From the sideline, the Zen Master looked genuinely troubled.

At this moment, Phil Jackson probably felt like he'd just downed eighteen bottles of alcohol in one go — cool on the outside, chaos inside.

Finally, he ended his silent meditation and called a timeout. The game was clearly spiraling out of control.

Before the timeout, Kobe watched Lin Yi hanging from the rim, one arm hooked over the iron. For a second, the silhouette overlapped with memories of O'Neal.

This kid's getting scary, Kobe thought. In a good way.

Being impressed by someone isn't a weakness — it's instinct.

Everyone leaves a signature impression.

Mention O'Neal, and you picture thunderous dunks.

Mention Hakeem, and you see that dreamlike footwork.

Jordan? The perfect fadeaway.

Garnett? Fire, grit, and attitude.

Now Lin Yi was starting to build his own.

.

"Oh, Shaq, tell me you saw that dunk — doesn't that remind you of yourself?" Kenny Smith teased.

O'Neal raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, maybe 50% of my power. Not bad for a rookie."

Barkley laughed. "Come on, Shaq! You got schooled by Olajuwon in your second year, and Lin Yi won a title in his. Honestly, if you swapped me in, I could've got a ring with that Knicks team too!"

"Ha-ha." Shaq laughed, nearly falling from his chair. "Yo, Chuck, you're a funny man. What are you going to contribute? Your big bum, please."

Kenny Smith didn't help. "Charles, you're gonna need some skin grafts for the burn. Damn!"

Charles wanted to be anywhere but here.

.

Out of the timeout, Bynum was benched for Matt Barnes.

This Lakers squad was nowhere near the two-peat version. Nash and Kobe didn't exactly mix well, and though Nash could still space the floor, the team's bench depth had thinned out badly.

Their total payroll was nearly $92 million — but unless they traded both Bynum and Gasol, reinforcements were impossible.

Kobe and Gasol steadied the Lakers briefly, scoring back-to-back to stop the bleeding. But soon, the Knicks' bench showed what real depth looked like.

Lin Yi checked out after eight minutes of dominance.

Now it was Paul's turn to have fun.

Chris Paul grinned. Finally — his offense, his rules.

Nash tried to stay in front, but his legs couldn't keep up. Officially listed at 191 cm, Nash wasn't even that much taller than Paul, and definitely not quicker.

No screens, no picks — Paul just dribbled, shifted gears, and pulled up.

If Nash could jump ten centimeters more, maybe Paul would've missed.

Paul's mid-range was pure poetry — a rhythm shooter through and through. Even years later, under D'Antoni's Rockets, he'd still be hitting 55% from that spot.

But tonight, he was just cruising — 10 straight points in the last four minutes of the quarter.

The Knicks' bench roared as the lead stretched.

End of the first quarter — Knicks 31, Lakers 26.

Phil Jackson, ever the experimenter, left Nash and Gasol on to open the second quarter. The two veterans were running a tidy pick-and-roll game, and it worked — for a while.

On the other side, Lin Yi was back, leading New York's second unit. He noticed the change.

Bold move, old man, Lin thought. I like it.

For Lin Yi, this was perfect — easy matchups, tired legs, and plenty of space to pad the stats.

The Lakers' lineup of aging vets — Nash, Gasol, Fisher, Hill, and McRoberts — looked like a reunion tour. Lin Yi tore through them like a storm, mixing inside drives and outside jumpers that completely shredded their rotations.

Within minutes, the Lakers were wobbling again.

Phil sighed and turned to Kobe — the silent signal.

Kobe rose, eyes sharp as ever, and as soon as he checked in, he hit them with that familiar death stare. The team snapped awake instantly.

Artest followed Kobe's cue, locking in defensively. Lin Yi glanced upward helplessly — this guy again.

Before the game, Artest had told reporters that Lin Yi was his favorite young player.

But if this is love, Lin thought, I don't know what he will do if he hates.

Even with Lin's healing durability, those Artest hits hurt.

As Lin tried to dance around the contact, pacing and feinting…

Paul was cooking again. CP3 came out firing — pull-ups, floaters, fadeaways — every kind of isolation in the book.

How terrifying is Chris Paul when he stops worrying about passing?

Just look at poor Nash — the man looked like he was about to cry. The two-time MVP, known for his court vision and flow, was completely shut down tonight. No assists, no rhythm, and on defense? Paul was treating him like an ATM.

Nash finally got a bit of daylight for a jumper… and missed. You could almost feel his frustration.

Meanwhile, the Knicks' lead stretched into double digits. Kobe, clearly annoyed, started launching threes to close the gap. On the other end, Lin Yi — still nursing the memory of Artest's brutal elbow — was cleaning up on the boards with help from Motiejūnas and the Chandler.

Rebound after rebound. +1, +1, +1, +1...

Watching the broadcast, Shaq couldn't resist.

"Man, Lin's grabbing rebounds like he's picking strawberries," O'Neal grumbled.

And since he was already on a roll, he added, "If Kobe would stop forcing threes, the Lakers would be right back in this."

He leaned back, smug. But two seconds later, Paul bricked a jumper, Lin Yi soared over Gasol for the rebound, and immediately kicked it to Klay — splash, three points.

Then Kobe answered. Swish. Then swish. Swish. Three straight.

Shaq: "..."

Barkley burst out laughing beside him. "Hey Shaq, didn't you just say if Kobe wasn't out there chucking threes, the Lakers would be buried by now! The man is keeping them alive."

He was practically wheezing with laughter. Barkley was a professional at getting his co-commentators roasted on live TV — and this one hit perfectly. Plus, he needed this since his practically BBQed some minutes ago.

By halftime, the Knicks led 69–59. The crowd was loving the offense-heavy game.

..

In the locker room, Klay sat listening as Coach D'Antoni calmly broke down his defense on Kobe, which, frankly, hadn't gone well.

The Knicks always treated tough matchups as lessons. Klay knew this was one of them.

With how things were going, Lin knew that he wasn't setting foot on the court in the fourth quarter.

...

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