De'Antoni's face was solemn, he knew Li Feng had tried his best.
Brooks called a timeout, he was preparing to put in the starting lineup.
Li Feng's stamina was fine, as he had rested for half a period in the third quarter.
But the problem was that no method had been found to crack the Thunder's tactics.
Earlier, Li Feng and his teammates had strengthened their defense in the paint, but Harden's organization had allowed his teammates to increase their mid- to long-range shots.
The timeout ended, and both teams' starting lineups took the court for the final decisive battle.
Harden was going to rest for two minutes, which was the Thunder's usual arrangement.
Westbrook was very excited because he had regained his confidence in the third quarter. As long as he didn't go head-to-head with Li Feng, Westbrook was invincible!
However, Li Feng in the fourth quarter was different from before. He began to use more violent collisions to counter the Thunder's crazy double-teams, while also instructing Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming to fiercely defend the paint. This rendered Westbrook's drives ineffective again, and the Thunder's offense fell into a predicament.
With 7 minutes and 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the score difference returned to 8 points. The Thunder's coach and players were starting to panic. Whenever the Thunder's offense stalled, it was time for Durant to post up and take one-on-one shots. Brooks had no choice but to signal from the sidelines for Durant to take over the game! Durant's stamina was well-preserved today because he played very easily in the third quarter. Yi Jianlian felt immense pressure. Li Feng knew that Yi Jianlian couldn't do it alone at this moment. He walked over to Bill Walker and told him to double-team Durant with Yi Jianlian. Durant was indeed fearless against single coverage. However, Durant had always been uncomfortable with double-teams. Under the double-team of Bill Walker and Yi Jianlian, Durant's turnovers began to increase. Westbrook tried to share the offensive burden with Durant and increased his shooting. But Westbrook's shooting was too inconsistent. The Knicks took this opportunity to tie the score again! 109 all! Brooks had no choice but to put Harden back on the court. Besides Durant and Westbrook, Harden was the only other player on the Thunder with the ability to create his own offense. Seeing Harden on the court, Li Feng's heart tightened. After Harden came on, he immediately took charge of the Thunder's offense. Because Durant, the elder brother, was being double-teamed, Harden's pressure was greatly reduced. Through his drives, assists, and step-back threes, he frequently tore through the Knicks' defense. There was no way to defend all three of them, Westbrook, Durant, and Harden, on the court at the same time. Fortunately, Li Feng, Yi Jianlian, and Yao Ming were in good shooting form, preventing the score from widening. The two sides entered a stalemate! It was so exciting here, the Chinese trio battling the Thunder's "Four Youngsters"! With 1 minute and 4 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the score was 115:113, with the Thunder leading by 2 points. The Thunder were on offense. Li Feng was very anxious. He knew that if the Thunder scored this time, they would likely win the game, as time was running out. "I'll defend Harden, Lowry, you're on Westbrook. Even if you have to foul, drag him down!" Li Feng gave Lowry a strict order. There was no other way, as Harden had scored on Lowry twice in a row, so Li Feng had to defend Harden. Harden was not flustered when he saw Li Feng blocking his path. He immediately called for a pick-and-roll. Ibaka came to screen Li Feng again, preparing to stop him. But this time, Li Feng suddenly made a squeezing motion, and the moment Ibaka shifted his weight, Li Feng suddenly turned and changed direction, leaving Ibaka behind. Harden was about to drive to the paint when Li Feng appeared in front of him again! In the moment Harden was stunned, Li Feng stretched out his long arms and knocked the ball away from Harden. As Harden went to reclaim the ball, Lowry also pounced and stole it, launching a counter-attack. Li Feng and Lowry charged into the frontcourt like a pincer movement. Ibaka knew the importance of this possession; if the Knicks scored, the game would be tied. So he stayed close to Lowry, extending his arms to prevent him from passing to Li Feng. If Lowry tried to force a layup, he would surely be blocked by Ibaka! Ibaka this season was incredibly strong on defense, flying and diving, and countless players in the league had suffered because of him. But Lowry was not panicked. He glanced at Ibaka with his peripheral vision and drove towards the paint. Just as Ibaka thought Lowry was going for a layup, Lowry suddenly threw the ball off the backboard! Because he hadn't aimed at all and had no preparatory movement, Ibaka didn't react. The basketball hit the backboard, spun, and bounced to the left. Ibaka leaped high, wanting