Mark Jackson stood on the sideline with his arms crossed, a look of helplessness on his face.
Li Feng, facing two Warriors guards alone, was doing so with ease and enjoyment. It was utterly humiliating.
The score difference, which was originally seven points, had widened to sixteen by halftime due to the "efforts" of the main players.
67:51.
...
In the tn.t live broadcast room, Barkley erupted in cheers.
"Haha, have the Knicks finally woken up? They just beat the Western Conference's number one team, and now they're going to beat the second!"
"Yes, the Christmas Day victory seems to have given the team great confidence and increased their cohesion."
"However, the Warriors still have an advantage in the paint. If they can adjust their tactics in the second half and stop battling the Knicks on the perimeter, the Warriors will still have the upper hand."
"Barkley, your analysis is very insightful. It all depends on Jackson's ability to adjust."
...
As the second half began, Jackson indeed calmed down, adjusted the focus of their offense, and shifted from the perimeter to the interior.
Jokic once again became the Knicks' weakness. Bogut and David Lee received passes from the perimeter and targeted Jokic in the post.
As a result, less than five minutes into the third quarter, Jokic had already committed four fouls.
De'Anthoni, helpless, had to substitute Jokic out, bringing in Chandler.
The deficit was narrowed to five points.
The second-ranked team in the West indeed had strength, and there was a gap in the Knicks' overall performance.
In the latter half of the third quarter and throughout the fourth, Thompson suddenly exploded, hitting consecutive three-pointers.
Furthermore, Lowry's defense effectively contained Curry.
Ultimately, the Knicks were defeated by the Warriors on the road.
Although Li Feng scored 42 points in this game, Curry's performance in the second half was average, only managing 23 points.
The Warriors, relying on their advantage in the paint, ultimately emerged victorious.
Looking at the result, it seemed as though Curry was inferior to Lowry, who scored 33 points that day.
However, Curry's potential was evident, and Li Feng knew in his heart that Curry was on the verge of a breakthrough.
After losing this game, the Knicks dropped back to ninth in the Eastern Conference. The media began their barrage of criticism, which Li Feng ignored.
Preparations for the 2013 All-Star Game were underway.
In the first round of voting, Wade was ranked first, towering above the rest.
Durant was second, trailing Wade by over ten thousand votes, and James was third, not far behind Durant, trailing by just over two thousand votes.
Kobe was fourth, and Li Feng was fifth.
Lowry, thanks to his performance with the Warriors this season, ranked ninth in the All-Star voting.
Curry was ranked eleventh.
The media and fans expressed their regret, surprised that Li Feng had fallen from the league's pinnacle so quickly.
Fans were also realistic; they paid attention to team performance.
Moreover, Li Feng had only been in the league for three years, so his fan base wasn't particularly deep, with a significant portion being bandwagon fans.
When the Knicks were performing well and Li Feng was playing brilliantly, these bandwagon fans were happy, engaging in online arguments and showing off.
As soon as Li Feng started playing poorly, these bandwagon fans would swiftly change their tune, immediately becoming critics and attacking Li Feng.
Li Feng, who wasn't very interested in the All-Star Game anyway, paid it no mind.
He wanted to use the All-Star break as an opportunity to rest.
Therefore, in a game before the All-Star break, Li Feng feigned a twisted ankle and left the court early.
This was not because Li Feng was a sore loser or didn't care about the fans, but rather he felt that with the team's poor performance, he needed a few days to clear his head and contemplate the team's future.
His agent, Bill Duffy, called Li Feng.
Recently, Yao Ming's retirement, Yi Jianlian's demotion to a reserve role, and the Knicks' poor performance combined to cause significant losses for Red Star Sports.
If Li Feng were to skip the All-Star Game as well, it would further exacerbate the decline in Red Star Sports' sales.
"Li Feng, you must be aware that Red Star Sports' sales have been declining for two consecutive months..."
"Bill, I know. Don't worry. We developed too quickly in the past few years; it's good to have a buffer," Li Feng said calmly.
Seeing Li Feng so composed, Bill Duffy didn't push the matter further.
"Alright, then what do you think are the Knicks' chances of winning the championship this year?"
"Not high. The team needs to gel, but I won't give up. The playoffs are our stage!"
Although Li Feng's tone was calm, Bill Duffy detected the ambition hidden within.
"That's great! I knew you wouldn't let the Knicks fall so quickly. Oh, by the way, there's a charity event next week. Will you participate?"
Bill Duffy thought Li Feng might not want to participate due to his recent mood.
To his surprise, Li Feng replied, "A charity event? Of course, I'll participate. I'll go with my teammates!"
Bill Duffy admired Li Feng's kindness, knowing full well that Li Feng's charity events were never just for show.
Even now, when Li Feng was in a slump, his charitable activities hadn't diminished; he attended all the events he was expected to, put in considerable effort, and made substantial donations.
Li Feng's philanthropy was never a publicity stunt; he hoped to help more children and vulnerable groups.
The All-Star Game commenced.
Li Feng's vote count surged in the following days, surpassing Kobe and James, and trailing Durant by only a few hundred votes, placing him third.
But none of that mattered anymore.
On the first day of the All-Star break, Li Feng met with Jokic.
Jokic was diligent. He had initially planned to spend a few days with his family in Serbia during the All-Star break.
After all, he was only 18, far from home for the first time.
