Maybe it's because there's just not much to do in Oklahoma, but Gallinari was up bright and early today. When he showed up for morning practice, Coach D'Antoni pulled him aside for some extra one-on-one work.
"Look at you! If you had this much energy every morning, you'd be in the All-Star game already," D'Antoni joked.
Lin Yi watched from a distance, amused. Hmm… maybe we should just trade Gallo to OKC and bring Harden over here instead. Those two would get along great.
Of course, he was only half-joking.
Tonight's game brought some changes to the Knicks' starting lineup. Sixth man Lou Williams was bumped up to start, which didn't sit too well with Toney Douglas. Guys like him would rather start than be the best off the bench any day of the week.
Veteran Al Harrington also made it into the starting five. Meanwhile, Gallinari, who had been starting recently, was feeling down about the demotion. The Italian even pulled Lin Yi aside to ask, half-seriously, "Did I do something wrong? Did I piss off Coach? Or… Anthony?"
Lin Yi chuckled, patted Gallo's shoulder. "Come on, Danilo, you've pissed off Coach more times than I can count. This isn't about that. It's a tactical shift, that's all. You'll kill it off the bench."
Though, honestly, Lin couldn't help noticing Gallo's hairline looked a bit thinner than before… Is he stressing himself bald?
Four and a half hours before tip-off, the Knicks had their pregame meal. Of course, stuffing yourself before a game usually makes you sleepy—and for some NBA players, let's just say their digestion is… aggressive. Eat and dash, literally.
...
January 11, 2010
Ford Center Arena, Oklahoma City
Back before it was renamed the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
When talking about the Thunder, you've gotta mention their owner, Clay Bennett. Hometown guy, born and raised in OKC, and dead-set on bringing an NBA team to his city.
Originally, Bennett tried to invest quietly in the Spurs, hoping to learn the ropes. But the Spurs are the Spurs—they caught wind of it and shut him down quick.
Still, everything worked out. As part of his exit deal, Bennett brought Sam Presti over from San Antonio. And Presti? That guy's good when it comes to scouting. He was the one who pushed the Spurs to draft Tony Parker back in 2001. Yep—that Tony Parker, one-third of the Spurs' legendary Big Three.
After the Spurs deal fizzled, David Stern helped Bennett complete the purchase of the Seattle SuperSonics. And once he got control, Bennett had no interest in rebuilding the Seattle arena—his plan all along was to move the team home.
The move wasn't totally out of left field. Back when Hurricane Katrina hit, the New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City. The city went nuts for basketball back then, and that passion left a mark.
Say what you will about OKC being a small market—those fans show up and show out. They've even got this tradition: they don't sit down at home games until the Thunder score their first bucket.
...
So far this season, the Knicks were rolling: 28 wins, 8 losses, sitting third in the East. The Thunder weren't too shabby either—20 wins, 16 losses, and hanging on to the eighth seed out West.
Over on TNT, Kenny Smith grinned as he posed the question:
"Charles, people are already talking about Kevin Durant and Lin Yi as the future of the league. KD's leading the league in scoring, and Lin's got the Knicks back in the playoff picture. Who do you like better?"
Barkley, ever diplomatic, said, "They're both special. Kevin's been in beast mode all season. He's smooth, he's long, and defenders just can't keep up."
"And Lin? Totally different style, but same headache for defenders. He's unpredictable, causes all sorts of mismatches. They're both going to be superstars. No doubt."
Chuck wasn't giving Kenny anything juicy, and Kenny wasn't surprised. He figured Barkley would slip into the Lin hype mode during the game anyway.
...
At the Ford Center, Lin Yi spotted James Harden during warmups. The beard was there. The chubby-faced sixth man was beginning to morph into The Beard.
Harden was putting up solid numbers this season: around 25 minutes per game, averaging 9.9 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds. Nothing mind-blowing, but the signs were there.
Nobody saw it yet, but the future MVP was already in the building.
Presti's eye for talent was ridiculous. It's like he was farming MVPs—one draft at a time. Lin Yi couldn't help but wonder… If someone like Dolan had been running the Thunder, would this team even function?
Nearby, Westbrook was humming a Taylor Swift song, looking entirely unbothered by Lin Yi's presence. Deep down, he still liked Blake Griffin's poster dunks more than anything else. But Russ wasn't one to slack—he'd heard Coach Brooks loud and clear: wear Lin Yi down.
