Lin Yi clocked out after three quarters—again.
In the Knicks' 125-87 blowout over the Sixers, Lin Yi played just 30 minutes but went nuts: 8-of-13 on twos, 4-of-7 from deep, and 5-of-6 from the line for a career-high 33 points. He also racked up 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks.
Oh, and by the way—those 33 points? Best single-game scoring mark for any rookie so far in the 2009 season.
The season's barely started, and Lin Yi still remembers Brandon Jennings' 55-point rookie explosion hasn't happened yet. That means he's got a real shot. In a few weeks, he's turning 20, and he's got his eye on that youngest 50-point game record.
If you wanna be the guy, you've gotta leave your name all over the record books. Just ask MJ.
How did Jordan stay relevant even after he retired?
Simple—his stat sheet still shouts louder than most players alive.
This year's rookie class? Not really messing with Lin Yi. The only real threat for Rookie of the Year is Tyreke Evans, who Lin remembers putting up a 20-5-5 average in his debut season. But this timeline's different—Evans got drafted by the Timberwolves, not the Kings. Cold, miserable Minnesota? Sharing the backcourt with Jonny Flynn? Good luck.
Honestly, Lin Yi's biggest competition is himself. If he wants the spotlight, he's gotta take it—loudly. And the youngest 50-point game in NBA history? That's the kind of headline you can't ignore.
He checked the schedule. The target's in sight.
Lin's biggest edge right now is his mix of height and mobility, which lets him exploit mismatches. His biggest weakness? Experience. So, is he about to challenge dominant bigs and chase clout?
Hell no.
You don't punch a brick wall—you find the soft fruit and squeeze.
He's already picked out the soft persimmon. All that's left is to get in the gym and shoot like crazy until game day.
...
That Sixers game lit up New York.
Lin Yi gave fans a show: three big-time plays, posterizing Dalembert, and gliding into a windmill dunk over Elton Brand that people kept talking about after the buzzer.
Meanwhile, Chinese fans? Furious at CCTV.
"Why are we watching some random Nets game? Give us Knicks games already!"
"33 points in a rookie season!"
"Even Yao didn't go this hard in his first year!"
And as for the haters? Suddenly quiet.
Stat-padding? He only played three quarters.
Only plays well against weak teams? The Knicks are a weak team. They finished dead last last season, and outside of Lin Yi, it's not like they added a ton of firepower.
So for now, the haters are biding their time. But Lin Yi knows the deal—if you've got fans, you've got haters. And sometimes the biggest haters? Secret fans.
...
November 2nd — Hornets vs. Knicks.
Back at Madison Square Garden for the second home game, the Knicks edged out New Orleans 125-95. That's two wins in a row.
Record? 3-1.
Bonus drama: In the fourth quarter, Chris Paul wasn't happy with Coach Byron Scott's playcall. So CP3 just… grabbed the tactics board and drew up his own play. And the crazy part? It worked.
Lin Yi could already see it—Paul and Scott were heading for a split. Honestly, if Scott hadn't been lucky enough to coach two generational point guards in Kidd and CP3, he might've been run out of the league already.
Two stars, two fallouts. Says a lot about the coach.
Looking ahead, Lin Yi saw the schedule was looking real friendly. Public perception still had the Hornets as a strong team, but he knew better. Coaching drama, unhappy stars, and a front office that traded Tyson Chandler for Okafor?
Come on.
Okafor's a solid stat guy, but defensively, he's no Chandler.
November 4th — Madison Square Garden
Knicks beat the Pacers 104-89.
Roy Hibbert got lit up. Lin Yi hit elegant fadeaways and tough jumpers and made it all look easy.
Commentator Zhang Zhengli was loving it:
"Look at that footwork. That hang time! That hand position! Beautiful."
Funny enough, Lin Yi hadn't even expected to be that sharp tonight. He was pacing himself, getting ready for the real fireworks game.
Since the schedule was playing nice, it was the perfect time to grind badges. First up? Tough* Shotmaker.*
The Pacers weren't much of a threat, and Lin Yi's teammates were rolling too. So he took a few extra looks, knowing no one would complain. He was hunting mismatches, and as far as he saw it, that's just good basketball.
If anything, his only faux regret was picking Marksman for his career path.
"Would've been nice to rack up ten dimes a game," he muttered to himself jokingly.
Not that he'd stay upset for long—once he unlocked Limitless**Rang**e, he'd be grateful he leaned into shooting.
Lin Yi figured that by Sweep Day, he'd have most of his badges up to silver, maybe even higher. That'd make things even easier.
He also understood that not many defenders could stop him at this stage. NBA coaches weren't big on switching defenses yet. He knew the smartest counter was throwing a lanky, strong forward at him—but no one was doing that. Not yet.
By the time they figured it out, Lin Yi would be untouchable anyway. Why make things harder than they have to be?
November 6th — The Cavs.
The media was going nuts. Next up? LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York fans weren't feeling Bron too much these days. The Knicks tried everything to lure LeBron in and failed. So now? Most fans were a bit antagonistic.
But with Lin Yi in town, the hate cooled off slightly. Still, nobody was cheering for the Cavs at MSG as it should be.
This game was hyped to the roof.
44 vs. 23.
Meanwhile, Chinese media were blowing things out of proportion in the best way:
The unexpected side effect? Yi Jianlian could finally breathe. With Yao Ming out for the season, the pressure had all shifted to Lin Yi—and that was fine by him.
Back in 09-10, the weight crushed Yi. The media hyped him up, and when he didn't meet expectations, they turned on him fast. That year was his peak, and it went downhill from there.
Lin Yi? Thriving under the spotlight.
Maybe that's what people mean by having a King's mentality.
As for the Cavs? Lin Yi wasn't sweating it.
Sure, they were better than the Knicks. He wasn't delusional—he wasn't about to go toe-to-toe with LeBron yet. But he wasn't guarding James. The Cavs weren't throwing Bron at him.
Nope—Lin Yi would be matched up with Shaq and old-man Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Yeah. That's right.
Straight into the fire with the Big Diesel.
No prep time for him like Batman in the comics.
Because this was real life—and that Shaq?
That Shaq was old.
If Lin Yi couldn't feast on him, he might as well retire.
...
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