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Chapter 196: Rising Before Royalty
🕑 Added 2025-06-25 14:57:33 +0000 UTC“Hey Lin, we’re playing the Kings, not the Lakers. Why are you so fired up?” David Lee asked, glancing curiously at Lin Yi, who was bouncing with energy during warm-ups.
Lin Yi grinned, his eyes sharp with determination. “Because you never underestimate your opponent, David!”
He said it with conviction—cool, composed, and almost heroic. But David couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Wasn’t it Lin himself who called the Kings “easy” during the film session yesterday?
Lin Yi had a habit of flipping his mood faster than flipping through a scouting report.
Still, he had every reason to be excited tonight.
Upgrade time.
This game was the final push. Once it ended, he’d finally get that long-awaited system upgrade.
He’d been stuck at the Bronze Pro level for his stats for nearly a year now. How could he not be hyped?
T/N: His stats and badges are different.
Sure, Silver wasn’t exactly god-tier, but it meant progress.
Tonight, the Knicks were hosting the Sacramento Kings.
And to be fair, Kings fans weren’t exactly in crisis mode yet. Most of them still believed this rough patch was temporary. After all, even storied franchises like the Lakers had down years. In their minds, this was just the calm before another rise.
They were even optimistic about management.
After all, the Kings had used last summer’s draft to grab Spain’s “Golden Boy” — Ricky Rubio. Sure, his draft stock had dipped for a handful of reasons, but the fans believed they’d landed a steal.
Rubio’s name alone carried weight. It sounded magical. A future savior.
Fans were already fantasizing about him turning the franchise around next season.
But Lin Yi? He almost wanted to grab a mic and say, “Guys... don’t hold your breath.”
He remembered clearly: Rubio wouldn’t come to the NBA until the 2011–12 season. The wait would be longer than they had thought, and the hype would come crashing down.
Rubio was the kind of player who peaked early. After his flashy debut, his stats in Minnesota flatlined. Copy, paste, repeat. Not bad, but not what was promised.
And as for his shooting? Let’s just say Lin Yi had a vivid memory of Rubio once missing the entire rim.
Tough times were ahead for Kings fans.
Right now, the team was in the middle of trade talks with the Rockets. Sacramento was eyeing Tracy McGrady’s expiring contract, while Houston was circling Kevin Martin.
Fate’s got a funny way of bringing mismatched pieces together.
In the end, the Kings barely put up a fight.
Especially not against the high-octane version of Lin Yi, who flipped the switch and went full-on “Demon King” mode. He torched them through three quarters.
Final score?
87–109. Knicks win easily.
Their fourth straight victory since February.
And the biggest star? No question — Lin Yi’s shoes were shining the brightest.
Ding! Congratulations to the host! Bronze to Silver upgrade complete!
A warm glow — not literal, but Lin could feel it.
It was like a rush of knowledge crashing into his brain all at once. New skills, new techniques — everything from point guard to center clicked into place.
His long-standing bottleneck? Smashed.
All five positions upgraded to Silver.
The system didn’t show exact ratings, but Lin figured they were comparable to a Silver-tier MyTeam card in 2K — probably between 75 and 80. But with his physical gifts — height, length, speed — his in-game performance would exceed any number on a card.
The system also dropped the requirements for the next level-up:
100 NBA games
1 million training points per position (thankfully, playoff games counted too)
There were 32 games left in the season. If the Knicks reached even the second round, he could complete his target by mid-next season.
As for training points?
No worries.
With how hard Lin trained, those would come naturally.
Reaching Silver across all positions was huge.
It reminded Lin of a favorite web novel from back in the day. The protagonist was a San Ren, a free-spirited, multi-classed warrior who dominated simply because he had more skills than anyone else.
That was the path Lin saw for himself.
He had the height, coordination, and speed to be a matchup nightmare.
Against guards? Use his size to overpower them.
Against bigs? Use finesse and guard skills to slip past them.
Mismatch advantages all over the floor.
