On the night the Knicks edged past the Heat, the hottest items in Miami were probably knee pads and heart medication.
If you wanted a quick check on your heart, you could just sit through a Knicks game. Make it to the final buzzer, and you were probably fine.
After the game, LeBron James walked into the interview room in a surprisingly relaxed mood.
"Honestly, I'm good," he said with a small shrug. "A streak ending isn't the worst thing. We'll take it, learn from it, and figure out how to beat them next time."
The reporters were not letting him off that easily.
They pushed him on Lin Yi's burst, 12 points in under a minute, the stretch that flipped the game. Without it, the Heat had control.
For a moment, James looked like he wanted to laugh it off.
"Man, you guys don't let anything go, huh?" he said, shaking his head.
Because the truth was, he had been fine with the loss. It was a tough game, but winnable. That part he could live with.
What stuck with him was something else.
Those four straight logo threes.
Even now, it did not quite make sense.
"As you all saw, Lin hit some tough shots," James said, choosing his words carefully. "We made mistakes, too. A couple of bad inbound plays, turnovers, and that gave him the chance to get going."
It was a clean answer, measured, almost neutral.
What he did not say out loud was just as clear. Even with Lin Yi going off like that, the Heat had still been right there.
From his perspective, the real damage came after that stretch. The team lost its composure for a few possessions, and at this level, that was enough.
Back then, shots from that distance still felt unusual. The league had shooters, but not many who treated that range like a normal option.
When it was Lin Yi's turn at the podium, the room shifted. The questions came quickly.
"Lin, what made you go to that kind of offense in that moment?"
He rubbed the back of his head, thinking for a second.
"I just wanted to take control of a few possessions," he said. "I work on those long threes in practice. And if there's no one on me, I'm comfortable taking that shot."
"So how confident are you with those in training?"
He smiled slightly.
"Still a bit lower than a regular three. Maybe around twenty percent less. But if I'm open, I trust it."
It was a simple answer, but it held up.
In a league where defenses were already stretching out to the arc, shooters had to adapt. Clean looks were rare. Extending range was one way to stay effective.
Lin Yi framed it like a natural step.
The room quieted. A few reporters who had come in ready to challenge him found nothing to push against.
From the side, one reporter muttered, almost to himself, "He's ahead of the curve."
For everyone watching, that stretch had felt unreal.
For Lin Yi, it felt like timing.
He knew it had broken his way.
And he was not about to let that become a habit he relied on.
On the ride back, his thoughts were already shifting forward.
LeBron and Dwyane Wade would also have nights where they were hot. If they hit form in a series, the margin for error would disappear.
He ran through scenarios in his head. Matchups. Rotations. Late-game possessions.
Whether it was Chris Paul or Klay Thompson on the other side, the conclusion always stayed the same.
He had to raise his own level first.
Blame did not interest him. In this league, pointing fingers after a loss solved nothing. And even in a win like this, the lesson held.
His game-breaking moments were not something he planned to lean on.
If anything, they were a reminder.
The real edge came from being reliable, possession after possession.
That was the standard he was chasing.
The Knicks were in a strong position, he believed that. But strength alone was not enough. Every detail had to be tightened, every gap closed.
He was already thinking about worst-case scenarios, too. Injuries. Slumps. Adjustments mid-series.
If things went wrong, how would he carry them through it?
That was the responsibility he had accepted.
. . .
"…Man, that was crazy. Lin, I'm calling you the Logo Terminator from now on," Stephen Curry said over the phone, still riding the high from watching the Knicks and Heat go at it.
"Logo Terminator?" Lin Yi repeated, half amused. "That sounds a bit off."
"Off? Nah, it fits," Curry shot back.
Lin Yi paused for a second, then added, "You sure Jerry West won't have a problem with that?"
Curry laughed. "Relax, not that logo."
After a brief pause, Curry shifted the topic.
"By the way, I'm heading to watch the Wildcats tomorrow, Sweet Sixteen. You think they're making the Elite Eight?"
Lin Yi thought it through before answering. "They should be fine. The South region isn't that deep this year, and Giannis is a problem at that level."
Curry's tone changed slightly. "He's really that good?"
"Yeah," Lin Yi replied. "Outside of his shooting, which clearly didn't come from us, he's basically me on an NCAA court."
There was a short silence.
Then the call ended.
Lin Yi stared at his phone and shook his head. "Too honest, I guess."
On the other end, Curry lowered his phone, half amused, half exasperated.
"Unbelievable," he muttered. "Guy never misses a chance to hype himself up."
Still, the thought lingered.
Four years in the league already.
Time had moved quickly.
He slumped back into his chair, looking through his window into the skies, almost unconsciously measuring the gap.
"Can we actually beat this Knicks team?" he said quietly before sighing.
. . .
On the 18th, the Knicks took care of the Clippers on the road, picking up their 60th win of the season.
Chauncey Billups was not at his best physically, but his presence still held weight in the Clippers. The pace, the decision-making, the small moments, those were things the box score never fully captured.
Eric Bledsoe had also settled down. Still aggressive, still physical, but no longer out of control. He picked his spots better and stopped overhelping, which alone made a difference.
As for Blake Griffin, his approach was clear.
He would rather get beaten off the dribble than give Lin Yi a clean look from deep.
After one possession where Griffin backed off just enough, Lin Yi smiled to himself.
"So he finally figured it out."
There was no point in contesting shots he could not reach anyway. At least now, Griffin was making a calculated choice.
Walking off the court, Lin Yi ran through the bigger picture.
"The West is getting interesting."
The Clippers had talent across the board. If they made the playoffs, they would not be an easy out. Young teams like that could disrupt anyone, especially teams trying to manage energy for the long run.
…
On the 20th, the Knicks returned home and handled the Magic.
Orlando had already shifted its focus. After moving Dwight Howard, the priority was clear. Position themselves for the draft and take a shot at landing Giannis.
Two days later, the Knicks swept a quick back-to-back against the Raptors.
After a short break, they went into Boston and picked up another win.
With Rajon Rondo out for the season, the Celtics were in a different fight. Doc Rivers understood the situation. A top seed was out of reach, but the sixth spot was still valuable.
Avoid the Knicks. Avoid the Heat.
That was the goal.
The Pacers, sitting third, looked like a far more manageable matchup.
…
On the 27th, the Knicks ran into the Grizzlies on the road and took a loss, just their fourth of the season.
Memphis had not forgotten.
After being on the wrong end of Lin Yi's 86-point explosion the previous year, this one meant something.
Lin Yi still put up 45, but it came on volume. The efficiency was not there.
The Knicks had also been grinding through a heavy stretch. Legs were not fresh, and it showed.
…
Two nights later, they returned home and beat the Bobcats, closing out March at 66–4.
Now the math was simple.
Twelve games left.
Win six, and they tie the Chicago Bulls record of 72–10.
Win seven, and they stand alone.
Inside the locker room, no one said it out loud.
But everyone knew exactly what was in front of them.
. . .
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