After Klay swiped the ball, he didn't hesitate—he fired a quick pass to Paul. The point guard barely blinked before bouncing a full-court pass toward Lin Yi.
Leonard, the first to retreat for the Warriors, sprinted to meet him. Lin Yi caught the ball with his right hand, pushed forward, and in one fluid motion slammed it home—posterising Kawhi.
Bang—!
Leonard's expression stayed stoic, but inside, he was already replaying last season's games in his head. That same unapproachable aura Lin Yi carried… was it really this overwhelming every time?
He'd trained all summer, improved in every drill, yet this second-year star still left a mark that made even Leonard hesitate.
Lin Yi, for his part, felt it too—a surge of satisfaction, an unspoken recognition that some plays just hit differently. High-post control, timing, explosiveness—it all came together.
Leonard would grow into his own later, with steals and "prying" moves that could drive opponents insane. But for now, Lin Yi's dunk made him realize that not all cards in the deck were easy to challenge.
Meanwhile, on the other end, Klay's defense kept Curry under constant pressure. Passing lanes were cut off, drives disrupted. If there were a lyric to describe Klay tonight, it would be: "My eyes only see you, not him."
The next Warriors possession went to Cousins. Dribbling the ball between his legs on the perimeter, the "giant baby" drew all eyes from the Knicks' bench.
Yao Ming muttered, "Are all centers playing like this now?"
Motiejunas scratched his head. With Lin Yi's rhythm setting the pace, inside players now had to show a bit of flair or risk looking passive. Even Cousins, the point-center tonight, orchestrated a slick lob to David Lee, who converted two points.
4 to 2.
The Knicks' third possession didn't yield points. Paul's mid-range jumper rimmed out; Curry grabbed the rebound. Lin Yi scanned the floor—it felt like a mirror match. The Warriors thrived on transition offense just like the Knicks, their athleticism on full display. Leonard, Middleton, Cousins—each one a physical specimen.
Lin Yi thought while retreating, Maybe after Kerr and the Suns part ways, I should see if Donnie Walsh can make room and bring Kerr in as Knicks GM…
Curry, pressured by Klay's sticky defense, had no time to hold the ball. Middleton, using Cousins' screen, slipped to the elbow, set his feet, and let it fly.
Swish—!
4 to 5.
Middleton, tall and quietly deadly, demonstrated exactly why the Warriors ranked third in the West. Low-key, efficient, with a wingspan that disrupted shots and created steals. He was a sniper without the fanfare.
Lin Yi had plucked Klay, Green, and Livingston from Golden State, but he knew this roster had even more potential.
Leonard, if he developed clutch consistency, would be the perfect second-in-command. With Middleton and Kawhi guarding the wings and Cousins inside, perimeter weaknesses would be scarce.
Cousins and Bogut's presence solved interior issues, even if Cousins sometimes drifted mentally.
On the Knicks' next play, the Warriors' defense was stretched wide. Paul drove, tried to pass out—Middleton cut it off. Curry, temporarily stifled by Klay, finally got a chance and let a trailing three-pointer fly.
No rhyme, no reason, pure instinct.
4 to 8.
Curry glanced at Klay, pointing upwards.
Yu Jia shook her head. "Paul needs to pay attention. The Warriors turn turnovers into points almost as efficiently as the Knicks do."
Zhang added, "Better to run it through Lin Yi. Paul shouldn't wander."
Sure enough, Paul swung the ball to Lin Yi, and his teammates cleared space. Leonard took the assignment.
Coach Mark Jackson had told Kawhi pregame, "Where you fall, you get back up."
Leonard's face hadn't changed, but his eyes said it all.
Inside, he didn't want this matchup. Lin Yi's dunks, his high-post dominance last year—they had left a permanent mark on Leonard's mind. Still, he treated Lin Yi as a benchmark, a target to reach for.
Lin Yi threw a cheeky smile when he noticed Leonard's stoic gaze. He shifted to a back-to-the-basket dribble.
Thud—!
Leonard's chest felt like a hammer had hit it. .
And just as Lin Yi pushed through, a pair of sneaky hands shot out…
Who in the NBA understood Lin Yi the best?
Of course, it was Stephen Curry.
Oracle Arena erupted. Curry snatched the ball right from Lin Yi's hands, then sprinted into a fast break, tossing a perfect assist to Kawhi Leonard for a layup.
4 to 10.
BANG
Mike D'Antoni immediately called a timeout.
The Arena went bonkers.
Rarely did anyone one-up Lin.
Timeouts weren't D'Antoni's usual move this season. He preferred letting games flow, but this Warriors lineup demanded attention.
During the break, D'Antoni looked at Lin Yi. "Any ideas?"
Lin Yi paused, then nodded. "Coach, we could try the lineup we practiced for the first substitution."
D'Antoni's eyes lit up. The old-school tactician and the young star quickly found common ground. Tonight's Warriors were the perfect test. If they didn't try it now, when would they?
Game resumed. Lin Yi drove aggressively into the paint, scoring two points.
6 to 10.
He shot Curry a wry smile, acknowledging how well the point guard read him.
The Warriors pushed back. Curry handed the ball to Cousins and ran off-ball, Klay shadowing him like a shadow. Cousins tried a high-post drive, but he'd picked the wrong matchup.
Tyson Chandler had trained extensively against this style of point-forward, and Cousins, usually unstoppable with high-post drives, got shut down. One-on-one, the steal came quickly. Klay sprinted downcourt on the break, finishing a layup.
8 to 10.
The Warriors called a timeout.
Tyson Chandler glanced at Cousins and mouthed: "You ain't that guy."
Training with Lin Yi had been grueling. He remembered the countless drills, sore muscles, and even his wife's impatient glare when he spent hours on specialized moves.
Those trials had forged him into a point-forward nemesis. Cousins mimicking Lin Yi's style tonight was bound to hurt.
After the timeout, Curry got loose off David Lee's screen. A wild three-pointer—balance lost, shot flying anyway—swished through the net. The camera zoomed in on Lin Yi.
Yu Jia sighed. "Curry's shots… totally unreasonable, just like Lin Yi's."
Director Zhang added, "They are the Shooting Stars for a reason."
Eight minutes in, first quarter: Knicks trailing 18-26.
The Warriors, who led by eight, made some changes.
Barnes and Bogut in; Cousins and Leonard out.
But it was the Knicks' first wave of substitutions that turned heads.
Livingston replaced Paul. Chandler swapped with Morris. Draymond Green came in for the Tyson Chandler.
Mark Jackson blinked.
Was Lin Yi moving to center? No, wait… Draymond was at five?
WHAT?!
Lin Yi at 214 cm playing small forward, Green at 201 cm playing center?
Oracle Arena fans probably thought like Mark, thinking that the Knicks had lost their minds.
Bogut, underestimated at the post, demanded the ball, ready to punish Green. But after a few solid pumps, he realized the rookie wasn't pushover material.
Lin Yi had molded Green during Knicks practice. Even without a perfect fadeaway, Green could hold his ground. In this lineup, he absorbed contact, defended the rim, and played the five position well.
This wasn't the Warriors' Death Lineup yet, but the Knicks had practiced a version of it. Fast pace, Green at five, Lin Yi controlling help defense—fouls minimized, transition maximized.
Of course, critics would talk.
Lin Yi (214 cm), Klay (201 cm), Livingston (201 cm), Chandler (206 cm), Green (201 cm)… on paper, this lineup averaged taller than the Warriors on the court.
Bogut's turnaround hook clanged off. The Knicks' surged, ready to turn the momentum.
. . .
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