Chapter 2 Section 2
With 55 seconds left in the second quarter, the score was 32:63, with the Spurs leading by 31 points.
Li Feng felt true despair. With the first half about to end, he decided he wouldn't try to facilitate for his teammates anymore.
He resolved to score on two possessions himself.
As Li Feng dribbled past half-court, the Spurs immediately double-teamed him.
This was the discipline of the Spurs; even with a significant lead, they showed no signs of slacking off.
Li Feng didn't pass. He saw Parker shift his weight to the right and immediately accelerated, driving from the left.
George Hill was taken aback. He had expected Li Feng to pass.
He rushed to cover, but Li Feng's speed had already picked up, and Hill couldn't catch up.
Duncan quickly came to help. Li Feng leaped high and executed a fadeaway jumper!
If the Spurs had a kryptonite, it would be Kobe Bryant.
Li Feng knew he had to solve this battle in Kobe's way.
Duncan's defensive reach was immense. He stretched out his long arms, expecting to disrupt Li Feng.
However, Li Feng's fadeaway was so pronounced that Duncan, watching Li Feng fly backward, thought he was seeing Kobe!
Duncan was shocked and tried to step in again, but it was too late.
Swish!
Li Feng's fadeaway jumper was a clean swish!
The home crowd of the Spurs let out a gasp.
They were all too familiar with Kobe.
And Li Feng's shot was just too similar to Kobe's.
After making the shot, Li Feng let out a roar. He had been feeling incredibly stifled today.
On the sidelines, Popovich rested his chin in his right hand, frowning as he watched Li Feng.
He muttered to himself, "Could this number one pick be another Kobe? He's too strong..."
The Spurs players remained composed. Despite being rattled, they still organized their offense.
Li Feng was getting desperate. He activated his SSS-tier steal skill!
As George Hill dribbled, Li Feng suddenly lunged, snatching the ball away.
Hill's defining characteristic was his steadiness, and Popovich trusted him implicitly.
But he never imagined Li Feng would steal the ball from Hill!
After the steal, Li Feng immediately launched a fast break. Parker, being quick, went to chase him down.
While Parker was fast, the gap in strength between him and Li Feng was too vast.
They ran side by side. The moment Parker reached out, Li Feng shoved him flying!
Never mind a small guard like Parker; even a forward over two meters tall couldn't have shoved Li Feng!
Li Feng shoved Parker aside and drove to the basket, executing another powerful dunk!
Before the first half ended, Li Feng scored four consecutive points, narrowing the deficit to 27 points.
Popovich was furious, shouting loudly at his Spurs players.
In truth, it wasn't the players' fault. Li Feng's dominant performance was simply ignoring their defense.
With six seconds left in the first half, the Spurs had possession.
Duncan waved to his teammates, urging them to play steady.
Fearing another steal by Li Feng, the Spurs players passed the ball directly to Jefferson.
Jefferson wanted to make a play, so he quickly crossed half-court.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng once again crossed half-court, chasing down Jefferson like a whirlwind.
George Hill shouted urgently, warning Jefferson.
His shout, rather than helping, made Jefferson more flustered. He sped up, and his footwork became a bit erratic.
Li Feng seized the opportunity, bending low to swipe the ball away.
By the time Jefferson tried to recover the ball, Li Feng was already on the counter-attack.
At this moment, there were only 1.3 seconds left, and Li Feng was still in his own half.
In his desperation, Li Feng launched a super long three-pointer!
Many players would shoot such a three at the buzzer, but the hit rate was extremely low.
Curry loved to shoot these types of shots, and relatively speaking, his hit rate was quite high.
Li Feng suddenly shot, and the Spurs players shivered, as Li Feng had made a super long three-pointer in the first quarter.
Everyone watched the ball arc through the air, flying far beyond half-court.
Li Feng didn't hold out much hope, walking towards the sideline while looking back.
Clang! Swish!
The super long three-pointer hit the backboard and went in!
The Spurs' home arena fell silent.
The Knicks players were ecstatic, rushing over to chest bump Li Feng in celebration.
Although the deficit was still huge, Li Feng's seven points in the last minute had greatly boosted the Knicks' morale!
63:39!
A 24-point difference, the suspense was still there.
Popovich was furious, standing on the sideline and berating his players.
"Why aren't you locking down Li Feng? Why are you giving him chances to shoot!"
"Defense! What kind of defense is this!"
...
In the Knicks' locker room, the players were still dejected.
Even though Li Feng had scored seven consecutive points, the deficit was still too large.
More importantly, the Spurs' defense was too strong, and there was no hope in sight.
The only remaining hope was for Li Feng to single-handedly close the score.
But Li Feng was just a rookie; could he really lead an unbelievable comeback all by himself?
Li Feng didn't want to turn the game into a one-on-one showdown, but given the current situation, he had to treat himself as the breakthrough point.
Only by him going on a rampage and disrupting the Spurs' defense could there be a sliver of hope for a comeback.
"Brothers, we need to ramp up our defense another two gears. Let's treat this game like the playoffs. Regardless of the final outcome, let's give it our all, what do you say?"
Li Feng's fighting spirit infected his teammates. With such a large deficit, and Li Feng still fighting, what else could anyone say!
"Don't worry, we'll definitely defend harder in the second half!"
"Li Feng, we weren't adapted in the first half, but it'll definitely get better in the second half!"
"No matter what, Li Feng, just keep shooting. We really don't have the skill level today."
...
His teammates spoke their minds in a flurry of words, and Li Feng was deeply moved.
This was what a team was about; at the most difficult times, they had to unite.
If players blamed each other when trailing, the team would be finished.
Basketball, as a team sport, had unity as its essence.
Historically, there had been many individuals with extraordinary abilities.
For example, Chamberlain, whose personal physical talent and skills were top-tier in ancient times.
Yet, in the first half of his career, he was without a championship.
Conversely, Russell, who played team basketball, won many championships.
The typical sentiment then was: "Take your stats, the victory is mine!"
Years later, Chamberlain finally understood.
That's why Chamberlain had his two championships later on.
His championship stats were mediocre, far from the explosive numbers he had before, but his dominance was even stronger.
Jordan was the same.
When he first entered the league, the Bulls were the absolute worst, and some players were even using drugs in the locker room, showing how chaotic it was back then.
So, while Jordan's individual stats were unrivaled, the team couldn't even get out of the Eastern Conference.
Later, under the guidance of Coach Phil Jackson, he released some of his ball-handling duties, grew with his teammates, and finally led the Bulls to become a dynasty team.
To become a superstar, one must go through these unforgettable hardships.
Li Feng had read about these stories before, and they had deeply impacted him.
That was why he had tried his best to facilitate for his teammates in the first half today, but unfortunately, it had failed.