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Chapter 20: Wildcats vs Sun Devils (Bounce back)
🕑 Added 2025-04-26 08:44:05 +0000 UTCStephen Curry brought the ball up, eyes scanning the defense. Arizona State's Johnson was glued to him, playing tight, physical defense. No space. No air.
Curry didn't force it. He handed the ball off to McMillan, cut through the lane, circled back, and—boom—right back to him.
Johnson stepped up, ready to body him again.
Too bad for him—there was a wall in front of him.
Lin Yi set a rock-solid screen, and just like that, Curry had daylight.
Grant, Arizona State's big man, saw it coming and rushed out. No way he was giving Curry a clean look.
But Curry wasn't shooting.
His hands went up like he was about to let it fly—except, instead of a shot, the ball floated, high and soft, like a rainbow in the night.
A lob.
Underneath, Arizona State's Krent was already in the air. But Lin Yi? He was right there with him. Krent had the muscle, but Lin Yi had the wingspan.
Caught it. Slammed it. One motion.
The rim rattled.
The crowd gasped.
Two points, just like that. Davidson was on the board.
Reggie Miller let out a chuckle. "Not every day you see Lin throw down a dunk like that."
Dell Curry nodded, watching intently. Lin Yi played with finesse and grace—he wasn't the type to dunk with force. But tonight? Different energy.
Curry and Lin Yi slapped hands.
Back on defense, Harden brought the ball up and passed it off to Johnson, letting him control the tempo. Johnson hesitated, faked left, then drove—
Nope.
A hand shot out—Curry, quick as lightning, stripped the ball clean.
Before Arizona State could react, he was already pushing it up the court. Lin Yi sprinted alongside him, Grant trailing, desperate to catch up.
Curry lobbed it. Easy dunk.
Or was it?
Lin Yi caught it—but instead of slamming it down, he fired a pass to the corner.
The crowd murmured. What?
Even the Arizona State bench looked confused. Who the hell passes up a wide-open dunk?
McKillop? He didn't even blink.
Because in Davidson's world, this wasn't weird. It was just basketball.
And in Curry's world? A fast-break three was just as good—no, better—than an easy two.
Curry caught it.
No hesitation. Smooth.
Splash.
Three points.
Curry and Lin Yi mirrored each other's celebration—tapping their right hands to their left arms.
Reggie Miller laughed. "See, this is why I love these guys. That's confidence. That's shutting up the scouts."
Dell Curry just smiled. His son and Lin Yi? They got each other. They understood rhythm, flow, and momentum. Some guys needed their shots to come in a certain way. Curry? He needed his rhythm. And Lin Yi knew that better than anyone.
Game on.
Arizona State didn't flinch. Harden attacked and kicked it to Grant in the post.
Turn.
Hook.
Nope.
Lin Yi swatted it straight out of the air.
McMillan grabbed the loose ball and immediately looked up. Lin Yi was already sprinting.
Lead pass.
Fast break.
Arizona State's Johnson wasn't giving up, though. He sprinted back, eyes locked on Lin Yi's dribble. He saw his chance.
Lunged for the steal.
Big mistake.
Lin Yi baited him—left hand, right hand—then yanked the ball back at the last second.
Johnson bit. Hard.
Lost his balance. Hit the floor.
Lin Yi strolled in for an easy layup.
The whole arena gasped.
"Shammgod!" someone yelled.
Harden's eyes went wide. Did he just—?
............
Reggie Miller was already laughing. "Lin Yi with the Shammgod? That was textbook."
Dell Curry chuckled whilst applauding.
On the Arizona State bench, Coach Pera just shook his head. Scouting reports had said Lin Yi could handle the ball. But they meant for a big man. Not like this.
A seven-footer just pulled off a move straight out of a streetball highlight reel?
Yeah. This game was gonna be different.
Timeout, Arizona State.
7-6.
Davidson's run had flipped the game.
Curry walked over and smacked Lin Yi on the back. "That was cold."
Lin Yi grinned. "What? You're the one who taught me that."
"Oh my god…"
............
In the stands, Wu Xiaolei was speechless. She had written about Lin Yi's skills before—but this? This was different. She turned to Qi Jun, her cameraman.
"You got that on video, right?"
Qi Jun grinned. "Oh yeah. The whole world's about to see this."
Wu Xiaolei leaned back in her seat, watching Harden step onto the court.
"This is still his house, though. Let's see how he responds."
Game on.
