There were 37 seconds left on the clock, and theoretically, both teams had one more offensive possession.
The Knicks had possession. D'Antoni did not call a timeout and made a gesture.
Li Feng nodded and dribbled the ball past half-court.
To prevent Li Feng from attempting a super long three-pointer, Rondo and Ray Allen doubled-teamed him from the backcourt.
Li Feng looked left and right, feigning a pass, which caused the two defenders to instinctively block his passing lanes.
This created an opportunity for Li Feng to drive to the basket.
*Swish!*
Li Feng executed a sharp crossover and blew past Ray Allen.
Ray Allen realized something was wrong and tried to chase, but it was too late.
Li Feng drove into the paint, and Garnett came to help defend. Li Feng spun around, throwing Garnett to his right.
It was incredibly smooth, seamless. If Garnett were younger, he might have been able to recover, but at 34 years old and with the game in the final quarter, he was simply too tired to keep up.
After shaking off Garnett, Li Feng took a step and was about to go for a layup.
Perkins had been tied up with Yao Ming. Seeing Li Feng at the rim, he had no choice but to abandon Yao Ming and become the last line of defense.
Li Feng had initially intended to drive for a layup, but upon seeing Perkins step up, he pushed off the ground, soared into the air, and went for a dunk!
*Bang!*
Poor Perkins once again became a backdrop for Li Feng's dunk.
107:105.
Li Feng had actually wanted to draw a foul, but Perkins chickened out. Seeing Li Feng jump, he immediately dodged out of the way.
After scoring, Li Feng and Yao Ming roared and chest-bumped in celebration. This basket was crucial.
The home crowd erupted in cheers, and some fans shouted "
The female reporter asked again, "Do you think the Knicks will make any adjustments in the next game?"
"Yes!"
Li Feng nodded affirmatively but did not disclose any specific adjustment plans.
The female reporter curiously asked, "Your connection with Yao Ming today seemed limited. Does this mean you don't have that much chemistry?"
Today, Li Feng and Yao Ming had only a few coordinated plays in the fourth quarter; before that, their interactions were minimal.
This surprised many fans.
This was because fans hoped Li Feng and Yao Ming would become the Knicks' O'Neal and Kobe.
Li Feng thought for a moment and replied, "Perhaps. Yao Ming and I still need to build some chemistry, but that requires games to improve. We can't rush it."
...
After this game, the media and fans alike highly praised Li Feng.
Especially the GIF of Li Feng’s critical defensive stop against Ray Allen, which became a classic moment shared widely on forums.
ESPN's headline: "Li Feng's Divine Play in the Clutch Secures a Hard-Fought Victory for the Knicks!"
Sports Illustrated: "Li Feng and Yao Ming Combine for 66 Points, Defeating the Celtics at Home for the Knicks' First Win!"
Yahoo Sports: "Defensive Wall! Li Feng's One-on-One Defense on Ray Allen Cuts Off the Celtics' Game-Winning Hope!"
...
Other games were also exciting.
The Cavaliers were surprisingly defeated by the Magic in the first game, losing their home-court advantage.
For some reason, LeBron James's performance in this game was very sluggish, with him only managing 26 points and 7 assists.
The stats didn't fully capture James's slump; at times, he even appeared to be zoning out on the court.
After losing the first game, the media unleashed a barrage of criticism on LeBron James.
Many reporters were baffled by James's performance.
Logically, after trading for O'Neal this season, they should have been able to suppress Dwight Howard and defeat the Magic.
The Cavaliers should have played with high spirits.
This was also a good opportunity to get revenge for last year.
Yet, there wasn't the slightest hint of a desire to win from LeBron James.
One fan posted an analysis on a forum that seemed to reveal LeBron James's true mindset.
It suggested that the Cavaliers had lost to the Knicks 1-3 in the regular season.
Especially in the last game, the Cavaliers were completely outmatched, leading James to be thoroughly disillusioned with this season.
He believed that even if the Cavaliers could defeat the Magic, they wouldn't be able to overcome the Knicks.
The Magic were, after all, last year's finalists, so losing to them wasn't that embarrassing.
