Madison Square Garden, New York – February 20
Tonight, the Knicks host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Heading into the game, the Knicks are unbeaten in February. In the MVP race, Lin Yi has quietly climbed into second place, partly due to Kobe Bryant's recent absence.
If not for LeBron James' dominance this season, Lin Yi could very well be the frontrunner for MVP—unheard of for a rookie. It was last done by Wes Unseld in the 1968-69 season.
...
On TNT's broadcast, Kenny Smith remarked, "Charles, if the Knicks keep this up—and they beat the Celtics later this week—they'll cement sitting second in the East."
"That's right," Charles Barkley responded. "Which makes tonight's game against the Thunder a big one. Post-All-Star break, Kevin Durant's been on a tear—averaging 35.7 points a game."
Then, with a chuckle, Kenny added under his breath, "Don't know if KD's reading the tabloids, but rumor has it Lin's been in a bit of a heated scrimmage with Scarlett Johansson back at his place."
Barkley jumped in, adding heat to the situation, "And what about Taylor Swift? I've got to respect Lin's off-court game. How'd he pull that off—three blondes, at once?"
...
Inside Madison Square Garden, Lin Yi's name was announced to thunderous cheers—but not without a few jeers and chuckles sprinkled in.
Some Knicks fans had taken to holding up cheeky banners that read:
"Blondes, please don't distract our Grim Reaper!"
Lin Yi was beside himself. His teammates had teased him all day, and now the internet was ablaze with gossip. Some even joked that Lin Yi should consider applying for citizenship in a country where polygamy was legal once he retired.
In Lin Yi's mind, he was completely innocent. But the tabloids didn't care.
The stories spun tales of wild passion—one man, three women. It sounded like something out of a telenovela drama.
To be fair, all three women involved had called to apologize.
Taylor Swift was the first to call.
"Hey Lin, I didn't think the visit would cause such a stir. Sorry about that—I'll be more low-key next time. I've got a new project in mind and thought of you for a track. Let's talk when things calm down."
Not long after, Scarlett Johansson reached out as well.
"Lin, I honestly didn't expect the press to be camped outside in that kind of weather. I'll be more careful going forward. Hope this didn't make things too messy for you."
Then came a text from Elizabeth Olsen:
"Didn't realize it'd blow up like this. Should've brought the dog—might've looked more casual. Next time, I'll keep it simple. Hope you're doing okay."
Lin Yi lay back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Unbelievable.
For now, the three had agreed to avoid coming to games—at least publicly—to help keep the noise down.
That should've been a relief, but Lin couldn't help noticing the absence courtside. Even the arena cameras seemed... disappointed.
...
Pre-game Warmups
As the Knicks and Thunder warmed up, Kevin Durant stood off to the side, jaw clenched.
Not one. Not two. All three.
Lin's public statement? Durant didn't buy it—not that he cared about the tabloid noise.
But he noticed things.
Scarlett used to show up courtside without fail. Now? Not a trace.
Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe it wasn't. Either way, Durant had seen enough.
He wasn't here to gossip. He was here to remind everyone who he was.
"Russ," he said, eyes fixed on the court, voice calm, "handle the setup tonight. I've got the scoring."
Westbrook nodded. "You get open—I'll find you."
No more talk. Just basketball.
Westbrook gave a quick nod. "All yours tonight. I'll set the table."
He paused, then smirked. "Might need to take a break from Taylor's tracks for a bit though."
...
Tip-Off: Madison Square Garden
With the energy buzzing through the arena, the starting lineups were announced on the big screen:
Knicks:
Lin Yi
David Lee
Danilo Gallinari
Wilson Chandler
Pat Ewing Jr.
Thunder:
Serge Ibaka
Jeff Green
Kevin Durant
Thabo Sefolosha
Russell Westbrook.
At center court, Ibaka and Lin Yi squared up for the jump.
The referee tossed the ball into the air, and despite Ibaka's length, Lin Yi easily won the tip.
Knicks possession to start.
...
To be fair, Lin Yi had never underestimated Durant.
He knew full well that KD's scoring ability was on par with any peak-era great. This season, Durant was leading the league in scoring, and since the All-Star break, he'd been on an absolute tear.
Why?
Simple—he wanted to remind everyone he was still that guy.
Once again, Lin Yi had stolen the spotlight. Headlines, highlights, MVP chatter—it was all about Lin. And in the process, people had started overlooking the league's scoring leader.
Durant didn't take kindly to that.
He had already circled tonight's game weeks ago. A nationally televised clash at Madison Square Garden? No better stage to send a message.
From the opening tip, the Thunder were feeding him relentlessly.
And the Knicks? They couldn't just mimic the Thunder's formula. Not tonight.
Westbrook, often impulsive, was laser-focused. He controlled the tempo, rebounded hard, and found Durant again and again. Even when Pat tried to rile him up with some extra contact and trash talk, Russ didn't flinch.
At the end of the first quarter, Durant had 14 points.
By halftime: 24.
Third quarter: 38.
He was hunting 50, and MSG could feel it.
"The Knicks are in real trouble here," Barkley said, shaking his head as the third quarter ended. "Durant's on fire, and Lin might not have enough time to bring this back."
As one of Lin's biggest supporters, Barkley didn't want to see him outshone, but he couldn't ignore the scoreboard. Three quarters in, the Knicks were down 90–78.
And Westbrook? Already had a triple-double: 10 points, 13 assists, 14 rebounds. Quietly brilliant.
Lin Yi watched from the bench, analyzing everything.
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks had made a clever call—he sent Durant, Westbrook, and Harden out together in the second quarter to overwhelm the Knicks' second unit.
It was textbook execution.
This trio had already figured out how to dismantle veteran teams like the Spurs. Lin knew it firsthand. He saw the chemistry building between them—Durant scoring at will, Westbrook locking in on defense and distribution, Harden lurking, waiting to strike from the perimeter.
On the Knicks' sideline, D'Antoni paced with arms crossed. He wasn't one to throw in the towel, especially not with a chance to climb to cement second in the East. After tonight, they'd face Boston—and if they could win that, things could shift dramatically in the playoff picture.
Sure, it was a long shot.
But D'Antoni wasn't built for playing it safe.
Still, things looked stuck—until Lin Yi stood up, walked over, and lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Coach," he said, "send me in for the fourth."
There was a quiet intensity in Lin's eyes. He wasn't rattled. Just ready.
D'Antoni gave him a look, thoughtful, then nodded.
"Go," he said. "There'll be a lot of games like this one in your future."
Lin Yi cracked a small smile. "That's the plan."
This was it.
This is what star players do.
You don't hide when the game feels out of reach. You step into it. Embrace it.
Durant, Westbrook, Harden—they were the real deal. Young, explosive, dangerous.
Maybe tonight wasn't about rivalry. Not yet.
But the future? That was unavoidable.
Time to test the waters.
...
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