Li Feng continued to lead some of the substitutes on the court, while Lowry also went off to rest temporarily.
Kobe had also fought hard today. He decided to go all out against Li Feng, and as long as Li Feng was on the court, he would remain on the court as well.
The score was very close, with neither side having a clear advantage.
Li Feng and Kobe were in a head-to-head confrontation, and the game was very exciting. The fans on the scene occasionally erupted in cheers.
Both of them understood in their hearts that the score would not be pulled apart in the first three quarters of today's game.
Everything would have to wait until the fourth quarter to determine the winner.
As expected, at the end of the second quarter, the score was 56:55, with the Knicks leading by only 1 point.
Li Feng had scored 23 points in the first half, and Kobe had scored 25 points.
Both of them had played brilliantly.
It could be said that whether the Lakers or the Knicks won the championship, f
So he simply pulled Li Feng over.
"Beep," the referee's whistle blew.
The Lakers had not yet reached the foul limit for free throws. The Knicks took a sideline ball and reorganized their offense.
Although Li Feng did not score, he had cleanly beaten Kobe with a nutmeg, which was a significant blow to the Lakers.
But Kobe's fighting spirit was ignited.
Li Feng received the ball again, and Kobe stood in front of him.
"Alright, Chinese kid, you nutmegged me! Come on!" Kobe roared.
Li Feng smiled and said, "You already have four fouls. Be careful…"
Before he could finish speaking, Li Feng attacked from the right this time.
Kobe responded calmly, sticking close to Li Feng, but he was more careful, his legs constantly sliding.
However, Li Feng changed his move again. As he drove, he turned and pulled the ball to the left.
Kobe snorted coldly, moved his feet quickly, and blocked Li Feng's path again!
Seeing that Kobe was too close and time was running out, Li Feng feigned a shot.
Kobe thought Li Feng was going to force a shot and immediately lunged to block it.
Who knew that Li Feng's move was a fake. As the buzzer sounded, he pulled the ball back and collided with Kobe.
"Beep…"
The referee's whistle blew!
He called a blocking foul on Kobe, and Li Feng went to the free-throw line!
At the same time, Kobe had committed his fifth foul!
This was a serious blow to the Lakers!
Kobe was slightly out of control. He rushed towards the referee, arguing loudly that he had not fouled.
But the referee warned him that if he didn't calm down, he would be assessed a technical foul.
Gasol and Fisher quickly came over to pull Kobe aside.
Li Feng smiled slyly at Kobe and walked to the free-throw line.
He made both free throws!
With more than 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kobe had five fouls. Phil Jackson took Kobe out of the game to let him calm down for two minutes.
This was great news for the Knicks.
Li Feng led the Knicks' main players in scoring furiously.
With 3 minutes and 37 seconds left in the game, the Knicks were leading by 7 points again!
Among them, Li Feng scored 4 points, Yao Ming scored 5 points, and Gallinari made a three-pointer!
Phil Jackson called a timeout, preparing to put Kobe back on the court for one last gamble.
The fans at Staples Center showed expressions of despair. This was the Lakers' last chance.
As defending champions, being defeated on their home court and watching their opponents lift the championship trophy would be too painful.
Although the Lakers club had deep pockets and many championships, they still hoped that Kobe could win another championship!
Because Kobe had worked hard for the Lakers.
He had been questioned during his three championships with O'Neal, so he proved himself last year.
…
The Knicks players were also very nervous, constantly wiping sweat during the timeout. They hadn't really heard Coach D'Antoni's words, their minds were blank.
Li Feng remained calm. He knew Kobe would return. Although he had five fouls, the referees would relax their calls in the final minutes.
If Kobe went off, this 7-point difference would be nothing.
So as soon as the timeout ended and Kobe took the court, Li Feng stood next to Kobe.
Lowry was also by his side, ready to assist Li Feng in defending Kobe.
The Lakers attacked, and sure enough, the ball went to Kobe.
Facing Li Feng, Kobe used his simplest and most effective move: a direct post-up, followed by a turn and a fadeaway jumper!
There was nothing he could do, Kobe's move was perfected, and he was slightly taller than Li Feng.
Li Feng couldn't interfere. Whether it went in or not depended on Kobe's touch.
"Swish!"
The two-point shot was made!
The score returned to 5 points.
Staples Center immediately erupted in cheers, some even laced with sobs.
