NBA: Journey To Become Unplayable.

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...

New York, April 18.

After five long years, the Knicks were finally back in the Eastern Conference playoffs — and Madison Square Garden was absolutely rocking. Tonight, the Mecca of Basketball turned into a white sea of roaring fans clad in Knicks home whites, nearly 20,000 strong, chanting in unison:

"M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!"

By now, the Knicks players had gotten used to the frenzy Lin Yi caused whenever he stepped on the court, but it never got old.

Before the game, Mike didn't bother with a fiery speech. The last thing he said in the locker room was simple:

"If nothing else works, just clear out and let Lin work."

That was all the motivation the Knicks needed.

Lin didn't even realize it, but in his teammates' eyes, he had quietly become the backbone of the team. Granted… that backbone was still a little skinny.

Across from them, though, the Miami Heat weren't here for a party. From the regular-season record alone, it was clear the Heat would have their work cut out for them. Wade's expression was deadly serious — his jaw clenched tight, looked like it could cut glass.

Watching them during warmups, Lin could tell Riley had put them through his usual pre-playoff boot camp. The Knicks' locker room was full of smiles and nervous energy, but the Heat? They looked like drilled soldiers.

The starting lineups were announced on the big screen:

Knicks:

Lin Yi

David Lee

Danilo Gallinari

Wilson Chandler

Toney Douglas

Heat:

Jermaine O'Neal

Udonis Haslem

Michael Beasley

Dwyane Wade

Calos Arroyo.

The Heat had adjusted their lineup, starting the veteran Arroyo to slow the game down. Solid, steady… and that's about it.

When the ball went up at center court, O'Neal looked more like a meme than a menace. Truth be told, he didn't want any part of Lin — but Miami didn't have much choice. Outside of Wade, their offense was spotty at best.

Beasley, who had been thoroughly outplayed by Gallinari all season, didn't inspire much confidence either. Riley's Heat were running on grit and Wade's brilliance alone, and Spoelstra — still green — could only try to make it work.

Lin and O'Neal leapt for the tip, and Lin won it easily.

Just as Lin and D'Antoni expected, the Heat came out looking to grind the game down, ramp up the physicality, and disrupt the Knicks' flow with fouls and deliberate pace. Unfortunately for them, Lin had already learned how to exploit the playoff whistle.

On his first drive, he blew past Haslem, drew the foul, and calmly sank both free throws.

Yu Jia (CCTV): "Lin Yi's playing hard tonight!"

Zhang Weiping: "That's playoff basketball, isn't it? But here's the thing — Lin isn't O'Neal. If Miami wants to hack him, he'll just bury them at the line."

Arroyo walked the ball up slowly — maybe a little too slowly — and by the time Wade touched it, the shot clock was already down to 12. With little time to set up, Wade tried to force it, breaking through Chandler only to miss over Lin's long arms.

Yu Jia: "A lot of people say Lin's numbers deserve Defensive Player of the Year, and it's not just talk. You don't block 27 shots a game, but you do this — always in the right place at the right time."

Zhang Weiping: "Exactly! He makes defense look so effortless, but he's the backbone of this team at both ends."

Meanwhile, Knicks fans were eating it up.

On the next trip down, Lin and David Lee ran a smooth pick-and-roll. O'Neal stumbled trying to keep up, Lin drove straight through, and when Beasley rotated over, Lin simply drew the foul and converted the and-one.

Zhang Weiping (grinning): "Oh, look at this, the Knicks running the pick-and-roll again… O'Neal trying to stay with Lin — not a chance! And here comes Beasley, bun on his head, already picking up a foul."

Madison Square Garden erupted as Lin sank the free throw. The crowd was deafening:

"M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!"

Even Spoelstra, pacing on the sideline, couldn't hide his frustration.

The stats told the story: Miami's offense just couldn't keep up, and their defensive efficiency — normally a strength — was no match for Lin's patience and aggression.

When Wade clanked another contested jumper and David Lee secured the rebound, he fired a long outlet to Chandler, already streaking downcourt. Beasley gave chase, but Chandler finished strong.

This was a different Knicks team.

