NBA: Journey To Become Unplayable.

The Nuggets came up short again—Carmelo Anthony bricked a layup off the glass.

David Lee boxed out to clear space, letting Lin Yi grab the defensive rebound. Lin didn't hesitate—he pushed the ball upcourt himself.

D'Antoni had noticed it too: when David Lee got the rebound, the Knicks needed an extra beat to transition. But if Lin Yi pulled it down, the break was already in motion.

It was the same logic behind why the future Warriors often had Curry collect defensive rebounds—quicker transition, more pressure on the defense. Of course, to fully unlock this kind of playstyle, you'd need something close to the Thunder's personnel at their peak.

That said, Lin didn't need Lee clearing the way for him on every board. He didn't always go for the rebound with both feet in the paint—he liked to hover outside at times. Still, if he committed to the offensive glass, he could easily average three putbacks a game.

Belinelli sagged off his defender—Lin found him in stride. Anthony was still jogging back and tried to intervene, but Belinelli stepped into a three…

Splash!

Belinelli was hot tonight. His movement off the ball and catch-and-shoot rhythm was starting to remind Lin a bit of future Klay Thompson. So, Lin made a decision—keep feeding him.

Carmelo came back with an iso bucket, but on the next Knicks possession, his defense slipped again. Belinelli found space at the elbow. Lin zipped the pass—mid-range jumper.

Good again!

On the Knicks bench, Gallinari watched nervously. He'd missed the last two games with a nagging injury, and now…

Belinelli was lighting it up.

D'Antoni gave Gallinari a long look and snorted. Gallo had been playing well this season, maybe a little too well—he'd gotten a bit comfortable. The coach decided then and there: Gallinari would come off the bench next game. Time to remind him how hard starting spots are to earn.

Gallinari sighed. "Why'd I have to go hard that night? If I'd just eased up a bit, my ankle wouldn't be hurting…"

Louis Williams, seated beside him, gave a thumbs-up.

Gallinari just stared. "…"

...

By the end of the first quarter, the score was 24-35 in favor of the Knicks. Belinelli had dropped 17 points in just one quarter.

Melo shot 2-of-8 in the first, finishing with just 7 points, a good chunk from free throws.

Belinelli was buzzing. He thought tonight might be the night he hit a new career high. When he got back to the bench, he tugged on Lin Yi's jersey, excitedly going over the plays. Lin, smiling, broke things down for him.

"Marco, if you want to take it to the next level, you've gotta speed up your release. Give defenders less time to contest."

Bellinelli nodded eagerly. With that, both entered into a deep conversation on their tactics.

...

Second quarter.

Lin stayed in the game. Danny Green checked in.

The Knicks' lineup now: Lin Yi, Harrington, Danny Green, Eddie House, and Lou Williams.

The Nuggets sent out: Chris Andersen, Joey Graham, Anthony, J.R. Smith, and Ty Lawson.

Eddie House, who came over in the trade for Nate Robinson, hadn't played much in New York. He was undersized and a defensive liability. That's partly why the Celtics were willing to move him.

Still, D'Antoni gave him some run tonight—maybe a last chance to prove himself.

But Lin wasn't optimistic. He knew how Daniel Ainge operated. If House had anything left in the tank, Ainge wouldn't have let him go.

It was a bad deal for New York. But they had no choice. Nate had to be moved—or the locker room chemistry was going to blow up sooner or later.

Seeing the Nuggets' second unit out there made Lin Yi feel even better. Carmelo still wanted to dominate the ball, but the coaching staff had handed him the keys. The problem? Melo didn't play like Lin—he wasn't a connector.

Especially not when you had J.R. Smith out there, too.

Lawson wasn't Billups—he didn't organize the offense as well. He needed the ball to be effective. And when Melo fell into iso after iso, there was barely any room for J.R. to work.

And honestly, if J.R. got cold from deep… well, Lin could just focus on helping inside.

...

And that's exactly how it played out.

Melo got rolling a bit in the second quarter—his footwork and scoring instincts kicked in. But J.R. completely disappeared.

Lin had a strong second quarter himself, finishing the half with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Danny Green made good use of his minutes—7 points and 3 rebounds in 8 minutes.

Green's main issue was still physicality. His lateral quickness was solid—he could stay in front of guys. But when matched up against Anthony? The size difference showed. Melo just backed him down a few times and muscled his way to the rim.

Lin thought to himself: there's no way Anthony wins the scoring title this season.

And honestly, among the 2003 draft class, Carmelo had the best launchpad. He won the NCAA championship with Syracuse and led the Nuggets to the playoffs as a rookie.

Even in 08–09, he pushed Kobe and the Lakers.

But if Melo never adapts… if he never learns to move the ball or play off it…

He'll never reach his full potential.

...

Third quarter.

With Lin Yi's ninth assist of the night, the Knicks blew the lead open, up 30 points on the Nuggets.

The Garden faithful were already on their feet, buzzing with anticipation.

On the big scoreboard, Lin's stat line flashed: 19 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists.

Just one more dime, and he'd tie Michael Jordan's record: seven straight games with a triple-double.

On the Nuggets' side, Billups clanked another jumper. He looked gassed, frustrated. Try as he might, he just couldn't get the team moving.

Billups had tried to talk sense into Anthony before. He'd told him, "The doubles are gonna come. There's always a man open. If you trust the offense, we all eat." Last season, Anthony averaged over 4 assists a game—there were flashes of Dream Melo, the guy people thought he could become.

But ever since Coach Karl fell ill, Melo has regressed. His assists were almost cut in half, back to the old iso-heavy ways.

Watching the Knicks move the ball tonight, Billups couldn't help but feel a little envious. Lin Yi was just as much the centerpiece as Melo, but he played the game so much smarter.

Back on the court, Lin drove hard into the paint, collapsing the defense. Kenyon Martin slid over to help, leaving David Lee wide open under the rim. Lin whipped his signature no-look pass. Easy finish.

His 10th assist. The triple-double. The crowd erupted.

"M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!"

The chants rolled through the Garden like thunder. Fans held up their phones, texting everyone they knew: "You watching this? Lin just tied MJ's record!"

Somewhere in Shanghai, Lin's agent Zhong Muchen had already drafted a Weibo post. He hit send as soon as the assist went through:

"Congratulations to Lin Yi on tying the great Michael Jordan's record: seven straight triple-doubles in the NBA!"

Over on TNT, Barkley was already leaning back in his chair, thinking about where to grab dinner after the game.

Kenny Smith shot him a look. "Chuck, that smile's creeping me out. You thinking about barbecue again?"

"Man," Barkley grinned, "you know it. I can already taste it."

Kenny just shook his head.

...

D'Antoni called a timeout—he wanted Lin to soak in the moment.

As Lin walked to the bench, the crowd roared louder. D'Antoni met him halfway, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Congrats, my boy," the coach said warmly.

Lin just smiled faintly, his trademark calm unshaken.

Something inside him felt unlocked now. He was already thinking about the next milestone.

D'Antoni, still grinning, asked, "So, … gonna go for eight? Break the record?"

Lin nodded without hesitation. "Of course, Coach. But honestly?" He looked up at the scoreboard, eyes glinting. "I'm aiming a lot higher than that."

D'Antoni raised an eyebrow, chuckling under his breath.

"Lin… you really don't know how to play it low, do you?"

Lin gave him a sideways smile. "If I stop dreaming big, Coach… what's the point?"

One thing was clear: tonight was just another step.

There was another record he was chasing—one even more elusive than Michael's streak.

And when he got there… it wouldn't just be historic.

It would be legendary.

....

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