n reality, although Lin Yi always claimed that he did not care about outside opinions, he still felt somewhat irritated whenever he saw people calling him a "ball hog," and worst of them all, "The Ball Stops Here"
People were simply talking nonsense with complete confidence. Of course, some people would argue that they had merely uncovered the hidden truth.
When had the team-first Lin Yi ever played selfish basketball?
Because of these criticisms, Lin Yi had actually been quite happy to share the ball since returning from his childbirth.
The problem was that his teammates kept wasting his assists.
This was something he found completely unacceptable.
And tonight, after recognizing San Antonio's defensive strategy, Lin Yi suddenly felt that it was time to demonstrate his ability to organize the offense.
Definitely not because he wanted more assists.
Absolutely not.
...
Following the timeout, play resumed.
Parker used a Duncan screen, turned the corner, and calmly knocked down a mid-range jumper.
7-2.
On the Knicks' next possession, Lin Yi exchanged a glance with Livingston.
Shaun immediately understood.
He signaled for everyone to clear out.
Initially, it looked as though Lin Yi intended to establish position on the low block again. However, halfway through his cut, he suddenly changed direction and moved toward the free-throw line.
This was no coincidence because during the timeout, the Spurs had switched into a zone defense. Lin Yi had no intention of charging directly into the middle of a defensive trap.
There is a significant difference between inviting double teams and running directly into one.
Earlier in the game, Lin Yi had deliberately attacked the low post to draw help defenders and create passing opportunities. But against a zone, catching the ball too deep could easily allow the defense to surround him before he had a chance to make a read.
The free-throw line, however, has always been one of the most effective areas for attacking a zone.
Duncan stepped forward and extended his right arm, almost recreating Shane Battier's famous face-guarding defense.
Lin Yi caught the ball.
A slight shoulder fake.
One explosive step.
The impossible hang time.
The smooth wrist flick.
Lin Yi's trademark pull-up jumper.
Splash.
2-9.
There was a reason he took the shot himself.
If you never threaten the defense as a scorer, why would they continue sending extra defenders at you?
The jumper instantly brought Madison Square Garden to its feet.
On the sidelines, Li Ruoqi's eyes had practically turned into stars.
Some devoted fans had even uploaded one-hour compilations of his pull-up jumpers onto YouTube.
One-hours.
And unbelievably, some people actually watched the entire thing in one sitting.
Others replayed those videos over and over again.
When Lin Yi heard about this, his first reaction was simple:
"People really do have a lot of free time."
Back on the court, the Spurs answered.
Duncan and Parker executed a quick dribble handoff.
He then accelerated into the paint and finished a difficult layup.
Lin Yi could not reach the shot.
Parker's shot was simply too good.
Playing against him often felt like getting caught in invisible strings. Before defenders realized it, they were already one step behind.
4-9.
As San Antonio's offense finally began to settle down, Popovich's expression eased considerably.
But there was still one problem.
The Knicks simply could not miss.
As one of the people heavily invested in stopping Lin, Popovich had spent years studying ways to defend Lin Yi.
Yes, Lin Yi had played center during his rookie season.
But the current version of Lin Yi was a completely different player.
The rookie had played center almost like a trickster, relying on mobility, mismatches, and clever positioning.
The current Lin Yi was different.
Now he was dominating opponents openly.
. . .
In the first quarter, Lin Yi transformed into the Knicks' lighthouse.
Every possession, every rotation, every defensive collapse, he seemed to know exactly where the next open shooter would appear. One pass after another, he guided the Knicks' snipers toward their targets.
The result was devastating.
From the corners, from the wings, from several feet beyond the arc, New York's shooters fired relentlessly.
To Popovich, it felt as though the Knicks were setting up artillery positions eight hundred miles away and shelling him one three-pointer at a time. It just kept getting stuffed without a break.
For a brief moment, the Spurs coach even entertained the thought:
Maybe retirement wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Because if he kept playing the Knicks like this, he felt he might eventually die from frustration.
