NBA: Journey To Become Unplayable.

By the time Lin Yi sealed his eighth in a row, even the Phoenix fans who'd booed him relentlessly in the third quarter were now on their feet, applauding.

From the TNT booth, Barkley's voice carried their awe.

"It's incredible. If you've watched Lin step by step this season… you really get how great this kid is."

Kenny Smith exhaled sharply and added,

"Charles, you know I don't like saying this—but we're watching him chase the kind of records you only read about in history books."

Eight straight isn't the NBA record, of course.

In the league's long history, the closest anyone had come was Jordan himself: 10 triple-doubles in an 11-game stretch. If he hadn't taken that one game off, he might've owned the streak outright.

But the real record—the ancient one—still belonged to Wilt Chamberlain: nine straight triple-doubles, all the way back in 1967–68.

And now? Lin had climbed to eight.

It wasn't easy. A few of these past eight games came down to the wire—sometimes it felt like sheer luck more than skill.

That's what made the record feel so impossible, even for someone like Lin.

Even as he stood at the scorer's table catching his breath, he shook his head slightly to himself and muttered,

Man… this is a hell of a record…

In the booth, Kenny Smith was already connecting the dots. His eyes lit up as he leaned toward the mic.

"Wait a second. If he pulls off another one in Salt Lake City, he ties Wilt. And then… Oakland after that? He could set his record."

Barkley grinned ear to ear.

"Oh, you know those Jazz tickets are gonna go for double now. And Golden State after? Don't even ask about prices, Kenny."

Kenny chuckled despite himself.

"What's scarier, Chuck… is that he's doing this as a rookie."

Even the Suns fans seemed to forget their team was still losing.

More than one of them was probably thinking the same thing: Is he really about to break Wilt's record?

The way Lin had blitzed through records already, and the way the Knicks were helping him hunt it down—it didn't seem impossible anymore.

Some called him a prodigy. Others called him lucky. Many more quietly muttered to themselves…

This kid's just built different.

...

Buzzer.

The Knicks closed it out, stunning the Suns on their home floor, 119–115.

Lin Yi logged 47 minutes, sitting just one minute in the entire game. His final line: 39 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 blocks.

On the Knicks bench, D'Antoni leaned back and rubbed his temples. For a moment, he almost looked… conflicted.

He hadn't expected them to win this one—he just wanted Lin to get his numbers.

For a split second, he was transported back to his Phoenix days, when his Suns teams would get oh-so-close… only to fall apart at the end.

Now here he was on the other side of it.

After the handshake line, Nash wrapped D'Antoni in a hug. His voice was warm but tinged with disbelief.

"Mike… you've got yourself one hell of a player."

D'Antoni smiled faintly. He knew who Nash meant.

Lin had exploded in the fourth and willed the Knicks back. Sure, Gentry's indecisiveness had helped, but that didn't take away from Lin's brilliance.

Even Amar'e Stoudemire came over to hug his old coach.

"Couldn't have done what I did without you, Coach. You know that."

D'Antoni nodded. In his mind, though, he couldn't help but glance down the tunnel where Lin had already disappeared.

The rookie had already proven one thing: he belonged in conversations that used to sound impossible.

And now?

He was one game away from tying history.

...

Lin Yi was swarmed by reporters.

No way he was escaping this one.

At this point, Lin had become a walking headline. The media wasn't about to let their golden goose slip away.

"Lin, congratulations on breaking Michael Jordan's record with eight straight triple-doubles. Do you think you can tie Wilt Chamberlain's mark next?" someone shouted over the crowd.

Lin tilted his head back, staring at the rafters for a second. Why did it feel like every time he turned around in the NBA, someone was planting another flag for him to claim?

"Honestly?" he said with a wry smile. "It feels a little surreal… like I'm dreaming half the time."

That answer, however sincere, didn't sit well with the reporters.

This wasn't the Lin Yi they were used to.

They wanted the confident soundbite, the headline-ready bravado.

Lin thought for a beat and added, meeting their gaze:

"But the team and coach know what this record means as we discussed it before. We will be going for as long as it doesn't affect the team."

Another reporter chimed in, unwilling to let him off the hook.

"How far do you think the Knicks can go in the playoffs this year?"

Lin shrugged.

"That depends on who we're playing, doesn't it?"

The reporter smirked. Gotcha.

"Okay then — what if it's the Cavaliers or the Celtics?"

Lin paused, pretending to think seriously.

"Then you've got to eat your veggies, take your vitamins, and pray for such a matchup."

The press corps froze for a second and burst into laughter.

...

Meanwhile, back in China, Weibo practically melted down.

Nearly everyone was talking about Lin Yi's eighth straight triple-double.

The NBA offices in New York weren't calm either. Stern himself had to admit: even though the league already had a PR plan lined up after Lin's sixth consecutive triple-double, they had still underestimated just how big his impact could be.

The Knicks' next game — against the Utah Jazz — was already shaping up to be the biggest story in both the U.S. and China.

Stern leaned back in his chair and couldn't help smiling to himself.

This kid… this record-breaking kid never stopped giving the league something to talk about.

Whenever you think he's peaked, he finds a way to surprise you again, he thought.

For Stern, business had been good lately. The NBA's reputation, still recovering from the "gun incident," was stronger than ever. The Dallas All-Star Game had been hailed as one of the best in years. And Lin Yi kept rewriting the script, making basketball feel fresh and exciting again.

"Whatever it takes," Stern told his team. "Promote him. Get behind him. If he ties Wilt's record with nine straight triple-doubles, we're talking about a guy whose place in history jumps another tier."

If the Knicks were smart — if they built properly around Lin in the coming years — New York could reclaim its place as the mecca of basketball.

The 2009–10 NBA season was already shaping up to be one for the rookie history books.

...

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