On the 17th at Madison Square Garden, James Harden came in with one clear goal. He wanted payback for the thirteen threes Lin Yi dropped on him last time.
Instead, the night turned into a bad memory loop.
Harden could not stop thinking about that March Madness game when Arizona State got run off the floor by the Wildcats. Same feeling. Same frustration.
Once again, Lin Yi rolled out the Harden Rule.
Any time Harden touched the ball, the Knicks swarmed him.
Bumps. Hands. Pressure on every dribble. No breathing room at all.
If Harden was going to get those free-throws any way, the Knicks were going to make him work for them.
During the broadcast, Shaq sounded like he was having the time of his life.
"James has to have PTSD by now," O'Neal joked, "always getting spanked by Lin. No breaks, just pain."
Harden had once survived Metta World Peace and walked away with a legendary story. This time, his usual foul drawing tricks ran into a wall.
Lin Yi was clearly irritated.
Harden defended Lin with real intensity. Everyone else got half effort.
That did not sit well.
By the fourth quarter, Harden looked worn down. Houston had no backup plan. Jeremy Lin struggled on the field, and every drive got swallowed up by help defense.
The result was simple. The Rockets lost.
Knicks win. Second straight victory.
After the game, D'Antoni sounded annoyed.
"Maybe James needs to be treated like fine porcelain," he said. "He shot twice as many free throws as Lin."
At this point in the season, criticism followed Harden everywhere. His scoring style worked, but it annoyed people.
Efficient and legal, but hard to watch.
Lin Yi did not bother playing nice. If he could draw contact, he did. Superstar whistles existed for a reason. If even a two-time MVP could not get calls, who would?
But he really did that.
Still, Lin Yi remembered something.
In his past life, when D'Antoni coached Harden, the tone was different.
He praised Harden for understanding the rules. He said the rules were there to be used.
Funny how things changed.
That night hit Harden hard. The loss hurt. The talk about free throws hurt more.
So Harden did what Harden always did.
He went out.
When the Rockets left New York at four in the morning, Harden leaned back in his seat and sighed.
"This city," he said quietly, "really makes it hard to stop having fun."
…
After a day of rest, the Knicks were back at it on the 19th, hosting the Nets.
Brooklyn played better than last time. Humphries actually looked sharp. Maybe life was treating him kindly that week.
It did not matter.
Against Lin Yi, everything else faded.
With the Garden roaring, Lin Yi finished the night with 45 points and 16 rebounds.
Since the season began, his scoring average climbed to 36.1 points, a career high. Some fans even started talking seriously about the ten thousand points milestone this season.
That was optimistic.
Lin Yi had already passed seven thousand career points. He missed out on breaking the record for the youngest 10,000-point scorer, after all, King James started scoring in the NBA without even going to college.
There was another target, though.
Fewest games to reach ten thousand points.
LeBron James held that record at 368 games.
Lin Yi had done the homework. If he kept this pace, the record would fall.
You walk your own road. You leave nothing behind for others.
If you want to talk about all-time greatness, you leave marks nobody else can touch or be in the conversation for all.
…
On the 21st, the Bulls came to New York.
Last regular season, Chicago had been one of the teams that stopped the Knicks. Thibodeau truly believed that if Rose had stayed healthy, they could have gone to the Eastern Conference Finals and won it all.
Early in the season, Noah went down first.
Lin Yi watched and shook his head.
Thibodeau pushed his teams to the edge every night. Injuries felt inevitable.
By 2012–13, teams averaged around 24 three-point attempts per game.
The Bulls still lived in another era.
Fourteen point seven attempts. Four point nine makes. In a three-point league, that barely registered.
Playoffs would be a struggle.
Thibodeau kept hoping to sneak in and welcome Rose back.
Rose had other plans.
He was at the game, dressed in a suit. No real training. No rush.
He had listened to Lin Yi.
Forcing a comeback now would destroy what was left.
As one of Rose's few close friends in the league, Lin Yi could not stand watching him fade away.
Back at that All-Star Game, Rose had fed him assist after assist. That MVP did not come for free.
Rose had spent years stuck in a loop of comebacks and injuries, and by the 16/17 season, he finally shifted his approach. That year with the Knicks, he played 64 games, averaged 18 points and 4.4 assists. If Porzingis hadn't gotten hurt later, the duo could have realistically led that struggling Knicks squad into the playoffs.
After beating the Bulls that night, Lin Yi invited Rose over to his home for dinner. Rose tried the cake Olsen had baked and complimented her warmly, calling her a great cook and Lin a lucky man.
Olsen smiled softly. After dinner, Lin Yi turned to Rose.
"Derrick, how's the injury now?"
Rose's expression fell. "By the end of October, I was almost fully recovered. But then it flared up again, and the doctor told me to stick with conservative treatment."
He trusted Lin Yi, so aside from a few insiders, only Lin knew the full story.
Lin Yi nodded thoughtfully. In his memory, Rose had shouted about making a comeback in 12/13, but ended up sidelined anyway.
"I think you should stop all basketball-related training for now," Lin Yi said. "Just focus on recovering."
Rose frowned. "If I even pause rehab, how can I guarantee I'll be ready when I come back?"
Lin Yi leaned in slightly. "Derrick, have you thought about how much these recurring injuries are costing you? Would you rather rest for six months and train properly, or keep punishing yourself, over and over?"
Lin Yi knew Rose well by now. He could be incredibly stubborn, prone to dwelling on mistakes.
"Think about it," Lin Yi continued. "The choice is yours, but sometimes letting go is the smartest move."
Rose paused, then nodded. "Alright… I'll talk it over with my agent."
"Also," Lin Yi added, "I think you should be honest with the fans. Say it clearly—you won't make a comeback this season. Even if the Bulls make the playoffs, it's just not possible."
Rose blinked. "But my agent says if I don't give the fans hope, they'll forget me quickly."
Lin Yi shook his head. "And what good is giving false hope? Right now, your teammates are pushing hard, thinking you'll be back. If you don't return, won't everyone feel betrayed? It's the boy-who-cried-wolf effect."
Rose's agent wasn't a fool. He didn't want Rose to burn out before his career ended.
"Even without coming back this season, your team is behind you," Lin Yi reassured him. "Joakim's got your back, and Tom's said in interviews you're the Michael of this Bulls squad. Tell the truth, and they'll understand. They want you healthy, not risking everything for nothing."
Rose thought about it, then nodded slowly. "You're right, Lin. I shouldn't deceive the fans. It's not fair to them."
The weight lifted off his shoulders almost instantly. Letting go of pressure made space for motivation. Rose had carried the Bulls' resurgence on his back. That burden had crushed him.
In this timeline, Lin Yi had already claimed the MVP, but Rose was free from that pressure. He could finally accept advice without ego in the way.
Lin Yi also talked with him about adjusting his playing style. Rose didn't need to rely on sheer speed. His fundamentals were solid, his dribbling sharp, and his rhythm would keep him effective in the long run. Lin Yi even mentioned Brandon Roy, back after retirement, but only as a fringe player with the Timberwolves. Rose understood what Lin Yi meant: talent without care could vanish.
"Derrick, your talent is rare," Lin Yi said gently. "As a fellow competitor and friend, I don't want the Windy City's Rose withering anytime soon."
Each word sank in. Rose remembered their agreement from last season: once he recovered, he'd train with Lin Yi personally. Tonight's conversation reinforced that Lin genuinely wanted him to succeed.
"I will, Lin. I'll change my style. It's a shame we're not teammates!" Rose said, emotion in his voice.
Lin Yi smiled.
We are both young. Who could say where the future would take them?
. . .
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