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...
After the first quarter, the Mavericks held a 29-24 lead over the Knicks.
To open the second quarter, the Knicks subbed in Harrington, Gallinari, Belinelli, and Lou Williams alongside Lin Yi.
The Mavs responded with Dampier, Marion, Butler, Stevenson, and J.J. Barea.
Lin Yi glanced over at the Mavericks' point guard and couldn't help but mutter, "Man... I could probably eat Barea alive. No way he's 180 cm."
Lin had seen small guards like Chris Paul and Allen Iverson up close before, but Barea looked even shorter—maybe half a head shorter than either of them. On top of that, his wingspan wasn't doing him any favors. Lin Yi had serious doubts about the listed 183 cm height.
NBA heights are a myth, Lin thought. Should've claimed I was 240 cm. With Yao out, who's gonna challenge it?
He jokingly thought.
...
The second quarter started with the Knicks' possession.
Despite his small stature, Barea was surprisingly strong and compact. Every time Lou Williams drove into the paint, Lin Yi couldn't help but flinch a bit, half-afraid Lou would snap in half from the contact.
After Lou crossed halfcourt, he handed it off to Lin Yi. Lin took a quick look—Marion again, guarding him. Inside, the self-acclaimed "best center in the West," Erick Dampier, stood planted in the paint.
Lin shouted, signaling Harrington to pull out to the perimeter. Dampier, slow to react, struggled to adjust. The big man looked like a lumbering figure. You had to wonder if he caught some of Baron Davis's confidence virus in the We Believe Era of the Golden State Warriors..
Marion felt like he'd time-warped back to his Phoenix days. He had to do everything again—help, recover, cover for a slow-footed big. If he didn't rotate out, Harrington was wide open for three.
Harrington, savvy as ever, got the ball and quickly fed it back to Lin. The veteran didn't even give Marion a chance to reset. He faked and drifted to the side, dragging Marion along.
Dampier, meanwhile, finally lumbered over.
"Here it is! The showdown between the East and West's top centers! Lin Yi, go to work!" Zhang Weiping yelled with glee.
Lin glanced at Dampier and furrowed his brow. Do I look that scary?
He stood there in a triple-threat stance, ball in hand, eyes locked in. Beads of sweat rolled down Dampier's forehead.
Watching tape hadn't prepared him for this.
But the Mavericks had no choice. Their lineup dictated that Dampier had to play the second quarter.
No running from this.
Lin exploded off the dribble.
Dampier cursed under his breath, stumbling into a backpedal. His instincts told him to follow, but his legs weren't cooperating.
Then Lin suddenly pulled back.
The retreat was sharp, clean, and completely unexpected.
What the hell? Dampier's eyes widened. How's he pulling up already?
Lin Yi's combination of size and smoothness threw Dampier completely off. This wasn't some clunky big man's move. It was polished, precise.
Lin's dribbling had always been decent, but now—with his Ankle Breaker badge upgraded to gold—he had tightened things up. His movements were smoother, sharper.
This step-back was sudden, explosive, and—most importantly—controlled.
Dampier froze. Then he slipped. Maybe it was someone else's sweat. Maybe it was panic. Either way, he landed flat on his back at the Garden.
"Oh my God!" the crowd roared.
Lin Yi had just added another big man to his highlight reel.
"Finish him!" Zhang Weiping's voice echoed through the broadcast booth like a mystical chant.
Lin Yi, now beyond the arc, calmly pulled up.
Before he released the shot, he glanced at Dampier sitting in front of him.
Dampier looked defeated.
Swish.
Three points. Clean. Madison Square Garden went nuclear.
On the Mavericks bench, Haywood shook his head and muttered curses. Thank goodness he wasn't the one guarding Lin right now.
Dirk Nowitzki looked just as stunned. Watching it live was on another level. The speed, the footwork... it felt unreal.
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
The Garden erupted in chants.
Lin Yi pulled out the classic finger-guns celebration, miming a quick shot and blowing the imaginary smoke from his hands.
On the sideline, Coach Rick Carlisle silently made a note: This summer, we need someone—anyone—who can guard this guy.
Marion helped Dampier off the floor.
"C'mon man," he said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "You got this. Just believe in yourself."
