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November 27th – Denver, Colorado.
The Knicks were wrapping up their third straight ga against a Western Conference opponent, and their last stop was none other than the Denver Nuggets.
Denver, besides being Colorado's capital and the Mile High City, is also a food lover's paradise. And right now? Lin Yi was all about these road trips because they ant one thing: food.
Sure, the Knicks' nutrition team had their fancy als lined up daily—lean ats, high-protein, low-carb stuff. All good and healthy. But eat it for weeks straight, and even the best steak starts tasting like cardboard.
So, after their training session yesterday, Lin Yi rounded up the team and dragged them to a spot in Larir Square under the pretense of celebrating his birthday. But really, he just wanted to eat well. The restaurant was run by future Jas Beard Award-winner Jennifer Jasinski, nad the best female chef in Arica.
The place specializes in diterranean dishes made with fresh local ingredients—crisp veggies, juicy fruits, fresh fish, and whole grains. Clean, fresh, flavorful. The Knicks squad couldn't stop raving about the food.
"This is insane," Chandler said, wiping his mouth. "If I had this every day, I'd look forward to team als."
Lin Yi, anwhile, was already daydreaming about the future. "Man… when I get rich, I'm opening my restaurant," he said with a grin. "Even if it loses money. Anything to avoid another sad scoop of mystery at in sauce."
As a proud Chinese foodie, he still couldn't stomach the so-called Chinese food in Arica.
...
Ga Day – Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets' ho court wasn't just loud—it was notorious. Nicknad the Devil's Ho, the arena sat 1,600 ters above sea level, which gave the ho team a serious stamina edge. Between the thin air and the thunderous crowd, Denver was a nightmare for visiting teams.
Before warm-ups, Lin Yi leaned over to Knicks vet Al Harrington. "So, how bad is the altitude thing, really?"
Harrington shrugged. "You'll feel it. Trust . But honestly, it's the crowd that gets in your head. That energy? It's like a playoff ga every night."
Lin Yi took a look around. The arena wasn't even full yet, but it was already deafening. "Okay... yeah. This place's nuts."
Just before tip-off, a familiar voice called out.
"Yo, Lin!"
It was Carlo Anthony—lo to most.
Lin greeted him with a friendly hug.
"Yo, that crossover you did on Anderson? Man, I saw that clip online. That was cold. Dude looked like he was skating."
Lin chuckled. "Appreciate it. I think he's still looking for his ankles."
Anthony laughed, then leaned in a bit. "Seriously though, keep doing your thing. The league needs so new flavor."
Back here, lo was still at the top of his ga—slim, explosive, and hungry. But he was also constantly battling the narrative around him. Even though he'd been dominant, his past—hanging out with the wrong crowd, the weed rumors, the gambling talk—kept him from getting the sa love LeBron did.
Last season, Denver had shocked the league when they brought in Chauncey Billups. With him running the show, the Nuggets had bulldozed through the playoffs, smoked the Hornets by 58 in one ga, sent Chris Paul packing, and went toe-to-toe with Kobe's Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Lin Yi admired what that team had built. lo wasn't known for his playmaking, but Billups made it work. He didn't take the ball away from Anthony—he just made his life easier. With Billups' calm control and off-ball movent, lo got his iso spots, one-on-one matchups, and chances to cook.
This version of Anthony was the best he'd ever been—still fast, still fierce, still focused.
Unfortunately, Lin also knew how the story went after that. George Karl, the coach who had brought order and edge to the team, would soon be sidelined with illness. And without him, Denver's montum would slowly unravel.
But tonight? Tonight was about testing themselves.
The Knicks were rolling out their full lineup for the first ti. And if they wanted to know where they stood among the big dogs in the West—well, no better place to find out than right here in the heart of the Rockies.
...
"Good morning to all our viewers tuning in from across the country! I'm Yang Jian, and today, I'm joined by our guest comntator, Mr. Su Junyang," said Yang with a smile as the broadcast began.
But online, a wave of playful disappointnt rolled in from Chinese fans, especially Lin Yi's diehard supporters.
