[IMAGES OF THE NECKLACES AND BRACELET]
On the 28th, after a full day of rest, the Knicks stayed home to face the Nets.
The Nets had been one of the surprises of the new season. Under Joe Johnson's leadership, they climbed to fourth in the Eastern Conference and carried real momentum into Madison Square Garden.
Before tipoff, though, Lin Yi noticed something off.
Paul was not himself.
The usual fire, the constant edge, the competitive tension that followed him everywhere were gone. He sat alone in the corner of the locker room, head down, quiet.
The rest of the room felt it.
No music. No jokes. No trash talk.
No one wanted to be the first to speak, fearing they might set him off.
After getting dressed, Lin Yi walked over and sat beside him.
"Chris," he said calmly. "What's going on?"
"You were fine yesterday."
He hesitated, then added, "You and your wife argue?"
Paul did not look up.
"I'm fine," he muttered.
Lin Yi frowned.
If you're fine, then I must be imagining things.
Your face is basically telling the whole story.
Lin Yi knew this could not drag on. When your point guard checked out mentally, everyone felt it. As one of the team's leaders, he had to step in.
He glanced across the room.
Chandler, ever observant, quietly pulled out his phone.
"This might explain it," Chandler said.
Lin Yi took the phone and skimmed the screen. It took him about two seconds to get it.
Now it made sense.
He handed the phone back, then gave Paul a light pat on the shoulder.
"Relax," Lin Yi said. "I'll help you let it out tonight."
He turned to the group in the locker room.
"One thing only," Lin Yi said. "If the pass comes from Chris, you shoot. No hesitation."
Heads nodded.
By now, everyone knew why Paul was in a bad mood. Nobody said it out loud, but they all wanted to help him get it out of his system.
Over four seasons, Lin Yi had quietly shaped the Knicks into a team that moved as one. When one guy needed support, the rest stepped in.
Team culture mattered.
The Warriors would prove that years later. When Curry got hot, everyone fed him. When Durant had it going, the ball found him. When Klay caught fire, the whole floor tilted his way.
After hearing Lin Yi's plan, Paul finally looked up.
"Lin," he said again, "I'm really fine."
Lin Yi smiled. He knew that look. Paul liked to carry things alone. Pride mixed with stubbornness.
Lin Yi gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Relax. We'll run plenty of pick and rolls tonight."
He lowered his voice. "I don't need to remind you how much Brook hates switching onto me, right?"
Paul snorted despite himself.
Brook Lopez did not just hate it. He struggled badly.
In their matchups so far, Lopez averaged just 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds against Lin Yi. The numbers spoke for themselves.
. . .
Coming out of the tunnel for the warm-ups, Lin Yi noticed a familiar group seated courtside.
He had gotten his parents and Liz courtside tickets.
They looked a little stiff, still not fully used to the noise and scale of Madison Square Garden. Elizabeth sat with them, leaning in to explain things as the players moved across the floor.
Lin Yi jogged over.
He bent down and knelt beside them.
"I hope you enjoy the game," he said quietly. "This is what all those years were for, what you worked so hard to give me."
His father looked at him and snorted.
"We don't fly from China to watch you lose, son," he said. " Turn them to tofu."
His mother nodded. "Win."
Lin Yi laughed. "Got it."
He turned and leaned toward Elizabeth, kissed her on the lips without hesitation.
The crowd noticed.
Cheers rippled through the MSG. A few whistles followed. Lin Yi stood up, gave a small wave, and jogged back onto the court.
Around his neck, the broken heart necklace rested against his chest.
He went through his shooting routine first. Corner threes. Wings. Pull-ups at the top. Each shot smooth and measured.
Then dribbling. Low and tight. Crossovers. Hesitations. Quick bursts into space. Post-ups.
As tipoff approached, he walked back over one last time. He gently removed the necklace and placed it into Elizabeth's hand.
"Hold onto it for me," he said.
Elizabeth closed her fingers around it and nodded. "I'll be right here."
. . .
Up in the booth, the TNT crew had already taken notice.
Kenny Smith leaned forward. "That's Lin Yi's parents courtside tonight. Flew in from China for his birthday."
Charles Barkley nodded. "That's special. Not every player gets that. You can tell how much it means to him."
Shaquille O'Neal watched the monitor. "That's pressure, though. When your parents are watching, you don't want a bad night."
Barkley laughed. "With the way he's playing? I think they'll be fine."
The camera cut back to the floor as Lin Yi finished his last stretch and jogged toward the opening huddle.
Only then did the conversation shift.
Kenny Smith leaned over with a grin. "Shaq, so what are we betting on tonight?"
