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Chapter 62: Davidson vs Arizona State 3
🕑 Added 2025-04-20 13:13:37 +0000 UTC2 minutes ago...
"Wait—Coach, you are saying Michael Rand is gonna run pick-and-roll with Lin?" Steph asked McKillop for clarification. The rest of the Wildcats' bench looked just as confused.
McKillop further added. “Not just Rand. Every possession, whoever Harden's guarding, Lin is setting the screen. If it’s Steph, let him go iso. Make Harden work for everything.”
The bench went quiet.
"And on defense," McKillop added, "we don’t care how many Harden scores — just don’t let it be easy. Bump him, crowd him, get physical. He wants to go one-on-one all night? Let him. But we’re locking up everyone else."
McKillop’s eyes narrowed, casting a stare at every player.
“We keep rotating, but either Steph or Lin stays on the floor at all times. One of them is always going at Harden. Every possession.”
McKillop leaned back, a grin creeping in.
Two aces. They had two. Arizona? Just Harden.
“Force him to do everything," McKillop said. "And he’ll gas out before the fourth. He has to.”
The whole bench caught the vibe. Coach wasn’t just calling a play — he was flipping the script.
Was this... Jordan Rules?
Nah. This was Harden Rules.
People always thought Harden didn’t have weaknesses. “He can score, he can pass!” Sure. But Lin knew better — he watched the future unfold, and looked like Coach figured it too. He knew how this played out on bigger stages.
Teams tried to bury Curry with mismatches. The Rockets tried it in every playoff series. But Lin had learned something from that chess match: if you're gonna spam one-on-one, you better have more than one guy who can carry.
And Harden didn’t.
Basketball’s weird like that — you can score 70 and still lose if you’re the only one doing it. Lin didn’t care how many points Harden dropped. The scoreboard would say what mattered.
“Last question,” Lin said, raising an eyebrow. “What if they flip the script and start hunting Steph on defense?”
Coach laughed and ruffled Steph’s hair like a son. “Let ‘em try. People sleep on his defense. He’s scrappy, moves well, and doesn’t foul.”
Steph’s cheeks showed a bit of colour, but he grinned anyway. “Appreciate that, Coach.”
Lin blinked, a little surprised. Steph’s defense was... not famous, let’s say.
But Coach wasn’t joking. People thought Curry was soft just ‘cause he didn’t flex or bark. But he ran more miles per game than almost anyone in the league. Didn’t break down. Never shied away from a switch.
The truth was, nobody had invented a “Curry Rule.” You couldn’t spam him out of a game the way you could with Harden. Steph saved energy when he needed to and turned it on when it mattered.
And Lin knew the second Harden got tired? That was their green light to run the score.
Flashback over
Tip of the possession.
Lin Yi vs. James Harden.
The first few plays? Not great. Lin missed shots, didn’t get much separation. Chinese media folks watching from the press box were already frowning. Wasn’t this kid supposed to be a monster?
And then—
Bounce, bounce, crossover—whoosh.
Lin got half a step, shielded Harden with his body, and Eurostepped from way downtown like he was gliding.
Layup. All net.
The arena buzzed. Commentators choked mid-sentence. Cameras snapped.
2–6. Game on.
Harden’s eyes lit up.
“You think that’s cute?” he muttered, staring daggers.
Next play down, he forced his way into the paint, muscled up a tough layup through contact. Wildcats didn’t collapse on him. They wanted him to go solo.
No kick-outs. No rhythm for the rest of his team.
Sun Devils weren’t clued in yet — but Lin could see it. They still thought this was a regular game.
He grinned to himself.
"Let's see how long you can carry them, Harden."
Next possession?
Pick-and-roll again.
Harden switched on Lin Yi.
