Before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Knicks head coach D'Antoni gathered his team once again to meticulously review the game film from the previous match.
Despite winning the last game, too many issues had surfaced.
First, there was complacency and arrogance when leading.
Then, after being caught up, they panicked and didn't know what to do.
If not for Li Feng's heroic effort in the fourth quarter, the Knicks would have lost their first home game.
"Gallinari, look at 6 minutes and 31 seconds of the second quarter, when you rotated to help defense, you didn't even extend your hands. The score was leading, did you think you didn't need to defend?"
Gallinari lowered his head in shame.
"Do you Hong, look at over 5 minutes in the third quarter, when you and Li Feng double-teamed, you could have definitely stolen the ball from Nelson. Li Feng lunged, why did you stay put?"
Do Hong nodded repeatedly, acknowledging his mistake.
After two days of preparation and targeted training, the Knicks were ready for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Magic, having lost Game 1, were also determined.
Howard, in an interview, wore his regret on his face.
He stated that in Game 2, they would go all out to win and not give the Knicks any chances.
...
This year's playoff viewership showed a significant shift between the East and West.
In previous playoffs, the Western Conference consistently had higher viewership, sometimes by a large margin.
This was due to the greater number of stars in the West.
However, this year, the Knicks' playoff games had the highest viewership in the entire league, even surpassing the Lakers!
This led many media outlets to exclaim, "Is a new king of the league about to emerge?"
...
At 7:30 PM, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Knicks hosted the Magic in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals!
The Knicks' starting lineup had been adjusted, with Gallinari moved to the bench, replaced by Bill Walker.
Although Bill Walker was slightly shorter, he was more active in his movement and faster.
Li Feng, Yao Ming, Bill Walker, Scola, and Do Hong took the court in succession.
The Magic's starting lineup remained unchanged: Howard, Carter, Nelson, Lewis, and Barnes.
At center court, Yao Ming secured the first possession.
Li Feng dribbled the ball from the backcourt, gesturing to his teammates as the Magic still double-teamed him.
After crossing half-court, Li Feng passed the ball to Do Hong. Do Hong faked a drive and then passed to Yao Ming in the paint.
The Magic indeed made a change; Howard didn't guard Yao Ming, instead letting Lewis defend him.
Logically, Lewis, being shorter, should have had a harder time defending, but he stayed tight on Yao Ming's lower body, preventing him from generating power.
Yao Ming was indeed susceptible to this type of defense, as it bordered on fouling.
Therefore, his mid-range jumper missed, and Howard secured the rebound, initiating a fast break.
Nelson received the ball, fearing a steal from Li Feng, and immediately passed it to Barnes on the left.
Barnes went solo, driving for a powerful dunk, scoring the first two points for the Magic!
Li Feng was somewhat surprised. The Magic's game plan was very focused, and every detail was considered.
Coach Van Gundy had some tricks up his sleeve!
Li Feng waved his teammates to stay calm and execute their plays.
Yao Ming also showed a hint of anger. The shot he just took was his signature mid-range jumper, but Lewis's defensive tactics made him uncomfortable in the low post.
This time, Yao Ming again called for the ball, unwilling to back down. He couldn't believe he couldn't score against Lewis!
Li Feng passed the ball to Do Hong again and signaled for Do Hong to pass it to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming was the Knicks' second core and their inside anchor. Since he wanted to play, they could certainly let him try again!
Do Hong immediately passed the ball to Yao Ming. Lewis continued with his tactic to defend Yao Ming. To his surprise, Yao Ming, with his exceptional basketball IQ, turned and made a hook shot motion.
Lewis quickly moved to block, continuing to press Yao Ming's lower body.
However, Yao Ming suddenly jumped backward for a fadeaway jumper!
By the time Lewis could react, it was too late.
Swish!
He made the two-point shot!
After scoring, Yao Ming excitedly clenched his fist, feeling truly relieved.
The Knicks' home crowd cheered, applauding Yao Ming's strength.
His teammates ran over to high-five him in celebration.
Magic coach Van Gundy watched from the sidelines, sighing. He realized that Yao Ming was unstoppable in a one-on-one situation.
Although Lewis used some questionable tactics to make Yao Ming uncomfortable once, Yao Ming quickly found a solution; he was too strong!
The Magic's offense.
Nelson crossed half-court and passed to Carter.
Carter, without dribbling, passed it back to Barnes. Barnes faced Scola, faked a move, and drove into the paint.
