West's step-back was huge, and he drifted diagonally backward as he shot.
This type of shot was extremely difficult and demanded exceptional touch from the player.
West had great talent, and his success rate with this shot was quite good, making him unpredictable!
However, Li Feng had been watching from the sidelines and knew about his special move.
So, as West suddenly moved backward, Li Feng took a step and sprang up, shooting early to block the shot!
If he hadn't blocked it early, he wouldn't have been able to reach it at all.
Therefore, this was also a gamble!
If West had been faking, Li Feng would have been fooled.
But Li Feng won his gamble because with the shot clock winding down, West couldn't possibly be faking.
*Slap!*
Li Feng swatted the basketball away. West looked at Li Feng with a darkened expression, gritting his teeth in anger.
The ball flew to Du Hong, who, with quick reflexes, grabbed it and immediately started a fast break.
David Lee caught the ball on the right wing and scored on a layup!
Li Feng's entry into the game had an immediate effect.
West was completely shut down.
James had been standing by the sidelines, cheering for West.
He had hoped West could tie the score so the starters could come in and finish the game.
But as soon as Li Feng stepped onto the court, West went silent.
James dejectedly returned to his seat.
With over five minutes played in the fourth quarter, the Knicks had regained a seven-point lead.
The Cavaliers' starters returned to the court for one last push.
After James came on, his confidence was clearly lacking.
The Cavaliers ran a pick-and-roll again, and James took another shot!
*Clang!*
It bounced off the rim.
It seemed James's shooting touch was truly off.
The Knicks took advantage and initiated another fast break, with Li Feng slamming the ball home at the rim!
This counterattack hit James hard, making him even more hesitant to shoot.
Consequently, in the next few possessions, James didn't shoot but passed to his teammates.
Few of the Cavaliers' teammates had strong shooting abilities, so the outcome was predictable.
The Knicks quickly extended their lead to over ten points.
The arena fell silent, the boisterous crowd now quiet.
If the Cavaliers lost to the Knicks, not only would the Knicks solidify their position as the league's top team, but Li Feng would also surpass James in All-Star voting.
With 3 minutes and 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the score was 102:112.
Just as everyone thought the Cavaliers' defeat was inevitable, the referees suddenly started to intervene.
Although Li Feng had mentally prepared himself, encountering it in reality still made him uncomfortable.
Li Feng was called for three consecutive fouls on both offense and defense.
Adding to his two fouls in the first half, Li Feng now had five fouls.
D'Antoni's brows furrowed as he pondered whether to substitute Li Feng out.
With over three minutes left in the game, if Li Feng left the court, the ten-point lead wouldn't be secure.
Li Feng knew this; after all, James was Nike's star player, and he was a Red Star Sports contracted player, so the league would surely suppress him.
Of course, if Li Feng and James weren't in direct competition, the league wouldn't suppress Li Feng.
But now, with their personal vote counts and team records, they were diametrically opposed.
When paths cross, the braver one wins!
Li Feng gestured to D'Antoni, signaling: "Don't take me out, let's keep playing like this!"
"If you dare, foul me out!"
Seizing the moment while the Knicks players were stunned, James quickly took a fast break and scored, narrowing the gap to eight points.
The Knicks went on offense.
As Li Feng drove to the basket, James stepped up to block him.
Li Feng changed direction, getting past James. Their bodies made slight contact.
James, with his massive frame, fell to the ground.
*Beep!*
The referee blew his whistle, calling an offensive foul on Li Feng!
Foul out!
Li Feng stood there helplessly, shaking his head. James got up from the ground, triumphantly punching the air and letting out a roar!
The Knicks players were shocked; they knew that if Li Feng left the court, the Knicks would be no match for the Cavaliers.
However, Li Feng didn't complain; he had already had a premonition.
Li Feng walked off the court with a mocking smile, high-fived his teammates, and continued to encourage them.
D'Antoni was furious and began yelling at the referees in a frenzy.
The referees seemed a little hesitant and didn't give D'Antoni a technical foul, merely signaling a warning: "If you yell again, I'll eject you!"
Li Feng and an assistant coach rushed over to calm D'Antoni down.
With 2 minutes and 58 seconds remaining, the score was an eight-point difference.
The suspense remained, and the game continued.
The Cavaliers went on offense.
