The timeout ended, and the Hawks took an inbound pass from the sideline.
Three Hawks players screened for Joe Johnson, and the ball went directly to Iso Joe.
Iso Joe lived up to expectations, pulling up for a three-pointer. Swish!
He made it!
This is what Iso Joe does best, always responding with the toughest plays in crucial moments!
103:102, the Knicks led by only one point.
With 4 minutes and 37 seconds left, the Knicks were on offense.
Li Feng had to respond. He made a gesture to his teammates and passed the ball early to Lowry.
The Hawks players were surprised because the defensive focus was entirely on Li Feng.
Upon receiving the ball, the "Little Steel Cannon" immediately drove into the paint before the Hawks could react.
Horford, with no other choice, abandoned Yao Ming and came to double-team. Lowry passed the ball without looking to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming roared and slammed the ball down with one hand!
105:102! The Knicks extended their lead to three points!
The Hawks players shook their heads in resignation. Lowry always stepped up when Li Feng was double-teamed, showcasing his extraordinary skills.
Where did this kid come from?
The Hawks continued their offense. The head coach yelled from the sidelines, instructing them to give the ball to Josh Smith this time.
This was the Hawks' strategy: taking turns, with no fixed offensive focal point.
The advantage was that it made it difficult for opponents to set up defensive tactics, but the disadvantage was instability, with a lack of consistent offensive output.
Josh Smith possessed incredible explosiveness. As soon as he got the ball, he turned and drove past Stoudemire towards the basket.
Horford was firmly boxing out Yao Ming, preventing him from helping on defense.
Just as Josh Smith was preparing to take flight for a dunk, a figure emerged from his flank, leaping into the air.
At the peak of his jump, *smack*!
The player mercilessly pinned the ball from Josh Smith's hands onto the backboard!
A chase-down block!
Josh Smith's physical ability was already off the charts; how could someone block his dunk with a chase-down block?
As he landed, he turned in surprise to see that it was Li Feng, who was half a head shorter than him!
At this moment, the ball had already bounced to the three-point line. Scola caught it and immediately passed it to Lowry.
The "Little Steel Cannon" moved with incredible speed, crossing half-court.
Bibby tried to cut him off, but Lowry's strength was too great, and he bumped Bibby away again before scoring on a layup!
Li Feng's defensive play was crucial, helping the Knicks extend their lead to five points!
The Hawks players and the spectators were stunned. What kind of talent did Li Feng possess?
He actually blocked Josh Smith's shot!
How could they possibly win this game?
The Hawks coach didn't call a timeout. He realized that his players were simply not on the same level as Li Feng.
As long as Li Feng exerted himself, he could completely control both ends of the court for the Hawks.
The Hawks went on the offensive again.
Bibby crossed half-court, called for a screen, and used his skillful ball-handling and court vision to find an open Marvin Williams.
Marvin was a very low-key and practical player, consistently hitting open shots. Upon receiving the ball, he shot without hesitation!
Stoudemire was supposed to be defending him, but Joe Johnson had screened Stoudemire.
Swish!
The Hawks scored two more points, making it 107:104!
With time running out, both teams were scoring slowly.
With 32 seconds left, the Knicks led by four points, and the Hawks had possession.
The coach called a timeout to set up this crucial offensive play.
D'Antoni was also tense. He held his whiteboard, shouting loudly to his players during the timeout.
"We must lock down Joe Johnson! That guy is terrifying, and Horford can also shoot threes, so don't be careless!"
...
Li Feng and Lowry were talking quietly. Li Feng told Lowry that the Hawks would definitely let Horford shoot because Horford had been focusing on rebounding in the paint and hadn't been involved in the offense.
Lowry was half-skeptical, but Li Feng's words always came true, so Lowry nodded repeatedly.
The timeout ended, and the Hawks took the ball from the frontcourt.
Indeed, after two passes, the ball went to Horford.
At this moment, Yao Ming was being screened by Josh Smith and Marvin.
And Li Feng was being held tightly by Bibby.
Just as Horford was preparing to step to the corner for a three-pointer, Lowry suddenly appeared and quickly stole the ball from Horford's hands!
So fast!
And with so much force that Horford, holding the ball with both hands, couldn't secure it.
*Smack*!
After the steal, Lowry immediately passed the ball to Li Feng on the left side. Li Feng quickly crossed half-court.
Stoudemire had also crossed half-court. Li Feng didn't try to be greedy and passed to Stoudemire, letting him complete a powerful dunk!
