It's fair to say Chauncey Billups was the architect behind that infamous 58-point night.
The box score didn't shout domination — 17 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds — but for Paul, it wasn't about the raw numbers. It was about the feel of it. The weight in every possession. Billups had the air of a man who'd seen the ending before tip-off.
Paul was locked down to 4 points and 6 assists, shooting a rough 28.6%. Over the playoff series, he dipped to 16.6 points, 10.4 assists, and an uncharacteristic 4.8 turnovers per game. His shooting sank to 41.1% overall and 31.3% from three.
Billups, though, was in full control: 22.6 points, 4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1 steal, shooting 48.3% from the floor, a ridiculous 65.5% from deep, with just 1.2 turnovers.
He used what he had — height, strength, patience — to smother smaller guards. Paul, on the other end of the size spectrum, relied on grit, speed, and relentless drive.
Seeing them face off again tonight, Lin Yi finally grasped Billups' secret. He never bit early. He crowded Paul just enough to funnel him into the lane, where Lin and Tyson stood like two redwoods blocking the path.
Billups wasn't about flash. He leaned on his strengths, kept the pace steady, and forced Paul to fight for every inch.
Paul, for his part, was still looking for that second star to share the load. Harden — his future partner-in-crime — was still in Oklahoma, probably lugging around a rookie karaoke machine instead of drawing fouls.
The Hornets trailed by eight after the first. Offense was the Paul–David West pick-and-roll on repeat. West was efficient at about 50% from the field, but beyond him? There wasn't much.
Ariza, meanwhile, gifted Lin Yi six uncontested defensive rebounds. With that kind of help, the Hornets' pulling an upset was a long shot.
By the second quarter, Paul was talking, trying to fire up his guys. Livingston calmly answered with a jumper over him. Frustration set in. Paul knew they could make the playoffs, but their ceiling was low.
In the third, Paul dug deep. A few fearless drives showed flashes of the Clippers-era CP3 — taking on bigger defenders without a blink. But the Hornets were too small, and the Knicks steadily stretched the lead.
By the fourth, Paul knew it was over. Shoulders dropped. Even Lin, competitive as he was, felt for him.
"Congratulations… I hope you go far," Paul told Lin afterward, sincerity in his voice.
Lin believed him. Paul wasn't one to break. Setbacks wouldn't define him.
Lin patted him on the head — respect, not mockery. In the NBA, you beat great players to survive, but to rule, you had to endure the losses and keep climbing.
Paul finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists on 11-of-21 shooting, 3-of-7 from deep, and 4-of-4 at the line. Without Ariza's 1-for-11 night, Paul might've been looking at a double-double.
Lin had 33 minutes, 10-of-19 shooting, 4-of-8 from three, a perfect 6-for-6 at the line — 30 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists.
....
With the defeat of the Hornets, the Knicks headed back east, their sights now set on the Bobcats.
For Darko Milicic, fate had shifted. Under Lin Yi's influence, the man once branded a flop import was working hard — shedding weight, running drills, honing his shot. Determined to catch up to the player he once dreamed of becoming, Milicic was in the middle of a quiet resurgence. That season, he was averaging 11.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game — a stat line that had Charlotte thinking they'd struck gold.
Larry Brown's firing the previous year had spared Milicic from a likely suspension after tensions boiled over. Lin Yi figured the league had seen enough; no team was handing Brown another coaching job.
When the Knicks arrived in Charlotte, Milicic invited Lin over for dinner. The Serbian big man cooked himself, and Lin had to admit — the man could handle a kitchen.
Milicic's sister, Tijana, greeted him warmly. Tall, striking, and just 20, she'd stood by her brother through the rough years when he was dismissed. She was happy with her brother's revival; his personal demons, which were exacerbated by Larry Brown's derailment, were now behind him.
Lin knew Milicic had earned respect only during his stint in Minnesota — a stop more like a quiet retreat than a battlefield. Ironically, his idol was Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves legend.
Over dinner, Tijana and Lin's conversation wandered from basketball to music, movies, and even anime. Her brother, she said, used to dribble better when he first came to the league. Lin smiled and told Darko the straight truth, "You can't live in the shadow of your past. You've got to put in the work and hope for no regrets."
Darko's offensive skills had slipped, but his physicality was real. In a league full of freak athletes, the Bobcats wouldn't have offered him a solid contract without genuine ability.
...
"Lin, you're a monster," Darko admitted during their backyard one-on-one match. "Even if I'd stayed on track, I couldn't match you."
Lin patted his shoulder. "Run hard, Darko. Plus, they don't call The Showtime and Reaper for nothing."
"Ok, enough talking. Time to check." Lin said as he passed the ball to Darko.
...
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