And he didn’t need to brute-force anything either. His playstyle was all about adapting — attack, retreat, feint, strike.
The Silver upgrade raised his floor. The ceiling? That was something he had to climb toward — like sharpening his dribbling, a skill he believed was way ahead of what the system currently recognized.
In his mind, leveling up was like unlocking potential, but making the most of it was up to him.
Upgrade complete. Mission clear. But the journey? Just getting started.
Next stop: Cleveland.
Before the All-Star break, the Knicks had one last game — and the NBA schedule gods were smiling, because their next opponent?
The Cavaliers.
And someone named LeBron James.
Let’s see how Silver stats with his badges stack up.
After wrapping up the win over the Kings, the Knicks had just one more stop before the All-Star break — and wouldn’t you know it, the schedule-makers had a flair for drama.
Next up?
The Cleveland Cavaliers.
Yep. LeBron and company.
A rematch just before All-Star Weekend? The league knew what it was doing. The storyline practically wrote itself.
Their first clash this season had seen King James drop 40 — a masterclass in empty stats. The Cavs had lost that one, and now? Now, it was all about revenge.
Could they get it?
Hard to say. The Knicks didn’t know how the Cavs felt, but they were starting to feel like they had a cheat code on their team.
Namely: Lin Yi.
Because somehow, the guy looked like he’d upgraded again.
It was subtle at first. Lin had casually asked David Lee for a few one-on-one reps during practice. Nothing unusual — they often did that for warm-up and rhythm work.
David agreed, no second thoughts. He’d been locking in defensively lately, partly thanks to these matchups with Lin.
But this time?
This time was different.
Something felt off. Or rather, something felt too smooth.
Lin’s dribble moves were sharper. His footwork more refined. His back-to-the-basket game? Tightened up. He had more weapons on offense — more counters, more options. And he was using them effortlessly.
David Lee walked off the court feeling... defeated.
“I’m not crazy, right?” he muttered to himself. “He has gotten better.”
Lin wasn’t just scoring more — he was controlling the entire rhythm of the matchup.
It didn’t take long for the rest of the team to catch on.
During the team scrimmage, Lin started doing things that had the bench buzzing.
“Coach,” D’Antoni leaned toward one of his assistants, “you notice anything... different about Lin?”
Herb Williams, the first assistant coach, nodded slowly. “His passing reads are quicker. Defensive positioning’s tighter. And his shot selection? Way more stable.”
He paused, glancing toward the court.
“But hey — maybe he’s just having a good day.”
D’Antoni smiled faintly but shook his head. “Nah, this isn’t just good form. He’s leveled up again.”
Lin’s movements were more deliberate. His skill set more polished. The change wasn’t just in the highlights — it was in the details. The kind of things only coaches or hardcore film junkies would notice.
It was like his fundamentals had jumped a tier.
“Maybe he’s hyped for the Cavs game and wants to show out?” D’Antoni joked.
The staff chuckled.
Lin Yi’s progress was starting to feel... mythical.
It was that classic tale of quantitative change leading to a qualitative leap. Day after day of grinding, drilling, pushing — and then one day, snap — the ceiling cracks open, and suddenly you’re playing at a whole new level.
It felt like Lin was constantly upgrading in real-time.
“How is he always getting better?” one assistant murmured.
“We struck gold this summer,” D’Antoni said, shaking his head with a mix of disbelief and admiration.
Later in practice, Lin offered a bit of explanation himself.
“Coach, I think it’s all the reps lately. Something finally clicked,” he said. “I’ve been hitting a wall for a while... and now it feels like I just broke through it.”
D’Antoni nodded, not surprised in the slightest.
A 7-foot-2 center with shoes with guard skills, court vision, and a relentless work ethic? Honestly, they were all used to being amazed by Lin at this point.
Still, that didn’t make it any less incredible.
This kid...
He was terrifying.
And the Cavs?
They’d better be ready.
Because Lin Yi was coming — and this time, he wasn’t just the rookie putting up stats.
