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End of Q1, Nuggets up 20-28.
"Man, Melo's cookin' tonight! First quarter and he's already got 14 points and 5 boards."
Nuggets fans were on fire. Lin Yi? Please. Compared to their Melo, this Chinese rookie wasn't fireworks..
Maybe it was the West Coast being too much for the rookie, but the Nuggets fans were all for it.
The truth is, Denver fans didn't actually hate Lin Yi at first. After all, anyone who gives the Lakers trouble earns brownie points in the Mile High City. And Lin Yi had bullied LA two days ago.
However, the dude dared to arrive like he owned the place, after being chummy-chummy with that snake.
Yeah… that rubbed Denver fans the wrong way. In their minds, anything remotely tied to Kobe was cursed. Burn it. Bury it. Boo it.
Last season's WCF loss to the Lakers still stung like fresh lemon juice on a paper cut. So even though Lin Yi hadn't done anything wrong… well, he was guilty by association.
As for Lin Yi? Man didn't even know he was Public Enemy #2.
...
Second Quarter
The Knicks brought in their second unit: Lin Yi, Harrington, Gallinari, Belinelli, and Lou Williams.
Denver answered with their chaotic crew—JR Smith leading the way, flanked by Petro, Chris Birdman Andersen, Joey Graham, and rookie Ty Lawson.
This version of JR? Oh, he was peak Nerve Knife. Dude was launching threes like it was a video game cheat code. Sixty-two threes a game? Why not.
In Knicks practices, JR had become the example the coaches used when encouraging young guys to shoot.
"See that guy? He can chuck 60 a night if he's feelin' it. What are you afraid of?"
JR's bounce was off the charts. Now and then, he'd sneak into the nightly top plays.
Lin Yi, meanwhile, recognized a few faces. Ty Lawson—future engine of Denver's backcourt—and Birdman, the ink-covered, high-flying shot blocker.
Birdman's story?
He played in China back in the day. If he'd stayed longer, the Chinese Football Association might've wrapped him in masking tape just to cover all his tats.
He played for the Jiangsu Nangang Dragons with local legend Hu Weidong before making his way to the New Mexico Slam in the International Basketball League.
He later moved to the Fargo-Moorhead Beez in the IBA before eventually making his way to the NBA.
...
Back to the game.
Su Junyang said it plainly: "If Lin Yi doesn't find his rhythm soon, the Knicks might be toast."
...
JR came out blazing. First touch of the ball, boom—pull-up triple. Score now 20-31. Just like that.
Belinelli, guarding him, turned to his teammates with a face like, "Seriously, guys?"
No response. Everyone just jogged to the baseline like nothing happened.
Down 11… and JR acting like it's an open gym? Rough start.
Next Knicks possession: Lou Williams and Lin Yi ran a pick-and-roll. Denver's big, Petro, was too slow to keep up.
Lin Yi slashed toward the rim, Lou whipped it to him—looked like a free layup.
But then Birdman rotated fast.
Uh oh. All the Lin Yi fans watching had their hearts collectively clenched.
Was Su Junyang right? Was Lin Yi just… not feeling it tonight?
Nope. Lin Yi wasn't about to get blocked.
Just as Birdman lunged in, Lin Yi flipped the ball.
Bottom corner. Harrington.
Catch… shoot… splash.
Knicks answered with a clean three.
Yang Jian, relieved: "Nice pass by Lin Yi—Harrington knocks it down."
...
Denver pushed the ball back. Joey Graham drove hard into the paint—probably thought he had a free lane.
Nope. Lin Yi was already waiting.
Bang
Swatted that thing like a volleyball spike.
Brutal. Just brutal.
And the ball stayed inbounds. Belinelli scrambled for it, but Lou Williams beat everyone to the loose ball.
Meanwhile, guess who was already sprinting full speed into Denver's half?
That's right. Lin Yi.
Lin Yi caught a crisp pass from Lou Williams and burst past half court like he was on turbo. As he hit the free throw line, he suddenly slammed on the brakes. Quick stop, eyes on the rim…
But nah. Just when everyone thought he was about to shoot, Lin Yi whipped the ball behind his back—a no-look dime.
Belinelli came flying in to save it.
