At Olsen's reminder, Lin Yi and Paul finally headed inside to catch the live broadcast of the 2012 NBA Draft.
Paul stretched out on the couch and sighed in relief.
"Off-season's here. How about we order some fried chicken?"
Lin Yi didn't even hesitate. After weeks of strict dieting and little indulgence, the words fried chicken sounded almost sacred.
"I'm in. Absolutely."
No matter how fired up he was about basketball, vacation still mattered.
History, once again, took a familiar turn—at least on the surface. The Cleveland Cavaliers held the first overall pick and selected Anthony Davis out of Kentucky.
The Brow didn't exactly look thrilled. No one really dreamed of starting their NBA life in Cleveland. Still, Davis handled it professionally. No dramatics, no public refusal—just a composed speech, unibrow and all, about gratitude and responsibility.
Paul glanced at Lin Yi and laughed.
"Why do you look so serious? Your eyebrows are almost competing with his."
Lin Yi shot him a look.
"Very funny."
What Paul didn't see was what ran through Lin Yi's head. If the James ever pulled off a Decision 2.0, that hometown lineup—with Davis in it—would be terrifying.
And if Melo ended up joining forces with LeBron… would that be beautiful? Or an absolute mess?
After another Finals runner-up finish, Lin Yi felt it was increasingly likely that LeBron wouldn't stay put in Miami. Change was coming. Big change.
The Knicks didn't own a first-round pick, but they weren't desperate either. And the 2012 draft unfolded almost exactly as Lin Yi remembered: Bradley Beal to Washington, Harrison Barnes to Golden State, and Portland landing their future cornerstone, Damian Lillard.
This summer was shaping up to be chaotic.
Yao Ming had already declined to renew with Houston. Derek Fisher had publicly hinted at cracks within OKC's Big Three after the Western Conference Finals. Everyone could sense it—Harden being shipped to Houston felt inevitable.
As expected, the Rockets drafted Jeremy Lamb. On paper, Lamb was a monster, a player whose potential curve in games bordered on ridiculous.
Reality, unfortunately, wasn't that kind to him.
Boston took Jared Sullinger, a player who would one day terrorize the CBA. Strong, skilled, relentless—but in an NBA packed with freak athletes, he just didn't have the height to dominate inside the way he wanted. Overseas, though? He'd be unstoppable.
Golden State used the 30th pick on Festus Ezeli—another center who, in a different future, would lose a cruel battle with Portland's medical staff.
Once the first round wrapped up, Lin Yi made a call to Javier Stanford.
"Everything's handled," Javier said confidently. "We've secured the second-round pick that originally belonged to Washington."
Lin Yi finally relaxed. That was all he needed.
That pick was enough to grab Draymond Green.
The Knicks' front office didn't let him down. Everyone knew that he was in no mood after falling short of a repeat, and Donnie Walsh wasn't about to test his patience.
With the second pick of the second round, the New York Knicks selected Draymond Green from Michigan State.
Green's reputation wasn't exactly clean, but for the Knicks, he was a perfect fit at power forward—tough, vocal, relentless. More importantly, this move also cut off a future version of the Warriors.
Lin Yi understood this better than anyone. If the Knicks were truly going to build a dynasty, his relationship with Curry would inevitably become complicated—respect mixed with rivalry.
This wasn't personal. It was survival.
Weakening a potential rival while strengthening yourself was just part of the game. And Lin Yi had already learned one hard truth from his altered timeline:
The players destined to rise would always find another path.
After all, the NBA was overflowing with freaks.
And no matter how powerful the Knicks became, they could never have them all.
Green's biggest issue was his bad habits in games—things Lin Yi was confident could be cleaned up. Defensively, though, there was no denying it: Green was a menace. With Tyson Chandler anchoring the paint and this new mad dog roaming around, the Knicks' lineup for next season suddenly looked far more balanced.
Of course, Green still needed time. Throwing him straight into the starting lineup wouldn't make sense.
...
Green off guard was where he ended up.
When the draft announcement came through, he was completely stunned. The Knicks hadn't even brought him in for a workout. Worse—or so he thought—the Warriors had already told him they planned to take him during his tryout.
And now…
"Go to Oakland?" Green blurted out, staring at the TV. Then he broke into a grin. "Man, I love New York!"
Without a second thought, he popped open the champagne he'd already prepared at home.
"Draymond, you're headed to New York! Don't forget us when you get paid!"
"That's the Knicks! The hottest team in the league right now!"
"When you win a ring, you better let us see it!"
His friends were even more excited than he was. Even without the title, Lin Yi's performance in the Eastern Conference Finals had shaken the league.
Back-to-back Regular Season MVP. The most dominant force in the NBA at that moment.
Green wrapped his mother in a tight hug. Five minutes later, his phone rang.
"Draymond, it's official," his agent said, barely containing his excitement. "The Knicks turned down Golden State's trade offer. They'll finalize your signing in a few days."
At that point, who cared about the Warriors?
The Big Apple was calling.
Before hanging up, the agent added a few reminders—keep a low profile, stay humble, and above all, don't get on Lin Yi's bad side.
Green nodded seriously.
"Don't worry. I'll show everyone I'm ain't worse than the lottery guys."
He closed his notebook—the one where he'd carefully written down the entire 2012 draft board—and leaned back, breathing out slowly.
Meanwhile, after losing their target to the Knicks for the second year in a row, some people inside Golden State quietly wondered if New York had an insider feeding them information.
Jerry West, however, stayed calm, his usual gentle, almost spring-like smile never leaving his face.
The Warriors didn't waste their fifth pick in the second round either. With it, they selected Khris Middleton.
Middleton—future wing partner to Giannis Antetokounmpo—was a classic off-ball 3-and-D player, a career 39.1 percent shooter from deep.
When Lin Yi saw the pick, he couldn't help but inhale sharply.
By sheer coincidence, Golden State was quietly assembling something frightening.
Curry. Middleton. Kawhi Leonard. David Lee. DeMarcus Cousins. Harrison Barnes.
Middleton and Kawhi still needed time, but once they matured, the Warriors would have two elite wings on the perimeter.
Lin Yi shook his head and smiled wryly.
Fate always finds ways to balance things out.
The Mavericks hadn't won the title, and Cuban was already shouting about spending big next year. The Spurs were right on schedule, fresh off a championship. And now the Cavaliers and Warriors—two looming giants—were laying their foundations in silence.
"The future's going to be chaotic," Lin Yi muttered, clenching his fists.
If he wanted to stay on top of an era that was already spiraling out of control, there was only one answer.
Get stronger.
One taste of a Final failure was more than enough.
...
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