After the halftime break, play resumed.
Although Popovich had practically accepted defeat, he still held onto a tiny sliver of hope.
What if the Knicks relaxed?
What if they became complacent?
Perhaps the Spurs could still make one final push.
As it turned out, Popovich's prediction was correct.
The Knicks really did become careless. The problem was that even their carelessness was enough to bury San Antonio. Duncan opened the third quarter with a classic bank shot from the right elbow.
48-68.
The veteran's fundamentals remained as dependable as ever. But on the very next possession, the Knicks pushed the pace.
Lin Yi grabbed the ball and crossed half court in just a few long strides. Seeing Klay Thompson sprinting ahead, he delivered a perfectly timed one-handed bounce pass.
A Splash Brothers connection.
Klay caught the ball while slightly off balance, yet he still rose without hesitation.
Swish.
48-71.
New York's lead continued to grow.
Assist number sixteen for Lin Yi.
Technically speaking, a transition pull-up when an easy layup was available was absolutely a bad shot.
Completely irresponsible and utterly reckless.
But what exactly could you do about it when it kept going in?
Lin Yi was having the time of his life. As long as the Knicks' shooters stayed hot, his assist total would continue climbing.
After noticing that he had already accumulated sixteen assists, Lin Yi suddenly felt that tonight was the perfect opportunity to embrace the spirit of self-sacrifice.
After all, as one of Steve Nash's teammates, Lin Yi decided to embrace the man's ideology tonight and become a passing center.
Scoring was merely a side business tonight.
On the next defensive possession, Lin Yi finally managed to block Parker.
Stopping Parker at the rim had always been one of the hardest assignments in the league. His pace changes, hesitation dribbles, and unusual release angles often made defenders feel as if they were chasing shadows.
This time, however, Lin Yi remained patient.
He refused to bite.
Only when Parker released the layup did he slide over.
Block.
The ball ricocheted away.
Lin Yi secured the rebound himself.
Meanwhile, Livingston had already turned and sprinted up the floor without even looking back. After all, the Knicks' point guard never actually handled the basketball.
Point-center Lin Yi advanced the ball himself.
With the score already heavily in New York's favor, even the disciplined Spurs were beginning to lose some defensive intensity. Lin Yi attacked from the perimeter with his crossovers, slicing through the defense.
Madison Square Garden rose to its feet.
Because everyone knew what was coming.
The pistol pass.
Jimmy Butler, who had been preparing to jump the passing lane, suddenly froze.
He genuinely wanted to curse.
Because for a split second, the basketball had completely disappeared from his vision.
Where did it go?
The pistol pass was not new.
Lin Yi had used it before.
But every single time, even his own teammates needed a moment to process what had happened.
Danny Green stood there in disbelief for perhaps half a second, then he realized nobody was guarding him.
When you are wide open, there is only one correct decision.
Shoot.
Swish.
48-74.
Popovich immediately called another timeout.
On TNT, Barkley slapped his forehead.
"Lin's style of play is unbelievable."
Kenny Smith laughed.
"He's turned this game into an exhibition. He is giving Globetrotters vibes right now, and I am all for it."
Meanwhile, the Lin haters who had confidently predicted a Spurs victory before the game could only stare blankly upward.
Who could have imagined this?
Two Knicks All-Stars were unavailable.
And yet New York was destroying San Antonio.
Watching from the sidelines in a suit, Chris Paul suddenly experienced a powerful sense of crisis. During the timeout, the injured point guard leaned on his crutch and personally handed Lin Yi a hydration drink.
"Lin, we're up by a lot. Maybe you should get some rest."
His concern appeared sincere.
Very sincere.
Lin Yi smiled.
One thing was becoming increasingly clearer.
The Knicks were stronger than ever.
During the summer, Lin Yi had worried that the departures and retirements of several important role players would weaken the team.
But now?
This roster was terrifying.
They had won without him.
And now they were playing great without Chris Paul.
Without Tyson Chandler.
Did their absence matter?
Of course it did.
Without the Chandlers' defense, the Knicks had undeniably taken a step backward defensively. Lin Yi simply could not anchor the defense for forty-eight minutes every night.
It wasn't about effort.
Human beings have limits.
Energy and stamina are finite resources.
But when the team was clicking offensively, the same saying still applied.
Against anyone.
Anywhere.
The Knicks still felt like they held a seventy-thirty advantage. The Spurs were struggling with their own form. The Knicks' shooters had all been fed into rhythm by Lin Yi.
. .
Popovich knew exactly what was happening.
If this continued, the game would become a blowout.
Before the game, ESPN's analysts had largely favored San Antonio.