The most infuriating part was that New York's shots were simply too clean.
By the latter half of the first quarter, the Spurs had already begun extending their defense far beyond the three-point line.
But that created another problem.
They couldn't exactly allow Lin Yi to continue bullying Duncan inside the paint.
How could Popovich possibly stand by and watch one of the greatest big men in basketball history spend the final years of his career getting pushed around by Lin Yi?
So late in the quarter, Tiago Splitter entered the game to guard him.
At that point, Popovich had already reached a certain stage of acceptance.
We cannot allow Lin Yi to keep treating Duncan like a training dummy in the paint.
. .
Inside the TNT studio, Barkley was full of praise.
"People always say Lin only knows how to put his head down and play isolation basketball. Honestly, I don't think those people have watched him play. They've probably only watched highlight clips. This is a guy who averaged a triple-double over an entire season."
Kenny Smith nodded.
"Lin already has eight assists in the first quarter. He only scored six points, but tonight he's leading the Knicks in a completely different way."
The Spurs' problems, in truth, had less to do with Lin Yi and more to do with themselves.
Duncan was no longer the player he once was. Despite the endless jokes about him being the greatest twenty-first pick in history due to the number he wore, expecting the veteran to consistently turn back the clock was unrealistic.
At the same time, San Antonio was clearly overreacting to Lin Yi.
His 66-point explosion during last year's Finals still haunted the entire roster.
Whenever he touched the ball, Spurs defenders instinctively tensed.
But fans did not care about any of that.
In their eyes, Lin Yi was simply invincible.
Chris Paul was injured.
Chandler was unavailable.
And yet Lin Yi was still dismantling the Spurs.
What more needed to be said?
...
The second quarter began with New York holding a fourteen-point advantage.
By that point, Popovich was already considering surrendering gracefully. Unfortunately for him, the Spurs were also one of the league's most stubborn teams. Even when their form abandoned them, their pride never did.
That stubbornness was one of the reasons Kobe Bryant had always earned so much respect from his opponents.
No matter how many shots are missed.
No matter how many bricks flew.
The next shot would still go up without hesitation.
If he couldn't help your center reach double-digit rebounds, then he wasn't Kobe Bryant.
That was Mamba Mentality.
Fearless.
After resting for four minutes, Lin Yi checked back into the game. By now, the Knicks' shooters had fully found their rhythm thanks to Lin Yi's constant feeding.
Late in the second quarter, Wayne Ellington decided it was his turn to contribute.
During the offseason, the veteran shooter had spent countless hours practicing deeper three-pointers.
On one possession, Ellington deliberately took an extra step backward while running into position.
Lin Yi delivered the pass.
Without hesitation, the former North Carolina standout launched from well beyond the line.
Swish.
Fortunately for him, the shot went in.
Otherwise, Lin Yi might have chased him back to the bench himself.
You can shoot from thirty feet.
Fine.
But when you're already wide open, why intentionally move farther away?
Poor Ellington believed his deep three had earned him Lin Yi's approval.
What he did not know was that, in Lin Yi's internal notebook, his name had already been recorded.
Nick Young 2.0.
By halftime, San Antonio's momentum had completely disappeared.
The scoreboard read:
Knicks 68.
Spurs 46.
A twenty-two-point lead.
And the most frightening part?
Lin Yi had already secured a triple-double.
10 points.
10 rebounds.
15 assists.
Originally, Popovich had planned to use the "Lin Yi Rule" to prevent him from activating his teammates.
After seeing the score, however, Popovich reached a new conclusion.
Losing the game was acceptable.
Allowing Lin Yi to score fifty or sixty points was not.
If the Spurs had to lose, then they would at least make sure Lin Yi could not post another historic scoring performance.
What Popovich did not realize was that his determination to prevent Lin Yi from scoring would end up helping him in an entirely different way.
Because once a ball hog decides to become a playmaker, the rest of the league usually has a very bad night.
. . .
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