Tijana and Olson had been enjoying their stay at Lin Yi's villa. The place wasn't particularly grand, but it had everything one could need — a comfortable balance between practicality and a little indulgence. Lin Yi might not have lived in a mansion, but he certainly knew how to make life enjoyable.
On the night of the 23rd, the three of them curled up in the living room for a movie. Lin Yi had initially agreed, but halfway through, he started getting restless. The women had picked one of those emotional dramas that seemed to be written for the sole purpose of wringing tears from its audience.
As the tragic parting scene between the hero and heroine unfolded on screen, Olson and Tijana were already in tears. Olson dabbed her cheeks with tissues, while Tijana sniffled audibly. Meanwhile, Lin Yi was caught mid-yawn, stretching as if he'd just finished a morning jog.
The two women turned around sharply and glared at him through watery eyes.
"Is your heart made of iron?" they chorused, their voices breaking with emotion.
Lin Yi raised his hands in surrender. Iron? Well, I do wake up at four every morning to pump some, he thought bitterly, though he knew better than to say it out loud.
As if on cue, the Sakazuki gave him one of those strange, judgmental looks it had perfected, and the Wiggles perched on its head let out a cute chirp. It was as though the tiny creature was voicing the women's fury on their behalf.
Still, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel the house had never been this lively before. A little chaos wasn't so bad.
The next evening, Christmas Eve, they stayed in again. Lin Yi had been racking his brain about what to give them, but eventually gave up and opted for the simplest solution: red envelopes. He handed one each to Olson and Tijana with a sheepish grin.
"Tomorrow you're up against the Heat, right?" Olson asked, tucking her envelope away.
Tijana leaned in with concern. "You won't lose, will you? The news has been hyping this matchup nonstop."
Lin Yi glanced at their worried faces and couldn't help but soften. He reached out and patted their heads gently. "Don't worry. I've got this."
Olson folded her arms and huffed. "Honestly, we should stop worrying about him. He's too cold-blooded. Even if he lost, he'd probably just shrug and go to bed."
"Exactly! Let's just plan our next movie night." Tijana nodded in agreement.
Lin Yi was left speechless. "..."
...
Christmas Day games were always brutal for the visiting teams. The Heat, with Bosh, James, and Wade, had to cut their Christmas Eve short just to catch a flight to New York. Many of the league's superstars resented these holiday matchups. It was the NBA's way of showcasing marquee duels, but it also meant spending Christmas under the bright lights instead of with family.
This year's schedule was stacked: Heat vs Knicks headlined, but Nuggets vs. Thunder had its buzz. Carmelo Anthony was averaging 30.1 points after Billups' departure, while Durant was close behind at 29.7. Their fanbases were already at war, trading barbs online: "Your guy's a ball hog!" — "And yours doesn't defend!"
Elsewhere, Lakers vs. Bulls promised Kobe versus Derrick Rose, Celtics were set against the Magic, and Dwight Howard was still dominating headlines. Meanwhile, a milestone was brewing out West: Stephen Curry was about to start in his Christmas Day game with the Warriors. Excited, he called Lin Yi on Christmas Eve.
"Bro, I can't believe it. First Christmas start of my career!" Curry's voice buzzed with enthusiasm.
Lin Yi chuckled. "Enjoy it while it's new. In the future, you'll be complaining about playing on Christmas."
Still, his mind drifted elsewhere — specifically to Monta Ellis. The scoring guard, long the Warriors' wild card, wasn't listed for the Christmas game.
Then came Curry's inevitable curiosity.
"Lin, do you have a girlfriend? I swear I heard a girl's voice when you picked up."
"No, no," Lin Yi said quickly. "They're just friends staying over."
"Friends?" Curry's tone practically squeaked. Friends, alone with you, on Christmas Eve? The Baby-Faced Assassin wasn't buying it for a second.
By the time he hopped off the call, Curry was already spreading the word in the 2009 Rookie Group chat — which, after a year of blossoming stars, had been rebranded as the 2009 All-Star Group.
Harden was the first to bite.
"See? I told you. Lin's shameless. Dude always tries to drag me to clubs too."
DeRozan chimed in, "Forget the scandal. Can his body even handle a Christmas Day game after that kind of… training?"
