GRANDMAESTA_30
patreon
Chapter 139: Knicks vs Nuggets End
🕑 Added 2025-05-22 14:42:22 +0000 UTCAfter Anthony and Billups got back on the court, the Nuggets finally stopped the bleeding.
But just as Coach George Karl let out a sigh of relief, the Knicks caught fire again. After missing on two straight trips, they came roaring back from beyond the arc.
Lou Williams and Lin Yi nailed back-to-back threes right out of the pick-and-roll. That made it five threes for the Knicks in just this quarter alone.
Karl quickly called for a change—out went Petro, in came Kenyon Martin, and he kept Birdman Andersen on the floor. Birdman had the speed to stay with Lin Yi, at least on paper.
But the thing is, you can’t trap Lin just because he’s quick. He’s a passer, too. Once the Knicks' shooters catch fire, a single-coverage approach falls apart fast.
Guys like Harrington, Belinelli, Gallinari, and Lou had been lights out from three in yesterday’s practice. And today? That heat carried over. Lin Yi was slicing into the defense like a blade, playing distributor like he was channeling prime Steve Nash—dropping dimes left and right.
On the Knicks' bench, Coach D’Antoni glanced at his assistant, Dan, who had that deep-in-thought look again.
“Dan,” D’Antoni asked, half curious, half amused, “if you were coaching against Lin, how would you handle him?”
Dan took a second. “Honestly? I’d focus on the other four guys. Lin can’t score on every play. Anderson’s doing okay on him one-on-one—it’s just that the rest of the team keeps collapsing on Lin and opening up shooters.”
D’Antoni nodded, then leaned in again. “What if Lin keeps running pick-and-rolls to break into the paint?”
“Then I double down on shutting down the others. Cut the cord. Make sure Lin has no passing options. Let him get his 30, 40, hell—even 50 if he can—but don’t let him run the whole orchestra. Even if he's shooting 50% the whole night, can he keep that up into the fourth quarter?”
D’Antoni chuckled and gave Donaldson a pat on the shoulder. “You’re not wrong. Looks like the other side's a little too hesitant tonight…”
Hesitant was putting it kindly. Old-school tacticians like George Karl were sticklers for structure. He and Larry Brown? Cut from the same cloth—except Larry worshipped defense while Karl clung to offensive schemes.
Guys like that love mapping every detail on a clipboard and sticking to it like gospel. But when chaos hits? They freeze.
In contrast, Lin Yi had seen how wild things could get in future playoff wars. He knew that the best coaches, like Kerr, didn’t just call plays. They fought. Every possession was a chess match.
Sure, D’Antoni liked his short rotations—just seven guys some nights—but even with just those seven, he gave Kerr’s Warriors plenty of sleepless nights. Once they got past the Rockets, even Warriors bench guys like Barbosa had to admit that it wasn't easy.
Karl might’ve switched up the personnel thinking it was about bench depth. But really, he was getting outmaneuvered tactically.
The Nuggets were trying to play a half-court game—let Billups control the pace, let Melo go iso. But the Knicks? They ran like hell. Transition attack, all gas, no brakes. It wasn’t just about Lin Yi—it was everyone. They played like a swarm. First chance they got, boom—attack.
It wasn’t that the Nuggets’ defense was trash. It’s just that they couldn’t catch the rhythm of the game. The Knicks were always a half-step ahead, always setting the tempo.
Funny enough, the Nuggets were known for their offense. But against D’Antoni’s system? George Karl’s run-and-gun felt like a fossil from another era.
With about eight minutes gone in the second quarter, the Knicks kept rotating plays—Lin switched into a pick-and-pop with David Lee, nailed a clean three, and the Nuggets looked rattled. Missed coverages, bad switches—it was starting to snowball.
At halftime, Karl was trying to rally the troops.
“More intensity! Step up the pressure!”
The intent was there. But they still hadn’t figured out the real issue.
Stopping the Knicks wasn’t just about clamping down. It was about cutting the link. You had to sever the lifeline between Lin and his teammates. No matter how strong your defense, if Lin kept connecting with everyone else, you weren’t gonna stop this team.
