1 minute and 8 seconds, 117-117, both sides were back to the starting line.
Although Li Feng was exhausted, he also noticed that several old guys from the Celtics looked equally worn out.
Garnett, the former Wolf King, had to exert himself on both offense and defense. When he sat down on the floor during a timeout, his teammates had to help him off the court.
Pierce was not much better. He limped to the sideline and practically collapsed onto a chair.
Ray Allen was doing a bit better. His stamina was truly amazing, but he was still drenched in sweat.
Even the young Rondo, who had played in the Finals, had never grimaced like this before.
Seeing this, Li Feng silently cheered himself on!
"I'm still young. I can't lose to these old guys. At least I need to be stronger in terms of stamina!"
During this timeout, neither coach was focused on tactics. They just wanted the players to rest for a moment before continuing the final battle.
The timeout ended, and players from both sides returned to the court.
The three veterans of the Celtics were indeed struggling. They were all pushing themselves to their limits.
Li Feng knew his opportunity had arrived.
The Celtics initiated their offense, and the ball was passed to Ray Allen again.
There was no other choice; only Ray Allen could still move.
Just as he received the ball and was about to rise for a shot, Li Feng suddenly abandoned Rondo and moved in front of him.
Ray Allen was startled. Although he was a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, he basically only took open three-pointers.
Facing Li Feng, a defensive stalwart, he dared not shoot. After a moment of hesitation, he passed the ball to Pierce.
Jeffries was guarding Pierce.
If he had been at full strength, Pierce would have easily dominated Jeffries. But Pierce had already played 35 minutes today, and Li Feng's constant off-ball movement had forced Pierce to chase him for a long time.
Pierce drove left and right, but he couldn't shake off Jeffries. His legs felt as heavy as lead.
His speed was completely suppressed.
With the shot clock running out, Pierce had to force a shot.
The result was a miss that seemed to fly to the moon, hitting the scoreboard.
Rivers, on the sideline, had a grim expression and kept shaking his head. He knew very well that the veteran players had reached their physical limits.
The Knicks home fans erupted in cheers!
With the Celtics unable to score, the Knicks had a chance.
Li Feng had already scored 71 points today, a career high, and he was still on the court, capable of scoring more!
The Knicks advanced. With 43 seconds left on the clock,
Li Feng received the ball from the backcourt. Rondo stepped up to apply pressure. Li Feng once again used a crossover to get past him and drove to the frontcourt.
Ray Allen and Pierce came to double-team. Facing these two veterans, Li Feng displayed his dribbling skills, combining the techniques of Irving and Iverson.
The two aging veterans were almost tripped by Li Feng's moves. Li Feng seized the opportunity to drive closer to the paint.
Garnett rushed to provide help defense, but Li Feng, without any hesitation, pulled up for a jump shot.
Li Feng was also tired and didn't want to force his way to the basket. He decided to rely on his shooting touch for an easy score.
Although Garnett's help defense was active, his speed had slowed considerably by this point, allowing Li Feng to shoot with ease.
Swish!
Two points were added. 119-117, the Knicks took the lead!
The fans at Madison Square Garden roared. This basket was crucial.
Only the big-hearted Li Feng could exude such confidence!
Rivers did not call for another timeout. He had resigned himself to the fact that Li Feng was unstoppable today.
Moreover, the Celtics had many veteran players who needed to conserve energy during the regular season. There was no need to fight to the death with a younger team during the regular season.
The Celtics initiated their offense. This time, Rondo did not pass. He intended to attack himself.
He realized that with the three veterans exhausted, he, as a younger player, had to step up.
However, Rondo was hesitant to go head-to-head with Li Feng. He called for a double screen, which effectively blocked Li Feng, and then drove into the paint.
At this point, Rondo's long-range shooting was unreliable, and he rarely shot threes. His only option was to drive to the basket for a score.
Once he reached the paint, Duhon came over to help. Rondo once again faked a behind-the-back pass, trying to fool Duhon.
Duhon was indeed deceived. He shifted his weight and reached out to intercept the passing lane.
Just as Rondo was about to drive to the basket, David Lee and Gallinari suddenly converged at the rim, blocking all his shooting space.
He couldn't even pass the ball out.
Rondo juked left and right, but ultimately, the 24-second shot clock expired.
