excellent leaping ability, managed to touch the ball.
The ball veered off course, didn't even touch the rim, and flew out of bounds.