Into the fourth, about four minutes left, both coaches began pulling their starters. The Nuggets were down big, and Karl could only watch, hands on hips, wondering how it all slipped away. Maybe it was just one of those nights, he thought. Maybe they were just too hot.
But D’Antoni knew better. Late in the fourth, he and Lin chatted briefly on the bench.
“We’ve still got weak spots,” Lin admitted. “If our outside shooting’s cold, I can’t carry the load every night.”
He wasn’t just being humble. Lin had played enough games now to know exactly where he—and this Knicks team—stood. Their ceiling was sky-high, sure. But their margin for error? Still razor-thin.
D’Antoni chuckled and patted Lin Yi’s shoulder. “Like you said, Lin—you're only 20. Who knows what kind of monster you’ll be in a couple of seasons?”
Lin grinned. The old man had a point. Right now, it was all about pushing himself. This Knicks team? Going places.
...
The Knicks wrapped up the road trip with a bang, beating the Nuggets to improve to 12-4. They let it fly from deep—43 three-point attempts, sinking 20 of them. That set a new franchise record for threes made in a single game.
Lin Yi only played 32 minutes, but his stat line was wild: 24 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. Yep, another triple-double—his third so far.
As for the team, the Knicks were on fire. Seven guys hit double digits.
David Lee dropped 10 points and cleaned up with 10 rebounds.
Gallinari knocked down 4 of 7 from deep for 12 points.
Belinelli went 3 for 5 from three and finished with 17.
Lou Williams? 23 points, hitting 4 threes. Harrington added 18 and 8 boards. Chandler chipped in with 14 and 5 rebounds.
Even rookie Danny Green got a few minutes in garbage time in his NBA Knicks debut. He tallied 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Not bad for a first showing.
On the Nuggets' side, Carmelo Anthony poured in 40 points on 15-of-25 shooting (including 3-for-4 from three and a perfect 7-of-7 at the line), plus 8 rebounds.
Billups added 17 and dished out 7 assists.
Nene scored 12 and grabbed 5 boards.
But still—Melo drops 40 and they lose? That’s rough.
Though to be fair, his numbers were... deliciously sweet. Too bad sweet doesn’t always win you games.
Luckily for him, Melo didn’t have a massive stan army—or his teammates would’ve been roasted alive by now.
The truth is, the Knicks torched the Nuggets from beyond the arc. Those 43 three-point attempts? Season-high. These guys weren’t just playing—they were rewriting the book on how to attack.
With Belinelli and Lou Williams coming off the bench, the Knicks suddenly had depth to match their firepower.
No wonder ESPN bumped them up to No. 7 in the latest power rankings.
After the game, reporters kept asking the same thing:
"Was all the three-point bombing part of the game plan?"
Belinelli was loving it. “Absolutely! Coach D’Antoni tells us that if we don’t shoot enough threes, we’ll have to run extra laps. I mean, who wants to run more?” he laughed. The Italian sharpshooter looked like he’d found a second life in New York.
Sure, the Raptors might have better box scores, but this? This was fun basketball.
Let it fly, baby.
Another reporter joked about the Knicks not getting many free throws. Lin Yi laughed and fired back,
“The W is all that matters. And for a squad still figuring things out, I'm proud of the boys. ”
He was in a great mood. Three straight wins out West? That’s big for a team still finding its identity.
Then came the next hot topic.
“You’re playing Dwight Howard next. Any thoughts on facing the league’s top center?”
Lin scratched his chin and smiled. “Hmm... I just hope they do put Dwight on me.”
Since Zen Master Phil Jackson had Artest chase Lin around, he hadn’t had a traditional center trying to guard him.
“But seriously, I am a center,” he shrugged. “He is a center, may the best man win. That simple”
The media cracked up. Smooth, cheeky, confident.
Comments
GRANDMAESTA_30
Sorry, I guess the 1 beside o rebounds didn't get typed.
Matt
His stats show a double double, a triple double is 10+ points rebounds and assists