Possession changed!
The Knicks' defense suddenly elevated their intensity, catching the Celtics off guard!
Li Feng excitedly rushed over to high-five his teammates, nodding and shouting, "Good job, good job!"
With only 19 seconds left in the game, just enough time for one possession, the Knicks had the ball.
The Celtics had no choice but to resort to fouling, sending Li Feng to the free-throw line.
Li Feng calmly sank both free throws. 78 points!
An extraordinary individual performance!
Some home fans were already chanting "81 points."
Kobe's 81 points had become an insurmountable hurdle for active players!
However, Li Feng was not deliberately trying to break that record.
In the subsequent fouls, Li Feng did not actively seek the ball. Duhon and David Lee took the free throws instead.
The Celtics were unable to mount a comeback and had to accept the bitter taste of defeat.
However, for the Celtics, they had no specific goals for the regular season other than making the playoffs, preferably as one of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Therefore, they were not too disheartened by the outcome of this game.
The moment the referee blew the whistle, Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers, celebrating this magnificent victory.
At the same time, more fans were witnessing Li Feng score a rare high number of points.
78 points!
The second-highest score among active players!
And this was achieved by Li Feng, a rookie in his first year.
Despite the Celtics being an older team, they were still a top team in the league. Li Feng's scoring ability was beyond question!
After the game, several veteran Celtics players graciously came over to congratulate Li Feng.
Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen surrounded Li Feng, praising him enthusiastically.
"Li Feng, you are a future superstar. We all have high hopes for you!"
"Good kid, you were ruthless today, scoring so many points, haha!"
"Li Feng, I hope we meet in the playoffs!"
…
Li Feng also showed great respect to the three superstars, nodding and saying, "I learned a lot from you all today. I also hope to have a good series with you in the playoffs! Keep up the good work!"
After the pleasantries, Li Feng walked to the sideline to acknowledge the excited crowd.
He was very grateful for the fans' support today.
When he reached 60 points, the crowd had already started cheering out his score.
The Knicks fans were the most lovable. As long as you played well, they would elevate you to the heavens.
…
David Lee grabbed the game ball and gave it to Li Feng for his collection.
It was indeed a memorable occasion. 78 points might be a score that a player might never surpass in their lifetime.
Of course, Li Feng was still young, and his skills were constantly improving. It was not impossible for him to break his own record again in the future.
Li Feng's eight regular-season games had been increasingly spectacular, solidifying his position as the league's brightest superstar.
All the media outlets were discussing this young man, questioning his ultimate potential.
However, fans of other superstars would occasionally express a bit of envy, as this was only the regular season, and Li Feng had not yet achieved any truly significant accolades.
After Li Feng scored 78 points, the voices of doubt became noticeably weaker. After all, he was just a rookie.
He needed time!
When Li Feng returned to his residence, his phone rang. Li Feng saw that it was Yao Ming calling.
One could imagine Yao Ming's shocked expression upon hearing that Li Feng had scored 78 points.
If they were face-to-face, Yao Ming might have even made a funny emoji.
"I'm really proud of you, Li Feng. I never thought China would finally have a superstar guard!"
Li Feng was also deeply moved. Yao Ming had always been so supportive and encouraging.
"Brother Yao, thank you for your encouragement. To be honest, scoring a lot of points doesn't mean much to me. As long as I can help the team, that's enough." kΑnshu伍.ξà
"Yes, and you won the game in the end, which is the best outcome!"
Yao Ming made this call partly to congratulate him and partly to gauge Li Feng's mindset.
If Li Feng became overconfident or arrogant after scoring so many points, Yao Ming would have to pour some cold water on him and bring him back to reality.
But he found Li Feng to be as calm as ever, which reassured Yao.
They chatted for a while longer before hanging up.
Today was destined to be an exciting night. Just after Li Feng finished talking with Yao, Yi Jianlian also called to congratulate him.
Then, he saw his phone constantly popping up with notification boxes. Many friends and acquaintances had sent him congratulatory messages.
An eight-game winning streak, consecutive high-scoring games, two Player of the Week awards!
As a rookie, Li Feng had achieved the ultimate.
…
Li Feng lay on his bed and remembered something that Bill Duffy had told him about Chinese sports brands.
