Thump, thump, thump!
"I'm back! What's it gonna be this time?", said one fan.
The Knicks fans packed into the training gym stretched their necks, wide-eyed, practically begging to crawl into Lin Yi's body to see what he'd do next.
On defense, the Blues' team center, Jared Jeffries, looked completely lost.
He was getting cooked out there. No sugar-coating it. The guy couldn't keep up with Lin's speed.
Jeffries knew who he was. A blue-collar player—nothing flashy, and not known for his defense.
Not again. Jeffries stared at Lin Yi, who was setting up for another move. What's he got this time? A Shammgod? Eurostep? Crossover?
Lin didn't overthink it—just hit him with a clean crossover.
After the last two plays, Lin had Jeffries figured out. The man couldn't stay in front of him, so why not just blow by?
But—three steps from the three-point line straight to the rim? What the hell?!
Jeffries felt like he'd taken 10,000 points of psychic damage.
As Lin Yi took flight, Knicks trainer Mark Duber raised both arms like he was about to dunk himself.
All eyes were on Lin… except for one.
Al Harrington wasn't done.
He may have known his time in New York was limited, but he wasn't about to get shown up by some rookie in a scrimmage.
Harrington had a rep—aggressive, no-nonsense—and watching Lin Yi steal the spotlight AND win over the coaches had him fuming.
No way he was gonna let Lin slam it down easy.
He launched himself into the air.
But Harrington forgot one thing—Lin might look like a finesse guy, but he had the height, the frame, and the bounce to match. And Harrington? He just didn't have the hang time.
As Lin cocked the ball back, ready to slam it home, he caught a flash out of the corner of his eye.
Harrington was falling. Hard. Back first.
In a real game, Lin wouldn't have hesitated. He'd have finished the dunk and dealt with the fallout later.
But this was just practice.
And even if Harrington hadn't exactly been buddy-buddy since he got here, the team still needed him.
No point in dunking on a teammate if it means hurting the team.
So instead of finishing the dunk, Lin did something nobody expected—he reached out and caught Harrington mid-fall.
The gym went dead silent.
Harrington had thought he was toast. He braced for pain… and landed in strong arms and a giant palm instead.
He blinked.
His fall was cushioned by Lin Yi.
What the hell?!
Applause exploded from the stands. The coaching staff started clapping. Teammates came over, giving Lin thumbs up like he just saved a kitten from a burning building.
Lin Yi's approval rating just shot up by +9,000.
Sure, he missed a dunk, but he'd won something more important: trust.
"You good, Al?" Lin asked, still holding him steady.
Harrington blinked again. His mind churning at the old thoughts he had for Lin. He'd been planning to haze Lin Yi in the locker room, maybe send him on a burger run, really make him earn it.
But now?
Now he felt like a complete jerk.
"I'm… I'm fine…" Harrington mumbled, looking up at Lin Yi, who patted him on the back.
Harrington whispered, "Lin, man… I am sorry for going hard. No hard feelings." whilst stretching out an arm.
"Yeah. No hard feelings." Lin smiled and shook his hand.
The scrimmage resumed. Harrington bricked his next shot, probably still shaken by how close he came to an injury.
On the other end, Lin Yi caught the ball up top. Jeffries waved Chandler over for help. Lin didn't force it. He kicked it to the wing, then cut backdoor.
Ewing didn't hesitate—he lobbed it.
BOOM!
Here it comes again!
No dirty plays this time. David Lee saw the lob and didn't even jump. He knew.
Lin Yi soared, caught it midair with one hand, switched to the other, and slammed it down.
A tribute to the legends.
The crowd lost it.
Fans texted each other like crazy—"You SEE that?!" Season ticket prices were about to spike.
The Chinese rookie had made headway in the toughest crowd in the league… in one scrimmage.
Knicks fans may be demanding, but really, all they want is someone who gives them hope.
Just play well, man.
One young fan burst into tears.
The blue team however won 126 to 117.
Coach D'Antoni, however, was in a mood.
Fans had booed him every time he tried to double Lin or sent Chandler to guard him.
Third assistant Dan looked a little smug.
D'Antoni turned to him, expression dark. "Brother."
"Yeah?" Dan blinked.
"You look like you could use some cardio. Take the players. Fifty laps."
Dan ran a hand over his bald head.
Was that revenge?! on him, his elder brother?
So much for family.
.....
After the scrimmage, Lin Yi officially arrived.
New York preseason tickets saw a jump in sales.
Because really, New York fans don't ask for much.
You don't have to win a ring.
Just show up.
And give 'em a reason to believe.
....
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