Bill Walker rotated quickly to help, blocking Barnes's driving lane.
With no other option, he passed the ball back to Howard.
This was exactly what the Knicks intended: to lock down everyone else and prevent the "one star, four shooters" from getting open shots.
They weren't afraid of Howard, as Yao Ming had his number.
Howard, with the ball, bravely drove towards the basket. Yao Ming held his ground in the low post, preventing him from jumping.
Just as Howard was about to jump, Yao Ming swatted the ball away with a powerful swing, sending it out of bounds!
This "Yao block" was incredibly impactful, igniting the home crowd's passion, filling the arena with deafening roars!
Howard looked extremely embarrassed. Everyone knew he couldn't score against Yao Ming, and he had just proven it again.
Barnes took the inbound pass. He faked a pass to Lewis, but Howard suddenly cut backdoor to the other side of the rim.
Yao Ming, momentarily distracted, realized the danger and rushed to contest, but it was too late. Barnes threw the ball directly above the rim.
This was Howard's specialty; he soared high and slammed the ball home with both hands!
Boom!
The "Superman's" destructive power was astonishing, perhaps only comparable to Shaquille O'Neal in his prime.
Then there were the emerging young talents like Li Feng and Westbrook, such explosive guards.
After scoring, the "Superman" also let out a roar, pounding his chest and shouting, greatly boosting the Magic's morale.
Li Feng had a premonition that something was amiss. The Magic's tactics were more flexible today, while the Knicks seemed to lack adequate responses.
For the next few possessions, Li Feng didn't participate in the offense, trying to let his teammates find their rhythm.
However, apart from Scola, everyone else's shooting touch was ordinary today.
The Magic began to employ fronting defense against Yao Ming, preventing him from receiving the ball, which made it difficult for Yao Ming to operate.
At 7:31 into the first quarter, the score was 17-12, with the Magic leading by 5 points.
D'Antoni called a timeout, recognizing the effectiveness of the Magic's adjustments and the Knicks' apparent lack of response.
However, the Knicks still had a trump card yet to be played: Li Feng hadn't exerted himself yet.
The Magic were well aware that Li Feng hadn't truly attacked yet. Therefore, during the timeout, Van Gundy repeatedly emphasized:
"We must decisively double-team Li Feng and not give him any opportunities to make plays."
Li Feng was also contemplating whether to wait until the second quarter to make his move or to act now.
He didn't want the game to become a one-man show.
However, if the score gap widened too much, the situation would become unfavorable. After all, this was Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and they couldn't afford to be careless.
Therefore, Li Feng decided to create more good opportunities for his teammates through his own drives.
After the timeout ended, the game resumed.
The Knicks were on offense. Li Feng dribbled the ball from the backcourt and made a special gesture to his teammates.
His teammates understood and spread out to the four corners.
After crossing half-court, Li Feng looked left and right. Nelson and Carter dared not relax and fiercely double-teamed Li Feng.
Whoosh!
Li Feng suddenly accelerated, driving from the left. Carter immediately followed.
Little did they know, it was a fake. Li Feng pulled the ball back and squeezed through the gap between the two players.
Carter and Nelson squeezed with all their might, trying to block Li Feng.
It was important to remember that both of them were considered tanks among guards.
Even forwards over two meters tall might not have been able to break through.
Yet, Li Feng, with his height of 1.9 meters, managed to push past both of them and penetrate to within the three-point line.
Barnes quickly came over to help defense, but Li Feng faked with his shoulder, throwing off Barnes's balance.
Li Feng's drives were fluid, and he didn't slow down at all; it was simply a work of art!
After getting past Barnes, Li Feng drove straight to the basket.
Howard, seeing Li Feng suddenly surge into the paint, extended his long arms, providing a vast defensive presence to block the shot.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng made a no-look pass to Bill Walker, who had cut to the baseline.
By the time Howard could rotate to defend Bill Walker, it was too late. Bill Walker slammed the ball home with one hand for two points.
After scoring, Bill Walker excitedly ran over to high-five Li Feng, expressing his gratitude.
Li Feng patted him on the back, offering encouragement.
In fact, teammates constantly needed to build rapport.
The so-called chemistry was about whether your teammates would do the dirty work and the unseen tasks for you.
For example, when you were on defense, if a teammate extended a hand to help, you could successfully defend.
