On the 16th, the entire nation of the USA turned its eyes to the Knicks' final regular-season matchup with the Heat.
Neither side showed any intention of cruising through the finale, which delighted Stern. If the NBA ever installed some kind of "negative-emotion meter," the two Knicks–Mavericks clashes earlier this season alone might have blown it off the charts.
At Madison Square Garden, Lin Yi teasingly stepped up for a chalk toss—before LeBron James could get there.
James, halfway to the scorer's table, froze. With the Garden roaring "MVP! MVP!" behind him, the King could only turn back toward the Heat bench with a tight smile.
From the commentary desk, O'Neal burst out laughing. "Man, talk about blue balling James. Lin is playing mind games.'"
On CCTV, Su Junyang couldn't resist: "If you look closely at James' expression, when Lin Yi threw that chalk, he had to be thinking—Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?"
This season, the Knicks and the Heat were the two heavyweights in the East. The broadcast cut to McGrady and Carter—two familiar faces now on opposite sides.
"Carter's fit in beautifully with the Heat, and McGrady's been steady as the Knicks' backup point guard since Livingston went down," Yu Jia noted.
"These two cousins are something else," Su Junyang added. "Heard Carter even texted McGrady after signing with Miami: 'See you in the Eastern Conference Finals.'"
Yu Jia grinned. "So, Su, who do you think takes this one tonight?"
Su Junyang thought it over. "That's tough. But fans crack me up. I checked a forum earlier—someone said 'the Heat shooters can put up a fight against any NBA team'. Then another replied, 'Have you seen the Knicks?'"
Yu Jia laughed. "Coach D'Antoni's entire system really does revolve around one word—shooting."
"Exactly," Su Junyang said. "The Knicks are putting up forty threes per game. As Riley said—if you want to beat them, either pray they're cold, or don't let them shoot at all."
With the commentators trading jokes, the Garden erupted as the Knicks' starters stepped on the floor. Tonight's group: Chandler, Battier, Lin Yi, Green, and Paul.
D'Antoni wanted Lin to save energy defensively, so Battier drew the early minutes on James.
The Heat rolled out their usual starting five: Joel Anthony, Bosh, James, Wade, and Chalmers.
Miami, now fully integrated and deeper with Brooks and Carter, had learned their lessons from the Knicks. At the very least, they wouldn't fall into the same run-and-gun traps that swallowed the Bulls.
To trade punches with the Knicks, you first had to survive their pace.
As Lin Yi went up for the opening tip, Chandler stared at his teammate's springy leap and muttered to Paul, "How is he like this? We trained till ten last night. My back still hurts. Look at him—fresh as ever."
Paul shrugged. "Maybe he's just… pumps."
Chandler blinked, then the meaning hit him, and he let out a low whistle.
"Then how did he even get a girlfriend?" Chandler whispered.
Right on cue, the broadcast camera zoomed in on Olsen at courtside. She'd come with Tijana to support Lin tonight. Good thing Milicic wasn't here—he'd drag Lin straight to the boxing gym out of pure jealousy.
Unless Tijana got pocket money for it, she normally wouldn't show up to her brother's games. She'd rather stay home forever than sit through 48 minutes of basketball.
But tonight, Tijana was in full supporter mode, rocking a white Knicks No. 44 jersey with Olsen, their blue denim shorts showing off their long legs, turning half the arena's heads.
…
Lin Yi won the tip against Joel Anthony, and the showdown for the East officially began.
Paul brought the ball across half, surveyed, and hit Green coming off the elbow.
Wade was there, but Green fired anyway.
Swish.
Heat players: "（⊙ｏ⊙）"
Five seconds. That's how long it took the Knicks to complete their first offensive possession.
Do you people understand the concept of pacing?
Pat Riley rubbed his forehead helplessly on the sideline. He had warned them again and again—don't give the Knicks space, and above all else, don't lose Lin Yi.
Yet Lin hadn't even touched the ball before Green drilled one.
This Knicks squad wasn't just Lin Yi being unreasonable—the entire team was.
Miami missed its first shot. Lin grabbed the rebound, pushed it up himself, and dribbled right into James' waiting defense. The King set his stance, ready to make a statement.
Lin didn't bite. He backed into James, flicked the ball behind him—and Green stepped right into a bomb from eight meters.
Swish.
0–6.
James: "…"
Two straight threes for Green. Spoelstra paced the sideline, telling himself to stay composed.
Then Chalmers threw the ball away, Paul stole it, and launched a transition three the moment he crossed half-court.
0–9.
Spoelstra: "(⊙﹏⊙)"
Timeout. A full minute hadn't even passed.
As the Knicks returned to the bench, Lin patted Klay on the shoulder. "Klay, you see the idea—don't negotiate with the defense. If it can be done in five seconds, don't take ten."
Klay nodded earnestly. Chandler, meanwhile, was trying—and failing—to stop himself from leaning into the joke.
He gave Lin a sympathetic pat. "Yeah, Lin. We all know you're… fast."
Lin blinked. "???"
Since when did even Chandler join this nonsense?
His teammates were staring at him like he needed counseling.
Battier added, straight-faced, "Speed is fine. What matters is endurance."
Lin stared at the ceiling. He wanted Olsen to jump in and set the record straight, but—no, that would only make things worse.
"Every time with the sex jokes. Grow up." Lin threw a towel at Battier's face.
..
After the timeout, Miami finally steadied itself. Battier couldn't shut James down, but he could stall him enough to make every step a grind.
Wade broke through first, beating Green off the dribble and dunking as Chandler—still worn from last night's training—arrived late on the rotation.
2–9.
But before Wade could even land from his dunk, the Knicks inbounded, Paul found Lin Yi cutting…
Swish.
2–12.
The Knicks had hit four threes in four possessions.
Lin rubbed his nose. Just sticking to the plan.
His teammates gave him exaggerated thumbs-ups. "Fast as always, Lin!"
Lin looked around helplessly. What kind of locker room did he live in?
James, meanwhile, was losing the will to live. A hot-shooting Knicks team felt like playing against a glitch.
He pulled himself together. The Knicks couldn't shoot like this forever.
James powered past Battier at last, muscling his way through the lane for a layup. 4–12.
The Knicks, staying true to character, pushed the pace yet again. The Heat scrambled back as Lin pulled up for a transition three—missed this time. Spoelstra nearly exhaled in relief.
Barely two minutes had passed.
It proved one thing:
There is no problem in basketball that recklessness can't solve.
And if there is—
You're simply not being reckless enough.
...
The first quarter of the highly anticipated Knicks vs. Heat game ended at 25–35.
The Knicks, never shy about launching from deep, had attempted thirteen three-pointers in those twelve minutes alone.
By the second quarter, Lin Yi had temporarily returned to the bench to watch, while CP3 continued running the offense with the reserves.
The Heat shuffled their lineup: Haslem, Bosh, James, Carter, and Brooks.