Scola immediately understood.
He dribbled towards the basket. Kobe, thinking Scola was going for a layup, abandoned Li Feng and rushed towards Scola.
Just as Kobe was about to complete the defensive rotation, Scola flicked the ball with both hands, passing it to the corner.
At this point, Li Feng hadn't even reached the corner yet. This pass was very forward-thinking.
Li Feng strode towards the corner, caught the ball, and immediately pulled up for a jump shot!
Swish!
Three-pointer made!
This coordinated play exemplified the essence of the Knicks' run-and-gun offense: fully utilizing the court's space.
Of course, the chemistry between teammates was the key to success!
After the basket, Li Feng and Scola excitedly bumped chests in celebration!
Kobe shook his head in frustration. He knew the Knicks' momentum had surged and couldn't be suppressed.
As expected, in the following few possessions, the Knicks became more aggressive.
The Lakers seemed hesitant, almost afraid to play.
In desperation, the Lakers players returned to their old routine: feeding the ball to Kobe.
Kobe, after all, was a superstar and had to shoulder the team's responsibility at this moment.
In the initial few isolation plays, Kobe showed a strong tendency to turn the tide, scoring on Li Feng three times in a row.
Li Feng remained unhurried. He didn't ask his teammates to double-team, choosing to defend him one-on-one.
If he was truly outplayed by Kobe alone, he would accept it!
However, basketball is a team sport, and relying on one person wouldn't work in the end.
After scoring on Li Feng a few times, Kobe's shooting touch gradually cooled, and Li Feng's defense became increasingly fierce.
Meanwhile, Li Feng's offense reached its peak.
First, he retaliated against Kobe's defense with a fadeaway jumper.
Then, he drove into the paint, passed to Scola, who hit a mid-range shot!
Li Feng completely revitalized the Knicks' offense.
At the end of the first half, the score was 62:42, with the Knicks leading by 20 points.
For a crucial Game 5, this score was completely unexpected by most.
In the media's pre-game analysis, it was predicted that the two teams would battle it out closely until the fourth quarter to decide the winner.
This was because the Knicks, without Yao Ming, were expected to have a weakened roster.
However, the game on the court wasn't solely determined by player matchups; chemistry was even more important.
...
In the CCTV-5 broadcast booth, commentators Zhang Wei and Yu Jia were analyzing the game.
"Director Zhang, Li Feng's performance today is very well-rounded. After these few Finals games, Li Feng's level has improved again!"
"That's right, it's truly astonishing. A rookie who can play better and better in the Finals, it's incredibly rare."
"However, Kobe doesn't seem to be playing at his full potential. Kobe should explode in the second half."
"It's hard to say. Kobe won the championship last year by integrating himself into the Lakers' team. Relying solely on him, he won't be able to compete with the Knicks."
"By the way, Lowry mentioned starting today, and the effect has been great!"
"Indeed. When he was with the Rockets, I thought he was just average, not even as good as Brooks. "
"At that time, he was indeed not as good as Brooks, and seemed to lack a certain spark. However, since coming to the Knicks and playing with Li Feng, he has improved rapidly, especially his three-point shooting, which has become increasingly stable."
"Lowry is also very hardworking. I heard from reporters on the front line that he trains two hours more than his teammates every day. It's no wonder such a player has made such great progress."
...
The Knicks have now become the favorite team of Chinese fans, and every move of the players captures the hearts of hundreds of millions of fans.
Li Feng has naturally become an idol for countless young people.
Especially his performance in the Finals, comparable to Kobe's, has caused many veteran fans to switch their allegiance.
...
The second half began, and Kobe indeed switched to his individual attack mode.
His eyes turned red, and he constantly called for the ball.
Phil Jackson also abandoned team basketball because the Knicks' overall momentum had surged.
Therefore, Kobe had to play isolation.
Kobe was too anxious, and his consecutive isolation plays were not efficient.
He forgot about team coordination, with only the basket in his eyes.
Clang!
Clang!
Kobe's consecutive missed shots caused the Lakers to lose their chance to catch up.
As the third quarter was about to end, the Knicks were already leading by 30 points.
The fans at Madison Square Garden were ecstatic, witnessing the Knicks win Game 5!
