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Chapter 260: Knicks vs Heat 2
🕑 Added 2025-07-25 14:19:00 +0000 UTCIn the second quarter, the Heat rolled out a lineup of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller, and Joel Anthony.
Lin Yi glanced at the court. So this is Miamiâs game plan?
Mike Miller could shoot, no doubt about that. But as far as Lin was concerned, letting Lou Williams stick to him was enough. Miller was a solid spot-up shooter, sureâbut he wasnât some volume scorer who could take over a game.
As for Miamiâs transition game? That wasnât scaring anyone either. The Knicks werenât lacking for energy off the bench. Running back on defense wasnât a problem.
Still, James was James. Early in the second, he baited Danny Green and dished a slick assist off a drive, pushing the score to 24â13. That was already his sixth point of the night.
Livingston slowed things down for the Knicks, bringing the ball past halfcourt before handing it off to Lou. After a pick-and-roll with OâNeal, Lou accelerated and easily lost Miller. Joel Anthony stepped in to contest, but⊠well, his size just wasnât enough to bother Lou in the paint.
Spoelstra noticed the issue right away. Just as he was about to sub in Big Z, one of his assistants leaned over.
"Coach, how about we try 'Hack-a-Shaq'?"
Spo raised an eyebrow. "Hack Shaq already?"
It was a tempting idea. Instead of bringing in Big Z, they decided to see how much value Joel Anthony could squeeze out of the tactic.
Back on the floor, James tried to take over again. Danny Green didnât bite this time. Instead of challenging James head-on, he sagged back just enough to dare him into a jumperâwithout giving up the drive.
James hesitated⊠then launched a contested pull-up.
The shot? Way off.
Clang!
OâNeal pulled down the rebound and immediately started the break. The Knicks bench couldnât help but laugh.
âShaq, you sure you can still run?â someone shouted.
OâNeal flashed a grin and rumbled upcourt.
Next possession, the Knicks went straight to him in the post. Joel Anthony tried to hold his ground, although Shaq was as agile as before, he had the weight and experience. One spin, a little bump, and Anthony had no choice but to wrap him up.
âEven at 37, Shaqâs still a force down low,â Kenny Smith said.
Barkley added, âHeâs been cutting back on snacks, but heâs still Big Diesel.â
The whistle blewâa shooting foul. OâNeal to the line. The crowd at American Airlines Arena erupted in boos⊠but strangely, the Knicks players were grinning.
Werenât these guys supposed to be his teammates?
The truth was, the jeering didnât bother Shaq at all. Lin Yi had pulled him aside earlier with a laugh:
âDonât worry, even if you miss a hundred, no oneâs gonna blame you. Just draw fouls and wear âem down.â
Shaq wasnât trying to prove anything. He was here to absorb fouls, hit bodies, and maybe drop in a hook or two.
With that relaxed mindset⊠swish. First free throw in.
Then the secondâswish again!
Kenny Smith and Barkley couldnât believe it.
âMy God, Shaq hit two?â Kenny laughed.
Shaq raised his arms and shrugged toward the bench like, Whatâd I tell you?
Spoelstra scratched his head. So much for the 'Hack-a-Shaq' plan...
Meanwhile, Wade answered on the other end with a strong drive past Livingston. But something felt off. Since when did the Knicks get this tough on defense?
Livingston wasnât a flashy defender, but his added strength this season made a difference. He didnât reach, didnât overcommit. His long arms were a constant threat, and he used his size well to keep ball-handlers uncomfortable.
On offense, the Knicks continued to control the tempo. Lou was just about to pull up when Livingston called for the ball.
That was one of the perks of having Shaun on the second unitâhe knew when to calm things down.
Lin Yi watched from the bench, nodding.
Tony Allen, sitting nearby, added, âYou know, Shaun was a crazy dunker in high school.â
Lin nodded, slightly wistful. âYeah... shame about the injury. But heâs still here. That counts for something.â
Livingston took the ball and backed Wade down. He wasnât overpowering himâjust reading the defender, shoulder fake, then a smooth turnaround jumper.
Swish.
Livingston clenched his fist. He didnât regret the changes from the summerâthe extra weight, the subtle shift in role. This version of him could do more than just pass. He could score when the team needed him to.
Everyone on the squad had seen him drill that move in practice again and again.
Score: 30â17.
Spoelstra looked frustrated.
And things didnât get better.
James tried to take Green off the dribble. He got past him with a forceful strideâbut OâNeal was already waiting.
