Jordan felt extremely tired, Jordan was on the verge of his limit?

On the Knicks' side, aside from Li Fei, everyone else's touch seemed frozen solid.

Allan Houston's mid-range jumper had lost its accuracy, while Larry Johnson's power attacks were repeatedly thwarted.

Li Fei was practically carrying the team forward all by himself. Again and again, he attacked the basket and drew fouls; from the perimeter, he drained difficult jumpers to keep the team alive.

But basketball was, in the end, not a one-man game.

The instant the final buzzer sounded, all of Madison Square Garden fell into dead silence.

The numbers on the scoreboard stabbed at the heart of every New York fan.

115:122.

The Knicks had lost the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals on their home court!

The Chicago Bulls had tenaciously tied the series at 1:1!

Li Fei stood at center court, his jersey soaked through with sweat, his chest heaving violently. He raised his head and looked at the numbers on the scoreboard.

He had put up a game-high 58 points, along with 18 rebounds and 7 blocks, but a dismal 3 assists.

It was not because he did not want to pass. His teammates' shooting had simply been far too terrible today.

Across from them, the Chicago Bulls' stat line looked far more balanced—and terrifying.

Michael Jordan: 42 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists.

Karl Malone: 25 points, 11 rebounds.

Sam Cassell: 28 points, 9 assists.

Jordan walked over and gave Li Fei a long, deep look. He did not utter a word of trash talk, only gave Li Fei a hard pat on the back before turning toward the players' tunnel.

The resentment from after Game 1 was gone from his eyes, replaced by the commanding presence of a king returning to his throne.

At the TNT commentary desk, the three renowned commentators spoke with