For example, when you were driving, if a teammate drew away opposing players, your drive would be successful.
...
Li Feng's drive had broken through the Magic's defense, leaving the Magic players shaken, their expressions changed.
The Magic were on offense. Following their game plan, they tried to play efficiently and avoid Li Feng's defense.
Soon, Howard passed to Lewis in the corner, who drained a three-pointer!
It had to be said that although the Magic couldn't defend Li Feng today, their offense was very efficient.
Li Feng frowned. If this continued, they wouldn't be able to pull away, and he would be exhausted.
So, on the next possession, Li Feng activated his "Team Soul" skill.
Li Feng had initially thought the team chemistry was already very good, that they were a championship-caliber team.
But Li Feng realized he was too naive. The further the team went, the more he saw how far they still had to go in various aspects.
However, Li Feng wouldn't complain; he would only strive to improve himself and make it easier for his teammates to play.
The "Team Soul" skill's effect was quite evident: teammates' mid-range shooting percentage increased by 25%, three-point shooting percentage by 20%, rebounding ability by 15, and defensive ability by 20.
The Magic were indeed playing well today, and even with Li Feng's efforts, the score gap wasn't widening.
At 9:24 into the first quarter, the score was 26-21, with the Knicks leading by 5 points.
D'Antoni felt that the starters were playing very aggressively and with great effort today, but they were too tired. He quickly substituted all the reserves into the game.
The reserves, under the effect of "Team Soul," played even more aggressively. Lowry displayed the kind of performance he would later have with the Raptors, unstoppable in drives and three-pointers.
By the end of the first quarter, the score was 31-23.
Because the Magic had made a comeback in the third quarter of the previous game, the Knicks fans were still a little worried.
As expected, at the start of the second quarter, Van Gundy suddenly changed his strategy and put all his starters back on the court.
This substitution caught the Knicks off guard.
With starters like Howard on the court, they could easily dominate the reserve lineup.
Three minutes later, the Magic not only tied the score but also took the lead.
D'Antoni was anxious. Was the Magic going to have their starters play the entire second quarter today?
In fact, considering the Magic players' age structure, it was not a problem.
Howard, Lewis, Nelson, and Barnes were all in their prime. Even the 33-year-old Carter was a physical marvel, and playing 12 minutes occasionally was not an issue.
Li Feng immediately stood up and said to D'Antoni, "Coach, substitute Larry Hughes for me!"
Although Larry Hughes had performed well, he had suffered a major injury, and facing the Magic's starters with such intensity, Li Feng worried he wouldn't be able to handle it.
Seeing Li Feng volunteer, D'Antoni was finally relieved.
He patted Li Feng on the shoulder, "It's up to you!"
While Howard was shooting free throws, Li Feng put on his jersey and went onto the court.
Howard, seeing Li Feng enter the game, shivered, nearly dropping the ball.
Li Feng whispered a few words to Lowry, who nodded vigorously.
Lowry had immense admiration for Li Feng. He used to be very proud of his compact physique and strength.
However, after a few physical encounters with Li Feng in training, he realized they were not in the same league.
...
Howard missed the bonus free throw, and Jordan Hill secured the rebound.
Jordan Hill passed the ball to Li Feng. Li Feng, without dribbling, quickly passed it to Lowry.
Lowry rapidly crossed half-court. The Magic's defense was quick to recover, with Nelson blocking his path.
Gallinari set a screen for Lowry, and Lowry took advantage of the opportunity to drive into the paint.
Lewis suddenly stepped in to block Lowry, stretching out his long arms to cut off all shooting angles.
Just then, Li Feng ghosted from the right and appeared at the baseline.
His speed was incredible; the Magic players felt their vision blur as Li Feng flashed past them.
Lowry, with quick hands, flicked his right wrist, swish, and passed the ball.
After receiving the pass, Li Feng went straight for a three-step layup and a powerful dunk.
This happened in the blink of an eye. Howard hadn't even returned to the basket and could only watch Li Feng score.
Van Gundy on the sideline shook his head repeatedly, sighing with a heavy heart. The moment Li Feng entered the game, the situation had instantly reversed.
The Magic were on offense, passing the ball back and forth along the perimeter, setting screens, trying to find an open player.
But Li Feng had already communicated with his teammates; they would all focus on defending the perimeter, leaving only Jordan Hill to guard Howard.
Indeed, after more than ten seconds, no open shots were found on the perimeter.