After three quarters, Kobe no longer played, and Phil Jackson had given up.
He simply let the starters rest and treated the fourth quarter as garbage time.
The Knicks didn't hold back either and brought in their reserve lineup.
Thus, the Knicks won Game 5 without suspense, tying the series at 3:2!
The Knicks took the series lead!
If they can win the next game on the Lakers' home court, the Knicks will be this year's champions!
Li Feng scored 43 points in today's game, while Kobe only managed 31 points.
In terms of efficiency, Li Feng took only 19 shots and made 15, while Kobe took 24 shots and made 13.
Therefore, in terms of both team record and personal performance, Li Feng had the upper hand.
The post-game media universally praised Li Feng.
...
In fact, Li Feng was also puzzled. He originally expected the referees to cause trouble in this game.
However, throughout the game, the referees' calls were fair.
As he was wondering about this, his agent, Bill Duffy, called him.
"Li Feng, do you know? Red Star Sports made another large investment in the NBA before the Finals."
Hearing Duffy say this, Li Feng suddenly understood something.
In the past, Nike was the largest investor in the NBA, so the stars signed by Nike received varying degrees of preferential treatment.
After Red Star Sports signed Li Feng, their profits grew rapidly, and the owner of Red Star Sports, Deng Huasheng, was far-sighted and generous.
He invested most of his profits into the NBA league.
Although the total investment was still much less than Nike's, Red Star Sports had already risen to become the second-largest investor.
This way, Li Feng did not face too much difficulty in the Finals.
Deng Huasheng's move was much better than those shortsighted sports brands. Li Feng had not misjudged him.
"Bill, please thank Boss Deng for me. Tell him not to worry, I will continue to make the Red Star Sports brand bigger!"
Bill Duffy, as Yao Ming's and Li Feng's agent, had learned a lot about Chinese culture.
He greatly admired Deng Huasheng's vision and often chatted with Deng Huasheng.
"Li Feng, Boss Deng is very satisfied with you. He will continue to launch new products, and your dividends are also increasing."
Li Feng wasn't particularly interested in money. His assets were already over a hundred million, which he felt was enough.
"Bill, tell Boss Deng not to rush to give me dividends. Let's continue to invest in production. Only by expanding the production scale can we do more things!"
Bill Duffy admired Li Feng's magnanimity and nodded, "Okay, I'll tell Boss Deng this way, and continue to reinvest your dividends into production."
...
With a significant lead, the Knicks players were very excited. During practice, everyone was all smiles, as if they had already won the championship.
D'Antoni saw this and felt a slight unease.
Li Feng also felt something was off, but after just winning a major victory, he didn't want to dampen his teammates' spirits.
He quietly found the team doctor on his own.
Although they won the last game, Li Feng understood that the Knicks' victory was due to a sudden lineup change, putting Lowry in the starting lineup, which caught the Lakers off guard.
But in the next game, without Yao Ming, the dual-guard combination of Li Feng and Lowry would definitely not have the same power.
Finding the team doctor, Li Feng eagerly asked, "How is Yao Ming? Can he play in the next game?"
The team doctor looked worried and said, "Yao Ming can play, but not for more than 20 minutes."
Li Feng was overjoyed. Yao Ming's presence on the court had strategic significance.
"Really? Doctor?"
"Yes, we want to be conservative, so we require him to play within 20 minutes. However, Yao Ming himself feels he can play longer."
"No, just 20 minutes. Big Brother Yao's health is the priority!"
Li Feng happily found Yao Ming, who was doing rehabilitation exercises alone.
Seeing Li Feng arrive, Yao Ming smiled and said, "What, you miss me?"
Li Feng hugged Big Yao with a smile, "Of course, we all miss you. We hope to see you in the next game."
"The doctor said I can play, and I also feel completely fine. But the doctor insisted I can only play for 20 minutes."
It seemed Yao Ming was reluctant.
Li Feng quickly persuaded him, "Big Brother Yao, health is the priority. 20 minutes is enough. We'll work together to win the championship within six games!"
Yao Ming was also very excited. He had played in the NBA for many years and had never even reached the Finals.
Now, standing on the Finals stage, Yao Ming felt as if he were dreaming.
