GRANDMAESTA_30

Chapter 153: Knicks vs Hornets End

While Paul and Scott were going at it on the Hornets’ bench, the Knicks players couldn’t help but sneak a few glances.

It was hard not to watch the chaos unfolding.

Then Lin Yi spoke up, his voice calm but firm.
“Eyes front. Let them deal with their drama. Even if Chris pulls a gun and shoots Byron Scott right there, that’s their business, not ours.”

The guys chuckled and nodded, quickly turning their focus back to the game.

D’Antoni gave Lin a ...

Chapter 152: Knicks vs Hornets

New Orleans Arena, New Orleans

The Hornets were at home, but it didn’t feel like they had any kind of advantage.

Lin Yi stepped up for the jump ball, and across from him stood Emeka Okafor—the guy who once got mentioned in the same breath as Dwight Howard.

Yeah, not anymore.

Okafor had all the physical tools once—big frame, decent touch—but somewhere along the line, he just... plateaued. Meanwhile, Howard kept rising, and Okafor became just ano...

Chapter 151: A Star In A Wrong System

“Brother, you feel that?” D’Antoni leaned over during the Knicks’ afternoon scrimmage, eyes still on the court. “Is it just me, or has Lin’s handle gotten quicker? Like—his rhythm’s different.”

Third assistant coach Dan D'Antoni put on a thinking face. “Now that you mention it… yeah, it does feel like he’s faster again. I heard he’s been grinding—extra shots, and he’s been dragging David into one-on-ones lately. Ball’s really on a string.”

Mike D�...

Chapter 52: Manchester City vs Arsenal 2

After receiving the ball, Aguero began dribbling slowly toward the wing. His pace wasn’t fast—head up, eyes scanning the field.

Jenkinson stepped up, ready to press.

“Drop back!” came a sharp command.

Jenkinson paused mid-step. He looked over and saw Kai gesturing downward while sprinting toward Aguero.

As Kai closed in, he squared up, crouching slightly with his body angled to leave the wing open.

If Aguero tried to break down the flank, he'd run straigh...

Chapter 150: 4 AM Handles Club

December 9, 2009

After the Knicks beat the Blazers, they got a rare three-day break. Lin Yi, lounging around, couldn't help but sigh, “Man... even in this timeline, Oden still couldn’t escape the curse.”

Just yesterday, Greg Oden had banged knees with Brandon Jennings during a game against the Bucks. After the game, the MRI results came back: not good. The Blazers' medical staff decided he needed another surgery.

And just like that, the once highly anticipated big man ...

Chapter 149: Trailblazers vs Knicks End

After playing the first six minutes of the opening quarter, Lin Yi finally got a breather on the bench. Like clockwork, he took the chance to check the badge upgrade conditions in his head.

[System Prompt – Badge Upgrade Requirements]

Dream Shake (Silver → Gold)
Complete 100 successful in-paint fakes in NBA games (Regular season and Playoffs only).

Rebounding Maniac (Silver → Gold)
Grab 1,000 total rebounds in NB...

Chapter 51: Manchester City vs Arsenal

Walking out of the Arsenal training base, Kai spotted Billy's truck parked at the gate.

A massive flag jutted out from the rear, half of it already billowing in the wind.

Kai walked over and saw Billy wearing an Arsenal jersey. He raised an eyebrow. "Coming back from the game?"

"Yeah," Billy chuckled and nodded his head, gesturing for Kai to hop in.

Once Kai was in, Billy drove off toward his place.

"The boss called us to watch the game," Billy said with a grin.<...

Chapter 148: Trailblazers vs Knicks

As Lin Yi geared up for the Knicks' December 7 home game against the Portland Blazers, something unexpected fired him up.

Back in the NCAA, DeMarcus Cousins—the projected top pick from Kentucky—had just gone viral for grabbing boards and going coast-to-coast like a guard. After the game, a grinning Cousins told reporters, “The big guy in New York? That’s my aspiration of a modern day big! I love handling the ball. I love shooting too.”

Almost at the same time, Georgia Te...

