The Knicks teammates also held their breath for Li Feng.
Only D'Antoni remained calm. He knew—
You can always trust Li Feng!
James was also getting a bit riled up. He was adept at the "call-out" strategy, meaning exploiting mismatches.
In another parallel universe, during the Cavaliers-Warriors battles, he often singled out Curry.
While the effect was usually moderate, it could maximally exhaust Curry's stamina and draw fouls on him.
James slowly dribbled the ball, intending to isolate Li Feng. This was partly for team morale and partly for All-Star voting!
Suddenly, James bumped Li Feng with his shoulder, then turned right and moved towards the sideline.
This move was brilliant, offering multiple variations.
Some fans criticized James for being crude and lacking skill, but considering his physique, performing these moves was already his limit.
Moreover, his technical moves were all practical, without any flashy, superfluous elements.
Of course, for beginners, James might not offer much to learn, but his court vision and finishing touch at the rim were top-tier. Li Feng knew James's move had variations and couldn't rush him. He stayed close to his lower body.
James also tried to use his body to shove Li Feng away, but alas, although Li Feng was shorter, his strength was immense!
Bang! Bang!
He couldn't budge him at all!
The shot clock ticked down, and James grew anxious.
Since brute force didn't work, James decided to attempt a turnaround jumper.
To be honest, James's jump shot lacked aesthetic beauty, but its efficiency was very high.
Especially today, his shooting touch was fiery.
Just as he was about to execute the turnaround jumper, Li Feng suddenly unleashed his 【Death Grasp】 skill!
Slap!
The moment James clutched the ball, it was knocked away.
Given James's strength, it was difficult for others to dislodge the ball from his hands, but Li Feng's primal power made it entirely possible!
After the ball dropped, James reacted quickly and went to retrieve it.
Li Feng also moved to grab it, and the two collided!
The ball rolled out of bounds.
Their movements were so fast that the referees couldn't get a clear view and had to consult the technical table for a replay.
After watching the replay, both referees couldn't help but smile because they realized how cunning Li Feng was!
In the instant they battled for the ball, Li Feng, unable to reach it directly, used his fingertips to tap the ball onto James's foot, causing it to roll out of bounds.
James was also frustrated, knowing the ball had touched his foot before going out.
The referee pointed to the right side, indicating Knicks possession.
James didn't argue. He lowered his head and signaled his teammates to get back on defense quickly.
Li Feng had regained possession, and James had committed another turnover.
The Heat's head coach, Spoelstra, frowned on the sidelines, sensing trouble.
The two teams had played each other many times, and almost every time, Li Feng had suddenly unleashed his power in the final stages, clinching victory!
Could today be the same...
Spoelstra dared not think about it. He could only place his hope in James.
With 44 seconds left, both teams theoretically still had one full possession each!
The Knicks held the lead, giving them a slight psychological edge, but a 2-point difference was not enough to guarantee victory.
As soon as Li Feng crossed half-court, he was double-teamed.
Swish!
Li Feng suddenly passed the ball to Yao Ming!
Because Yao Ming had abandoned the paint and was running all the way out to the three-point line!
Throughout the game today, Yao Ming had been active in the paint, not attempting three-pointers. Since Bosh was shorter and quicker than him, if he ran too far out, Bosh wouldn't be threatened!
However, at this critical juncture, Yao Ming suddenly appearing at the three-point line was a complete surprise. Bosh was indeed left behind.
Yao Ming caught the ball beyond the three-point line and immediately shot!
With his height, if he wasn't contested immediately, it was practically unguardable.
Swish!
That high-arc shot was indeed accurate!
A three-pointer!
120:115, the lead extended to 5 points!
The Heat's home crowd fell into a deathly silence, with only the Knicks players cheering and roaring!
Li Feng rushed over and hugged Yao Ming tightly!
This was the chemistry of the Chinese trio!
Yao Ming had endured a full game of physical battles in the paint to earn this final three-point opportunity.
Bosh was in despair. He could never have imagined Yao Ming would attempt a three-pointer at the end!
Heat head coach Spoelstra closed his eyes, his heart shattered.
With 26 seconds left on the clock and a 5-point deficit, the game was all but decided.
But the NBA was a place where miracles were born!
Never mind 26 seconds; even with 16 seconds left, a comeback was possible!
During the timeout, Li Feng instructed his teammates to focus on defending the Heat's perimeter three-pointers, leaving the paint solely to Yao Ming.
