The Spurs had the ball. Kirilenko came high to receive the pass while Duncan stepped up to set a screen.
Lin Yi didn't say a word, but his expression said enough. They're really doing this.
The moment Kirilenko circled out for the ball, Lin Yi knew exactly what Popovich was trying to do tonight. The Spurs weren't making small adjustments — they were going straight at him with their best weapon.
When Duncan planted himself solidly in front of him, Lin Yi chose not to fight over the screen. He switched seamlessly with Chandler instead.
So this was the Spurs' third change of the night: using Tim Duncan to attack Lin Yi on both ends.
It wasn't necessarily about Duncan scoring. Popovich's real goal was simpler and more ruthless — he couldn't afford to let Lin Yi coast through the fourth quarter with full energy.
On the sideline, Gregg Popovich watched Duncan with quiet affection. Their relationship had always been special. Over nearly two decades together, they'd had their disagreements, but whenever Duncan was upset, Popovich had a simple solution: he'd leave a carrot cake at his door the next morning.
He had been doing it for twenty years.
Yesterday, after practice, Duncan returned to the hotel to find three carrot cakes waiting for him.
That was their unspoken language. Popovich knew better than anyone that at 36 years old, Duncan couldn't play as he did at 20 anymore. But to beat this Knicks team, Duncan would have to turn back time to play at an MVP level.
The Spurs needed a trump card against Lin Yi.
Popovich sighed softly. He hated what he was asking of his star, but after running every possible scenario in his head, he knew there was no other way.
There was only one answer - Tim Duncan.
At Madison Square Garden, the usually raucous crowd grew unusually quiet. Everyone seemed to understand they were watching something special — a rare duel between two greats.
On the court, Kirilenko lobbed the ball into Duncan. The Big Fundamental glanced at Lin Yi, then went to work.
Bang!
The physical battle between the two big men was brutal. Even at 36, Duncan's giving his all.
Bang!
Duncan powered through, turned, and banked in a soft shot off the glass.
2-2.
The Garden fell momentarily silent before the Spurs fans cheered. Duncan jogged back on defense with that familiar stoic expression.
Lin Yi rubbed his chest where Duncan had made contact. For a moment, he thought of Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming.
No wonder people still miss the old center era.These kinds of physical duels left lasting memories.
He wasn't about to take it easy on Duncan because of his age. Right now, the 36-year-old Big Fundamental felt like the strongest interior player Lin Yi had faced in his entire professional career.
His blood was pumping.
. . .
Knicks possession.
Lin Yi dropped deep into the low post and called for the ball. On the bench, Yao Ming stood up. At the commentary table, even Shaquille O'Neal rose from his seat.
Paul delivered the pass. Lin Yi caught it, planted his feet, and went straight to work.
One hard shove. Two shoves. Three shoves.
Duncan, veins bulging on his forehead, gritted his teeth and held his ground.
But Lin Yi wasn't done. He suddenly withdrew the pressure, pivoted smoothly without moving his feet, and spun toward the baseline.
The Sky Hook appeared again.
Swish.
2-4.
After scoring, Lin Yi didn't celebrate. He simply turned and jogged back on defense, his focus locked entirely on Duncan.
The Spurs brought the ball up again. Kirilenko prepared to run the same action, but Lin Yi cut him off by stepping directly in front of Duncan.
No need for all that complicated stuff.
"Come on," Lin Yi said quietly. "Tim."
Duncan looked at him and smiled — a rare, genuine smile.
He looked happy.
It reminded him of the turn of the century, going against Shaq and co. Those battles had been brutal, but they had meaning.
The old guys retired too early, Duncan thought. The league's been a little boring lately…
Thankfully, this guy showed up.
The Spurs cleared space. Duncan received the ball in the post, turned, and went to work with that trademark unorthodox footwork. It didn't look pretty, but it was deadly effective.
Lin Yi mirrored every move, hands high, contesting tightly.
Duncan was squeezed toward the baseline. Just as he started to lose balance, he flicked the ball up with an awkward but crafty right-handed toss.
Lin Yi couldn't block it.
The ball bounced twice on the rim… and fell through.