From the looks Coach and the vets gave him from the bench, it was clear: Don't you dare mess this up.
Splash!
Belinelli drained it. Just like that, the Knicks chopped the deficit back to five.
Belinelli finally exhaled like he'd been holding his breath since warmups. Lin Yi gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Nice shot, man. Gotta be confident, yeah? Pull that trigger.
Belinelli nodded like a bobblehead on a truck dashboard.
Those back-to-back daggers rattled Denver. The Knicks were finding their rhythm, while the Nuggets' flaws started to show.
The 09-10 Nuggets had talent, no doubt—but they weren't the same without Kleiza and Dahntay Jones. Losing those two messed up both ends of the floor.
Jones wasn't a flashy scorer, but he was that defensive maniac—Kobe irritant certified. With Billups and Kenyon Martin, he was part of Denver's defensive core.
Kleiza? Lowkey bucket-getter. Could shoot, could slash. A legit weapon off the bench—way more versatile than JR Smith's chaos.
Sure, the Nuggets still racked up wins in the regular season. But playoff depth? That's a whole different story. Lin Yi remembered it clearly: Melo balled out in the postseason—averaging 27 with killer efficiency—but they still flamed out in Round 1.
Coach Karl's health issues didn't help, and neither did the lack of bench muscle.
In the NBA, role players make the engine run. They're the glue—the guys with dusty stat lines but winning impact.
That's why Lin Yi was already plotting. He wanted the Knicks to snag Danny Green.
Why? Because if you want to build a dynasty, you gotta knock out the Spurs first. And Popovich? Man's a walking cheat code.
With a tuned-up 3-and-D skillset, Danny Green would be a better fit than Jones ever was.
...
JR Smith clanked another wild jumper. Lin Yi snagged the rebound like a wide receiver, then launched a quarterback-style full-court dime.
This time, it was Lou Williams on the receiving end. Showtime.
Splash!
Three straight threes from the Knicks.
George Karl? Losing his mind.
Su Junyang, watching from the CCTV booth, kept his composure. "The Knicks are making me eat my words. This quarter? All Knicks."
Lin Yi hadn't scored yet. But dude already had 6 assists, 5 boards, and 2 monster blocks.
Timeout, Nuggets.
Reset time.
But it didn't help.
Lin Yi came back and spiked Birdman's shot into next week. Anderson didn't even bother with a fake. Lin read it like a textbook and sent it flying.
Fast break again. Lin found Belinelli in the corner.
Bang!
Another one.
The Knicks were torching Denver. Only two minutes into Q2, and it was already a 14–0 run.
Pepsi Center? Ice cold.
Denver fans sat in stunned silence. Every Knicks three-pointer felt like a dagger to the gut.
And the thing about threes? Hit enough in a row, and the fear settles in. Opponents start second-guessing every closeout.
Karl sensed the shift. He waved over Melo and Billups to check in.
But before they could even sub in—
Belinelli picked JR Smith's pocket like it was rush hour in Manhattan.
Lin Yi took off again, racing down the court. Denver's defenders hesitated, worried about another triple from New York's flamethrowers.
They backed off.
Big mistake.
Lin Yi launched himself two steps before the free-throw line.
Mid-air, he pulled a full-on Zach LaVine dunk contest tribute—high-flying, long-reach, rim-rattling jam.
BOOM!
Pepsi Center just got hit by a UFO.
Denver fans were shook. Was this the same Lin Yi who'd sleepwalked through the first quarter?
Two minutes and nineteen seconds. Knicks: 16–0 run.
Everywhere you looked: fireworks.
CCTV cuts back to the studio. Yang Jian stared at a stunned Su Junyang.
Because last anyone checked, he had 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and now a poster dunk to boot.
Lin Yi's fans? Fired up.
Yeah, they'd doubted him a few plays ago. But now? They wanted Su Junyang out.
Old-school analyst Zhang, watching at home, chuckled.
Back at the arena, the Nuggets had to burn another timeout. Melo and Billups finally checked in.
Carmelo cracked his neck, eyes laser-focused.
He wasn't about to let New York steal the show on his court.
Let's see if Lin Yi's run could keep rolling...
...
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