It was late, so Li Feng had the nanny arrange a room for Meng Dong to rest.
The next day, Li Feng had his agent Bill Duffy contact a training camp.
In the US, training camps were mostly run by Nike, with some run by retired basketball legends.
Li Feng certainly wouldn't let Meng Dong go to a Nike training camp, especially since Nike considered Red Star Sports an eyesore, and Li Feng was a shareholder and endorser of Red Star Sports.
Red Star Sports had also begun investing in training camps half a year ago, inviting some well-known stars.
For instance, Iverson, Reggie Miller, Clyde Drexler, and so on.
So, when Meng Dong arrived this time, Bill Duffy arranged for him to go to Reggie Miller's training camp.
Meng Dong originally wanted to go to Iverson's training camp, but Iverson hadn't retired yet, and the training camp was managed by others, with Iverson rarely attending.
Li Feng did not accompany Meng Dong, mainly because his fame was too great and would put pressure on Meng Dong.
Although Meng Dong was a standout among young people in China, he was quite ordinary here.
The NBA was a place that valued strength; if you weren't good enough, you weren't good enough!
After making the arrangements, Li Feng returned to the team to continue training.
The Knicks' next game was a home game against the Bulls.
Last season, the Bulls had the best record in the Eastern Conference, and Rose had won the regular season MVP.
After dinner, Li Feng thought about chatting with Rose for a while and sent him back to the hotel, as he was here for the game, not to reminisce.
But Rose suddenly said, "Can I practice with this kid?"
Li Feng was overjoyed. He knew Rose was a man with a cold exterior but a warm heart. Although he hadn't said much to Meng Dong earlier, Rose clearly didn't dislike him.
When he said he wanted to practice with Meng Dong, he meant he wanted to give him some pointers.
"Little Dong, thank Rose brother quickly. Do you know how many people wish they could invite him but can't?"
Meng Dong was also extremely excited, rubbing his hands together and expressing his gratitude to Rose.
Rose remained impassive, stood up, and said, "There's nothing to thank for. Just playing around."
The three of them went to the court, and Rose and Meng Dong played a few rounds of one-on-one.
Despite Meng Dong's best efforts, he was still in a sorry state against Rose.
Swish!
A pull-up jumper!
Swish!
A step-back three-pointer!
Bang!
A dunk after a crossover!
Meng Dong panted heavily, hands on his hips, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Too amazing, too amazing..."
Rose's intention wasn't to beat Meng Dong up. After a few rounds, Rose began to guide Meng Dong, pointing out his mistakes and telling him to correct them.
Meng Dong was overjoyed; this was something money couldn't buy!
In essence, Rose was doing this out of respect for Li Feng.
Otherwise, Rose wouldn't have the time to bother with him.
After training for nearly an hour, Li Feng saw that it was getting late and sent Rose back to the hotel.
When Li Feng returned, Meng Dong was still on the court, practicing diligently, repeatedly working on the moves Rose had taught him.
"Brother Feng, Rose looks cold, but he's actually quite warm!"
Li Feng smiled and nodded, "Yes, he's a good person, just not very talkative."
"He's really good, and the moves he taught me just now are so practical!"
Meng Dong was incredibly excited and couldn't help but demonstrate them to Li Feng again.
Li Feng said nothing, nodding with a smile. He felt a sense of gratification, not only because of Rose's kindness but also Meng Dong's comprehension.
This kid had good aptitude; he should achieve great things in the future.
Li Feng had played in the league for several years and knew that what limited a player's development wasn't just technique, but also physical health.
For example, if Da Yao could have stayed healthy, he would have been a top center in the league.
And Yi Jianlian, before Li Feng's transmigration, was also plagued by injuries.
In the NBA, every time he played a few good games, he would get injured, which was a shame.
...
The next evening at 7:30 PM, Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks hosted the Chicago Bulls.
Currently, the Knicks led the Bulls by only one game.
This was a crucial game; if the Knicks lost, they would be overtaken by the Bulls.
Furthermore, Rose had improved significantly this season, his playstyle was more mature, and he was currently ranked among the league's elite.
Yao Ming faced Noah with ease, posting him up, then turning around for a short hook shot, scoring 2 points!
After a layoff of more than half a month, Yao Ming was eager to play.
On the Bulls' offense, after crossing half-court, Rose faced Li Feng's defense and called for a screen.
Since listening to Li Feng's advice last season, Rose had changed his playstyle.
Visually, Rose no longer had as many explosive drives and dunks, but his passing and shooting had improved greatly.
Such a Rose was even harder to defend.
Most importantly, Rose's career would be longer!
Booser moved to the top of the arc, screening Li Feng, and Rose quickly drove to the baseline.
Then, Booser quickly moved into the paint and pointed to the sky.
Rose immediately lobbed the ball, Booser caught it, stopped and shot, scoring easily!
This play was a classic combination from the Deron Williams and Boozer duo when they were with the Jazz.
Although the entire Knicks team had watched the Bulls' recent game footage, facing them on the court, they could still feel the Bulls' strength.
On the Knicks' offense, Lowry brought the ball past half-court again.
