T/N:Damn, chapter went over 4K words. First time doing that and I also think this may be my best chapter so far. Quick question, what has been your best chapter in this fic?
. . .
The original 2013 draft class was supposed to be weak. Analysts called it one of the worst groups in years. Scouts complained about the lack of superstar talent, and most front offices entered the draft with low expectations.
But for Lin Yi, who practically saw the future in a different timeline, the situation looked completely different.
A weak draft class only mattered if you could not identify the hidden gems inside it.
As long as he had draft picks, Lin Yi was confident he could always uncover one or two future All-Stars.
This year's draft had already been completely altered by Lin Yi's influence.
Because of his knowledge of Giannis Antetokounmpo's future growth trajectory, Giannis was no longer viewed as a mysterious project from Greece.
Before the draft had even officially begun, he had already locked himself into the number one overall position on nearly every major board.
And the Cleveland Cavaliers, holders of the first overall pick, could not have been happier.
The Cavaliers' owner's ridiculous luck had somehow done it again.
Of course, the NBA Draft Lottery was always open, fair, just, and absolutely never rigged.
At least officially.
Anyway, whether others believed it or not, Lin Yi certainly did not.
He looked up toward the ceiling.
Giannis and Anthony Davis...
That combination alone was terrifying enough.
And now they also had Carmelo Anthony.
This generation's Melo.
Could Melo really become the man who personally blocked his good friend LeBron James from returning home?
Lin Yi understood something very clearly.
This version of Giannis would adapt to the NBA much faster than the Giannis from his memory. His development path had already changed. His confidence, exposure, and preparation were all ahead of schedule.
Unless the Cavaliers were truly obsessed with bringing LeBron back, Cleveland might no longer need him.
If the Cavaliers produced solid results next season, the franchise could easily decide to move forward with its new core instead.
And that was where reality became uncomfortable.
When LeBron returned to Cleveland in Lin Yi's previous life, things had been different. LeBron already had championships. He had already proven himself in Miami. Cavaliers fans welcomed him back because they believed he would return with championship experience and finally deliver a title to the city.
But in this timeline?
LeBron was still carrying the label of "almost but never finishing".
Honestly, Cavaliers fans not cursing him out would already be considered polite.
The world was changing too quickly.
Lin Yi shook his head and forced himself back to the present.
Still, Giannis's rising to the number one pick did have one unexpected benefit.
Anthony Bennett could finally avoid disaster.
At least this time, he would not become the face of one of the worst first overall selections in NBA history.
Of course, if Cleveland somehow convinced themselves that Bennett, who had worked out for the Knicks earlier, deserved the top pick anyway...
Then Lin Yi had nothing left to say.
Some decisions simply could not be saved.
The more Lin Yi thought about it, the messier everything became.
What concerned him most was not LeBron's destination.
No matter where LeBron went, as long as Cleveland drafted Giannis, the Cavaliers' rise would become inevitable.
Which meant that history, in a strange and twisted way, had still returned to its original track.
Even if the details were different, the outcome remained similar.
The Cavaliers and the Warriors would still become the Knicks' greatest rivals in the years ahead.
And both of them would become super teams.
Lin Yi leaned back silently.
Sometimes he genuinely felt as if some invisible hand was manipulating everything behind the scenes.
Because none of this could be explained by science. But he had no reason to complain since he, himself, was not scientific.
. . .
Lin Yi stayed up the entire night putting together a draft board before emailing it to Javier Stanford.
This year, the Knicks' Plan A was simple.
Find a way to secure two first-round picks.
Preferably lottery picks.
The 2013 second round did not have many prospects Lin Yi truly valued, and the biggest advantage of first-rounders was the rookie contract structure. The Knicks could lock players down for four years, then use Bird Rights and over-the-cap extensions once those players broke out.
For a luxury-tax monster like New York, that flexibility was priceless.
Javier rarely questioned Lin Yi's judgment anymore.
Plus, Lin's draft board was identical to his.
