May 13th.
Madison Square Garden, New York.
For the Pacers' young backcourt, this was their first real taste of what people called the league's most unforgiving home court.
According to ESPN, the Knicks had recorded the most home wins in the NBA over the past three seasons. That reputation wasn't built on marketing—it was earned.
The arena was a sea of white. As the DJ announced each Knicks player, the noise grew louder, but when Lin Yi's name echoed through the Garden, the building practically shook.
Watching from the Pacers' side, Paul George couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
Before tip-off, Pacers executive Larry Bird spoke to the media.
"Games aren't won before they're played," Bird said calmly. "If you walk onto the floor already afraid, you've lost."
It was less a prediction and more a reminder—for his players, and maybe for himself.
The big screen lit up with the starting lineups.
Knicks:
Tyson Chandler
Shane Battier
Lin Yi
Danny Green
Chris Paul.
Pacers:
Roy Hibbert
David West
Danny Granger
Paul George
Darren Collison.
At the commentary desk, Yu Jia turned slightly toward his partner.
"Su, how do you see this Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup?"
Su Junyang nodded.
"The Knicks still hold the edge. Most American analysts believe the key factor is stamina. Indiana just came off a seven-game series with Boston, while the Knicks had more time to recover. How New York manages that advantage will likely decide the series."
He paused, then added,
"And there's also a broader expectation—Knicks versus Heat, Eastern Conference Finals, once again. Right now, it's almost a race to see who gets there faster."
Back on the court, Lin Yi rose cleanly at center and won the opening tip over Hibbert.
Yu Jia followed smoothly.
"And the Knicks waste no time. First possession goes straight to Lin Yi. He signals for a screen…"
Pacers head coach Frank Vogel had anticipated this. Indiana opened in a zone, keeping Hibbert close to the rim while West stepped up to contain the pick-and-roll.
As the screen connected, Lin Yi saw Hibbert retreat instinctively toward the basket—and for just a moment, he hesitated.
David West had been chirping all night. During warm-ups, he'd leaned toward Chris Paul and said with a grin,
"Hey Chris, watch me step on the Eastern Conference Finals floor this year."
West still had decent legs at this stage of his career, but defense was never his calling card.
Indiana's plan was simple: keep Hibbert home, protect the rim, and force Lin Yi to finish over size.
West pressed up physically, hands active, body leaning—but Lin Yi wasn't interested in fancy moves tonight. No wasted dribbles. No showmanship.
He slipped past West with quick, economical footwork and drove hard into the paint.
Hibbert stepped up, arms raised, shouting something between hype and self-encouragement as he rotated over.
Lin Yi didn't flinch.
He absorbed the contact in midair, switched hands, and softly flipped a left-handed hook toward the rim.
For someone his size, it was a shockingly refined finish.
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
Whistle.
And-one.
"Oh my—Lin Yi is playing with real force tonight," Yu Jia exclaimed.
Su Junyang nodded in agreement.
"This is exactly what the Knicks need. Indiana's defense is stretched wide. You attack the paint first, and everything else opens up."
Lin Yi knocked down the free throw.
The Garden responded instantly.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
0-3.
Indiana didn't panic. For a young team, they stayed patient.
The matchup between Paul and Collison drew interest—Collison had once been Paul's backup, after all.
On their first offensive possession, Collison used a screen to gain a step, slipped past Paul, and fed West for a mid-range jumper.
2-3.
The Knicks answered immediately.
Paul and Lin Yi ran the pick-and-roll again. Paul lofted the ball perfectly toward the rim—
—and Lin Yi rose above Hibbert, hammering it down with authority.
"Don't let the assist numbers fool you," Su Junyang said. "Chris Paul is still the best passer in the league."
Yu Jia chuckled.
"This duo is already heating up. Paul just served Lin Yi a perfect dish."
Indiana's next possession didn't go as smoothly. Paul fought through the screen, stayed attached, and stripped Collison clean.
Gerald Green was already streaking down the floor.
Paul hit him in stride.
Layup.
2-7.
Vogel glanced toward the bench, considering a timeout, but Granger bailed them out with a calm three.
Knicks ball again.
Same action. Same pairing.
West switched onto Paul.
Paul glanced at Lin Yi.
"Let me take this one."
Lin Yi nodded and cleared space.
Paul toyed with West—one rhythm dribble, a half-burst, a sudden stop.
Pull-up.
Swish.
Four possessions. Four scores.
Indiana's offense stalled once more. Paul George tried a backdoor cut, slipping behind the defense—but Lin Yi read it perfectly and swatted the ball away from behind.
George cursed.
"Fuck"
Lin Yi smiled faintly.
"Too easy."
He pushed the ball ahead and found Green on the wing.
Another three.
12–5.
Timeout, Pacers.
Less than two minutes gone.
From the bench, Indiana looked stunned.
Su Junyang summed it up simply.
"The Knicks have come out swinging."
Yu Jia added,
"Coach Vogel is emphasizing defense, but judging by the looks on his players' exasperated faces, it's not working."
After the timeout, Collison drove again—this time, Tyson Chandler met him at the rim.
Block.
Fast break.
Chandler found Paul, and Paul launched a full-court pass.
Ironically, the fastest Pacers player getting back was Hibbert—already retreating out of habit.
Lin Yi caught the ball, slowed, and drifted to the left wing.
Wide open.
D'Antoni's favorite wrinkle.
Fast-break three.
Release.
Swish.
15–5.
The Knicks' opening burst left the young Pacers visibly rattled.
And the Garden was only getting louder.
