Chapter 1 The First Quarter Battle
The first quarter's battle reached 9 minutes and 26 seconds, with the score at 26:24, the Clippers leading by 2 points.
Li Feng had scored 8 points, with 3 spectacular alley-oop dunks and 3 assists.
Griffin had contributed 10 points and was also playing well. He held an advantage against the Knicks' interior presence.
As long as he didn't compete directly with Li Feng, he was the strongest power forward among the rookies.
Although Li Feng could occasionally rotate to help defend, Griffin had become more cunning. Whenever Li Feng rotated, he would pass the ball.
Griffin's passing was also good, with great court vision. Gordon was shooting very well from beyond the arc today, making 2 out of 3 three-pointers, making him a stable shooter for the Clippers.
Li Feng and the starters went to the bench to rest. He frowned, contemplating their strategy.
The Clippers' style of play was unique, with a good combination of inside and outside play.
Davis, avoiding Li Feng and facing Duhon, and even Jeffries, had a significant advantage and was very sharp with his drives.
The battle between the reserves also saw the Clippers holding the advantage.
DJ Mbenga, Camby, DeAndre Jordan, Novak, Blake – all were formidable players.
The Clippers continued to lead, widening the gap.
However, the Knicks' reserves played with great effort, so while the gap widened, Larry Hughes was always able to score, doing his best to prevent the game from becoming a blowout.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 31:27, with the Clippers leading by 4 points.
DeAndre Jordan was still a reserve this year, but his phenomenal physical abilities were already on full display.
On several occasions, he grabbed rebounds and scored with putback dunks against the Knicks' reserve interior defense.
Li Feng marveled at DeAndre Jordan's leaping ability.
The Clippers' talent was truly impressive. With Paul arriving next year, they should theoretically be able to reach the Finals.
But why couldn't they even reach the Western Conference Finals?
Li Feng still couldn't understand.
Chapter 2 The Clash of Titans
The second quarter's battle reached 5 minutes and 14 seconds, with the score at 38:32, the Clippers leading by 6 points.
D'Antoni quickly put the starters back on the court, as the Clippers' talent made him feel a sense of danger.
In the NBA, talent wasn't the sole determining factor, but teams filled with talent always evoked a sense of despair.
After Li Feng returned to the court, the Clippers still kept DeAndre Jordan in the game and did not substitute in Kaman.
Facing DeAndre Jordan, Li Feng felt a desire to challenge his leaping ability.
The Knicks were on offense. Li Feng gestured to his teammates again, signaling his intention to attempt an alley-oop dunk right in front of DeAndre Jordan!
David Lee received the pass and, seeing Li Feng drive to the basket, tossed the ball up.
However, David Lee's passing skills were not top-notch, and the pass was a bit too low.
Li Feng and DeAndre Jordan jumped simultaneously.
DeAndre Jordan's burst of speed was also top-tier, so he grabbed the ball a step ahead of Li Feng.
Li Feng's alley-oop attempt failed, but he was not discouraged. He nodded and shouted at DeAndre Jordan, "I'll dunk on you!"
DeAndre Jordan sneered contemptuously, "You? You should just rest! It's more likely I'll dunk on you!"
The two began exchanging trash talk, their words flowing incessantly.
The sideline cameras seized the moment, capturing the scene.
The crowd began to roar, as they loved to see this kind of verbal sparring. The game needed more intensity to be interesting.
The Clippers went on offense, and DeAndre Jordan set up in the post, raising his hands to signal for an alley-oop from his teammate.
Davis understood immediately and threw the ball towards the basket.
DeAndre Jordan pushed past David Lee, leaped high, preparing for a thunderous alley-oop.
Suddenly, a small figure flew up from DeAndre Jordan's rear side, right hand raised, also reaching for the ball!
Just as DeAndre Jordan's hand touched the ball, Li Feng got to it first, batting the ball off the backboard.
Catching the ball in front of DeAndre Jordan was impossible, given DeAndre Jordan's height.
The ball bounced far, and Gallo grabbed it, initiating a counter-attack.
DeAndre Jordan landed on the ground, looking at Li Feng with disbelief, unable to speak.
Li Feng wagged a finger at DeAndre Jordan and smiled, saying, "You can't dunk on me!"
DeAndre Jordan huffed in anger, saying nothing, but he was a man who held grudges. He vowed to dunk on Li Feng today!
The Knicks initiated a fast break, and Duhon scored on a layup.
Over the next few possessions, Li Feng and DeAndre Jordan became locked in a battle.
Li Feng knew DeAndre Jordan's physical conditioning was explosive. His previous failed attempt made him even more cautious.
He needed to find a moment where the timing of his jump was perfectly suited to dunk on DeAndre Jordan.
After waiting for several minutes, the opportunity finally arose.