Without Li Feng, James quickly drove to the paint and passed to an open Gibson.
Without Li Feng's help defense, the Cavaliers had much more open space to shoot.
Gibson calmly pulled up for a long two-pointer and hit it.
The deficit shrunk to six points.
The Knicks went on offense. Du Hong passed the ball to Jordan Hill.
Just as Jordan Hill was about to shoot, James suddenly burst out and blocked the ball.
After the block, James immediately started a fast break, unstoppable.
*Bang!*
A classic tomahawk dunk!
The deficit instantly narrowed to four points.
D'Antoni had no choice but to call a timeout.
With 2 minutes and 23 seconds left, the score was a four-point difference.
The Cavaliers had gained momentum, and it was difficult for the Knicks to hold onto their victory.
D'Antoni stood by the sideline, shouting with his clipboard.
In fact, he knew that at this point, it all came down to who had the tougher star player.
Without Li Feng, the Knicks were a weak team, and with James, the Cavaliers were sure to reverse the outcome.
Li Feng suddenly walked up to his teammates and shouted, "Brothers, don't panic! It doesn't matter if I'm here or not. Just believe that we will win!"
His teammates exchanged glances. Li Feng's motivational speech was appealing, but what use was it?
Their abilities were evident.
They didn't know that Li Feng had activated his [Team Soul] skill, which would significantly boost his teammates' abilities.
"Defend even harder! Remember, now that I've been fouled out, you're safe, so you can play rough!"
Li Feng used psychological analysis to relieve his teammates' stress.
Referees indeed had a tendency to maintain balance.
They knew that getting Li Feng out of the game was somewhat unfair, so they would be more lenient with the other Knicks players.
After all, the other players weren't contracted by Red Star Sports.
As Li Feng had predicted, after the game resumed, the referees' calls on the Knicks suddenly became more lenient.
Lack of skill compensated by attitude!
The Knicks players fought fiercely, as if desperate.
Especially Du Hong, who shouted during the game, "For Li Feng, let's go all out!"
With the Knicks players defending with all their might, the Cavaliers' offense wasn't as smooth.
The two teams began to stalemate, with the Knicks maintaining a three or four-point lead.
James started to get anxious and drove to the basket.
But Jordan Hill was fierce, delivering a brutal block that sent James's layup flying.
James complained to the referee, claiming Jordan Hill had fouled him, but the referee remained unmoved.
Helpless, James increased his mid-range attempts.
Unfortunately, his mid-range touch suddenly went cold, missing three consecutive shots and losing the opportunity to tie the game.
With the Knicks players defending desperately, the Cavaliers ultimately failed to come back.
The Knicks won a hard-fought victory with a score of 116:113.
The moment the referee's whistle blew, the Knicks players hugged each other excitedly, surrounding Li Feng, tears of emotion welling up.
Li Feng shouted, "Brothers! You are the best! We won! We won!"
The spectators in the arena were greatly disappointed, sighing and leaving the stadium with their heads down.
Li Feng played 34 minutes today, scoring 38 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out 13 assists.
James played 35 minutes today, scoring 31 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists.
Judging by the stats, the difference wasn't significant, but Li Feng's performance today was clearly more outstanding.
After this game, Li Feng's All-Star voting surged, gaining over 120,000 more votes than James in a single day.
Barring any surprises, Li Feng was undoubtedly the fan favorite for this year's All-Star game.
The current voting rankings were: Li Feng first, James second, Kobe third, Howard fourth, and Wade fifth.
...
Just as Li Feng was preparing for the next game, Bill Duffy suddenly called him.
"Li Feng, do you know about the Kardashian family?"
Li Feng was taken aback and replied, "Yes, aren't they a family that became famous through hype?"
Bill Duffy laughed, "Yes. Yesterday, a friend asked me to introduce you to Jenner, hoping you two could become friends."
"Jenner?"
Li Feng recalled that Jenner was the only one in the Kardashian family who seemed to fit Eastern aesthetic standards.
In his previous life, Jenner had gone through many boyfriends, mostly NBA stars.
From Clarkson to Simmons, Griffin, Kuzma, Booker...
However, in 2009, Jenner hadn't started dating NBA stars yet.
She had just debuted in 2009, at the age of 17.
