The Knicks' critics did not expect this.
Even without some of their big guns, New York kept rolling. Five straight wins to open the season, and then two more wins to make it a 7–0 start, put them alone at the top of the Eastern Conference.
At this point, calling it a hot start felt like an understatement.
Before his 24th birthday, Lin Yi had already broken two major records, single-game assists and single-quarter scoring.
Once or twice could be written off as a run of form.
But when it keeps happening, even the most skeptical voices start to sound unsure of themselves.
. . .
On the 18th, after returning to New York with the team, Lin Yi was named Player of the Week again.
It was the 22nd time in his career.
For perspective, the rest of the 2009 draft class combined still could not match that number.
Lin Yi himself treated it casually. Awards were fine. He had simply started seeing them as routine rather than milestones.
Still, he never turned them down.
The season moved on. The battle for the top continued across the league.
. . .
On the 19th, the Knicks handled the Bobcats at home without much trouble.
On the 20th, on the second night of a back-to-back in Toronto, the streak finally ended.
It also marked the first time in three years that New York had lost a November game.
Toronto played like a team that had been waiting for this moment.
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were both locked in.
Lowry, usually streaky, could not miss from deep, hitting seven of eight three-pointers.
DeRozan attacked from mid-range and even extended his range, knocking down five triples of his own.
For one night, everything clicked.
The Knicks, on tired legs, could not keep up.
Lin Yi still finished with 38 points on 13 of 27 shooting, but his efficiency dropped below 50 percent for the first time that season.
After the game, DeRozan looked genuinely emotional.
They had finally done it.
Beating New York, even once, felt like breaking through a wall.
Inside the 2009 draft group chat, nobody said it out loud, but the feeling was shared.
Lin Yi did not say much after the game. Toronto had earned it. They executed better, shot better, and played with more energy.
Simple as that.
Before leaving the arena, he only said one thing to himself.
"You can't relax, not even a little."
. . .
Two nights later, the Knicks suffered their second straight loss.
This time, it came at home.
James Harden arrived in New York and immediately turned the game into a free-throw contest.
By the final buzzer, he had taken 31 free throws.
Even the Knicks looked unsure at times whether they were defending or just trying to avoid another whistle.
One assistant coach leaned toward Lin Yi at one point.
"This still feels like our home court, right?"
Lin Yi did not answer right away.
He just watched Harden step back to the line again.
From the referees' perspective, most of the calls were technically correct. There was contact on nearly every drive.
The problem was that Harden made every bit of contact feel like a guaranteed foul.
Even light brushes became decisions.
By this stage of his career, Harden's ability to draw fouls had become a skill of its own. His strength, balance, and control made him extremely difficult to defend without risk.
And when he was in rhythm, he rarely slowed down.
Dwight Howard tried to assert himself in the paint, but the night did not go his way.
He finished with just four points and four rebounds.
Rockets fans were still pleased, though. The team had won, and Harden had controlled the game from start to finish.
For the Knicks, the issue was simpler.
The shots did not fall, and without their usual guard rotation, their defensive pressure slipped just enough to matter.
Lin Yi left the court without much reaction.
Some games were about dominance.
Some were about control.
And some simply got away.
Lin Yi was indeed unstoppable, but he couldn't score 86 points in every game.
Another member of the 2009 draft group successfully evaded the Grim Reaper. In a sense, this year can also be seen as the year of the 2009 draft class's rise.
Also, players like Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague have also successively experienced breakthroughs.
General managers of various teams now wish they could tear up those scouts from back then; what the hell, this is what you call a weak draft class?
Lin Yi, Steph Curry, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Blake Griffin.
To be honest, because of Lin Yi's appearance, the quality of the 2009 Miracle Generation is not at all inferior to the 2003 Golden Generation.
. . .
On the 24th, after seeing off Harden, the Knicks defeated the Pistons by a large margin at home.
Andre Drummond, who had diligently practiced his free throws over the summer, was embarrassed again. Before the Pistons changed their shooting coach, Drummond's free throws were better left in dreams.
In this game, Drummond made 2 of 14 free throws, and the Knicks didn't have to exert much effort; the Pistons simply handed over the victory.
In addition, Josh Smith, whom the Pistons signed during the offseason, was clearly struggling to find his rhythm.
His athleticism was still there, but his decision-making and inconsistent jump shot made him an awkward fit in Detroit's frontcourt, and he was no longer the dominant force he had been during his best years in Atlanta.
. . .
On the 25th, the Knicks crushed the Hawks in Atlanta by 48 points, winning 129-81.
The Hawks' center, Al Horford, was schooled by Lin Yi. Horford's footwork was not slow, allowing him to barely keep up with Lin Yi, and he had good weight, possessing excellent fundamentals.
Every time Lin Yi rose into one of his trademark pull-up jumpers, the crowd inside Philips Arena could only watch in disbelief as another shot splashed through the net.
By the fourth quarter, even the home fans had given up resisting.
When Lin Yi stepped to the free-throw line, chants of "MVP! MVP!" echoed throughout the arena. It was a rare sight for a road player, but performances like this had a way of winning over even opposing crowds.
On TNT, Charles Barkley let out a helpless laugh.
"When the Knicks lost two straight, a lot of us started wondering if they were finally coming back to earth. Looking at them now, I'd say we overreacted."
Kenny Smith nodded.
"I think it's become a victim of their own success, Charles. The Knicks have been so dominant over the last two seasons that winning is expected. It barely makes headlines anymore. The moment they lose, though, everyone starts asking what's wrong."
During the postgame recap, Barkley pointed out another remarkable milestone.
After the win over the Hawks, Lin Yi had already scored 359 points in the early season.
That left him just 11 points shy of 10,000 career points.
If he reached that mark in the Knicks' next game, he would officially become the youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 career points in the fewest number of games and minutes, adding yet another historic achievement to a résumé that was already growing at an astonishing pace.
Coincidentally, the Knicks' next game is on the 27th, which is also Lin Yi's 24th birthday.
"Breaking a milestone on your birthday night, I think that's the best birthday present," Barkley quipped.
Time really flies; before you know it, Lin Yi's total points in the NBA are almost at 10,000.
And for Lin Yi's fans, the most curious question now is whether his total points will be 30,000 or 40,000 when he retires.
Or even... the 50,000 points that no one has ever breathed near?
. . .
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