"The two teams had always had a huge gap in strength. In the first half, the Knicks seemed to be testing the waters, still adjusting to the pace of the playoffs. But when the third quarter began, when Li Fei decided to close the net, this team displayed suffocating dominance."
He paused before continuing.
"Look at Li Fei's numbers. He clocked out after three quarters, yet he had already put up a crazy 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks. On both offense and defense, he completely destroyed the Philadelphia 76ers' interior. Theo Ratliff and Tyrone Hill looked like two high school kids in front of him."
Kevin Harlan picked up the commentary, his gaze shifting toward Iverson, who was sitting on the bench and gasping for breath.
"Allen Iverson still played extremely hard in this quarter, scoring 10 points by himself. But everyone, basketball is a five-man sport."
"When the Knicks raised their offensive and defensive tempo in the third quarter and began giving it their all, the flaws of the Philadelphia 76ers' 'four protect one' lineup were magnified without limit."
"Other than Iverson, no one else could score under the Knicks' high-pressure defense. The disparity was comprehensive—utterly despairing."
The brief break between quarters soon ended.
The fourth quarter got underway.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, who were down by 22 points, this should have been garbage time—a time to send in the bench and concede defeat.
But Coach Larry Brown saw the stubborn look in Iverson's eyes and ultimately chose not to take him out.
Iverson returned to the court.
He was still like a tireless lone hero, charging into the Knicks' paint again and again.
Pat Riley did not take Li Fei out either.
He knew Li Fei's personality too well. Until the opponent had completely fallen, this