At center court, Li Fei was surrounded by reporters so tightly that not even water could pass through.
"Li! Another unbelievable victory! You took over the game again in the final five minutes. Can you talk about how you did it? Was this something you and Coach Van Gundy had planned beforehand?" An ESPN reporter held a microphone up to his mouth.
Li Fei wore his trademark modest smile. Sweat ran down his sharply defined cheeks. After catching his breath, he said calmly, "No, it wasn't some prearranged tactic. Basketball games change by the second; it's hard to follow a script exactly. The San Antonio Spurs' defensive intensity tonight was suffocating. Tim and Mr. Robinson caused us enormous trouble in the paint. We had a very tough first three quarters and were playing catch-up the whole time."
He paused, then continued, "As for the final moments, it was actually very simple. When the opponent used two or even three players to defend me, it meant my teammates were open. My job was to find them. Alan and Larry are both excellent shooters, and I completely trusted them to make those shots. As for the few shots I made myself... how should I put it? Maybe my touch just happened to come back in the closing moments, so I tried a few more times. Luckily, it worked out pretty well."
That same line again!
The reporters looked at one another, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
When he said it after the first game, everyone had still been half-convinced and half-skeptical. But saying it again now was just pure humblebragging.
What did he mean, "my touch just happened to come back"?
What did he mean, "tried a few more times"?
Those pull-up three-pointers launched fractions of a second before the double-team