Li Feng still had some energy left, but the other Knicks teammates had already given their all.
Especially Yao Ming, who played very hard in this game. The inside combination of Garnett and Perkins was very destructive.
Especially Garnett, whose DPOY strength was evident; he was top-tier on both offense and defense.
Despite the gradual arrival of the three-point era, the inside line always remained the most fiercely contested area in the playoffs.
Li Feng got the ball in the backcourt and called a timeout.
Players had the right to call timeouts, but usually, it was when they were cornered by multiple opponents, couldn't get the ball out, or during intense struggles that they would occasionally call one.
This was because the coach was the primary authority for calling timeouts.
But Li Feng suddenly called one, and everyone on the court was stunned.
D'Antoni wasn't surprised; he knew Li Feng must have had an idea.
So he proactively stood on the sidelines, high-fived Li Feng, and asked, "Li Feng, any good suggestions?"
"Coach, let Yao Ming rest for a bit. He's expended a lot of energy. Let Jordan Hill come up, and we'll pick up the pace!"
D'Antoni was taken aback. Logically, the Celtics weren't afraid of increased pace, as Garnett had amazing leaping and running ability, and Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rondo were all not slow.
Li Feng continued to explain, "We're not picking up the pace to pull away, but to wear them down. We'll have the big showdown in the fourth quarter!"
Coach D'Antoni understood and nodded vigorously, "Alright, let's do it!"
When the coach informed Yao Ming, Yao Ming didn't quite understand. But after Li Feng explained a few things in his ear, Yao Ming suddenly realized.
After the timeout, the Celtics players took the court. Seeing that the Knicks had replaced Yao Ming with the young Jordan Hill, they were very puzzled.
Playoffs were about short rotations; usually, teams would only use six or seven players because others lacked experience or were unfamiliar with tactics, and would be targeted and lead to lost points if they played.
But the Knicks were so bold as to field a rookie when the scores were tight.
Garnett and Pierce immediately signaled to their teammates to attack the Knicks' inside aggressively!
Yao Ming had done well earlier, putting a lot of pressure on the Celtics.
Li Feng wasn't in a hurry. He received the ball in the backcourt and quickly crossed half-court.
Rondo saw Li Feng picking up the pace and felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to rush forward, Li Feng crossed half-court and immediately shot a super-long three-pointer!
It was outrageous!
Who plays like that?
Three-pointer made!
The fans at Madison Square Garden rose to their feet and cheered again, their passion ignited instantly by Li Feng's three-pointer!
The veteran Celtics players didn't panic. They knew that while Li Feng's three-pointers were powerful, he couldn't make every shot!
So Garnett shouted, "Don't panic! Stay calm!"
Rondo dribbled in the backcourt, intending to slow down, but Li Feng quickly moved up to pressure him, scaring Rondo into quickly crossing half-court with the help of a screen.
Li Feng continued to press. Rondo felt like the ball was burning his hands and passed it to Pierce.
The other Knicks players also intensified their pressure, forcing the Celtics to speed up their offense.
As expected, with only 8 seconds left on the shot clock, Pierce took a rushed shot.
Fortunately, Pierce's touch was good. The ball bounced twice on the rim before falling into the basket.
68:67, the Celtics were trailing by one point.
Knicks offense. Li Feng once again quickly dribbled the ball past half-court. The Celtics had learned their lesson and started double-teaming from the backcourt, not giving Li Feng a chance to shoot.
Li Feng spotted Jordan Hill establishing position in the low post and immediately passed the ball to him.
As soon as Jordan Hill received the ball, Perkins stepped up to him. Jordan Hill was a rookie, and while he was decent on defense, his offense wasn't.
He was about to make a move and then go for a layup when Garnett suddenly appeared and stole the ball.
The Wolves King's help defense was truly amazing!
After stealing the ball, Garnett made a long pass, and the ball accurately landed in Rondo's hands near the half-court line.
Rondo in the '09 season was in his prime and was very strong, quickly crossing half-court.
Li Feng chased defensively with all his might. Rondo dared not go for a layup himself; he made a behind-the-back pass to the trailing Ray Allen.
Gentleman Ray didn't hold back, pulling up for a three-pointer directly from beyond the arc!
Ray Allen's catch-and-shoot three-pointers were too strong. Swish!
An absolute swish!
The Celtics had retaken the lead!
The home crowd was shocked. They hadn't expected the Knicks, who were the league's number one seed in the regular season, to be trailing the fifth-ranked Celtics in the Eastern Conference after this timeout.
Only Li Feng wasn't flustered at all.
This was the effect he wanted – to pick up the pace!