Noah began to use subtle tactics, constantly moving around Yao Ming, playing denial defense to prevent Lowry from passing the ball.
Lowry had to pass the ball to Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian faced Boozer, turned around, and wanted to back him down.
Boozer completely underestimated Yi Jianlian, slamming his broad chest into Yi Jianlian.
If it were last season, Yi Jianlian of the Nets would have been staggered by the impact.
But Yi Jianlian had worked very hard since joining the Knicks, and with the help of Li Feng's system, his strength had surpassed that of most NBA players.
Boozer was older and weaker than his peak, so he couldn't move Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian took a step and jumped, performing a fadeaway in the air, and shot at the highest point!
This sequence of moves was fluid and seamless, leaving Boozer unable to defend.
Bang! Swish!
Bank shot!
Yi Jianlian's ability to create his own shot had improved too quickly. Boozer could only shake his head slightly, admitting that he had been a bit careless just now.
Li Feng was even happier seeing Yi Jianlian's progress than when he scored. He was the first to rush over and high-five Yi Jianlian.
Rose was very surprised. He had watched several Knicks game videos, and in his memory, Yi Jianlian was a defensive specialist, occasionally a 3-and-D forward who hit a few open three-pointers.
But today, Yi Jianlian started the game with a post-up move, overpowering Boozer.
In the following few possessions, both teams exploited their advantages, and the scores rose alternately.
Although Rose had changed his playstyle, he occasionally showed his brilliance, executing a powerful dunk near the basket!
However, after his dunks, he no longer went straight up and down as arrogantly, but grabbed the rim to buffer his landing.
It seemed Rose had truly taken Li Feng's words to heart.
In the first quarter, at 9:24, the score was 21:19, with the Bulls leading by 2 points.
Rose had a small outburst, scoring 7 consecutive points, and reversing the score.
D'Antoni called a timeout; he was also surprised by Rose's progress.
"Li Feng, do you think we should double-team Rose?" D'Antoni asked Li Feng quietly, pulling him aside.
The Knicks almost never double-teamed opposing point guards because Li Feng's man-to-man defense was usually enough, at most requiring teammates to provide delayed help defense.
But today's Rose was playing with such maturity; he never directly challenged Li Feng head-on.
"Coach, double-teaming Rose won't be very effective. His passing is very strong now, and his shooting is also very accurate. How about this, let's use a zone defense."
"Zone defense? Alright."
D'Antoni understood Li Feng's meaning; zone defense was indeed a good solution.
Man-to-man and zone defense were two defensive strategies in basketball.
Man-to-man, as the name suggests, was one-on-one defense, emphasizing individual defensive ability and athleticism.
Zone defense, on the other hand, was a more advanced team defensive tactic.
In the last century, zone defense was not allowed in the NBA because it was too effective and affected the viewing pleasure of star players.
However, later, the NBA began to gradually align with international basketball and changed its rules, allowing the use of zone defense.
Zone defense also had many variations, such as 3-2 zone, 1-3-1 zone, etc.
For the Bulls' offensive style, a 1-3-1 zone defense was the most suitable.
Li Feng, as the arrowhead, would guard Rose, while the other four players would form a formation to prevent him from passing.
...
Both teams' starters rotated off the court to rest, and the bench units came on.
The Bulls' bench had improved compared to last season, and rookie Jimmy Butler was playing very effectively off the bench.
No other team in the league had noticed this rookie yet, but Li Feng, having transmigrated, knew Jimmy Butler's value.
The Bulls' bench held the advantage, with Asik, Gibson, Hamilton, Mike James, and Butler in excellent form.
More than four minutes into the second quarter, the Bulls had a 13-point lead, 41:28.
Billups played for more than two minutes when his arm was twisted, and he left the game injured, not to return this game.
This was truly adding insult to injury for the Knicks.
D'Antoni, helpless, had to put the starters back on the court.
The Bulls' head coach, Thibodeau, also put his starters back in.
As everyone knows, Thibodeau's coaching characteristic was his heavy reliance on starters.
Core players under him averaged over 38 minutes per game, which led to many players suffering injuries.
However, the bench unit today gave Thibodeau a pleasant surprise, and he unusually let the bench play for a longer period.
The fans at Madison Square Garden roared with excitement, cheering for their home team players.
After two consecutive championships, the Knicks fans had been refined; they were no longer fair-weather fans.
A team culture was quietly forming.
Even when the team was trailing or the players were not playing well, the fans loyally cheered them on.
For Li Feng, his greatest achievement wasn't winning two championships or his personal accolades.
It was transforming the Knicks into a respected team!
In his memory, the Knicks were a team with money but no sense, often spending high salaries to attract superstars, assembling a roster with strong overall talent but achieving dismal results.
Li Feng's arrival had gradually changed people's perceptions, making the Knicks a resilient, cohesive championship team.
The game continued, and the Knicks' defensive formation changed to a 1-3-1 zone.
As expected, Rose was very uncomfortable.
Even when he used a screen to block Li Feng, he found it difficult to break through the Knicks' defensive fortress, and his passing lanes were also cut off!