4-4.
Duncan had answered Lin Yi's sky hook with his own signature bank shot.
. . . .
On the TNT broadcast, Charles Barkley couldn't contain himself.
"Tim is incredible, man. My God — you know Shaq was already kissing a certain someone's ass for rings at Tim's age!"
Shaquille O'Neal, sitting right beside him, didn't even bother arguing. He just stared at the court with a rare, serious expression. Duncan's first two offensive possessions had clearly moved him.
On the court, the Knicks went right back into their low-post offense.
It was almost surreal. Two teams in the NBA Finals trading heavy, physical, old-school interior battles. The kind of slugfest people usually only saw in highlight reels from the 1990s.
On the sideline, Gregg Popovich stood with his arms crossed, looking slightly regretful.
Maybe I should've left five carrot cakes instead of three, he thought.
Bang!
Lin Yi and Duncan collided again in the post. This time, the younger, stronger Lin Yi won the battle. He powered Duncan off his spot, took a quick step, and laid the ball in off the glass.
4-6.
Compared to Game 1, the scoring was coming much slower tonight. Both teams were grinding, and the number of possessions had noticeably decreased.
As Lin Yi jogged back on defense, he saw Duncan smiling at him again while running up the court. Lin Yi's expression grew complicated.
These few possessions had already taken a toll on anyone, let alone a 36-year-old. This kind of brutal, close-quarters combat — back and forth, body against body — would wear down even the strongest players.
But this was Tim Duncan.
The duel between the No. 21 pick and the No. 44 continued.
Lin Yi stopped overthinking it. He wasn't going to worry about whether Popovich was running Duncan into the ground. As the leader of the Knicks, he knew one thing for certain:
He could not back down.
Not here.
This was New York.
. . .
Miami, South Florida
While the Spurs and Knicks were locked in a brutal battle at Madison Square Garden, something significant was happening in Miami.
LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, suddenly felt a spark of hope.
After nearly two weeks of isolating himself at home following the devastating Eastern Conference Finals loss, James had finally emerged from his longest self-isolation period of his career.
Rich Paul wanted to tweet something immediately. He wanted to tell every LeBron fan around the world that their King was back.
The past year had been brutal for James. Because of Lin Yi's sudden rise, LeBron's career had been filled with one heartbreaking defeat after another. He had even begun to quietly question whether he was truly suited for this level of basketball anymore.
Even the strongest people have vulnerable moments. James was no exception.
But now, he looked different. Especially after watching the intense Knicks vs Spurs series unfold, something had reignited inside him. If he gave up now, what would all his previous struggles have been for?
To hell with public opinion, James thought. The King wants to try one more time.
Of course, if the Heat still couldn't compete next season, he was prepared to explore other paths. But for now, he wanted to fight.
Looking at the renewed fire in James' eyes, Rich Paul quickly updated him on recent business matters. James nodded along while keeping his gaze fixed on the Finals broadcast.
"Rich," James said firmly after the report, "I've had enough rest. Tomorrow, set me up with a trainer. I'm ready to start serious training again."
Rich Paul felt his eyes sting. He's back. The real King is truly back.
That sharp, fearless gaze — the one that once looked down on the entire league — had returned.
As his childhood friend, Rich Paul had unwavering confidence in James, even though he privately considered Lin Yi the most talented player of the 21st century. Setbacks, he believed, only made LeBron stronger.
. . .
Back at Madison Square Garden
Duncan, of course, couldn't guard Lin Yi one-on-one for the entire game.
After the intense opening possessions, Lin Yi gradually began to win more of their individual battles. The game followed a similar pattern to Game 1: the Spurs kept it close for long stretches, but the Knicks were slowly pulling away.
Many of Duncan's fans had grown to resent Lin Yi during this series. Not with deep hatred, but with frustration. They knew that if Lin Yi wasn't playing at such a high level, this matchup wouldn't feel like a true classic.
In the third quarter, when a visibly exhausted Duncan was scored on by Lin Yi for another easy two points, some Spurs fans could no longer hold back their tears and boos.
BOOO––––!