Chapter 147: Grinding For The Badge

The Knicks fans had been on cloud nine due to their second five-game win streak, but honestly, it felt like they got a little ahead of themselves. On December 2th, they were on the second night of a back-to-back, playing away against the Magic… and let’s just say things didn’t go their way.

The team was clearly running on fumes. Back-to-back games plus traveling against Magic? Rough combo. And when your role players aren’t showing up, that’s a recipe for a loss. The Knicks jus...

Chapter 50: Five Games to Revenge

In the evening, Kai returned to Billy’s house. After dinner, he rushed into his room, grabbed his phone, and began watching various match videos.

He focused primarily on organizational play—how to control the tempo, structure the attack, and support transitions more effectively.

At Arsenal, Kai felt like he was constantly learning, constantly evolving.

It was a good feeling.

He hadn’t yet become someone the team could fully rely on, but deep down, he believed tha...

Chapter 146: Levelling up

With December rolling in, Lin Yi was seriously tempted to go egg David Stern’s house.

Four more back-to-backs in one month? Really?

The Knicks' schedule was brutal.

Lin Yi gritted his teeth and kept the complaints to himself. After all, he wasn’t a moody teen like Justin Bieber. Daydreaming about smashing eggs was already showing admirable restraint.

It was times like these that he felt the brutality of the NBA schedule.

On December 1, after just two days of ...

Chapter 145: Rookie Royalty

Even though the NBA season technically kicks off in late October, for most analysts and insiders, November is when things really get going.

And sure enough, on December 1st — the same day Lin Yi’s custom BMW X5 finally arrived — the league announced its November award winners.

With averages of 25.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game, Lin Yi was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November of the 2...

Chapter 49: Learning The Rhythm

Inside Arsenal's training ground.

Wenger stood on the sidelines, quietly observing the training match.

His gaze had been fixed on one player for quite some time now.

Out on the pitch, Kai was moving across the field—but unlike before, his head was up, scanning left and right as he tracked his teammates’ positioning.

Now and then, he made proactive runs to receive the ball, quickly distributing it once it arrived at his feet.

Most of his passes were safe and u...

Chapter 144: Magic vs Knicks End

The Knicks managed to hold off the Magic at home, winning 80-88.

Lin Yi logged 32 minutes, shot 7-for-21 (a rough night from deep at just 1-for-8), but nailed all 5 free throws. He still finished with a game-high 20 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks.

On the other side, Dwight Howard played 31 minutes, went 5-for-13 from the field... and a painful 4-for-21 from the free-throw line. Yep, you read that right. He ended the night with 14 points, 16 rebounds, ...

Chapter 143: Magic vs Knicks 3

The Knicks players couldn’t hold back anymore—they burst into laughter as they lined up for the sideline inbound.

Tony Douglas caught the ball, pushed it past halfcourt, and called Lin Yi over for a pick-and-roll. On defense, White Chocolate Jason Williams tried to wiggle around the screen—veteran instincts and all—but unfortunately, this chocolate wasn't exactly smooth. He ran straight into Lin Yi’s brick-wall screen, and Douglas zipped righ...

Chapter 48: Gunners, Reignited

In the dim light of his office, Wenger sat quietly, Kai's latest vlog playing on the monitor in front of him.

After a while, he took off his headphones and let out a slow breath.

"That's… really something," he murmured, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Don't give up..." The words echoed in his mind.

Elsewhere, Arsenal players—both current and former—had watched the video too.

Their reactions varied.

Some were visibly moved. O...

Chapter 142: Magic vs Knicks 2

In the first quarter, Lin Yi played just six minutes out of the twelve before D’Antoni subbed him out.

The broadcast director couldn’t help himself—he zoomed in for a cheeky close-up of Patrick The Gorilla Ewing, who’d come back to New York as part of the Magic’s coaching crew. Once a Knicks legend, now he was mentoring Dwight Superman Howard... and at this moment, Ewing had his head buried in his hands like he’d just seen ...

