Coach Brown looked into Iverson's eyes, burning with fierce flames, and finally sighed helplessly before nodding.
The game resumed.
At last, the halftime buzzer sounded.
The Knicks players strolled casually toward the locker room, while the 76ers players looked as if they could barely keep their feet under them.
The big screen displayed the halftime score: 58–46.
The Knicks had stretched the lead to 12 points.
Iverson had put up 22 points in the first half, a number that looked dazzling. But anyone who understood basketball could see the bitterness behind it. He had needed a full 18 shots to get those 22 points.
Under the Knicks' defensive strategy of "give up the drive, deny the shot; shut the door and beat the dog inside," he had been constantly in the spotlight. The ball was in his hands on nearly every possession, and every attack demanded everything he had.
Li Fei's stats, by contrast, sent a faint chill through everyone.
He had somehow scored 25 points in the first half!
And he had done it without anyone even noticing.
The fans in the stands, even the reporters courtside, had not realized how Li Fei had scored so much.
He had not dribbled frantically like Iverson, driving and weaving through crowds. He merely called for the ball in the post and turned for a jumper; or caught a pass on the break and dunked with ease; or, while facilitating near the free-throw line, suddenly rose for a Pull-up Jumper.
Every one of his baskets had looked so effortless, so natural.
"This has been an unbelievable half."
At the TNT commentary desk, Marv Albert repeatedly shook his head as he looked over the stat sheet in his hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, look at these numbers. Allen Iverson has 22 points in the