November 18, 2009.
The Knicks hit the road to face the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately for fans hoping to see Lin Yi break Brandon Jennings' youngest-50-point-game record, that dream ended early. Lin didn't even play the fourth quarter—he clocked out after three quarters with just 22 points.
At that point, the Knicks were up 96–70.
A 26-point lead. On the road. Total blowout.
The Knicks were now 8-3.
...
On the TNT set, Barkley looked like he'd just been told his favorite BBQ joint closed down.
"You gotta relax, Charles. More time." Kenny Smith said, barely hiding his grin.
"Kenny, don't get ahead of yourself. Lin's birthday hasn't even come yet. I still believe he can do it!" Barkley clenched his fist like he was about to start training Lin himself.
The matches against the New Jersey Nets and Sacramento Kings were the matches he had the most hope for.
…
With the win over Indiana, the Knicks improved to 8–3. That put them fourth in the East, just behind the 10–2 Hawks, the 9–3 Celtics, and the 9-3 Magic.
But no one was talking about standings.
What everyone really cared about was the bet between Barkley and Kenny.
Knicks fans loved how chill Lin Yi was about the whole thing, but they were also terrified Barkley might jinx him.
Jennings wasn't making things any easier either. He'd gone public, saying he didn't think Lin Yi was better than him. Said the Knicks didn't even play real basketball.
And Knicks fans hadn't forgotten how, when they faced the Bucks earlier, Larry Hughes locked Jennings down so tight the man barely touched the ball.
To them, Jennings' 55-point game was a fluke—a gift from the Warriors' questionable defense.
And now their hopes of Lin Yi breaking that record? Stuck because the Knicks were too good.
If Lin had more fourth quarters, he'd already have 60.
And the more Jennings bragged about that one big game, the more Knicks fans couldn't stand him.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi? Man of the people. He wasn't out here to flex—he played for the glory of the team.
Still, fans had to admit—breaking that record wasn't easy.
To drop 50+, you had to stay hot all game. But every time Lin Yi got too hot, the game became a blowout, and Coach D'Antoni would bench him.
The fourth quarter had become their mortal enemy.
Knicks fans were starting to root for closer games… just so Lin Yi could stay on the court longer.
Talk about a plot twist.
…
After the Pacers game, the Knicks got a rare break. On the 20th, Coach D'Antoni scheduled a light recovery practice.
And Lin Yi? He showed up with gifts.
"Lin, what's all this?" One teammate asked as he took the box Lin handed him.
"Nothing much," Lin Yi grinned. "Heard everyone's been into League of Legends. Figured we could start playing some team matches during downtime."
Each teammate got a new laptop and a box of Chinese pastries.
"Cough." D'Antoni cleared his throat.
"Oh, and of course," Lin added quickly, "we can also use the laptops to study game film. They're lightweight—easy to carry for road games."
He even gave some to the coaching staff.
Sure, these guys could all afford their gear, but hey, gifts are gifts.
Everyone could tell Lin Yi had a favor to ask.
Not that he needed the gifts to get their help. They would've backed him anyway. But the gesture? It hit home. The respect in the room for Lin Yi went way up.
Strong players who also know how to win people over? They tend to do just fine.
Coach D'Antoni raised an eyebrow. "You want something from the team, Lin?"
Lin nodded. "Next game's against the Nets. I want every pass to come through me."
The room paused.
Ohhhh.
The Chinese Showdown.
The Nets had Yi Jianlian starting at power forward. This was going to be the matchup Chinese fans had waited years for.
No one had a problem with Lin Yi's request. He was always generous with the ball, and anyway, he already had the greenest light on the team. The least they could do was feed him more during this game.
Coach D'Antoni clapped his hands. "Done. If you're feeling it, we'll center the offense around you."
Then he pulled his assistant aside to start drawing up plays.
Lin Yi didn't need to ask. No one would've blamed him for taking over. But doing it this way made him look even better.
The team felt it. The vibe was strong.
It was like what Phil Jackson always told Kobe—if you're the boss, act like it, but don't forget to connect with your guys.
But Kobe? He wasn't exactly the type to hand out cookies and hugs. He played hard, trained harder, and mostly just yelled at his teammates to work harder. Mamba Mentality.
Years later, ex-Lakers would still say: Kobe was the toughest teammate I ever had.
Lin Yi? Different vibe. He knew he was the guy. But that didn't stop him from acting like a real leader.
As he looked around the locker room and saw his teammates happily unpacking their laptops, Lin Yi smiled.
He hadn't chosen the Nets just because of the Chinese Showdown hype.
Nah.
First, the Knicks were about to hit a brutal stretch of games, all playoff teams.
The Nets? The only weak link in the lineup.
Second, Lin Yi knew their roster like the back of his hand. Too many hours watching them back in China.
Brook Lopez? Slow as hell. Terrible in pick-and-roll.
If they stuck Yi Jianlian on him? Well, Lin Yi trained with the guy. He knew all his weaknesses.
If it was Ryan Anderson? Even worse on defense.
Josh Boone? Tall, white, and clueless.
And Kris Humphries? The dude who eventually got Kardashian'd out of the league? Even if that hadn't happened yet, Lin Yi still had him beat on speed, strength, and skill.
This was the perfect setup. Lin Yi had been eyeing this game ever since the schedule dropped.
Now, all he needed was four quarters to cook.
He knew what to do. Drive hard, shoot from deep, keep it efficient.
This was gonna be his night.
And the Nets? They wouldn't know what hit them.
...
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