Chapter 141: Magic vs Knicks

The Knicks were finally home after a brutal road stretch. Twelve wins and four losses so far have them sitting in third place in the East behind the Magic, Hawks, and Celtics.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy had already been moaning about how packed their schedule. They had played a game more than the Knicks but was neither here or there since the Knicks had come of a brutal set of games in the West. So yeah, imagine the nightmare New York was dealing with.

After back-to-backs...

Chapter 47: A Voice From The Heart

Sydney, Australia.

In a small corner store near the heart of the city, a man named Jake Thompson glanced at the clock hanging above the counter. He was on break, and he only had twenty minutes.

He popped open his phone, fingers flying. “Come on, come on…”

Jake was a die-hard Arsenal fan. Had been for as long as he could remember. Most mornings, he’d catch replays of late-night games while brewing coffee for the early rush.

And today was special...

Chapter 140: Centers Of Attention

Back in New York, the Knicks had a well-earned day off.

On the 28th, Lin Yi was already up at four in the morning, hitting the gym while the rest of the city was still asleep. After a solid workout and refueling, he sat down to rewatch some game tapes—specifically of the Magic this season.

The Magic had been a powerhouse from 2008 to 2011. In both the '08-'09 and 09-'10 seasons, they were legit title contenders. They fell short in the ‘10 playoffs after pushing the Celtics har...

Chapter 139: Knicks vs Nuggets End

After Anthony and Billups got back on the court, the Nuggets finally stopped the bleeding.

But just as Coach George Karl let out a sigh of relief, the Knicks caught fire again. After missing on two straight trips, they came roaring back from beyond the arc.

Lou Williams and Lin Yi nailed back-to-back threes right out of the pick-and-roll. That made it five threes for the Knicks in just this quarter alone.

Karl quickly called for a change—out went Petro, in came Kenyon Mart...

Chapter 138: Knicks vs Nuggets 2

End of Q1, Nuggets up 20-28.

“Man, Melo’s cookin’ tonight! First quarter and he’s already got 14 points and 5 boards.”

Nuggets fans were on fire. Lin Yi? Please. Compared to their Melo, this Chinese rookie wasn't fireworks..

Maybe it was the West Coast being too much for the rookie, but the Nuggets fans were all for it.

The truth is, Denver fans didn’t actually hate Lin Yi at first. After all, anyone who gives the Lakers trouble earns brown...

Chapter 137: Knicks vs Nuggets

November 27th – Denver, Colorado.

The Knicks were wrapping up their third straight game against a Western Conference opponent, and their last stop was none other than the Denver Nuggets.

Denver, besides being Colorado’s capital and the Mile High City, is also a food lover’s paradise. And right now? Lin Yi was all about these road trips because they meant one thing: food.

Sure, the Knicks’ nutrition team had their fancy meals lined up...

Chapter 136: The Blueprint

For Lin Yi, Denver wasn’t unfamiliar territory. After all, this was in the same state where the infamous Eagle County incident had happened in his past life.

The Knicks had no shortage of nightlife lovers. Gallinari, for instance, was a lover boy. With that pretty face of his, it wasn’t a surprise.

But Lin Yi? He preferred a quieter life. Nightclubs were too loud and messy. He’d rather be curled up with a good novel or listening to some music.

Maybe the game a...

Chapter 46: Just Kai

On this night, the entire city of London was shrouded in the keywords Arsenal and Number 4. Even Suarez, who scored two goals, had to share some of the shine with him.

Why were Arsenal fans so excited?

The reason was simple—they had caught a glimpse of something they hadn't seen in years.

A commanding midfield presence.

Grit and steel.

A quiet confidence that said: I'm here to stay.

That night, Kai didn’t score. He didn’t assist...

Chapter 45: Season Opener: Arsenal vs Sunderland End

The passionate commentary from Ian Darke rang out on the ESPN broadcast:

“Cazorla! He dribbles past one, past two, slips the ball out at the last moment—SUAREZZZ!!! Goal!!. No chance for Mignolet!”

“What a goal! Suarez scores again—his second since joining Arsenal! Two goals in his debut match—what a sensational performance.”

“Cazorla did brilliantly,” he continued. “After dancing past two men, he...