In the NBA, there are misnamed players, but rarely misgiven nicknames.
To Spurs fans, Grim Reaper Lin Yi felt like a devil.
And The Big Fundamental Duncan, even when battered and breathing heavily, still stood tall with quiet dignity.
As the game entered the fourth quarter, the Knicks still hadn't blown the game open, but Duncan was clearly spent. He dropped his hands onto his knees during a dead ball, chest heaving.
[Image]
Watching him, Lin Yi suddenly thought of Dirk Nowitzki.
In the 2010-11 playoffs, the veteran German had carried the Mavericks on his back while receiving IV drips between games. If not for Nowitzki's heroic efforts, that team might have been eliminated early.
Lin Yi asked himself quietly: What drove players like Duncan and Nowitzki to give everything they had, even when their bodies were failing them?
Passion and grit.
The NBA had home whistles, superstar calls, league politics, and sometimes even scripted narratives — but it would never lose its passion.
Because if basketball ever lost its dreams and raw emotion, it would lose everything that made it special.
Sports, at their core, were about pushing the limits of what humans could do.
For such passion on display by Duncan, Lin Yi refused to hold back. For if he did, it would have been an insult to the future Hall-of-Famer.
Even though he was also tired from the constant physical war with Duncan, he came out aggressive in the fourth quarter.
After scoring 10 straight points, the Knicks finally began to pull away.
The Spurs fought hard, but they couldn't mount a comeback.
When Gregg Popovich finally pulled his starters in the fourth quarter, the veteran coach stood on the sideline and looked up at the ceiling of Madison Square Garden for a long moment.
Incredible.
He meant it sincerely this time. The old man felt he hadn't misjudged Lin Yi after all; he rather underjudged.
Final score: Knicks 111, Spurs 98.
The Knicks had taken a 2-0 lead in the series.
Lin Yi played 41 minutes and delivered a dominant performance: 15-for-21 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line for a game-high 39 points and 12 rebounds.
Duncan, who played until his legs nearly cramped, logged 38 minutes. He finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10-for-17 shooting.
In this hard-fought matchup, the younger Lin Yi had come out on top.
Still, Popovich walked away from Game 2 with fresh ideas. The old coach wasn't ready to give up. Neither was this Spurs team.
The series now shifted to San Antonio for three straight home games. The pressure on the Knicks would be immense.
The moment the final buzzer sounded, the entire Madison Square Garden erupted in chants of "Lin Yi! Lin Yi! Lin Yi!"
Although his teammates — especially Klay Thompson — had played well, in the hearts of Knicks fans, this was unmistakably Lin Yi's team.
Klay, unfortunately, seemed to have been jinxed by his father's bold prediction. In the first two games of the Finals, the sharpshooter was struggling badly, shooting just 12.5% from three-point range.
After the game, Chris Paul walked over to Lin Yi and dapped him up.
"Very tired, right?" Paul asked.
Lin Yi nodded honestly. "Yeah. Pretty drained."
Paul's eyes suddenly sparkled with mischief. "How about I take the lead next game?"
"I am not that tired, Chris." Lin Yi patted his friend's shoulder and laughed. "How about this fried chicken on me tonight?"
Paul looked exasperated, but with Lin Yi's arm still draped around him, he couldn't escape. Lin Yi didn't stand on ceremony and simply dragged his reluctant teammate toward the locker room.
In the locker room, when Lin Yi took off his jersey, his teammates winced at the sight of the bruises covering his torso and arms.
"Damn, Lin… you okay?" someone asked.
Lin Yi gave a tired smile. "I'm fine. Honestly, it feels good to be treated like a human for once. Usually, you guys look at me like I'm an alien."
The room filled with laughter.
Winning Game 2 had been grueling, but it was crucial. By taking both home games, the pressure for the upcoming road trip to San Antonio had eased considerably.
Lin Yi knew he couldn't perform at this level every single night, not because he didn't have the skill, but because of the gradual physical fatigue buildup in the series.
As he changed clothes and prepared for the post-game press conference, one thought echoed clearly in his mind:
Next, it's all about going all out and winning the championship.
. . .
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