On April 1st—April Fool's Day—Lin Yi found himself on the receiving end of a full-blown Knicks team beatdown.
The trouble had started between 3 and 4 a.m., when Lin Yi, for reasons no one could understand, decided to call almost every player on the team.
"Isn't the team off today for April Fool's? No practice?"
"Lin, if I don't beat you up this time, I'm not even human!"
"Oh my God… Lin, you're on vacation! Why are you calling us at this hour?"
Paul had organized the morning siege. By the time the Knicks finally stormed Lin Yi's villa with the permission of the resident's Big Mama Olsen, gave him a proper thrashing, and left, it was clear that April Fool's Day pranks were only funny in theory. Most NBA players, after all, have a strong preference for sleep—daily practices and games were already exhausting. Who voluntarily jumps out of bed at 3 a.m. to shoot hoops?
The aftermath was predictable: the Knicks collectively blocked Lin Yi's number… at least temporarily.
Meanwhile, April Fool's Day mischief was spreading across the NBA in its own way. On TNT that afternoon, Shaquille O'Neal almost blew up alongside Charles Barkley over the network's "top ten centers in history" debate.
Barkley, mid-discussion with Kenny Smith, said, "After consulting 101 experts, we all agree: Kareem, Bill Russell, and Wilt are the top three centers of all time."
O'Neal nodded politely. Sure, he thought he belonged in that conversation, but he understood respecting the legends who came before.
Then Barkley listed fourth through eighth: Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Alonzo Mourning.
O'Neal's eyes narrowed. Especially when Mourning's name came up, he glanced at Barkley like, "Wait… where am I in this list?"
Barkley, grinning, said, "Hold on, we're not done. Jack Sikma is ninth, Dwight Howard is tenth."
O'Neal's jaw dropped. "Dwight… ahead of me? No way!"
The Big Diesel stood up, ready to storm off. The TNT director finally intervened: it was just an April Fool's joke.
Barkley laughed, "Kenny, did you see that? When Shaq found out Dwight was ranked ahead of him, his face said, 'Don't stop me—I'm coming out of retirement!'"
Kenny Smith added, "Shaq, you talk about respecting your peers, but hearing Hakeem, Alonzo, and others ranked ahead of you… your expression was priceless!"
O'Neal, half-angry, half-amused, missed those Knicks days. At least then, he could vent by taking a beating out on Lin Yi. Now, pranked as the newest member of TNT, there was nothing he could do… except plot a comeback.
Lin Yi happened to catch the TNT segment that afternoon and immediately called O'Neal.
"Shaq, TNT's really bullying you this time!"
O'Neal chuckled. "Man, you get me. I'll find a way to get even."
"And don't forget," Lin Yi added with a grin, "as a center, I should be ranked ahead of you too!"
April Fool's Day seemed to fill everyone with a mischievous streak. O'Neal laughed and decided to visit Knicks practice in a few days—partly to mess with Lin Yi, partly to hang out.
This time, though, Lin Yi had a serious suggestion: "Shaq, you should host a show called Shaqtin' a Fool."
Lin went on to explain the idea.
The original show highlighted NBA bloopers, and O'Neal immediately loved the idea. "You're a genius!" he said, clapping Lin Yi on the back.
Lin Yi knew it would take until next season for the show to launch, but he was already excited at the thought of personally sending his opponents straight onto Shaqtin' a Fool.
Of course, Lin Yi forgot one eternal truth: sometimes, digging your own grave starts with a perfectly harmless prank.
...
After a day of rest, on April 2nd, the Knicks hosted the Cavaliers. Lin Yi quickly noticed just how much New York's home-court advantage mattered when facing Anthony and JR.
Where was the slightest hint of Melo's scoring-champion flair tonight?