After the Knicks' opening blitz—wave after wave of relentless offense—the game finally settled into a more controlled rhythm.
There was a reason this Pacers team, in Lin Yi's memory, had once been known for challenging The King during this era. They didn't have a flashy roster, but their lineup fit together cleanly.
Collison could break down defenses and hit shots.
Paul George brought length on defense and versatility on offense.
Granger provided steady perimeter scoring.
West could punish switches in the mid-range.
And Hibbert… well, Hibbert did his best to make noise around the rim—and occasionally on the sidelines.
The Knicks' slowing down wasn't only about Indiana adjusting. Injuries played their part.
With Chauncey Billups and Shaun Livingston sidelined, the Knicks were forced to lean more on McGrady at point guard. Lin Yi had no intention of offending McGrady fans—but at this stage of his career, McGrady simply couldn't keep up with the pace New York preferred to play.
Then came another blow: Markieff Morris was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. The power forward rotation suddenly looked thin.
What worried Lin Yi most wasn't matchups—it was health. If someone else went down, he could slide to the four if needed. But if another injury happened after that…
Even if he could play all five positions, he couldn't play them all at once.
In the second quarter, Indiana began to chip away at the lead. Watching Barbosa check in, Lin Yi couldn't help feeling a little envious. That kind of quick, aggressive guard was exactly the type the Knicks loved.
West led the Pacers' bench unit effectively, knocking down shot after shot. Lin Yi leaned toward Chris Paul with a grin.
"Chris, your old teammates weren't bad either—"
Before he could finish, Paul slapped him firmly between the shoulders.
"Don't finish that sentence."
The message was clear.
After the midway through the second quarter, Lin Yi and Paul checked back in.
"The Knicks really don't panic," Yu Jia remarked. "Coach D'Antoni has only called four timeouts so far this entire playoff run."
Su Junyang chuckled.
"He's practically meditating on the sideline."
In truth, it wasn't indifference—it was rhythm. D'Antoni didn't want to interrupt the flow unless necessary.
Once Lin Yi returned, Hibbert's brief moment of comfort ended quickly.
According to ESPN's advanced metrics, when Hibbert shared the floor with Lin Yi, his production dropped sharply—barely four points and three rebounds per 48 minutes. Height alone wasn't enough, and as the league grew faster, players like Hibbert would struggle to survive.
Still, West and Granger stabilized things. At halftime, Indiana trailed just 50–55.
That five-point gap was enough to spark hope among Knicks skeptics everywhere—visions of momentum swings and second-half heroics danced freely.
On TNT, Shaquille O'Neal laughed.
"Looks like Lin might have to work overtime tonight."
With how often New York buried teams early, Lin Yi's playing the fourth quarter had become a running joke.
Lin Yi thought the talk was exaggerated. This was the playoffs—no one handed out easy wins.
During halftime, he gathered his teammates.
"Stay sharp," he said calmly. "Be ready for the fourth. Or more."
Basketball wasn't arithmetic. One plus one didn't always equal two—and three didn't automatically beat two.
Tonight, Lin Yi thought to himself, I might finally get to play a full game.
Too often this season, things had been decided before he even broke a sweat.
The second half opened with Madison Square Garden just as intimidating as ever.
Before Lin Yi arrived, playing in New York was "fun." The city was lively, and fans weren't shy about booing their own team.
Now, it was different.
Once the Knicks started winning, the fans showed fierce loyalty. Turns out, the criticism had never been personal—the team just hadn't earned protection before.
Early in the third quarter, Lin Yi prepared to take over.
Then—
Knicks teammates: "Nah, you're good. Go sit."
Lin Yi: "…"
As the Pacers' No. 24 tried desperately to channel a little magic, the Knicks' infamous third-quarter run began.
Paul orchestrated everything. Green and Battier buried back-to-back threes. Seeing the flow, D'Antoni pulled Chandler, let Lin Yi clean the glass, and subbed in Klay to add more shooting.
Klay caught fire.
Not wanting to lose to Green, he drilled four threes in the quarter.
At some point, Lin Yi realized something unsettling.
He wasn't needed.
Lin Yi: Please, let me play.
Teammates: We're good.
Lin Yi: Basketball should be logical.
Teammates: If it goes in, it's logical. You said that.
Lin Yi surrendered.
By the end of the third, after a devastating 41–15 run, the scoreboard read 96–65.
Lin Yi checked out with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks. On the bench, he cracked open a bottle of BodyArmor—the brand he co-owned with Kobe—and leaned back.
On TNT, Barkley laughed.
"Lin never works overtime."
The game had ended abruptly—but Lin Yi wasn't unhappy. Basketball had never been about one man.
Indiana's seven-game grind against Boston finally caught up with them. The moment their focus dipped, New York punished them from deep.
The Pacers waved the white flag early in the fourth, pulling their starters. Vogel knew better than to chase a miracle down thirty.
Final score: 117–90.
Knicks take Game 1.
Meanwhile, in Miami, the Heat had to fight tooth and nail just to protect home court. Lin Yi couldn't quite figure that team out—on paper, they were clearly stronger than Atlanta, yet every game felt like a coin flip.
After the game, reporters asked Lin Yi about a potential second straight MVP.
"Of course," he said plainly. "This is a team achievement first. But personally? I'm confident."
With better numbers and a better record, he knew the answer—unless the league rewrote the rules overnight.
The next day, as the playoffs rolled on, the NBA officially announced the 2011–2012 season awards.
There were celebrations.
And there were surprises.
...
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