to grab the rebound. But the seemingly casual throw from Lowry caused the ball to bounce just above Ibaka's outstretched hand. Swish! Li Feng, on the other side, attacked, caught the ball in mid-air, and forcefully slammed it into the basket! The entire arena erupted! The two Knicks guards had used a backboard pass to outwit the defensive stalwart Ibaka! Ibaka looked like a foolish giant in that moment! It was too brutal! After Li Feng's dunk, while still in the air, he smiled at Ibaka. Ibaka was enraged and rushed forward, bumping into Li Feng. The timing of his bump was dangerous, precisely when Li Feng had released his grip and was coming down from the basket. Bang! Li Feng rolled on the ground twice, clutching his waist in pain. Lowry thought Ibaka had genuinely injured Li Feng, and in his panic, he rushed over and threw a punch at Ibaka! Although Lowry was much shorter than Ibaka, the "little steel cannon" had immense power, and the punch came from the side, very suddenly! Bang! The punch landed directly on Ibaka's right cheek! Ibaka was stunned for a moment, wobbled, and almost fell! Players from both teams rushed over, and a fight was imminent! Referees and coaching staff from both sides rushed over, desperately pulling the players apart. Brooks, in particular, held onto Durant tightly. In NBA games, if a conflict occurs, regardless of who is right or wrong, teammates will definitely rush to help their own, which is a hidden rule of the NBA. Because his teammates protected him well, Lowry was not hit, and Ibaka roared in anger. But he was also in the wrong, as his bump on Li Feng earlier violated professional ethics; it was too dirty. Five minutes later, the chaos ended. The players were separated and returned to their benches. Three referees reviewed the instant replay and made their ruling. Ibaka was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and immediately ejected! Lowry was also ejected for punching Ibaka. In this way, neither team received free throws. From a paper strength perspective, the Thunder suffered a loss, as Ibaka was the last defensive barrier in the Thunder's paint. Although Perkins was a center, his height and jumping ability were not good, and Ibaka was relied upon for paint defense. Although Lowry was ejected, he had no regrets. He was a super fan of Li Feng, and whoever provoked Li Feng would be the first one he confronted! With 41 seconds left in the game, the score was tied at 115! It was the Knicks' ball possession. Replacing Lowry was Billups. Billups dribbled the ball past half-court, and Li Feng continued to be off the ball. Since Ibaka was ejected, Li Feng gestured to Billups to pass the ball to Yao Ming. Yao Ming had been very uncomfortable with Ibaka's help defense and fronting today. With Ibaka out of the game, Yao Ming began to bully Perkins. Replacing Ibaka was white forward Corey Brewer. Although Brewer tried his best, his physical fitness was far inferior to Ibaka's. He also wanted to help defend Yao Ming, but Yao Ming completely ignored him and shot directly over him, swish! Two points were easily scored! Brooks sighed on the sidelines... 117:115, the Knicks took the lead! There were 19 seconds left in the game. The Thunder still had a sufficient offensive opportunity, so Brooks called a timeout. Although Yao Ming had scored a crucial basket just now, neither he nor Li Feng had smiles on their faces. This was because the opposing team was the Thunder, who were bursting with talent. Durant and Harden both had the ability to hit game-winning shots. And then there was Westbrook! Although Westbrook's shooting was generally average, he seemed to have a super cheat code: the more critical the moment, the more accurate he became! Especially with three-pointers, he dared to shoot, and he could actually make them! Therefore, the defense in the next possession would be very difficult. "Yi Jianlian and Bill Walker, you two continue to double-team Durant. I'll guard Harden. Billups, Westbrook is all yours." As for the inside, it would be left to Yao Ming. Because the Thunder were trailing by 2 points, even if they scored in the paint, it would at most tie the game. Moreover, Corey Brewer and Perkins were no match for Yao Ming; Yao Ming could turn the paint into a no-fly zone. The timeout ended, and the game resumed with Brewer inbounding the ball. Harden, Westbrook, and Durant weaved and ran, with the Knicks players desperately chasing them. Suddenly, Durant made an off-ball cut and had a sliver of open space. Corey Brewer immediately passed the ball to him. As soon as Durant caught the ball, Yi Jianlian closed in. Bill Walker was tightly screened by Westbrook, so the double-team failed. Durant, facing Yi Jianlian alone, began to dribble, moving towards the three-point line. It was obvious that Durant intended to hit a three-pointer to win the game. Following Li Feng's instructions, Yi Jianlian grit his teeth and kept up, continuing to use his lower body to resist Durant. Durant drove left and right but couldn't shake Yi