Thinking of Jenner's youthful appearance, Li Feng was indeed a little tempted. But he then thought about Jenner's string of boyfriends and gave up the idea.
"Forget it, Bill. I'm very busy lately preparing for the All-Star game, so I won't meet her."
Bill was a little surprised. He thought the Kardashian family was very good at creating buzz, and if Li Feng got together with Jenner, Li Feng's popularity would surely skyrocket.
Since Li Feng wasn't interested in Jenner, Bill reluctantly agreed, "Alright then, I'll decline for you."
After hanging up, Li Feng also forgot about the matter.
The Knicks' next game was an away game against the Grizzlies.
Due to Li Feng's intense effort in the previous game, his knees were a bit sore, so the management decided to let him rest for one game.
The Knicks played the Memphis Grizzlies away and lost the game.
The Grizzlies' "black and white bears," Randolph and Gasol, were an extremely dominant interior duo in the league.
The Knicks' interior was already weak, and facing the black and white bears, they couldn't hold on, falling behind by 18 points in the first half.
Li Feng remained in New York, continuing his training.
While Li Feng was sweating it out in the gym, a staff member walked in and mysteriously approached Li Feng.
"Is something wrong?" Li Feng asked in confusion.
"Li Feng, a girl is waiting for you outside, driving a Ferrari supercar."
Li Feng was surprised and asked, "Who? I don't have any female friends!"
The staff member shook his head, "I haven't seen her before either, but she's quite pretty. She asked me to tell you that she wants to have dinner with you."
"Quite pretty?"
Li Feng was bewildered and followed the staff member out of the gym.
Upon reaching the outside, Li Feng saw a red supercar parked at the side of the gym from a distance.
The staff member pointed it out and then discreetly walked away.
Li Feng slowly walked over and saw the car door open, with a girl jumping out.
"Jenner?"
Li Feng blurted out the name.
As someone who had transmigrated, he had seen Jenner in the news.
Jenner looked truly young at this time, only 17 years old.
Jenner was even more surprised. She had just debuted and wasn't famous yet.
Li Feng recognized her at first glance, which greatly surprised and delighted her.
She thought Li Feng had a crush on her.
"Li Feng, you know me?"
Li Feng then realized that it was currently 2009.
"Oh... I heard about you from my agent, and he showed me your photos, so..."
Jenner looked a little disappointed upon hearing this.
However, she smiled and said, "Alright, then we know each other. Can I invite you to dinner?"
Li Feng hesitated. If he went to dinner with her now, reporters would surely take photos, and gossip would spread.
Seeing Li Feng remain silent, Jenner said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm just your fan. Aren't you willing to grace me with your presence?"
Li Feng felt that Jenner was quite sincere. To flatly refuse her would indeed hurt her feelings deeply.
"Okay, then wait for me for a bit. I'll take a shower and change my clothes."
Seeing Li Feng agree, Jenner was very happy and jumped twice playfully.
"Great, then I'll wait for you!"
Li Feng returned to the gym, took a shower, changed into casual clothes, and then got into Jenner's car.
During dinner, Jenner did most of the talking, while Li Feng spoke very little.
Jenner certainly didn't know that Li Feng was a transmigrator, so he maintained a consistently distant attitude towards her.
After dinner, Li Feng didn't make any further arrangements with her and simply went home.
For a girl like Jenner, who had been pampered since childhood, Li Feng was simply too aloof.
People are perverse; the colder Li Feng treated Jenner, the more enthusiastic she became.
From then on, whenever Li Feng was in New York, Jenner would wait for him outside the gym every day after his training, inviting him to dinner.
Li Feng was distressed and didn't know what to do, as he had clearly told Jenner not to wait for him there.
Moreover, Li Feng had subtly expressed his attitude: he didn't want to be in a relationship right now!
But Jenner's advances were relentless; she completely disregarded Li Feng's wishes and continued to wait for him outside the gym every day.
Helpless, Li Feng called Bill Duffy for help.
"Bill, I'm really at my wit's end. That Jenner waits for me at the gym every day. What should I do?"
Bill laughed heartily, "You kid, you're so blessed but don't appreciate it! Do you know how many wealthy young men would love to have dinner with Jenner?"
Li Feng pouted, "I'm not interested. Help me find a solution quickly, I'm going crazy!"