He had heard of this domestic sports brand called Hongxing, but he didn't know much about it.
He was too focused during the game today, so he hadn't seen any sign of a Chinese owner.
Ring, ring, ring…
The phone rang again. Li Feng picked it up and saw that it was Bill Duffy calling.
It was as if speaking of the devil.
Li Feng had been thinking about asking Bill about the background of the Hongxing Sports owner tomorrow.
"Li Feng, sorry to bother you, are you... asleep?"
"Not yet, Bill. Is there anything urgent?"
Bill was clearly suppressing his excitement as he said, "Li Feng, first of all, congratulations on your high score in today's game!"
"Thank you, Bill. Anything else?"
"I have another piece of news. I've found out that Mr. Deng Huasheng, the owner of Hongxing Sports, has done a lot of charity work in China, especially in building Hope Primary Schools!"
"What surprised me even more, Li Feng, is that you are also sponsoring Hope Primary Schools, aren't you?"
Li Feng was taken aback and replied, "Yes."
The day after he signed his rookie contract, he had asked Bill Duffy to help him sponsor several Hope Primary Schools in China.
He hadn't expected that Mr. Deng Huasheng had already been doing so for many years, and on such a large scale.
Li Feng was touched when he heard this news.
While there were benevolent entrepreneurs among Chinese companies, there were also many who were driven purely by profit.
However, bosses like Deng Huasheng who quietly engaged in charity work were very rare.
Furthermore, Li Feng had heard that Hongxing Sports' business was not doing well, with very low profits, and even losses for two years.
Despite this, the owner, Deng Huasheng, insisted on doing charity work. Just for that spirit, it was truly commendable.
"Bill, is what you're saying true?"
"Of course, it's true. My sources are the most accurate, you can rest assured!"
Since Bill Duffy started collaborating with Yao Ming, he had expanded many of his connections in China, making him very well-informed.
Li Feng was silent for a moment. Bill knew he was thinking and waited quietly.
This was why Bill Duffy could maintain a long-term partnership with Yao Ming. He was very skilled at communicating with all sorts of people.
And most importantly, he respected the players' own choices.
"Bill, please help me contact Mr. Deng. I can talk to him."
As soon as Li Feng finished speaking, Bill smiled.
"What are you laughing at?" Li Feng asked in surprise.
"Just now, Deng Huasheng has already sent someone to find me. He's eager to talk to you about cooperation."
Li Feng smiled understandingly. It seemed that both parties were interested in cooperating, which was excellent.
Nothing was more romantic than a "mutual pursuit."
"That's great. How about this, um… let's have dinner tomorrow at noon. We can chat while we eat."
"No problem, I'll arrange it!"
…
The next day, at a Chinese restaurant in New York, Li Feng, Bill Duffy, and Deng Huasheng sat together.
Li Feng sized up Deng Huasheng. He appeared to be around fifty years old, of average height, about 1.8 meters. Although he was slightly overweight, it was evident that he enjoyed sports.
"Li Feng, I've been looking forward to meeting you. It's an honor!" Although Deng Huasheng was likely older than Li Feng's father, he presented himself with great respect.
Li Feng, not arrogant or presumptuous due to his stardom, extended his hand politely.
"Mr. Deng, it's an honor to meet you as well. I heard you've been doing a lot of charity work?"
Li Feng immediately brought up the topic of charity, and Deng Huasheng was slightly taken aback, finding it somewhat unexpected.
"Yes, that's what we entrepreneurs should do," Deng Huasheng replied casually.
It was clear that he did not consider charity as a means of showing off. Instead, he seemed reluctant to discuss it and, after a pause, changed the subject.
"Congratulations! Today, I had the honor of witnessing you score 78 points. It was truly a great performance!"
Li Feng smiled modestly, "It's nothing. I just had a good feeling today."
Bill Duffy watched them with a smile, and after a few pleasantries, he interjected, "Please, have a seat, you two. Let's chat while we eat!"
"Yes, yes, please sit down!"
After all three were seated, they ordered six dishes and one soup.
They did not order any alcoholic beverages, only a few glasses of lemon water.
Li Feng and Deng Huasheng chatted extensively.
From their conversation, Li Feng learned that operating domestic sports brands was not easy. It required building relationships and was difficult to enter the international market.