Even if the opponent scored 2 points, it would be acceptable!
The Heat home fans were a bundle of nerves, many with their hands clasped in prayer, hoping for a miracle to occur!
The timeout ended, and both teams' players walked onto the court with tense expressions.
James and Wade stood on opposite sides of the court.
Battier inbounded the ball from the sideline. The Knicks' defenders were fierce and stayed extremely close. Battier waited for four seconds but still couldn't pass.
Helplessly, Spoelstra had to call another timeout to avoid a violation.
Li Feng was very pleased with his teammates' defense, high-fiving them one by one and praising them.
"Great job, brothers!"
"Bill, that's how you play, don't give them easy catch opportunities!"
...
Li Feng was not only the team's tactical core but also a shot of adrenaline for his teammates; his encouragement invigorated the entire team.
Spoelstra reiterated the strategy to his players once again.
After the timeout, it was James who surprisingly inbounded the ball from the sideline.
Battier screened Li Feng, Wade ran to the 45-degree angle, and James passed the ball to him.
Wade dribbled the ball slowly outside the three-point line.
James suddenly cut to the baseline corner, and Wade passed him the ball.
Bill Walker was screened by Chalmers, and James took a three-point shot!
Clang!
Unfortunately, it missed.
But Bosh roared, managing to shove Yao Ming aside, grabbed the rebound, and passed the ball back to Wade on the perimeter.
Wade was not a proficient three-point shooter, but at this moment, he had to take the shot!
Li Feng had gone to cover Battier, as Battier's three-point shot was very accurate.
Unexpectedly, Wade dared to shoot a three-pointer.
Swish!
Wade's three-pointer actually went in!
The entire Heat crowd erupted again, with some fans even shedding tears of excitement.
Wade!
The soul of the Heat!
James was also excited and rushed over to hug Wade.
Wade excitedly yelled at the crowd, "This is my horse! This is my horse!"
With 14 seconds left on the clock, the Knicks led by 2 points.
The situation had become delicate.
The Knicks' offense began. D'Antoni still didn't call a timeout. He shouted from the sidelines, telling his players to pass the ball to Li Feng or Yao Ming.
This was because both of them had the most accurate free throws.
This season, Yao Ming's free throw percentage was a terrifying 91.3%.
Li Feng's free throw percentage was also impressive at 89.7%.
Lowry inbounded the ball from the baseline and passed it directly to Yao Ming. Chalmers grabbed Yao Ming's arm, sending him to the free-throw line.
Yao Ming calmly made both free throws.
122:118, the Knicks still led by 4 points.
With 12 seconds left on the clock.
Subsequently, despite the Heat's best efforts, with the steady free throws from Li Feng and Yao Ming, the miracle did not materialize.
Finally, the Knicks defeated the Heat with a score of 126:121!
Li Feng played 42 minutes today, recording 48 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.
James had 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists today.
In terms of both individual statistics and team record, Li Feng had the upper hand over James!
Especially in the final stretch, Li Feng's pass, shot, and Yao Ming's three-pointer had secured the victory!
The moment the buzzer sounded, the Knicks players raised their hands in celebration.
They surrounded Li Feng, jumping and laughing incessantly!
This hard-earned victory felt even more precious!
Wade and Bosh walked over to congratulate the Knicks players. Wade, in particular, had a long conversation with Li Feng.
"Li Feng, you are already a top superstar in the league. Congratulations!"
"You flatter me. I still have much to learn. Wade, you were also very good. You still have gas in the tank!"
Wade smiled bitterly and shook his head, "My knees are very troublesome. I had fluid drained before the game today."
Li Feng nodded emphatically, understanding Wade's pain.
James was in a bad mood. He didn't greet the Knicks players and headed directly for the player tunnel.
It was understandable; in today's head-to-head confrontation, Li Feng had outplayed him, and it had been a nail-biting affair.
Li Feng rightfully became the Player of the Game today.
An ESPN female reporter approached Li Feng with a microphone for an interview.
"Li Feng, congratulations. This was a tough but exciting win!"
"Thank you. I also found it very exciting. Both teams played at an extremely high level. I enjoy games like this!" Li Feng replied tactfully.
"Your performance today was superior to James'. Would you like to know the latest All-Star voting results?"
The reporter's expression revealed everything.
Li Feng didn't need to guess; he knew his votes must have far surpassed James'.
