The Celtics really found themselves in a bind after moving Kendrick Perkins.
As it turns out, Perkins wasn't just a scowling presence with broad shoulders—his sheer physicality under the rim kept opponents honest.
Now it's a chilly evening at Madison Square Garden. The Celtics are on the road against the Knicks, and even Kevin Garnett's trademark chest-thumping and stomping can't shake New York this time.
Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers thought they'd solved the matchup by bringing in Jeff Green. Their reasoning was simple: to slow Lin Yi, you need a mobile forward who can stay in front of him. But that trade cost Boston their lone true rim protector. Without that interior anchor, you can line the perimeter with four Kobes, and it still won't matter.
Every strong defensive scheme begins with a top-tier paint defender. Tyson Chandler is the Knicks' spine. Orlando's system revolves around Dwight Howard. And remember when the Warriors later went out of their way to grab JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia? Same idea.
Draymond Green's knack for chasing guards across the floor is one thing, but when the other side sends wave after wave of elite slashers, you eventually run out of options. Even a 34-year-old Garnett can't be expected to guard an entire restricted area by himself.
Boston's alternatives?
Big White Kostic, all 109 kilos of him, was so slow that even Marbury could waltz by. And Glen Big Baby Davis—officially 131 kilos—has arms so short that Lin Yi joked he might as well be handing over points.
Mike D'Antoni saw it immediately: keep attacking the lane and the Celtics' interior collapses. But with playoff seeds essentially set, he played it cool. There was no need to tip Rivers off that his defense had a glaring hole. Lin Yi followed suit, dialing back his drives and settling for more jumpers, letting Rivers believe Jeff Green could keep him in check.
As the regular season wound down, Lin shifted into preservation mode, saving his legs for the postseason. The Knicks and Celtics split their late-March back-to-back games, and Doc Rivers left the Garden feeling upbeat, convinced that with a little veteran grit, his team could make another deep run. He even talked about popping champagne with Ainge, the confidence practically radiating from the locker room.
Rivers has always been a master motivator. Lin half-joked that Doc's son Austin must have grown up marinating in those speeches, stepping onto every court like a man who believes destiny bends to his will.
"We'll be back in the Finals," Rivers told his players after the win, voice carrying the kind of conviction that makes a room sit up.
Garnett clapped Jeff Green on the shoulder. He still missed Perkins, but Green's two-way play in this mini-series impressed him.
Green himself puffed out his chest: "Don't worry. When the playoffs start, Lin's mine."
The Celtics left New York feeling united, eager for another crack at the Knicks.
A side note from that second game: Danilo Gallinari returned from injury, and the Knicks were determined to get him comfortable. Maybe a little too determined. Eager to prove himself, Gallinari turned into a one-man kamikaze mission, firing 27 shots and missing 20.
Afterward, Lin couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe we let Danny Green start next time," he suggested.
Chauncey Billups threw up both hands. "Works for me."
Gallinari looked stricken. Weeks of rehab had been tough enough, and now he was still struggling while Danny Green blossomed. Rookie Stephenson kept pushing him in practice, and Green was stealing minutes; the internal competition was fierce.
For the Knicks, that was exactly the point. Everyone chasing one another meant the whole squad kept climbing.
...
On the 29th, the Knicks welcomed the Orlando Magic to Madison Square Garden.
Orlando, a team that had fought its way to the Eastern Conference Finals the previous spring, arrived hoping to make a statement. Dwight "Superman" Howard came in eager to prove the Magic were still contenders, but it's hard to win when the front office keeps dealing from the bottom of the deck.
Take Rashard Lewis's bloated contract—management decided to ship him out and brought in Gilbert Arenas instead. That swap looked questionable the moment the ink dried.
The lone bright spot for Orlando this season has been Brandon Bass. Short and powerfully built, Bass is like a stockier, less talkative version of Draymond Green. He's reliable from mid-range, holds his ground on defense, and—unlike some past teammates—doesn't spend the game staring at opponents in odd places. His steady play allows Hedo Turkoglu to slide back to small forward, covering the hole Lewis left behind.
But matchups matter, and the contrast between Orlando and Boston is striking. The Celtics have virtually no rim protection. The Magic, on the other hand, can't guard elite wings.
In today's NBA, you need both. That's why the Knicks—stacked with a rim protector like Tyson Chandler and long, switchable wings—look built to stretch a defense to its breaking point.
New York wasted no time proving it. They jumped on Orlando early and never let up. Mike D'Antoni even dusted off the Hack-a-Howard plan, sending Dwight to the line again and again. Howard clanged his way to a miserable four-for-fourteen from the stripe, and the Garden crowd savored every brick.
Lin Yi added a little theater of his own, calmly knocking down free throws with his eyes closed—right in front of Howard. The big man was fuming.
The Magic sit fifth in the East, and there's a real chance these teams meet in the second round. Orlando's shooters can get hot in a hurry, so Lin treated this game like a dress rehearsal. As far as he's concerned, any night that frustrates Howard is a night well spent.
And for those wondering about a counterpunch—some sort of Hack-the-Shaq plan to neutralize Shaquille O'Neal—forget it. Shaq isn't even in the rotation when the Magic are on the other bench.
…
One night later, on the 30th, New York stayed home and handled the Charlotte Bobcats without much fuss. That win pushed the Knicks' streak to six games and vaulted them back to the top of ESPN's power rankings, reclaiming the spot the Spurs had borrowed during New York's brief stumble.
After the final buzzer, Darko Milicic headed back to Charlotte, bringing Tijana with him. She shot Lin a look that practically said, I'll be back sooner than you think.
With Tijana gone, Lin passed the housekeeping duties to Elizabeth Olsen. The soon-to-be witch started to protest with dramatic flair—something about never lowering herself for menial chores.
Then Lin casually mentioned, "One thousand dollars."
Olsen didn't even blink. "Deal."
Lin chuckled. Money might not literally buy happiness, but it sure buys cooperation—and that's close enough. After all, having money is its own kind of joy.
...
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