Chandler, who had become New York's defensive ace this season, played with the confidence of a man who'd already shut down Kobe, Wade, Anthony, and LeBron at different points. He wasn't backing down tonight either.

Beasley picked up his second foul early in the game after hacking Chandler on another strong drive, and Spoelstra had no choice but to sit him. Watching from home, Pat Riley could only shake his head. Even on TV, you could see what he saw: Beasley just wasn't growing into the player they'd hoped.

Chandler calmly knocked down both free throws, and Miami sent in Dorell Wright to replace Beasley.

Without Beasley, the Heat's offense got even uglier. Wade, knowing the pressure was all on him, took matters into his own hands, slashing into the paint and twisting his way to the rim, sick handles, and elite movement. He finally got one to fall — and even that took everything he had.

But just seconds later, the Knicks inbounded quickly. Lin Yi took three long strides past half court, and O'Neal's face said it all: absolute helplessness.

Come on, big man… you can't keep doing that to people!

But Lin did. And O'Neal, with no choice, grabbed him on the way up for another foul.

Yu Jia: "Lin is punishing the Heat inside. At this rate, who are they even going to put on him?"

Zhang Weiping: "Exactly what I've been saying! Lin's playing the three, but no one in that Heat lineup can match him. It's just not a fair fight right now."

By the end of the first quarter, Lin had already logged heavy minutes, sinking all seven of his free throws and setting the tone early. The Heat threw everything they had at him — hard fouls, double teams — but it didn't matter.

In the second quarter, Dorell Wright went too far, wrapping up Lin on a drive and earning himself a flagrant-2 and an ejection.

Watching from his office, David Stern nearly ground his teeth to dust as he thought to himself.

It's 2010, and Miami's still playing like it's 1994? Ridiculous. When this game ends, I'm telling the refs: no 'home cooking' whistle when they go back to Miami. They're on their own.

By halftime, Lin had already drawn eight fouls and hadn't even attempted a three-pointer.

"Why would I settle for jumpers when they've got no rim protection? That'd just be dumb", Lin explained after the game, with a smile.

And so, the Knicks kept pounding it inside like a bull seeing red, and the Heat kept fouling.

Lin finished with an eye-popping stat line: 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, including 24 free throws attempted, tying the playoff record set by Dirk Nowitzki. He also became the first player since LeBron James to score 30+ in his playoff debut.

MSG was electric. The Knicks dismantled the Heat 92-112, taking a 1–0 lead in the series.

Knicks fans didn't want to leave. Many hadn't seen their team make the second round in nearly a decade, and now it finally felt like a real possibility. Bars all over Manhattan were packed, fans spilling into the streets to celebrate.

The Heat? Dejected. Their foul and grind plan backfired spectacularly.

Jermaine O'Neal fouled out in just 13 minutes, finishing with a forgettable 2 points and 2 boards — a far cry from his All-Star days. He looked crestfallen, sitting on the bench, shaking his head.

Wade still fought valiantly, scoring 27 and grabbing 7 rebounds, but even he couldn't turn the tide. After the game, though, he still found Lin and congratulated him graciously.

Lin could tell, though — Wade's mind was already elsewhere.

That summer, he knew, Wade was already thinking about Miami's future… and about a certain friend who'd bring his talents to South Beach.

...

Postgame, the media swarmed Lin, firing off questions.

Reporter: "Why so aggressive tonight? You played like a man possessed."

Lin Yi: "Didn't you guys give me that nickname? Showtime Gotta live up to it, right?"

Reporter: "How many games do you think it'll take to close out this series?"

Lin Yi: "Four."

That answer sent the room buzzing. Finally, a little cockiness. The reporters couldn't wait to run with it.

Miami reporter: "Don't you think that's disrespectful to the Heat?"

Lin Yi (deadpan): "Do any of you need me to explain the math? It's a best-of-seven. You need four wins to advance. That's all I'm saying. It's literally in the rulebooks."

Silence.

And just like that, Lin walked off the podium, leaving behind a room full of stunned reporters.

The playoffs were off to a roaring start for the Knicks.

...

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