"Looks like Lin's living in the low post tonight," Buckley said, watching Lin Yi crash into the paint again.
Kenny Smith nodded. "Jeff Green's just not big enough. Honestly, I'd like to see how Ibaka handles him instead."
"First quarter's almost up," Buckley added. "Thunder better put Ibaka on him in the second or it's gonna get ugly."
On the court, Lin Yi kept calling for the ball down low. The Knicks spaced out, giving him room to work. Krstic? Yeah, he wasn't coming anywhere near it.
Before tip-off, Krstic had breathed a sigh of relief when the coaches didn't assign him to guard Lin. Can't blame him—Lin's playstyle was just... varied. Unorthodox. Krstic knew himself well enough.
Loop around, post up, throw a fake, then a spin… bruh, what are we even doing out here? Just let us blue-collar guys live…
And Jeff Green? He was getting cooked. Lin was just too tall.
Before the game, the Thunder had Durant spend a whole day helping Green prep—running 1-on-1s, simulating Lin's style. But the truth was, KD and Lin Yi were two different beasts. Lin's game was old-school bruiser mixed with finesse, and Green couldn't keep up.
Lin, meanwhile, was loving it. He lived for these low-post battles. Olajuwon had once said Lin could've thrived in the 90s—and he wasn't wrong. Lin had survived Artest's full-court harassment. Jeff Green? Please.
And Lin's body? Built different. Injuries didn't scare him.
Green was starting to lose it. What is this guy?
How does he move like this?
Most bigs in modern ball had clunky footwork—rough around the edges. Lin's were textbook, clean. Honestly, it reminded you a bit of what made Jokic such a nightmare in the future.
Lin felt Green couldn't hold him anymore and spun hard off the post, muscling his way to the rim.
Just as he was about to take flight for a one-handed dunk—
WHAM*.*
Westbrook came flying in out of nowhere.
"That's Westbrook! He's up—!" Kenny Smith shouted.
Thunder fans leapt to their feet. Westbrook's vertical was unreal—this looked like the block of the year in the making.
Some of Lin Yi's fans flinched, closing their eyes. Damn it. That's it. He's done. This block is gonna be everywhere.
But—
Just before Westbrook's hand slapped the ball, Lin's huge palm yanked it back mid-air. In one motion, he glided sideways, contorted his body, and laid it with a reverse layup, soft touch off the glass.
Bucket.
Even Harden on the Thunder bench stood frozen. "Yo... did you see that?!"
8–8.
After scoring, Lin patted Westbrook on the shoulder.
"Nice try, man. You almost had me."
The Ford Center erupted in gasps.
That reaction time.
That body control.
That hangtime.
That touch.
"So cool," a female Thunder fan muttered, then instantly covered her mouth. Oh no, did anyone hear that?
Westbrook, trotting up the court, looked over at Durant and said, "You know what? You were right. I think I kinda like this guy."
Durant blinked. "Huh?"
What happened to the I'm gonna block Lin into next week, Westbrook?
Didn't he say Lin's style was lame and boring? That he didn't play with enough swagger?
Now he's vibing with the guy?
Durant wasn't loving this shift. Especially since Lin just stole all the thunder—pun intended. Westbrook had dropped eight straight before this, and no one cared now.
Durant decided: Time to cook.
On the Thunder's next possession, Durant called for the ball. Guarding him was veteran Al Harrington.
Weirdly, Harrington didn't look nervous. Maybe he'd just gotten used to Lin Yi's circus dribbling back in Knicks practice, but KD's smooth moves didn't exactly faze him.
Still, Durant's scoring game was cleaner, more refined than Lin's, especially at this stage.
It's just that Lin's presence made even Durant's game feel... less otherworldly.
But KD wasn't worried.
He was just getting started.
Durant didn't call for a pick this time.
Guess he didn't want to lose to Westbrook, who had just run four straight iso plays.
These two? Full of fire tonight—young, hungry, and trying to one-up each other.
Durant crossed up his man, rose, and let it fly.
Swish—!
Thunder strike again. They were trading buckets, keeping the lead alive.
But… where was the noise?
Where were the roars? The cheers?
Durant blinked. Was it just him, or were the fans a little... quiet?
Usually, one of his jumpers would've blown the roof off. Now? After Lin Yi's last move? The reaction felt muted.
"Durant's heating up," Barkley said, but even his tone was a little flat.
"Yeah," Kenny Smith agreed, sounding more curious than hyped. "Still… doesn't feel the same."
Was it Lin Yi's fault? Or maybe everyone was still in shock from that last insane move?
Truth be told, Lin's jumper was just so smooth. So clean. It made even Durant's textbook shooting form look… almost normal.
But hey, you can't blame the crowd. They'd been cheering nonstop. Everyone needs a breather, right?
Lin Yi checked out after playing six minutes in the first quarter: 4 points, 3 boards, 3 assists. Solid all-around.
Milicic subbed in, and with Lin off the floor, the Thunder pounced. Green started attacking the Knicks inside. Westbrook went back to normal mode. Shame Adams wasn't in the league yet—if he had been, the Thunder might've doubled their offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone.
Durant was easily the most effective Thunder player so far, using his size and clean looks to hit shot after shot.
After one, it was 23-30 Thunder. A seven-point lead.
And oddly enough, a bunch of fans watching the live stream were surprised.
"Wait, what? The Knicks are losing? I thought they were up!"
It just felt like the Knicks had been in control, probably because of Lin's highlight reel moves.
But Lin and Coach D'Antoni weren't worried. Seven points down in the first? That was pretty normal for them. The Knicks had made a habit of playing catch-up in the second quarter.
That's when Harden finally checked in—after warming the bench for what felt like forever.
He gave Lin a hard stare right away.
Lin didn't even blink.
Knicks' second quarter lineup: Lin Yi, Gallinari, Chandler, Danny Green, and Douglas.
Thunder rolled out: Ibaka, Durant, Maynor, Sefolosha, and Harden.
Durant had sat out the last two minutes of the first and was back to start the second. Back in the 09–10 season, the Thunder weren't very deep, especially inside. And Westbrook? Dude was a physical beast, but the team always tried to protect his minutes. He rarely went over 35.
Harden could run the point, but then they had to rely on Sefolosha for the two. That's why the Thunder usually went with a 7- to 8-man rotation.
In the future, when the Thunder went up against the Warriors, they'd learn the hard way: short rotations don't last long in a war of attrition.
"The Knicks just sent in Danny Green…" Kenny Smith blinked and started scanning his notes.
Green had only played 11 games since joining New York. Averaging 7.5 minutes, 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.
Kenny nearly spit out his drink. "Wait… they're already down seven, and now they're throwing in the deep bench?"
Barkley raised a brow. "What are they doing—experimenting mid-game?"
Danny Green himself was nervous. He'd been jittery ever since he found out he was getting minutes tonight.
Before they subbed in, Lin Yi leaned over and gave him a pat on the back.
"Relax. Just clamp down on D. If you get the ball on offense, just shoot it. Don't worry too much about passing."
Danny nodded. Getting floor time in a big game like this? It was already a dream. The Thunder were a top-tier Western team. If the Knicks' coaches trusted him here, he had to prove himself.
No complaints. Just play.
The truth is, this was a calculated risk. The second quarter was the Knicks' usual time to rally. Belinelli's defense was too soft, and tonight's focus was all about slowing down Durant.
D'Antoni had practiced this lineup in advance. The more he ran it, the more excited he got.
Lin glanced at Coach D'Antoni and held back a laugh.
Old man… you don't know it yet, but this is how you're gonna take down the Warriors one day.
...
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