Kobe had stepped up!
He was saving the Lakers!
Seeing his Knicks teammates getting a little flustered, Li Feng clapped his hands and shouted, "We're still leading, there's still time!"
The Knicks offense.
In response, Li Feng brought the ball past half-court, looking like he was going to answer.
Kobe was naturally fully focused on defending him. He was no longer afraid of fouling, as it was the final moments.
If you have the guts, foul me out! I'll accept it.
Li Feng dribbled the ball slowly, not calling for screens, just challenging Kobe one-on-one.
"Bang! Bang!"
Li Feng bumped into Kobe twice from the side, then suddenly changed direction and drove to the left.
Kobe chased closely. Li Feng suddenly half-turned, appearing to drive to the middle. Kobe quickly stopped and raised his hands high.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng mimicked Kobe's previous fadeaway jumper, shooting at the limit!
Li Feng was slightly shorter than Kobe, so he needed to be faster and have a greater degree of backward lean.
Although Kobe tried his best to block, Li Feng still managed to shoot the ball quickly.
"Swish!"
Li Feng returned Kobe's shot!
This was a霸气 (baqi - dominant/powerful) shot!
His Knicks teammates excitedly rushed over and shouted at Li Feng.
In the final moments of the game, going head-to-head with the opposing star player was the best way to boost morale!
With 2 minutes and 34 seconds left in the game, the score was 106:99, with the Knicks leading by 7 points!
Kobe's eyes were bloodshot. As soon as he crossed half-court, he signaled for the ball. It was clear he was going to carry the team on his shoulders!
This was what a superstar needed to do.
Kobe received the ball, and Li Feng immediately stepped up to double-team him.
Gasol moved to the high post, firmly blocking Li Feng.
Kobe took advantage of Gallinari's slow recovery and pulled up for a long-range three-pointer!
This was the difference between Kobe and Jordan. Kobe took more three-point shots, and his efficiency was decent.
The more critical the moment, the more Kobe dared to shoot!
Kobe was Kobe. He truly dared to shoot, and he could make it!
"Swish!"
Another three-pointer made!
106:102!
The deficit was narrowed to 4 points!
With 2 minutes and 7 seconds left in the game!
The Knicks offense.
Li Feng dribbled the ball past half-court, looking like he was going to continue trading blows with Kobe!
Fisher suddenly came up to double-team!
Li Feng was prepared and very calm. He wasn't going to be fixated on individual isolation.
Seeing Fisher double-teaming, Li Feng immediately passed the ball to an open Lowry.
Fisher was shocked and quickly rushed back to defend Lowry, but the "Little Steel Cannon" was a big-hearted player and decisively shot!
This was also what Li Feng wanted to see.
He didn't want to see his teammates hesitate.
"Swish!"
Lowry made the three-pointer!
109:102, the lead was back to 7 points!
This situation was very unfavorable for the Lakers.
The score remained the same, but time was running out.
After making the shot, Lowry roared to the sky, and his teammates rushed over to hug him.
This was Lowry's first time playing in a crucial fourth-quarter moment, and he performed with such a big heart!
The Knicks coaching staff was even more impressed with Li Feng's foresight.
When they traded with the Rockets, the coaching staff didn't want Lowry, preferring Brooks.
But Li Feng overruled everyone, confidently stating: Lowry definitely has more potential than Brooks!
Lowry proved Li Feng correct with his outstanding performance!
Of course, this was also a bug from Li Feng's transmigration.
If he had clairvoyance, of course he would choose Lowry.
The Lakers attacked with 1 minute and 38 seconds left.
Kobe got the ball, and he called for a screen again, but the Knicks didn't relax this time, and the switch was timely.
Gallinari blocked Kobe, and Li Feng stepped up to double-team.
Kobe hesitated for a moment and passed the ball to Gasol.
This was the final stage, Kobe's first pass, and Li Feng saw it and felt something was wrong!
As expected, Gasol calmly drove to the basket after receiving the ball.
Yao Ming was held back by Bynum and couldn't rotate to defend effectively.
Gasol scored two points!
The deficit returned to 5 points, 109:104!
D'Antoni wasn't worried. Both teams could score now, which was advantageous for the Knicks.
Phil Jackson was very anxious, shouting from the sidelines, urging his players to increase their defensive intensity.
But defense couldn't just be increased by saying so.