Li Feng sat on the sidelines, not rushing to enter the court. He watched Yi Jianlian play with excellent competitive form and was genuinely happy for him.
However, as an opponent, Li Feng remained expressionless. He would only jump up to cheer for his Knicks teammates when they made a good play.
Under the leadership of Yi Jianlian, the Nets' bench players dominated the Knicks' reserves.
With 5 minutes and 34 seconds gone in the second quarter, the score was 40:33, with the Knicks trailing by 7 points!
D'Antoni, fidgeting restlessly, quickly substituted Li Feng and other starters onto the court during a dead ball.
Yi Jianlian did not leave the court to rest. Coach Frank wanted him to continue playing, likely aware that this was a Chinese derby and wanting Yi Jianlian to have more court time.
Furthermore, Yi Jianlian was shooting well today, making 7 out of 12 shots for 16 points and 7 rebounds, which the coach was very pleased with.
The Knicks' starters entering the game instantly changed the momentum.
Li Feng intensified his drives to the basket on offense. The Nets' interior defense was relatively weak, with both Lopez and Yi Jianlian being offensive-minded but defensively challenged big men, similar to the Knicks' interior players.
In less than two minutes, Li Feng drew two fouls on the Nets, two on Lopez and one on Yi Jianlian.
The Nets' head coach had no choice but to substitute both players.
The Nets' interior defense was already not strong, and with their starters now off the court, the Knicks completely exploded.
David Lee and Jordan Hill got many open looks and converted most of them.
The Knicks' home fans were ecstatic, the arena roaring with cheers. The Knicks had given them too many surprises this season.
With 8 minutes and 13 seconds left in the second quarter, the Knicks led by 14 points.
52:38!
Nets head coach Frank helplessly called another timeout.
Li Feng's surge had made the Nets extremely uncomfortable, unable to keep pace with the Knicks' tempo on either the perimeter or inside.
It wasn't surprising, as Li Feng had just played against top teams like the Spurs and Magic, and now facing the Nets, he felt it was relatively easy.
Coach Frank had no great solutions. He could only instruct the Nets players to try their best to contain Li Feng, not just his scoring but also his passing.
The Nets led by Frank had faced the Suns last season and hadn't felt this much difficulty.
He felt that run-and-gun 2.0 was even more terrifying than 1.0, all because of Li Feng!
With a significant lead, Li Feng felt he could let the reserves play more. After all, against weaker teams, his teammates needed more practice.
Li Feng didn't care about his own stats anyway.
After the timeout, Frank was overjoyed to see that the Knicks had taken Li Feng off the court.
Larry Hughes from the bench replaced Li Feng.
Hughes was not a rookie but a veteran with good scoring ability and a decent number of assists.
However, he wasn't skilled at playing the run-and-gun offense.
D'Antoni had low expectations for him, only asking him to maintain a fast tempo on the court when he was with the second unit.
Larry Hughes was a very hardworking player. Despite it being his first time experiencing the run-and-gun offense, he tried his best to adapt.
In the previous few games, Larry Hughes had struggled, but during practice, Li Feng had been training with him, helping him adjust his game tempo.
As a result, his improvement was rapid.
Of course, he still found it challenging when facing the Spurs and Magic.
But today, facing the Nets, he finally played much more smoothly. Li Feng excitedly waved his towel from the sideline, cheering for Larry Hughes.
At halftime, the score was 62:60, with the Knicks leading by 2 points.
Larry Hughes, coming off the bench for Li Feng, scored 6 points and dished out 4 assists, performing quite well against the Nets' starting lineup.
As the Knicks players walked off the court, Li Feng met each teammate on the sideline for a hug and encouragement.
He hugged Larry Hughes the longest, patting his back repeatedly and praising him for doing a great job!
Yi Jianlian played very well today, logging 17 minutes in the first half and scoring 18 points, his most efficient game of the season.
He himself was surprised, not knowing why his shot felt so good today.
He probably never dreamed that Li Feng would use his cheat abilities to help him improve.
The second half began, and Li Feng returned to the court.
Yi Jianlian once again became the Nets' primary scorer, hitting the first three-pointer of the second half!
Li Feng was pleasantly surprised, seeing the change in Yi Jianlian.
Previously, Yi Jianlian rarely shot three-pointers, as traditional big men were expected to battle it out in the paint.
