The Bulls began to rise during the 2010–11 season. Under head coach Tom Thibodeau, they picked up Carlos Boozer—nicknamed Booz Cruise—during the summer.
This season was also turning out to be Derrick Rose's breakout year. If it weren't for Lin Yi lighting up the league, Rose would've dominated the headlines during the start of the season.
From what Lin Yi recalled, the Bulls were cruising through the Eastern Conference. Rose's efficiency had taken a noticeable step up—his shot attempts only went up by two, yet his scoring average climbed by five points.
Thibodeau made a point of trimming Rose's reliance on inefficient long twos. Rose had worked on his three-point shot over the summer—not that he had become a sharpshooter—but with 4.8 attempts per game, it was a career high. For comparison, he had only averaged three attempts from deep the previous season.
Thibs' logic was pretty straightforward: if Rose shot long twos at 40%, that's 8 points from 10 shots. But if he took threes and hit just 30%, he'd still score 9 points on the same number of shots. Simple math—more value for less effort.
And because Rose had suited up for Team USA in the summer's FIBA World Championship, the league was inclined to give these rising stars some leeway. His foul-drawing ability still wasn't elite, but he was getting to the line nearly seven times a game—pretty solid considering his slashing style.
The Knicks had given the Bulls a tough time last season, and Rose hadn't forgotten. Over the summer, he pushed his agent to pressure the front office for reinforcements. The Bulls responded fast. Thibodeau, a defensive mastermind, got to work building a cohesive system. Joakim Noah, in particular, had taken major steps forward defensively.
But Thibodeau was caught off guard after watching the Knicks' first four games. He didn't expect Mike D'Antoni—better known for his offensive schemes—to be coaching a Knicks squad that could defend like that.
To the average fan, the game might've looked less flashy. But to Thibodeau, it was clear: this Knicks team wasn't just competent—they were a serious step up from last season.
When he saw how many elite perimeter defenders the Knicks had, Thibodeau could only drool. Literally. That kind of roster? He was jealous. Very jealous.
Still, Thibodeau backed his squad. He loved coaching Rose—a quiet, coachable star. The Bulls had been knocked out by the Raptors for the playoff spots last season, and now they were hungrier than ever.
With Rose playing the best basketball of his career, Bulls fans finally believed that the United Center had found someone worthy of leading the franchise out of the post-Jordan wilderness.
And there was unfinished business. The Knicks had helped the Raptors sneak into the playoffs the previous year, so Bulls fans were eager for payback. That kind of resentment united the city.
Before tip-off, Chicago fans even rolled out a bold banner: "Let the Knicks feel our defense!"
Defense?
If we're talking defense, no one boasts about it like the Knicks' Death Five. Almost every guy on this roster can clamp down.
Bulls fans didn't know it yet, but Lin Yi and Coach D'Antoni were cooking up something completely different.
See, Lin Yi wasn't just thinking about a win. He had his eyes on the MVP race. Rose's playstyle was exciting and flashy, the kind that fans and voters loved. If Lin wasn't careful, he could spend all season grinding... only for the MVP trophy to go to Rose.
So just in case, Lin decided this game was going to be a statement. One that showed he could put up monster stats—even against Chicago's elite defense—while making sure Rose couldn't shine.
"The Bulls' defense is no joke," D'Antoni told him. "If you force your shots, your percentages are going to tank."
Lin nodded.
"I'm thinking of going for a triple-double tonight, if the game allows it," Lin said.
"Rebounds shouldn't be a problem. Since we got Tyson, your numbers on the boards have improved. But don't forget—every team's throwing the 'Jordan Rules' at you now. And this year's Bulls aren't last year's Bulls," D'Antoni replied.
"True, Coach. However, we still have the ball movement and spacing. I'll be the axe. If the guys can hit their shots, the assists will come easy."
D'Antoni nodded. "That's fair. As for Rose, we've got Tony Allen for a reason. I'll have him take that assignment. If anyone can slow Derrick down, it's Tony."
It was a good call. D'Antoni knew how important Lin was to this team—both on and off the court.
Still, the coaching staff had done their homework. The Bulls were built a bit like the Heat—strong defense, weak spacing. Their three-point shooting was even worse than Miami's.
Kyle Korver was their best sniper, averaging 1.5 makes per game, but because Thibodeau was obsessed with defense, Korver wasn't even a starter.
And the Bulls' second-best three-point threat?
Let's say if Rose started knocking down triples over Tony Allen, the Knicks' staff might have to investigate whether Tony had accepted a bribe.
With the stage set, Lin Yi had one goal in mind: to make sure that tonight, Windy City's Rose didn't bloom.
...
November 5th, 2010.
United Center, Chicago.
The energy in the building was electric. Bulls fans packed the arena to the brim, and the moment Lin Yi stepped onto the floor, a wall of boos rained down on him.
No mixed cheers. No half-hearted applause. Just pure hostility.
"Looks like Lin's finally getting booed," Shaquille O'Neal chuckled. "I was starting to think he had fans in every building."
"No, no, Shaq," said Gallinari. "Believe it or not, Lin's got supporters here, too. Look closer—see those fans rocking Bulls jerseys over Lin Yi tees?"
Sure enough, a pocket of Chinese fans was scattered in the stands, double-layered in team colors. But in Chicago tonight, even Lin Yi's biggest fans had to keep their heads down. Wrong place, wrong crowd.
The United Center was loud, and the message was clear: the Knicks weren't welcome here.
"Kenny, I think it's safe to say the Knicks are on the Bulls fans' blacklist," Charles Barkley said before the tip-off.
Kenny Smith laughed. "Yeah, the Knicks swept the Bulls last regular season. Then they got beaten by the Raptors for the playoff spots. A lot of Bulls fans feel like New York tanked those games just to keep Chicago out of the postseason."
Back on the court, the warm-up camera panned to Derrick Rose, who stood at half court, locked in and stone-faced.
He wasn't just focused—he looked like he had something to prove.
Even Carlos Boozer, never shy about chirping during pregame, kept his distance.
Lin Yi watched all this unfold with mild amusement. Boozer had the reputation of a bruiser, but Lin had never really bought into the image.
Honestly, Boozer's whole label seemed more cosmetic than earned.
Sure, he had the shaved head, the jacked arms—but his main weapon was the mid-range jumper. And defensively? Lin couldn't understand why people thought he was intimidating. The guy averaged 0.4 blocks a game for his career. That's not scary—that's average. At best.
His ass got covered by Joakim Noah most times.
Just another case of muscles and a bald head selling the illusion.
...
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