Jianlian. At this time, Westbrook and Harden were also desperately moving, but Li Feng and Billups were closely guarding them, preventing them from receiving the ball. Time ticked away... With just 2 seconds left in the game, Durant was truly anxious and suddenly made a lateral move! This move was designed to avoid Yi Jianlian's low stance. The move was very effective; Yi Jianlian indeed couldn't keep up. There was no other way, Durant's physical talent was too amazing, and his legs were too long! Durant took advantage of this extremely small shooting opportunity and performed a pull-up jump shot! Although Yi Jianlian tried his best to contest, he was still half a step too late. Swish! Durant's three-point shot went up! The Thunder home crowd fell silent, all eyes were on the ball. As the basketball flew through the air, the game clock lit up! The entire game time was up! If this shot went in, the Thunder would have a game-winning shot, leading the Knicks by 1 point! If it missed, the Knicks would win on the road. Time seemed to stand still, and players from both sides didn't fight for the rebound; they all stared at the ball... Swish! The ball went in! "Roar! It's in!" "Durant is awesome!" "We won! We beat the Knicks, haha!" ... The Thunder teammates also rushed over, lifted Durant up, and began to celebrate. The Knicks players stood stunned on the spot, shaking their heads in helplessness. Li Feng gave a wry smile, feeling truly regretful. But this was just a regular season game. The Knicks players also gained something from this game. Suddenly, the referee blew his whistle, and the scorer's table changed the score to 115 all! At the same time, the head referee announced that the ball Durant had just made was a two-point shot! The players from both sides were stunned. At this moment, everyone looked at the big screen above. The angles of two cameras clearly showed that Durant's left foot was on the three-point line when he shot! Therefore, the three-pointer was not counted, and it was only considered a two-point shot! The Thunder home crowd held their heads in their hands, looking incredulous, on the verge of tears. It was too thrilling! The sudden swing from elation to despair was too rapid! Now it was the Knicks players' turn to cheer. Li Feng and his teammates high-fived each other, laughing heartily. He never expected there to be another chance! De'Antoni's face showed no smiles; he was calm. Overtime was uncertain. The Thunder were at home, and although Ibaka was ejected, Durant's stamina seemed good. If Durant suddenly exploded, perhaps they could seal the win in one go. Before the overtime started, Li Feng reiterated to his teammates that Durant must be double-teamed. Yao Ming had played 35 minutes today, which was his most playing time in recent games. Li Feng worried that Da Yao's body couldn't handle it, so he walked over and said, "Brother Yao, you should rest for a while. Let Randolph play for a few minutes." Yao Ming waved his hands repeatedly, indicating he was fine, but Yao Ming didn't want to get injured in a regular season game. After some persuasion, Yao Ming finally agreed. The Knicks' morale was high, while the Thunder's atmosphere was filled with dejection. This psychological gap was indeed hard to accept. But they were all professional players and had to continue fighting! Overtime began. Perhaps stimulated by the failed step-line buzzer-beater just now, Durant was anxious from the start. Facing the double-team, he gritted his teeth and forced a shot, but unfortunately, it bounced off the rim. Randolph secured the rebound and passed it to Billups. Billups pushed the ball up the court, and Yi Jianlian and Li Feng quickly followed. Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha also retreated quickly to defend. But under De'Antoni's coaching, the Knicks' run-and-gun offense flowed like water. Let alone a three-on-two, they could easily handle a three-on-three. Billups passed the ball to Li Feng after crossing half-court. Li Feng feigned a three-point shot, and Westbrook immediately screened in front of Li Feng. As Thabo Sefolosha was about to rush Yi Jianlian, Billups suddenly cut in, forcing Thabo Sefolosha to guard Billups. Li Feng saw an opportunity and gave Yi Jianlian a look. Yi Jianlian, understanding the signal, made a change of direction and ran towards the basket. Swoosh! Li Feng immediately passed the ball, a high lob pass directly to the rim. Yi Jianlian leaped high, caught the basketball with both hands, and forcefully slammed it into the basket! This was the first basket of overtime, immediately boosting the Knicks' morale! Durant's face turned ashen. He hadn't even retreated to defend, but stood still with his hands on his hips, glaring at Yi Jianlian. Although Durant scored 36 points today, far exceeding Yi Jianlian's 19 points, Yi Jianlian scored the first basket in overtime! Li Feng shouted and ran to chest-bump Yi Jianlian in celebration. De'Antoni also clenched his fist excitedly on the sidelines and waved it fiercely!