After sweeping the Wizards 4–0, the Knicks became the first team to advance to the conference semifinals.
New York media quickly ran with it. By their most optimistic estimates, fans would have to wait at least a week before seeing the Knicks play again.
That didn't sit well with the rest of the league.
Players from other teams saw those reports and could only shake their heads.
A week off? Must be nice.
If they had the option, they would have taken it too.
. . .
The rest of the playoffs told a completely different story.
In the East, the Heat led the Bulls 3–1, though Chicago had managed to steal one at home. Bulls fans were still holding on to one belief.
If Rose were healthy, this series would be over already.
Delusional or true. Take a pick.
The Hawks and Nets were locked at 2–2, a series that already felt destined for seven games. Two of the first four had gone to overtime. Neither side could create real separation.
The Pacers and Celtics were also tied 2–2. Indiana's youth showed at times, especially late in games. As for Boston, experience was keeping them alive, but it came at a cost. With an average age pushing past 32, every extra minute on the court mattered.
Out West, things were just as tense. The Lakers and Warriors sat at 2–2. The Spurs led the Clippers 3–1. The Mavericks and Thunder both held 3–1 leads over the Grizzlies and Rockets, respectively.
Everywhere you looked, teams were grinding through battles.
Except New York.
If NBA teams had a group chat, the Knicks would have been muted by now.
Too comfortable. Too relaxed. Too irritating.
. . .
Back in New York, Lin Yi had no idea the Knicks had become the source of league-wide frustration.
That night, he joined the Tencent Sports crew for dinner.
Across the table, Li Ruoqi was already on her third steak.
Lin Yi paused, then shook his head with a small laugh. "You've got a serious appetite."
Li Ruoqi looked up, unfazed. "I've always eaten like this."
She added, almost proudly, "And I don't gain weight."
Wang Meng and Yang Yi exchanged a glance and instinctively patted their stomachs.
"Must be nice," Wang Meng muttered.
Yang Yi nodded. "At our age, you look at food and gain weight."
Lin Yi smiled but didn't add anything. He already knew Li Ruoqi from his previous life. She had always been like this. Straightforward, a little clumsy at times, but never putting on an act.
After dinner, the conversation shifted back to basketball.
Yang Yi leaned forward, curious. "A-Lin, those deep threes… are they really that consistent in practice?"
Lin Yi didn't hesitate. "They are."
Yang Yi sighed, half amused, half defeated. "Then we really don't understand basketball anymore."
Lin Yi chuckled softly. He understood that feeling. Back then, he had been one of those fans watching Steph and Klay in disbelief, too.
He thought about mentioning Klay's range, then decided against it.
Give it a couple of years, he thought. Once he gets comfortable, he'll start taking those shots without thinking twice.
. . .
Too much rest, it turned out, had its own problems.
The Knicks started to feel it after a few days.
Practice intensity dipped. The rhythm faded. Even the players themselves admitted it quietly among each other.
We need games.
No one dared to say that publicly. It would sound arrogant.
By May 2nd, most series had reached Game 5.
The Knicks were still waiting.
Looking at the scoreboard updates, all they saw were tight 3–2 battles.
They should have been happy. The longer those series dragged on, the better for them.
Still, the feeling didn't go away.
"Coach," someone said during practice, half-joking, "we're ready whenever they are."
Mike D'Antoni rubbed his chin, glancing around the court. "Yeah, I see that. They're taking their time."
He paused, then added with a grin, "Guess we've got to be patient. Respect the elders."
"Coach, you ruthless!"
Laughter broke out across the gym.
"Put it here, Coach," Klay high-fived Mike.
. . .
On May 3rd, the second team to advance finally appeared.
Not in the East.
In the West, the San Antonio Spurs closed out the Los Angeles Clippers 4–2, right in line with Lin Yi's expectations. It was not easy. The Clippers pushed them into uncomfortable stretches and made the Spurs work for every win.
When the Clippers found their rhythm, the pace picked up, and the Spurs looked their age. Rotations were a step slow, closeouts came late, and the game started to tilt.
But when it mattered, experience took over.
Tim Duncan anchored the paint in Game 6, controlling the glass and protecting the rim like it was ten years earlier. Tony Parker attacked relentlessly, mixing drives and pull-ups, keeping the defense on edge every possession. Then Manu Ginóbili flipped the game. Four straight threes in the fourth quarter, each one heavier than the last.
That stretch broke the Clippers.
They had the legs, the speed, and the momentum at times. The Spurs had control, timing, and answers.
In the end, that difference decided the series.
Your veterans still decide games.
When it mattered, the old core delivered.
Lin Yi nodded when he saw the result.
Still the same Spurs.
Even with Butler coming off a Finals MVP run, the ceiling of this Spurs team still rests on the old core. If the GDP trio holds up, they contend. If not, everything tightens.