However, the Knicks' poor performance this season, with their weak interior presence being a primary reason, led Jokic to decide against returning to Serbia and instead stay in the US to continue training.
When Li Feng learned that Jokic hadn't returned to Europe, he was surprised and immediately rushed to the training facility. Indeed, Jokic was still there, drenched in sweat from his training.
"Teacher Yo, you really didn't go back to Europe?" Li Feng greeted Jokic with a smile.
Jokic didn't know why Li Feng called him "Teacher Yo."
If they hadn't known each other well, he might have thought Li Feng was mocking him.
But Li Feng had always supported him, so Jokic didn't mind.
"Brother Feng, I have nothing to do back home, so it's better to practice here. By the way, why didn't you go out with your wife?"
News of Li Feng's marriage to Jenna had long been announced, but their unique professions meant that their lives were not much different from before their marriage.
"I'm too lazy to go out. Your wife is very busy; she went to Paris last week."
As he spoke, Li Feng took off his jacket, changed into his training gear, and began training with Jokic.
Jokic had actually made considerable progress over the first half of the season, but his starting point was low, and he lacked experience. Consequently, he wasn't yet at the level of an average starting center in the NBA.
However, Li Feng was patient; he wanted to take a gamble.
Although a four-peat was alluring, he could only do his best. A three-peat for a rookie was already a legend.
If he could nurture Jokic, then the next three-peat would come!
Li Feng and Jokic meticulously practiced every play countless times, especially the pick-and-roll plays between the interior and exterior players, which heavily relied on the chemistry between teammates.
Therefore, Li Feng patiently and repeatedly drilled with Jokic, setting strict requirements, aiming for the ability to sense teammates' positions even without seeing them.
The All-Star Game passed, and the entire NBA league rested for three days.
Li Feng also told Jokic to rest, emphasizing the importance of balancing work and rest, and not to push himself too hard and risk injury.
As they were showering and changing, ready to leave, Jokic couldn't hold back his curiosity.
He asked, "Brother Feng, why do you... call me Teacher Yo?"
Li Feng couldn't explain it to him, thinking to himself: Be content, I haven't called you "Fat Yo" yet.
Jokic wasn't fat at all now; he was even a bit on the lean side.
"Oh... it's like this, my junior high physical education teacher looked a bit like you, so I just started calling you Teacher Yo. You don't mind, do you?"
Hearing Li Feng's explanation, Jokic understood and said a little sheepishly, "With my skill level, you calling me Teacher makes me feel a bit ashamed."
Li Feng put his arm around his shoulder and comforted him, "Teacher Yo, don't say that. Believe me, you'll be a superstar in the future!"
Jokic pointed to his own nose, his face full of surprise, "Me? A superstar?"
"Yes, you need to have confidence!"
Jokic lowered his head, clearly lacking such confidence.
His current goal was just to establish himself in the league and not be a liability to the Knicks; he would be content with that.
Li Feng understood Jokic's feelings and didn't say much more. He patted him on the shoulder again and left the stadium.
After the All-Star break, the Knicks' record remained less than ideal, constantly hovering around the playoff bubble.
Meanwhile, in another game, Curry suffered another finger injury from an opponent.
This injury was purely accidental, but the New York media and fans began complaining again, saying Curry wasn't as good as Lowry.
"Letting Lowry go was a huge mistake. Curry is injured again; I've always said he's prone to injuries!"
"I don't know what management was thinking. Lowry is only 27 and in his prime, while Curry is 25 and doesn't have much of an age advantage. Why did they let him go?"
"What a shame! Li Feng is only 24. If Lowry were still here, they would have secured a four-peat. Wasting his prime is a crime!"
"Jokic only scored 5 points in the last game, sigh, I really miss Yao Ming!"
"We might not even make the playoffs this season, which would be a joke."
...
The only solace for Knicks fans was that the Knicks still performed well against strong teams.
However, the Heat's Big Three had truly transformed this season.
Wade had a strong chance of winning this season's
De'Anthoni wanted to hear exactly that from Li Feng.
As the head coach, he had coached Li Feng for three years and knew him very well.
Li Feng had willingly ceded a lot of ball possession and shot opportunities this season to nurture new teammates.
The primary reason for the poor record was the inconsistent performance of the newly acquired players.
With Li Feng's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult to make the playoffs if he played selfishly.
However, if his teammates didn't develop, even if they made the playoffs, they wouldn't go far.
Let alone facing the dominant Heat Big Three, they couldn't even defeat the Eastern Conference's second-ranked Pacers, third-ranked Nets, or fourth-ranked Bulls!
After more than half a season of development, Jokic had indeed shown some improvement, averaging double-doubles in the recent games.
But in crucial moments, when facing tough competition, Jokic always made mistakes.
This was a headache for Coach D'Antoni and infuriated the fans.
On the Knicks' forum, Jokic was the player most frequently cursed by fans.
Curry and Li Feng's chemistry had become quite good, and coupled with Green, they often executed fluid offensive plays.
However, in terms of defense, Curry always became a vulnerability for opponents to attack.
In fact, Curry's defense had improved significantly this season, but compared to Li Feng and Green, he was indeed the weaker link.
Previously, with the Li Feng and Lowry combination, defense was never a concern; they were comparable to any backcourt in the league.
Curry was also troubled; after practice, he would do an extra hour of strength training.
But Li Feng promptly advised Curry not to rush, emphasizing that strength training should be gradual.