Whenever the Wizards tried to collapse their defense and double-team Li Fei, Houston and Latrell Sprewell always found open looks on the perimeter; whenever they spread the floor defensively, Li Fei became unstoppable in the post one-on-one.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 38-21. The Knicks had already comfortably stretched their lead to 17 points.
Larry Johnson sat on the bench with a towel draped over his head, gasping for air.
He was not physically tired. He was mentally exhausted.
As he watched the Knicks' smooth, flowing offense and Stephen Jackson lead the reserves to widen the gap even further, a powerful sense of being an outsider engulfed him.
It was as if he saw two entirely different paths.
One was staying here, remaining part of this Dynasty juggernaut and continuing to chase honor and glory;
The other was the path he had chosen: holding immense wealth in his hands while slowly burning out the last of his career on a rebuilding team.
Did he truly have no regrets?
The question lingered in his mind like a curse throughout the entire game.
There was little to say about the game itself. The Knicks controlled the tempo from start to finish, and without even giving it their all, they sent the game into garbage time early.
When the final buzzer sounded, the score stood at 125-95. With a 30-point slaughter, the Knicks brought this "battle against the former teammate" to an end.
Li Fei played only three quarters, hitting 19 of 25 shots and all 10 of his free throws. With almost absurd efficiency, he poured in 48 points, along with 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks.
Sprewell scored 22 points, Sabonis dished out 11 assists, and seven Knicks players scored in double figures.
As for