Great minds think alike, He thought.
. . .
On June 22nd, the Knicks' championship parade officially began.
And New York completely exploded.
Millions of fans flooded Manhattan from early morning. The streets became oceans of blue and orange, with giant championship banners hanging from buildings across the city.
Even before the parade started, helicopters circled above Manhattan while every major sports network broadcast the celebration live.
The Empire State Building glowed in Knicks colors.
Massive electronic billboards replayed playoff highlights nonstop.
And just like the 2011 celebration, the entire city once again carried the smell of hot pot base.
Lin Yi glanced helplessly at Chris Paul, who had secretly stuffed pieces of fried chicken into his mouth
Paul was beyond saving.
The parade officially began in Lower Manhattan.
Dozens of double-decker buses slowly rolled through the streets, each decorated with championship graphics and giant LED displays.
Lin Yi's bus drew the largest crowd by far.
Massive Grim Reaper banners hung from both sides while giant screens replayed his playoff daggers on loop.
Every time the footage showed his playoff shots, the crowd erupted again.
Fans screamed MVP chants until their voices turned hoarse.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The chants rolled through Manhattan like thunder.
A young fan standing on top of a traffic light screamed until his voice cracked:
"THIS IS REAL! WE'RE REALLY CHAMPIONS AGAIN!"
His friend beside him nearly burst into tears.
"I WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS! LIN YI, DON'T EVER LEAVE NEW YORK!"
Nearby, an older Knicks fan wearing a faded Patrick Ewing jersey wiped his eyes quietly.
"We suffered for years," he said softly to the people around him. "Years of disappointment."
Then he looked up at Lin Yi, standing on the bus holding the trophy high above his head.
"But now?"
The old man laughed through the tears.
"Now this city finally got what it deserved. Championships"
Chris Paul's bus looked more like a nightclub than a parade float. Music blasted from giant speakers while Paul screamed into a microphone and sprayed champagne into the crowd like a man who had finally escaped basketball hell.
Fans instantly lost control.
"CP3 FINALLY GOT A RING!"
"SPRAY MORE CHAMPAGNE!"
"DON'T STOP!"
"F**K THE PELICANS."
Klay Thompson disappeared halfway through the route after jumping into a section filled with female fans. When security finally dragged him back onto the bus, his face was covered in lipstick marks. The entire team nearly collapsed laughing.
One college student pointed at Klay and shouted:
"THIS MAN IS LIVING EVERYONE'S DREAM!"
Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady received one of the loudest ovations of the entire parade. Countless older fans openly cried when they saw the two former Rockets stars standing side by side holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy together.
For Chinese fans especially, the moment carried enormous meaning. One represented the rise of Chinese basketball. The other represented countless memories of an unforgettable era.
A middle-aged Chinese fan standing near the barricade suddenly shouted in Mandarin:
"YAO! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!"
His voice trembled badly near the end.
Beside him, another fan lowered his head quietly.
"I thought I would never see this again," he murmured.
Along the parade route, the Knicks distributed massive amounts of championship merchandise.
Not cheap merchandise either.
Limited edition championship shirts.
Exclusive Dynasty Begins caps.
Replica championship rings for children.
Miniature Larry O'Brien trophies.
Signed player cards.
At one point, the Knicks even randomly handed out 300 season ticket packages for next season.
The crowd nearly went insane.
Do you know how difficult it was to get Knicks season tickets?
Money alone was not enough.
Well... unless you had the kind of money that frightened people. Then maybe anything was possible. Rich people solved problems differently.
As the parade reached Times Square, the atmosphere became even crazier.
Thousands upon thousands of fans packed every visible space.
Building rooftops.
Traffic lights.
Store entrances.
Everywhere.
The Knicks buses temporarily stopped there, and the players began interacting directly with the crowd.
Lin Yi personally threw signed shirts into the audience while occasionally performing his disastrously terrible dance moves.
The moment instantly went viral online.