"Li Feng, listen to me. Playing 20 minutes or 25 minutes makes little difference, but there's only one or two games left. So I must play more."
Li Feng shook his head, "No, Big Brother Yao. I'd rather not win the championship than see you get injured!"
Yao Ming said nothing more. He was deeply touched, patted Li Feng's shoulder, and continued his rehabilitation training.
...
The next day, the entire Knicks team flew to Los Angeles to prepare for Game 6.
Since the Knicks had won Game 5, Li Feng was immediately surrounded by the media upon arriving in Los Angeles.
Li Feng initially didn't want to deal with the media, but he knew in advance that Red Star Sports was planning to launch several new products in the next few days.
So, to help Red Star Sports promote the new products, Li Feng agreed to interviews with a few media outlets.
Li Feng spoke eloquently but did not excessively boast about himself or the Knicks.
Instead, he continuously praised the Lakers and Kobe.
This was a reflection of a person's vision and magnanimity.
...
The exciting Game 6 of the Finals began.
When the Lakers players saw Yao Ming in the starting lineup, they were all stunned.
During the pre-game warm-up, Yao Ming seemed unaffected, running and jumping on the court, joking and playing with his teammates.
The Knicks' starting lineup was Li Feng, Yao Ming, Gallinari, Scola, and Lowry.
Lowry was still in the starting lineup, which was a form of intimidation to the Lakers.
The Lakers' starting lineup remained unchanged: Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Odom, and Fisher.
In the first quarter, the Lakers, fueled by home-court advantage, launched an offensive onslaught.
Kobe, Odom, and Gasol scored consecutively.
However, the Knicks responded calmly. Li Feng didn't shoot, but he facilitated through ball movement, giving his teammates opportunities.
After more than five minutes of play, the score was 11:8, with the Lakers leading by 3 points entering the official timeout.
The fans at the Staples Center were shouting loudly. They did not want to witness the Knicks win the championship on their home court.
Even if the Knicks win, they should do it on your home court!
However, this was just the fans' wishful thinking. The Knicks would not let go of any opportunity.
Although the Lakers were temporarily leading, the Knicks did not seem to be playing at their full strength.
Especially Yao Ming. He tested the waters on offense, shooting twice and making one, his condition being average.
During the timeout, Phil Jackson held his whiteboard and shouted, "Remember, we are the defending champions. Our strength is the strongest. You must play with confidence, regardless of the current score!"
Phil Jackson could see that the Lakers players were a bit nervous, which was not like defending champions.
On the Knicks' side, Coach D'Antoni didn't say much because he noticed Li Feng was playing with ease.
And the Knicks players were playing with great confidence, which Li Feng had been fostering, and it was finally paying off.
After the timeout, the game continued.
Li Feng began to exert his dominance.
He didn't want to return home for a Game 7, so he had to build a lead in every quarter.
Therefore, as soon as Li Feng came back, he hit a step-back three-pointer.
This three-pointer was impossible to defend. Holding the ball, he was looking around when he suddenly shot.
Kobe thought he was going to pass.
After the basket, the score was tied at 11.
Kobe, unwilling to be outdone, tried to respond.
However, he was tightly guarded by Li Feng outside the three-point line.
In desperation, Kobe drove to the baseline and made a difficult two-point shot.
Li Feng had given his all, but Kobe's exceptional plays were too difficult to defend.
In the first quarter, both teams had high scoring efficiency, but the Knicks, relying on Li Feng's individual offense, maintained a slight lead.
Li Feng was surprised by Kobe's scoring explosiveness.
In this quarter, Kobe seemed to have found his balance, freely switching between his own offense and team collaboration.
Li Feng played very tough, and the Knicks' teammates were also under great pressure.
Yao Ming was substituted out after playing for more than 7 minutes in the first quarter.
After all, he was returning from an injury and couldn't play for too long consecutively.
Yao Ming scored 6 points in the first quarter, which was decent, but his importance in defense was evident.
With Yao Ming protecting the paint, Bynum scored zero points, and Gasol could only score 2 points with floaters.
After Yao Ming left the court, the team doctor immediately checked on him and performed a simple examination.
Fortunately, Yao Ming's ankle did not feel any discomfort.