On TNT, Barkley was still shaking his head.
"When he gets like this, I don't care who you are; there's no scheme for it. You just pray he cools off."
Kenny Smith let out a short laugh. "That last one was from almost nine meters. No coach is drawing that up. If Mike D'Antoni did, then he is a crazy man."
Shaquille O'Neal leaned back in his chair. "Phil Jackson would've subbed him out immediately."
End of the first quarter.
30–33, Heat.
LeBron James sat on the bench, elbows on his knees, hands crossed.
He wasn't looking at the scoreboard.
He was replaying the last minute in his head.
Every shot.
Every bounce.
Every swish.
"Stay locked in," he muttered to himself. "It's just a run. Stay locked in."
But it didn't feel like just a run.
It felt like something slipping.
. . .
Second quarter.
Lin Yi stayed on the floor.
No Yao tonight. The Knicks went small.
Draymond, Morris, Klay, Livingston. All spacing, all speed.
Miami adjusted, too.
Birdman at center, LeBron sliding to the four, Wade and Ray Allen on the wings.
This was it.
Star against star.
LeBron caught the ball at the elbow.
One hard dribble.
Two.
Marcus Morris tried to hold ground, but there was no stopping the drive.
LeBron powered through and finished at the rim.
30–35.
He didn't celebrate.
Just turned and ran back.
If Lin Yi stayed out there, then he would too.
Next possession.
Lin Yi at the top.
LeBron in front of him now.
No help.
No switch.
Just straight up.
The fans buzzed. "Here we go."
Lin Yi dribbled once.
LeBron leaned in slightly.
That was enough.
Lin Yi raised the ball.
LeBron reacted instantly, stepping forward.
A fraction too early.
Lin Yi drove.
The collision came hard.
Shoulder to chest. Force meeting force.
Gasps from the crowd.
Countless photographers captured this scene. Lin Yi was pushed off balance, drifting sideways, and raised the ball above his head in mid-air.
People were no strangers to the skyhook.
But an off-balanced drifting skyhook...
Not many.
As Lin Yi's fingers gently sent the basketball towards the hoop, time at the American Airlines Arena seemed to stand still.
Soft.
Perfect.
Swish.
32–35.
LeBron turned, watching it drop.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Just a look.
No words needed.
On the next possession, Wade missed on the other end.
Lin Yi grabbed the rebound clean.
Outlet.
Klay was already running.
This time, no hesitation.
He pulled up in transition.
Swish.
35–35.
Tie game.
Klay jogged back, tapping the side of his head.
"Locked in." He shouted.
Next possession.
Ray Allen in the corner.
Catch.
Release.
Swish.
The response was immediate.
Allen didn't celebrate either.
He just gave Klay a brief look.
Calm.
Measured.
Like a veteran reminding a young shooter, I've been here longer.
Knicks ball again.
Elevator screen.
Textbook.
Klay came off it clean.
LeBron hesitated for half a second, eyes flicking toward Lin Yi.
That was enough.
Klay fired.
Swish.
38–38.
It's worth mentioning that all 38 points for the Knicks were scored by Lin Yi and Klay.
The Knicks, who usually championed team basketball, seemed to have transformed into the Splash Brothers team tonight.
And the Heat, who usually relied on star isolation to drive the whole team, played team basketball tonight instead.
On the court, Lin Yi and Klay high-fived after every successful offensive play.
Back and forth.
Shot for shot.
Possession for possession.
Midway through the quarter on a timeout, Lin Yi walked past Chris Paul.
"Let me and Klay handle the scoring for now," he said quietly. "You just settle us down."
Paul stared at him for a second.
"…you're serious?"
Lin Yi nodded.
Paul exhaled through his nose, half annoyed, half impressed.
"Fine. I leave it to you and your sidekick."
. .
On the Heat bench, LeBron leaned forward, hands clasped.
"You feel it?" he said to Wade.
Wade nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"They're getting stronger."
Wade glanced at him, then smiled slightly.
"Good."
LeBron frowned. "Good?"
"Yeah," Wade said. "Because this is what it's supposed to be."
He nudged LeBron's shoulder.
"Mike didn't win his first until 28. You've got time."
LeBron looked at him.
Wade added, more quietly, "And you're not doing this alone. I'm here."
A pause.
Then LeBron nodded once.
"Let's go."
Halftime.
59–59.
Dead even.
In the locker room tunnel, the noise still echoed.
Lin Yi walked ahead, towel over his shoulders.
Klay made his 5th three-pointer of the night before halftime, scoring 21 points.
The Knicks made a total of 10 three-pointers in the first half, with Lin Yi and Klay each contributing half.