Li Feng made an off-ball cut in the frontcourt, weaving past Davis and Griffin, driving to the basket.
Duhon tossed the ball into the air, and Li Feng leaped again.
DeAndre Jordan rotated to contest and jumped simultaneously, raising both arms high, bearing down on Li Feng.
The message was clear: even if it meant a foul, he would block Li Feng.
This was a matter of pride!
Li Feng's jump this time was truly all-out, holding nothing back, especially against a dominant center with top-tier physical capabilities.
In terms of sheer strength, he was even stronger than Howard.
Li Feng caught the ball with his right hand, skillfully evaded in the air, and slammed the ball into the basket between DeAndre Jordan's outstretched arms!
This evasion was incredibly difficult; he had to contract his body first, otherwise, DeAndre Jordan would have swatted the ball away.
Bang!
The basketball was smashed into the basket. Almost simultaneously, DeAndre Jordan collided with Li Feng's body.
The scene was incredibly impactful, the small Li Feng colliding with the large DeAndre Jordan.
No matter how strong Li Feng was, he couldn't gain an advantage in the air, so he was sent flying backward.
DeAndre Jordan was also pushed back half a step by the collision.
Whistle!
The referee blew his whistle, calling a blocking foul on DeAndre Jordan.
Li Feng fell to the ground, rolled over, and lay there motionless.
Li Feng's teammates were terrified and rushed over, crouching down to check on his injury.
In reality, Li Feng was not injured, but it did hurt. At the moment of his dunk, he had to make contact with DeAndre Jordan.
DeAndre Jordan also clutched his chest in pain, rubbing it and frowning deeply!
Li Feng recovered for a moment and slowly stood up.
Fortunately, he had the system's [Damage Immunity Skill], otherwise, he would have been completely broken apart by that collision.
Seeing Li Feng stand up, a portion of the Staples Center crowd actually applauded, cheering for Li Feng's resilience.
"Are you okay?" David Lee asked with concern.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, let's keep playing!" Li Feng waved his hand, also rubbing his chest to indicate he wasn't injured.
The team doctor also came over to ask a few questions, and then felt relieved.
Li Feng was incredibly excited; he had finally dunked on DeAndre Jordan! This game was already a success.
This dunk was a huge morale booster. The Knicks players were all exhilarated.
The Clippers players, on the other hand, were somewhat stunned, as it was too incredible for a guard like Li Feng to dunk on DeAndre Jordan.
After all, Li Feng was only a 6'3" guard, not a nearly 6'7" guard like Jordan or Kobe.
In the latter part of the second quarter, the Knicks slowly began to catch up.
As Li Feng made a floater, the two teams were tied again!
At this point, with 43 seconds left in the second quarter, both teams theoretically had one more offensive opportunity.
It all depended on who could enter the second half with a lead.
The Clippers were on offense, and Griffin received the ball in the low post.
Li Feng was at the 45-degree angle, so Griffin could confidently drive to the basket.
David Lee truly couldn't match Griffin's strength and was gradually pushed towards the basket by Griffin.
Swish!
Griffin pushed David Lee aside and drove to the basket, attempting a reverse layup.
Gallinari rushed over to provide help defense, blocking Griffin's path to the basket.
Griffin reacted quickly. Seeing no open space, he passed the ball to DeAndre Jordan, who was cutting towards the basket.
DeAndre Jordan received the pass and slammed it home with a thunderous dunk, Bang!
The dunk was incredibly powerful, causing the basket frame to shake violently.
56:54, the Clippers led by 2 points.
There were only 18 seconds left in the game.
Li Feng had the ball in the backcourt and signaled to his teammates.
Davis was guarding him full-court, trying to pressure Li Feng.
But with a crossover and a burst of speed, Li Feng crossed the half-court line, leaving Davis helpless.
After crossing the half-court line, the Clippers players immediately came to help, with Gordon and Griffin closing in.
However, Li Feng looked left and right, seemingly about to pass, which made the Clippers players nervous. Griffin and Gordon instinctively took half a step back.
Li Feng wanted exactly this effect.
At this point, just past the half-court line, taking advantage of the momentary retreat of the two defenders, Li Feng suddenly shot!
Griffin was shocked, realizing he had been tricked. He quickly lunged, but Li Feng had already released the ball.
Plop!
Griffin overreacted and crashed his entire body onto Li Feng.
Li Feng was knocked to the ground, and the ball traced an arc towards the basket!
Swish! The ball went in!
Whistle! The referee's whistle blew!
A three-point play!
It was miraculous!
Li Feng's Knicks teammates rushed over, helping him up and chest-bumping him in celebration.
This play was incredibly stylish. The only regret was that it left the Clippers with just over 4 seconds of offensive time.
Li Feng walked to the free-throw line, steadied himself, took a deep breath, and sank the additional free throw!