Shaq rose and swatted the shot away.
Even Miami fans werenât sure how to react. After all, this guy had helped them win a title once. But now?
Now he was punishing his former team.
James and Wade exchanged glances, shaking their heads. How did Shaq look this energized?
Kenny couldnât help himself.
âThe Knicks really are something else,â he said. âLivingstonâpeople thought he was done. Tony Allenâwritten off as just a defender. Danny Greenâcut by Cleveland. Shaqâwashed, they said.â
He paused.
âBut look at âem now. All of âem thriving in New York."
Barkley quipped ruining the solemn moment.
It's gotta be that NYC water. Hits different."
Kenny turned to his partner with a raised eyebrow before bursting into laughter.
...
The Heat were starting to lose their cool. LeBron even went for a dry threeâsomething he rarely relies onâjust to try to cut the deficit.
By the time Lin Yi checked back in, the Knicks were up 39â24.
Inside American Airlines Arena, Heat fans were restless. Most of them had walked into the building expecting an easy win. After all, they had LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Who could stop them?
Well, the Knicks.
No one saw it coming. The pundits didnât. Vegas didnât. Not even the Heat themselves.
But when Lin Yi returned to the court, a nervous ripple swept through the stands.
In the second half of the second quarter, the Knicks rolled out a lineup of Tyson Chandler, Lin Yi, Gallinari, Tony Allen, and Lou Williams.
On the other end, Spoelstra switched things upâBig Z and James Jones came in, with Wade taking over point guard duties.
Spoelstra thought he saw an opening. In his eyes, the Knicks had a defensive weak link on the floor.
What he didnât expect⊠was Lou Williams locking in.
Okay, locking in might be generousâLou wasn't exactly clamping anyone up. But he kept up with James Jones just enough to mess with the passing lanes. And Jones? He was a stationary shooter. He needed space.
Meanwhile, with Shaq on the bench and Tyson Chandler back on the floor, the Knicksâ paint protection returned to fortress mode. The TysonâLin duo was a nightmare for any team that relied on penetration.
Tall, long, and quick laterallyâthey werenât just athletic freaks; they were disciplined. Tough to draw fouls on. Tough to shake off.
Lin Yi was loving every second of it. With Chandler behind him, he could gamble, switch, rotateâknowing someone had his back.
Then came Boshâs moment.
The big man wanted to assert himself. He got the ball and tried to go to work.
Bad idea.
Lin Yi sent back two of Boshâs shots in a rowâclean, loud, and disrespectful.
Just a year ago, Bosh had been Lin Yiâs kryptonite when the Raptors swept the Knicks. But this Heat version of Bosh? A little hesitant. A little lost.
Next possession, Bosh tried again. Lin didnât even let him finish the move.
Later on, Lin Yi stayed outside the arc, stringing together some tight dribbles. The Limitless Range badge lit up in his mind.
But he felt it. That rare trigger.
Cross, step backâway behind the three-point line. Ridiculous distance.
Bosh, trying to recover, rushed him. Lin Yi rose and launched the shot right into Boshâs contest.
Whistle.
Foul.
And then⊠swish.
Nothing but net.
Bosh stood there, hands up like a man just pulled over for speeding.
âI fouled him... and he hit it?â
James and Wade couldnât believe it either.
On TV, even the Heat fans had to shake their heads. Lin Yi looked like he was playing NBA Street Vol. 2.
Meanwhile, Knicks fans around the world were on their feet.
"This is our guy!" someone yelled from the bleachers.
Barkley was losing it on commentary.
âWhat more do you want from the man? What more?!â
âItâs showtime! Itâs Showtime!â Kenny Smith echoed.
At the free-throw line, Lin Yi looked calm. Poised. The spotlight belonged to him, not the so-called Big Three.
LeBron? Frustrated. Not defeatedâbut rattled.
This wasnât supposed to happen. The harder he pushed, the more the Knicks widened the gap.
By halftime, the Heat had managed just 31 points. The Knicks? 54.
A 23-point lead in Miami.
And the scariest part wasnât the scoreâit was how they got there.
Lin Yi had 29 points at the break. Shot 11 of 24. He hit two of five threes. But he went a perfect 7-of-7 from the line.
Stat line aside, to Knicks fans, he was nothing short of a superhero.
Lin Yi knew better. He had the spotlight, sureâbut the real MVPs were the guys behind him. The defense-first dawgs.