This was why Nowitzki was once called a "softie," when in reality, Dirk was anything but soft, his shooting ability was just too strong!
Now, both Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian were influenced by Li Feng, increasing their three-point attempts and entering the era of small ball earlier.
In Li Feng's previous life, it would take a few more years for the explosion of Curry and the Warriors to truly usher in the small ball era.
In this life, Li Feng had brought the NBA into the small ball era ahead of schedule.
However, as an opponent, Li Feng had to respond with toughness.
On the Knicks' offense, Li Feng switched to defend Yi Jianlian.
Despite Yi Jianlian's efforts to defend closely, Li Feng used a simple jab-step and fake to shift Yi Jianlian's balance.
Just as Yi Jianlian thought he had been fooled and lunged forward again, Li Feng pulled up for a step-back jumper.
Swish!
A three-point response!
Yi Jianlian shook his head slightly, admitting defeat to Li Feng's skills.
Although Yi Jianlian played well, Li Feng's team was still superior, and the Knicks' lead continued to grow.
With 8 minutes and 35 seconds into the third quarter, the score was 79:71, with the Knicks leading by 8 points.
Li Feng then subbed out again, and Larry Hughes entered the game.
Yi Jianlian was playing with great enthusiasm today, and Coach Frank also gave him opportunities, so Yi Jianlian played the entire third quarter.
Although the point differential narrowed again, the Knicks maintained control.
In other words, Li Feng held the initiative.
In the fourth quarter, Li Feng returned to the court and, in just 6 minutes, extended the lead to over 15 points, solidifying their victory.
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Nets at home 106:97, achieving their sixth consecutive win!
Li Feng played 28 minutes, scoring 31 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out 13 assists!
This was Li Feng's fifth triple-double of the regular season.
His efficiency was astonishing!
Yi Jianlian also had a good game today, playing 32 minutes and scoring 27 points, with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
This was Yi Jianlian's season high, and the Chinese derby was played very well.
After the game, Li Feng and Yi Jianlian hugged for several seconds.
"Brother Yi, you played great. Keep it up! You'll make it with the Nets, and I hope we can meet in the playoffs!"
Yi Jianlian's only goal when he first joined the NBA was to become a qualified starting player; he hadn't dared to dream of the playoffs.
But through a few games this season, he felt he had made great progress.
Combined with the encouragement from Li Feng and Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian's confidence grew significantly.
"Li Feng, it's great that you joined the NBA. I feel you've helped me a lot."
"Don't be silly, it's your own effort. I didn't help you much; what you need is confidence. Remember, so many fans in China are supporting us!"
"Yes, for the Chinese fans, I will continue to work hard!"
Several photographers focused their lenses on the two, capturing an unforgettable moment.
Back in the locker room, Li Feng was celebrating the victory with his teammates when his phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up and saw it was a call from Yao Ming.
He answered, and Yao Ming's hearty voice came through –
"Li Feng, you and Brother Yi both played very well. I just watched your game!"
It turned out to be a congratulatory call from Yao Ming. Li Feng smiled and replied, "Brother Yao, don't you have a game later? Why are you watching ours?"
"Our western conference game starts later, so I was watching. My Rockets teammates were also watching; it was really good!"
"Thank you for the encouragement, Brother Yao. How are you... how are you doing with the Rockets?"
Li Feng didn't speak directly but subtly inquired about Yao Ming's current situation with the Rockets.
Yao Ming fell silent for two seconds, then sighed softly and said slowly, "Let's talk more after my game..."
Li Feng understood the general situation. It seemed the information revealed by Bill Duffy earlier was accurate; Yao Ming was indeed unhappy with the Rockets.
It was inconvenient to discuss such matters in the locker room.
Li Feng immediately said, "Alright, Brother Yao. I wish you a smooth game, so you should prepare for it now."
"Okay, I'll call you after the game!"
...
Li Feng returned to his residence and turned on the TV to watch Yao Ming's game.
Today, the Rockets were playing an away game against the Trail Blazers.
Head coach Adelman treated Yao Ming very well and valued him, but he was an old-school coach.
Therefore, he didn't want Yao Ming to shoot three-pointers and also didn't want him to lose weight; instead, he wanted Yao Ming to continue gaining weight.
However, since changing his playing style at the Olympics, Yao Ming had learned a lot from Li Feng and sensed the trend of modern basketball.