However, if he lost to Li Feng, a rookie, James would be utterly humiliated.
Having already lost the regular season MVP to Li Feng, James was already feeling down. If he were to lose to Li Feng again in the playoffs, James would see no hope for the future.
Therefore, James simply chose to lose to the Magic.
After all, losing to the Magic for two consecutive years wasn't a big deal; it could be considered a matchup disadvantage.
This analysis gained more and more traction among fans, and LeBron James, facing pressure, finally stepped out to issue a clarification.
He told reporters, "I admit I didn't play well in this game, but it's not because I didn't want to win. I apologize to all my fans who support me!"
Despite the sincerity of LeBron's statement, most fans remained unconvinced.
...
In the two Western Conference games, the Lakers led the Nuggets 1-0.
This game was incredibly exciting, especially the showdown between Kobe and Melo, which was fiery and full of physical clashes!
The referees also kept the whistle relatively loose, much to the fans' delight.
In the end, it was Kobe's two clutch shots that narrowly secured the Lakers' victory.
Kobe scored 37 points in this game, while Anthony had 36. It was a neck-and-neck battle!
In the other game, the Suns, leveraging their home-court advantage, defeated the Spurs.
The two teams were long-time rivals, making this game intensely competitive.
The Spurs trailed for most of the game, but the margin was small, keeping the suspense alive.
They even took a two-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, consecutive missed shots by Parker and Ginobili gave the Suns an opening.
Nash delivered two brilliant assists that turned into baskets.
These two baskets were scored by Marion and Stoudemire respectively.
Ultimately, the Suns secured a hard-fought home victory against the Spurs, taking the first game.
...
Before the second game, Yao Ming and Li Feng had another in-depth conversation.
Yao Ming also noticed that their on-court chemistry was limited.
"Li Feng, what do you think we're lacking? Why isn't our teamwork translating into the game?" Yao Ming asked, puzzled.
Li Feng, with less experience than Yao Ming, thought for a moment and sighed, "Perhaps it's because this is our first playoff collaboration. I think the next game will be better."
Yao Ming agreed with Li Feng's assessment, "Yes, Garnett's help defense was too excellent, it really stifled our plays and made things difficult."
Li Feng said confidently, "The Celtics' energy expenditure was very high. They probably used all their strength in the first game. I think the second game won't be as difficult."
Yao Ming felt the same way. He had only played over 20 minutes in the first game and found it hard to believe they were in the playoffs.
If it were the old Rockets, the coach would have wanted Yao Ming to play 48 minutes!
"Alright, in the second game, let's aim for a big win!"
...
Two days later, the second game of the Knicks and Celtics' playoff series began.
As Li Feng had predicted, the Celtics, having lost the first game, seemed to have lost their fighting spirit.
In the first quarter, the Knicks went on a 14-4 run.
Rivers was helpless; the Celtics players were truly exhausted and couldn't move effectively on the court.
Their movement speed was significantly slower than in the first game.
The connection between Li Feng and Yao Ming increased, and they repeatedly executed plays, forcing Garnett to defend everywhere.
Rivers looked grim. While he knew that playing two away games would be tough, the significant drop in performance compared to the first game was something he hadn't anticipated.
As fans had speculated, this might be the last playoff appearance for this generation of Celtics veterans.
The Celtics' management would likely trade away these veterans and search for new core players to build around.
These veterans were aware of their fate, so they played with a lot of effort.
However, age is age; the body can only do so much.
Nature takes its course.
Rivers, showing some tactical acumen, made a bold decision.
With over six minutes left in the first quarter, he substituted out all three veteran players and brought in the bench lineup, consisting of young newcomers.
It seemed as if they were conceding the game.
Li Feng, seeing this, was delighted, believing the second game would be an easy win.
However, these young Celtics players played with great energy and hot shooting, gradually closing the score gap.
This left the home fans confused.
Li Feng was also frustrated. He hadn't become complacent, but the Celtics' bench players were playing exceptionally well today without any pressure.
In response, D'Antoni also substituted out the Knicks' starters, matching bench players against bench players.
Lowry came onto the court and stabilized the situation, leading to a stalemate between the two teams.