As Lin shot around, he could feel Durant occasionally watching him. Westbrook noticed too. He gave KD a friendly slap on the back and leaned in.
"C'mon, Kevin. You're better than that guy."
Even if Westbrook's personality sometimes grated on his nerves, Durant had to admit—this guy was one hell of a teammate.
"Appreciate it," Durant smiled faintly, giving Russ a nod.
Deep down, he didn't think he was worse than Lin Yi.
But the popularity gap? That stung.
After the second round of All-Star voting, Lin had already racked up over three million votes. Three million! Durant couldn't help but wonder why it felt like the whole league had fallen under Lin Yi's spell.
More than once, he'd cornered Harden to ask, "What's this Lin Yi guy really like?"
And each time, Harden would glance up at the ceiling and sigh. "He just... pulls all the attention, man. Like it's magnetic. He walks in and bam, spotlight's his."
Tonight was no different.
During warm-ups, Lin floated in for a gliding dunk that got even Thunder fans up and screaming. The dude had that rockstar aura—like a global pop idol in sneakers. Even in enemy territory, people were cheering for him.
To be fair, Thunder fans were loyal—they'd still ride or die for KD—but if we're being real, everyone was curious to see what Lin would cook up at this year's Dallas All-Star Game.
The broadcast camera panned over both squads.
Knicks starters:
Lin Yi
David Lee
Al Harrington
Wilson Chandler
Lou Williams.
Thunder:
Nenad Krstić
Jeff Green
Kevin Durant
Thabo Sefolosha
Russell Westbrook.
"Man, that's a stacked bench," Lin muttered, eyeing Ibaka and Harden sitting casually in warmups. "They could start for half the league."
"Looks like D'Antoni's shuffling things around again," Kenny Smith noted from the TNT booth.
"Classic D'Antoni," Barkley said. "Always keeping it spicy."
And spicy it was.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks turned to his staff, visibly puzzled. "Lou Williams starting? Against Westbrook?" He frowned. "That's... bold."
He'd studied tape. Knew Lou was streaky—hot one night, ice cold the next. Starting him to slow down Russ? That felt like wishful thinking.
And Harrington on Durant? Brooks nearly laughed. "That's not a surprise, that's sabotage," he mumbled under his breath.
Still, he wasn't underestimating New York. Not this version.
He turned to his assistants and spoke low, "Everyone says this is KD's team, but Russ... Russ is the engine. When he hits the gas, we run."
From the bench, Westbrook's teammates teased him.
"Hey Russ, they got you guarding Lou? You insulted?"
Westbrook smirked. "They're sleepin' on me. I'll wake 'em up."
No doubt about it—he had chemistry with the Thunder crew. They chirped and joked, but it was all love. Still, the Knicks' decision to stick Lou on him felt like a slap.
"Just watch," Russ muttered.
Both lineups took the floor. Game time.
The Knicks took the opening tip with ease—Krstić had no shot against Lin Yi. Ford Center Arena stayed standing, as was tradition, waiting for the Thunder to score before anyone sat.
Knicks' first possession.
Jeff Green drew the short straw: guarding Lin Yi.
He remembered last year, sitting courtside with KD and Russ, watching Griffin's monster dunks. Everyone had been hyped about Griffin, but now, just one season later, Lin Yi was the real show.
Green wasn't taking him lightly.
He might've been a bit lost in this Thunder squad full of young stars, but Green still had pride. He squared up, focused.
Lou passed to Lin after a quick dribble over half-court, and Lin noticed Westbrook already glaring.
"…Did I piss him off or something?" Lou mumbled, scratching his head. "Dude's eyes are burnin' holes through me."
Westbrook wasn't just intense—he was personal. And college scouts had praised his defense just as much as his athleticism. Lou had read the scouting report. He just hoped he survived it.
Durant, defending Harrington, peeked out of the corner of his eye toward Lin and Green's one-on-one.
Lin waved off the screen from David Lee—wanted to go solo.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Green gave space, just enough to avoid getting blown by, and Lin's rhythm started to flow. His handle almost felt musical.
"Let's swing together~" Lin joked under his breath, dancing with the ball.
Jeff Green stayed grounded. He had to. There were already four clips online of Lin crossing people into the floorboards—YouTube classics. The fans called them the Four Shakes.
Green was not about to be number five.
Then—gasps from the crowd.
Lin shifted his weight, faked the drive...
...
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