Blake Griffin sized up the guy in front of him with obvious dissatisfaction.
Tall and lanky. Griffin had seen plenty of so-called "big men" like this before.
Soft.
No way this dude was built for the trenches. His mother might think he was good, but that wasn't going to save him on the court.
Not every Chinese big man is Yao Ming.
Griffin decided right then—he was going to make sure this big understood what real NCAA basketball felt like.
Davidson inbounded the ball, and Stephen Curry casually brought it up the court. Griffin suddenly realized why he was already annoyed with Lin Yi. It wasn't just the physique.
It was because Lin Yi reminded him of Curry.
Curry, the guy who had already ruined plenty of Griffin's nights. The guy who could quiet an entire home crowd with just a couple of deep threes.
This kind of basketball—this dodging, sneaky, run-around-the-court stuff—is this even real basketball?
Griffin was still lost in thought when Lin Yi slipped out of his position and moved up high.
Pick-and-roll. I knew it.
Griffin instinctively stepped up, ready to cut off Curry's driving lane. That was the automatic response at this point—every defense focused on stopping Curry first.
For a second, he lost sight of Lin Yi.
Curry didn't panic under pressure. David Plzen and Griffin closed in on him, but instead of forcing a shot, Curry casually flipped the ball behind his back—right into Lin Yi's hands.
Lin Yi smiled.
"Oh, so I'm Klay Thompson today, huh?"
He could tell Curry had always loved making these flashy passes. The guy just couldn't resist. A lot of his career turnovers would come from passes like this, but that was just his rhythm. If you forced him to play simple, he wouldn't be the same.
Lin Yi caught the pass cleanly at the top of the arc. Griffin had already stepped out of position—he had committed to stopping Curry's drive.
Lin Yi exhaled, raised the ball above his head, and let it fly.
The release was smooth. It felt right.
Swish.
Nothing but net.
On the sidelines, Coach McKillop clapped. He'd been worried about Lin Yi freezing up in his debut, but it looked like that wasn't a problem. Lin Yi saw the game well—he wasn't just reacting; he was processing everything in real-time.
The Oklahoma crowd fell into an awkward silence.
Wait… is this dude a shooter?
"Yo, he can hit threes!" David Plzen warned Griffin.
"I know," Griffin grumbled. "I love big men who just stand outside all game."
That usually meant one thing—they couldn't handle physicality inside. Griffin knew the type.
"Give me the damn ball."
The Sooners' offense reset. Plzen didn't hesitate—he fed Griffin at the high post.
Griffin wasn't about to post up. He knew Davidson would send a double team if he tried.
Instead, he made his move quickly. He kept the ball in his right hand and drove hard. His first step was quick—too quick. No way Lin Yi was keeping up.
Griffin felt a rush of satisfaction.
Too easy.
No need for a dunk, either. He'd just lay it up—save the energy for later.
But just as the ball left his hand—
BAM.
A shadow rose behind him.
A long arm.
A huge hand.
And then—
SMACK.
The ball was pinned against the backboard.
Griffin's layup never had a chance.
Lin Yi landed first, grabbed the rebound himself, and hesitated for a moment before flipping it to Curry. Then, he took off down the floor.
The Oklahoma defense scrambled. Plzen locked in on Curry, worried about a pull-up transition three.
Curry just grinned and lobbed the ball toward the rim.
Lin Yi wasn't the best leaper—not yet, at least. His explosion wasn't where he wanted it to be. But his wingspan? That was enough.
BOOM.
A clean alley-oop slam.
Lin Yi had just put up five straight points in his debut, and suddenly, Davidson had all the momentum.
"Not bad," Curry said, giving Lin Yi a high-five. Then he raised an eyebrow. "But why didn't you just push the fast break yourself?"
Lin Yi smiled and ruffled Curry's shoulder. "Gotta keep some tricks up my sleeve. Next time, if there's no open look, just feed me at the high post. I'll try to take him one-on-one."
Griffin, meanwhile, was pissed.
This damn guy.
He couldn't believe he had just been stuffed and dunked on in back-to-back plays.
"Unbelievable," Jennings, one of the Davidson assistants, muttered.
Coach McKillop simply nodded. "He's still adjusting. Get McCallan to help him. As soon as Griffin gets the ball, we double him."
McCallan, Davidson's power forward, didn't hesitate. The next time Griffin got the ball inside, the trap came fast.
Griffin panicked. He tried to pass out, but Davidson's defense was locked in. No fast-break opportunity.
Damn it
He had bodiedLin Yi with sheer strength, but as soon as he reached the paint, the help came. The double-teams were suffocating.
On the other end, Curry and Lin Yi reset.
Lin Yi set another pick, but Griffin wasn't going to let them get away with the same move twice. He and Plzen shoved through the screen aggressively.
Lin Yi stumbled slightly. Damn, this guy's strong.
But Curry didn't force it. He didn't go for another pick-and-roll.
Instead, he just tossed the ball to Lin Yi and stepped back.
What?
Griffin narrowed his eyes.
Was Lin Yi really about to go one-on-one?