Where's Weiping? Bring back Weiping! Give us the hype.
Yang Jian chuckled as he turned to Su Junyang*. "So, Teacher Su, what do you think about today's matchup?"*
Su Junyang nodded thoughtfully. "It's a really interesting one. The Knicks made a few solid moves recently, especially the Lou Williams trade. That one's gotten high praise from the Arican dia. And don't forget Belinelli—he's the kind of shooter D'Antoni loves."
"Alright, looks like we've got the starting lineups in," Yang said as the graphics flashed onscreen. "The Knicks are rolling out Lin Yi, David Lee, Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Tony Douglas."
"And the Nuggets are starting Kenyon Martin, Nene Hilario, Carlo Anthony, Afflalo, and Billups."
"What's surprising," Su Junyang added, "is that D'Antoni isn't starting any of the new guys. I thought Lou Williams would be in the starting five, but it looks like they're all coming off the bench for now."
...
Pepsi Center – Denver.
The crowd was wild. Absolutely deafening.
Under that mountain of noise, Lin Yi and Kenyon Martin stepped to the center circle.
Tip-off.
No drama—Lin Yi easily out-jumped Martin, who, despite being the top pick in 2000, was never known for his vertical.
Martin was a tough defender and a solid role player who made his money catching lobs.
Not that Lin Yi was looking down on him—far from it. Denver's rise started after they sent away Marcus Camby, who, despite his monster stats, was kind of a stat chaser—a shot-blocking machine who often missed key defensive rotations.
Lin Yi, for his part, wasn't looking to burn energy early. He knew he could still average two blocks a ga without overcommitting. With his wingspan, he only needed to ti things right—no need to jump at everything.
Nene wasn't exactly a defensive anchor either, but paired with Martin, the Nuggets at least had a decent system. Which, honestly, said more about how overhyped Camby's impact was.
...
First Knicks possession.
Douglas brought the ball up. Lin Yi set a pick on the wing. Gallinari slipped out to the three-point line—wide open—but clanked it.
Denver grabbed the board and pushed the break.
Billups strolled past halfcourt, calm and in control. With a couple of hand gestures, he nudged his teammates into place, then flicked a quick pass.
Anthony caught it on the left wing. Faced up against Gallinari. One jab step, a quick slide, then a pull-up jumper.
Swish.
0-2 Nuggets.
"Smooth."
That was classic Chauncey Billups basketball. No flash, no wasted motion. Just IQ and timing. The sa Billups who'd schooled Chris Paul last postseason, reminding everyone that assists weren't the only asure of a great point guard.
Billups didn't force assists—he created rhythm. He didn't just pass the ball—he set people up.
Anthony was the biggest beneficiary. With Billups orchestrating, lo got clean iso looks, plenty of spacing, and ti to go to work.
...
Next possession: Knicks miss again.
Denver ca right back. Sa formula.
Billups found lo, who backed down Gallinari, bumped him off balance, turned, faded—money.
0-4 Nuggets. Just like that.
"Man... lo's cooking early," Yang Jian said.
Su Junyang nodded. "Yep. When lo is feeling it, he's sweet as sugar."
...
Third ti's the charm.
On the Knicks' next play, Lin Yi dished it inside to David Lee, who finished strong under the rim.
"Nice find," Yang called. "Lin Yi may be quiet on the scoring sheet, but he's getting his guys involved."
Still, Lin Yi had respect for Nene. Even later on in his career, when the league was changing and everyone wanted stretch bigs, Nene still managed to land a solid deal. Not everyone had the footwork and strength to hang around that long.
Defensively, Denver wasn't playing straight-up man-to-man either. Coach George Karl was throwing out a pseudo-zone to clog the paint, clearly trying to slow down Lin Yi's driving ga.
But Lin wasn't rushing anything. He played the whole first six minutes cool as ice—no points, one rebound, and a couple of assists.
That didn't stop the Pepsi Center from getting loud.
"Lin Yi looks kinda average today," Su Junyang remarked. "He doesn't seem too fired up."
Lin Yi knew how this ga worked. Let them talk. The real show was still coming.
....
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