Professional dancers around the world probably felt personally offended watching him move.
A mother lifted her son onto her shoulders as confetti fell around them.
"Look carefully," she told him gently. "That's your team."
The child stared at Lin Yi in complete amazement.
"Why is everyone crying?"
The mother paused briefly before smiling.
"Because this city waited a very long time to feel this happy again."
Meanwhile, giant food festivals had formed naturally throughout Manhattan.
Chinese hot pot stalls.
Pizza vendors.
Barbecue trucks.
Halal carts.
Fans walked through the streets chanting MVP while holding beer cups and championship towels.
Several Knicks players even jumped off their buses midway through the parade just to grab food from street vendors.
As this was going on, blue and orange confetti swirled through the air like a blizzard, car horns blared nonstop, and thousands of Knicks fans packed every inch of the area. Dwayne, host of the popular YouTube channel NBA Happenings, stood in the middle of the chaos with his cameraman, trying to film.
Dwayne smiled into the camera, speaking fast.
"Yo, what's good, everybody? We are LIVE from the New York Knicks championship parade! The NYPD got the whole squad out here plus extra security 'cause these fans are rowdy as hell—"
Before he could finish the sentence, a wild Knicks fan with orange-and-blue face paint lunged forward and snatched the microphone clean out of his hand.
His thick Brooklyn accent was noticeable as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"YO! WHO IS THE KING OF NEW YAWK?!"
The massive crowd roared back in unison: "LIN YI!!!"
He cupped his ear, hyping the crowd even more.
"I can't fucking hear you! I said who is the daddy of New Yawk?!"
The crowd, even louder, replied:
"LIN YI!!!"
The fan pumped his fist and started the chant, waving the stolen mic like a conductor: "Go New Yawk, go New Yawk, go, go, New Yawk, go New Yawk, go!"
The entire street exploded, thousands of voices joining in: "GO NEW YORK, GO NEW YORK, GO, GO, NEW YORK, GO NEW YORK, GO!"
Dwayne, half-laughing and half-stressed, finally wrestled the mic back from the face-painted lunatic.
Dwayne was breathing heavily as he turned back to the camera with a grin and said,
"Man, you guys are really pumped up and excited for the parade! Anybody wanna do a proper interview?"
Right on cue, a white guy in his thirties wearing glasses and a clean Knicks jersey pushed through the sea of screaming fans and calmly took the mic out of Dwayne's hand.
Dwayne eyed him suspiciously. Unlike the wild, painted-up, half-drunk crowd around them, this dude looked… normal. Too normal that it was suspicious. Like he just came from a quiet office job and decided to join the madness.
Let's hope am wrong, Dwayne thought before handing over the mic with a wary smile.
The guy with the glasses adjusted them once, looked straight into the camera, and started normally.
"The New Yawk fans, man... During these playoffs? Our fans have been goin' absolutely crazy. Unbearable! They started droppin' boos left and right for the opps—"
The surrounding crowd immediately started booing playfully at his words. He grinned and powered through.
"Takin' this opportunity, I would like to apologize on behalf of New Yawk and all its fans—"
The boos instantly got louder and more chaotic.
The fan cupping the mic with both hands, eyes wide open, staring intensely into the camera,
"For absolutely fuckin' nothin'! We fuckin' deserve this. I fuckin' deserve this!"
The crowd around him erupted in massive cheers and screams. He soaked it in for a second before continuing.
"I remember the last time we won the NBA trophy wit' Lin back in 2011... I was fuckin' sick, man. Couldn't even get outta bed. While the whole city was celebratin' around me, I was stuck inside watchin' everybody have their fun on TV. I wish I coulda been there... but I couldn't."
He paused as a few sympathetic groans came from the fans.
"You know, for a while I thought we'd never win another championship—"
The crowd immediately rained down loud boos. He waved them off with one hand.
"Let me speak! Let me speak! I know Lin's greatness. Mike D'Antoni is a good coach. But as Knicks fans, we've missed out on so much, man. Heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak. That was only our third championship. And I was in doubt we'd win a fourth time..."
