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Chapter 322: January Is A Wrap
🕑 Added 2025-08-26 22:57:24 +0000 UTCThe news of Lin Yi’s quadruple-double had set the entire NBA world on fire. For Knicks fans, it felt like the summit of their fandom—an achievement they could wear like a badge of honor. The moment carried the same weight and pride Kobe’s 81-point game did for Lakers fans. On the other side, Lin Yi’s critics could only grit their teeth and bide their time, waiting for the Knicks to stumble so they could pounce.
By the time January 29 rolled around, New York arrived in Memphis riding a nine-game win streak. The Grizzlies weren’t the same pushover squad people remembered—they’d grown. Mike Conley was maturing into one of the league’s steadiest point guards, and Marc Gasol had reshaped his game after last year’s lessons against Lin Yi. Slimmer, quicker, and now with a reliable three-point shot in his arsenal, Gasol looked like a new man. His touch around the perimeter left many coaches muttering the same thought: if Lin Yi can shoot threes, why can’t our bigs do the same?
The Knicks had sparked a league-wide identity crisis. Coaches who once clung to tradition suddenly found themselves rethinking their schemes. The three-point revolution and bigs’ playstyle spearheaded by Lin Yi and the former echoed by Curry, was forcing every team to adapt or risk being left behind.
Hearing that, Lin Yi only felt uneasy and a bit guilty—after all, it was supposed to be Curry’s revolution. But fate had written things differently.
Back to the hardwood: this Knicks-Grizzlies matchup promised a real clash of styles. Memphis thrived on grinding their opponents down possession by possession. Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol took turns hounding Lin Yi, while Zach Randolph relished every moment of lining up against his former team. To this day, Randolph carried a chip on his shoulder for how New York had shipped him out.
And Randolph was no easy cover. Don’t let the broad frame fool you—he wasn’t just muscle. Randolph’s post-game was built on rhythm and deception. Backing Lin Yi down with that infamous hip-check, then spinning into a soft hook or leaning back for a jumper, Randolph knew every trick in the book. He wasn’t overpowering Lin Yi, but he was certainly frustrating him.
Unable to dominate on defense, Lin Yi leaned harder on his offense. And that’s where the Knicks began to turn the tide.
The Grizzlies’ frontcourt of Randolph and Gasol was a nightmare for most teams, but against a squad like New York, the flaws in their system were glaring. Memphis lacked reliable three-point shooting beyond Conley and Gay. It was a weakness teams like the Spurs and Warriors had already exploited, and the Knicks were about to do the same.
In the second quarter, Lin Yi sparked a perimeter barrage. The Knicks’ shooters—Gallinari, Lou Williams, and Billups—all joined the party. Memphis tried to stay disciplined, but the lack of versatile wings like Tony Allen or Shane Battier, both of whom Lin Yi had lured away, left them stretched thin on the perimeter.
Lin Yi himself dialed in from deep, nailing back-to-back bombs that forced Hollins to extend the defense. But that was playing right into New York’s hands. Once Memphis was pulled out of the paint, the Knicks carved them up. Lou Williams cashed in on open looks, Gallinari hit timely jumpers, and Lin Yi orchestrated it all like a floor general disguised as a power forward.
Memphis fought, but they couldn’t claw back. The Knicks’ offensive rhythm was too relentless. After trailing in the first quarter, New York pulled ahead in the second and never looked back, closing out with a 105–97 win on the road.
Afterward, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins sounded both exasperated and grudgingly impressed. “Lin Yi is… a problem,” he admitted with a sigh. “A lot of those shots he hit were just flat-out unreasonable. You can’t plan for that.”
But for Lin Yi, that was the point. Ever since he’d discovered how far his game could stretch, he no longer felt bound by the word “reasonable.”
At this point, the Knicks wrapped up their January schedule. Halfway through the season, New York was still holding the league’s best record — something few expected back in October.
As the Los Angeles All-Star Game drew closer, Commissioner Stern’s mood was noticeably lighter compared to the previous year. With the league’s biggest names largely healthy this time around, the showcase promised star power. After all, fans don’t tune in for role players; they want to see the superstars go head-to-head.
Lin Yi’s historic quadruple-double was still dominating conversations across the basketball world. ESPN even launched a poll asking: Who’s the most complete player in the NBA right now? To the surprise of many, Lin Yi topped the voting with 37% — beating out household names like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant.
Hard to argue against it. Lin Yi’s numbers looked almost too good to be real.
Unsurprisingly, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month in January. His line? A staggering 32.8 points, 13.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.7 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game.
Even with his season scoring average dipping slightly to 34.1, he still led the league. More importantly, his efficiency shot up. In January, Lin Yi hit 54.7% from the field, 44.9% from three, and 96.8% from the line.
Chauncey Billups deserved some credit, too. His steady hand at point guard helped free Lin Yi for easier looks, balancing the Knicks’ offense in a way the young star hadn’t enjoyed before.
Out West, Zach Randolph took home Player of the Month honors after bullying the boards with 22.4 points and 14.2 rebounds a night for Memphis. Meanwhile, John Wall and Blake Griffin collected Rookie of the Month for the East and West, respectively.
The latest ESPN power rankings kept the Knicks in the top spot, praising not just their record but also Lin Yi’s MVP-level campaign. The buzz around him was deafening. In fact, bookmakers listed his MVP odds at 1.1 — practically a lock, barring some late-season collapse.
For his rivals, the picture wasn’t so bright. Derrick Rose and the Bulls trailed New York by three games, hurting his chances despite his stellar play. Kevin Durant was overshadowed by Lin Yi both statistically and record-wise. And as for LeBron James? He was now building steam since the Miami Heat was stable, but it looked a little late.
…
After practice on February 1st, Coach D’Antoni cut the guys loose for a rare day off. The timing wasn’t random: February 2nd was Chinese New Year’s Eve, and the Knicks were scheduled for a “coincidental” Spring Festival showdown with the Rockets the following night. D’Antoni figured a break would do them good — and honestly, giving Lin Yi some space for his cultural holiday was a classy gesture.
That’s when Shaquille O’Neal made his move. The veteran big man had already invited himself to Lin Yi’s place for New Year’s dinner, and now he was turning it up a notch.
“Hey Lin!” Shaq boomed with that familiar grin. “You'd better have my red envelope ready, man. Tradition says the big fella gets blessed too!”
Lin Yi nearly dropped his bag. “You? A red envelope? Aren’t you supposed to be giving them, not taking them?”
Shaq wasn’t fazed. “Nah, the franchise guy takes care of everybody on the court. Now it’s time for you to take care of me. That’s balance, baby!”
Then, in a move that made Lin Yi’s scalp tingle, Shaq tried out some freshly learned Chinese:
“Gong…xi…fa…chai!” he said, dragging out the tones with a thick accent.
The locker room erupted. Lou, Gallinari, and even Billups dropped dead onto the ground, figuratively laughing their lungs out with broken Mandarin traded among themselves.
Lin Yi didn’t stick around. He slipped out of the gym before they turned the whole place into a bad-language class. “Unbelievable…” he muttered with a smile as he made his way out.
…
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, a different kind of story was unfolding. In China, a New York-born kid with roots he had never fully understood was watching Lin Yi’s rise. What he didn’t yet know was that this connection — basketball, culture, identity — was about to change his life in ways he couldn’t imagine.
