Halftime break...

Although the tactics were suppressed by Ma Long, and the rotation had to rely on exhausting the main players, as a famous coach, DAntoni still keenly noticed the change in Durant's mindset and proactively counseled him.

DAntoni did not want Durant to compete with the player who had already been expelled from New York.

And Durant?

After gradually calming down...

Durant resented that his youthful self would capsize twice in the same pitfall.

I am really foolish, truly.

You tell me, how could such an obvious routine...

How could someone as smart as me fall for it twice?

At this moment, Durant thought to himself.

And immediately afterward, after soothing Durant, DAntoni did not forget to remind the players: "The referee's decisions in this game favor us, as long as we keep up with the score, an opportunity will surely arise in the match."

Though, at this very moment, whether DAntoni's reminder was meant to motivate the players or to make them realize that the Knicks still had three "foreign players" on the field was uncertain.

But in competitive sports, how to seize advantages including external ones and make use of them is also a kind of skill.

After all, if a riding dragon guarantees a win, then how could the national football team be overturned by the "Middle East camel" at home after gaining an extra man and a lead?

Therefore, DAntoni's reminder during halftime was by no means insignificant.

For instance, the first to react, Love, who was either being overwhelmed by Qin Yue or on the way to being overwhelmed by Qin Yue this finals series, supported DAntoni saying: "The Messiah is indeed strong, exceeding our usual understanding of strength, but the coach is right, at least for now, the advantage is still on our side. As long as we can fight and win this match, the balance of the finals will surely tilt back in our favor."

After halftime, that night, the Warriors faced a real test.

Just as the third quarter started, receiving a pass back from Harden under pressure, Love hit a crucial three-pointer for the Knicks with an attitude of "I—am—not—afraid" beyond the three-point line.

It must be said, throughout this finals, the posture Love adopted in front of Qin Yue was one of humility, making him a player in the Knicks lineup that impressed Qin Yue most aside from Durant and Harden.

Even though only considering matchup data, Love could only be described as being utterly crushed by Qin Yue.

Yet one must know, on the basketball court, there's a difference between being crushed and being crushed.

For example, some players are crushed to the point of having no means of resistance, leading their teams to a submissive defeat.

But other players, even if crushed, find ways to contribute to the team and at least mitigate losses.

And on the court, always launching sneak attacks from all angles, Love was undoubtedly the latter.

Because no matter how strong Qin Yue was, he couldn't fully restrain Love's sneak attacks.

After all, open attacks are easy to avoid, hidden arrows are hard to guard against.

On the court, Qin Yue, responsible for the team's entire defensive system, could not withdraw from the main battlefront just to stop those "hidden arrows."

Knicks' half-court, it's the Warriors' turn to attack.

In the first half, Curry's hot hand was disrupted by Iguodala, resulting in a missed layup.

This attempt saw Curry being subtly pushed by Iguodala.

Unfortunately, not knowing how to exaggerate his posture to magnify the opponent's foul, Curry did not receive fair treatment from the referees.

As a result, just as he came back, Harden, who was on good terms with Curry, personally demonstrated what the correct posture for drawing fouls looked like.

In the Warrior Forbidden Area, even without any physical contact with Curry chasing him.

Harden's Oscar-worthy performance made it seem as if Curry had pushed him.

With tonight's head referee Scott Foster already favoring the Knicks with his calls, a glance at Curry's extremely aggrieved expression saw Harden calmly walk to the free-throw line. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

This is James Harden, whose ability to draw fouls could only be described as unique throughout history.

He doesn't miss two-pointers, doesn't fail on three-point shots.

He just scores one point at a time, more cost-effective.

On the free-throw line, Harden made both free throws.

68 to 68.

Then, it's the Warriors' possession.

Again, it's Curry's individual explosiveness.

But this time, the little master couldn't find his scoring touch, and his floater hit the rim and bounced off.

In the Knicks' restricted area, Love secured the defensive rebound before Brown could get it.

And as originally quiet throughout the half, Iguodala followed up the Knicks' fast break with a trailing three-pointer, completing a score to regain the lead for the team.

Seeing this, because of the unfavorable start in the second half, Qin Yue immediately switched from command tower mode to high efficiency mode.

However, for the Warriors, this was not good news.

Because in the third quarter, where keeping strength in reserve was a priority for the GOAT...

Once taking on excessive offensive tasks at this stage, the GOAT's offensive efficiency will inevitably be affected by the time it comes to crunch time.

But considering this Knicks team also has the ability to make a decisive surge, at this stage where the Warriors must keep the score tight...

The responsibility couldn't be passed on to teammates, Qin Yue had to find a way to push his limits.

In times of crisis, only responsibility stands firm.

In the Knicks' half, piercing through Howard's defense in a flash, the Great Qin followed with a domineering one-handed dunk to open the scoring for the Warriors in the second half.