Even if they fell behind by a few points, it didn't matter.
Li Feng signaled to Du Hong to inbound the ball quickly. He didn't wait for the Celtics to get set before attacking half-court.
The Celtics were disciplined. They double-teamed Li Feng again. Li Feng passed to Scola, who intended to take a mid-range jumper.
Unexpectedly, Pierce suddenly broke through and stole the ball.
The Celtics launched another counterattack, with Garnett finishing with a thunderous dunk!
In less than 3 minutes, the Celtics had taken a 5-point lead.
The Knicks players were a bit flustered, but Li Feng instructed his teammates to play as they normally would and do their best!
Seeing Li Feng so calm, the other players also relaxed their mindset.
By the end of the third quarter, the score was 83:76, with the Celtics leading by 7 points.
The home crowd was dejected. They couldn't believe that the Knicks, the top team in the league during the regular season, were struggling against the Celtics, who were fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Li Feng rested on the bench, using the [Curry Stamina Recovery Technique] to quickly restore his energy.
Yao Ming was a bit anxious and wanted to go back on the court, but Li Feng made a gesture and said, "Brother Yao, no rush, wait a moment longer!"
The fourth quarter began, and both teams fielded their reserve lineups.
Lowry, like a tiger descending from a mountain, led the reserves in closing the gap.
However, the Celtics' reserves were not weak either. Both sides were evenly matched, and the score remained within seven or eight points.
It was not easy for the Celtics to extend their lead, nor could the Knicks catch up.
Time ticked by, and D'Antoni started to get restless.
About 3 minutes into the fourth quarter, Li Feng stood up. D'Antoni understood and immediately put Li Feng and Yao Ming back on the court.
Celtics coach Rivers hesitated. He knew his veteran players had played a lot of minutes today.
With only a 7-point lead, it was unreliable; perhaps Li Feng could tie the game with two three-pointers.
However, the starters had played almost the entire third quarter and had only rested for 3 minutes.
After some thought, Rivers decided to let the reserves play a bit longer.
This was the effect Li Feng wanted. He and Yao Ming began to obliterate the Celtics' reserves.
As soon as the game resumed, Li Feng passed to Yao Ming in the low post. Yao Ming faced Celtics reserve center Big Baby Wallace and made a half-turn, fadeaway jump shot!
Swish!
Two points scored.
Later, Li Feng and Du Hong successfully pressured and stole the ball from Finley, launching a counterattack.
Li Feng drove to the basket and posterized the help-defending "Big Baby," Glen Davis, with a slam!
Two more points.
In less than a minute, the Knicks had closed the gap by 4 points.
The Celtics now only led by 3 points.
Rivers had no choice but to call a timeout; he needed to bring his starters back on the court early.
He found it unbelievable. Although Li Feng was young, how had his stamina recovered so quickly?
The experienced Celtics veterans were not careless despite still holding a lead.
After the timeout, both teams fielded their full starting lineups for the final seven-minute showdown.
At this point, the score was 95:92, with the Celtics leading by 3 points.
Rondo crossed half-court, called for a screen, and drove towards the paint.
Garnett screened Scola. Pierce signaled for the ball, and Rondo quickly passed it to him.
This was playoff basketball: tactics were clear and simple; whoever could score was the target for the pass!
Pierce was hot today; Scola and Gallinari took turns defending him but couldn't stop him.
After receiving the ball, Pierce quickly stepped back, intending to shoot a three-pointer.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng seemed to materialize out of nowhere and was suddenly beside Pierce like he had teleported.
Swish!
Just as Pierce was gathering the ball, Li Feng snatched it away.
Pierce was shocked and rushed to try and get the ball back, but Li Feng had already tipped it to Du Hong.
Rondo reacted quickly, immediately intercepting Du Hong. The referee's whistle blew, and Rondo committed a foul.
This foul was well worth it. Rondo was cunning; the Celtics had not yet reached the penalty, so there were no free throws.
The Knicks inbounded the ball from the sideline, settling into a half-court offense.
Li Feng found it difficult to receive the ball, as Ray Allen persistently fronted him, blocking his path.
However, the Knicks were prepared. Gallinari received the ball at the 45-degree angle and then passed it to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming faced Perkins and didn't hold back, going straight for a fadeaway jump shot!
For a 7-foot-tall player to perform a fadeaway jump shot was truly unguardable.
Even though Garnett came over to help defend, he still couldn't stop Yao Ming.
Swish!
Two points scored, and the deficit was reduced to one point!
95:94!
In the blink of an eye, the Knicks had caught up.
The home crowd at Madison Square Garden roared with excitement again.
