The Knicks were cooking tonight. And the Warriors? They'd tried to adjust—but it wasn't working.
Curry did his best to fight over the pick-and-rolls, but this was where Larry Hughes showed his value. Bigger, stronger, and frankly just more physical than Curry—and that's without Lin Yi helping him out with those screens.
Every ti Curry tried to sneak around a screen, Hughes would just blow by him. This ti was no different. One quick push and Hughes was in the paint, tossing a perfect assist to David Lee, who finished the play with an easy bucket.
Four offensive trips, four successful attacks—all targeting Curry.
"If Steph wants to be a star, man, his defense is just awful," Barkley said, shaking his head.
Knicks are getting whatever they want. Steph's the weak link right now," Kenny Smith added.
Next Warriors possession. Don Nelson wasn't about to let Ellis go iso again, so they ran a play this ti. Curry pulled up just past the arc with Hughes right in his face. Forced shot.
Lin knew Curry had that kind of range, but still—he rushed it.
Clang!
"The Warriors need to help create space for Steph to shoot. Wasted possession," Barkley said bluntly.
"Yeah, we all know Steph can shoot those under pressure," Kenny agreed. "But Warriors need to help the guy out, especially Ellis, with the spacing."
Lin Yi grabbed the rebound and the Knicks pushed. Warriors were back on defense, but Hughes slowed it down and ran another pick-and-roll with Lin.
Biedrins was sick of it. Sa play, over and over? Really?
But the Knicks' answer? A bucket is a bucket, doesn't matter how it ca about.
Just as Biedrins moved to switch, Curry fought through the screen—finally—but Biedrins wasn't ready for it. No switch. No help.
Too late.
Lin popped out to the top of the arc. A step and a half behind the three-point line—Curry's usual spot.
But Lin was wide open.
No hesitation. One motion. Flick of the wrist.
Splash!
MSG erupted. The DJ was hyped.
"Threeeeeeee points!"
Tiout, Warriors.
The Garden was on fire. Lin Yi was on fire..
The Showti was heating up.
...
anwhile, sowhere on the West Coast, frustrated Warriors fans were throwing shade online.
@WarriorsOG: What is Curry doing out there? Ellis is hot, pass the damn ball and do your f##king job on the D!!
@CurryforLife: Are you guys blind? Steph ain't getting help on the D. How expecting him to guard a one-foot-taller than him?!
@NBA Analyst: Coach Don should do sothing about the mismatch because Lin is feasting on his forr teammate.
..
Back on the Warriors' bench, Curry slumped next to Ellis, who was side-eyeing him hard.
"No.2 draft, huh?" Ellis muttered snidely.
Curry didn't respond.
Biedrins stood up, trying to ease the tension, knowing he could have prevented this if he had helped.
Curry looked down, chewing on his mouth guard. He rembered—back in practice, Lin and he had killed teams with that sa pick-and-roll.
Now he was the one getting cooked by it.
The only warmth Curry felt was from Nelson's silent nod and Maggette's pat on the shoulder.
...
Across the court, Lin Yi was laughing with Chandler, praising his defense. D'Antoni, anwhile, was grinning to himself.
Provoking Ellis? Classic NBA tactic. And it was working.
Because Maggette and Curry? Efficient. Ellis? Ball hog.
D'Antoni knew—Nelson wouldn't care as long as Ellis kept scoring.
And that was fine. The Knicks were more than happy to go one-on-one all night.
D'Antoni's ga plan had one goal: pick apart the Warriors' weak backcourt defense.
Lin Yi made it easy.
Tiout over.
Every trip down, the Knicks targeted Curry. Lin and Hughes. Then Hughes and Gallinari. Gallinari passed it on to Harrington. Whoever had Curry in front of them got the ball.
"Again with Curry mismatch."
"Too slow on D."
"Is Nelson not going to adjust?"
And then Curry gambled on help defense—and got called for a foul.
The Warriors fans were losing it.
"Don Nelson, do your job!!"
"Trade Curry!"
But Lin Yi knew—Nelson wasn't blind. He had his hands tied.
Curry didn't give up. He kept trying. That's why Nelson kept him in.
Ellis, on the other hand, didn't even try on defense. He needed that energy for iso ball.
That's the difference.
Ellis wasn't lacking in talent. He was lacking in mindset.
...
In the second quarter, Lin Yi returned with the bench squad and delivered a highlight-reel dunk. Posted up, spun baseline, rose over Anthony Morrow, and flushed it with two hands.
BOOM!
The rim rattled. MSG shook.
"LIN ———— YI !!!"
The crowd chanted his na.
Curry watched from the bench, pain flickering in his eyes.
...
Final score: Warriors 105, Knicks 137. A 32-point beatdown.
Lin Yi only played 29 minutes—still dropped a triple-double: 26 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists.
His first career triple-double.
"The only thing stopping Lin from crazier stats is the fourth quarter," Barkley joked.
"Yeah," Kenny laughed, "he's always on the bench when the ga's already over."
Curry, anwhile, played 33 minutes: 5-for-10, 2-for-3 from deep, 12 points, 6 assists.
Efficient.
But the dia didn't hold back—defensive liability.
Ellis, the Warriors' top scorer with 33 points, refused to even comnt on Curry.
"I don't know what else I can do to win," Ellis said postga.
Fans online weren't buying it. Many were already suggesting the Warriors trade Curry.
But fans saw beyond his defense, and his offense was spot on. Plus it wasn't like Ellis was like a DPOY guy, his defense equally sucked. Lastly, Don Nelson's tactic didn't help Steph, so fans argued.
But Lin Yi? He had other ideas.
If they're trading Curry, he thought, I'm telling the Knicks to go all in.
...
After the ga, Lin found Curry in the tunnel, hoodie up and cap pulled low.
"Flying out tonight?" he asked.
"Yeah." Curry nodded.
Lin fist bumped his chest.
"Believe in yourself, Steph. You're the best shooter I've seen."
Curry gave a tired smile.
He was trying. Working hard every day. Putting up 500 threes after practice.
Maybe he just didn't have it.
"Steph," Lin said seriously, "hard work isn't special in the NBA. That's just the bare minimum. Everyone here works hard. Plus, you had 50% shooting in the ga."
"What matters is not giving up when the gap looks huge."
"If you believe you're the best shooter, then act like it. And keep climbing."
Curry looked down, nodded quietly.
"…Thanks, Lin."
Lin patted him on the back. "I'll see you in Oakland."
As he walked away, Curry watched him go, fists clenched, determination in his eyes.
He wasn't done—not even close.
....
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