Shaq flashed a dangerous smile. It made Kenny slightly uncomfortable.
"Chris and Rajon have been going back and forth on Twitter," Shaq said. "Let's bet on how Chris responds."
Once a man loses a bet like that, shame stops working. Shaq clearly had nothing left to protect.
Kenny raised an eyebrow. "Alright. What's the bet?"
Shaq had learned his lesson. He set the terms carefully.
"Rajon had 23 assists last game," Shaq said. "I say Chris tops that tonight."
Kenny paused.
More than 23 assists was extreme. Paul's career high was 22, set last season in that absurd game where Lin Yi scored 86.
After a moment, Kenny nodded. "Fine. I say he doesn't."
Shaq smiled wider. "Loser kisses Charles' cheek on the show."
Barkley froze. "Pause. Why am I involved in this?"
He waved them off. "I'm not getting kissed by any of you. I don't swing that way."
Shaq leaned back. "If Kenny loses, he kisses you. If I lose, I kiss the donkey again and say on air that Charles is greater than Shaq."
Silence.
Kenny and Barkley exchanged a look.
Shaq was serious. Dangerous serious.
Barkley thought it through. Even though he liked the Knicks and Lin Yi, 23 assists still sounded unrealistic.
He nodded. "Alright. Bet's on."
Shaq clenched his fist quietly.
Because Shaq knew something they did not.
He had played with Lin Yi for a year. And Lin Yi was not the type to watch quietly when someone came after his teammate.
No matter how many times he criticized Lin Yi on air, deep down, Shaq knew the truth.
Lin Yi was the best teammate he had ever played with.
. . .
The starting players from both sides walked toward center court as the noise inside Madison Square Garden continued to rise.
The Knicks opened with their familiar five. Tyson Chandler anchored the paint. Markieff Morris slotted in at the four. Lin Yi took his place on the wing, with Danny Green on the opposite side and Paul running the point.
Across from them, the Nets sent out Brook Lopez, Reggie Evans, Andray Blatche, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams.
Before tip-off, Nets head coach Jason Kidd had placed the spotlight squarely on his point guard.
Deron Williams had earned Coach Avery Johnson's full backing in pregame interviews. Coach Avery openly stated that Deron was capable of limiting Paul's influence and that Brooklyn believed this New York derby was there to be won.
"We are not backing down just because it's the Knicks," Avery said. "We respect them, but we believe in our group."
This season, every Eastern Conference team treated the Knicks as a measuring stick. Even teams with lottery ambitions raised their level when facing New York. Everyone wanted to be the one to knock them off.
As the crowd roared, Lin Yi rose against Lopez at center court and cleanly tipped the ball back. The Knicks had first possession.
Paul caught the ball and settled the offense. Supported by this roster, he felt a level of certainty he had never known before.
While the Knicks prepared for this matchup, the rest of the league had not been quiet.
On the 27th, the Celtics dismantled the Heat at home. Rondo finished with 12 points, 23 assists, and 17 rebounds. In his postgame interview, he made it clear how he felt.
"I'm the best point guard in the league," Rondo said.
Not long after, he posted his stat line on social media, adding a remark that did not go unnoticed. The implication was obvious. Paul was only riding Lin Yi's success to stay relevant in the conference finals conversation.
It was not the first time Rondo had taken shots like this.
During the preseason, their trash talk escalated to the point where teammates had to step in.
The tension between them had history.
Rondo believed Paul was overrated. Even after Paul moved east, he still held the starting All-Star spot at point guard, something Rondo clearly resented.
A few years ago, Rondo might have stayed quiet. Now, as the cornerstone of Boston's rebuild, he had no intention of yielding ground.
Spending years next to Garnett had not helped either. The trash talk came naturally now.
From Lin Yi's perspective, Paul was not entirely innocent. He could have ignored it, but instead, he fired back online. What followed was a back-and-forth that felt more like two teenagers arguing than veteran leaders.
Still, Lin Yi knew where he stood.
He was on Paul's side.
If Rondo believed assists defined a point guard, then the answer was simple.
Give Paul assists. Lots of them.
Stats spoke louder than tweets. Results ended arguments.
On the Knicks' opening possession, Lin Yi stepped up and set a solid screen for Paul before cutting hard to the rim. Blatche tried to recover, but he was a step late. Lopez hesitated, unsure whether to step up or protect the basket.
Paul read it instantly and lofted the ball high.
Lin Yi caught it in stride and slammed home a one-handed tomahawk.
His parents, Liz, and everyone in the Garden erupted with applause.
0 to 2.
Paul's first assist of the night.
And the message was already clear.
. . .
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