NBA: Journey To Become Unplayable.

March 26, 2010.

US Airways Center.

Lin Yi won the opening tip against Stoudemire, and the Knicks got first possession.

Pat Ewing Jr. brought the ball across halfcourt, and Lin moved up to the high post to receive it.

Watching from the sidelines, Gentry frowned.

If he had any guts, Lin thought, he'd start Amar'e at center and go small with shooters all around. That'd at least force me to defend in space.

But instead, Gentry stuck with Channing Frye next to Amar'e. Frye's a decent shooter when left alone, sure—but on defense? He's a turnstile.

Lin didn't even bother running a pick-and-roll. He hit David Lee on a back-cut, and Lee flipped in a little lefty hook.

Assist, plus one for Lin Yi.

On the Phoenix bench, Gentry looked annoyed. He'd assumed Lin would force up shots trying to keep his triple-double streak alive. Instead, Lin just kept facilitating.

The Knicks came out feeding David Lee as the main scorer, while Lin orchestrated. And Lee—an All-Star for the first time this year—was making Frye look helpless.

For all Frye's height and wingspan, Lee had battled with Lin through thousands of practice reps. Lee didn't waste energy, didn't flinch, and kept finding soft spots in Frye's defense.

Just four minutes in, Gentry yanked Frye and went small with Amar'e at the five.

Lin shook his head. He regretted letting Lee go to work too much—now Frye was off the floor, and Lin had just lost a steady source of assists. He sighed. Should've paced that better…

...

The Suns' offense, as always, ran through Nash. The old man still saw everything, and his pick-and-roll with Stoudemire was as sharp as ever. Amar'e's jumper looked solid tonight too.

By the end of the first, Phoenix led 27-29. Lin had 4 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds—on pace for another triple-double.

On TNT, Kenny Smith didn't even bother betting Barkley this time. After watching the first quarter, even Kenny admitted, "Unless he goes down with an injury, Chuck, Lin's getting that record tonight."

...

Second quarter.

Lin stayed on the floor with the Knicks' bench unit. It was fast-break basketball on both sides, but the Knicks couldn't quite keep up.

Danny Green missed three wide-open threes in the period.

At halftime, Green sat quietly, looking sheepish. Lin gave him a reassuring pat on the head.

"I'm giving you all the space in the world," Lin said, half-smiling. "Work on it this summer, alright? Otherwise how am I supposed to win the assist title?"

Green chuckled awkwardly, but his chest felt warm. The Knicks already felt more like home than Cleveland ever did.

...

Third quarter.

D'Antoni gave David Lee a rest, leaving Lin to lead a small-ball group.

Everyone in the building could see what the Knicks were playing for tonight—not a win, but Lin's record-breaking triple-double.

The Suns, unwilling to play the backdrop, switched to strict man-to-man defense and made it clear they wouldn't double-team Lin.

What they didn't count on was how much the Knicks were on board with Lin's chase. Every time he passed out of the post, no matter who caught it—even if the defender was right there—the Knicks just let it fly.

Phoenix fans booed, annoyed at the Knicks' single-mindedness. Lin knew that sound well—Westbrook would hear it too someday. When you start chasing numbers, people notice.

But the Knicks were nothing if not obedient. If the coach said shoot, they shot.

Didn't matter if it bricked.

By the end of the third, the Knicks trailed 78–94, but Lin sat at just two assists shy of breaking Michael Jordan's record.

On TNT, Kenny shook his head. "Doesn't feel right to me, Chuck. Feels… forced."

Barkley cut him off, laughing. "Kenny, it's a triple-double streak. He's about to pass Michael Jordan. You wanna complain about how he gets it? C'mon."

And he was right.

Even if Lin's eighth in a row came ugly, the first seven were undeniable.

And history? History doesn't care how clean it looked.

...

Fourth quarter.

Lin Yi was logging another marathon tonight—he hadn't sat a single minute.

Maybe it was his answer to the Phoenix crowd's boos, but Lin came out of the break on fire, dropping 11 straight points in the fourth to silence the arena.

By now, Suns fans weren't so quick to boo anymore. The Western Conference was still a dogfight—every win mattered. The Knicks? They weren't sweating one regular-season loss.

Some Suns fans even started murmuring among themselves: Well… at least we're still winning… and hey, this triple-double thing is kinda cool, right?

But then Lin seemed to take offense at even that faint applause.

Out of the next timeout, he came back and scored 5 more points in under a minute, then orchestrated a 16–0 Knicks run to tie the game.

That's when Suns coach Alvin Gentry started to panic.

Maybe we do need to double him after all…

The problem was, without sending help at Lin, the Knicks were carving them up inside. But if they did send help, Lin's passing would torch them anyway.

And Amar'e? Amar'e was never exactly a defensive anchor, especially after the knee injuries. Half the time, he was stuck in no man's land.

Gentry suddenly realized: he'd been played.

Lin was daring him not to double all night, and now it was too late.

Lin himself could feel it—his blood was up.

He muttered under his breath as he got back on defense, "I'm not sitting until I get this triple-double. Not tonight. Not letting it slip."

Phoenix still didn't adjust. Lin kept attacking, even dropping two more layups right over Stoudemire.

The Suns' rotations fell apart completely.

On the Knicks bench, Herb Williams turned to D'Antoni and grinned. "Mike, you see the way Gentry's freezing up? Man, he's already second-guessing everything."

D'Antoni chuckled. "That's what happens when you're scared to pick your poison."

Years later, in the playoffs, Gentry would still get caught between doubling and staying home, and teams like the Warriors would eat him alive.

Back to tonight: 3:15 left in the fourth.

Lin drove, drew two defenders, and kicked out to Belinelli in the corner. Marco rose, fired—Bang!

Three-pointer! 

Knicks take the lead!

The Knicks' bench exploded.

On TNT, Charles Barkley's voice boomed through the broadcast.

"Let's give it up for Lin Yi! He just passed Michael Jordan! Eight straight triple-doubles! This is history, Kenny!"

For once, even Kenny Smith couldn't argue. He just smiled, shook his head, and said quietly:

"That's greatness, Chuck. Plain and simple."

...

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