After training, Lian Dao stepped out of the liquid nitrogen freezer, feeling in top condition. The gift from the little senior sister was excellent, especially for muscle relaxation. He later bought another unit for the Knicks' locker room, using it for three minutes after home games. Holiday, Millsap, and David Lee tried it, praising its effects. Seeing Lian Dao's results, the Knicks' team doctor added the freezer to their procurement plan.
Today, Lian Dao skipped the training hall at Madison Square Garden. The team canceled practice due to back-to-back games tomorrow and the day after, giving players extra rest. With snow falling outside, Lian Dao chose not to drive to the training facility. His home gym had everything he needed.
Wrapped in a bath towel, Lian Dao lounged on the sofa, pondering what to do. His phone rang—it was his mother. "Don't worry, I'm fine here. Are you coming to watch my All-Star Game performance?" he asked. She said she had no time, confirming his hunch. Though disappointed, he'd expected it. The All-Star's second day fell on Chinese New Year, making her visit unlikely. Still, hope had nudged him to ask.
Hanging up, Lian Dao lay back, feeling lonely for the first time since his rebirth, a quiet ache settling in.
On January 28, the Knicks faced the Toronto Raptors at home, their last home game in January. Millsap shone, posting 28 points and 14 rebounds. David Lee, an All-Star substitute, added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Lian Dao delivered 30 points, 13 assists, and 7 rebounds, erupting for 8 straight points in the third quarter's second half, pushing the lead to 16. In the fourth, the Knicks held firm.
With two minutes left, Raptors coach Jay Triano, seeing no comeback chance, pulled his starters, conceding defeat. Chris Bosh scored 26 points for the Raptors, Andrea Bargnani 16. The Knicks won 112:100, securing two straight home victories.
After the Raptors game, the Knicks had a day off. On January 30, they traveled to Washington to face the Wizards, now a bottom-tier Eastern Conference team. Last season, with Arenas sidelined by injuries, the Wizards posted the league's third-worst record, barely outdone by the Knicks' own dismal performance.
Aiming for the No. 1 draft pick, the Wizards' luck failed, landing them the No. 5 pick. They coveted Lian Dao or Blake Griffin, but neither fell to fifth. Unwilling to draft another guard with Arenas on the roster, they traded their pick and three big men—Oleksiy Pecherov, Darius Songaila, and Etan Thomas—to the Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.
Randy Foye averaged 16.3 points in his third Timberwolves season. The Wizards saw him as Arenas' future point guard replacement, banking on his growth. Foye, however, couldn't match Arenas' peak. With Arenas suspended this season, Foye failed to lift the team, his scoring dipping below last year's mark. The Timberwolves' choice to ditch Foye for Rubio made sense in hindsight.
On January 30, the Knicks crushed the Wizards without suspense. By halftime, Lian Dao, dressed in warmups, watched from the bench as the lead ballooned. In the second half, Holiday, David Lee, and Millsap dominated. Lian Dao met JaVale McGee, dubbed by fans as the "All-Star player below the head." McGee's talent dazzled, especially in the third quarter, when he soared for a dunk over Millsap, stunning Lian Dao on the sideline. His athleticism was undeniable.
Yet McGee's focus waned quickly. After grabbing a rebound, he tripped over the ball, letting David Lee steal it for a layup. His lower body strength was weak, his high center of gravity causing imbalance after contact. Lian Dao saw it firsthand. When Holiday grabbed a rebound for a fast break, McGee, chasing, crashed onto him, flattening Holiday. Good guy, is Lu Bu riding a dog? Lian Dao thought. Holiday's calm personality prevented a flare-up, but a hothead might've sparked a brawl.
Lian Dao tried not to laugh, but Larry Hughes, nearly collapsing with laughter on the bench, broke him. Lian Dao understood why Shaquille O'Neal used McGee as comedy fodder—his blunders were endless. The Knicks won easily, 102:88. Lian Dao played 24 minutes, scoring 24 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. David Lee led with 32 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Millsap's 20 points and 14 rebounds.
On January 31, in a back-to-back against the Timberwolves, the Knicks lost. Lian Dao caught a cold, despite his mother's phone warning two days earlier to take care. Minnesota's brutal weather—minus 15 degrees—hit hard. Stepping off the plane, Lian Dao shivered, wrapping his down jacket over a fleece sweater. Rushing to the team bus, he felt the warm air blast, a relief he didn't question. He rarely caught colds, in this life or his past one, so he brushed off the risk.
After team practice, Lian Dao felt his head warm but chalked it up to training. By game time, headaches and grogginess hit. Despite taking medicine, D'Antoni barred him from playing, citing the Knicks' solid January record—8 wins, 6 losses in 14 games, 32-14 overall, second in the East, one game ahead of the Magic.
Lian Dao insisted, inspired by legends like Nowitzki in the 2011 playoffs and Jordan during his three-peat, who played through colds or worse with strong performances. He also didn't want DeMar mocking him later.
Reality humbled him. In the first quarter, Lian Dao's shooting was off, his headache sapping focus. He made rare passing errors. The Knicks trailed 20:32. Sweating and dizzy on the bench, Lian Dao was pulled by D'Antoni, who sent him to the locker room with the team doctor.
DeMar, spotting Lian Dao in the tunnel, worried but couldn't visit mid-game. The Knicks fell 89:109. David Lee led with 28 points and 14 rebounds, Holiday added 16 points and 15 assists. For the Timberwolves, Kevin Love had 26 points and 17 rebounds, DeMar a steady 15 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, showing his potential.