On one possession, Parker again tried to use a pick-and-roll to blow past Sabonis, but Li Fei rotated over in time and swatted Parker's shot away!
After Sprewell grabbed the rebound, he immediately launched a fast break. Dribbling straight to the basket, he faced Duncan's defense and finished with a gorgeous double-clutch layup! 17–18. The Knicks had cut the deficit to 1 point.
"Beautiful defense! Beautiful offense!" Harlan shouted excitedly. "Li Fei's help defense was perfectly timed. He's like a moving Great Wall, always appearing exactly where he's needed most! And Sprewell's double-clutch layup was an artistic performance! Having a Rolex really does make a difference—even your touch gets better!"
Marv Albert joked, "I think Li Fei should give every NBA player a Rolex. It would definitely make the games much more entertaining! But seriously, the Knicks' adjustment was incredibly timely. Li Fei's help defense perfectly made up for Sabonis's shortcomings. That's the value of a superstar!"
With 30 seconds left in the first quarter, the Knicks went on the attack.
Li Fei received the ball in the paint. Facing a double-team from Duncan and Robinson, he did not force the issue and instead passed it out to Houston on the perimeter.
Houston caught the ball and fired a three without hesitation, but the basketball bounced off the rim.
Sabonis used his superb positioning to secure the crucial offensive rebound. He passed it to the trailing Marshall, whose shot clanged off the rim again.
Just when everyone thought the first quarter was about to end, Li Fei suddenly burst out from the crowd, soared high into the air, and slammed the ball home on a putback dunk! At the same time, the referee's whistle blew—Robinson had fouled him!
The and-one was good, and the Knicks took the lead!
"My God!