Griffin: "I'm calling it now. He's going to choke tomorrow. Book it."
Moments later, Griffin realized something. "Wait… who just changed my group nickname to 'Benchwarmers'?!"
The culprit, of course, was none other than Lin Yi himself — the proud group owner.
Scrolling through the chaos in the chat, Lin Yi sighed. He had told Curry the truth, but no one seemed willing to believe him. "The world's gone mad," he muttered.
...
On the morning of the 25th, because the Knicks were scheduled to face the Miami Heat in a rare noon Christmas tip-off, Lin Yi left home earlier than usual.
He greeted Zhong Muchen before heading out, knowing that a car had already been arranged to bring Tijana and Olson to Madison Square Garden later.
This year's Christmas matchup had been hyped long before the ball was tossed. It wasn't just another regular-season clash; it was a primetime spectacle broadcast across the United States, with the Chinese network CCTV flying in their crew days in advance. Back home, countless Chinese fans had stocked up on seeds, drinks, and snacks, ready to stay glued to their screens to witness what the media had branded the Battle for the Throne in the East.
Some writers went even further, calling it an early dress rehearsal for the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Garden itself was dressed for the occasion. A sea of Santa hats dotted the stands, and the usual electricity in the air had swelled into something heavier, almost ceremonial. Nearly 20,000 people packed the arena, and as soon as the players from both sides began their warmups, the noise alone seemed to rattle the rafters.
The Heat's newly-formed juggernaut — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh — drew camera flashes with every layup line dunk. They were the league's new "super team," forged in the summer and brimming with talent. But on the other side stood Lin Yi's Knicks, a team defined by grit and resilience, eager to prove that New York's heart could withstand Miami's firepower.
When Charles Barkley's booming voice spilled through television sets across millions of households, the focus of the basketball world snapped squarely to Manhattan. Viewers saw the contrast: the Heat in bright red, the Knicks in crisp white, and at center stage, LeBron tossing up a cloud of chalk before tip-off, greeted instantly with a wall of boos cascading from every corner of the Garden.
LeBron didn't flinch. The cameras caught his expressionless face before sweeping across the arena.
Written onto a banner in huge letters was the Knicks' rallying cry for the year:
One Man. One City.
Then the spotlight found Lin Yi. At once, the arena's mood shifted from hostility to euphoria. All around, thousands of fans in No. 44 jerseys rose in unison, chanting in perfect rhythm:
"MVP! … MVP! … MVP!"
In the stands, Olson and Tijana clapped until their palms were sore. To them, Lin had never looked sharper than he did now, standing tall in his uniform, eyes calm but burning with purpose. His very presence seemed to give New Yorkers the same feeling of security they got from their hometown Giants on the football field.
Eli Manning once joked that if LeBron was basketball's version of Tom Brady, then New York wasn't afraid — because this city always had its way of fighting back.
Cameras also caught Spike Lee on the sidelines, barking instructions to his crew. For Spike, this was more than just a holiday game; it was another chapter in the Lin Yi documentary he was piecing together. Even Knicks owner James Dolan couldn't resist showing his colors, strutting into his seat in a custom No. 44 jersey, grinning ear to ear.
Meanwhile, for LeBron, that Knicks slogan glared like a personal jab. "One Man. One City." He kept his composure, but his eyes betrayed his irritation.
The starting lineups flashed across the Jumbotron:
Heat:
Bosh
Haslem
James
Wade
Chalmers
Knicks:
Chandler
Lin Yi
Gallinari
Tony Allen
Billups.
As Lin strolled to center court, he exchanged a lighthearted quip with veteran referee Joey Crawford. Crawford responded with a playful pat on the backside.
Watching from his office, NBA commissioner David Stern leaned back and exhaled slowly. The ball hadn't even gone up yet, and overseas ratings were already breaking records.
All across America, families gathered around televisions, children sprawled on living room floors while parents sat close together on couches. For now, there was warmth, holiday spirit, and anticipation. Of course, Stern chuckled to himself, some of those couples might end up arguing fiercely once the game began, their loyalties split between Miami and New York.
At midcourt, Joey Crawford gripped the ball, the players locked in position, eyes sharp and bodies tense.
The noise swelled into a roar.
"Game start!"
And just like that, the Christmas war tipped off.
...
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