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Chapter 154: The Calm Before the Dunkstorm
🕑 Added 2025-05-29 12:51:50 +0000 UTCDavid Stern was in a damn good mood today.
So good, that he decided dinner tonight deserved a bottle of red—something expensive.
And why not? As the NBA commissioner, he had just gotten a gift from the basketball gods.
A few hours earlier, ESPN's Cray Speeder—whose name matched his reporting style—dropped a headline that had NBA Twitter buzzing:
Knicks’ Lin Yi Confirms: He’s Entering the 2010 NBA Dunk Contest.
Boom.
Even better? Lin Yi backed it up himself right after.
“Yeah, I’m in. I’ve loved dunking since I was a kid— The dunk contest is something I want to tick off my bucket list,” Lin said in a post-practice interview.
The moment the news broke, Lin’s fans went nuts.
Entering the dunk contest?
Everyone was all-in—hands, feet, hearts, and hashtags..
Then came the highlight reel. Speeder clipped together Lin’s top slams and dropped it on YouTube. It exploded—over a million views in no time.
Online Comments Blew Up:
Big Brain:
I’m dying to see what a 7-footer like Lin can pull off. Let’s gooo!
2K God:
Honestly, the dunk contest’s been trash lately. Dwight’s stuff was more comedy than dunking, Lin could bring something fresh.
LeBronTHEGOAT:
As a LeBron fan, I’m still hoping he finally enters. But hey, Lin being in? That’s already a W.
Dog_lover:
There’s something so smooth about the way Lin dunks. Not like a typical big man—dude floats.
Anarchist786348:
Ugh, jealous of Knicks fans. Imagine if the Clippers still had him. They gotta be crying in the bathroom.
With the internet on fire, even Lin’s haters didn’t know how to respond.
What are you gonna say?
“His dunks aren’t good”?
Pfft, Bro, open your eyes.
The dunk contest was declining—and honestly, given how weak the past few years had been, they had to admit: if Lin brought even one original idea, he might just run away with it.
So the haters shut up—for now. Quietly waiting for the moment, he slipped up.
...
Back at league headquarters, Stern turned to Adam Silver with a rare grin.
“Adam, this kid... he just gets it.”
Silver nodded. “Yeah, Sir. The dunk contest needs this. Fans are dying for another real showdown—like MJ vs. ‘Nique, or Vince vs. Franchise.”
Stern sighed. He’d been trying for years to get stars back into the dunk contest.
Even LeBron. Especially LeBron.
But every year, LeBron dodged it. “Maybe next year,” he’d say… every year.
Fans used to believe it. Now? Not so much.
Stern couldn’t help thinking Lin Yi might be heaven-sent—his answer to the dunk contest drought.
Because every February, the hype machine would crank up…
And every February, the letdown was just as loud.
In Lin Yi’s memory, people used to say Nate Robinson only won because the league wanted to hype his size.
But really, it was because the contests around then were that weak.
Sure, Nate had bounce and a big personality, and at 5’9”, that counted for something… but the dunks? Nowhere near the level of future legends like LaVine and Gordon.
And that’s exactly why Lin Yi was jumping in this year.
He knew 2010 was gonna be a dud. No star power. No creativity. A perfect chance to steal the spotlight.
If he could bring out even a fraction of what LaVine and Gordon would do in the future, he could win—and win big.
And better yet? Lock in a moment fans would never forget.
Lin didn’t lack imagination.
In fact, with all the future dunk blueprints he had in his head, he figured he had at least two or three dunk titles in the bag.
But for now?
Step one: Walk in.
Step two: Steal the show.
Lin Yi knew exactly what was coming.
Next year, once Blake Griffin came back healthy, he was definitely throwing his name into the dunk contest.
And Lin remembered it clearly—Griffin’s return brought shockwave dunks night after night. The league was all in on hyping him up, so by the time the 2011 dunk contest rolled around, it was already decided: the trophy was Griffin’s.
So Lin Yi had a thought—Why wait?
If fans wanted a real showdown, why not bring the heat now? Steal LaVine’s moves this year, drop Gordon’s ideas next year. Back-to-back classics. Save the dunk contest before the league can script it.
Lin was pretty sure: if he delivered something special this season, Stern wouldn't dare fix things the next.
And honestly? Stern wanted a showdown. Lin vs. Griffin had history—college battles, draft comparisons, highlight reels—it was already a media goldmine. Reporters could write ten features on it before tip-off.
By that point, Lin was confident in his game. Unless Griffin spent a year drinking rocket fuel, that whole flying-car dunk of his wouldn’t be enough.
So after Eli Manning hyped him up that day, it hit Lin all at once:
He had to do it.
No hesitation. He was in.
Funny thing was, even though Lin and Stern had different endgames in mind, they were perfectly aligned.
Stern wanted ratings. Lin wanted a legacy. And the dunk contest? The perfect stage.
...
The NBA made its stance clear right away.
“As a league, we’re thrilled to see a star like Lin Yi take part,” Stern said. “Whatever he needs, we’re here to support.”
Translation: full green light. Whatever Lin needed to put on a show, he’d get.
...
And Lin? He didn’t waste time proving he could walk the talk.
On December 15, in Charlotte against the Bobcats, he went ballistic.
Four alley-oop slams—each more vicious than the last—and one monster one-handed windmill in traffic that brought the arena to its feet… even if it wasn’t his arena.
The Bobcats had no answers. Larry Brown’s old-school schemes were getting shredded. Lin didn’t just beat them with the ball—he punished them without it, making smart cuts and running lanes like a track star.
The Knicks won 103–91. Three straight wins.
Knicks: 16-6.
But honestly? No one was talking about the win.
All eyes were on one thing:
Lin Yi, dunk contest confirmed.
...
“I wish we could start the dunk contest tomorrow,” Lin joked postgame, grinning. “I’ve got so many ideas lined up. Fans better bring popcorn and soda... Just don’t sip while I’m dunking—I don’t want Coke spraying on the courtside crowd if they get too hyped.”
The media loved it. Lin was setting himself up big time. And the best part?
He meant it.
This wasn’t just talk. He’d already tested some of LaVine’s dunks in practice, and they fit him. Lin wasn’t just flashy, he had that same body control, that same hang time.
Fans once gasped watching LaVine.
Lin wanted the same reaction.
He was coming for it.
...
Back at league HQ, Stern saw the buzz online and smiled widely.
“Give him everything. Let the hype roll.”
The All-Star Game was still weeks away, but Lin Yi had already set it on fire.
...
Somewhere on the West Coast, Dwight Howard was scrolling through his phone mid-road trip and paused.
Something felt… off.
A bad feeling settled in his stomach.
He didn’t know what Lin Yi was planning.
But whatever it was?
It was gonna be big.