Paul found his rhythm in the latter half of the second quarter, scoring 6 points and dishing out 3 assists.
For the Heat, James also put up 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists at halftime.
Wade, on the other hand, had 20 points and 3 rebounds...
Fans watching the live broadcast of this game were thoroughly entertained. Although only half the game had been played, in the minds of many fans, this game was a contender for the most exciting regular-season game of the season.
The officiating had set the tone early.
No soft whistles, no easy calls.
Every possession came with contact, and every drive turned into a test of strength. The upside was obvious. The game felt raw, intense, almost like a playoff battle. The downside sat quietly in the background. One bad landing, one awkward collision, and everything could change.
Still, neither side pulled back.
At halftime, the broadcast booth looked like a battlefield of its own.
Su Junyang leaned back in his chair, voice almost gone. Wang Meng, perspiring litres of sweat, rubbed his throat, clearly struggling.
"Xiaolei… you take this one," Su said hoarsely, waving a hand.
Wu Xiaolei covered her face, laughing softly. "You two sound like you just played the first half yourselves."
Wang Meng shook his head. "Feels like it."
Wu Xiaolei straightened up and glanced at her notes.
"In the first half, both Lin Yi and LeBron James have been at an MVP level. That part is clear," she said calmly. "But what stands out more is the rotation. The Knicks are still going ten deep. Miami hadn't. That could matter later."
She paused briefly.
"I'm also watching their lineup choices. It looks like they're not planning to use Wallace tonight. At this pace, it's understandable. He might not keep up."
Su nodded, giving her a thumbs-up. "Hmm-hmm. Good point."
Wu Xiaolei smiled. "For the Knicks, one adjustment to watch is Chris Paul. We haven't seen much of his isolation game, but late in the second quarter, he started to find rhythm. That could be important in the second half."
Then she added, almost casually, "But with this Knicks team… predictions don't always mean much."
. . .
Third quarter.
The Knicks made a change.
Marcus Morris stayed on the bench.
Donatas Motiejūnas checked in.
Motiejūnas averaged 15 minutes, 6.7 points, and 4.5 rebounds per game this season for the Knicks.
At first, it didn't draw much attention.
Then he started playing.
Rebound.
One dribble.
He didn't look for an outlet.
He pushed the ball himself.
The Heat hesitated for just a second, unsure whether to step up or drop back.
That was enough.
Motiejūnas drove straight through the lane and finished strong.
Next possession, same idea.
Grab and go.
Before the quarter, Lin Yi had told him one thing.
"If you get the rebound, don't wait. Just bring it up."
Motiejūnas nodded back then.
Now he was showing why.
He wasn't as quick as Lin Yi, but once he built momentum, he was hard to stop. And with Bosh and Haslem already worn down from dealing with Lin Yi, the timing was perfect.
Fresh legs.
Different angle.
Same pressure.
In the third quarter, thanks to the excellent performance of Donatas, the score was 83-80, and the Knicks entered the fourth quarter with a 3-point lead.
At the start of the fourth quarter, James and Wade rested first.
Lin Yi took a breather too, sipping his water, watching.
Chris Paul stepped forward.
Isolation.
Eight straight points.
By the time Miami called a timeout, the Knicks had stabilized everything.
When Paul returned to the bench, he straightened his shoulders slightly.
Lin Yi glanced at him, then smiled.
Paul caught it immediately.
"…don't start," he muttered.
Final stretch.
Starters back in.
No more room for adjustments.
Just execution.
LeBron attacked again and again.
Drive.
Contact.
Finish.
Lin Yi answered every time.
Fadeaway.
Pull-up.
Hook.
Different moves, same result.
Buckets.
Final possession.
22 seconds left.
Knicks ball.
Up by nothing.
Everything tied to this moment.
Lin Yi isolated at the top.
Bosh in front of him, already leaning, already tired.
Dribble.
Shift.
Pause.
Then a sudden change of direction.
Bosh tried to recover.
Too late.
His balance gave out.
He stumbled back.
Lin Yi stepped into space.
Pulled.
Swish.
107–105.
Miami timeout.
Instructions were given.
Last possession.
No room for error.
Wade took the ball.
Drove hard.
Cut through the defense.
One step from the rim.
The game right there.
Then a hand.
Tony Allen.
Clean strip.
No foul.
The ball was gone.
The buzzer followed.
And just like that, it was over.
LeBron stood still for a moment, hands on his hips.
38 points.
13 rebounds.
10 assists.
A triple-double.
A complete performance.
Still not enough.
On the other side, Lin Yi walked toward the bench.
44 points.
16 rebounds.
6 assists.
Every answer delivered when it mattered.
The streak ended at 22.
The Knicks walked out with the win.
. . .
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