113:107, the Knicks led by six points!
With only 13 seconds left in the game, the Hawks' fate was sealed!
The Hawks coach put his hands on his head and closed his eyes in despair.
He couldn't understand how Lowry had gotten into that position, especially with Li Feng already being covered.
Li Feng and Lowry exchanged a smile and high-fived each other.
Though no words were spoken, everything was understood. Lowry was completely convinced!
What followed was the usual strategy of intentionally fouling to extend the game, with Li Feng and Lowry of the Knicks being fouled and sent to the free-throw line.
Although Joe Johnson made another extremely long three-pointer, the Knicks' advantage was too significant, and Li Feng and Lowry made almost all their free throws!
In the end, the Knicks defeated the Hawks on the road, securing their second regular-season victory!
Li Feng played 33 minutes today, scoring 38 points, completely dominating the game.
Yao Ming played 31 minutes today, scoring 22 points, dominating the paint.
The Hawks had five players score in double figures and played collectively, but they were still defeated by Li Feng's team!
After the game, the Hawks players came over to hug and congratulate the Knicks players.
Despite their inner feelings of dissatisfaction, these tough players generously paid their respects to their opponents.
Li Feng also liked the Hawks players a lot. He knew their strength, and if the Hawks had another superstar, they would surely take off.
The Knicks secured a two-game winning streak, becoming the media's darling once again.
In fact, since the start of the regular season, seven teams had a two-game winning streak, but the Knicks, as the defending champions, naturally received a lot of attention.
Another reason was that Red Star Sports had increased its investment in the NBA this season.
Although Nike was still the NBA's largest investor, Red Star Sports had surpassed other brands. At this rate, Red Star Sports would eventually become the NBA's largest investor.
With this investment, Li Feng and the Knicks benefited from more favorable referee calls.
The impact of refereeing should not be underestimated.
They could influence games at crucial moments, and they did so subtly.
For example, in the beginning of the first half, if a key defensive player from the opposing team was called for two fouls, they would have to go to the bench to rest.
Then, when leading by a large margin, they might try to balance things out in the second half by giving the opponent some calls.
As soon as the game ended, judging by the statistics, both sides seemed to be evenly matched.
However, those who watched the game knew very well that the calls in the first half had set the tone for the game.
Of course, Red Star Sports' investment in the NBA was not solely for this purpose. More importantly, Deng Huasheng wanted more say, so that more Chinese players could enter the NBA in the future.
The Knicks' third regular-season game was an away game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies were ambitious this season. The "Black and White Bears" became increasingly synchronized, and the players in other positions also became very strong.
Rudy Gay, Conley, Mayo, and Tony Allen had all become core strengths of the team.
In their first two games, the Grizzlies had a record of one win and one loss, but the loss was only by 2 points to the Thunder.
Therefore, as soon as the Knicks arrived in Memphis, they conducted targeted training.
Yao Ming had a daunting task. Randolph and Marc Gasol were both inside beasts.
Although Yao Ming could easily handle either one of them individually, when the two were combined, Yao Ming would be very strained and would require help from his forward teammates.
Stoudemire and Scola would have to assist Yao Ming in interior defense.
And the Grizzlies' perimeter players, Conley and Gay, were also very strong, requiring Li Feng and Lowry to pay close attention to them.
...
At 8 PM, at the FedExForum.
The Grizzlies hosted the defending champion Knicks.
At the center court tip-off, Yao Ming and Randolph stood in the middle.
Yao Ming secured the first possession for the Knicks.
Li Feng dribbled across half-court, and Conley stepped up to guard him one-on-one.
Conley was a talented player whose parents were both famous athletes.
Therefore, he was confident he could guard Li Feng.
Li Feng hadn't faced one-on-one defense in many games, so he was itching to take on the challenge himself.
*Swish*!
Li Feng started from the right side, driving past Conley. Conley was shocked and quickly tried to chase him.
But Li Feng suddenly stopped, making Conley nearly fall, then Li Feng quickly drove to the left.
Conley had no choice but to watch helplessly as Li Feng drove into the paint.
Marc Gasol came to double-team, while Randolph was boxing out Yao Ming. Li Feng seemed to be trapped.
But Li Feng made a very smooth turn, leaving Gasol behind him.
At this moment, Stoudemire cut to the basket. Li Feng passed the ball to Stoudemire without looking.
Stoudemire was very familiar with such passes, just like Nash used to pass.
