NBA: Journey To Become Unplayable.

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...

April 20th, Game 2 of the Knicks–Heat first-round series tipped off at Madison Square Garden.

Tonight, however, there were two particularly high-profile spectators sitting courtside: Kentucky's dynamic duo from the March Madness Final Eight — John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins, grinning like a kid at Christmas, made a beeline for Lin Yi during warmups.

"Lin! Hey man, can I get your autograph? And uh… think I could train with you this summer?"

Lin Yi chuckled, pretending to think it over as he rubbed his chin.

"Well… guess it's time to start charging for summer camp, huh?" he teased, before nodding.

"Sure, DeMarcus. But listen — you can work on that three, no problem. Just… maybe ease up on the full-court dribble-breaks, yeah?"

Cousins blinked, confused at first, then laughed it off, though Lin couldn't help but think, That kid's a giant baby. No way he can play like me without breaking himself in half someday.

Even Anthony Davis, the blue-chip high school recruit Kentucky was already chasing, had once told reporters Lin was his model. Lin was flattered — but realistic: not everyone was built for his style. Cousins? Not so much. Lin silently hoped the big guy would take his advice before his knees paid the price.

Wall, meanwhile, was calm and composed when he greeted Lin — polite, confident, already showing the demeanor of a leader.

"Good to meet you, man. Hope we can catch up after," Wall said.

Lin noticed right away how different Wall was from Cousins — poised, professional. You could already tell which one was going to be the captain of their team.

...

On the court, the Knicks carried themselves with ease. Up 1–0 in the series, they were loose and smiling during warmups, joking with each other. The Heat, by contrast, looked tight and serious.

That was Riley's culture — a demanding, no-nonsense approach that many of his players quietly grew to resent. Only Wade had stayed loyal all these years, though Lin knew even Wade's patience wouldn't last. After all the salary cuts Wade had taken to help Miami lure stars, the Heat would soon break his heart by refusing to pay him what he deserved.

Tonight, though, Lin and the Knicks weren't about to give Miami any sliver of hope. Lin relentlessly attacked the paint, over and over, forcing the Heat's defense to collapse. Spoelstra tried packing the lane to slow him down, but the Knicks just rained threes from the perimeter.

By the third quarter, the game was effectively over. MSG was rocking. Spoelstra looked like his entire worldview was being dismantled in real time. His veteran Heat squad was playing more like overmatched rookies.

On the sideline, Cousins kept tugging on Wall's sleeve, whispering excitedly.

"See?! You see what happens when the big guy can handle and drive like that? That's what I'm talking about!"

Wall rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Heard you the first five times, man. Let's grab some snacks after the game before you start driving me crazy."

...

The Knicks blew Miami out by 27, taking a commanding 2–0 lead in the series. As the final buzzer sounded, the crowd at MSG chanted in unison:

"SEE YOU IN ROUND TWO!"

Lin only played 33 minutes — sitting out the final stretch of the fourth quarter — but still racked up 27 points (including 15 free throws), 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

Wade fought valiantly, dropping 24 points, 7 boards, and 8 assists. But even he could feel it — Miami just didn't have the firepower to keep up.

....

Back home in Miami, he doubled down on practice, determined not to let his team get swept.

But that hope was short-lived. On April 23rd, at American Airlines Arena, the Knicks crushed the Heat yet again, taking a 3–0 series lead.

Riley sat courtside, stone-faced, arms crossed. He'd already done the math. Even if they tried to rough up Lin Yi to take him out of the game, the refs would crack down instantly. He suspected league office advice was already in play. Without a home whistle, with no spacing and no shooting, there was simply no path for this Heat team to win.

The Knicks just had too much — too much talent, too much spacing, too much Lin Yi.

...

Game 4 on April 25th turned out to be the most intense contest of the series. Wade simply refused to quit. Every time Miami seemed on the verge of collapse, he threw himself into the fight — attacking the rim, hitting contested jumpers, drumming his cheeks with focus as he bulldozed into Knicks defenders.

Even when Spoelstra motioned to rest him late in the game, Wade waved him off.

"Not sitting. Not tonight," he said, shaking his head.

For one night, at least, Wade reminded everyone why he was still the heart and soul of the Heat.

Spoelstra just nodded. There was nothing else to say.

Wade kept pushing, Lin kept answering, and neither the Knicks nor Lin Yi wanted this series to drag back to New York. They already knew Boston was waiting in the next round after sweeping Milwaukee 4–0. Against the Celtics, the Knicks' only clear advantage would be their youth and stamina — the longer they rested now, the better.

So if Wade came out swinging, Lin Yi met him head-on. We finish this here. Tonight.

In the end, it was Danilo Gallinari — Second Battalion Commander, as Knicks fans affectionately called him — who broke Miami's last stand.

Focused and fearless, Gallinari drilled three straight threes in the third quarter, ripping the heart out of Miami's comeback bid.

Even so, Heat fans stood and applauded Wade as the clock wound down.

The Flash gave them everything he had, playing all 48 minutes, still fighting even when the Heat trailed by double digits late in the fourth.

Say what you want about Wade's off-court drama — but in that Heat No. 3 jersey, he was still that guy.

Wade shot 32 times, hitting 17 of them. He went 5-of-9 from three, 9-for-9 at the line, and finished with a game-high 48 points along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

If it weren't for Wade holding the frame together, this Heat vintage car, as some Miami fans called it, might've fallen apart completely.

After the final buzzer, Wade sought Lin out.

"Looking forward to seeing you against Boston," he said, offering his hand with a tired but genuine smile.

Lin shook it firmly.

"Appreciate it. We'll see what happens."

Lin Yi, for his part, played 44 minutes, scoring a team-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three and 4-of-8 at the line, plus 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Gallinari backed him up beautifully, playing 39 minutes and putting up 27 points on an efficient 10-of-20 from the field, 3-of-5 from deep, and a perfect 4-for-4 on free throws.

When it was over, the scoreboard told the story: Knicks 4, Heat 0.

Before heading to Miami, Knicks fans had chanted: "See you in Round Two!"

And now, the Knicks delivered.

The long, bitter rivalry between the Heat and Knicks was put to rest — at least for this season — in emphatic fashion.

For Knicks fans, it was more than just a series win.

Ten years. That's how long they'd waited to see their team back in the second round of the playoffs.

But now?

Now, the Knicks were here.

Round Two — here we come.

...

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