With both teams lined up at center court, the long-awaited game finally tipped off!
As the ball went up, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel like Brook Lopez didn't even try to jump. Seriously? Did this guy just give up? Lin Yi thought.
But to be fair, Lopez did jump… It's just that it didn't make much difference.
That made it twelve straight tip-offs won for Lin Yi. Maybe someone should start tracking this stat.
Could Lin Yi go 82-for-82?
Guess we will find out at the end of the season.
The Knicks had the first possession. To boost Larry Hughes' trade value, D'Antoni had been giving him more playing time lately. Hughes got right into it, tossing the ball to Lin Yi straight away.
Brook Lopez opened his arms wide, trying to look active on defense. But Lin Yi wasn't buying it—Splash Mountain, Lopez's stance didn't scream serious defense.
The Nets, unaware of the Knicks' game plan tonight, were keeping it simple. Coach Frank just told his guys to follow the script. Lin Yi would only play six minutes in the first quarter anyway, so he stuck Lopez on him. At least Lopez had the height.
Exactly what Lin Yi wanted.
Thump, thump, thump.
Lin Yi picked up the pace with a quick crossover—Lopez was toast.
One step. That's all it took.
Lateral speed? Not in Lopez's vocabulary. Watching Lin Yi glide past him, Lopez felt a little bitter.
Yi Jianlian had to leave David Lee to try and stop the drive. Lee didn't even bother cutting—he knew Lin Yi was going solo and just floated to the free-throw line to clear space.
Yi Jianlian stepped up, but Lin Yi didn't hesitate. He launched into the air, twisted mid-flight, and forced the layup in through the contact.
And one.
Lin Yi hung in the air like he had springs in his shoes. Same weight as Yi Jianlian, but taller, longer wingspan, and more control mid-air. Yi's help defense didn't just fail—it earned him a foul.
Three-point play.
"I didn't expect the Lin Yi vs. Yi Jianlian matchup to happen this fast," Yu Jia said from the commentary booth. "But that defensive effort from Yi felt a little… soft."
"Too soft," Zhang added. "If you're gonna foul, make it count! Don't give up the and-one."
Lin Yi sank the free throw. Three quick points.
On the other end, the Nets tried a pick-and-roll with Harris and Yi Jianlian. Coach Frank knew there were a lot of Chinese fans watching, so he'd drawn up a few more plays for Yi tonight.
Too bad David Lee, while not exactly a lockdown defender, was quick enough to switch and recover. After the screen, Yi popped out to the three-point line for a shot, but Lee was already in his face.
Yi hesitated, looked around, and passed the ball right back to Harris.
Big mistake.
It wasn't just the pass—it was the indecision. The hesitation. The inability to read the play in real-time.
Harris ended up bricking a mid-ranger, and Lin Yi snatched the rebound.
Lin Yi pushed the break himself. His teammates sprinted to the perimeter to space the floor, leaving the paint wide open.
Three steps from the arc—
BAM!
5-0. All Lin Yi.
"He's on fire tonight!" Yu Jia exclaimed. Yi Jianlian looked a bit down—after all, both players were Chinese, and Lin was kind of making him look bad.
"The coast-to-coast was lightning fast," Zhang added. "Six seconds from rebound to dunk. Nets' defense didn't even have time to set."
"You're right, Coach Zhang. And Lopez? Man needs to tighten on the defense," Yu Jia said.
"He wants to," Zhang Reasonable said with a chuckle. "But with that movement speed? He's not catching Lin Yi."
Coach Frank on the Nets' sideline was already frowning. Just as he was thinking about making a switch, Devin Harris drove into the lane—
SWAT!
Lin Yi smacked it off the backboard.
David Lee scooped up the rebound and kicked it out. Lin Yi took off again. Lopez was nowhere near him. Yi Jianlian had managed to get back, but he was already carrying one foul. He didn't dare contest this time.
Layup. Easy finish.
7-0.
Fans were starting to get restless. New Jersey might be the little bro of New York, but getting smoked by the Knicks in your building? That stings.
Nets tried to respond, but the possession ended in a missed shot. The rebound bounced out of bounds—finally giving the team a breather.
The problem was, the Knicks' transition offense was overwhelming.
And Lopez? Still couldn't run.
Even in the half-court, the Knicks weren't slowing down. Lin Yi jab-stepped with his left, and Lopez immediately backed off like Lin was radioactive.
Lin Yi blinked. Surprised.
From way beyond the arc, he rose, perfect form, smooth wrist flick.
Splash.
All those hours of three-point training were paying off.
10-0.
The Nets were in full panic mode. Frank burned a timeout.
What the hell is this? It had barely been two minutes.
Boos started echoing through the arena. New Jersey fans weren't having it.
"I can't guard him," Lopez admitted bluntly on the bench.
If Lin Yi had been his teammate, Lopez might've earned a high-five for that honesty.
But now?
He was just throwing another teammate under the bus.
He basically said in incognito. Let someone else deal with it, I'll come back once he's off the floor.
Coach Frank, to his credit, didn't argue. "Alright, you are out. Chairman, you're up."
Yi Jianlian just nodded silently.
The game resumed, and finally, the Nets got on the board. Yi Jianlian hit a clean three from a 45-degree angle.
Chinese fans watching around the world finally had a reason to cheer. So far, all points scored have come from the two Chinese players.
"Oh? Looks like they've switched Chairman onto Lin Yi," Yu Jia noted.
"Let's see what happens... Lin Yi dribbles, Lin Yi drives—oh no—he gets a bucket again!" Zhang Reasonable rubbed his head. "Lin Yi's looking like he's going for a career night."
Nobody on the Nets could stop him.
In just six minutes, Lin Yi took 10 of the Knicks' 12 shots. He made 7 of them, including two threes, plus a free throw. Seventeen points. Just like that.
Time for subs?
Coach Frank breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.
But wait—Lin Yi wasn't coming out?
The Knicks swapped in Chris Duhon for Hughes and Al Harrington for David Lee, moving to a four-out lineup. But Lin Yi was still on the court.
Lopez stared in disbelief.
He slumped on the bench, wondering where it all went wrong.
...
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW AND SOME STONES.
Feel like joining a Patreon for free and subscribe to advanced chapters?
Visit the link:
[email protected]/GRANDMAESTA_30
Change @ to a