Just as Lin Yi was starting to think seriously about how to handle Argentina in the quarterfinals, the NBA's long-running Dwight Howard saga finally came to an end.
On August 7, Yahoo Sports' Wojnarowski reported that the league had officially approved a four-team blockbuster involving the Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, and 76ers.
The breakdown was simple: the Lakers landed Dwight Howard; the 76ers received Bynum along with additional assets; the Nuggets acquired Iguodala; and the Magic took back Jamison, Afflalo, and several filler pieces.
Once the deal was finalized, Superman Howard set the drama aside and announced with excitement, "I'm bringing my happiness to Los Angeles."
Kobe wasted no time welcoming him on Twitter. In a rare moment of open excitement, he even tagged Steve Nash—who hadn't re-signed yet.
Kobe wrote.
"Steve, you're the last piece."
Lin Yi could tell Kobe was genuinely thrilled. A frontcourt pairing like Howard and Gasol was something you usually only saw in video games.
Los Angeles media went into celebration mode, confidently declaring that Kobe was once again in a position to chase the sixth O'Brien trophy of his career.
Some even claimed that if Nash returned, this Lakers lineup could rival—or surpass—the old Shaq–Kobe era.
Howard, widely regarded as the league's best defensive big man, alongside Gasol, an All-Star power forward, plus two former MVPs on the perimeter—it sounded unstoppable on paper.
Fans were already shouting, "The Lakers are champions!"
Meanwhile, New York went quiet.
After Whiteside was taken by the Kings and Billups announced his move to the Clippers, the Knicks' front office had been unusually inactive.
Some of the more radical fans even floated a shocking idea: if the front office refused to act, maybe they should just trade Lin Yi.
"They're wasting his prime," became a common complaint.
Around the league, teams were stockpiling talent, yet the Knicks seemed content to stand still. Donnie Walsh—once a three-time Executive of the Year—was back under fire. To many fans, the Knicks' success existed solely because of Lin Yi, not because of any front-office brilliance.
Ironically, Lin Yi didn't want Walsh to do anything at all.
After the Olympics, Yao Ming was set to return to New York with him to finalize his deal with the Knicks. With Green already drafted, the team's priorities had shifted.
As Zinedine Zidane once said, "The strongest players are already in the squad."
With that roster, what more did people expect?
Of course, public opinion didn't work that way—especially after the Knicks fell short of the championship last season, and Paul took a fair share of the blame.
Rajon Rondo even went on record saying Paul only reached the Eastern Conference Finals by riding Lin Yi's coattails.
When Paul saw the quote, he snapped.
"Give me a chance next season," he said angrily to Lin, "and I'll shut him up myself."
Lin Yi shook his head. Paul wasn't much of a trash talker. He was a clean-cut guy.
The right response to shut Rajon up was obvious: Didn't you win by riding the Big Three?
Conversation over.
Ever since winning the assist title, Rondo had clearly grown more confident—maybe too confident. During a Knicks–Celtics game last season, after a loss, he'd confronted Paul directly.
"Too many defensive fouls," Rondo had said. "Chris doesn't belong on the All-Defensive First Team. He's just Lin's little boi."
Lin Yi sighed. The universe really did love setting people up for collisions.
He made a mental note to talk to Paul—otherwise, a real fight with Rondo felt inevitable.
Back to the bigger picture. With Howard heading to Los Angeles, Lin Yi knew one thing for sure: the Shaq–Kobe era wounds would finally heal. Howard really would bring happiness to the Lakers.
They'd be happy.
Very happy.
So happy that one day, Kobe might metaphorically puncture holes in Howard with his stare.
Still, Lin Yi wasn't about to ruin the dream. Lakers fans—and Kobe fans—were enjoying visions of a sixth championship.
After all, Lin Yi himself had already tweeted:
"Lakers champions 🙌"
A bit of trolling never hurt.
And Kobe had replied with a smiling emoji.
...
On August 8, the knockout stage of the London Olympic basketball tournament officially began. In the quarterfinals, China would face Argentina. The winner would go on to meet whoever emerged from France versus Brazil, while the other half of the bracket featured the USA vs. Russia and Spain vs. Lithuania.
Four years earlier, August 8 had marked the opening of the Beijing Olympics. To many Chinese fans, the date itself felt symbolic. Maybe—just maybe—luck would lean their way again.
The last time China faced Argentina at the Olympics was back in 2004. That night ended in a brutal 52–89 loss. Argentina's golden generation was at its peak then, and the result wasn't shocking.
What people remembered just as clearly, though, was how resilient that Chinese team had been. At the Athens Olympics, they were pushed to the edge. To advance, they had to beat the reigning world champions, Serbia and Montenegro.
Against all odds, they did.
Yao Ming dominated, and Du Feng calmly knocked down free throws in the final moments to seal the win.
Chinese basketball had always carried a strange streak of fate. In the 2006 World Championship, Wang Shipeng's last-second three-pointer against Slovenia won the game by exactly one point—just enough to push China through the group stage on head-to-head point differential.
Argentina, meanwhile, had remained a global powerhouse throughout the years. At this London Olympics, their roster was stacked with NBA experience. Ginóbili, Scola, Nocioni, Delfino—names Chinese fans knew all too well.
In football, Argentina had Maradona.
In basketball, Ginóbili was their equivalent.
For Chinese fans, reaching the Olympic semifinals was uncharted territory. Hope, superstition, and belief all blended into one.
By tipoff, the London Basketball Arena had turned into a sea of red. Blue and white stripes didn't matter tonight. Reputation didn't matter either.
Even though Lin Yi had openly stated after the group stage that his goal was a medal, most observers—including the CCTV commentators—kept a level head. On paper, Argentina still held the advantage.
As the teams warmed up, Xu Jicheng laid out the key point. "If China wants a chance tonight, they have to control turnovers and limit Argentina's perimeter play."
Yu Jia nodded. "Ginóbili just won an NBA championship with the Spurs. Plenty of fans thought he deserved the Finals MVP."
Xu Jicheng laughed. "The league probably told him, 'We'll make it up to you next time.'"
Just before tipoff, an awkward but memorable moment unfolded. As Ginóbili greeted Lin Yi, Lin Yi instinctively reached out—and gently patted Ginóbili on the head.
Both froze.
Ginóbili looked genuinely surprised. For a split second, he even seemed… oddly okay with it.
The silence was uncomfortable.
"Good luck," Lin Yi said quickly.
"Yeah. You too," Ginóbili replied.
They turned and walked back to their respective sides of the court.
Nearby, Yao Ming and Scola—old teammates—were finishing their warm-ups. Yao smiled wryly and said, "You know, Luis, you're our main target tonight."
Scola grinned back, clearly familiar with Yao's style. The expression on his face said, I'll be ready.
No matter how you framed it, Argentina was not an easy mountain to climb. Golden generation or not, reputation or not—this would take everything.
Lin Yi adjusted his arm sleeve and looked toward the court.
Tonight, he wasn't holding anything back.
Pampas vultures or not, no one was flying over the Great Wall without a fight.
. . .
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