After their first NCAA tournament game, Lin Yi came back to the hotel buzzing. Sleep? Not even close. The crowd's deafening roars, the adrenaline, the rush of competition—it was like he was still on the court.
Turns out, he wasn't the only one. His roommate, Stephen Curry, was still wide awake, too.
It was already late into the night in Houston.
Steph had noticed Lin crawling up on his bed, glued to his laptop. The empathetic side of Curry figured Lin was just feeling the weight of being single, maybe watching... something to distract himself. He didn't want to intrude.
But then again, he couldn't sleep either. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
So Curry decided to join his roommate and see what Lin was watching and admonish him on wasting energy on such non-productive habits.
"Wait—this is Game 6 of the '97 Finals? Bulls vs. Jazz?" Steph said, sliding over and half-stealing Lin's blanket like it was tradition.
"Yep," Lin sighed. "I'm too hyped to sleep. My body's tired, but my mind's doing wild sprints."
Steph pointed at the screen. "Here it is. Last timeout."
The Bulls were setting up their final play. Phil Jackson had that usual intense look, mumbling something to Jordan. But they both knew what was coming.
Phil didn't draw anything fancy. He just gave MJ that same look, like, "It's all you, Mike."
At first, maybe Jordan was touched by the trust. By now? It was just routine.
The camera cut to MJ, stone-faced. Clips of his earlier plays rolled like a hype video. Nobody watching doubted he'd take the shot.
"Funny thing," Steph said under the blanket, "Jordan talked to Steve Kerr before that play."
"MJ wasn't feeling great that game—15-for-35. Not bad, but not his best."
"And Kerr was ice-cold for most of the Finals," Lin added.
"Exactly." Steph nodded. "But MJ told him, 'Be ready. They're gonna double me."
And just like that, with six seconds left, Jordan made the pass. Kerr caught it, fired... splash.
Perfect setup. Perfect trust.
Back to the present. The NCAA tourney was heating up.
All the top seeds got through the first round. That part was like a warm-up quiz. But round two? That's when things got real—Mars-crashing-into-Earth kind of real.
Davidson's next game was against Arizona State—the Sun Devils. Funny thing? The same team they'd played in an exhibition match.
People said Coach McKillop was a genius. Like he knew they'd face Arizona again. Maybe that's why they flew out to Phoenix to play them months earlier—to get a feel.
But Lin and Steph? They knew better.
McKillop just wanted a free trip on the school's dime.
If you're traveling on the college's budget, you might as well make it somewhere warm.
Meanwhile, the American media was losing its mind. Even though social media hadn't fully exploded yet, both internet portals and print newspapers were going all-in on March Madness.
Big sports forums were lit. Some lucky fan who called every first-round result posted like they were some basketball prophet. Others followed, betting hard on round two.
Draft boards were shifting like sand. One day you're a lottery pick, the next you're barely in the first round. Or worse, suddenly blowing up on everyone's radar.
That's March Madness. A dream factory.
To Lin, North Carolina always felt like a young but dangerous team.
Everyone knows UNC and Duke are bitter rivals. Both rock blue uniforms—one light, one dark.
But ask a Duke fan, and they'll tell you it's Duke Blue.
North Carolina fans? Oh, they'll lecture you.
"There's a special blue called North Carolina Blue," they'd say, eyes sparkling like they're reciting poetry.
Lin once had a football-obsessed buddy tell him:
"You know why Argentina wears blue and white? Because blue is the sky, white is purity—and together, that's Argentina!"
Same friend also said:
"Football isn't just life and death. It's more than that."
Some folks just got that mix of history, pride, and fanaticism.
Right now, the media can't get enough of the showdown between Blake Griffin and Lin Yi. But things were looking bleak for such a rematch since Oklahoma would face UNC.
Blake went off in round one—put up a monster double-20 and shook the whole country.
But Lin had to wonder... if history repeats and the Clippers still pick Griffin #1, would he go down as the most unlucky top pick in college history?
Blake was a sophomore, maturing fast. Stats? Fantastic. Scouts? Obsessed.
But his Oklahoma Sooners had a problem: they kept getting cooked by Davidson. Three times this season.
And in round two of the Madness? North Carolina happened.
Lin and Steph felt bad for Blake.
UNC didn't just win. They announced they were winning it all.
Before tip-off, Blake had the fire. Dude wanted it. He thought he'd learned his lesson. He thought he was ready.
And honestly? He played his heart out. 30 points, 14 boards. Respect.
But the score? Oklahoma lost by 20.
Barkley's voice during the broadcast said it all:
"They pulled their starters early. That's how bad it got. I feel for the kid. What more could Blake Griffin do?"
After the game, Lin pulled out his phone to text Blake something encouraging.
Keep your head up. Losing isn't the end—keep grinding. The future's yours.
Then he realized and sent one to Harden.
Just for the shit and giggles.
"Dude, what the hell?"
"You trying to troll me?"
"You're next. Just wait. I'm buying you tickets to come watch me win."
Lin laughed so hard, Steph looked at his friend, all crazy.
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