To extend his professional career, he firmly disagreed with gaining weight.
This led to a conflict between him and Adelman.
Of course, Yao Ming was not a troublesome star; he still respected his coach and was always discussing with him.
But Adelman was a stubborn old man; as soon as he saw Yao Ming shoot three-pointers on the court, he would immediately substitute him with a cold expression.
Moreover, he prohibited Yao Ming from speeding up and playing fast breaks during practice.
As a result, Yao Ming played very uncomfortably and was depressed.
Li Feng held the remote control, watching the Rockets' game, and shook his head slightly.
The Rockets' style of play was too outdated.
Ten years ago, they might have been considered a strong team, but in this era, Yao Ming truly couldn't handle it.
Every possession involved settling into half-court sets, then grinding out points inside and engaging in physical battles with opposing big men.
Then, with a three-pointer on the other end, the score would be reversed.
Li Feng saw the frustration and exhaustion on Yao Ming's face and felt sad for him, regretting it.
Yao Ming was nearing 30, and with his massive weight, if not managed properly, he wouldn't last many more years.
The Rockets played a tough game today, with the Trail Blazers' Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge causing significant trouble for Yao Ming.
On defense, Yao Ming also had to engage in physical battles with his opponents.
Ultimately, the Rockets lost to the Trail Blazers by 5 points on the road.
Yao Ming played 33 minutes today, scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, a double-double.
He had done his absolute best, but the Trail Blazers' more aggressive style of play kept the Rockets on the defensive.
After the game, Li Feng saw the helplessness in Yao Ming's eyes and sighed again.
About an hour later, Li Feng estimated that Yao Ming should have returned to the hotel, so he called him.
Yao Ming was waiting for Li Feng's call.
"Brother Yao, don't be too upset. You did your best today, and the Rockets' inside game wasn't at a disadvantage."
Yao Ming gave a wry smile, "Thanks for the comfort. I can't help it; I was too tired today."
"Brother Yao, is there no one else around you?"
"No, go ahead."
"Brother Yao, why don't you request a trade... The Rockets are wasting your prime!" Li Feng stated with certainty.
Yao Ming fell silent. He had played for the Rockets for eight years, giving his all and doing everything he could.
Now, with injuries piling up, if he didn't lose weight, he would indeed have to retire early.
Seeing Yao Ming remain silent, Li Feng continued, "Brother Yao, the NBA is just a commercial league. I know you don't want to leave easily, especially with so many fans in Houston."
"But you have to understand that the vast majority of Rockets fans are your fans. You don't owe the Rockets anything. From a business perspective, the Rockets' team value has increased severalfold because of you!"
"Don't you want to play a few more years? I'm still hoping we can team up on the international stage!"
Li Feng's sincere words from the heart touched Yao Ming.
He made up his mind and said, word by word, "Alright, I'll talk to the Rockets management about it now. If they don't let me play the game reasonably, I'll request a trade!"
Li Feng was ecstatic.
The Knicks' management had been looking for suitable interior players, and D'Antoni had also repeatedly requested trades from management.
If the Knicks could indeed acquire Yao Ming, they could truly take off.
With one inside and one outside Chinese player, they would create a Chinese whirlwind in the league!
"Brother Yao, I'm so happy! The Knicks have also been struggling with interior issues lately. Do you know about our last game against the Magic?"
"Yes, I watched it. Howard really bullied your interior players."
"Yes, I was thinking then, if you were here, Brother Yao, Howard wouldn't have had such an easy time."
"That's true... I have a good strategy against Howard," Yao Ming said, with a hint of pride in his voice.
Li Feng laughed, "Then I'll be waiting for your good news!"
...
After hanging up the phone, Li Feng was extremely excited and jumped around in his room.
He was already envisioning the changes the Knicks would undergo with Yao Ming's arrival, making them an invincible powerhouse.
Many people say Yao Ming isn't suited for modern basketball, but they are blinded by his later performances.
If Yao Ming hadn't gained weight and played fewer minutes, he could have been a devastating force on the court.
With his shooting touch, his three-point range wouldn't be worse than Nowitzki's.
Combined with Yao Ming's defensive capabilities, the Rockets wouldn't have been eliminated in the second round.
Therefore, many Rockets fans lamented for Yao Ming, feeling he was undervalued in Houston and should have requested a trade earlier to find a team that suited him.