More boos rained down. He raised his voice over them.
"But the whole squad proved me wrong! Lin proved me wrong. Mike D'Antoni proved me wrong. The whole Knicks proved me wrong!"
He took a deep breath, his voice getting louder and more emotional with tears in his eyes.
"And I said — on my... dead mother, on my... dead father, on God — I said on GODD!!, that if the Knicks won again wit' Lin, even if I was buried six feet under alive, if I had to cross the Bermuda Triangle... nothin' was stoppin' me. I was gonna be part of this parade. And I did ITTT!!"
He spread his arms wide as the crowd around him exploded into the loudest cheers yet, chanting "Lin Yi! Lin Yi!" and "Go, New York!"
As the crowd calmed, another Knicks fan got the mic. This guy had gold crowns on his teeth, tattoos all over his body, including his face.
"I say this sincerely, from the bottom of my heart... Fuck Reggie Miller. Fuck the Spurs. Fuck the Heat. Fuck Tim Duncan. Fuck Manu Ginobili. Fuck Tony Parker. Fuck LeBron. Fuck Dwyane Wade. Fuck Chris Bosh. And fuck all the other teams in the NBA. Fuck 'em all!"
The crowd roared with approval, laughing and cheering wildly at every name drop.
His voice rose, pumping his fist.
"The Knicks are the best team in the whole fuckin' world! We ain't goin' nowhere! We're gonna win more every single year — championship after championship after championship! This parade right here? This is gonna be the standard we celebrate every time. Nothin' — and I mean nothin' — is gonna stop us!"
He turned toward the cameraman, eyes blazing with intensity.
"Yo, bring the camera closer. Bring it closer, bro! Come here!"
The cameraman stepped in, zooming tight on his face. The guy stared directly into the lens like he was sending a message across the universe.
His voice dropped lower and was dead serious.
"I need to send a message to the supposed GOAT... Michael Jeffery Jordan. Air Jordan himself. If he's watchin' right now, I know you're startin' to get uncomfortable, huh. You can hear the footsteps behind you.
You just keep that throne very nice and warm. Tell him that a seven-foot Showtime, Grim Reaper, and King of New Yawk is comin' for him. He's comin' for that throne!"
He lowered his voice and spoke each word carefully.
"Lin Yi's gonna tear that whole thing down. And when people talk about greatness ten years from now, the name is gonna be..."
He pointed the mic towards the crowd.
"LIN YI!"
"Remember, I said it first." He concluded into the mic before tossing it to Dwayne.
The surrounding crowd lost their minds — screaming, jumping, and chanting "Lin Yi! Lin Yi!" at the top of their lungs. Some fans nearby started bowing dramatically as if Lin Yi was already the undisputed king.
Dwayne stood there, half-shocked and half-amused, before looking at his cameraman.
"Yo… this is why I love New York, man. Only in the Knicks parade do you get speeches like that!"
Further down the route, another popular YouTube personality — let's call him Mikey Chaos from the channel NYC Street Heat — was filming with his cameraman, pushing through the rowdiest section of the celebration.
Mikey shouted into the camera with excitement.
"Yo, it's Mikey Chaos here at the Knicks championship parade, and these fans are completely unhinged! We got here today, Brunson. He got a few things to say."
Then, without warning, Brunson grabbed the bottom of his Knicks jersey and ripped it wide open with both hands, tearing the fabric apart like it was nothing.
Brunson yelled into the mic.
"Look at this! Look at this shit right here!"
He proudly displayed his chest. Tattooed largely on his chest was Lin Yi's basketball shoe logo. Underneath the logo, every season the Knicks had won the championship with Lin Yi.
2010/11.
And freshly inked, 2012/13.
Brunson stared dead into the camera, voice raw.
"This is my life."
He turned and pointed at the massive, roaring crowd around him.