58:56, the Knicks had taken a 2-point lead!
The Clippers quickly inbounded the ball, and Davis sprinted across the half-court line.
Just as he was about to attempt a long three-pointer to respond, Li Feng flew through the air again and fiercely swatted the ball out of bounds. The ball flew directly into the spectator stands.
The game clock lit up, and the first half concluded!
Even though Davis might not have made the shot, Li Feng extinguished the Clippers' slightest hope!
The Knicks players excitedly ran over, high-fiving Li Feng again.
Li Feng was simply everywhere!
Davis's face was ashen. He glanced at Li Feng and walked off the court in dejection.
On the TNT broadcast, Barkley, Smith, and Reggie Miller were calling the game.
Barkley, having been won over by Li Feng, hadn't become a complete "honey" (a fan), and would still criticize Li Feng when he didn't play well.
However, overall, he had given Li Feng a fair evaluation.
"Li Feng's competitive spirit is very strong today; he actually dunked on Griffin and DeAndre Jordan consecutively!"
"Yes, this isn't something a guard should be doing. It's terrifying."
"I've compiled some statistics... Li Feng attempted 7 dunks today and made 5. Incredible!"
"Exactly, I noticed he attempts dunks against big men in the paint, but not against perimeter players."
"Perhaps he finds dunking on interiors more challenging."
...
Li Feng had not only won over the fans but also the media. Most other commentators had basically become "Feng MIs" (fans of Li Feng).
In the Clippers' locker room, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had grim expressions.
As the interior defensive anchors of the team, they had been dunked on by Li Feng consecutively, and then blown their lead and fallen behind in the final moments.
This game had been played with immense frustration.
"Brothers, no matter what it takes in the second half, we have to contain Li Feng!" DeAndre Jordan shouted.
Griffin knew that DeAndre Jordan was getting agitated.
Although DeAndre Jordan wasn't a bad person, his temper was indeed explosive, and he might resort to excessive actions.
While Griffin wanted to suppress Li Feng, he and Li Feng were good friends, so he didn't want Jordan to do anything detrimental to Li Feng.
He patted DeAndre Jordan's arm and whispered, "Li Feng is my friend, so be mindful of your actions."
Griffin's words calmed DeAndre Jordan down. He scratched his head and smiled, "I know, I know..."
...
The second half of the game began.
The Clippers indeed intensified their defensive pressure. Wherever Li Feng went, two defenders followed him.
Li Feng wasn't in a hurry. Since they were pressing him so tightly, he decided to pass more.
The Knicks resumed their 4-on-3 offense.
Duhon's playmaking ability improved rapidly, mainly due to Li Feng's gravity.
Gallinari received a pass from Duhon in the corner and shot a three-pointer. Swish!
Three-pointer made!
The Clippers were not to be outdone. Gordon, at the top of the arc, faced Duhon and hit a pull-up three-pointer as well.
Both teams were playing at a fast pace, with the score remaining within three to five points.
Li Feng sensed that the game would be decided in the fourth quarter today, so he wasn't rushing. He let his teammates play, which also helped them find their shooting rhythm.
The Clippers' head coach, Dunleavy, did not want this.
He knew Li Feng's scoring explosiveness. In several previous games, the teams had been neck-and-neck until the end, and then Li Feng would unleash a surge and win the game.
To defeat the Knicks, Dunleavy believed they had to pull away in the third quarter.
So, he instructed his players to focus on feeding Gordon and Griffin, as both of them had decent shooting hands.
The Knicks slowly began to fall behind.
Li Feng felt a sense of unease and wanted to exert more effort, but the Clippers' defensive intensity was truly immense.
They preferred to send Li Feng to the free-throw line rather than let him initiate offense.
At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led 86:81, a 5-point advantage.
The deficit wasn't large, but Li Feng was indeed being contained.
In the fourth quarter, Li Feng would likely rest for a while. If the Clippers managed to go on a run, they could very well extend their lead.
Li Feng's energy expenditure was high. He walked off the court, breathing heavily. D'Antoni didn't say much, just patted Li Feng's shoulder.
Everything was understood without words. Li Feng had already given his absolute best.
In the third quarter, Li Feng had three more alley-oop assists, leaving him 2 short of 10.
But he no longer cared about that; his sole focus was on winning the game.
Larry Hughes walked over and volunteered, "Li Feng, you rest more. I'll do my best to keep the deficit within 5 points!"
Li Feng was touched. He high-fived Larry Hughes and said, "Just do your best. It's okay, we're a team!"
"Alright, just watch!"
Larry Hughes had essentially made a pledge.
Motivated by Li Feng, the Knicks players were full of fighting spirit, no longer playing solely for money as they might have in the past.
Grit was becoming the Knicks' new identity!