Upon receiving the ball, Stoudemire drove for a powerful dunk, scoring the first two points!
Li Feng alone had torn open the Grizzlies' defense.
The Grizzlies' head coach, Hollins, shook his head in anger. He couldn't believe Li Feng had such ability to disregard the "Twin Bears'" interior presence!
"Give them a lesson! Break through them!" Hollins roared from the sidelines.
In 2010, having such an interior presence was Hollins' greatest pride.
Although three-pointers were becoming more prevalent, Hollins believed that controlling the paint was paramount, and this timeless truth still held.
The Grizzlies went on offense.
Conley dribbled across half-court and passed the ball directly to Randolph.
Facing Yao Ming, Randolph first used his broad shoulders to shove him hard.
It had to be said that his strength was considerable, and Yao Ming, after losing weight, was a bit overwhelmed.
Pushing Yao Ming half a body length away, Randolph immediately half-turned and scored with a bank shot!
This was perhaps the last of the traditional centers' skillful plays, executed seamlessly and beautifully.
The home crowd of the Grizzlies erupted in cheers. They hoped that the Grizzlies this season could reach the Western Conference Finals.
Yao Ming shook his head slightly, and with an apologetic look, glanced at Li Feng.
Li Feng went over to high-five and encourage him, whispering, "It's okay, Brother Yao, you'll get it back next possession!"
This was the duel between centers; there had to be a back-and-forth!
In basketball games of the last century, the first few possessions were usually an interior battle.
The perimeter players were auxiliary.
That's why Jordan was revered as a god. In the era of the "Four Great Centers," his ability to break through and win six championships was simply incredible.
The Knicks were on offense. Seeing Yao Ming establish position, Li Feng passed the ball to him.
Randolph was heavily guarding Li Feng from behind, while Gasol was nearby, waiting for an opportunity.
Gasol knew that Randolph alone couldn't defend Yao Ming, so they had to double-team.
Yao Ming was prepared; he had to play quickly, otherwise, if he was double-teamed by the "Twin Bears," he wouldn't be able to move.
Before Gasol could double-team, Yao Ming suddenly turned and shot!
This was a guard's move. Yao Ming's movements were more fluid and graceful after losing weight.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Gasol quickly moved to close out, but he was half a step too late. Yao Ming's release point was too high. Swish!
Two points scored.
And because Gasol lunged too aggressively, he collided with Yao Ming, and the referee blew the whistle, calling a foul on him.
A 2+1!
Yao Ming clenched his fist and roared in excitement; he had finally vented his frustration.
Li Feng and his Knicks teammates came over to chest-bump Yao Ming in celebration.
Gasol argued with the referee for a few words but ultimately shook his head helplessly.
It was rare to find an interior player who could score against the "Black and White Bears" and draw a foul.
Yao Ming went to the free-throw line and made the additional free throw!
5:2, the Knicks led.
To defeat the Grizzlies, they had to beat them at their own game.
You're strong in the paint? Then we'll keep scoring in the paint!
The Grizzlies went on offense. This time, Conley passed the ball to Gasol.
Stoudemire was defending Gasol.
If it were a one-on-one situation, Stoudemire definitely wouldn't be able to defend him.
But the Knicks were prepared. Scola immediately came over to help.
Gasol was double-teamed and flustered, so he had to pass the ball out to Rudy Gay in the corner.
Since entering the league, Gay had been performing inconsistently.
He had the skill, but he could never reach the top tier of the league.
Catching the ball in the corner, Gay shot a three-pointer!
Just as the ball left his hands, Li Feng reappeared, leaping to swat the ball out of bounds!
Terrifying!
As the DPOY from last season, Li Feng displayed exceptional help-defense ability.
Rudy Gay's face turned pale. He, a player over two meters tall, had been blocked by Li Feng.
This block by Li Feng greatly boosted the morale of his Knicks teammates.
If the team's leader was playing with such aggression on defense, what else could the other players do but fight hard!
With the collective effort of the Knicks, the Grizzlies' "Black and White Bears" were completely suppressed and couldn't exert their dominance.
Li Feng and Lowry provided various forms of help defense for the interior players, preventing the "Black and White Bears" from getting any one-on-one opportunities and constantly harassing them with multiple defenders.
As the game reached over five minutes, the score was 11:6, with the Knicks leading by five points.
Most of the Knicks' baskets came from fast breaks.
It was time for the official timeout.
The Grizzlies fans at the FedExForum were very disappointed.
How could their proud interior play be reduced to this?