It can be said that Yao Ming's arrival in the Knicks was very successful, whether from the perspective of his personal career or commercial considerations!
...
The sixth game between the Cavaliers and the Magic was fiercely contested, with the scores barely separating by 5 points.
However, the Magic ultimately proved superior, winning the game.
This means the Magic defeated the Cavaliers 4:2 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the Western Conference, the Lakers also defeated the Nuggets 4:2, advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
The Suns and Spurs were tied 3:3 again, a truly amusing rivalry!
The Knicks and Magic reaching the Eastern Conference Finals thrilled many fans.
Both teams possessed extremely distinct playing styles.
If it were any other center, they would be at a disadvantage facing Howard in the paint.
But Yao Ming was known for "eating, sleeping, and beating the Magic" (a reference to the nickname "Superman" for Howard), so more people favored the Knicks.
The Knicks coaching staff did not underestimate their opponent and diligently studied game footage of the Magic during the playoffs.
The coaching staff discovered that the Magic's playstyle in the playoffs differed slightly from the regular season.
In the regular season, Howard would often post up for isolation plays. While his efficiency wasn't high, he enjoyed doing it.
However, in the playoffs, he stopped doing that and instead passed the ball to the perimeter players, focusing solely on defense and rebounds.
This version of "Superman" was more efficient and incredibly formidable.
For the Knicks to defeat the Magic, they not only needed their inside presence, Yao Ming, to break through Howard's defensive line but, more importantly, to dismantle their perimeter game.
The Magic's perimeter strength was significant, with Nelson, Carter, Redick, and Pietrus being a formidable group of players.
...
Three days later, the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and the Magic were about to commence!
Li Feng and Yao Ming attended the press conference and accepted media interviews.
A reporter asked, "Mr. Li Feng, which team do you think is more formidable, the Cavaliers or the Magic?"
It was clear the reporter had a hidden agenda.
After the Cavaliers were eliminated, many fans claimed the Knicks had a lucky escape because the Cavaliers had a "counter" playstyle against the Knicks.
It was unclear where this confidence stemmed from.
Therefore, the reporter sought to elicit a specific response from Li Feng.
Li Feng chuckled, "I never think about opponents I won't face; I only focus on the present. The Magic are a very strong team, and we will face them seriously!"
The reporter then asked, "Mr. Yao, you've consistently performed well against the Magic. Can you share the reason for that?"
Yao Ming humbly replied, "The Magic are a strong team. Perhaps they weren't accustomed to my playing style before."
"Your offensive range has expanded considerably, and you've even shot several three-pointers. Was this arranged by the coaching staff?"
Yao Ming nodded, "Of course. The coaching staff designs tactics based on my strengths; it's all planned!"
Another reporter turned to Li Feng, "Mr. Li Feng, in a game against the Celtics, you had 10 dunks, which was explosive! Why did you attempt so many dunks at that time?"
Li Feng smiled and said, "Nothing much, I just felt that dunks could boost our morale!"
...
At 7:30 PM, Madison Square Garden.
The first game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and the Magic tipped off!
The Knicks' starting lineup remained Li Feng, Yao Ming, Scola, Gallinari, and Duhon.
The Magic's starting five consisted of Howard, Carter, Lewis, Nelson, and Barnes.
Howard secured the first possession for the Magic, and Nelson brought the ball past half-court.
Duhon stepped up to defend Nelson, who called for a screen and drove to the left.
As Lewis cut inside, Nelson immediately passed to him. When Yao Ming stepped up to help, Lewis tossed the ball up, and Howard completed the alley-oop with a thunderous dunk!
This was the Magic's tactical shift in the playoffs; they no longer funneled the ball to Howard but used him as the finishing touch.
Li Feng held the ball in the backcourt and signaled to his teammates, dribbling to the frontcourt.
The Magic were well-prepared; as soon as Li Feng crossed the half-court line, Carter and Nelson double-teamed him.
Li Feng didn't rush to attack himself and passed the ball to Duhon.
Yao Ming established position on the baseline, and Duhon immediately passed him the ball.
Howard was extremely tense; he had been thoroughly beaten by Yao Ming before.
Yao Ming dribbled twice, then suddenly turned left, feigning a layup. Howard's feet seemed to have springs, and he leaped up instantly.
However, this was a fake by Yao Ming. He immediately turned right and executed a short hook shot, which swished through the net!
The crowd at Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers. Yao Ming truly had an easy and enjoyable time against Howard!