This... felt worse than getting cooked by Yao Ming.
Getting sat down on the court like that? It wasn't just embarrassing.
It was soul-crushing.
And the worst part?
He hadn't been dropped by a guard. He'd been broken down by another center.
All Dampier wanted in that moment was to crawl under the basket and disappear.
Maybe it was Dampier's frustration, but right after that possession, the Mavericks went straight into attack mode. J.J. Barea didn't even bother calling for a screen—he just went straight at Lou Williams.
Barea's small frame got power. He used his body well, got into position, and sealed Lou off behind him.
Lin Yi tried to rotate over to help, but he was a step late. Barea didn't hesitate—just launched the shot and knocked it down.
He's not even 180 centimeters tall, but Barea once again proved he belongs in the NBA.
31-27. The Mavericks are up by four.
The Knicks came right back. Lin Yi signaled for Harrington—time to run the two-man game.
You could see the fire in Dampier's eyes. That look said it all.
...
Final score: 113 to 121. The Knicks turned it around and came out on top at home.
After the game, Coach Carlisle shook D'Antoni's hand and said with a wry smile, "Mike, you've got one hell of a player on your hands."
Coach D just smiled—didn't deny it.
Every night, Lin Yi gave D'Antoni something new to be amazed by.
Lin played 39 minutes, shot 11-for-21 from the field, hit 3-of-6 from three, and was perfect at the line—6-for-6. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks.
As for the Mavericks, their most consistent performer was the Germanator. Nowitzki had 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting, 2-of-4 from three, and hit all four of his free throws, adding 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
After the game, Lin Yi couldn't help but sigh.
Sure, Lin Yi scored more than Dirk on paper, but that didn't tell the full story. The Mavericks hadn't even targeted Lin defensively, and Carlisle wasn't about to throw Nowitzki at him. That was a strategic no-go.
And on the other end? The Knicks tried to contain Dirk. Lin Yi did his best, but honestly, he just couldn't fully stop him.
Among all the legendary power forwards, Lin Yi still thought Tim Duncan was the toughest to deal with—but Dirk was right up there.
..
On TNT, Barkley couldn't help poking fun at Kenny Smith again.
"Wasn't it you, Kenny, saying Lin was easy to defend after that Lakers game?" Barkley grinned.
Kenny could only shake his head.
"Man, Lin's game is just... slippery. You think you've figured him out—and then he surprises you again."
Kenny eventually had to admit, "Guys who can match up with Lin Yi? Their market value's about to skyrocket next season."
And don't forget—Lin Yi was still only 20.
Longevity? Yeah, someone's gonna have to figure out how to deal with this monster long-term.
...
After beating the Mavericks, the Knicks hosted the Timberwolves on January 26. Some fans hyped it up as the ultimate rookie showdown between Tyreke Evans and Lin Yi.
But let's be honest—that was just Timberwolves fans talking.
Final score: 132 to 101. The Knicks blew them out.
Tyreke Evans? Yeah… sorry, man.
As for Jonny Flynn, he had a rough night. At one point, he even tried to block a Lin Yi dunk.
Bad idea.
Flynn mistimed it, couldn't get his right hand on the ball properly, and ended up smacking it off the rim. Brutal.
Lin Yi was starting to notice a trend: every game, someone tried to make a name by taking him on.
So he reminded himself—stay sharp. There were already five highlight compilations on YouTube of players getting embarrassed trying to challenge him. And the haters were just waiting for a moment to drag him down.
Then came January 28. The Knicks fell 101- 109 at home to the Raptors. The squad had turned into the Bricklayers, clang, clang all the way. Chris Bosh made it clear he wasn't just some nobody.
January 30: The Knicks lost again, 96 to 106, this time on the road to the Wizards.
That made it two losses in a row. Suddenly, no one could figure this Knicks team out.
They could take down heavyweights like the Lakers, Mavericks, and Spurs… but then turn around and drop games to bottom-tier squads like the Wizards.
Keep in mind—the Wizards had only won two games all January. And one of them was against the Knicks.
"Honestly," Barkley muttered, "the Knicks might be the hardest team to predict right now."
Even the fans got in on the joke, giving them a new nickname:
The Robin Hood Knicks—stealing from the rich, giving wins to the poor.
...
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