The Knicks' road trip kept them in Los Angeles, but this time, it wasn't the Clippers waiting on the other side—it was the Lakers. And no, this version of the Lakers wasn't a fading memory. They were still dangerous, still competitive, and still led by Kobe Bryant.
Lin Yi remembered this period of NBA history all too well.
Despite the Lakers' strength, their downfall that season had been heavily tied to Kobe's physical decline—nagging injuries and the relentless toll of carrying a franchise for over a decade.
In Lin's previous timeline, the Lakers-Mavs playoff series had shown it clearly: the Lakers leaned too heavily on Kobe. Too many possessions ended with tough jumpers or drawing fouls. The system slowed down. The explosiveness faded.
Even so, you could never underestimate a team coached by Phil Jackson.
The Zen Master respected the Knicks—and it showed in his adjustments. He even brought Bynum off the bench to deal with New York's small-ball pace. It was clear: Jackson wasn't going to let Lin Yi walk into Staples Center and rack up another stat-padding performance.
And just like that, the crowd erupted as the Lakers players were introduced.
When Shaquille O'Neal walked out during warmups, the building roared. Despite wearing Knicks colors now, the L.A. faithful hadn't forgotten what he meant to the franchise. The camera panned—inevitably—to Kobe Bryant. The producer knew what they were doing.
It was a reunion, but this one felt… peaceful.
Kobe walked up to Shaq and dapped him up, exchanging a few words before tip-off. It was a far cry from their drama-filled history. The Staples Center fans gave them a warm ovation, caught up in a wave of nostalgia.
...
Just like Shaq predicted, the Knicks dropped a hard-fought one to the Lakers.
It wasn't due to lack of effort—New York fought tooth and nail for three quarters, even leading at times. But fatigue hit them in the fourth. The Lakers, led by Jackson's tenacious schemes, played defense like it was the Finals. The Knicks were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and the lack of energy showed.
Final score: Lakers 107, Knicks 105.
Even in defeat, the Knicks made some noise. They hit a season-high for made three-pointers.
Neither star was at their sharpest—Kobe shot 8-of-23 from the field, including 3-of-8 from deep and 4-of-4 from the line, finishing with 27 points, 9 boards, and 5 dimes.
Lin Yi wasn't exactly in rhythm either. He went 12-of-33, 3-of-9 from three, and 8-of-8 on free throws. His stat line? 35 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists.
Both teams are locked in defensively. It wasn't that the stars were missing shots out of laziness—it was just one of those gritty nights. No clean looks, no space to breathe. But if the stars don't show up in games like this, who will?
...
Badge Upgrade
There was a silver lining for Lin Yi—during the game, he officially unlocked the Gold Dream Footwork badge. That meant that out of five of his positional skills were only two remained to be gold: Rebound Maniac and Limitless Range.
T/N: Dream Shake badge changed to Dream Footwork
To unlock Limitless Range, he needed 50 verified long-range makes. He had 42.
As for Rebounding? Well, if the season stayed on pace, he'd meet the requirements easily.
It wasn't about the upgrades anymore. Lin knew he was already up there. But being a perfectionist had its quirks. Looking at incomplete badges bugged him more than he'd admit.
...
Next Stop: San Antonio
After leaving Los Angeles, the Knicks headed to San Antonio.
On January 23rd, they dropped a 90-95 loss to the Spurs in another defensive grind. After the game, Coach Gregg Popovich—Pop as fans jokingly called him—had high praise.
"They're a legit title threat," Pop said, dead serious. "They make every possession a war."
He added something else, too: "Lin Yi's growing fast. He's their anchor. That kid's the real deal."
Pop wasn't one for flattery, especially after a win. That made his comments hit harder.
...
The Knicks had now lost two in a row. But there was no panic.
"We've still got work to do," Lin Yi said postgame, calm and focused.
Behind the scenes, though, Lin made a quiet move—he slid the bottle of Gatorade off the podium and tucked it under the bench.
He wasn't trying to be rude. It was business. With BodyArmor about to launch, Lin Yi didn't want to give Gatorade any free promo.
...
Lin Yi knew the team's real issue—lack of a second scoring option.
He didn't want to become a ball-hog, and the last thing he wanted was to be seen as a one-man system. So he had a quiet word with Coach D'Antoni.
"Coach, we've got guys like Gallo and Lou Will. Let's give them more touches. Let them take some of the heat off me."
D'Antoni agreed immediately. He'd been feeling the same way.
The team had spent the entire offseason building a movement-based offense. Relying too heavily on Lin was against everything they'd practiced. The early-season shot barrage had helped create momentum. But now, they needed wins more than hype.
Numbers were great, but wins kept the locker room stable.
...
November 2010
New York
Back home, Lin got a surprise visitor—Earl Barron.
"Yo, Lin," Earl grinned. "Your logo threes? Man, you don't know how hilarious your defender's face looks every time one drops. You ever think about doing the three-point contest?"
Lin paused for a while. "Never had anyone 220cm+ do it before, right?"
Eli laughed. "Exactly! You'd break the mold."
Lin thought it over. Physically, he felt much better than last year. And after those two tough losses, reclaiming some attention didn't seem like a bad idea.
...
Later that afternoon, Lin Yi contacted a few reporters.
As luck would have it, ESPN's Spide—the same guy who leaked his dunk contest rumors last year—got the scoop again.
The news was just added for fuel to the All Star Weekend fire.
NBA fans were eating it up.
#LinYi3PointKing
@KnicksFanForever: LIN IN THE THREE-POINT CONTEST!! Let's goooooooo!!! 🗽🔥 #AllStarWeekend
@BasketballBrainiac: Statistically, Lin Yi's corner 3 is among the most efficient shots in the league. Don't sleep. #LinYi3PointKing
@AsianHoopsHub: This is BIG. Lin Yi becomes the first Chinese-born player to enter the NBA three-point contest. Historical stuff. 🇨🇳🏀 #ProudMoment
@HoopSnob: Lin's got range, no doubt. But can he handle the timed pressure of the contest format? We'll see. 👀
@ZhongLeaks: All part of the plan. 😏 #LinYi #MuchenVision
@JaredFromBarstool: If Lin Yi drops a perfect rack in the first round, I'm buying a Knicks jersey. Quote me. #AllStarWeekend
@GothamBuckets: First the entry into the dunk contest, now Lin Yi's coming for the league's best snipers. Hope he doesn't get injured. #3PointShootout #LinYi
Some fans were already photoshopping Lin with trophies for all three All-Star events.
And Lin?
He was already imagining the skill challenge.
Didn't Kristaps Porzingis win one in the future? Maybe I should beat him to it while he's still in middle school…
The path for the younger generation? Through his records.
Why Now?
Lin's decision to join the three-point contest was simple. He was confident this season.
The Splash Brothers hadn't fully taken over yet. Steph was just starting to find rhythm. Klay wasn't a household name. The time to strike was now.
If Lin remembered correctly, James Jones won it this year. Not exactly unbeatable.
As Lin started shooting drills in preparation, the Oklahoma City Thunder touched down in New York.
The Knicks' next challenge: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and a whole lot of energy.
...
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