However, he didn't want to focus too much on the All-Star voting in front of so many people.
"I don't want to know. The voting isn't over yet, and the current results are only temporary."
Li Feng answered calmly.
The reporter was taken aback, not expecting Li Feng to say that.
But the reporter couldn't keep it in and still told Li Feng.
"Your votes have already surpassed James by over 40,000, and the gap is widening! You are very likely to become the fan favorite this year!"
Li Feng had actually been the fan favorite last year, so he wasn't overly concerned, merely nodding with a smile.
Seeing Li Feng's lack of interest, the reporter changed the topic.
"In the fourth quarter today, the Knicks suddenly shifted their offensive focus to Yi Jianlian. Was this pre-arranged?"
Li Feng nodded. "Yes, any of our players can become the offensive core for a period of time because basketball is a team sport."
"If it comes down to the wire in the All-Star Game, who would take the final shot, you or James?"
Li Feng stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and replied, "I would still take the shot, but James would get an extra assist!"
The reporter nodded in understanding and gave Li Feng a thumbs-up, considering it a very clever answer.
...
After defeating the Heat, the Knicks now held a two-game lead over them and were half a game ahead of the Bulls.
With this advantage, Li Feng had a strong chance of winning the MVP title this season.
Although Li Feng wasn't interested in these accolades, winning more MVPs would give him a greater advantage in his historical ranking.
Two weeks later, the annual All-Star Game commenced.
The 2012 All-Star Game was held at the Amway Center in Orlando, the home of the Magic.
Li Feng received over 1.6 million votes, earning the title of fan favorite!
The Eastern Conference starting lineup consisted of Li Feng, Rose, James, Anthony, and Howard.
The reserves included Wade, Deron Williams, Yao Ming, Bosh, Joe Johnson, Luol Deng, and Hibbert.
The head coach was Spoelstra.
The Western Conference starting lineup featured Kobe, Paul, Durant, Griffin, and Bynum.
The reserves were Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Love, Tony Parker, Nowitzki, Nash, and Westbrook.
The head coach was Brooks from the Thunder.
The first day featured the All-Star Rookie Challenge.
This year's Rookie Challenge had several highlights, with many future stars making appearances.
For example, first-year players like Irving, Rubio, Leonard, and Kemba Walker.
Additionally, some second-year players were future stars, including Griffin, Wall, Cousins, Paul George, and Jeremy Lin.
However, Jeremy Lin had not joined the Knicks in this parallel world and remained with the Warriors.
In the second game after the All-Star break, the Knicks would face the Warriors, and Li Feng and Jeremy Lin would meet then.
In this parallel world, Jeremy Lin had not achieved the "Linsanity" phenomenon, but he was still playing exceptionally well for the Warriors.
Curry had been sidelined for a period due to an ankle injury, during which Jeremy Lin had led the bench players to impressive statistics, gaining considerable fame.
This year's first-year rookies were named "Team Barkley," and the second-year rookie team was named "Team O'Neal"!
Ultimately, Team O'Neal lost to Team Barkley with a score of 133:146.
Irving scored a game-high 34 points, earning the MVP award for the Rookie Challenge.
The highest rebounders were Cousins and Turner, both with 11 rebounds, and both were first-year rookies.
This year's All-Star Game introduced a "Shooting Stars Challenge."
The participants were legendary basketball figures representing several cities.
These included Atlanta, Orlando, New York, and Texas.
Ultimately, the New York team secured the championship!
The next event was the traditional event – the Skills Challenge.
The participants in the challenge were truly talented.
They were Irving, Tony Parker, Rondo, Wall, Westbrook, Deron Williams, and Curry!
After three rounds of fierce competition, Tony Parker, the "French Pocket Rocket" from the Spurs, won the Skills Challenge with a time of 32.8 seconds.
Following the Skills Challenge was the highly anticipated Three-Point Contest, a fan favorite.
Three-pointers were becoming increasingly important in basketball, so this competition garnered significant attention.
The participants in this year's Three-Point Contest were all sharpshooters.
They included Anderson from the Magic, Chalmers from the Heat, Durant from the Thunder, James Jones from the Heat, Love from the Timberwolves, Morrow from the Nets, and Joe Johnson from the Hawks.
Generally, guards had a higher chance of winning the Three-Point Contest.
However, in this year's Three-Point Contest, the ultimate champion was Power Forward Kevin Love from the Timberwolves!