Howard shook his head helplessly; he genuinely couldn't defend Yao Ming.
Even with Yao Ming's reduced weight, Howard's strength was insufficient to overpower him.
The Magic initiated another offense. Nelson crossed half-court and directly passed the ball to Lewis.
Lewis was tall and an excellent three-point shooter, making him a crucial scoring threat for the Magic.
His defender was Gallinari, who, despite having similar height, lacked the same mobility.
Lewis executed a lateral move and then a pull-up jumper!
Swish!
Three-pointer made!
It appeared the Magic were in good form today, successfully converting on their first two possessions.
More importantly, the Magic deliberately avoided attacking Li Feng on these two possessions.
During the regular season, the Magic had suffered greatly from Li Feng's steals, so they had learned their lesson.
The Knicks did not yield, staying close in the score. The two teams, in a rare display, started with a high-scoring exchange.
With 5 minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the score was 13:12, with the Knicks leading by 1 point, heading into the official timeout.
Despite the temporary lead, D'Antoni was dissatisfied with his team's defense.
"Move faster! Close out quicker! Don't wait; anticipate!"
In fact, the Magic's coach, Van Gundy, was also emphasizing defense.
He believed the Magic were a defense-oriented team, and allowing so many points was unbelievable.
After the timeout, both teams significantly increased their defensive intensity, leading to a decrease in scoring efficiency.
Yao Ming's offense was disrupted by the combined efforts of Howard and Lewis.
Gallinari's open three-pointer missed.
Scola's dream-like footwork was seen through by Howard, who swatted it away with a massive block.
Only Li Feng was still able to score.
However, the Magic weren't faring much better.
With the Knicks' intensified defense, Howard couldn't receive the ball and could only fight for rebounds.
But his rebounding relied on his vertical leap, and he couldn't box out Yao Ming effectively.
The scoring pace for both teams slowed down. The Knicks, relying on Li Feng's consistent performance, maintained their lead.
With over 9 minutes gone in the first quarter, the score was 20:15, with the Knicks leading by 5 points.
Both head coaches began to substitute their reserve lineups.
Compared to their previous opponent, the Celtics, the Magic possessed more stamina and moved very quickly on the court.
Li Feng felt the intensity of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Although he was currently the team's highest scorer, his efficiency had slightly decreased.
Just moments ago, his layup had been touched by Howard.
While countless players in the league had been blocked by Howard, Li Feng wouldn't let this slide.
The battle of the reserve players saw the Knicks at a slight disadvantage.
This was because the Magic's reserves were strong shooters; Redick, Jason Williams, and Pietrus were all sharpshooters.
This made it difficult for the Knicks' reserves, who struggled to cover all threats, and the deficit was quickly erased.
By 4 minutes and 34 seconds into the second quarter, the score was 38:32, with the Magic leading by 6 points.
D'Antoni, helpless, called for a timeout to bring back the starters early.
Li Feng, watching from the sidelines, was anxious. The Magic's team-building philosophy was ahead of its time.
It was a "one star, four shooters" approach, with Howard responsible for defense, and most other players being 3-and-D specialists, as long as they could defend and shoot threes.
Therefore, when they got into a rhythm, they were extremely difficult to defend.
After the starters returned, Li Feng stabilized the situation with a pull-up jumper, scoring 2 points.
The Magic's offense. Nelson brought the ball past half-court.
Facing Duhon, Nelson suddenly executed a step-back and shot a three-pointer!
Nelson was actually quite good at contested three-pointers, but he rarely used them.
In their previous game against the Cavaliers, the Magic had relied on Nelson's consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter to defeat them.
Swish!
Nelson's three-pointer was made!
It was a strong response, countering Li Feng's earlier basket. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
After making the shot, Nelson deliberately gave Li Feng a sinister smile, a provocative gesture.
Li Feng's expression darkened. He walked over to Duhon and whispered, "I'll guard Nelson later."
"Alright!"
The Knicks' offense. Li Feng received the ball again.
He didn't attack himself but drove to the paint and tossed the ball to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming didn't drive to the basket but instead executed a fadeaway jumper. Swish!
Howard and Lewis were preparing to double-team him, but they didn't expect Yao Ming to fade away.
A 7-foot-plus giant executing a fadeaway jumper was impossible to defend.
It all came down to his shooting touch.
Magic's offense.
Nelson had the ball, and Li Feng immediately appeared in front of him.
"Come on, shoot another one!" Li Feng provocatively shouted.
