On the sideline, Knicks head coach Van Gundy, who had remained tense throughout, finally allowed a composed smile to curl across his lips.
No one knew that even when his team had fallen behind by eight at the start of the fourth quarter, he had never felt the slightest bit of panic.
This season's Knicks had swept through every powerhouse in the Eastern Conference during the playoffs, rarely finding themselves trailing in the final quarter.
Outsiders believed that this Dynasty team lacked experience in hard-fought games under desperate pressure, having long grown used to smooth sailing.
But only Van Gundy knew that this team's true foundation had never been crushing opponents with the wind at their backs, but rising again from the brink of disaster.
He had absolute confidence in the team he had built, a confidence carved into his bones.
More importantly, he had never worried about the Knicks' ability to score when it mattered most.
With two all-time scorers in Li Fei and Jordan, backed by a roster full of elite shooters, their offensive ceiling was limitless.
Even if they were suppressed all game, all they needed was a moment to breathe before erupting into a scoring avalanche.
Li Fei's earlier declaration that he wanted to play the entire stretch without being subbed out put Van Gundy completely at ease.
The fact that the twenty-three-year-old best player in the league could say something so resolute proved that he had already seized control of the game's rhythm.
Those two earth-shaking deep threes had not been lucky accidents. They had been precise tactical kill shots.
Li Fei had already seen through the Lakers' most fatal weakness—Shaquille O'Neal's lack of mobility.
At his peak, O'Neal possessed unstoppable low-post power and absolute dominance in the paint.
But he was slow laterally, with