Two Knicks All-Stars were unavailable.
The Spurs were healthy.
Everything pointed toward a competitive game.
Competitive my ass.
Popovich sighed.
"Oh well."
At that point, he no longer cared about the margin.
What exactly would San Antonio gain by dragging their starters through another quarter?
Nothing.
After the timeout, Popovich decisively removed Duncan and Parker. This decision immediately made the television commentators uncomfortable.
Calling Knicks games had become one of the league's favorite assignments.
The ratings were excellent.
The fan interest was enormous.
The storylines never ended.
The only problem?
Knicks games often became blowouts.
At some point, the commentators inevitably ran out of basketball topics and started discussing Lin Yi's daughter. Fortunately, Lin Yi quickly gave them something new to talk about.
Because San Antonio waving the white flag did not mean New York was doing the same.
There were still ten minutes left in the third quarter.
How could Lin Yi possibly sit down now?
Tonight, the passing button had finally been reinstalled.
And after checking back onto the floor, Lin Yi had officially replaced Livingston.
According to statistics compiled by Knicks assistant coach Donaldson, Livingston went an astonishing three full minutes in the second half without touching the basketball.
Three minutes.
For an NBA point guard, that was practically impossible.
On the Knicks bench, Steve Nash nodded emotionally.
"Lin and Kobe really are alike."
After thinking for a moment, Nash added,
"The only difference is that Lin hides it better."
Chris Paul, sitting beside him, nearly wanted to stand up and hug Nash on the spot.
. .
On the court, Lin Yi continued conducting the offense as if he were performing magic.
Another no-look pass.
Another helpless Spurs defender.
Markieff Morris slipped behind the defense for an easy one-handed dunk.
Assist number eighteen.
The Spurs' offense continued to misfire, and the Knicks pushed the pace again.
This time, Lin Yi generously handed the spotlight to Klay Thompson.
He received the pass and attempted a spectacular gliding dunk.
It was very impressive...
For approximately half a second.
After that, gravity quickly reminded Klay of his athletic limitations.
He barely made it, but the dunk looked like nothing he imagined.
The crowd still erupted anyway.
As Lin Yi's assist total continued climbing, Barkley suddenly became excited.
"Kenny, do you think Lin has a chance to break Scott Skiles' single-game assist record tonight?"
Kenny Smith studied the stat sheet carefully.
"If he plays the fourth quarter, I think he absolutely has a chance."
.
With 3:23 remaining in the third quarter, the Knicks called a timeout.
At that point, Lin Yi had already collected twenty-four assists.
A new career high.
He had also tied Chris Paul's single-game franchise record of twenty-four assists.
One more.
Just one more.
And Lin Yi would become the Knicks' all-time single-game assist leader.
As a result, no matter how Chris Paul was elbowing Lin's rib, Lin Yi still walked toward the scorer's table after the timeout.
Paul looked as though his soul had left his body.
"Lin, we're up by almost forty."
"Lin, think about your health."
"Lin, the season is still long."
Unfortunately, all of Paul's efforts were useless.
Lin Yi gently removed CP3's hands and spoke with complete seriousness.
"As the leader of this team, I can't play twenty-something minutes every night and then sit down."
"I have to set an example."
Paul nearly burst into tears.
Set an example?
You're chasing my record!
Meanwhile, CP3 looked toward the floor in complete despair.
Could somebody please miss a shot?
Just one.
The Spurs were already trailing by nearly forty points.
What if someone lost control?
What if the game got ugly?
Unfortunately for Paul, his imagination was working much harder than reality.
Because tonight, San Antonio had been beaten into submission like a fresh graduate discovering that every "entry-level" job requires five years of experience.
Frustration?
Anger?
There was none left.
The Knicks' outside shooting had already frozen the Spurs completely.
If someone had handed the entire Spurs roster a bottle of Sprite at that moment, it would probably have perfectly reflected their emotional state.
Ice cold.
That was the only feeling left.
On the San Antonio bench, Popovich sat quietly with his arms crossed.
He no longer shouted and complained.
The old coach simply stared at Lin Yi.
Twenty-four assists.
And somehow, the most terrifying thing was that Lin Yi still looked disappointed every time one of his teammates missed.
As if he were thinking:
How did you miss that?
That was an assist.
Those are my statistics you're wasting.
At that moment, everyone finally realized something.
Perhaps Lin Yi had never become selfless.
Perhaps he had simply discovered a new way to dominate the game.
Tonight, the league's most notorious ball hog had temporarily transformed into the NBA's most terrifying assist hog.
And unfortunately for the Spurs, there was still an entire quarter left to play.
. . .
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