The final buzzer sounded.
The score froze at 104–83. The Knicks crushed the Chicago Bulls by 21 points at home, drawing first blood in the Eastern Conference Finals.
On the stat sheet, Li Fei's numbers left everyone speechless—
52 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.
Field-goal percentage: 15 of 20, 75%.
Three-pointers: 1 of 2.
Free throws: 11 of 11.
And of those 52 points, 35 had come in transition.
"Thirty-five points in transition." Harlan stared at the stat sheet, his voice trembling with disbelief. "That's an NBA playoff record for transition scoring in a single game. The previous record was 24 points, set by Michael Jordan in 1992—that was the game where Jordan scored 63, with 24 coming in transition. But today, Li Fei broke that record with 35. Thirty-five points. In a playoff game."
Albert flipped through the historical records. "And you have to understand, Li Fei is a center. A 2.24-meter center. In NBA history, no center has ever run the break the way he does. Wilt Chamberlain could run, but the pace in his era was too fast, so the numbers aren't comparable. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could run, but he was better in half-court offense. Hakeem Olajuwon could run too, but he never scored more than 20 fast-break points in a single game. But Li Fei—35 points. That's an entirely different dimension."
Walton picked up the thread, his tone deeply contemplative. "Let's go back to a question from before the game—did the Chicago Bulls' three-big lineup actually work? Looking at the score, no. They lost by 21. Looking at the numbers, no. The Knicks won the rebounding battle 48 to 38, scored 56 to 42 in the paint, and outscored them 41 to 12 in transition."
He paused, as if digesting those numbers.
"The