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Chapter 262: A 4-0 Start.
🕑 Added 2025-07-26 15:52:57 +0000 UTCThe Heat’s blowout loss to the Knicks was just the beginning of what would turn into a rocky start to their season. If Lin Yi remembered correctly, the Heat would stumble to a 9–8 record out of the gate.
Simply put, they still needed time to gel.
On October 29, while the media was still buzzing about the Knicks’ dominant win in Miami, New York headed to Canada to face the Raptors in their second game of the season.
Without Bosh, the Raptors had taken a clear step back. DeMar DeRozan was being positioned as their new focal point, but on this night, he couldn’t catch a break. Between Tony Allen’s suffocating defense, Danny Green’s non-stop pressure, and Stephenson whispering god-knows-what in his ear, DeRozan was left questioning everything.
Toronto had fallen from playoff contention, at least until they could bring in someone like Lowry and let DeRozan grow into his game.
DeRozan, still full of hope before tipoff, had dreams of taking down the Knicks and earning a bit of respect. Plus, getting one over Lin Yi wasn't a bad proposition.
Instead, by the end of the game, all he had was Lin Yi walking over, patting him on the shoulder, and saying with a friendly grin:
“Next time.”
Final score: Knicks 114, Raptors 84.
A 30-point win. Two road games, two commanding victories.
Lin Yi played 31 minutes, shooting 13-of-25 from the field, 5-of-9 from deep, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. He finished with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Notably, he drilled two ultra-deep threes, further extending his Limitless Range badge progress bar—just 51 more from distance and he’d complete the set.
With two spectacular games under his belt, Lin was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Out West, Pau Gasol took the honor for the Lakers.
...
On October 31, the Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden and hosted the Blazers. Without Brandon Roy or Greg Oden, Portland had already entered rebuild mode. The result? A routine 104–81 win for New York.
...
Then on November 2, the Knicks hosted the Washington Wizards—marking another Chinese Showdown. Lin Yi had fond memories of this team. Back in his past, John Wall often fed Yi Jianlian during fast breaks. With a summer of work under his belt, Yi still had some burst in him.
But the Wizards struggled.
Wall couldn’t get going. Every time he turned on the jets, a Knicks wing was already in position. Tony Allen guided him in, daring him to finish inside. And even if Wall got through, the Knicks had Lin, O’Neal, or Tyson Chandler waiting.
Wall couldn’t shoot, so he was forced to dish it off more often than not.
Yi Jianlian, to his credit, had a solid outing—5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-6 from three, and some work at the line gave him a team-high 15 points.
Final score: Knicks 107, Wizards 67.
A 40-point demolition.
Wall’s confidence took a serious hit—especially after getting blocked four times. Once by Lin, once by Shaq, and twice by Chandler. Each one greeted him afterward with a casual:
“Welcome to the NBA.”
Wall was rattled. So much so that, somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered that time during summer workouts when he’d bought Lin Yi a Gatorade.
He should’ve slipped in mustard instead.
...
With that, the Knicks opened the season 4–0, turning heads across the league.
Meanwhile, the Heat—projected by many to dominate the East—started 1–3. Their only win? A narrow, one-point escape against the Kings. It came down to a last-second miss from rookie Derrick Favors.
The media frenzy was immediate. Critics flooded the airwaves and social feeds, questioning everything from Miami’s chemistry to Spoelstra’s coaching. Lin Yi, having seen this all unfold once before, knew what was coming. The Heat were prone to letdowns. They’d dominate against elite competition, then take their foot off the gas against weaker teams.
Even after acquiring guys like Battier and Ray Allen in the future, their offense was never built around three-point shooting. The Heat relied on suffocating defense and athleticism, but without reliable spacing, teams could pack the paint and hang around.
LeBron hadn’t yet found the perfect system to thrive in. If Miami had surrounded him with more shooters during this stretch, things might’ve looked very different.
Some blamed Spoelstra. But then again, it’s easy to critique when you’re not the one drawing up plays for three superstars. As Shaq once joked in Lin's past life:
“Man, my grandma could coach this Heat team to the Finals.”
Still, while the Heat were catching heat, the Knicks were catching the glaze.
Reporters pivoted quickly. They weren’t about to double back for doubting the Knicks—so they framed the success around Lin Yi’s ability to elevate those around him.
And to be fair, the numbers backed it up. Most of the Knicks’ key players had seen noticeable stat jumps since playing alongside Lin.
The media was sold. The fans were sold. And through four games, Lin Yi had New York buzzing again.
...
Although Lin Yi’s shooting percentage had dipped slightly to start the new season, his points per game and minutes suggested something else entirely—his effectiveness had improved.
Still, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted. He’d trained like a maniac all summer, hoping to earn longer stretches on the court. But somehow, the script felt all too familiar. Just like last season, the Knicks were blowing teams out early. Through their first four games, they were winning by an average of 31 points. When you're up that big by the third quarter, how much playing time can you squeeze out?
Last year, Lin Yi could shamelessly pad his stats in the fourth. This season? Even when he tried, the opportunity rarely came. And it wasn’t about saving face—he genuinely didn’t get the minutes. The Knicks weren’t letting up defensively either. At most, they’d dial down from playoff-level pressure to regular-season intensity. But even that was more than most teams could handle.
The Wizards' coach, Flip Saunders, was nearly speechless after suffering a 40-point loss. At the post-game presser, he kept muttering to himself like a man possessed.
D’Antoni, meanwhile, looked genuinely confused in his interview about the questions asked.
“I was sitting there on the bench,” he shrugged. “But what am I supposed to do—tell the players to go easy on purpose?”
Even rookie big man Hassan Whiteside—who looked more confused than dangerous—got 20 minutes. What more could they want?
Lin Yi himself was happy with how dominant his teammates had been, but the body he’d worked so hard to sculpt in the offseason? Barely breaking a sweat.
“How’s a guy supposed to put up numbers when we’re locking up games by the third quarter?” he muttered to himself.
Still, Lin Yi wasn’t letting the early success get to his head, and neither was Coach D’Antoni. They both knew the schedule so far hadn’t been the toughest—aside from the opener against the Heat. Beating up on weaker teams was one thing. What they needed now were tests that really meant something.
And those tests were coming fast.
On November 5th, the Knicks would head to Chicago to take on the red-hot Bulls, who were riding their own four-game win streak. After that, it was a trip to Boston to face the veteran-heavy Celtics.
Back-to-back games against elite teams. Real measuring sticks.
It was time to find out if the Knicks were the real deal—or just off to a hot start.