"This is what Lin Yi has brought to New York! Togetherness. Unity. Whatever the man wants, give it to him! As long as he's in New Yawk, I'm satisfied. Money!..."
On cue, two wild fans next to him started spraying thick stacks of dollar bills into the air. Others joined in with money guns. Green bills rained down over the crowd as people screamed and scrambled to grab them.
Brunson grinned wider.
"... bad bitches!"
Two thicc girls — one Caucasian, one African American— pushed forward wearing nothing but the tiniest of G-strings with thin body-painted Knicks jerseys and matching shorts that were basically just paint. Their huge, round asses bounced as they started twerking aggressively right in front of the camera.
The crowd went feral; hands reached out, tapping and slapping their asses, making them clap and tremble wildly. The girls dropped low and popped it even harder before hitting perfect splits on the street, legs wide open, camel toes fully on display for the roaring parade.
Brunson pointed at the girls and then straight into the lens.
"Give it to 'em! Give the fuckin' man what he wants! Give him everything! Because he's the King of New Yawk!"
"Thank god we didn't do a live. We might have gotten the channel taken down." Mikey stood there, eyes wide and laughing in disbelief.
"Them motherfuckas forgot Lin has a fianceé with a child coming. Wanna wake them up." His cameraman suggested.
Mikey looked at him crazily. "Wake who up? Some got straps on."
Many such interviews were happening everywhere around New York.
Total pandemonium.
. . .
. .
.
Finally, the emotional farewells of the celebration came.
During the Times Square ceremony, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and Shane Battier jointly announced their retirements.
Yao Ming and Battier officially retired from professional basketball completely.
McGrady, however, carefully announced only his retirement from the NBA.
There was a difference.
A very important difference.
McGrady fans immediately realized he was playing word games again.
When Chinese fans saw Yao Ming standing on stage with tears in his eyes, countless people watching from home suddenly became emotional as well.
Goodbye, Big Yao.
Goodbye, Battier.
At that moment, a fan near the front suddenly shouted with red eyes:
"THANK YOU FOR CARRYING CHINESE BASKETBALL!"
Many nearby fans immediately began applauding.
As for McGrady... nobody wanted to say goodbye yet.
At that moment, Kobe fans around the world unexpectedly stepped in to help the grieving McGrady fans. Social media instantly flooded with posts mourning the departure of one of Kobe Bryant's fiercest rivals.
Lin Yi remembered that in the future, Kobe would publicly praise McGrady many times after retirement.
They were rivals.
They were friends.
And above all, they respected each other deeply.
Still, Lin Yi felt McGrady fans were crying too early.
Because Tracy McGrady had already accepted Yao Ming's invitation to play one final season in China. Chinese fans would still get one more year of the legendary McGrady.
Thinking about retirement made Lin Yi reflective.
"When I retire one day," he muttered quietly, "I need to make it way more dramatic."
In his opinion, Yao Ming and Battier were far too honest.
A retirement should involve a nationwide farewell tour.
Then in the final game, you absolutely had to score at least sixty points.
Preferably while taking over fifty shots.
Otherwise, there would be no emotional impact.
Even if he still had energy left afterward, Lin Yi felt he would have to pretend to be exhausted.
Only then could fans truly cry properly.
As a loyal Kobe fan, Lin Yi firmly believed he carried the responsibility of inheriting the sacred 8 and 24 spirit.
. . .
As night gradually fell over Manhattan, the final ceremony began.
The Empire State Building shone brightly in blue and orange.
Massive fireworks exploded over the Hudson River.
Drone light shows recreated iconic moments from the Knicks' playoff run across the night sky.
Finally, the players returned to Madison Square Garden.
Thousands of selected fans were invited inside the arena for the closing celebration.
The lights dimmed.
Playoff highlights played across the Jumbotron.
One by one, the players walked onto the court carrying trophies won from the Conference and NBA Finals while the crowd roared.
Then the arena went completely dark.
A single spotlight landed at center court.