The gloom from earlier had vanished. They finally understood the Knicks' strategy: waiting for the fourth quarter to make their comeback!
However, in the following few possessions, the Celtics also showed their resilience.
Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen scored consecutively.
They consistently avoided playing against Li Feng, which neutralized his ability to steal the ball.
The scores between the two teams remained tight, with leads changing hands.
It wasn't until 1 minute and 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter that the score was tied again!
102 all!
Rivers called another timeout because he saw that the Celtics' veteran players' legs were getting heavy and they were too tired.
In contrast, the Knicks were full of energy; Li Feng and Yao Ming showed no signs of fatigue.
So Li Feng was not at all flustered. As he walked off the court, he high-fived his teammates one by one, giving them instructions.
"Try to pass the ball to me or Yao Ming later. The rest of you set screens. Unless it's an open shot, don't shoot!"
Li Feng knew very well that the Knicks players lacked playoff experience.
It was fine in the previous round against the Hornets, but facing seasoned veterans like the Celtics, they were a bit nervous.
Therefore, in the crucial final moments, only Li Feng and Yao Ming could resolve the issues.
This was what team cores were supposed to do.
Rivers called the timeout mainly to let the players rest. The strategy was clear: give the ball to Pierce, Garnett, and Ray Allen, and Rondo should look for opportunities to drive.
After the timeout, the game resumed, and both teams engaged in a final showdown!
As soon as Rondo stepped onto the court, he called for a screen and drove towards the baseline.
Perkins screened Yao Ming, and Rondo made a bounce pass to Garnett.
Garnett was about to attempt a hook shot when Gallinari suddenly rotated to defend him, blocking Garnett.
Although Garnett had a better vertical leap, at this late stage of the fourth quarter, he was truly unable to jump, so he turned and passed the ball to Ray Allen.
Du Hong was tightly guarding Ray Allen, knowing that Gentleman Ray was the Celtics' coldest-blooded killer.
Ray Allen's catch-and-shoot three-point ability was average. Du Hong's pressure prevented him from taking a comfortable shot, so he passed the ball back to Rondo.
The Celtics' shot clock was running down, but after passing the ball around, it ended up back in Rondo's hands.
Li Feng defended Rondo, deliberately not pressing him, because Rondo's shooting was unstable at this moment, and he was only dangerous when driving, so he was allowed to shoot!
With only 1 second left on the shot clock, Rondo had to take a rushed shot!
As expected, the ball didn't even touch the rim, hitting the backboard directly.
Yao Ming jumped and secured the rebound, then made a long pass to Li Feng.
Li Feng shook off Rondo and initiated a fast break.
In this game, Li Feng's fast breaks were mostly passes to teammates.
But in the final moments, he had to score himself, and he also wanted to draw a foul on Rondo!
In the final moments, every point was crucial, and Li Feng had to maximize his gains.
Rondo chased closely behind. He felt Li Feng wasn't running very fast and wanted to pull him back.
But Li Feng played a cat-and-mouse game with him, close enough to be a foul but not quite close enough to touch him.
Inside the three-point line, Li Feng gathered the ball and took a three-step layup.
Rondo also jumped, reaching out to swat at the ball in Li Feng's hands.
Just as he was about to touch the ball, Li Feng suddenly switched the ball to his left hand.
He layuped with his left hand and took Rondo's swat with his right arm.
Swish!
Two points scored, and the referee's whistle blew.
The referee called a foul on Rondo.
2+1!
Although Rondo ran towards the referee to explain that he hadn't touched Li Feng, the referee had a clear view and remained unmoved.
Li Feng stepped to the free-throw line and made the additional free throw!
105:102.
With 58 seconds remaining.
Celtics possession.
This possession was crucial; if they didn't score, the Celtics would be in danger.
Rivers didn't call a timeout, just stood on the sideline and made a gesture.
Rondo understood. After crossing half-court, he passed the ball to Garnett.
Garnett also had playmaking ability, but he hadn't used it much today.
After receiving the ball, he faked an attack and drove hard to the basket.
Just as the Knicks' defense collapsed, Garnett suddenly passed the ball to Pierce at the 45-degree angle.
Pierce, a clutch player, immediately shot!
By the time Scola turned to contest, it was too late.
Swish!
Three-pointer made!
He truly lived up to his nickname, "The Truth"! In the final stage, with severe fatigue, he decisively hit the game-tying three-pointer!
105 all!
It was spectacular!
The game was thrilling and suffocating.
Honestly, Li Feng was a bit flustered.
The opposing team had too much experience. The veterans were not flustered at all; their strategies were clear and direct, and their shots were ruthless!