GRANDMAESTA_30
patreon
Chapter 28: Chasing Giants: The Road Through UNC
🕑 Added 2025-04-26 09:16:17 +0000 UTCWhen the NBA first introduced the three-point line, almost every team hated it. No one wanted it—mainly because it came from the ABA, which was seen as the NBA's rival at the time. It just didn't feel like "real basketball." Back then, everyone was drilled to take it strong to the basket, so a shot from way outside—seven or eight meters away—felt like blasphemy.
Even Larry Bird, the man with the nickname "The Hick from French Lick," wasn't all that into threes at first. You can tell just by looking at his early shooting numbers. But make no mistake—he could hit them when he wanted to.
Fast forward to today, and the three-pointer isn't just accepted—it's a game-changer. Barkley once said you can't win by just shooting threes. Yeah, well... let's just say time proved him wrong—again.
Too bad Curry didn't know Klay Thompson yet. If those two had met earlier? Man, the league would've been set on fire even sooner.
Earlier that day, Lin Yi beat Steph in a pre-dinner three-point contest. Not that it was unheard of—Curry's missed a few threes in his life. He even lost one to Steve Kerr back in the Warriors days.
The thing is, Curry only really locks in when it's game time or during intense training.
"Incredible," Dell Curry said, watching Lin Yi shoot. "The last time I saw a big guy shoot like that was when Dirk first came into the league. Everyone thought he was soft, and said he'd never make it. And what happened? Dirk shut 'em all up real fast."
"Lin, I heard from Steph that you tell him to shoot no matter what—even those crazy long ones from eight or nine meters out?" Dell asked, clearly puzzled.
Lin Yi just shrugged. "Yeah, 'cause even from that deep, Steph's shooting over 40% in-game."
If you think about it, that's 12 points for every 10 shots. Compare that to a high-percentage two-pointer at 50%—that's only 10 points for 10 shots. Do the math—threes are just more efficient.
"And here's the thing," Lin added, "Steph doesn't get many wide-open looks. But when he pulls up from deep, no one's really contesting him that far out. It's all rhythm. If he's feelin' it, he's takin' it. No hesitation."
And in the future? Shooters would train to make dozens—even hundreds—of those shots in practice.
"Why not pull up for three on a fast break?" Lin continued. "Old-school thinking says you go for the easy two. But nowadays, defenses are so quick to get back, true fast-break layups are rare. Most of the time it's that transition space—pseudo-fast breaks. Hitting a three there shifts momentum hard."
It's all about rhythm. That's why the Warriors of the future would sometimes chuck up threes even with a hand in their face during a transition. They weren't being reckless—it was calculated chaos.
Why'd the Mavericks collapse back then?
Don Nelson's wild run-and-gun strategy worked. That crazy Golden State squad knocked off a juggernaut Dallas team with, let's be real, some pretty wild shot choices.
Then, years later, the Mavs turned around and took down the Heat's Big Three using—you guessed it—crazy threes.
LeBron learned from that. Started surrounding himself with shooters. Why? Because threes change the game. A good three-pointer can demoralize a defense way more than a dunk.
And with reliable shooters on the outside, defenses stretch, opening up driving lanes like crazy. Lin and Steph tore up the NCAA for this exact reason. Lin wasn't just fast—he had range. A big man hitting threes is a nightmare matchup. You can't give him space, but if you close out too hard? Boom—he's past you.
It's the same deal with Durant. If KD didn't have range, defenders would just sag off. Even with his speed, that extra distance makes it tough to drive.
Dell nodded. "Man, if we said this kind of stuff to our coaches back then, they'd laugh us out of the gym. But I won't argue—threes are the reason I even got to the NBA."
Dell Curry had a sweet stroke, sure, but look at his attempts per game. Ariza probably chucked up more in one season.
Back in the '90s, threes were only taken if you were wide open. But even with more physical defense, perimeter shots didn't carry the punishment that came from battling down low. Imagine if MJ had put in the same work on his three as he did on his midrange. He might've been averaging 40 a night before Pippen even showed up.
Of course, that's all just "what ifs." But even Jordan's old crew admits—if Mike had added the three earlier, the league would've been in serious trouble.
Their little shootaround and debate wrapped up just in time for Christmas Eve dinner.
Steph's mom, Sonya, whipped up an amazing meal. Lin Yi kind of regretted dragging Steph out for burgers every day—he lived like 30 minutes from this cooking?
Wait a sec... was Sonya giving him that look?
Nope. Nope. Misread that. Me and Steph? Both are straight dudes, thank you very much.
After dinner, Lin Yi proceeded to absolutely destroy both Curry brothers in 2K.
Steph was chill about it—he knew the drill. Seth, on the other hand, went on a full rant about how broken Yao Ming was in 2K9.
Sydel whined to their mom about having too much homework or she would've been cheering for her brothers, while Dell Curry just tuned it all out and watched his soaps.
That was Steph's world—cozy, supportive, competitive in the best way.
Klay Thompson grew up in something similar. Both had NBA dads, and both raised in homes that prioritized education and sports. It's no wonder they turned out the way they did.
After the games, Lin Yi called home to check in. His parents already heard about how fast he was rising. Still, if they saw it with their own eyes, they'd probably freak out.
"Hey Lin," Steph said seriously. "There's something we need to talk about."
Lin turned, curious. "What's up, man?"
"If we're gonna win it all this year... we have to beat North Carolina."
His eyes were sharp—way more serious than his baby face would suggest.
North Carolina. The school that rejected Steph.
Honestly, he probably wouldn't have brought them up if Lin hadn't come along. But now? He wasn't just hoping to go far. He wanted payback.
In 2009, UNC was the powerhouse. Some people even said they were better than the future Warriors.
Michael Jordan's alma mater.
Four out of five starters from that team made it to the NBA.
Taylor Hansbrough, the beast of the NCAA—college Blake Griffin was scared of him. Lawson, arguably the best college point guard at the time. Danny Green, Ellington—stone-cold killers. Deon Thompson was solid too. And even their bench had Ed Davis, who'd go on to the league next year.
Steph and Lin both had the same dream: go deep. But to do that, they had to go through UNC.
They were the final boss of March Madness. And Lin Yi? He knew exactly what kind of storm they were walking into.