Nelson became energized; his confidence was at an all-time high.
"I'll shoot if I want!"
Nelson dribbled slowly, then suddenly executed a lightning-quick lateral move to his back-left and shot!
His shooting technique was indeed unique among guards at that time.
If it were any other defender, they could only hope he missed.
Unfortunately, he encountered Li Feng.
Li Feng's speed was even greater than his!
The moment Nelson released the shot, Li Feng stretched out his long arm, *smack*!
He blocked the ball.
Nelson was greatly surprised. By the time he tried to rebound, it was too late.
After stealing the ball, Li Feng drove to the basket and slammed it home with a dunk!
This play greatly boosted morale, and the entire crowd at Madison Square Garden cheered.
Li Feng also ran to the sideline, raising his hands upwards to further ignite the home crowd's cheers!
Magic's head coach Van Gundy had to call a timeout, realizing Nelson was getting carried away.
In the league, those who challenged Li Feng had all met a miserable end.
Li Feng quickly ignited the home crowd's passion, with the entire arena chanting "MVP"!
At this moment, Li Feng was deeply moved.
It was the first time he felt a sense of belonging, as if he were truly integrated with the city's team.
At this point, with 3 minutes and 52 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the score was 48:41, with the Knicks leading by 7 points!
After the timeout, the Magic players regained their composure and stopped trying to compete directly with Li Feng.
When Nelson saw Li Feng guarding him, he immediately passed the ball, not daring to hold it.
The Magic resumed their "one star, four shooters" strategy, passing the ball to the four shooters.
The Knicks' approach was clearer: using Li Feng and Yao Ming as the axis, with other players running to open spots and shooting upon receiving the ball!
Both teams played to their strengths, and the score difference remained around seven to eight points.
The Magic were also anxious; although the score difference didn't seem large, they couldn't catch up.
At the end of the first half, the score was 54:46, with the Knicks leading by 8 points.
Perhaps due to their comfortable play in the first half, the Knicks' other players became somewhat complacent in the second half.
The Magic's group of shooters suddenly unleashed an astonishing energy.
Lewis, Barnes, Nelson, and Carter made consecutive three-pointers.
The home crowd was stunned.
The Knicks were known as the league's top three-point shooting team, yet today, the Magic were raining down threes!
In the third quarter, the Magic not only caught up but also took a 9-point lead.
Despite Li Feng hitting two three-pointers, the Magic's shooting touch was on fire.
With the Magic's perimeter game opening up, "Superman" Howard also found opportunities.
As Yao Ming had to occasionally help defend, Howard received two more alley-oop opportunities.
Under the Magic's relentless barrage, the Knicks seemed unable to hold on.
By the end of the third quarter, the Knicks were trailing by 16 points!
The home crowd was stunned; what was going on?
The situation had been so favorable in the first half, but how could they be so thoroughly outplayed in the third quarter?
D'Antoni's face was ashen as he continuously roared at his players.
The Knicks players seemed dazed, their heads hanging low, a bit lost and uncertain.
Li Feng, however, wasn't overly panicked because he knew the Magic were a team that heavily relied on their shooting touch.
A hot streak could last for a few minutes, or even more than ten minutes, but it was impossible to maintain it for an entire game!
So, after D'Antoni finished his tirade, he said to his teammates, "We'll continue with man-to-man defense in the fourth quarter. Stick tightly to your assignments!"
At the same time, Li Feng requested to play the entire fourth quarter himself, with Lowry replacing Duhon.
The purpose of this was that Lowry's defensive ability was superior to Duhon's.
Lowry could defend Nelson, but Duhon couldn't.
Furthermore, Yao Ming would not be on the court temporarily to increase the mobility for help defense.
Although Yao Ming's mobility had improved after losing weight, it was still relatively slow.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Li Feng entered the game, playing alongside Lowry, Larry Hughes, Jordan Hill, and Bill Walker against the Magic's reserves.
The Magic's head coach was dumbfounded.
Li Feng had played the entire third quarter and was now back on the court – a true iron man!
As soon as Li Feng stepped onto the court, he passed an alley-oop to Jordan Hill.
The Magic also had several sharpshooters among their reserves, but under the tenacious defense of the Knicks' formidable players, they found it extremely difficult to get off shots.
Redick, in particular, who was personally guarded by Li Feng, had a miserable time; he couldn't even receive the ball.
No matter how he shook free or ran off the ball, Li Feng was like his shadow!