The Clippers' going out was no fluke. Griffin had his moments, but once the game slowed down, their flaws showed. His development stalled this season, and it was hard to ignore why. Too many distractions, not enough work. He came into the year behind, and at this level, that gap does not stay small.
Back to the bracket.
The Thunder were the second team to punch their ticket to the conference finals. The Rockets dragged them to six, and for stretches, the series felt uncomfortable for Oklahoma City.
A lot of the noise landed on Kevin Durant. He had a historic shooting season, but in this matchup, he pressed. The efficiency dipped, and his rhythm never fully settled.
The real surprise came from James Harden. He controlled the series with patience and timing, repeatedly pulling Kendrick Perkins into space. Once Perkins got into foul trouble, the Thunder's interior defense collapsed, and Houston attacked it without hesitation.
Oklahoma City survived because Russell Westbrook refused to let the series slip. In this timeline, he stayed healthy, and it changed everything.
He averaged 24 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds on strong efficiency, dictating pace whenever the game threatened to slow down.
Houston had no real rim protection. This was before Clint Capela emerged, and Ömer Aşık struggled to keep up in space. Once the Thunder leaned into transition and early offense, Game 6 turned quickly.
That raised a real question. How far does this version of the Thunder go with a healthy Westbrook?
. . .
On the 4th, the semifinal matchups were set.
In the East, the Miami Heat edged past the Chicago Bulls in seven and now face the Indiana Pacers, who handled the Boston Celtics. The New York Knicks draw the Brooklyn Nets after another seven-game grind.
Out West, the Spurs meet a familiar opponent in the Dallas Mavericks. That matchup carries real weight. Some around the league see it as the true Western Finals.
There was also a shakeup in the first round. The Golden State Warriors fell 4–3 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stephen Curry took it hard. A first-round exit was not part of the plan.
With Kobe Bryant healthy, the series shifted. The Lakers controlled tempo, turned every game into a half-court battle, and forced Golden State out of rhythm. In Game 7, Kobe took over with 40, while Pau Gasol added a steady 20 and 10.
Golden State lost to experience. That was clear. Their identity was still forming, and against a disciplined team, their strengths did not land the same way.
Curry's efficiency dipped, and the criticism followed. The usual narrative surfaced that his style does not translate when defenses lock in.
He did not argue. He went back to work. The focus shifted to core strength, balance, and release speed.
Lin Yi felt a headache coming on.
Were they seriously about to hand the Warriors another reason to level up?
He remembered it clearly. When Stephen Curry tightened his core and refined his balance, everything about his shot changed. The release got faster, cleaner, and harder to read.
Inside the Warriors' training reports, the numbers were almost absurd. At peak, his release could hit 0.25 seconds, with a consistent average around 0.3.
That kind of speed breaks normal defensive logic.
You can read the move, stay in front, and even contest properly. It does not matter. By the time you react, the ball is already gone.
And once that version of Curry showed up in later playoff runs, the impact went beyond shooting. His control improved, his efficiency stabilized, and he stopped being an easy target on defense.
Even LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers felt it. Isolating Curry was no longer a reliable answer.
…
On May 6th, the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets were set to begin.
The contrast in preparation was obvious.
The Knicks had been off for a full week, fresh and fully reset. The Nets had just come out of a Game 7 and had no time to recover before facing the league's most complete contender.
Inside the Nets locker room, the mood was heavy.
Their one clear edge sat with Deron Williams. At his best, he could still control a game, and during the regular season, Chris Paul had not exactly dominated that matchup.
But this was the playoffs.
Paul was not concerned.
At some point, he had accepted the situation. Playing alongside Lin Yi changed the equation. The pressure shifted. The margin for error widened.
Get beaten a few times. It does not matter.
He was the one with a clear path forward.
For the Knicks, the goal stayed simple. End the series fast.
The Nets were solid, but roster-for-roster, they could not match up. One Lin Yi tilted everything.
Brook Lopez understood that better than anyone. He had been excellent in the first round, putting up 20 and 6 and carrying a big share of the offense.
None of that felt relevant now.
Against Lin Yi, his space disappeared. Every touch became harder. Every decision carried pressure.
Brooklyn tried to lean on familiarity. No travel, no real shift in environment. On paper, that helped.
In reality, it could backfire.
New York crowds were never neutral. Even in Brooklyn, it did not take much for the noise to swing.
For years, that city had only recognized one team.
Now that the Knicks were winning, that gap only widened.
…
While the series drew attention, the bigger conversation shifted elsewhere.
Awards season.
On May 7th, the NBA finalized the regular season honors.
Could Lin Yi make it three MVPs in a row?
The votes were already in.
When David Stern saw the results, he let out a quiet sigh.
Beside him, Adam Silver hesitated, then spoke.
"How about…"