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Chapter 191: Mavericks vs Knicks
🕑 Added 2025-06-23 15:24:11 +0000 UTCThe loss to the Lakers didn’t rattle Knicks fans all that much.
In fact, over time, Knicks fans had grown strangely protective, especially of their rising star. Lin Yi still remembered how Madison Square Garden used to erupt with applause for any highlight, even if it came from an opposing player. Knicks fans had seen so much mediocrity, they just wanted someone to put on a show.
But now? It was different.
When the brilliance came from their own, the vibe shifted.
Sure, it was fun to cheer for someone else's kid doing tricks. But when it’s your kid? Every stumble hurts a little more, and every spark of brilliance feels personal.
Take the recent Lakers game. The crowd at the Garden booed mercilessly at some of the officials' calls, especially the slow-mo foul reviews. But Lin Yi’s entrance lit the place up. For fans who had been suffering for years, it was like a ray of light finally breaking through the clouds.
Honestly, it was hard to find another team across the NBA who had been down as bad as the Knicks in recent memory.
Maybe... maybe you’d have to look at football (gridiron).
Knicks fans were suffering, sure—but then there was the Cowboys. Always the hope, always the heartbreak. Or Arsenal from the English Premier League, still boasting about being Invincibles up till now. No trophies.
Misery loves company, Lin thought.
...
After the infamous “Guns-in-the-Locker Room” incident, the Mavericks traded away Josh Howard for Caron Butler, shoring up their lineup and making a serious push for the title.
To be fair, the Mavs had been contenders for years. But public opinion was unforgiving.
Their star, Dirk Nowitzki, was labeled “soft.” Never mind that the man was loyal, efficient, a matchup nightmare on offense—because he didn’t snarl or flex or punch the air after buckets, people called him a softie.
Meanwhile, some other players—who'd do nothing more than flail their arms and act tough—got praised for being “gritty.”
Ah, the double standards of sports narratives.
And speaking of narrative distortions…
Sometimes Lin Yi found himself catching strays online.
“You’re guarding in a center’s jersey?!” “You fraud!” “You discount Kobe wannabe!”
Lin Yi: “...?”
...
Beijing, China
Before tip-off, back in the broadcast booth, Yu Jia leaned toward Zhang with a curious smile.
“Zhang, tonight the Knicks face the Mavericks. What’s your take—how should they approach this game?”
Zhang leaned back, thoughtful. “It’s tricky. The Mavericks have Dirk. The Knicks don’t have a perfect matchup for him. So it comes down to Lin Yi’s performance—and who they assign to defend Nowitzki.”
Turns out, that answer came fast.
...
Madison Square Garden, New York
Brendan Haywood jumped against Lin Yi and won the tip. Barely.
Lin Yi looked annoyed.
“That toss was way too low,” he muttered, side-eyeing the ref.
Starting five for the Knicks:
Lin Yi
David Lee
Gallinari
Wilson Chandler
Toney Douglas.
Mavericks:
Haywood
Nowitzki
Shawn Marion
Caron Butler
Jason Kidd.
The Mavericks' first possession went like clockwork.
Jason Kidd dribbled up, calm as ever. The veteran point guard had reinvented himself over the past few seasons—these days, he was all about the spot-up threes. He was shooting over 42% from deep and averaging 2.2 made threes a game.
Kidd ran a pick-and-roll with Nowitzki. Lin Yi easily fought over the screen. He wasn’t worried—he knew Kidd wasn’t driving to the rim anymore. The guy was averaging barely over one shot attempt near the basket per game.
Seeing no opening, Kidd kicked the ball to Dirk.
Dirty Dirk, as fans lovingly called him, sized up Lin from the top of the key
One lean. One pivot. One-legged fadeaway—his signature shot.
Splash.
A high-arcing, rainbow jumper that floated like poetry and dropped straight through the net.
Nowitzki’s shot looked slow, but it was deceptive. The release was fast, the arc unguardable, and combined with his height and balance, nearly impossible to block.
Lin Yi couldn’t contest it, and he knew it.
But that was exactly why he had asked to defend Dirk in the first place. The Knicks didn’t have anyone else with the wingspan, timing, and mobility to at least make things difficult.
2–0. Mavericks on the board.
Next possession, the Mavericks assigned Shawn Marion to guard Lin.
The Matrix. Once a defensive nightmare, now showing signs of age.
Lin Yi wasn’t worried. He still remembered the season when Amare Stoudemire got hurt, and Coach D’Antoni tried to play Marion as a stretch-four. It worked… sometimes.
But now, Lin Yi saw it clearly: Marion wasn’t the same athlete he used to be.
Ugly shooting form aside, Marion at his peak was once an all-around menace on both ends of the floor. The man even knocked down 141 three-pointers in a season using a shot that looked like he was pushing a medicine ball from his chest.
But now? That jumper was more of a gamble than a weapon. And like the Knicks with Lin Yi, the Mavericks didn’t have a better option, so they threw Marion at him and hoped for the best.
Reading the defense, Lin Yi quickly scanned his teammates’ positions, then called for David Lee to set a screen. As soon as Lee moved into position, Lin signaled for the pick-and-roll.
Haywood, the Mavericks’ center, immediately felt his stomach drop.
Marion didn’t fight over the screen?
Yeah... this might get ugly.
“Shame Dampier’s not starting tonight,” Yu Jia said with a sly grin from the commentary booth. “Otherwise, we’d have ourselves another center showdown.”
Yu Jia never passed up a chance to poke fun at Erick Dampier. Whenever the Mavericks were on the broadcast schedule, you could count on at least one jab. And to be fair, the guy kind of asked for it.
After Shaq left the West, Dampier proudly declared himself “the best center in the conference.” Yet every time he matched up against Yao Ming, he got worked.
Maybe Yao just loved feasting on slow-footed bigs.
Dampier had aspirations of being a finesse big, but didn’t have the touch or footwork to back it up. In reality, he was just a solid interior role player who lucked into a massive contract—like Haywood, for that matter. And that’s exactly why fans had been so critical of big men during this era.
Back on the floor, Haywood looked bewildered.
Lin Yi was picking up speed off the dribble, and Haywood was quickly realizing what “center terminator” meant in real time.
Why didn’t I spend more time on conditioning this summer? Haywood thought, already gasping mentally.
Lin Yi made his move.
One explosive step—and Haywood was cooked.
Marion reacted fast, though. Even with his athleticism fading, his instincts hadn’t left him. He rotated quickly to cut off the drive.
But Lin Yi didn’t hesitate.
No extra moves. No pump fake. Just rose for a mid-range jumper.
Swish.
Nothing but net.
Round one? Even.
“Not gonna lie,” Zhang Weiping said with a knowing chuckle. “Lin Yi’s game is tailor-made to give the Mavericks trouble.”
“Exactly,” Yu Jia agreed. “The Knicks can’t do much to stop Nowitzki, but the Mavs can’t handle Lin Yi either. It’s a standoff.”
On the sidelines, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle frowned.
It wasn’t the current score that bothered him.
It was Lin Yi’s trajectory.
The kid was improving at a scary pace. Carlisle couldn’t help but wonder.
But then he eased back into his seat.
Dallas had a tight window. Their core guys were aging. If they didn’t win it all in the next season or two, a rebuild was inevitable.
The Knicks?
They still needed time. Time to grow, time to build.