Lin Yi slowly raised the Larry O'Brien Trophy high above his head.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The chants shook the entire building.
Lin Yi then passed the trophy onto the pedestal provided. He then stepped up to the microphone. The arena fell into a respectful hush for a moment before erupting again as he raised his hand.
Lin Yi (grinning, strong voice echoing through the Garden): "Can I get a hell yeah?!"
Crowd (thundering):"HELL YEAH!!!"
Lin Yi: "I've been hearing a lot of things about New York lately. They say New York fans are annoying…"
The crowd instantly channeled their inner WWE universe.
Crowd:"WHAT?!"
Lin Yi (nodding, playing along): "They say New York fans are violent…"
Crowd (louder):"WHAT?!"
Lin Yi: "They say New York fans are crazy…"
Crowd (even louder, feeding off the energy):"WHAT?!"
Lin Yi paused, letting the chants settle, then smiled widely.
Lin Yi: "Do you know what I see?"
Crowd:"WHAT?!"
Lin Yi: "Instead of seeing annoyance, I see persistent sisters and brothers. Instead of seeing loud fans, I see passionate fans. Instead of seeing crazy fans, I see the most loyal fans in the world. You guys have shown me love, loyalty, and devotion ever since I first proved myself in this city. And for that… I say thank you."
He placed his hand over his heart, voice growing deeper and more emotional.
Lin Yi: "It doesn't matter what anybody else says. You are my family."
He tapped his chest hard.
Lin Yi (shouting): "I bleed blue and orange!"
The Garden exploded. Lin Yi waited for the noise to crest before continuing.
Lin Yi: "And so long as I breathe, as long as I have even an ounce of energy left in me and I can still dribble a basketball and shoot it… those banners ain't gonna stay at four forever!"
The crowd lost their minds, screaming and jumping as the arena shook.
Lin Yi (voice rising with intensity): "I'll make sure the management brings in fighters. Every Knick that steps foot on this floor is gonna battle with y'all. We're gonna hang more banners! You're gonna have so many banners they won't know what to do with them!"
He gestured around the famous arena, soaking in the moment.
Lin Yi: "MSG is the Mecca of basketball. Stand proud, New York!"
Then, with pure energy, he started the chant, pumping his fist:
Lin Yi: "Go New York… Go New York… Go!"
The entire Garden joined in at full volume, the roar shaking the rafters:
Crowd:"GO NEW YORK, GO NEW YORK, GO! GO NEW YORK, GO NEW YORK, GO!"
Lin Yi raised the microphone one last time, pointing at the fans.
Lin Yi: "This is our city! This is our time! Let's run it back next year!"
The celebration inside Madison Square Garden reached its peak as confetti cannons exploded overhead, showering the court in blue and orange.
Then the arena grew quiet as the new championship banner climbed into the rafters.
Thousands of fans watched it rise.
A teenager near the lower bowl suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:
"IF THIS IS WHAT WINNING FEELS LIKE..."
He swallowed hard.
"I NEVER WANT THIS ERA TO END!"
A voice suddenly shouted from somewhere else in the arena:
"THEN WE BETTER WIN ANOTHER ONE!"
The crowd burst into laughter and cheers.
Seconds later, thousands joined in.
"ANOTHER ONE!"
"ANOTHER ONE!"
"ANOTHER ONE!"
James Dolan stood nearby with red eyes.
Just yesterday, ESPN officially announced the updated franchise valuations across American sports.
The Knicks ranked first.
5.8 billion dollars.
Even though the NFL remained America's most popular league, the most valuable franchise in the country belonged to the New York Knicks.
Players had career peaks.
Owners had them, too.
And at this moment, James Dolan genuinely felt that the NBA salary cap was the cruelest rule in basketball.
Otherwise, he would gladly give Lin Yi one hundred million dollars per year.
"THIS," Dolan roared emotionally into the microphone, "IS THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE NEW YORK KNICKS!"
And for one unforgettable summer night, New York belonged entirely to the Knicks.
. . .
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