Jennings' first game, he scored 38 points, leading his team to a victory over the Hornets.
The media once again put Li Feng and Jennings side-by-side for comparison, both claiming they had Rookie of the Year potential.
But Li Feng was disdainful, believing Jennings wasn't even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as him.
The scheduling seemed to be fate. The Knicks' second game was at home against the Bucks.
This made the media extremely excited.
One flower doesn't make a spring, but a rivalry makes the league more lively.
Moreover, Jennings was an incredibly arrogant individual. He had boasted to the media more than once, and even publicly belittled Li Feng, calling Li Feng an overhyped number one pick.
The results of the first round of the regular season seemed to confirm that he and Li Feng were in the same tier.
This made Jennings even more arrogant.
Before the Knicks and Bucks faced off, he once again accepted a media interview and made a bold statement.
"I'll hold Li Feng to under 10 points, and I'll score 40 on him!"
Although the reporters knew this was impossible, they loved Jennings' statements because such remarks could spark more debate.
The second round of the regular season featured many heavyweight matchups, such as the Lakers vs. the Spurs, the Cavaliers vs. the Pacers, and the Celtics vs. the Rockets. These were all eye-catching games.
However, the Knicks vs. Bucks game managed to steal the spotlight from these matchups.
Almost all fans were discussing this game, debating who between Li Feng and Jennings was the better rookie!
But Li Feng didn't take the game seriously at all. He continued his training as usual.
Just the day before the game, as Li Feng finished his training, the system's voice chimed in.
[Ding, Host's diligent training has earned +10 Merit Points, unlocking the SSS-grade Steal skill.]
Li Feng shouted "Yeah!" excitedly. Gallinari next to him was startled and looked at Li Feng curiously.
"It's nothing, nothing..." Li Feng said sheepishly and walked away.
Li Feng's steal statistics were actually quite good, but it was previously based on his speed advantage. Purely from a technical standpoint, Li Feng's steals were not top-tier.
This could explain why Li Feng sometimes found himself in foul trouble.
If a referee intentionally looked for fouls, they would call Li Feng for a foul, and replays wouldn't find any fault.
Now, with the SSS-grade steal skill, Li Feng's steals were perfect.
Unlocking this skill before playing the Bucks, Li Feng understood the system's good intentions.
...
The highly anticipated game began.
The Knicks' home court, Madison Square Garden.
This was the Knicks' first home game of the season, and the enthusiastic fans were already roaring like a tidal wave.
Li Feng was the new king of this arena. The moment he appeared on the court, the cheers were deafening, almost enough to lift the roof.
Jennings, playing away, had his momentum somewhat suppressed, but his expression showed that he was determined to have a big game against Li Feng today.
The Knicks' starting lineup was Li Feng, David Lee, Gallinari, Duhon, and Barron.
The Bucks' starting five were Jennings, Bogut, Delfino, Motiejunas, and Ilyasova.
Excluding Li Feng and Jennings, the Bucks' lineup was slightly stronger.
Therefore, this game was about seeing who between Li Feng and Jennings could perform better.
From the opening, Jennings displayed an extremely strong scoring desire.
His speed was incredible, and his scoring methods were diverse, making it difficult for the Knicks' guard Duhon to adapt.
Li Feng did not go head-to-head with Jennings from the start. This was mainly because Delfino had shot well from three-point range in the previous game, and D'Antoni had tasked Li Feng with shutting him down.
After 2 minutes of play, the Bucks led 7:2, with Jennings accounting for all the points.
The Knicks' home crowd quieted down, and the fans were somewhat disappointed. Jennings seemed stronger, while Li Feng had only scored 2 points.
Jennings was also extremely excited. Humiliating Li Feng on the Knicks' home court was precisely his intention.
"Hey, Li Feng, see that? That's scoring ability. You're weak as hell!"
Jennings shouted loudly, nearly spitting on Li Feng's face.
The cameramen captured this moment, and countless fans watching the broadcast saw it.
In the Chinese sports channel's commentary booth, Yu Jia and Coach Zhang were providing commentary.
"Li Feng's condition seems ordinary today. He's not actively seeking matchups with Jennings," Yu Jia expressed her confusion.
Coach Zhang, however, was not worried. He had great confidence in Li Feng's abilities.
"The game has just begun. Li Feng is somewhat disdainful of directly confronting Jennings."
"Really? If you put it that way, it seems to be the case. Li Feng is ignoring Jennings' trash talk!"
Coach Zhang nodded and smiled, "Li Feng knows Jennings likes to show off, so he's just letting him be boastful for a while. That way, the humiliation will be even greater when he's proven wrong!"
Yu Jia suddenly realized, "Haha, Li Feng is indeed a very mature player with a great mentality. Jennings is probably going to suffer a big loss today!"
...
As predicted by the two commentators, Li Feng began to assert himself!
"Duhon, you guard Delfino. I'll guard Jennings. Remember, stay low and close to Delfino, don't give him space to jump smoothly!"
Li Feng whispered a few instructions to Duhon and then walked towards Jennings.
Jennings chuckled. He had been waiting for this moment, otherwise, no matter how many points he scored, it wouldn't count as dominating Li Feng.
The fans at the arena became excited. They had come here today specifically to watch Li Feng take on Jennings.
"Li Feng! Go! Dominate Jennings!"
"Take down Jennings, don't let him be so arrogant!"
"Li Feng, you're the number one pick, you can't lose to Jennings!"
...
Li Feng understood what the audience wanted to see. However, just as Coach Zhang had said, Li Feng didn't take Jennings seriously at all.
The Knicks attacked.
Li Feng held the ball on the backcourt, and Jennings immediately closed in to defend.
The two potential Rookies of the Year officially began their duel!
The fans at the scene started to cheer and howl. This was exactly what they wanted to see!
"Li Feng, you won't score against me!"
"Oh really? Heh heh..."
As Li Feng finished speaking, he suddenly made a crossover and flashed past Jennings.
Jennings was greatly surprised. While he knew Li Feng was fast, he never imagined Li Feng would be this fast!
This was the speed of the league's fastest first step!
Jennings, believing he was faster than Li Feng, lifted his leg to chase.
But despite his best efforts, he could only eat Li Feng's dust, as Li Feng had already crossed half-court.
After crossing half-court, Li Feng didn't slow down. Taking advantage of the Bucks' disorganized defense, he accelerated and drove into the paint.
Bogut had played against Li Feng in the Olympics and had even been dunked on by Li Feng, so he knew how formidable Li Feng was.
However, the inherent nature of Australian players led him to contemplate a sneaky move.
As Li Feng drove into the paint, Bogut extended his right leg, intending to trip Li Feng.
Barron's defensive ability was indeed average. If it weren't for Li Feng's incredible offensive prowess, the Knicks would still be a weak team.