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Chapter 74: Wildcats vs Tar Heels 5
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 16:34:06 +0000 UTCLast year’s March Madness? People still talk about it like it happened yesterday.
That kid with the baby face—Stephen Curry—took the unknown Davidson Wildcats on an unreal run, hitting crazy threes like he was born to do it.
First round? He dropped 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting. Just insane.
Second round, they were down 17 to Georgetown. Most teams fold. Curry scored 30 and dragged them into the Sweet Sixteen.
Against Wisconsin, same deal—33 points to send them packing.
And in the Elite Eight? They nearly knocked off the eventual champs, Kansas. In the final play, Curry passed instead of shooting. The shot missed. Dream over.
But this year?
The Wildcats were up against a whole different beast.
North Carolina wasn’t just tough—they were stacked. Four players who played hella great together. For the first 15 minutes, they locked Curry down completely.
But this time... Curry wasn’t doing it alone.
In the stands, Dell Curry watched calmly, muttering while smiling.
"Stephen, you’ve got a hell of a teammate now."
Right after drilling a transition three, Steph ran straight to Lin Yi. The two high-fived, energy sparking between them.
The Wildcats fans? They started to believe again.
Even if the opponent was North Carolina…
We’re not backing down. Not tonight.
...
HALFTIME
Score: 44–44.
The first time North Carolina hadn’t led at the break in this year’s tournament.
Wildcats cheerleaders were dancing with a different fire. The crowd was feeling it. Something was happening.
“Hey, man,” Barkley ribbed Kenny and said suddenly, “I think we’re watching history tonight.”
Kenny Smith nodded. “Funny thing is—we always talk about North Carolina being an unbeatable beast. Now? Everyone’s talking about Davidson.”
...
SECOND HALF.
Game on.
North Carolina came out aggressive, high-pressure, grinding like they always do.
The Wildcats? Played like they were walking a tightrope. Every cut, every pass, needed to be perfect.
Because tactics are just chalk on a board—someone’s gotta make the play.
Hansbrough and Davis ran a perfect give-and-go. Bucket.
Curry and Lin Yi answered with a pick-and-roll that led to a smooth layup.
Ellington drove and kicked to Danny Green—easy lay-in.
Then Curry fed Lin Yi in the paint to tie the game again with a Skyhook.
...
Up in the stands, NBA stars were leaning forward.
After Lin Yi spun past a double and scooped in a finger roll, LeBron shook his head. “College hoops are wild right now.”
Kobe nodded slowly. Even he had to wonder—what if I’d gone to college?
Wade sighed. “Man... this is one for the college books.”
+1 from LeBron.
+2 from Kobe.
Before the tournament even started, MJ and Vince Carter were sure North Carolina would steamroll through. Now? They even looked... little nervous.
Because no matter what UNC did, they just couldn’t shake the Wildcats.
Lin Yi and Steph kept trading buckets, and the game became everything fans dreamed of.
Shot for shot. Blow for blow.
At 13:21.
UNC led 53–55.
Steph brought the ball up. There was a small hole in the defense—he darted through it.
Lin Yi was ready to shout his praise—then it happened.
Curry’s foot landed wrong, right on Hansbrough’s.
His right ankle.
The one thing Steph feared most.
He hit the floor, wincing. Lin Yi rushed over, knelt beside him. “Steph. Talk to me. You okay!?”
“Hurts... a little...” Steph grimaced, voice tight.
Lin’s chest tightened. That ankle—that damn ankle—was a ticking time bomb.
The bench rushed over. The ref stopped the game. The team doctor came out.
After a quick check, they made the call—Steph had to head to the locker room.
Lin Yi forced a smile and clapped his teammate’s shoulder. Steph looked back, limping, stared into Lin's eyes, and said
“Is now on you. Keep the score close. When I come back, we kill the game.”
That look and those words told Lin everything he needed to know.
He turned to the team. “Alright—listen up!”
The Wildcats huddled around him. Even though he was just a freshman, Lin Yi had that energy—the kind that makes people believe.
“We’re not done. Not even close. We hold the line. We fight for every play. Stephen’s gonna be back, but until then—we’ve got this.”
The backup, Williams, checked in.
All eyes were on Lin now.
Could he carry them?
Barkley muttered, “That’s their guy. One of their main scorer. Gone.”
Kenny nodded. “I don’t know how Lin can survive double the load now.”
But LeBron?
He just kept watching Lin.
So did Kobe. So did Wade.
So did Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Sun Yue.
Jordan and Vince exchanged a glance.
“Davidson’s good,” Vince said. “Real good.”
But without Steph... could Lin Yi really do it?
...
Turns out, yeah. He could.
North Carolina was supposed to be unbeatable. But Tyler Hansbrough—UNC’s enforcer, their record-smasher—was starting to sweat.
Because of... Lin Yi?
He was going off.
Double-teams didn’t faze him. Spin. Bump. Step-back. Fadeaway. Pure silk.
He’d fake a drop step, then slide out to the arc and drain a three with no hesitation.
Nothing was off-limits. He was everywhere.
“Is this dude possessed?” someone whispered courtside.
Even Kobe stood up.
Even Jordan was impressed.
Every time Lin Yi scored, the crowd lost their minds.
Lucas Oil Stadium turned red with noise.
With 4:27 left, Steph returned.
His eyes found the scoreboard.
73–75.
Only two points down. The same difference when he got injured.
He looked at Lin Yi, drenched in sweat, barely standing, but still locked in.
Steph smiled. His throat tightened.
What the hell happened while I was gone?
On the media row, every Chinese journalist had gone quiet.
Wu Xiaolei. Qi Jun. Yang Yi. Su Junyang.
All of them had the same thought.
Are the Wildcats... gonna pull this off?
